You know the feeling - you've hit the wall in your job and don't know which way to go. You feel as if you have gone as far as you can go and see little opportunity to move up in your organisation. Your manager isn't going anywhere fast so do you just bide you time and hope by some miracle they decide to move on and allow you your rightful place at the throne or do you move on? Tough decision - should you stay or should you go? But have you exhausted all of the opportunities? Remember we no longer talk of career ladders in the 21^st century, instead we have career lattices. These days the only way is not up but only one of several possible options. Consider all of the following in your quest for career satisfaction and growth.

Lateral moves:

Sometimes referred to as a sideways move this involves moving across to perhaps a different function or business unit within your organisation. It might not necessarily involve a change in responsibility, status or pay but may provide you with the opportunity to expand your range of skills and experience, which in turn enhances your employability. If your organisation experiences a downturn and needs to shed staff it is likely you will not be the first choice because of your ability to work cross functionally within the organisation and your flexibility.

Vertical moves:

Pretty obvious, this involves moving up within your organisation and generally involves greater responsibility, pay, prestige etc. This move is enabled when your abilities match the needs of the organisation. Remember however promotions rarely come about for the passive employee and it is important that you engage in some self-promotion to position yourself where you want to be.

Enhancement:

The focus here is on enriching your current role through expanding your responsibilities. Perhaps you could take on greater reporting or customer service responsibilities, which may in turn might result in the your role becoming more challenging or interesting. The benefits are similar to those outlined above in lateral moves as it enables you to increase your skill base and build your 'soft skills'.

Realignment:

Simply put - this involves moving down within your organisation and/or a reduction in responsibilities in the same or different position. The impetus for this can be varied and include a desire to have greater work-life balance, health, active retirement, return to study (and wanting to keep your foot in the door and pay tuition fees!). It is also not uncommon for a technical person e.g. an engineer who has been promoted to management to seek realignment and they preferred a more 'hands-on' role aligned with their technical expertise.

When considering which way is best for your particular circumstances you will need to weigh up the pros and cons of each option. You will also need to do some exploratory work within your organisation to establish if these options are realistic. Useful questions to ask yourself are:

• What role I am targeting within the organisation - is there demand for this stable, increasing or decreasing?
• Am I likely to be supported by my manager?
• What is the size of the target department or business unit - what are the implications for my career?
• What is the culture within the unit I am targeting - does it match my values?
• Will this option involve relocation and how do I (and my family) feel about this?

If after all of this you decide these options will not work, you can always vote with your feet and explore options outside the organisation. A good strategy here is to ensure your details are up to date on LinkMe and your status is listed as 'actively looking' or 'not looking but happy to talk'. As a career resilient 21^st century person the power and choice is with you!