Dear Rachel,
What is the best way to move from an in-house agency media planner position to an agency media planner?— Mulling the Switch

Dear Switch,
You'll be doing largely the same work. As they say, planning is planning. What's different is the environment and the kind and variety of the work you do.

In-house departments tend to be small, and you're only working on one account, really, your employer's, so there will be less variety than at an agency, where'll you'd be working with a range of clients, each with different needs.

But that should not present a barrier. "I don’t really think it should be that difficult moving from an in-house agency," says Pat Sklar, president of the Chicago headhunting firm, Sklar and Associates.

Key is how closely the jobs match up. "How easy it will be to move will depend on the range of your current responsibilities and what's required in the position you are after," says Kurt O’Hare, president of the New York recruiting firm O’Hare and Associates.

Your range of experience will also matter, says O’Hare. "If you have worked with national media, (print and broadcast), the move should be pretty straightforward. But if you have worked with just one media vehicle, let's say print or just OOH, moving will be a bit harder."

Obviously, the more closely the prospective job matches your current job, the better your chances of landing it. If it's close enough, the agency will bring you up to speed in those areas where you are rusty or don't have any depth of experience.

Keep all that in mind as you prepare for your interviews.

You need to be able to articulate your responsibilities in a way that translates well in the mind of the interviewer. As you are speaking that person is matching up that job description against the description of the job he or she is anxious to fill. You'd be surprised by the number of people who have difficulty explaining their jobs in terms others can grasp easily.

You need to talk about what planning tools you worked with. You need to be able to talk knowledgeably about the media you've worked with.

You need to have a short list of accomplishments at your fingertips that give some insight into your ability to adapt, to grow and to innovate. It's a terribly overworked cliche, thinking outside the box, but it's what people are looking for in job candidates.

Everyone wants a job. Potential employers are looking for that one person who can bring something special to it. What they don't want is someone who's going to slide in and promptly doze off.

Go light on the hype. Think of your interviewer again. That person is sitting across from you filtering through what you say, an ear out for exaggerations. So don't claim to know more than you do. There's a good chance you'll talk yourself out of a job.

Go a step further. Admit where you feel you might be weak.

Be able to explain why you want to move. It's fine to say you're looking for an opportunity to grow, that your current job doesn't offer you that.

Do not say you need to make more money. Do not crab about your bosses. If you don't like your current bosses, keep it to yourself. Crabbers crab wherever they go.

Lastly, keep in mind this one thing I always advise. Don't move because you don't like your current job. Only move because the new job offers so much more.

If you are unhappy with your current job, spend time figuring out exactly why. It is the job, or is it the expectations you've attached to it?

Or is your unhappiness really a personal issue that needs to be addressed outside of your work? If it's personal, jumping to a new job is not going to help.