How do I tell a manager that it's now or never if they want me on their team?

Question

I’m in a job that I really don’t enjoy. The work is only tangentially related to my education and the work environment has degraded to the point where I’m looking to leave.

There is another department at my company that I would be a much better fit in. Their work aligns with my Master’s degree and the type of work of that department is one that I enjoy more.

About a month ago I reached out to the head of the other department and got a tour of their facilities. One thing he said is that they “have plenty of work in the pipeline, and not enough people to do it” when I asked about their staffing levels. In my email asking for a tour I included my resume, and my wording made it clear that I’d like to be on his team

I was initially hoping to wait longer to see if they were going to add positions that I could apply to (a recent re-org made it likely this team would get more funding), but my current job situation is to the point where I’m starting a job search outside the company. I would prefer the other department over another company, but I would prefer an external job over my current one.

How do I tell the other department head that it’s now or never without it getting back to my boss that I’m trying to leave?

Does this answer your question? How to give a polite ultimatum? — gnat, Feb 27 '21 at 18:05
If you present a 'now or never' ultimatum to a superior it will most likely turn out to be a 'never'.. — iLuvLogix, Mar 03 '21 at 10:49

score 12 · Accepted Answer · answered Feb 27 '21 at 17:24

12

You can't.

Send a polite email to the manager reminding him of your interest in working for him, but don't make any demands or "now or never" ultimatums. Then start your external job search. If you get an external offer before the internal one comes through then take it. Their loss.

answered Feb 27 '21 at 17:24

Daniel K

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I like this answer. Plus you will probably end up with higher pay by changing companies. – Pete B. Mar 01 '21 at 11:25

score 4 · Answer 2 · answered Feb 27 '21 at 17:23

Talk to your direct manager. Make it clear to them that you're not enjoying your current job and are interested in an internal transfer to a specific department, they should be able to help facilitate this process. It would normally be in the company's (and hence your manager's) interest to transfer a good employee internally vs losing them.

Don't set any ultimatums ("now or never") and don't threaten to leave, this is very unlikely to give you any advantage in this kind of negotiation, and is likely to sour your relationship with the management. Just make sure you clearly communicate your position to your manager - you're not happy with your current position and you'd like to be transferred. If they're not willing to help you - start looking for a new job and just hand in your notice once you have it.

score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Feb 27 '21 at 17:28

If you haven't expressed that you're really, really interested in the other department, now is the time to do it.

The fact that you're citing "getting back to my [current] boss" is a concern means that you can't trust the organization as a whole to act discretely. In that case, it's better to not say anything about leaving. Just say you would be thrilled to start working for the other department.

Sometimes hiring processes are slow, but if things are looking good the hiring manager will usually give you some indication that things are in motion. If they haven't done that, you should assume that they're not fully serious or they are not yet ready.

Don't let that delay you from looking for an external new employer. In the meantime if the new department gets their act together, you can always stop your search if their offer is compelling.

How do I tell a manager that it's now or never if they want me on their team?

3 Answers3