If you’re ready to take the next step in your career but don’t want to leave your current employer, your only option for career progression is applying for an internal position.
To give yourself the best chance of success, you’ll need a CV for an internal promotion.
In this article, we’re going to show you how to write a CV for an internal position, whether you should write an internal job cover letter, tips, and more.
With the help of our professional CV builder and our advice below, you’ll be able to craft a tailored internal CV in minutes.
Do you need a CV for an internal interview?
Many professionals assume a CV isn’t necessary when going after an internal position.
Yet, as is the case with any other recruiting process, it could make or break your application.
You should create an internal CV when:
- You’re applying for a promotion: To demonstrate your readiness for greater responsibility and leadership.
- Transferring to a new department: To highlight relevant experience and transferable skills that fit the new role.
- Making a lateral move: To help you show how your strengths can bring value in a different capacity.
It’s true that you already work in the company, and you may even be a face well known across the office. Yet, this doesn’t mean that HR and your future manager know anything about your daily tasks and notable accomplishments.
You may still need to make a good first impression to land the new role. The bigger the organisation, the more this is true.
Benefits of writing an internal CV
Some benefits of taking the time to craft an internal CV include:
- Unrivalled familiarity: Unlike external candidates, you already have a thorough understanding of the company’s culture, operations, and objectives.
- Showcasing growth and achievements: Your internal CV is the perfect way to highlight your accomplishments in the company, commitment to your role, and how you’ve grown professionally.
- Demonstrating ambition: By crafting an internal CV, you show your ambition and eagerness to take on new challenges. This can be seen as a positive trait by your employer.
- Highlights internal expertise: Through an internal CV, you can demonstrate your deep knowledge of the company’s systems and processes. That’s an edge external hires won’t have.
💡Note
If you’ve previously been promoted within the company, learn how to show promotions on a CV. Previous promotions can improve your chances of securing your new role by showing previous success.
Internal CV example
The full-length internal CV example below can help guide you in the writing process and give you a good base to start from:
Sarah Johnson
Operations Manager
sarah.johnson@email.com
07123 456789
Professional Summary
Ambitious operations professional with 7 years’ experience at Anderson Financial Services, skilled in leading cross-department projects, applying for promotion to Senior Operations Manager. Delivered measurable results, including a 22% reduction in processing times, £75K annual cost savings, and a 97% departmental KPI success rate.
Key Skills
- Process optimisation and workflow improvement
- Team leadership and staff development
- Stakeholder management across finance, compliance, and operations
- Strong knowledge of Salesforce, Excel (advanced), and company CRM systems
- Budget control and cost-reduction strategies
- Excellent communication and problem-solving
Professional Experience
Operations Manager
Anderson Financial Services | London
June 2020 – Present
- Introduced a new digital workflow system, reducing client application processing time by 22%.
- Managed a team of 12 operations staff, achieving a departmental KPI success rate of 97% in 2024.
- Coordinated with Compliance and Customer Service departments to ensure adherence to FCA regulations, reducing audit issues by 30%.
- Implemented monthly reporting dashboards, improving senior leadership visibility on performance trends.
- Delivered training sessions for 8 new employees, helping them meet role expectations within their first month.
Operations Associate
Anderson Financial Services | London
May 2018 – May 2020
- Handled high-volume client requests with a 99% accuracy rate.
- Developed a reporting template now used company-wide, reducing monthly reporting time by 10 hours.
- Assisted in cross-department projects including the Client Retention Initiative, contributing to a 12% increase in client satisfaction.
- Supported management in budget tracking, identifying cost inefficiencies totalling £20K per year.
Education & Training
- BA (Hons) Business Management – University of Leeds, 2016
- Advanced Excel & Data Analytics – Internal Training, 2022
- Leadership Development Programme – Brighton Financial Services, 2023
Achievements & Recognition
- Winner of Employee Excellence Award (2022) for outstanding contribution to operational efficiency.
- Selected for the Emerging Leaders Programme (2023), highlighting leadership potential and company alignment.
As you can see, creating a compelling CV for an internal job is similar to other successful CV examples. However, it requires an extra focus on highlighting your achievements within the company and your understanding of its values.
If you feel this internal CV example isn’t right for your company or the position you’re applying for, take a look at our CV template library to find one that suits it better.
How to tailor your CV to an internal position
As with any application, your CV should be as specific as possible. To make your life easier, be sure to update your curriculum vitae often. The following are a few ways to make sure that your CV is relevant to the internal position you’re applying for.
- Adapt your summary: Clearly state the position you are applying for and include a few key competencies you can bring to the role. This sets the tone and immediately shows that you’re a good fit.
- Highlight your work experience: If your new job is going to move you to a different department, emphasise any transferable skills that can demonstrate your ability to succeed in the new role.
- Include skills mentioned in the job description: Align your CV with the requirements listed for the position to show you meet or exceed expectations.
- Quantify your achievements: Use numbers, percentages, or other measurable results to illustrate the impact of your work. This will make your contributions more tangible.
- Add company-specific language: Incorporate terminology and values unique to your company to demonstrate familiarity and alignment with its culture.
By following these steps, your CV will clearly communicate your value and readiness for the promotion, giving you a better chance of securing the new role.
Tips for a successful job promotion application
Before you submit your internal job application, here are four helpful tips that can help increase your chances of securing a promotion within your company.
Learn all you can about the position
Of course, it’s best practice for all job seekers to read the job description in detail and contact the hiring manager to ask relevant questions. However, you can actually talk to people in the department and even to those who are already in the position you’re interested in.
By understanding the requirements, you’ll be better equipped to prove you can meet them.
Write a cover letter for the internal position
An internal position cover letter should clearly explain your motivation for the role and highlight the growth and achievements you’ve made within the company. Focus on how your experience aligns with the new responsibilities and why you’re the right fit for the position.
To streamline the process of writing a strong internal job cover letter that is tailored to the role you’re applying for, use our cover letter builder.
Take advantage of internal references
If you’ve proven yourself in any capacity related to the responsibilities of the internal role, don’t let that go to waste. Be sure to reach out to colleagues or managers you’ve worked with and ask if they’d be willing to provide a reference.
Positive internal recommendations can carry significant weight and help strengthen your application, especially since HR will look for references beyond your direct manager and will be pleased to see that you have the support of your team.
Prepare for the interview
The recruiter may well know you personally. But this doesn’t mean you should be overly relaxed. Take the meeting seriously and act as you would during and after any other job interview.
Focus on being positive and refrain from badmouthing your team and responsibilities. Being excited about the next challenge is the right attitude, but showing you’re over your current ones is not.
If an opportunity presents itself, use your company’s language and terminology to demonstrate familiarity and alignment with its culture and processes. This shows you’re already integrated into the team and understand how the company operates.
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