SUMMARY POINTS
Your current job isn’t exactly what you want, at least not anymore. When you first started out, things were hunky-dory and fine. However, it’s not that way anymore, far from it. Some days, it’s an absolute fucking nightmare because of your asshole boss and other days it’s just meh.
On balance, your current job just isn’t something you look forward to every morning. It’s not that you need to be super happy and have positive morning vibes every day about your job, but it just can’t be like this anymore.
It’s gotten to the point where you’re browsing the internal job postings every week and keeping your eyes and ears open for potential job openings in other departments. The feeling of wanting to GTFO of your current position is growing stronger with each passing day. You feel like quitting your job on really bad days.
You’re getting desperate now and all you wanna do is just escape your current situation in the hopes of a better one. You’ve found what looks to be like an ideal position and you want to jump on it now.
It’s at this moment that you need to press pause and think things through a bit. Because if you make any rash decisions now, you might end up making things worse. Don’t screw yourself over by making an irrational move.
On balance, your current job just isn’t something you look forward to every morning. It’s not that you need to be super happy and have positive morning vibes every day about your job, but it just can’t be like this anymore.
It’s gotten to the point where you’re browsing the internal job postings every week and keeping your eyes and ears open for potential job openings in other departments. The feeling of wanting to GTFO of your current position is growing stronger with each passing day. You feel like quitting your job on really bad days.
You’re getting desperate now and all you wanna do is just escape your current situation in the hopes of a better one. You’ve found what looks to be like an ideal position and you want to jump on it now.
It’s at this moment that you need to press pause and think things through a bit. Because if you make any rash decisions now, you might end up making things worse. Don’t screw yourself over by making an irrational move.
Things To Do To Increase The Odds Of Getting That Internal Job Transfer
It’s human nature to avoid pain and always seek out comfort. In other words, nearly all of us want to do things the easy way. Unfortunately, doing things the easy way doesn’t always result in positive outcomes.
This same principle applies here. The easiest thing to do is just throw your hat in the ring and apply for the internal job posting. It’s as simple as completing the form and clicking submit. Done.
Doing it this way, you’ll just be one of the many employees applying for the position. You’ll be lumped in with the masses and this is exactly what you want to avoid. You want to do the opposite and stand out among the crowd.
This requires work on your part. Here are some key things that you have to do to boost your chances.
This same principle applies here. The easiest thing to do is just throw your hat in the ring and apply for the internal job posting. It’s as simple as completing the form and clicking submit. Done.
Doing it this way, you’ll just be one of the many employees applying for the position. You’ll be lumped in with the masses and this is exactly what you want to avoid. You want to do the opposite and stand out among the crowd.
This requires work on your part. Here are some key things that you have to do to boost your chances.
Thoroughly Read The Job Description
First things first. You’ve got to thoroughly read through and understand the job description and its roles and responsibilities. Scanning the job description isn’t going to cut it. You’ve got to read each of the responsibilities carefully. You gotta understand what each item means. This is so that you’ll be well-versed in the requirements and it’ll help you position yourself and create a unique image for the job.
Once you’ve determined that this is worth looking into, then the next step below is a key step that you can’t skip.
Once you’ve determined that this is worth looking into, then the next step below is a key step that you can’t skip.
Be Upfront With Your Current Manager
You may not want to do this, but you must give a heads-up to your current manager that you’re interested in another position within the company. The reason is that once you start talking to the hiring manager and/or HR about the position, word will get back to your current manager that you’re snooping around about the position.
You don’t want your manager to find out about this through internal back channels. You want to avoid the gossip trap. It’s best that they hear it directly from you. And if they’re not a bitch boss from hell and genuinely want to see you succeed and grow within the company, they’ll be supportive and won’t block you.
Side note - if you’ve only been in your current position for less than a year, it’s not a good idea to make a move at this point. You need to put in at least a full year or two at minimum before hopping to another position.
You don’t want your manager to find out about this through internal back channels. You want to avoid the gossip trap. It’s best that they hear it directly from you. And if they’re not a bitch boss from hell and genuinely want to see you succeed and grow within the company, they’ll be supportive and won’t block you.
Side note - if you’ve only been in your current position for less than a year, it’s not a good idea to make a move at this point. You need to put in at least a full year or two at minimum before hopping to another position.
Do Your Homework Ahead Of Time
In addition to thoroughly reading through the job description, you’ll want to take things a step further because there’s only so much that can be written in a job description. The goal here is to get a more thorough understanding of the position with those closest to it. This will give you a better idea of what the job is like including all of the nuances, challenges, issues, etc.
Reach out to co-workers that are on the same team as that position. Ask them for an informal discussion about what that position is like along with the pros and cons of it. Ask them about the key skill sets that are needed to be successful and to make the job “awesomer”. This will help you build your case by aligning your skill set with that of the position.
Reach out to co-workers that are on the same team as that position. Ask them for an informal discussion about what that position is like along with the pros and cons of it. Ask them about the key skill sets that are needed to be successful and to make the job “awesomer”. This will help you build your case by aligning your skill set with that of the position.
Set An Informal Meeting With The Hiring Manager
Don’t jump the gun here and ask for a formal interview. You want to take an intermediate step here and have an informal conversation about the job with the hiring manager.
Schedule a brief 30-minute meeting with him or her and approach the meeting from the standpoint of wanting to learn more about the position beyond what is written in the job posting. You have to take better notes so that you capture everything. The aim here is to pay close attention to what they are saying and what they are emphasizing. This is what you want to focus on later in your application and formal interview.
Schedule a brief 30-minute meeting with him or her and approach the meeting from the standpoint of wanting to learn more about the position beyond what is written in the job posting. You have to take better notes so that you capture everything. The aim here is to pay close attention to what they are saying and what they are emphasizing. This is what you want to focus on later in your application and formal interview.
Find Out What The Manager Is Like
It would really suck if you moved from one shitty situation to another. Or worse, moving into an environment that is even worse than your current one. You don’t want to end up working for a soul-crushing toxic boss that is going to make your work life fucking hell.
The best way to get the scoop is to talk with their direct reports. These are the folks that will know exactly what it’s like to work for the manager. Talk with at least a few of the team members over a cofftea break or set up a series of informal convos. Get to the truth of the matter.
The best way to get the scoop is to talk with their direct reports. These are the folks that will know exactly what it’s like to work for the manager. Talk with at least a few of the team members over a cofftea break or set up a series of informal convos. Get to the truth of the matter.
Get A Feel For Team Dynamics
During those same informal meetings with the team members, ask them about how the team operates. Is everyone helpful to one another or are they backstabbers?
You want to be sure that you’ll be in an environment where your future team members are helpful and fun to work with, not some chaotic mess where everyone has to fend for themselves to avoid getting thrown under the bus. Nobody should have to work in that kind of environment.
You want to be sure that you’ll be in an environment where your future team members are helpful and fun to work with, not some chaotic mess where everyone has to fend for themselves to avoid getting thrown under the bus. Nobody should have to work in that kind of environment.
Build Your Case As The Ideal Candidate
Once you’ve gathered all of the above information and things are positive “go for it” results, you’ll want to build your case as the ideal person for this job.
Write down all of your specific tasks, critical grunt work, projects and programs that you currently lead and find the skills that match the opening. It’s even better if you can hone in on projects that are directly related to or part of the current job’s responsibilities. Do the same for challenges and issues that you’ve overcome.
Don’t just think about it. You gotta write all this shit down. The physical act of writing, seeing the words and thinking about each item will help you remember why and how you’re a great fit.
Write down all of your specific tasks, critical grunt work, projects and programs that you currently lead and find the skills that match the opening. It’s even better if you can hone in on projects that are directly related to or part of the current job’s responsibilities. Do the same for challenges and issues that you’ve overcome.
Don’t just think about it. You gotta write all this shit down. The physical act of writing, seeing the words and thinking about each item will help you remember why and how you’re a great fit.
Request For An Internal Interview
Now that you’ve done all your homework and have all your shit together, it’s time to request a formal interview. In some cases, you may need to work through HR. Yes, sometimes HR fucking sucks and won’t help much, but you’ve got to confirm the process through them.
During the interview, you can expect many of the typical questions. However, the difference here is that you’ve prepared like a pro and your answers won’t be the typical answers. You’ll have specific examples that line up perfectly with desired outcomes.
During the interview, you can expect many of the typical questions. However, the difference here is that you’ve prepared like a pro and your answers won’t be the typical answers. You’ll have specific examples that line up perfectly with desired outcomes.
Go The Extra Step & Offer Interim Support
It’s that little extra something that can sometimes make a big difference. You’ve experienced this countless times when buying something or being served at a restaurant.
It’s the same story here.
During the interview, offer your support to take the lead on some of the key urgent tasks that aren’t being handled right now. This will be a huge benefit for the hiring manager because it’s likely that they’re having to deal with it until they fill the position. This is why being in middle management sucks. They’ve got to deal with shit from above and below.
Offering to take the lead on urgent tasks during this interim period will show your proactive attitude and position you more favorably than other applicants.
It’s the same story here.
During the interview, offer your support to take the lead on some of the key urgent tasks that aren’t being handled right now. This will be a huge benefit for the hiring manager because it’s likely that they’re having to deal with it until they fill the position. This is why being in middle management sucks. They’ve got to deal with shit from above and below.
Offering to take the lead on urgent tasks during this interim period will show your proactive attitude and position you more favorably than other applicants.
Be Prepared & You’ll Snag The Position
Look, we know that you’re eager to jump to that open internal position. But, you gotta be prudent and methodical here. This is key to your future success.
If the open position is truly a good fit for you and you really want to make the internal move, you gotta get in the zone and do the legwork to improve the chances of grabbing that spot. It’s not just going to be handed to you on a silver platter.
The more prepared you are the better your chances will be of getting selected as the primary candidate for the open position.
So, the sooner you stop fucking around and get to work on this, the sooner you can make the transition.
Feel Better,
[Cubicle|Therapy]
If the open position is truly a good fit for you and you really want to make the internal move, you gotta get in the zone and do the legwork to improve the chances of grabbing that spot. It’s not just going to be handed to you on a silver platter.
The more prepared you are the better your chances will be of getting selected as the primary candidate for the open position.
So, the sooner you stop fucking around and get to work on this, the sooner you can make the transition.
Feel Better,
[Cubicle|Therapy]