​​Internal Mobility Offers Thoughtful Growth

Nicole Hall, a people business partner, was ready to grow. After careful consideration of her personal career aspirations, Nicole realized that she didn’t want to leave the supportive community she’d built at Palo Alto Networks during her 2.5 years working with the Cortex GTM organization, but that she wanted to move to a role where she could support the broader business in a new way.

Nicole talked openly with her manager about her dreams and career path, and together they spent time developing a plan to help her grow into a new role right here at Palo Alto Networks. 

“Together we outlined my strengths, weaknesses and key relationships. I then took on stretch assignments to build my network, further my brand, and identify the work that fueled me,” said Nicole.

After six months, a new role opened that aligned with Nicole’s personal and professional desires. Nicole took advantage of the internal mobility program, and applied right away for the performance elevation role with the People and Places Team.

“The team kept me in the know of the details on the role, who I'd be meeting with during the process, and how I could succeed in answering the interview questions. I felt prepared for each call,” said Nicole.

VP Global People Tom Woo found that the internal mobility process actually improved his experience as a hiring manager. “I had known Nicole by reputation, and felt she was an incredibly high quality candidate. Through the internal mobility process, I felt like I was able to fairly assess Nicole, as well as give her the ability to also assess me and the role.”

Overall, Tom found that Nicole was a very high quality candidate, and he believes her internal knowledge and prior experience at Palo Alto Networks will be an invaluable asset for her new role.

After accepting her new position, Nicole’s internal mobility experience didn’t end. 

“[The IM Team] also helped shepherd a good transition between my new and old role,” said Nicole. “I wasn't stressed with the amount of time I had in transitioning my old work and starting my new work. I know the Internal Mobility team had a hand in that.”

What’s next for Nicole?

“Now that I’ve started my new role, I’m excited to activate our performance elevation experience companywide, by bringing it to life for our employees. I firmly believe that each person shows up to work everyday to deliver their best work. Our People Team works tirelessly to build experiences that capture, highlight and measure that great work. It’s time to amplify the intersection of the two and I’m beyond honored to do that.”

Click here to learn more about career growth at Palo Alto Networks!