How to Write a Job Transfer Request

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Categories: How Tos

  • Declare your desire for a new job position with a formal letter to your boss, manager or human resources department. Our guide, How to Write a Job Transfer Request, includes the proper format, content and tone suggestions to help you convey your intent and qualifications.

  • Job Transfer Request Tips

    1. Use heavyweight, white, letter-sized paper when you print your letter.
    2. Follow the traditional business format when composing your letter.
    3. State that you want to stay with your company, but explain the reasons for desiring a transfer.
    4. Discuss your experience with the company and how it makes you the ideal candidate.
    5. Highlight any outside training you've recently received.
    6. Proofread the letter for grammatical and typographical errors.

  • Introduction

    • Whether your company has just posted a new position you're interested in or you want to make a move to a new department, a formal job transfer request letter can help you "plead your case" by expressing your intentions, qualifications and applicable experience for the new position. Compose your job transfer letter with the proper format with the following steps.

  • Follow Business Formatting

    • Stick to a few simple rules in order to write a letter that's concise, easy to read and follows the proper business writing format.
    1. Print the letter on white, letter-sized, heavyweight paper (such as 32lb bond).Writing Business Letters: Use the Correct Business Letter Format
    2. Use a formal heading that features your address, a blank line, the date, a blank line, then the contact name, title and company address.Anne Arundel Community College: Business Letter Writing Guide
    3. Use a salutation that greets the person who will handle your job transfer request. This could be your boss, head of the department you wish to transfer to or a general human resources manager.
    4. Format the letter with one-inch margins on the sides and one-and-a-half-inch margins at the top and bottom.Writing Business Letters: Use the Correct Business Letter Format
    5. Write your letter in a block style without indented paragraphs.Monster Guide: Basics of Writing a Business Letter
    6. Under the body of the letter, leave enough space to sign your name, then type your name and current title.Monster Guide: Basics of Writing a Business Letter
    7. After your title, skip a line and add "Enclosures:" and the number of extra pages if you're enclosing a current resume, any certifications or proof of completed education and training.About.com: Sample Business Letters

  • Compose the Letter

    • Consider containing your job transfer request to a single page to ensure it's to the point. Although most business letters are about three paragraphs long, yours can be longer as long as the content isn't "filler" that wastes your reader's time.Monster Guide: Basics of Writing a Business Letter

  • Intent

    1. Summarize the reason you want a job transfer request. The new position may:
      • -Represent a promotion that you deserve after years of service.
      • -Suit your qualifications and background better than your current position.
      • -Benefit you for personal reasons, such as having a better schedule or being located in a city or state that's more convenient for you or your family.Monster Guide: How to Write a Business Letter
    2. Explain the reasons why you're hoping to leave your current position.

  • Qualifications

    1. Discuss your experience with the company and how long you've been in your current position.Microsoft: What to Do When Applying for a Promotion (April 26, 2006)
    2. List the ways you've met or exceeded the responsibilities and duties of your current job position and why it makes you a better candidate for the new job than someone from outside the company.
      • -Include specific examples of how you've improved the efficiency of your department, devised unique solutions or saved the company money.
    3. Study the requirements listed for the new position if you're applying for an opening within the company in order to specifically address how your qualifications make you the ideal candidate over other current company employees.Business Performance: Writing Cover Letters for Job Applications
    4. Outline any recent certification programs, continuing education classes or training seminars you've completed that will increase your expertise in the field.

  • Other Points

    1. Express your appreciation for the company, discussing the organization's supportiveness and history of promoting from within.
    2. Suggest a compromise if your transfer will put your company at a disadvantage or leave them short handed. For example, consider offering to fulfill the duties of both positions for a short time until they find a replacement.
    3. Offer to help train the person who takes over your current job if you receive the job transfer.Monster Guide: How to Write a Business Letter

  • Consider Additional Tips

    • Ensure your job transfer request is taken seriously and seen by the right people with the following suggestions.
    1. When writing, strike a tone that's polite and confident, but not arrogant. It's important to be assertive and express your abilities so you're taken seriously, but not be so demanding that you put off the powers that be.Job Asia Search: How to Write Good Job Transfer Request Letters
    2. Discuss the letter with your current boss if the position you desire is in a different department. Getting your supervisor's approval ahead of time may help secure his recommendation.How to Do Things: How to Write a Job Transfer Request
    3. Carefully proofread the letter for any grammatical of typographical errors.Business Performance: Writing Cover Letters for Job Applications
    4. Send a copy to additional company representatives to ensure the letter gets to the right party and goes on record in your personnel file. Recipients can include your manager, boss, company owner and human resources department.
    5. Before you submit your job transfer letter, also complete any internal job application forms that may be required for consideration.About.com: Internal Job Application for Job Opportunities

  • Conclusion

    • Because a phone call or discussion may be forgotten and an email is too informal, a written job transfer request is the best way to let your employer know that you're seeking a new position. Even if you work for a small company, a formal letter ensures your request is on file for future reference.

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