The JobSync Blog
Are You Ready for a Lateral Move?
October 18, 2011
Your company is cutting costs and asking employees to do more with less, freezing promotions, titles, and any raises that go with it. You’ve been ready to climb the corporate ladder for years, but clearly it’s not going to happen anytime soon at your company. And the job market beyond your office walls is stagnant as well. What’s a frustrated worker to do?
Now may be the time to make a lateral move.
In the past, making a lateral move to a different company was often viewed as a career stumble. The traditional thinking went that those who moved to the same position in another company – even if it were in a different industry – clearly lacked the drive and/or smarts to move up the company ladder. Such individuals were usually framed as only capable of certain performing job responsibilities and had simply realized what little potential they had.
Today, those views have changed. Given the difficult job market, widespread employee discontent, and leaner and meaner businesses, there is greater acceptance of lateral moves as a potential stepping stone to something bigger and better. So, is a lateral move right for you? Here are some questions you need to answer before deciding:
• Will the lateral move offer you any opportunity for more responsibilities than you have in your current job?
• Is the company you are moving to more fluid with respect to advancement compared to your current employer?
• Do you offer new/unique skills to a prospective company that might enable you to move up?
• If you are hoping to switch to a different industry, can you convince a potential employer that although your knowledge base may not make you the most ideal of matches, they should hire you for attitude and train you for skill?
If going vertical is not an option, this may indeed be your time to consider going the horizontal route. But just one caveat: Make too many lateral switches, and you may end up getting labeled a mover-and-not-a-shaker.
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