Latest / The Internal Move Podcast with Fexingo: Lateral Roles, Internal Transfers, and Staying at Your Company / How to Leverage Your Internal Network for Hidden Roles
Transcript
- Lucas: There's this stat from LinkedIn's 2025 workforce report that I keep coming back to: sixty-two percent of internal hires happen through informal referrals, not job postings. So if you're waiting for a role to appear on the company's internal careers page, you're going after the minority of opportunities. Luna: Sixty-two percent. That's huge. And it means most moves happen before they're ever formally advertised. Lucas: Exactly. And the thing is, most employees I talk to treat internal mobility like it's a black box. They update their profile, they set up a job alert, and then they wait. But the people who actually move — they're not waiting. They're having conversations. Luna: So what does that look like in practice? I mean, I know the classic advice is 'network internally,' but that can feel vague. Lucas: Right. So let me make it concrete. I worked with a marketing manager at a Fortune 500 company — let's call her Sarah. She wanted to move into product management. She had the skills, but every time she applied through the portal, she'd get an automated rejection within two weeks. After three rejections, she came to me frustrated. Luna: And what did you tell her? Lucas: I told her to stop applying and start talking. Specifically, I gave her a framework: identify three types of people in your network. First, informants — people who know what's happening in other departments before it's official. Second, sponsors — senior folks who will actively advocate for you. Third, allies — peers who can share their own experience of moving internally. Luna: Informants, sponsors, allies. I like that. So she needed to find people in product who could tip her off about upcoming openings before they hit the job board. Lucas: Exactly. She started by mapping her existing contacts. She put together a spreadsheet with everyone she'd ever worked with, even briefly. Then she ranked them by how likely they were to have information. She found that her former project manager from two years ago had moved into product and was now a senior PM. Luna: That's a perfect informant. And probably an ally too, since they already had a working relationship. Lucas: Right. So she reached out for a simple coffee chat — not to ask for a job, just to learn about the product team's priorities. That conversation led to the PM sharing that their team was about to lose a member and was considering backfilling the role. It hadn't been posted yet. Sarah was able to express interest directly, and because she already had a relationship, she got a referral into the hiring process before anyone else even knew the role existed. Luna: So the key is timing. She got in early because she had a pipeline into the team's internal chatter. Lucas: Absolutely. And this is where a lot of people miss the mark. They think networking internally means sending a generic message to a senior leader they've never met. But the most effective internal network isn't about volume — it's about the right structure. You need those three roles filled. Luna: What about sponsors? How do you find someone who will actively advocate for you, not just give advice? Lucas: Sponsors are trickier because they require trust. Usually they come from a history of delivering results together. But you can cultivate a sponsor by taking on high-visibility projects that put you in front of senior leaders. One tactic: volunteer for a cross-functional initiative. That puts you in a room with directors from other departments, and if you perform well, they remember you. Luna: That's a longer game, though. What if you need to move quickly? Lucas: Then focus on informants and allies. Informants can be found through a simple exercise: look at the org chart for the department you want to move into. Find people at your level or one level above who have been there at least a year. Then look for common ground — maybe you worked on the same project, or you're in the same employee resource group. That's your in. Luna: And allies — are those just peers who have already made a similar move? Lucas: Yes, ideally. But even peers who are also trying to move can be valuable. You share intel. You hold each other accountable. I've seen groups of three or four employees form informal 'internal job clubs' where they meet bi-weekly to share what they're learning about openings and managers. Luna: That's smart. It turns the process from a solo grind into a shared effort. Lucas: Exactly. And there's a study from Cornell that backs this up. They looked at internal mobility in a large tech firm and found that employees who had at least three strong ties in their target department were twice as likely to get an internal transfer within six months, compared to those with zero ties. Luna: Three strong ties. That's a concrete target to aim for. Lucas: It is. But here's the catch — those ties need to be active. A connection from two years ago who you haven't spoken to since is not a strong tie. You have to invest in maintaining those relationships. A quick check-in every quarter, a congratulatory note when they get promoted, sharing an article they'd find useful. It's low effort, but it keeps you on their radar. Luna: So let's say someone listening has zero internal network in their target department. Where do they start tomorrow? Lucas: Start with the org chart. Identify three people in that department who are at your level or one level above. Then find something you have in common — a shared meeting, a project, even a hobby if you can find it on their LinkedIn. Then send a short, specific message. Not 'I'd love to pick your brain' — that's too vague. Say something like, 'I saw you worked on the Q3 launch campaign. I'm in marketing and I'm curious how the product team prioritizes features. Could we chat for 15 minutes?' Luna: That's specific and shows you've done your homework. I think a lot of people overthink the outreach and end up not doing it at all. Lucas: Right. And the worst that can happen is they say no or ignore it. But more often than not, people are happy to talk. Especially internally — there's less of the 'why is this stranger emailing me' factor. Luna: So the core message of this episode is: stop applying, start connecting. The hidden roles are out there, but they're accessed through conversations, not job boards. Lucas: That's exactly it. And if you're systematic about it — if you build your informants, sponsors, and allies — you'll be in the sixty-two percent, not the thirty-eight percent who are waiting for a posting that may never come. Luna: Speaking of listeners who are taking action — I've been meaning to mention something. A lot of you have asked how we keep this podcast going without ads. And the honest answer is that a small group of listeners chips in monthly through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Yeah, and it's literally what funds the research time, the editing, the hosting — everything. If you've gotten value out of episodes like this one, that's the way to keep it ad-free and focused on practical advice. Luna: No pressure at all — just wanted to pull back the curtain a bit. Now back to the network mapping idea. You mentioned a spreadsheet earlier. Can you walk us through what that looks like? Lucas: Sure. So I recommend a simple three-column spreadsheet. Column one: name and role. Column two: type of contact — informant, sponsor, or ally. Column three: last interaction date. Then set a reminder to review it every month. The goal is to have at least one interaction per quarter with each person. Luna: That's manageable. Most people can do one coffee chat a week, so within a month you could build a solid pipeline. Lucas: Exactly. And remember, these don't all have to be long meetings. A quick Teams message saying 'Hey, saw your team won the innovation award — congrats' can be enough to keep the tie warm. Luna: Alright, so let's talk about one more layer: what about when you do find a hidden role? How do you handle that conversation differently than a formal application? Lucas: Great question. When you hear about a role through your network, the approach is different. You're not applying — you're expressing interest. So you say something like, 'I heard your team might have an opening. I've been thinking about how my skills in X could translate to Y. Would it make sense to have a quick chat about what you're looking for?' Luna: That's lower stakes. And it gives the hiring manager a chance to shape the role around you, rather than you fitting into a rigid job description. Lucas: Yes. And sometimes the role isn't even defined yet. I've seen cases where a manager had a vague need, and a proactive employee's conversation helped crystallize it into a formal position. That employee basically created their own job. Luna: That's the ultimate internal move: not just finding a hidden role, but creating one. Lucas: Right. And it starts with a conversation, not an application. So the takeaway for today is: your internal network is your most underutilized asset. If you spend even half the time you spend on job boards building relationships, you'll unlock opportunities you didn't even know existed. Luna: And the sixty-two percent stat is your permission slip to stop relying on the portal. Start networking internally — strategically. Lucas: Next time, we'll talk about how to manage the transition once you do land that internal role — because the work doesn't stop after the offer. But for now, start with your spreadsheet and your first outreach. See what happens.