2 Jobs, same company/dept.

ec07733

Hi,


Does it look bad to apply for two jobs in the same company/same department. The jobs are similar but one is more skilled than the other and one pay band higher. One is full time, one is part time.


I'm wondering whether to apply for both but would this go against me - would the employer think that i'm just applying for 'any' job and question my desire/commitment to the role and just think that I am applying for a bunch of jobs rather than cherry picking ones i'm really interested in? What do you think?


Thanks in advance for opinions!

ec07733

Hi again,


57 views and no replies...i'd really appreciate any responses asap as the closing dates are approaching. Thank you so much and apologies for my impatience!

InsideInsurance

Do you know if its the same hiring manager?

Assuming it then I would certainly question someone who thinks they are both a Junior and Senior something. If they are Senior then they wont stick around in Junior.

That said, I have had people apply for a Senior job, I've interviewed them and thought they were good but not experienced enough for the higher job and offered them the lower one.

ec07733

Thank you Inside Insurance for your reply:beer: My thoughts exactly. I did check the hiring manager, and they are 2 different individuals, however, I have worked at the organisation before (1 year student placement) and the teams are in the same department so there is a chance that management could ask for second opinions on shortlisting etc.


The reason I want to apply for both jobs is because they are within the same field; the more 'senior' role isn't really more senior, but you need a specific qualification to do the job, which I have however, I don't meet 2 of the essential criteria (although I could within a year) but I do meet some of the desirable criteria.The hours are part time. I did my placement on this team so they know my work so I'm wondering whether this will override the fact that I don't yet meet 2 of the essential criteria. I can work part time here as I can do my current job in part time hours so would have 2 different jobs to make up full time hours.


The more 'junior' job is actually almost as skilled as the 'senior' but it is full time and I meet all essential and some desirable criteria so i'm thinking I have a better chance of getting this.


Both jobs offer me a pay rise (one obviously more substantial than the other) and the company offers great benefits and is local which would save me my current 2 hour commute.


What do you think? Apply for both, or one?? Thank you

InsideInsurance

Its a difficult call.

On the basis that there are two different hiring managers I think there is slightly more justification for applying for the two different roles though still any HR department worth their salt would spot the fact its the same person and make them aware.

The risk is that they internally agree to only consider you for one of the roles and either you (a) never get the chance of going for the stretch role or (b) only get considered for the stretch job that you have less chance of getting

In general I would say that job adverts contain a wish list and very rarely will a recruiter expect to be able to fully tick every single item on there. That said some things are must haves and some are nice to haves and if what you are lacking from the senior role is a must have then it could be a non-starter

Given you have history with the company do you have any old contacts there that may know the hiring managers and could have a word with them for you?

CCFC_80

A tricky one, if with the same hiring manager I would go for just one role the one you have best experience.


That's my opinion and might not be everyone elses. Thinking along the lines that if you are best suited to Job A and you don't get it you most likely won't get job B either.

Cheeky_Monkey

I would definitely only apply for the more 'junior' full-time role as you stand a much better chance of getting it.

If successful, you could then take the time to work towards gaining the experience or whatever it is you need for the other job that you don't currently have. That way, if the other job comes up again in the future, you would be a much better match for it.

getmore4less

If you have worked there before this is an ideal case of using your inside knowledge/network to go in and talk about it.

The key is you want to work there and both jobs are better than you currently have. If the same department then both hirers probably work for the same more senior person.

Apply for both on the same application cover letter you want to be considered for both so you both(you and company) can see which is the best fit.

Sncjw

I applied for two jobs in same dept and they had different bands in the nhs. Think I got an interview for one. You could say if you apply for both the reason you applied for the lower one is that you are willing to start lower and learn the skills needed and gain experience to be able to work at the higher band if needed.

McKneff

Do you really want either job.


Theres a big difference between wanting to work full time or part time.

theoretica

I faced a similar situation with jobs at two levels with the same hiring manager, applied for both, was offered interviews for both followed by a note from HR saying please only come once. I was offered the more senior.

On the other hand I recently interviewed for two posts where a lot of candidates were clearly applying for one and just adding the other in on a why not. Not one single person who applied for both wrote a separate targeted application showing they appreciated the differences between the roles.