Are you contemplating a career move within your organization? The decision between waiting for a promotion or making a lateral move can be complex. Let's delve into the pros and cons of each path, helping you make an informed choice.
Use the P.R.O.M.O., or Proximity, Readiness, Offer, Memory, and Overcommunicate method to determine if it’s worth staying at your current company or lateral, internal job change
There’s no right answer, but many factors can help guide your decision.
Offer
What does the new role offer you? A great manager? A new network? An opportunity to learn something completely new? How valuable are these things to you? Lateral moves are often hesitant early in a corporate career
- Not everything in your career will be up and to the right
- Some of the smartest moves in my career were sideways and zig-zaggy
Memory
We need to worry less about immediate gratification and focus more on the things that matter in the long term.
- If your current work feels like a sacrifice, and you’re doing it just to get a promotion, then you’re likely doing yourself a disservice. You will find more satisfaction by doing work that energizes you.
Proximity
If a promotion is clear and imminent, it could be worth sticking around for
- Be realistic about your timeline
- As long as you still enjoy your sales role, you should stay and level up
- Additional marketing roles may be available in the future, and you are more strongly positioned to move around after the promotion
Overcommunicate
Stating your intentions goes a long way, but many people don’t do it explicitly enough
- If you feel that you are ready for a promotion, let your current and future managers know
- Work together on goals, development areas, and a timeline
- With P.R.O.M.O., you now have a framework to help guide your decision
Readiness
Are you ready for a change?
- If you’re happy, there may be little reason to switch.
- But if you’re miserable in your current role, you’ll only be more miserable if you wait around for a promotion.
- A change might invigorate you and lead to a promotion elsewhere.
