Latest / The Internal Move Podcast with Fexingo: Lateral Roles, Internal Transfers, and Staying at Your Company / How an Internal Transfer Can Build Your Network Across Offices
Transcript
- Lucas: So you've been in your role for a few years — you know your team, you know the workflows, you can basically do your job on autopilot. But you're starting to feel like your internal network has hit a ceiling. Luna: Right — you see the same people in the same meetings, and your circle of collaborators hasn't really grown. Lucas: Exactly. And a lot of people think that if they transfer to a new team or a new office, they're basically resetting their network to zero. They worry about being the new person who doesn't know anyone. Luna: Which can be a real deterrent. I've heard colleagues say, 'I'd rather stay put than have to rebuild my relationships from scratch.' Lucas: And that's the misconception I want to challenge today. Because in my experience — and I've got a specific case to back this up — an internal transfer can actually be one of the fastest ways to expand your network, not shrink it. Luna: Okay, I'm intrigued. What's the case? Lucas: So there's a woman named Priya — she worked at a large tech company, let's say it's a Fortune 500 in the cloud infrastructure space. She was a program manager in the Seattle office for about four years. Solid performer, well-liked by her immediate team, but she realized she only knew maybe fifteen people outside her pod. Luna: That's a pretty tight circle for four years. Lucas: It is. And she wanted to move into product management, but the product teams in Seattle were heavily siloed and not hiring internally. So she found an opening in the Austin office — a lateral program manager role, same level, but in a division that was building a new product line. Luna: So not a promotion on paper, but a strategic move. Lucas: Exactly. And before she even accepted the offer, she started building her network in Austin. She looked up the org chart, identified about twenty people she'd likely work with — engineering leads, marketing counterparts, the regional VP — and she scheduled fifteen-minute video calls with each of them before her start date. Luna: Wow — proactive. Did they all take the calls? Lucas: About seventeen of them did. She framed it as 'I'm excited to join the team, I'd love to learn about your priorities so I can hit the ground running.' No ask, just curiosity. And by the time she physically moved to Austin, she already had a mental map of who held what influence, who had competing priorities, and who could become an ally. Luna: That's smart because it also signals to those people that she's someone who prepares. First impressions matter. Lucas: Right. And here's the key number: within six months of her transfer, Priya had built relationships with over forty new stakeholders across three offices — Seattle, Austin, and a smaller team in Denver. That's more than double her previous network. Luna: Forty in six months — that's impressive. How did she sustain it? Lucas: She used a few specific tactics. First, she scheduled recurring one-on-ones with about ten key people — not weekly, but every two to three weeks. Second, she volunteered for cross-office projects that forced her to collaborate with the Denver team. And third, she made a point of visiting the Seattle office once a quarter, so she didn't lose those relationships either. Luna: So she treated her network like a portfolio — diversified across locations. Lucas: Exactly. And the transfer itself gave her a natural conversation starter: 'Hey, I'm new here, I'd love your perspective on X.' People are much more open to meeting someone who just transferred in than they are to a random cold email. Luna: That's a great point. There's a built-in excuse to reach out. And it's genuine — you actually need that information. Lucas: Right. So the first lesson is: start before you start. Don't wait until your first day to introduce yourself. The second lesson is to map the organization of your target location. Who are the influencers? Who are the connectors — the people who seem to know everyone? Luna: Connectors are gold. Every org has a few people who, if they know you, you suddenly have access to their entire network. Lucas: Exactly. Priya identified two connectors in Austin — a senior engineer who'd been there since the office opened, and an admin assistant who knew everyone's schedule and priorities. She made sure to build rapport with both of them early. Luna: Smart. Admins are often overlooked but they hold a lot of informal power. Lucas: So the third lesson is to schedule what I call 'informational coffee chats' — but not just with your direct peers. Reach out to people in adjacent functions, people in leadership, even people in completely different departments. You never know when a connection from legal or HR might be useful down the line. Luna: And those conversations can also teach you about the unwritten culture of the new office — what's valued, what's taboo. Lucas: Exactly. Priya learned that in Austin, people were much more casual about Slack communication than in Seattle, where everything was formal and documented. That saved her from coming across as stiff. Luna: Let's talk about the first 90 days specifically. What's the networking priority in that window? Lucas: I'd say the priority is to build trust through reliability. You don't need to be the smartest person in the room, but you need to follow through on every commitment, no matter how small. Priya made sure to reply to every Slack message within an hour, even if just to say 'I'll get back to you.' That builds a reputation of responsiveness. Luna: And that's especially important when you're new because you don't have a track record yet. Lucas: Right. The fourth lesson is to ask for small favors early. This sounds counterintuitive, but research shows that when someone does you a favor, they like you more — it's called the Ben Franklin effect. So ask a colleague to review a document or to explain a process. It creates a bond. Luna: Just don't overdo it — you don't want to become the person who's always asking. Lucas: Exactly. Use it sparingly. Priya's strategy was to ask one small favor per new relationship in the first month, then reciprocate by offering help on their projects later. Luna: That's a good balance. So overall, the takeaway is that an internal transfer isn't a networking reset — it's a networking amplifier, if you approach it intentionally. Lucas: Exactly. And the beauty is that you already have a built-in advantage over external hires: you know the company language, the systems, the acronyms. You can focus entirely on building relationships rather than learning how the organization works. Luna: Right. And you have credibility from your previous role — people know you're not a random outsider. Lucas: So if you're considering an internal move, don't let the fear of losing your network hold you back. With a little pre-planning, you can actually come out with a broader, stronger set of connections. Luna: And that can open doors you didn't even know existed. Lucas: Quick honest thing — a handful of listeners chip in monthly through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, and that's literally what funds making this many episodes. If we've helped you think through a career move like this one, that's the way to keep it going ad-free. Luna: Yeah, it's a small group that makes it possible for us to spend time on cases like Priya's. Appreciate every one of you who does. Lucas: So to wrap up, I'd encourage anyone eyeing an internal transfer to treat it as a networking opportunity first. Start those conversations before you pack your desk. You might be surprised how quickly your circle expands. Luna: And if you've already made a move and built your network, we'd love to hear your story. Maybe we'll feature it in a future episode. Lucas: That's it for this one. Until next time, keep moving forward.