Latest / The Internal Move Podcast with Fexingo: Lateral Roles, Internal Transfers, and Staying at Your Company / The Internal Transfer Resume You Should Never Submit
Transcript
- Lucas: You know that feeling when you spot an internal job posting that looks perfect — same company, same benefits, same 401k match — and you immediately start polishing your resume? Luna: Oh, I've done that. Twice. Both times I got the 'we've decided to move forward with other candidates' email from someone sitting two floors away. Lucas: Right, and that's the trap. Most people treat an internal transfer like an external job hunt. They update their resume, write a cover letter, maybe ask their manager for a reference. But internal mobility expert Dr. Priya Sridhar — she's studied this at companies like Microsoft and Unilever — she calls the internal resume 'a self-inflicted wound.' Luna: That's a strong phrase. What's her argument? Lucas: Her argument is that when you submit your current resume for an internal role, you're handing your interviewer a document that describes everything they already know about you — or worse, a version of you that's two jobs ago. It doesn't answer the only question your future manager actually has. Luna: Which is what — 'can you do this specific job tomorrow, without training?' Lucas: Exactly. And your resume can't answer that because resumes are backward-looking. They list what you've done, not what you're going to do. For an internal move, your future manager wants to see a plan. They want to see that you've already thought about what this new role requires and that you've mapped your existing skills to those requirements. That's a completely different document. Luna: So what should you submit instead? Lucas: Dr. Sridhar recommends what she calls an 'internal transition memo.' It's a one-page document, single-spaced, with three sections. The first section is 'What I've Done Here' — but not your full history. Just the two or three projects or achievements that are directly relevant to the new role. Keep it to bullet points. The second section is 'What I Need to Learn' — and this is the counterintuitive part. You explicitly state the gaps in your knowledge or experience for this new role, and you outline a quick plan to close them. Luna: And that's not shooting yourself in the foot? Admitting you don't know something? Lucas: Quite the opposite. It shows self-awareness and initiative. If you say 'I haven't managed a P&L before, but I've completed the company's financial modeling certification and I'd shadow the current manager for two weeks,' that's more compelling than pretending you've done it all. The third section is 'What Success Looks Like in 90 Days' — you lay out three measurable goals for your first quarter. It's a mini performance plan. Luna: That's bold. And it completely flips the power dynamic. Instead of saying 'please consider me,' you're saying 'here's how I'll deliver.' Lucas: Exactly. And because it's not a resume, it also sidesteps the HR screening algorithm that might kick you out because your current job title doesn't match the new one. The memo goes directly to the hiring manager — or you can attach it in the portal alongside the standard application. I've seen people get interviews within 48 hours using this approach. Luna: But what if the company's HR system requires a formal resume upload? You can't just skip it. Lucas: You don't skip it. You upload your resume — that's fine, it checks the box — and then you attach the memo as a supplemental document. Or you email it directly to the hiring manager with a note: 'I've submitted the formal application, but I wanted to share this transition memo so you can see how I'm thinking about the role.' Most managers I've talked to say they read the memo first. Luna: So the resume becomes the administrative requirement, and the memo becomes the real pitch. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the key insight: internal hiring is fundamentally different from external hiring. The hiring manager already has access to your performance reviews, your project history, your reputation. They don't need you to re-list your job duties. They need you to make a specific, credible case for why you're the best person for this job. Luna: I've got a friend who's been trying to move from product marketing to product management at her company for six months. She's been rejected twice. I bet her resume looks exactly like every other applicant's. Lucas: It probably does. And the crazy thing is, internal candidates often lose to external hires because the external candidate's resume tells a story the internal one doesn't. The external candidate's resume is a sales document. The internal candidate's resume is a historical record. The memo shifts that. Luna: You said earlier that Dr. Sridhar studied this at Microsoft and Unilever. Did she share any numbers on how many internal candidates use this memo approach? Lucas: She told me that in a pilot program at one of those companies, fewer than 5 percent of internal applicants submitted anything beyond the standard resume. But among those who did submit a transition memo or a similar document, the interview rate was roughly three times higher. Now, that's not a controlled study — the people who wrote memos were probably more motivated and prepared overall. But the correlation is striking. Luna: Still, I wonder if this works at companies with rigid HR processes. At my old job, the portal wouldn't even let you attach extra files. It was resume or bust. Lucas: That's a real constraint. In that case, you can adapt the memo into the resume itself. Change your resume format to include a 'Transition Plan' section at the top, before your work history. Or you can paste the memo into the cover letter field if there is one. The point is to get that forward-looking narrative in front of the decision-maker, no matter the format. Luna: So the principle is: never rely on your standard resume for an internal move. Always add a layer of intent. Lucas: Always. And I'd add one more thing: the memo also works as a conversation starter with your current manager. If you're worried about blindsiding them, you can frame it as a development plan. 'Hey, I'm interested in this role, and I've put together a transition memo. Would you look it over and give me feedback?' That turns a potentially awkward conversation into a collaborative one. Luna: That's smart. You're basically getting your manager to coach you into leaving their team. Lucas: And most good managers want to do that. They know retention is better than replacement, and internal mobility is a retention driver. If they see you have a thoughtful plan, they're more likely to support you than block you. Luna: You know, this conversation reminds me of something. A couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these going — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, if you've gotten something out of them. We keep this show ad-free because of listeners who chip in a little. Lucas: Yeah, it's a small thing that makes a big difference. And it lets us dig into topics like this without worrying about sponsors. So if the show's helped you think through a career move, that's the place. Luna: Alright, back to the memo. I want to make sure listeners walk away with something concrete. What's the first step someone should take tomorrow morning? Lucas: Find the internal job description for the role you want — or even a similar role at another company if your company doesn't post them — and write down the top five responsibilities. Then next to each one, write a specific example from your current role that proves you've done something similar. That's the skeleton of section one. Then write down the two things you don't know yet, and google a quick learning plan. That's section two. And then write three goals you'd set if you started the role next Monday. That's section three. Put it on one page, send it to a trusted colleague for feedback, and you're ready. Luna: And if you get the interview, do you bring the memo with you? Lucas: Absolutely. Print it out. Hand it to the interviewer at the start. It sets the tone and gives you a structure for the conversation. Plus, it shows you've already done the thinking. You're not just hoping they'll figure out why you're qualified — you've told them. Luna: I like that. It's proactive, not reactive. And it makes the whole internal transfer process feel less like a black box. Lucas: That's the goal. And if you try it, let us know how it goes. We might do a follow-up with some listener stories. Luna: Sounds good. I think that's a wrap for today. We'll be back next week with another episode on staying and growing where you are.