Applying for a position at the organisation you currently work in has its benefits – the person hiring is likely to know you, or your manager, and your abilities.
Likewise, it makes the process much easier for you as you already know the organisation's culture and values, you may know the people you'll be working with and what the job or department is like.
But going for a promotion can be tricky. You have the potential to be overlooked for roles, especially if you haven't had chance to demonstrate the key skills they're looking for. It also has the potential to cause tension between colleagues – healthy competition isn't useful for everyone and it's easy to start comparing yourself to colleagues who have also gone for the job. And then there's the prospect of having to stay where you are and watch a colleague take the role if you're unsuccessful, not to mention having people you work with potentially interviewing you.
Even if you're not thinking of applying for an internal job or promotion now, or the right one hasn't come up, it's a good idea to have a strategy so you start building yourself up so you're the first person they think of when the next opportunity comes along.
So if you're in the process of applying for an internal opportunity or promotion, or just want to gear yourself up for when one comes around, join our live Q&A on Thursday 13 February from 1pm to 3pm. We'll be discussing:
• How to position yourself well for promotions
• Managing the application process, from competitive colleagues to familiar recruiters
• What to do if you feel as though you're being overlooked
The Q&A takes place in the comments section below this article. Taking part is easier than ever: you can create a free Guardian account, or log in using your Twitter or Facebook profiles to comment. Alternatively, you can tweet us @GuardianCareers or email your questions to Hannah Friend who can post them for you.
Our panel
Mike Kennedy is a careers and recruitment guru with 17 years' experience working and recruiting for some of the biggest corporate employers in the UK, including BSkyB, UniLever, the BBC and News International. He runs AssessmentCentreHQ.com, a free job hunting and careers resource for graduates and young professionals.
Victoria Matthews is a careers adviser with the National Careers Service, with seven years' experience of providing support on careers, funding and employability.
Dan Hawes is the co-founder and head of marketing at Graduate Recruitment Bureau, the UK's leading independent recruitment consultancy for students, recent graduates and experienced graduates. Established by two graduates in 1997, GRB's experts have helped and placed over 600,000 students and graduates with FTSE 250 and fast growing recruiters in all sectors across the world.
Jon Gregory is a job search, application and interview coach. Author of 'Winning That Job: A kill or be-killed guide' (Firewalk Publishing), he edits win-that-job.com, where he also blogs. Jon worked from graduate engineer up to running a FTSE 100 subsidiary company, so knows exactly how to approach promotion interviews.
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