Latest / The Resume Room with Fexingo: Resume Writing, Cover Letters, and Application Strategy / How to Frame a Lateral Move on Your Resume
Transcript
- Lucas: So you've just made a lateral move — same level, same pay band, maybe even the same title with a different department. And now you're staring at your resume thinking, 'How do I make this look like a step forward rather than a step sideways?' Luna: That's a question we get a lot, and honestly, it's one of the trickiest things to frame. Because if you're not careful, a hiring manager might read it as a demotion or a lack of direction. Lucas: Right. But here's the thing: a lateral move, when framed correctly, can actually signal something really positive. It shows you're versatile, you're willing to learn, and you're proactive about shaping your career — not just climbing a ladder but building a set of skills. Luna: Let's talk about a concrete example. I remember working with a marketing coordinator who moved into a sales development rep role at the same company. Same level, but completely different function. Lucas: That's a perfect case. On paper, it looks like a pivot, but in reality, it was a smart career move. The challenge is getting that story onto a one-page resume without it sounding like you just wandered into a different department. Luna: So what's your approach? How do you actually frame that so it doesn't look like you couldn't hack it in marketing? Lucas: First, you need to flip the narrative. Instead of focusing on the fact that you changed functions, focus on the skills you brought and the new ones you developed. That marketing coordinator — she had strong communication skills, she knew the product inside out, and she'd been doing customer research. All of that is directly relevant to sales. Luna: So you're saying you should lead with the transferable skills, not the job title change. Lucas: Exactly. In the resume, under the new role, you want to show impact right away. Instead of writing 'Responsible for outbound prospecting,' you write something like 'Generated 40 qualified leads per month by leveraging deep product knowledge and targeted messaging, resulting in a 15 percent increase in pipeline.' Luna: And that's the kind of bullet that makes a hiring manager sit up. It's measurable, it's specific, and it connects back to skills they care about. Lucas: And you can do the same for the previous role. Under the marketing coordinator position, instead of just listing duties, highlight the aspects that fed into your current path — like 'Collaborated with sales to develop collateral that shortened the sales cycle by 20 percent.' Luna: That's brilliant. It shows you weren't just doing a job, you were thinking about the bigger picture. So the resume tells a coherent story of intentionality. Lucas: Yeah. But there's another angle to consider — the 'why' of the lateral move. You need to explain that somewhere, and it usually belongs in the cover letter or the interview, not the resume itself. Luna: Right, because on the resume you just have the facts. But if a recruiter sees a lateral move on your resume, they're going to wonder 'why did they do that?' And if you don't address it, they might assume something negative. Lucas: So in the cover letter, you frame it as a deliberate decision. For that marketing coordinator, she could write something like, 'My move into sales was driven by a desire to work directly with customers and apply my product knowledge to solve real-world problems — a challenge I thrive on.' Luna: That sounds confident and self-aware. It turns a potential red flag into a talking point that actually highlights your strengths. Lucas: And the same logic applies if you made a lateral move within the same company but to a different department — say, from operations to project management. You want to emphasize the overlap and the new skills you picked up. Luna: Let's talk about the LinkedIn profile for a second. Because that's often the first thing a recruiter sees. How do you handle a lateral move there? Lucas: Your headline is prime real estate. Don't just list your current title. Use it to tell a story. For example, instead of 'Sales Development Rep at Acme Corp,' you could write 'Sales Development Rep | Former Marketing Coordinator | Building Bridges Between Marketing and Revenue.' Luna: That's a great way to signal that the move was intentional and that you bring a unique perspective. Lucas: Now, there's a distinction we should make — between a lateral move that's genuinely a step up in terms of scope and one that's actually a step sideways in a way that's harder to spin. But even then, you can find the growth. Luna: What do you mean by 'harder to spin'? Lucas: Well, sometimes a lateral move is the result of a reorg, or you took a role because it was the only one available at the time. It might not have been your dream job. But you can still frame it as an opportunity to develop resilience and adaptability — show that you made the best of it and learned something valuable. Luna: So even a less than ideal lateral move can be turned into a positive story if you're honest about it. Lucas: Exactly. The key is to focus on the skills you gained, not the circumstances. And if you can quantify your impact, even better. Luna: I want to circle back to something you said earlier about the resume — the difference between responsibilities and accomplishments. Can you give us a quick before and after example? Lucas: Sure. Before: 'Increased social media engagement by 10 percent.' After: 'Grew Instagram engagement by 25 percent year-over-year by launching a content series featuring customer testimonials, directly supporting the sales team's lead generation.' Luna: That second one is so much more compelling. It shows the impact and the cross-functional collaboration. Lucas: And that's the kind of thing that makes a hiring manager think, 'Oh, this person gets it.' They're not just doing a job; they're contributing to the business. Luna: You know, we get a lot of questions about lateral moves, and I think part of the reason is that our listeners are smart, ambitious people who sometimes take a step sideways to ultimately move forward. That's a story worth telling. Lucas: Absolutely. And if we've helped you think through a career move or a resume strategy, we'd love to hear about it. And if you've gotten value from these episodes, a couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these going — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, if you've gotten something out of them. Luna: It's a small way to keep us ad-free and focused on the topics you care about. Lucas: Anyway, back to lateral moves. There's one more thing I want to touch on, and that's how to handle the transition period on your resume — those few months where you were still in your old role but starting to take on new responsibilities. Luna: Oh, that's a good point. Sometimes a lateral move isn't a clean cut. You might have been doing both roles for a while. Lucas: Right. And in that case, you can blend the two experiences under one heading. For example, 'Marketing Coordinator to Sales Development Rep, 2024–2026' — and then list the key accomplishments from both roles that are relevant to the job you're applying for. Luna: That's a clever way to show the progression without making it look messy. Lucas: And it also shows that you were trusted to take on more responsibility, which is a positive signal. Luna: What about the interview? How should you talk about a lateral move when they ask directly? Lucas: Be prepared with a concise, positive story. Structure it as: the context, the action you took, and the result. For example, 'I realized I was more energized by direct customer interactions than by campaign analysis, so I proactively sought a role that would let me develop those skills. In my first year, I exceeded quota by 15 percent.' Luna: That's a great framework — context, action, result. It's clear, it's confident, and it doesn't leave room for negative assumptions. Lucas: And one more tip: don't apologize for the lateral move. It's a strategic decision that many successful professionals make. Own it. Luna: I think that's the bottom line. A lateral move on your resume can be a powerful asset if you frame it with intention and impact. Thanks for joining us on this episode of The Resume Room.