4 things to do when you want to leave one team for another

4 things to do when you want to leave one team for another4 things to do when you want to leave one team for anotherAttempting to switch your teamat the company you work for can be a slippery slope - heres how to make the whole process a little more painless for you.Branch out beforehandThis is definitely a good idea.Joyce E.A. Russell, PhD, currently the Helen and William OToole Dean of the Villanova School of Business, writes in The Washington Post about how you should do this.Build your internal network long before you attempt an internal move. Make aya others in the firm know about your contributions. By serving on project teams or company-wide teams with employees from other departments, you enable them to learn more about you and your performance, she writes.Have a conversation with your managerDont forget this.Donna Rosato, Senior Editor at Consumer Reports, answered a question in Money Magazine about wanting to apply for a position on another team at work, and if you should have a conversation with your manager about it.In most cases, yes. Telling your manager you are going for another position may be awkward, but if she hears about it second-hand - and thats a real possibility with an internal opening - thatll be an even more uncomfortable conversation. Worse, the news could create a rift in your relationship that could make it tougher to do your job, she replies.Rosatos piece also includes insight from Heather Huhman, president and founder of Come Recommended, who cautions that you shouldnt alert your boss before the interview if it will have a negative consequences.Dont lose your focus on the current tasks at handRichard Moy, currently a content marketing writer at Stack Overflow, writes in The Muse about how he spoke to his manager about switching teams internally in the past, but it didnt work out. One of his tips in hindsight is to focus on what youre currently working on.He writes that when he tried to make the switch, he still met basic requi rements at work, but he started spending too much time planning my hypothetical move, which had a negative impact on his performance.But Moy recommends doing this insteadWhen youve identified a department you want to transfer to, come up with a game plan for how to build your skills and present yourself as a great candidate. But, while youre doing that, make sure the projects youre currently working on are your main priority, he writes. Of course, this will pay huge dividends when a job youre interested becomes available. More importantly though, your current boss will respect your work ethic and be more likely to wish you the best - regardless of your next step.Act like youre starting at Square One again because you areAlison Doyle, an author, career expert and founder and CEO of CareerToolBelt.com, writes in The Balance about how this is the approach you should take.Be sure that you are just as careful about presenting your qualifications to hiring managerswhen applying for a jo b within the company as you would be when applying for an external job. Dont assume that internal staff knows about all your strengths and accomplishments in great detail, she writes. Itemize and document your credentials to make sure they understand that you are very well suited for the job. In addition, be sure to have references within the company who can attest to your skills.