I Love My Company, but I Hate My Job
Co-author of Grad to Great (Dalidaze Press, 2007)
You: I really enjoy working for you in the sales department, and I like working at XYZ Company. In fact, in the past nine months I have become even more committed to having a long career here at XYZ. But I’ve realized that my true interests are in marketing. I was hoping you could talk me through what my options are here. I am coming to you first because I value your opinion, and wanted to talk to you about this before I do anything else.
Boss: Well, I’m disappointed to hear you do not see a future in sales, but I appreciate you coming to me first. Let’s see what we can do to keep you here at XYZ Company.
If your boss is amenable to you transferring to the marketing department and is willing to help you, set up an action plan to make the transition quickly. You don’t want any resentment from your team members to make sticking around uncomfortable. You also don’t want your boss to suddenly decide to try and keep you. Or, if other people on your team suddenly decide they like marketing too, your boss could put a stop to any transfers to ensure there isn’t a mass exodus from the sales team. Your goal is to make the move happen sooner rather than later.
What if your boss is willing to help you make the move over to marketing, but only if you agree to stay in sales for more time than you want to? In this case, you may need to be flexible and stay as long as they need you. After all, if they are helping you make the move into another department, you owe them.
On the other hand, you may also need to assess how honest your boss is being with you. Try to determine their motives for wanting to delay the move. Are they trying to get you to change your mind? Maybe they’ve learned there won’t be room in the budget to replace you, and now they’re less motivated to assist you. Perhaps your boss thinks the director of marketing is a pompous jerk and is just trying to protect you from joining an unhappy team. There could be a dozen reasons why your boss promised to help you, and then drags his feet.
What if your boss reacts badly to the news and makes it clear they do not support this idea? In this case, you might be in trouble. Your boss may not want you on their team anymore now that you no longer desire a career in sales. Your boss may attempt to have you fired so they can hire someone new that wants a career in sales. Or your boss could transfer you to a division you are not interested in. Just be aware of the possible outcomes before you do anything you can’t take back.
If you have supportive HR or higher managers, you could try going to them if the meeting with your boss doesn’t go well. Make your boss look as good as possible. Tell them that you feel you may have said something wrong to your boss when you were merely trying to explain your desire to switch departments. Explain to HR that you like the company and were just trying to find out if there was a possibility for you to move into the marketing department.
As long as you have informed your boss, you are free to talk to people in other departments. Ask the folks in marketing what they do and how they like their individual job descriptions. Talk to others outside of your company to find out what different careers are possible in marketing.
If your company does offer you a chance to interview with another department prepare twice as carefully as you would for a normal job interview. Someone could be pulling some major strings for you: make them look good, and make yourself look good too. You might get a lateral move, but you are also likely to be offered a position down one level from where you currently are. They want to see that you’re willing to work your way up. If this is truly the path you want to take, go for it. Better to go for it earlier when you're used to student living.