Why lateral career moves are actually good for you...
career development,
career moves,
Published on Thu May 15 2025
Updated on Fri Aug 08 2025
5 minute read
The running theme of our blogs has been growth and development. Fighting off stagnation. That’s why, when it comes to careers, the idea of lateral career moves can often seem counterintuitive. Why shift away from your current role when you could be working your way up? Isn’t that counterproductive? Aren’t you just basically starting from scratch all over again? The short answer is “no”. Let’s talk about lateral career moves and why they could be the best thing that you can do for your career.
What are lateral career moves?
Why are they good for you?
More enjoyment out of work.
Lateral career moves offer new experiences and opportunities, allowing you to break out of the mundane routines of work. With a lateral move, you can try something different and gain a fresh perspective on your job. You may find that by changing roles or job responsibilities, you are more engaged and motivated.
This doesn’t have to be limited to just enjoyment through novelty but it could also mean that you made a lateral move to improve your work/life balance. By making a switch to a position better suited to your habits you can become happier and more productive.
Improves your skillset.
Making lateral career moves can be an effective way to boost your professional skillset. Especially in a competitive job market, it is important to stand out from the crowd and show employers why you are the perfect fit for their team. Lateral career moves give you the opportunity to diversify your experience and open up new opportunities for growth.
By exploring different roles within the same industry, you can gain a better understanding of the wider context in which your job functions. This type of career move also allows you to develop broader skills that may not be within your current specialization. For example, if you are a software developer, taking on additional roles as a product manager or business analyst could give you an edge when it comes to problem-solving and decision-making.
Route to a vertical career move.
By moving from one position to another within your company, you gain valuable experience and knowledge that can help you when it comes time for promotions. In addition, lateral career moves often result in increased responsibility, as well as greater exposure to different departments and teams. This gives you the opportunity to expand your network and build relationships with people across the organization.
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Created at Thu Sep 17 2026
6 min read
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