Latest / The Internal Move Podcast with Fexingo: Lateral Roles, Internal Transfers, and Staying at Your Company / How to Use an Internal Transfer to Change Your Career Trajectory
Transcript
- Lucas: So you've been in marketing for five years. You're good at it. But lately, you've been looking at the product team and thinking — I could do that. And you might be right. But making that kind of pivot inside your own company is trickier than it looks. Luna: It's not just a resume swap. You're asking people to see you differently. And companies have a way of boxing you into your current role. Lucas: Exactly. Today we're going to look at how to use an internal transfer to actually change your career trajectory — not just move sideways. And I want to anchor this in a real case. I was talking to a woman named Priya — she was a senior marketing manager at a big consumer packaged goods company. Think Unilever or Procter & Gamble. She'd been in marketing for about seven years, and she realized she was spending all her energy on the product side — writing product briefs, working with R&D, analyzing usage data. She wanted to move into product management full-time. Luna: And that's a pretty big leap. Product management at those companies is a totally different track. Different skills, different reporting lines. Lucas: Right. And the standard advice is — just apply for an external product manager role. But Priya didn't want to leave. She liked the company, she knew the products, and she had a network. She just needed to convince the product VP that she could do the job. Lucas: And that's the crux of today's episode. How do you make an internal pivot to a completely different function? And what are the hidden traps? Luna: Before we dive into the specifics — Lucas, I want to mention something. We've been doing this show for a while now, and we've never run ads. That's intentional. We want these episodes to be useful, not interrupted. Lucas: Yeah. And honestly, the only reason we can keep it that way is because some listeners choose to support us. If you've gotten value from an episode, or if this one helps you make a move, there's a link — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a simple way to keep the show ad-free. Luna: No pressure, ever. But it makes a difference. Okay, back to Priya. Lucas: So Priya's first move was to look at the internal job postings. She found a product manager role in a different division — not her own. That's key. If you try to pivot within your own team, your manager will see it as a loss. But if you move to a different business unit, it's a gain for the company overall. Luna: So you're essentially changing your internal brand. You're saying, 'I'm not just a marketer, I'm a product thinker.' Lucas: Exactly. And she did that by getting involved in cross-functional projects. She volunteered to lead the product launch for a new line — which meant she was already doing product management work without the title. That's the shadow work we talked about in episode 17. Luna: That's a smart move. But it's also risky. You're doing extra work without a guarantee of a transfer. Lucas: It is. And that's why you need to be strategic about it. Priya made sure her marketing director knew she was interested in product, and she got buy-in. She said, 'I want to help with this launch, and I'd like to use it as a development opportunity.' That way, it wasn't a secret. Lucas: Once she had a few wins under her belt, she applied for the internal PM role. The hiring manager — the product VP — was impressed by her product sense, but he had one big concern: she'd never managed a P&L. Product managers own the profit and loss statement. Luna: That's a legitimate gap. Marketing people often don't have full P&L responsibility. Lucas: Right. So Priya addressed it head-on. She said, 'I've managed a marketing budget of eight million dollars, I've worked closely with finance on forecasting, and I've led pricing studies. I may not have owned a full P&L, but I've touched every piece of it.' And she came with data. Luna: That's a great example of reframing your experience. She didn't just say 'I'm a quick learner.' She showed the overlap. Lucas: Exactly. And she also used her internal network. She asked the product VP to talk to her current marketing director, who gave a strong endorsement. That internal reference is huge — it's the difference between a risky hire and a known quantity. Luna: So she got the job? Lucas: She did. But it came with a twist. The offer was a lateral move — same salary, same level. No raise. That's common for internal pivots. Luna: That can be a dealbreaker for some people. You're taking on a new, harder role for the same money. Lucas: And that's a legitimate concern. But here's how Priya thought about it: she was buying a new career trajectory. In product management, the salary ceiling is higher than in marketing at her company. Within three years, she'd be earning more than if she'd stayed in marketing. So she accepted the lateral move. Luna: That's a long-term view. Not everyone can afford that. Lucas: True. And that's why you need to do the math. Look at the career lattice — not just the next job, but the path after that. If the new function has a steeper growth curve, a lateral move can be worth it. Lucas: But there's another trap: the probation period. Priya had a six-month probation in her new role. If she didn't perform, she could be let go — or worse, sent back to her old team in disgrace. Luna: That's awkward. You're essentially on trial with no safety net. Lucas: Yeah. So she made sure to have a conversation upfront with her new manager about what success looked like in the first 90 days. She set clear milestones. And she also kept a relationship with her old team — not in a clingy way, but she made sure the door was open if things didn't work out. Luna: So she had a Plan B without burning bridges. Lucas: Exactly. And that's a crucial piece of advice for anyone making an internal pivot: don't burn the bridge behind you. You might need to go back. Luna: What about training? Did Priya get any formal development to close the skills gap? Lucas: She did. Her company had a tuition reimbursement program. She used it to take a product management certification course online. That was part of her negotiation — she said, 'I'll take this course to get up to speed on Agile and user stories.' The company paid for it. Lucas: That's a key tactic. When you're pivoting internally, you can often access development resources that external hires can't. Tuition reimbursement, mentorship programs, even a shadow week in the new department. Luna: So the company is investing in you. That also signals to the hiring manager that you're serious. Lucas: Right. And it's a way to lower the risk for them. They're not just taking a leap of faith — they know you're getting trained. Luna: What's the biggest mistake you see people make when trying to pivot internally? Lucas: I think it's not being explicit enough. People assume their manager knows they want to move. They drop hints. But you need to have a direct conversation. Say, 'I want to move into product management. Here's my plan. Can you support me?' Lucas: The second mistake is not doing the prep work. You can't just apply and hope. You need to build a portfolio of evidence — projects, data, internal references — that show you can do the new job. Luna: And the third? Lucas: Ignoring the cultural fit. Just because you're internal doesn't mean you automatically fit in the new team. You need to talk to people in the new department, understand their norms, their communication style. Priya did that — she had coffee with three product managers before she applied. Luna: That's smart. It's like an internal informational interview. Lucas: Exactly. And it serves two purposes: you learn the unwritten rules, and you build allies who can vouch for you when the hiring decision comes. Luna: So the takeaway is: pivoting internally is possible, but it requires a deliberate strategy. You can't just apply and hope. Lucas: Right. And for Priya, it worked. She's been a product manager for about a year now, and she's on track for a promotion next cycle. She traded short-term salary for long-term trajectory. And she did it without leaving a company she loved. Luna: That's a great outcome. Makes you wonder how many people overlook internal moves as a career pivot. Lucas: A lot. Most people think you have to leave to change direction. But sometimes the best move is the one you don't see.