november 2010 NEWSLETTER

I was struck by an article I read recently by Dawn Dugan (http://a.salary.com/2325), contributing writer for Salary.com., and wanted to share the premise of it with you for your consideration. It had to do with the benefits of making a lateral job change. You see, when it comes to your career path, sometimes "up" isn't the only direction you can consider. A sideways or "lateral" move -- a move either within your current company or to a new organization with similar title, pay, and responsibility -- can have a long-term payoff. Just like chess, sometimes sideways is the best move to get you to where you eventually want to go. Here are 14 reasons you might make a lateral move:

1.  You want to enhance your value and become more marketable by gaining additional skills or knowledge

2.  You'll work with a better boss, supervisor, or mentor who can offer you the path to your next step up

3.  You'll have more visibility in a more active part of the company

4.  You need to learn more about other facets of a company or industry to be considered for a more senior role

5.  You want to improve your work-life balance (stay in a particular geographic area, have less commute time, more family time, etc)

6.  You want to build a stronger network of new contacts

7.  You're burned out on your specific job and need a new challenge to get you excited about coming to work

8.  You want better job security in an environment that may be more immune from downsizing

9.  You're feeling dead ended or don't really know how to get to that next step up

10.  A move to a different situation might offer you less competition for promotion

11.  A move to another organization might offer significantly better benefits or perks

12.  You want a department or organization with values that align more closely with yours

13. You want an opportunity to get more training or education

14.  You don't know what you want to be when you grow up

If you find yourself in one of these predicaments and would like some solid career advice or just need some career coaching, please feel free to call us!