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 Portfolio Career Inside Your Company
Transcript
- Lucas: So you've heard of the portfolio career, right? The idea of having multiple income streams, maybe freelancing on the side, building a personal brand, all that. Luna: Yeah, it's a big trend. Especially among people in their thirties and forties who want more variety but don't want to quit their day job. Lucas: Exactly. The common assumption is that to have a portfolio career you have to leave your employer. Go independent, cobble together clients. But what if you could build a portfolio career inside your current company? Luna: That sounds almost too good to be true. How would that work? Lucas: If today's conversation helps you think differently about your career, the way we keep this show ad-free is through listener support at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small gesture that goes a long way. Luna: Yeah, absolutely. So let's dive in. Portfolio career inside a company—how is that even possible? Lucas: It's possible through what I call role crafting via internal transfers. You don't just move from one job to another. You stitch together responsibilities from different departments into a single hybrid role. Luna: So you're not just transferring once; you're essentially negotiating a custom position? Lucas: Right. And I have a concrete example. A marketing manager I know at a large financial services firm—let's call her Priya—she was in brand marketing. But she loved data analysis and had taught herself SQL and Tableau. Luna: Okay, so she had a skill that her current role didn't fully use. Lucas: Exactly. She started offering to help the analytics team with ad-hoc projects. Then she asked if she could spend 20 percent of her time on analytics. Her manager agreed because it didn't cost anything extra. Luna: That's a classic slow-build approach. But eventually she'd want more, right? Lucas: Right. After six months, she had built a reputation in the analytics department. Then she approached the head of product—who was launching a new feature—and offered to be the product manager for that feature, using her marketing and analytics background. Luna: So she was effectively pitching a new role that combined three functions. Lucas: Exactly. She said: 'I'll be 60 percent analytics, 30 percent product, and 10 percent internal consulting for other teams.' The company agreed because it solved a problem—they needed someone who understood the customer, the data, and the product. Luna: And she didn't have to leave, which meant she kept her tenure, her benefits, her 401k match. Lucas: And her salary. In fact, she got a raise because the role was seen as more strategic. So she essentially built a portfolio career inside one company. Luna: That's smart. But I imagine not every company would be open to that. What's the enabling factor? Lucas: You need a sponsor in the department you're moving into. Someone who sees the value and is willing to fight for a headcount or a reallocation. Luna: So it's not just about your current manager approving. You need an advocate elsewhere. Lucas: Exactly. Priya had a sponsor in the analytics team—a director who had seen her work and wanted her full-time. That director went to HR and argued that creating a hybrid role was cheaper than hiring two separate people. Luna: And it probably is. One salary for a role that covers multiple needs. Lucas: Right. And from the company's perspective, they retain someone with institutional knowledge. The cost of replacing Priya in marketing alone would have been significant. Luna: So what's the first step for someone listening who wants to try this? Lucas: Start by identifying a skill you have that's underutilized in your current role but valuable elsewhere in the company. Then find a department that's struggling with that gap. Luna: And then offer to help, like Priya did. Pro bono, essentially. Lucas: Yes. Build a track record. Make yourself indispensable to that team. Then have the conversation about formalizing it. Luna: What about the risk of your current manager feeling betrayed? Lucas: That's real. You have to manage that relationship carefully. Frame it as a win-win: you're expanding your skill set, which makes you more valuable to the company overall. Luna: And maybe your current manager even benefits because you become a bridge between departments. Lucas: Exactly. Priya's original manager ended up getting more visibility with the product team because Priya was in meetings. So it wasn't a loss. Luna: I love this idea. It's like being an intrapreneur. Lucas: That's the term. You're creating a new business unit of one. And the beauty is, you don't have to deal with the overhead of running your own business. Luna: No client acquisition, no accounting, no lonely freelancer life. Lucas: Right. You get variety, autonomy, and skill development, all within the safety net of a paycheck and benefits. Luna: So what's the first concrete step someone should take this week? Lucas: Audit your company's pain points. Look at departments that are chronically understaffed or that keep hiring contractors. That's where the opportunity is. Luna: And then match that with a skill you have or can quickly learn. Lucas: Exactly. And start a conversation. Say, 'I noticed your team is struggling with X. I have some experience in that. Could I help on a small project?' Luna: That's a low-risk ask. Lucas: Very low risk. And if you deliver, you've opened a door. Luna: I think a lot of people feel stuck because they think their only options are to leave or stay in a role they've outgrown. This is a third path. Lucas: Exactly. And it's not just for people with technical skills. A finance person could offer to help the marketing team with budgeting. A salesperson could offer to train the support team on customer communication. Luna: The key is that you're not asking for permission to leave; you're offering to contribute more. Lucas: Right. And that's a much easier sell. Nobody says no to free help that solves a problem. Luna: So if someone tries this and it works, they've effectively built a portfolio career inside their company. If it doesn't, they still have their current job. Lucas: And they've built relationships and skills that will help them whether they stay or go. It's a no-lose move. Luna: I wish I had heard this five years ago. Lucas: Well, now you have. And hopefully our listeners do too. For Priya, it transformed her career. She's now a director of product analytics, and she didn't have to leave to get there. Luna: That's the dream, right? Growth without disruption. Lucas: Exactly. And that's what internal transfers can offer if you're willing to be creative.