Move sideways can fast track a move up

And help keep the best millennials on your payroll

Job hopping has become the new normal. Canadians starting work today can expect to hold 15 different jobs in their careers, job site Workopolis reports. An analysis of seven million resumés on its website showed most people now stay in a job for two years or less. By contrast, more than half of all Canadian Baby Boomers entered their 50s having worked for the same organization for two decades or longer.

For millennials, of course, all this flux is nothing new. Many grew up against a backdrop of economic recession and scarcity, learning early on that getting ahead requires hustle, entrepreneurialism and creativity. Waiting around for a promotion, or hoping that long-term loyalty will be rewarded, isn’t in their DNA.

But that desire to move up fast often runs up against a hard reality: climbing the corporate ladder takes time. The ascent from specialist or coordinator to manager or director within a company doesn’t generally happen overnight, or even in a few years. That leads many millennials to jump ship — abandoning a company altogether in search of opportunity elsewhere. In many cases, candidates land in a similar role, facing the same set of hurdles, only with a different boss.

I get this frustration. As an entrepreneur, I’ve never been one to patiently climb the corporate ladder. But I think some millennials may be overlooking a golden opportunity — to move over, not up. Transferring laterally within a company, i.e. finding a new role in a new department, may not immediately translate to more pay or greater responsibility. But it can bring clear benefits, both in the short and long term.

For starters, you get to work with a new team on completely new projects. This means a chance to acquire new skills on the job and expand your resumé and get paid to do so. At the same time, moving laterally is usually less disruptive than finding a new job elsewhere. You’re spared all the job hunting, onboarding and life upheaval that goes along with starting over. Not to mention, you’re often able to talk your way into positions that you might not qualify for at another company.

But there’s a deeper benefit, as well. People who learn to perform multiple roles within a company, and do them well, quickly become invaluable. They amass a skill set that practically no one else pos- sesses and have real value to the business. And that’s where promotions and fast-track advancement often come into the picture.

I’ve seen this time and again at HootSuite. An employee may start out in sales selling our social media management tool to clients. Instead of pursuing a senior sales role, however, he or she makes the jump to marketing. The learning curve can be steep initially, but in time that employee knows exactly what prospective customers want and how to translate that into ads and marketing campaigns.

That’s an employee worth keeping and promoting. In fact, senior product manager Alex Grant, one of Hootsuite’s cross-department standouts, provided insight for this article.

I realize not all managers are enthusiastic about losing their people to other departments. But if an employee isn’t fulfilled in a role, then something has to give. I’d rather see people shift to a different team than lose them altogether.

At the same time, I think any manager worth her salt wants what’s best for her employees. There’s no point in keeping someone around who isn’t happy, no matter how talented that employee may be. It’s far better to find alternate ways to channel that energy.

So how do you facilitate internal transfers and ensure you’re keeping top talent? I’ve found that the best employees actually search out their own opportunities. What’s critical is not getting in their way.

They’ll set up casual meetings with other managers to understand how teams work together. They’ll ask to be assigned to projects that transcend their department. They’ll look for ways to bridge

They amass a skill set practically no one else possesses and have real value

the technical and business sides of an organization. The key is not perceiving this as a threat but instead allowing this curiosity to flourish.

You also can encourage cross-pollination in other ways. Lunch-and-learns — where teams have the chance to present to the entire company — can help break down silos. Informal social gatherings, from barbecues to mixers, can give employees a chance to connect with people outside their immediate circle. There’s huge value in those interactions — introductions are made, questions are asked and seeds planted for collaboration down the road.

The professional dynamic has shifted, not just in Canada but around the globe, and the days of long-term company loyalty may be long gone. The economic realities that force employers to be more demanding, also have employees asking for more. They are eager to gain experience to buttress their resumés then seize on the next opportunity.

Before racing to move on or up, it might be worth considering the benefits of moving over. The dream job you’ve been looking for may be with your current employer.