By The Human Reach Editorial Team
Spending years inside one of the world’s most competitive and innovative companies gives you a perspective on career development that you simply can’t get from a book. AJ Mizes, who served as global head of HR for a team within Meta’s Reality Labs before founding The Human Reach, shares three career insights that he learned from the inside — and that most career coaches never talk about.
Hack 1: The Internal Transfer Is More Powerful Than the External Job Search
Most professionals think about career advancement in terms of moving between companies. But Mizes observed at Meta that some of the most dramatic career accelerations happened through internal transfers — moves within the same organization that allowed high-potential employees to build new skills, expand their networks, and take on higher-visibility roles.
“At Meta, the internal mobility system was incredibly robust. People who knew how to navigate it could advance faster internally than they ever could by job-hopping. The key was understanding that internal transfers require the same strategic approach as external job searches — you need to build relationships with the hiring managers, demonstrate your value, and make a compelling case for why you’re the right person for the role.”
The lesson for executives at any company: don’t overlook internal opportunities. A strategic internal move can accelerate your career faster than an external search, with far less risk.
Hack 2: Your Network at Your Current Company Is Your Most Valuable Career Asset
Most professionals think of their professional network as the people they know outside their current company. But Mizes argues that the relationships you build inside your current organization are often more valuable — and more neglected.
The colleagues who will become your most powerful advocates are the ones who have worked alongside you, seen your work up close, and can speak to your capabilities with genuine specificity. These are the people who will refer you for opportunities, advocate for your promotion, and serve as references when you’re ready to make a move.
Mizes recommends a deliberate approach to internal relationship building: identify the 10 to 15 people in your organization whose opinion matters most for your career advancement, and invest in those relationships proactively.
Hack 3: The Feedback You’re Not Getting Is the Most Important Feedback
Most organizations have formal performance review processes that provide structured feedback. But Mizes argues that the most valuable feedback is the informal, unsolicited kind — and most professionals are never getting it.
The reason: most managers and colleagues default to positive feedback in direct conversations and save their honest assessments for conversations you’re not part of. The result is that most professionals have significant blind spots about how they’re actually perceived.
The solution Mizes recommends: build relationships with two or three trusted colleagues who will give you genuinely honest feedback. This requires creating psychological safety — making it clear that you genuinely want to hear difficult truths, and responding to honest feedback with gratitude rather than defensiveness.
Applying the Meta Playbook
The Human Reach’s coaching methodology draws heavily on the insights Mizes gained from his years inside one of the world’s most sophisticated talent development environments. The goal is to give executives access to the career development frameworks that the most successful people at top-tier companies use — regardless of where they currently work.
About AJ Mizes: AJ Mizes is the founder of The Human Reach and a former global HR leader at Meta’s Reality Labs. He has been featured in USA Today, NBC, CBS, FOX, and ABC.
