Sandra Kalker one: Sandra, you're now moving from Purchasing to the Sales department, from REWE West to the head office, from the Cologne area to the city. Is this a change or a step forward for you?
Sandra Kalker: Both. I see moving on as an opportunity to expand my knowledge and gain experience. That helps me in the long term. At the same time, I bring my expertise to the new position.

one: How did the change come about?
Sandra Kalker: I have been working as an assistant in the Non Food division at REWE West for five years and expressed my desire for a change during my STEPs interview. My line manager then registered me in the talent pool. A talent sourcer, who had seen my LinkedIn and pool profile, approached me at the same time and suggested the position to which I have now switched. I hadn't even noticed it myself. After the exchange with the talent sourcer, I applied for the new position, was promptly invited to an initial video interview and then received an invitation to a face-to-face interview, after which I was accepted.

one: What are the advantages of moving internally?
Sandra Kalker: I've been with the company for five years and think that REWE Group is generally a good employer that I've always enjoyed working for and would like to continue working for. If it had turned out that I couldn't progress internally, I might have left the company. But that would have been plan Z for me..

What was interesting for me was that I was now getting to know a completely new area of work and a completely different side of the company. At the same time, and this is the advantage of moving internally, I know the company, its structure and many of my colleagues. I will also be working with some of them from my new position. And there, in turn, I will get to know new colleagues..

one: How did your senior managers react to your desire to change jobs, how did they support you?
Sandra Kalker: I first waited for the job interviews and then approached my senior manager before accepting the offer. He responded positively. Of course, he now has to find a successor for me, but as he had registered me in the talent pool, he knew about my desire for a change and was prepared for it to a certain extent. I thought it was good that both senior managers - the one leaving and the one taking over - exchanged information several times to guarantee a good process and transition for everyone.

one: What tips do you have for colleagues who are ready for change?
Sandra Kalker: Maintain your LinkedIn profile. We now know that profiles are read very carefully - even by colleagues. Sourcing takes the LinkedIn profile into account if employees have approved it when registering for the talent pool. Another tip: read the internal job advertisements carefully and fill out the profile in the talent pool beyond your own horizon. For example, I didn't just want to focus on purchasing and also ticked 'sales department'. Be open, actively approach people, accept job interviews, even if the position doesn't seem perfect at first glance. You can always say no.

Sandra Kalker moved from the REWE Region West to the REWE Group headquarters as a CM Nonfood Assistant at Shop & Furnishing Concepts in March.