Want a new job? Start with your current company!

Why the company you’re in may be the best place to start and how to leverage your internal network for new job opportunities

We’ve all been there. It’s either you don’t feel challenged anymore, you can’t see yourself in your current role for the long term, you hate your line manager or team mates, you just want a change, OR all of the above.

While one’s natural instinct after updating your CV is to look at the external job market and apply for positions that meet your criteria, have you also considered searching within your current company?

Why bother, you might say, but just stop and think for a while. Do you like your current company? How long have you been employed there? How good is your track record? Do you have a solid internal network? Is your company generally open to internal hires and promotions?

If you answered yes to most of the questions above, then I recommend that you really look into the possibility of an internal job move. Building your professional credibility, business knowledge and network takes time. So if you already invested a number of years (including blood, sweat and tears) in a company, then it’s time to make those years work for you!

Here are the advantages to moving jobs internally compared to externally:

1.You are familiar with the company culture and how things generally work. Believe it or not, this can be a big deal. Can you imagine being in a situation where you have landed your dream job but only to realize down the road that the company culture does not fit you? It would be a disaster if this ever happens.

2.You already know people in the organization and they know you. Dealing with people that you already know even in a different capacity will surely come in handy. When I moved to a process ownership role, engaging with my stakeholders to implement new processes and standards was relatively easy due to the fact that I’m mostly known to them as I used to be an internal auditor in my previous role- somehow the advisor role still resonated with them and they also know that I’m quite conscientious with my work. Additionally, when you need to get things done or need some information, you will not feel too lost as you are already familiar with the organizational structure and know of the subject matter experts of certain topics.

3.You have a chance to try out a new role. If you’re feeling like you want to explore, change fields and be out of your comfort zone, you’re most likely eyeing out a role where you don’t have prior experience on. Unfortunately, applying externally might not give you high chances getting hired for these roles. Fact is, employers tend to look outside for more experienced people. Meaning, people who have been there and done that role already. On the contrary, applying internally gives you more chances of landing that new role because your credibility, business knowledge, personality points and your potential for the role will definitely be considered (you might also be cheaper but hey, do your research and make sure to negotiate). Even if you have not dealt with your potential line manager before, he/she would definitely seek feedback from people who have worked with you. Fingers crossed whoever was asked would react with a convincing smile and not a smirk or worst, a snort when they hear that you are interested in the position. You do have friends at work, right?

4.It earns you some loyalty points and it can look good on your CV. Being able to move to different roles within a company will definitely show your sense of loyalty, your competence and dynamism. It may also indicate that you’re a high potential employee, with exposure to various roles grooming you for upper management.

5.You adjust mainly to your job and team. Apart from the actual role and maybe your new line manager and team, there’s nothing left to adjust with! Even small things like getting used to the new office, office canteen food, colleagues in other departments, the commute or drive to the new office, the coffee machine…these things add up! So the lesser things you need to adjust to, the better.

Now that you’re convinced with an internal move, what next? How do you actually learn of the job opportunities? Here are some tips in no particular order and can be applied simultaneously:

Tip #1- Check out your internal job postings. Found something you like? Do you know who’s hiring or anyone from that team? Contact them and let them know you are interested.

Tip #2- Talk to your line manager. Word of caution- this might backfire so only do this if you trust your line manager. While it’s true that some line managers are naturally people managers that care about your professional development, don’t discount the fact that there are also line managers who absolutely do not care about your career progression and sees you as a subordinate who is there only to deliver tasks. I was lucky enough that in the times that I changed jobs internally on my own initiative, my line managers were very supportive and understood my reasons for making the move. A true people manager would even recommend you if they learn of a new role that fits your interest and capabilities.

Tip #3 – Talk to your mentor. If you have a mentor in the company, let him/her know of your intention to change jobs. They can guide you with your next steps and if they happen to be in higher management, then even better as he/she has direct interface with heads of various departments to check for potential roles. Just don’t forget to inform your mentor if your line manager knows of your intention to change jobs. You may have your reasons for not informing your line manager yet so he/she should respect your wish for it to be confidential at this stage.

Tip #4 – Connect with heads of departments. If you already have an idea of which departments or potential roles your next job will be, then go ahead and talk to the relevant heads of the departments. There are always things going on in the background which may still be in the conceptualization or initiation phase- a possible organizational change, a major system implementation, a global initiative- which are not yet public knowledge but may require new resources in a short period of time. I once asked a C-level executive and a head of department if there is any potential role for me in their organization, and guess what? I was offered not 1 but 3 roles! I eventually ended up taking on one of the roles and made a successful move.

Tip #5 – Let your colleagues in different departments know that you are looking. Another fact is that if a department needs a new resource, the head would normally ask his subordinates for recommendations and referrals. Public recruitment can be costly and lengthy so reality is that if there are potential candidates referred by team members, then the line manager will most probably consider those people- especially if the team member is credible. So it’s good to be in those colleagues’ minds when such announcements for new roles happen.

Tip #6 – Talk to HR. Your HR department will definitely have some information on the pipeline of roles that need to be filled so it’s good to check with your HR contact too. Once again, and this applies to most of the tips, inform accordingly if your line manager knows about your intention to move jobs so your current role and relationship with your line manager are not jeopardized.

With these tips, hopefully you will learn of the job opportunities that match your expectations. Just remember that these tips are door openers. It’s still up to you to make it happen with your credentials, how you do in the interviews, your personality, the feedback of people who have worked with you, and how you fare with the other candidates. Good luck!