Latest / The Internal Move Podcast with Fexingo: Lateral Roles, Internal Transfers, and Staying at Your Company / How an Internal Transfer Can Help You Build a Coalition Before You Move
Transcript
- Lucas: You know that moment when you've decided you want an internal transfer, you've identified the team you want to join, but you haven't actually done anything yet? Luna: Yeah, the paralysis before the leap. You're not sure who to talk to first, or if you should even say anything. Lucas: Right. Most people either quietly update their resume and apply through the portal, or they schedule a single meeting with the hiring manager. But there's a smarter play that I think is way underused: building a coalition of supporters in your target department before you formally apply. Luna: So you're talking about lining up allies before you even throw your hat in the ring. That feels like a small but crucial shift in timing. Lucas: Exactly. If today was actually useful to you, the way these stay ad-free is listener support — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That little buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo helps keep us going. Luna: Totally. It's a warm way to say thanks if you found value here. Lucas: Alright, back to the coalition idea. I was talking to a marketing manager at a mid-sized SaaS company — let's call her Priya — who wanted to move into product. She didn't just apply for an open product role. She spent three weeks doing what she called pre-move reconnaissance. Luna: What did that involve exactly? Lucas: She mapped out the product team's informal influencers. Not just the director, but people whose opinions carried weight in meetings. She identified three people: a senior engineer who everyone respected for technical judgment, a product designer known for user empathy, and a director of strategy who had the ear of the VP. Luna: So she went after the true opinion leaders, not just the org chart. Lucas: Right. And she reached out to each one for a 15-minute coffee chat. Not asking for a job — just asking about their biggest challenges in product. She framed it as curiosity about how product decisions actually get made. And in each conversation, she dropped one small insight from her marketing work that was relevant. Luna: That's key — she didn't just take, she gave something too. Lucas: Exactly. To the engineer, she mentioned how customer support tickets were clustering around a feature he'd worked on. To the designer, she shared qualitative feedback from a user survey marketing had done. Small stuff, but it showed she understood their world. By the time a product role opened, those three people were already biased in her favor. When she applied, two of them informally vetted her with the hiring manager before HR even screened her. Luna: That's got to dramatically increase your odds. I've read that internal candidates already have a higher success rate, but with advocates vouching for you before you apply, it's almost a lock. Lucas: There's actually some data on this. A LinkedIn study from a couple years ago found that internal candidates who had at least one strong advocate in the target team were about twice as likely to get the role as those who applied cold. And Priya's case is a perfect example — she got an offer within two weeks of applying. Luna: But I want to push back a little. Couldn't this kind of coalition-building look like politicking? If I'm a manager on the current team, and I hear my employee is having coffee with people in another department, I might feel like they're going behind my back. Lucas: That's a fair concern, and it's why transparency matters. Priya was actually upfront with her manager early on that she was exploring product. She said she wanted to grow within the company, and her manager respected that. But not every manager is that chill. So you have to read the room. Luna: What do you do if you know your manager will react badly? Do you still build the coalition? Lucas: I think you can, but more carefully. You don't have to advertise it. You can frame the coffee chats as cross-functional learning, which is legitimate for anyone in any role. You're not saying 'I want to transfer' — you're saying 'I want to understand how product decisions affect marketing.' That's a genuine business curiosity. Luna: So it's about the framing. You're not scheming, you're learning. Lucas: Exactly. And if you do it right, the coalition you build doesn't just help you get the role — it helps you succeed once you're there. Because you already have relationships with key people. You're not starting from zero. Luna: That's a huge advantage. Most internal transfers still have a ramp-up period where you're the new person who doesn't know anyone. Priya skipped that entirely. Lucas: She did. Her first week in product, she already had a standing coffee date with the engineer and the designer. They could start collaborating immediately. And the director of strategy became her informal mentor. She later told me that the coalition was the single biggest factor in her successful transition. Luna: So let's make it practical. If someone listening wants to try this, what's the first step they should take this week? Lucas: Step one: map the informal influencers on your target team. Don't just look at titles. Think about who people go to for advice, who speaks up in meetings, who gets assigned to high-visibility projects. Make a list of three to five people. Step two: reach out for a 15-minute chat with a specific, non-threatening reason — 'I'd love to learn more about how your team handles X.' Step three: prepare one piece of value you can offer, even if it's just a data point or a customer story from your current role. Luna: And one question to ask them. What's a good question? Lucas: I like: 'What's one challenge your team is facing that you wish people in other departments understood?' That question is golden because it signals empathy, and it gives you a direct way to show how your skills could help. Luna: That's a question that makes people feel heard. I can see why that would build rapport quickly. Lucas: Exactly. And if you get three of those conversations, you'll have a much clearer picture of whether you even want to move there — and if you do, you'll have allies ready. Luna: One thing I'm wondering: what if the coalition backfires? Say you build these relationships, but the role doesn't open up for months. Now you've got people expecting you to apply, and you're stuck in your current role. Lucas: That's a real risk, but I'd argue it's still better than the alternative. Those relationships are valuable regardless. You now have cross-functional allies who can advocate for your ideas, collaborate on projects, or just give you a heads-up about opportunities. Even if you never move, you've expanded your network inside the company. Luna: So it's never wasted effort. I like that. Lucas: Right. And if the role doesn't materialize, you can always say, 'Hey, I really enjoyed learning about your work — if anything comes up down the line, I'd love to be considered.' You've planted a seed. Luna: That's a patient, long-game approach. I think a lot of people are too impatient when it comes to internal moves. They want to transfer now, and they skip the groundwork. Lucas: It's the difference between applying and being recruited. When you've built a coalition, the team starts to see you as the obvious choice before you even apply. HR sees lower risk because you already have internal buy-in. It's almost like you're being pulled into the role rather than pushing your way in. Luna: I've seen that work in finance too. A friend in compliance wanted to move to the front office, and she spent months building relationships with traders who eventually sponsored her move. It's the same principle. Lucas: Exactly. It works across industries. The key is being genuine about your curiosity and adding value along the way. Luna: So, final thought: if you're thinking about an internal transfer, start with a coffee, not a resume. Lucas: I love that. Start with a coffee, not a resume. And don't forget, if this episode helped you think about your career, buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo is how you keep the show going. We'll be back next episode with another angle on making your next move inside your company.