If you’re considering a career change, don’t forget to look where you are first. An internal transfer can provide many of the advantages of a new position without the risks of looking for a completely new job. This becomes even easier if you’ve been building your personal brand with career success in mind. You should already be positioning yourself in a manner people are noticing.
Consider these reasons for making an in-house move and strategies for accomplishing a successful transition.
Benefits of Making an Internal Transfer
- Learn new skills. Assuming a new role in your company gives you an opportunity to branch out. If you’ve been crunching numbers for the past few years, now could be the perfect time to master writing proposals.
- Expand your network. Changing departments will help to raise your visibility. Interacting with another team enables you to form new alliances while maintaining access to your old coworkers.
- Increase your job security. Many companies value a well rounded employee. Seeing the business from multiple perspectives gives you an advantage in understanding how all the parts work together.
- Hold onto your benefits. If you’ve been in your current job for a while, you may have built up valuable benefits like extra vacation time. You may also like the idea of keeping your current health insurance and sticking with the same doctors.
- Feel more motivated. It’s easy to get stale when you’ve been doing the same thing year after year. Enjoy the excitement of mixing things up.
- Take on new challenges. Whether your new position is a promotion or lateral move, it’s a chance to test your abilities and grow.
- Minimize stress. In house options can be a pleasant blend of familiarity and change. You get to make a fresh start without the upheaval that goes along with starting over with a brand new company.
Strategies for Making Your Internal Transfer Successful
- Consider the whole picture. It’s always nice to get a raise. It may be even more important to assess any transfer in terms of how it will advance your career in the long run and add to your job satisfaction. Evaluate all the factors involved.
- Make an impact. Get to know the priorities of your new supervisor and the culture of the unit. Hit the ground running by making contributions that will get noticed and demonstrate your worth.
- Get to know your new colleagues. Our relationships with our coworkers play a big part in whether we enjoy our work. Invite people out to lunch. Volunteer for assignments that enable you to work side by side with people you can learn from.
- Preserve old ties. If you’ve grown close to the people in your department, it’s reassuring to know that you’re sticking close to home. You can still get together to socialize and see each other around the office.
- Facilitate a smooth transition. Prepare a written report on your outstanding projects so your successor knows where to pick up. Make yourself available for any questions they may have.
- Address any discipline issues. While lateral moves can be a very good thing, they’re sometimes viewed with caution because of cases where they cover up issues by transferring an employee rather than dealing directly with conflicts or deficiencies. Be honest with yourself and welcome feedback about areas where you need to improve.
- Reevaluate your goals. Whenever you shake up your routine, it can be a good opportunity to review all aspects of your life. You may decide you also want to take some adult education classes or exercise more.
When you’re reluctant to switch employers, you can advance your career through an internal transfer. Look for opportunities in your current workplace and get off to great start in your new role with these tips.
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