Stop Thinking of Career Growth as a Ladder

For a long time, career success was framed as a straight climb upward. The assumption was simple: move from one level to the next, gain a bigger title, and keep rising. But in a slower hiring market, that model can feel too narrow. A more realistic way to think about growth is as a web, where progress can come from moving across teams, functions, and skill areas instead of waiting only for the next promotion.

This shift matters because many companies are filling talent needs from within more often than employees realize. The source article notes that in an Indeed-commissioned global survey of more than 10,000 employers and job seekers, 43% of U.S. employers said they source agile talent internally, while only 10% of U.S. job seekers said they were looking for opportunities within their current company. That gap suggests many workers may be overlooking one of the most practical growth channels available to them.

A career web works because it builds range as well as depth. Instead of tying your future to one narrow specialty, it allows you to gather experience that makes you more adaptable over time. Moving into a different function, taking on cross-team work, or learning how another part of the business operates can strengthen your long-term value in ways a single linear track may not. In a world where roles keep changing and skill needs shift quickly, flexibility can become a form of security.

Organizations benefit from this approach too. Companies highlighted in the source article describe internal mobility as a way to fill important roles faster, retain strong employees, and build a workforce with broader capabilities. One employer cited in the piece aims to place internal staff in 70% to 80% of posted roles, supported by tools such as internal job boards and talent discussions among leaders. That kind of environment rewards employees who are willing to grow sideways as well as upward.

For employees, one of the biggest barriers is often visibility. People cannot pursue opportunities they do not know exist. If roles, teams, or career paths are unclear inside a company, it becomes much harder to imagine a future beyond the current job. That is why one of the smartest first steps is simply learning how the organization is structured, where openings are posted, how teams connect, and what kinds of movement are actually possible.

Conversations matter just as much as formal systems. Talking with people in other departments, asking how they got where they are, and learning what skills their roles require can reveal paths that would never show up through title lists alone. Those discussions can also help employees understand how their current strengths translate elsewhere. Institutional knowledge, proven performance, and familiarity with how the company works can all be major advantages when competing for internal roles.

It also helps to be intentional about how you present yourself. If you are interested in moving in a new direction, gather examples of projects that reflect the kind of work you want to do next. A small portfolio of accomplishments, cross-functional wins, leadership moments, or problem-solving examples can make a stronger case than simply saying you are ready for something new. And if there are clear skill gaps, those can often be addressed through short courses, new tools, or learning the language and priorities of another department before an opening appears.

None of this means every career move has to be dramatic. The point is not to abandon ambition, but to widen the definition of progress. In a market where traditional upward moves may be slower or less available, lateral growth can create its own momentum. Sometimes the best way forward is not the next rung up, but the move that expands your options and makes the next several steps possible.