I'm applying for a promotion I have no chance of getting.

[Rick Lee]

My boss got promoted last week and so the jockeying to succeed him begins. Another guy on our team, who is one training class (i.e. three weeks) ahead of me has been groomed for this job from day one. He is our manager's pet. He's well-qualified, a top producer, well-respected by the rest of us, has an executive appearance and all of us on the team would be happy to have him as our new boss. But I feel like I need to go through the motions of applying for this position just to show my ambition and perhaps compete for a consolation prize. We all feel like the company is posting this job internally just to make us feel like it's not already decided, but we know it is.

How to write this cover letter?

[stomachmonkey]

I will cost you less in attorneys fees.

I have the photos and audio recordings to prove it.

Sincerely,
Slick Rick Lee

[Shaun @ Tru6]

He sounds like a guy who knows how to move a cactus.

[strupgolf]

As things go, if he gets the job, he too will move on. Go for it, then when they need sombody else, they might remember you as someone who cares about the job. All they can say is no.

[Tilikum Turbo]

Remember...just like yourself, your employer is not the only game in town.

If you have a good/great skillset, simply apply at another place, get a healthy pay raise, and wave good-bye(with tactfulness, not bitterness) to your present job.

[LWJ]

Rick
Write the letter as if the other guy doesn't exist! You are a salesman. I am as well. I do the best when I am so focused on the sale the the competition doesn't enter my mind. This is a sales situation.

Have fun
Larry

[DonDavis]

Everything said after this is bunk...

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

I will cost you less in attorneys fees.

I have the photos and audio recordings to prove it.

Sincerely,
Slick Rick Lee

Too damn funny, and well set up.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

My boss got promoted last week and so the jockeying to succeed him begins. Another guy on our team, who is one training class (i.e. three weeks) ahead of me has been groomed for this job from day one. He is our manager's pet. He's well-qualified, a top producer, well-respected by the rest of us, has an executive appearance and all of us on the team would be happy to have him as our new boss. But I feel like I need to go through the motions of applying for this position just to show my ambition and perhaps compete for a consolation prize. We all feel like the company is posting this job internally just to make us feel like it's not already decided, but we know it is.

How to write this cover letter?

Go for it, I do that same thing at least once a year.
It doesn't cost anything, makes the bosses nervous, and got me an "unscheduled compensation adjustment" year before last.
Back in 1997, I applied for a job they we all knew I couldn't get, and besides joe blow nephew was a shoe-in, but low and behold I got that job and it turned out to be a very good thing. I found out later that jow blow was only a shoe-in because no one else (besides me) had applied!

All in all, the odds of it helping you are much greater than those it won't.

[cstreit]

I agree with the sentiment that you should write it like the guy doesnt exist. If you do not communicate what you are after, you will surely never get it.

You may not know all of the politics, things change, people change, priorities change. Register your interest. Stay positive. this guy may be the one choosing you to fill his role later... ...or.. you also want your coworkers writing this same comment about you later....

[Porsche-O-Phile]

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. Game on. Go for it. You might surprise yourself.

[aigel]

Play to win. Always go for the job like you mean it. Who knows, you may be mistaken. Or the guy falls on his face in week two and they take you up on it.

G

[LWJ]

^^^the guy falls on his face...

He may have a nasty coke habit and come unglued at a perfect time. I've seen stranger.

[Rick Lee]

Yeah, I'm gonna do it, no question. Today our HR boss sent us an email listing the criteria to be eligible to apply. One of them was to "be in good standing," meaning at 100% of goal in every metric. Trouble is..... we are measured by quarter and we're well into Q2 with no comp plan for 2014 yet. We have our revenue figures for Q1, but no one knows what the goals for Q1 were, so we don't know where we are relative to those goals. But the shoo-in - I'll call him Stan - is in the same boat I am there.

Stan is a great guy, a gun buddy and probably my closest friend at work. We'll definitely get along fine if he becomes the boss, and I'll be on his radar for the next one. He's so obviously getting this job, that we all joke about it publicly to the current boss. It's almost insulting that HR tells us they're posting the job internally and externally.

On another note, there's another guy - I'll call him Jim - on a different team we all can't stand who is also applying for this job. The current boss can barely bring himself to be polite to Jim, Jim's boss doesn't like him, BUT he is a good performer, puts in the most hours and is super, almost overly, ambitious. He has no chance of getting promoted because the bosses know no one would ever work for him. Jim means well, is a nice guy, is super smart and hard-working; he just unknowingly rubs people the wrong way. I can see him being butt hurt for the rest of his life, not understanding why he can do his job so well and never get promoted. Anyway, not my problem, but we all laugh about it in the office.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by LWJ

^^^the guy falls on his face...

He may have a nasty coke habit and come unglued at a perfect time. I've seen stranger.

This guy is a pretty straight arrow, a performer, a looker, a politician, a nice guy; the kind of guy who was probably prom king and voted most likely to succeed in high school, who never had an enemy and you can't not like. He's so good, he's not even too good, where you expect a fall. No, he'll do fine and I'm aiming for a consolation prize or future consideration here.

Besides, if they actually pull me in for an interview, it'll be the closest thing to an annual review or some professional development guidance I'll get at this job. That's how loose the mgt. is at the moment.

[DanielDudley]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

This guy is a pretty straight arrow, a performer, a looker, a politician, a nice guy; the kind of guy who was probably prom king and voted most likely to succeed in high school, who never had an enemy and you can't not like. He's so good, he's not even too good, where you expect a fall. No, he'll do fine and I'm aiming for a consolation prize or future consideration here.

Besides, if they actually pull me in for an interview, it'll be the closest thing to an annual review or some professional development guidance I'll get at this job. That's how loose the mgt. is at the moment.

Yes, but would he hide your motorcycle in his garage for you ?

I think NOT.

[asphaltgambler]

You'se can't win if you'se don't play - simple as that

[onewhippedpuppy]

Definitely do it Rick, for all the reasons noted. Even if your buddy gets the job, it should set you up nicely for the next opportunity. Great piece of advice that I received early on in my career - always tell your boss what you want to do and where you want to go. Often times they'll help you get there, but they can't help if they don't know where "there" is.

[livi]

Best of luck, Rick!

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by DanielDudley

Yes, but would he hide your motorcycle in his garage for you ?

I think NOT.

He actually has a derelict bike in his garage already and keeps asking me to come repair it for him. I have no idea what's wrong or how to fix it. But at least his wife knows he has a bike and guns, unlike another buddy of mine, whose wife hasn't found out in almost two yrs.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

This guy is a pretty straight arrow, a performer, a looker, a politician, a nice guy; the kind of guy who was probably prom king and voted most likely to succeed in high school, who never had an enemy and you can't not like.

This guy? I hear he drinks. You could use that against him.