Protocol for applying for job with different company, same corporation 1

[nate2003]

I have a situation where I am securely employed with 5+ years experience at a good company that treats me decent and I have no complaints. I like the geographic area etc. My company treats me fair, decent benefits, good management. I am a solid/commendable employee. However in 5 years I have done everything here that there is to do as an engineer and I don't want to be a manager. I guess I'm bored. I think another 5 years would drive me crazy. However, through our corporation's website I saw a job posting in a similar position at a different company a thousand miles away that is owned by the same corporation. My question: How do I approach this other company to even get more information or pursue this posting? Do I go about it like anyone else and contact them directly? Do I contact corporate HR to discuss and then spill the beans that I may be looking around? Do I promote the fact that I am in the same corporation already? One of my coworkers said that if it were a step up he would discuss it with the plant manager here without hesitation, but with a lateral position he didn't know what management here would say if it got back to them somehow that I was looking. Just curious if anyone else has experience with this sort of thing.

 

[Ashereng]

I used to work for a multi-national, Fortune 500 (Top 20) company.

If I wanted to change job, whether a step up, lateral, or even step different career, the first step would be to contact my direct boss, and HR. Contacting the boss is a professional courtesy, and he/she may even be able to help you contact the other manager. Contacting HR is required because they have the forms and know the correct channel to use for a "in-house" transfer.

In your case, it is a different company under a common "holding corporation". I am guessing something like a Tyco (with a gazillion different companies under the Tyco umbrella). In this case, you definitely need to talk to HR because navigating to the other company may indeed be totally non-intuitive. HR would be able to best advise you on how to proceed.

With regards to how your company reacts to you wanting to change jobs - after 5 years on the same one, and doing well, I would assume most companies view it as a good thing. Your are progressing your career, and you have identitified a lateral move that will further round out your experience and expertise. Should be a plus in my book.

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
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[nate2003]

Ashereng,
Thanks a lot for the advice. It sounds reasonable to me. Yes, we are owned by a large publicly traded corporation that has a dozen or more companies throughout the different divisions. I'm sure there is a procedure for this type of situation. I think I'll talk to my boss about it this week.

Just curious. Does anyone else have any other comments?

Thanks.

 

[SomptingGuy]

I asked our HR what the procedure was when I was in that position. I was told that the first thing to do was inform my manager that I wanted a transfer. When and only when I'd done that was my future manager allowed to even mention the idea.

 

[epoisses]

You have to consider the possibility that the other company will not select you, and in that case you should be able to continue working in your current position (at least for a while). That is why I think you'd have to inform your current boss upfront and not surprise him at the last minute. In any case don't think you can bypass him and confront him with a contract with the other company before the other company will contact him to check out who you are. You will need your boss' cooperation to move.

If it turns out he does not cooperate at all, you might still be able to get the job at the other company, but chances are that your boss has better connections than you have and the plan may not work out. This differs from company to company and depends on who decides what and how closely the management and HR staffs of the different sites interact.

However even before mentioning the job at the other company, the best way to start is to first discuss your feelings and ambitions with your boss (if you have not done so) and see what options there are in the same company.

 

[nate2003]

Thanks to all of you for the advice. My boss is a great guy and was my peer only 2 years ago, so I am pretty open with him. I talked to him this morning and he said he would hate to see me leave since I was such a good employee, but he agreed that I should do what I thought was best for myself and my family and he supported me 100%. He said he would check into what the procedure is. I don't know if I even want the position because I don't know much about it yet, but he said he would help me anyway he could to ride this opportunity as far as I want.

Thanks again.

 

[epoisses]

Wow, count your blessings because that sounds much more cooperative than my former boss when I was in the same situation. Good luck!

 

[looslib]

At a former company, the procedure was to contact the oter division about the opening first. If they contacted you for an interview, then you were to inform your boss of the contact. this would allow you to explore opportunities without letting your boss know that you were looking.

One evening I was working late and my boss came and asked me if I had contacted another division about a job opening. He had heard about it from the HR manager who was asked for information about me from the other division's HR manager. I let it drop, but did think of filing complaints with corporate HR that their divisional HR managers where not following the rules.


"Wildfires are dangerous, hard to control, and economically catastrophic."

Ben Loosli
Sr IS Technologist
L-3 Communications

 

[Ashereng]

Ben,

That is why you tell your boss first. There are not secrets in a company.

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?