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Hi all,

after four years in my current role and a recent promotion, I am now pursuing a move/change. Working for a huge global corporation, there is adventure behind every corner, senior management actively supports employee mobility, and I am optimistic I can find challenge and opportunity without having to leave. However, I am also considering external options. I am also relatively impatient, so will pursue this change increasingly aggressively in the foreseeable future.

Within the corporation, I have a couple mentors and some other folks that I counsel with. I hope that they will help my transition to a new responsibility in another department. I am bit worried though because of my openness to consider external options and also an increasing frustration with my current position.

If one of them asks me directly whether I am considering to leave, how do I best respond? Is this a "question to which you are entitled an answer"?

Best
Jochen

TNoxtort's picture

 My advice is to answer by focusing on the problem, rather than what solutions you are looking at, as in:

"I'm looking for new responsibilities. I'm exploring internal options, but I want to be open to any possibilities."

If they push you, then push back asking for suggestions for internal options.

Your post reminded me that I need to call someone who has been an internal mentor and ask him similar questions.

Mark's picture
Admin Role Badge

No one is entitled to an honest answer to that question if you believe they can't be trusted to handle the answer appropriately - with no negative consequences for you.

That said, a generic answer might be, " of course I'd prefer to stay here - I like it, there are a lot of opportunities, and it is a great firm with great people. I wouldn't scoff at an outside opportunity, but it is not my first choice."

Mark

jocadl's picture

Two valuable responses in just a few hours -- thank you guys! Seems so easy now, but I really wasn't sure.
J.