Latest / The Internal Move Podcast with Fexingo: Lateral Roles, Internal Transfers, and Staying at Your Company / How an Internal Transfer Can Safeguard Your Career in a Merger
Transcript
- Lucas: So let’s say your company just announced it’s being acquired. The standard advice is update your résumé and start looking. But I think that might be the wrong first move. Luna: You’re going to argue for staying, even when there’s a target on your back? Lucas: I’m arguing that you should look for an internal transfer within the combined entity before the layoffs hit. Here’s why: in the first ninety days post-announcement, the acquiring company is typically mapping out the new org chart. And they’re starved for people who know the acquired company’s operations. If you can slot into a role that supports the integration itself, you become indispensable. Luna: But isn’t that just delaying the inevitable? I’ve seen cases where the new parent company eventually replaces everyone with their own people. Lucas: Sometimes. But think of Zappos after Amazon acquired them — they kept their culture and many retained their roles for years. The key is timing. There are three windows. Window one: between the announcement and the close. That’s when you can volunteer for integration task forces. Window two: during the first quarter post-close, when roles are being redefined. Window three: after the restructuring, when the dust settles and they realize they need subject matter experts. Luna: Walk me through window one. What does that actually look like on a Monday morning? Lucas: You’re in the breakroom, and you overhear that the integration team is looking for someone to audit overlapping vendor contracts. That’s a perfect internal transfer — it’s temporary at first, but it gives you visibility with the new leadership. I know someone at a mid-sized HR tech firm that got bought by a larger enterprise software company in early 2026. She raised her hand for a role that involved mapping employee data between systems. Six months later, she had a permanent spot on the combined company’s data governance team. She went from maybe being redundant to literally running the merger’s data pipeline. Luna: So she spotted a need that wasn’t filled yet and essentially created her own transfer. But how do you know which areas will be growing versus shrinking? Lucas: Look at the acquiring company’s earnings calls and investor presentations. They’ll talk about synergies — revenue synergies usually mean they want to keep the acquired company’s sales team to cross-sell. Cost synergies mean headcount cuts. If they emphasize cost synergies, target the revenue-generating departments or the integration function itself. Also, read the S-4 filing if it’s a public company — that document lists the key executives they expect to retain. Anyone not named is fair game to pivot. Luna: That’s smart. So you’re using public filings as a cheat sheet for where to apply for an internal transfer. Lucas: Exactly. And here’s another tactic: attend every integration town hall. They’re usually webinars with Q&A. The people asking questions from the acquiring side are often the ones who will lead the new teams. Send them a follow-up email afterward offering your help on specific projects. That’s how you get a transfer before the job is even posted. Luna: But what if you’re on the acquiring side? How does an internal transfer work for someone at the bigger company? Lucas: You might want to move into the acquired company’s unit because it’s growing faster. Or because you see a chance to learn a new technology. I recall a product manager at a large bank that bought a fintech startup — she transferred into the fintech division to lead a mobile banking feature. She told me her old role was stable but boring; the new one had way more ownership and a faster promotion track. Luna: So mergers create these internal labor markets that didn’t exist before. The tricky part is navigating the politics — especially if there’s tension between the two sides. Lucas: That’s real. You have to be a diplomat. Acknowledge the anxiety on both sides. When I worked in tech, I saw colleagues from the acquired company get defensive about their processes. The ones who succeeded in internal transfers were the ones who said, ‘I see you’re using a different CRM — I can train on yours while helping mine migrate.’ That collaborative framing is gold. Luna: It reminds me of something our listeners might appreciate — and I’ll be honest, we’ve gotten a lot of emails recently from people going through mergers. Some of them have said this podcast helped them think differently about their options. Which, you know, makes us feel like we’re doing something right. Lucas: That’s genuinely good to hear. And look, if you’ve found value in these episodes, a small contribution at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo goes a long way. It literally keeps the lights on — no ads, no sponsors. Just listeners who chip in a couple bucks a month. It makes a difference. Luna: Yeah, it really does. And it lets us keep digging into niche topics like this one. So thank you to everyone who’s supported us. Lucas: Alright, back to the merger transfer playbook. I want to talk about the second window — right after the deal closes. This is when the new org chart comes out. You might see your old role eliminated on paper. But that paper is often wrong. Luna: What do you mean wrong? Lucas: The acquiring company sometimes creates a high-level org chart that misses key middle layers. They don’t know where certain expertise lives. So they’ll send out a broad RIF list — reduction in force — and then realize they cut someone essential. That’s your moment. If you’ve already built relationships with the integration team, they can pull you back into a different slot. Luna: So basically, you’re trying to be one of the people they realize they can’t live without, even if you weren’t on their radar. Lucas: Right. And the best way to do that is to own a bridge function. Think about integrations: someone has to merge IT systems, consolidate vendor contracts, unify payroll, or align sales territories. Those are temporary projects that often convert to permanent roles. I’ve seen a finance manager at a pharmaceutical company get transferred into a combined supply chain role during a merger just because she volunteered to map inventory systems. She ended up running global logistics three years later. Luna: That’s a huge leap. But it required her to step into uncertainty. Not everyone is comfortable with that. Lucas: No, and not everyone should be. But if you can tolerate a few months of ambiguity, an internal transfer during a merger can be a rocket ship for your career. The alternative is often a severance package and a tough job market. In the current environment — it’s July 2026 — hiring has slowed in tech and finance. Internal moves are safer than external jumps. Luna: Let’s talk about window three: after the restructuring. What’s the play there? Lucas: This is when the combined company starts filling holes. They realize they cut too deep in some areas or that they need a new role to bridge the two cultures. If you’ve kept your network warm — chatting with people from the other side, attending social events — you’ll hear about these openings before they’re posted. One more tactic: ask for a ‘stay interview’ with the new boss. Say something like, ‘I’m committed to making this work. What’s the biggest problem you’re trying to solve right now that I could help with?’ That often leads to a redefined role that’s effectively an internal transfer. Luna: That’s almost like pitching yourself as an internal consultant. I like that. Lucas: Exactly. And the beauty is you don’t have to go through the formal job posting system. You’re co-creating the transfer with your new manager. That gives you leverage to negotiate a title bump or a salary adjustment, because you’re solving a real problem. Luna: Is there a risk that you get pigeonholed as the ‘integration person’ and then can’t escape that label later? Lucas: It depends. If you love cross-functional work, it’s a fantastic niche. But if you want to return to a pure functional role, you can. After the integration period — typically six to eighteen months — you can transfer again to a more standard role. The key is to keep your skills fresh and your network wide. Don’t become indispensable in only one specific project. Luna: So the overall message is: when a merger or acquisition is announced, don’t just update your résumé. Look for the opportunities within the new organization. Be proactive, build bridges, and aim for an internal transfer that positions you for the future. Lucas: Exactly. And that’s the core of this podcast — how to make strategic moves without leaving your company. Internal transfers aren’t just for lateral moves; they can be your best defense and offense in a merger. Luna: Thanks, Lucas. And thanks to our listeners for joining us again. If you’re navigating a merger right now, good luck — and remember, the first step is often the most uncomfortable but the most rewarding.