Welcome back everyone and hoping you’re recovering from a wonderful Super Bowl Sunday! No matter who you were rooting for, we had a blast joining with family and friends and celebrating what feels like a truly significant American Holiday.

While our bellies are still full of wings, pizza, and dips galore, our brains are ready to tune into another work week and re-engage with productivity. If you’re coming up on college graduation, sifting your way through the job market, or otherwise curious as to what a rotation program is… this article is for you!

Keep reading to learn about what a rotation program can offer and why you may consider it as an entry-level opportunity!

All About Rotation Programs:

Duration: First and foremost, the duration of a role rotation will fluctuate depending on which company you are working for. Even within an internal rotation program, durations may shift anywhere between 6-month, 9-month, and 1-year depending on the needs of the business! The rotation program I engaged in post-grad followed 2, 1-year-long rotations throughout different areas of the enterprise. Engaging in this long of a rotation allowed me to feel fully immersed in a team, valuable in projects I accomplished, and even ready for a new endeavor and transition! However, participants may also advocate for shorter length of role experiences so as to become exposed to additional areas of a business prior to pursuing a position long-term.
Role Selection and Placement: Another variable of rotation programs is your ability to contribute to the role that you are placed in. Some companies may completely decide your rotation placement for you and have consistent rotation positions that remain the same and “rotate” through employees, whereas others might change every cycle! It is key to discuss with your hiring manager what this will look like as you are applying and also once you are involved in the program so that you know what to expect. If per se, you will be able to have a voice in the way you rotate through the company, it’s even more beneficial to get ahead and start networking ASAP to build connections and be able to gauge which areas of the organization might need future help (in the form of a rotation) soon!
Rotation Transitions, Best Practices: What do I mean by this? You likely won’t have an exact rotation date where 100% of your work shifts to another employee as you rotate onto a new team. If you’ve worked in a corporate setting, you know how easily lines get blurred as timelines shift and responsibilities are adjusted when employees move into new internal roles. So, make sure to discuss your transition plan with your manager; do they expect a 50:50 ratio shift when you change positions for the first few weeks? 75:25, 80:20? These are crucial questions to ask so that you can shape your transition plan and set expectations with your new manager.
- Extra Tip: Plan ahead and begin crafting your exit resources approximately 60 days before you depart from the team. Whether this looks like creating standard work to follow within software programs, project submissions, communications, etc., or other resource guides, use your final weeks to get ahead of these deliverables! Doing so will not only help the person who back-fills your role but will alleviate the potential of you having to complete more work after you leave as a result of a lack of knowledge on a certain process.

Why should you consider rotation program opportunities? Find out on Friday!

Searching for a new position? Read through our open jobs!