Everyone has felt at least once that having a job is like choosing a branch in an interactive game. Stay in your current role — you know the gameplay to a tee, and you have reliable teammate support, but your skills probably won’t level up. Switch jobs and face constant battles and a ton of risks, but there’s a chance to unlock your full potential. But what if there’s an option to take only the best from each scenario and build your career without leaving the company?
Team transfers can be a win-win for both the employer and you, giving you the chance to reach new heights in comfortable conditions. Let’s break down the pros, cons, hidden challenges, and real success stories using the example us at MOJAM, a gaming product company.
Why Is a Transfer a Win-Win Game? 🤝
A transfer within a company is an internal move of an employee from one team, project, or role to another without changing the employer. Simply put: you’re switching questlines without leaving the familiar game universe.
No doubts — a transfer is a mutually beneficial investment of time and resources for both you and the company. For you, it’s a chance to avoid a “restart from zero” or painful early-level development in a new team. You take a step toward your dream career while keeping stability. For the company, it’s an opportunity to retain a skilled professional and give them a chance to unlock their full potential. In this way, both sides reduce their investments and minimize risks.
The Benefits of Taking the Leap
Still skeptical about this way to “level up” your career? That’s understandable at first — until you see real-life examples.
🎮 A Chance to Reach a New PRO Level
A transfer is your safe experiment. You can try a new role without risking your stability. You gain experience with new processes and tools, make new strategic decisions, and achieve even cooler milestones. Plus, it’s a big “plus” on your resume, as it highlights key qualities like proactivity, transparency in communication, and flexibility.
🫶 Support from the Company
If your employer thinks about the big picture, they’ll help make the process as smooth as possible and provide growth opportunities. You can learn a new skill or tool using corporate resources or even get training covered. Doing this alone would be much harder, since not all employers are ready to invest in your development.
❤️🩹 Take Care of Your HP
Switching to a new company often flips your life upside down: stress from job hunting, temporary financial challenges, 7 (hellish) rounds of interviews with no guarantees, and then an adaptation period in a completely new environment with a different corporate culture. Team transfers minimize these issues.
Plus, during a transfer, you’re not alone. HR, team leads, and colleagues help you adapt in the new team, level up the skills you need, and find your role in this quest.
💸 Keep Your Bonuses and Benefits
Internal transfers don’t strip away any corporate perks: bonuses, benefits, or career opportunities. You move to a new level with all your accumulated “inventory.”
⚡️ +100 to Motivation
Variety adds flavor to life. New tasks, new connections, and new experiences boost internal motivation. It’s a great way to overcome the familiar burnout and power up for even greater achievements.
Cons and Hidden Challenges
Like any change, a transfer can bring temporary inconveniences, and it’s important to be prepared:
- You’re a Newbie Again. The first times can be tough — you’ll need to “level up your basic skills” again and prove your effectiveness in the new team.
- You Need to Take Responsibility. Transfers aren’t always automatic — you’ll need to show initiative, coordinate with team leads and HR about your desire to switch roles, and sometimes prove your readiness for the new challenge. Yes, it’s up to you to “push” the process forward, not rely on others.
- Managing Expectations. The company might not currently have an open role at the level you’re aiming for. You also need to be mentally ready to be a rookie in a new team and accept that achieving great results will take time.
- Temporary Increase in Workload. For a while, you might be handling two quests at once. Be ready to wrap up tasks in your old team while diving into the new role.
These challenges are temporary and will eventually fade, while the career benefits are long-term. Still, only you can feel whether it’s the right moment to make the move or if it’s better to wait for the right opportunity. But if you have the drive and motivation — it’s definitely worth trying and moving forward!
Career Growth at MOJAM
At MOJAM, internal career growth has long been a structured process, not a challenge. The initiative can come not only from the teammates themselves but also from the company if we see an exciting opportunity for a specific person. People-first thinking is our everything. 😊 Since 2021, we’ve had 40 cases of transfers—either between different teams or to another role within the original team. Here are the main tips for a smooth transfer that we’ve learned over these four years:
Start from Within
1-on-1 meetings with your team lead or HR are your chance to express the career ambitions so the company can keep your profile in mind. After that, you can use your education bonus to develop in a new direction, even if there’s currently no need for a specialist in that role. Don’t hesitate to share your wishes or propose ideas and projects for other teams. It’s also important to stay updated with company news so you don’t miss your chance. Before posting a vacancy publicly, we usually make an internal Slack post to pitch the opportunity. A similar process might exist in your company too. So pay attention to these discussions, follow job openings on the website, or even reach out directly to a team lead from another department to learn about their team’s needs.
Fair Competition
Of course, MOJAMers have certain perks compared to external candidates during hiring since they are already part of the team, have shown their best qualities at work, and understand our corporate culture. Nevertheless, teammates who initiate a transfer go through an interview and, if necessary, complete a test task. This allows them to communicate with the TL of another team, identify growth areas, and demonstrate their skill level at this stage.
Don’t Rush
We split the transfer flow into 2–3 months so that everything happens with less stress. Every 30 days, the teammate gets a specific action plan and checks in with HR to discuss their experience, wellbeing, and expectations.
Gentle Onboarding
All participants in the process—the teammate, team lead, and HR—receive tasks in PeopleForce to smooth out the transition. This way, the person understands expectations and deadlines, and can gradually move toward the transfer while completing old functional tasks.
Feedback Culture
Our goal is never to discourage proactive development in MOJAM, even if the person isn’t a match for another team right now. HR and the TL outline which skills need improvement and help define growth areas. We encourage teammates to initiate a transfer again after achieving these goals.
MOJAM Teammate Cases: Transfer to Boost Your Career
Many MOJAMers have already gone through a full transfer cycle (some even more than once) and know how to achieve mission complete in practice. Below are top insights from teammates about transitioning their careers within our company. 👇
Maksym, Recruiter 👉 Junior Media Buyer
“I had 4 years of experience in recruiting, but I realized that I didn’t have the potential for growth in my department. I wasn’t strong enough as a specialist for fast vertical growth and thought that a promotion was probably more suitable for someone else. So I considered moving into marketing, a field I had long been interested in, where I saw more opportunities to realize my potential. I took the risk and went without much preparation, directly asking the team lead about expectations and required skills. They organized a meeting where we discussed which positions I could apply for immediately and which ones I still needed to learn for. I believe this is the ideal way to grow without changing your workplace. Plus, you can always return to your old role if the new one doesn’t “click” or isn’t truly motivating.”
Angelina, Anti-Fraud Specialist 👉 VIP Client Manager & Anti-Fraud System Specialist
“During one 1-on-1 with my People Partner, she asked me about my future plans and told me about possible transfers to other teams. Honestly, I already felt it was time to try something new. I reviewed the options and chose a department, then I was immediately introduced to the head. We discussed our action plan, and I enrolled in basic marketing courses and resumed my English lessons. Then my transition into the team began. The main challenges were handling a large flow of new information and working in two teams simultaneously. The understanding approach and support of both team leads helped a lot during this period. Moreover, the head personally mentored me, spending a lot of time with me—even at 9–10 PM—to go through the Customer Relationship Management system. No development journey is ever easy or fully comfortable, so I was ready for possible difficulties.”
Liubov, Support 👉 Anti-Fraud System Specialist 👉 Influence Marketing Specialist
“Moving to a new role means starting from scratch to learn novel things, and for me, that’s always exciting—a great boost for development. I also really like MOJAM as a company, the team is awesome, and every department has wonderful people who are invested in improving the project. It’s great that the company allows changing positions internally. I can’t say I specifically prepared for the role change, I just understood in advance that I would need to learn a lot and that the workload would be high. At first, it was challenging—my brain was buzzing with all the new information, plus I had to get used to a new team. But it’s exactly in those unfamiliar, slightly uncomfortable situations where my growth begins.”
A New Start Instead of Game Over
When choosing a workplace, it makes sense to prioritize a company that fully supports your desire to explore new directions in the future. Don’t be afraid to try, adapt, and experiment: your career can become an epic quest, where victory means continuous growth and new achievements. Everything is in your hands—maybe this is a sign to message the HR and learn about opportunities right now? 👀
