Is it advisable to apply for a position when it is more or less set that my colleague will get it?

Question

My former boss just left the company and a colleague of mine took over his responsibilities temporarily. Now, this colleague of mine has already been prepared beforehand to take up a leading position in the future. He is also on very good terms with our department manager. As far as I - or anyone else I have spoken to in my team - is concerned, it is pretty much guaranteed that this colleague of mine will be the next permanent head of our team. Nevertheless, the company has to accept applications for any position (by company rules) - even if that is often only pro-forma.

I have been wondering if I should apply myself as well. Not even because I think I have a chance of getting this job as the head of our team (Even though my profile fits the job description ~80%, I am the youngest and newest employee by far in this team), but instead to signal to the higher-ups that I have this kind of ambition and that I think I would be qualified to lead a team in the future as well.

Do you think that would be a bad idea? I am not really afraid of 'offending' anyone and I think I can handle the pressure/unrest this would generate in our team, but I am a bit concerned if this would be seen as being 'uncooperative' or 'unrealistic' by the higher ups (mainly the department manager).

Answer 1

If you want to role, and you think you are suitable for the role, you should apply.

Don't worry about other candidates, think about how you would fit the role.

You need to think about if you have the kind of experience they are after. Do you have the required skill set?

If you are going into that interview very under-qualified then, yes, that would be bad and a waste of time. But you need to approach it as-if there was no lock-in.

Answer 2

Ambition is one thing. Being the right person for the job is another.

Whether or not somebody else is better suited for the job is irrelevant. What you need to consider is what kind of message you give to management. Considering that you're the newest, the youngest, and presumably the least experienced, would you come across as someone who is over-ambitious? What did you say during performance reviews, about what your expectations were? And what did they say?

There's a theory that you keep getting promoted until the point that you find yourself in a job for which you are underqualified or otherwise unsuitable. I've seen this happen more than once during the ±25 years of my career. It's uncomfortable and awkward, especially for the person concerned, and particularly so if management decides he/she has to go.

Your career path should be towards what you excel at, or what you could excel at if your challenged yourself. If you are good at dealing with a group of diverse people, including hiring the right people and sacking those that can't perform, sure, go ahead and go for a lead/line management position.

But be honest with yourself: are you the right person for the job?