Latest / The Internal Move Podcast with Fexingo: Lateral Roles, Internal Transfers, and Staying at Your Company / How to Use a Career Sniper on Your Internal Move
Transcript
- Lucas: If you have ever tried to move internally at a large company, you know the standard playbook: update your resume, apply through the portal, wait for a recruiter to notice you. It rarely works. Luna: Right, because the portal is a black hole. Your application goes in and you hear nothing for weeks, if ever. Lucas: Exactly. So there is a smarter move that a lot of people overlook. I call it the career sniper — one person inside the company who quietly scouts opportunities for you, without you having to do the public hunting. Luna: A career sniper. I love that. So this isn't just a mentor or a sponsor — it's someone specific who actively keeps an ear to the ground on your behalf. Lucas: Right. And before we go deeper, I want to mention something. We deliberately don't run ads on this show. It means we don't have to interrupt the conversation or sell you anything. If you find value in that and want to support the choice, the link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, just a quiet way to keep this ad-free. Luna: Yeah, and it genuinely makes a difference. We hear from listeners who say a single episode helped them rethink their whole approach. That's the kind of impact we're trying to protect. Lucas: So back to the sniper. Most people make the mistake of picking someone too senior or too junior. The senior exec might not have time to watch for specific roles, and the peer might not have enough visibility across teams. Luna: So who is the sweet spot? Give us a profile. Lucas: Two levels above you, in a different function but one that overlaps with your target. They attend cross-functional meetings. They hear about openings before they're posted. They have credibility with hiring managers. Luna: So not your direct boss, but someone who sees the bigger picture. And how do you actually ask them to be your sniper? You can't just say, 'Hey, be my career sniper.' Lucas: No, you frame it around a specific interest. You say, 'I'm really interested in product management. If you ever hear of a need on that side, I'd love to know about it.' That's low commitment for them, and it opens the door. Luna: And then you follow up periodically, but not too often. Maybe every six weeks, just a quick check-in. Lucas: Exactly. You want to stay top of mind without being a burden. I worked with an engineer at a mid-size tech firm — call her Priya. She wanted to move from engineering to product. She chose a senior product manager two levels up who she'd worked with on one project. Luna: And what happened? Lucas: That PM heard about a new product initiative that needed someone with technical background. She told Priya about it three weeks before it was announced. Priya prepared, had informal conversations, and by the time the role was posted, she was already the frontrunner. She never formally applied through the portal. Luna: That is the dream. But there are risks, right? What if your sniper leaves the company mid-process? Lucas: That is a real risk. If your sniper departs, you lose your eyes and ears. That is why you ideally have two — a primary and a secondary. Not both in the same department, but in adjacent areas. Luna: And you have to protect your sniper's credibility. You cannot share their name with hiring managers or say 'so-and-so told me about this role.' That burns them. Lucas: Absolutely. The sniper works best in the shadows. You use the intel they give you to approach the hiring manager directly, but you frame it as your own curiosity — 'I heard there's a new initiative and I'm interested.' Luna: So the hiring manager sees you as proactive, not as someone who has an inside track. And your sniper stays clean. Lucas: Right. Another mistake people make is picking a sniper who is too popular. If they are already juggling ten mentees, your signal gets lost. You want someone who has bandwidth for you. Luna: How do you assess bandwidth without being awkward? Lucas: You observe. Do they respond to emails quickly? Do they seem scattered in meetings? You can also test the waters with a small ask — 'Could you take a look at my resume?' If they get back to you in a week, that is a good sign. Luna: And what about the reciprocity? Should you offer to be their sniper on something? Lucas: It helps. If you have a skill they don't — maybe data analysis, or familiarity with a certain tool — you offer to be their resource. It makes the relationship symmetrical. Luna: So it becomes a two-way street. They watch for roles for you, you provide insights on tech or whatever your expertise is. Lucas: Exactly. And the beauty is, once you land the role, you don't stop being a sniper for them. That network continues to pay dividends for both of you. Luna: Let's talk about timing. When is the best time to recruit a career sniper? Lucas: Long before you need one. Ideally, when you are content in your current role and not desperate. Desperation makes you rush the conversation and pick the wrong person. Luna: So you build the relationship over months, then when an opportunity arises, you are ready. Lucas: Right. I have seen someone try to recruit a sniper after a reorg hit, and it came off as transactional. The potential sniper felt used. Luna: That makes sense. It has to feel natural, like two professionals helping each other navigate the company. Lucas: One more nuance. The sniper does not have to be in your eventual department. In fact, a sniper in a completely different business unit can be valuable because they hear about opportunities that your own function might miss. Luna: Like a finance person scouting for someone in marketing. That cross-pollination is actually how a lot of interesting roles get filled. Lucas: Exactly. So the takeaway: pick one person two levels above you in an adjacent function, make a low-commitment ask, reciprocate, and keep them updated every six weeks. That one relationship can replace ten applications through the portal. Luna: I am going to try this. I actually have someone in mind already. Lucas: Good. Just remember: protect their name, and don't be a pest. If you do it right, they will be your best asset for the next move. Luna: And if you have a career sniper story, we would love to hear it. You can reach us through the Fexingo website.