Should I tell my manager I’m applying for an internal role before I get an interview?
Career / WorkThe internal vacancy closes on Friday. I’ve opened the application three times and stopped at the box asking for my current manager’s name.
The instructions say a manager needs to agree a release date if an employee is offered a transfer. They don’t say we need permission to apply. I’d like to move from customer operations into the training team, where I’ve helped deliver two workshops.
My manager has been supportive of that interest in general. This month, though, two people are leaving our team and she keeps saying we need stability. I’m worried she’ll hear my application as another problem she has to solve.
I could tell her now and risk a tense few weeks even if I never get an interview. I could apply first, but she might hear about it from the hiring manager before I speak to her.
How would you choose the timing? Is there a way to be considerate without treating an early application as a promise to leave?