I am sure many of you work for a big company and not at their regional headquarters. Now what can you possibly do to end up working where you wish?
1. Ask to relocate - but WHOM? and why would they pick you? After all there are good and skilled people in all departments. So you'll need to identify some special skills you have and try to sell them.
2. Contact people, build your network both in your business unit, in your area of expertise, country but also outside.
3. Get a mentor! or mentors. I say that having a good mentor makes more than 100 well written books about resumes, career and work. Your mentor can be from inside or outside the company, work in the same area or another one and most important don't see your collaboration as a everlasting relationship. And don't get me wrong, this is the ideal case but imagine that you can have a mentor to guide you through a project, one to help you when you need to make THE CHOICE, one to help you build a certain skill. A mentor is not like your life partner, so don't be shy and if you feel like having more ask them ;-) Luckily I have the perfect one but I won't share him :-)
4. Talk to your manager about your career or at least keep him informed about your plans.Who knows, they may really know about openings.
5. Build your brand! the "I" brand is the most important brand in the world and when you work remotely, your reputation is your one and only asset. You may not even have the chance to have a face to face interview and you do want to make it through the screening. It's always good when people know your name before you apply for their opening :-) But how can they hear about you?
6. First the projects: there is always something to do and not enough people to actually do it. So be a volunteer, give ideas, execute, involve others, do your best and add the results and references to your resume ;-)
7. Second the social software: blog, comment on blogs, twitter, have good profiles on facebook, linked.in, your company's intranet, participate at wikis, post in forums, create communities, join communities, etc. After all, if you are here and they are there you need an environment to "meet" your future manager. This will also help develop a very natural conversation during your first interview. "Your blog is hilarious", "great pictures", "love your opinions" are just some phrases you may hear ;-)8. Ask people to recommend you. If you did a good job they will be more than happy to give something back as sending an email is the easiest thing to do.
9. So you did the work, made yourself heard, got out there, have 10 people referencing for you and will have the interview. Was that it? NO
10. Internal interviews are INTERVIEWS. Of course there may be exceptions but not all of us drank "lucky milk" when we were little. Don't take the call if you are not ready. Don't enter that door if you know you have no idea about that job. Although it's an internal position that doesn't mean that your future manager can afford to have a very poor performance from you. Learn about the position, about what's required from you, discuss with the person who was in that position before you, talk to other people who worked with your future manager and find out what is requested from the reportees, learn about the business in case it will be a new one, etc. Don't be passive and don't behave like you already have the job.
Guess that was it...and make a nice resume, after all even if you work for the same company that doesn't mean your future manager can know everything about you. And even so you would like to have it said your way ;-) Have a nice weekend!
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