THE BENEFITS OF HORIZONTAL
CAREER GROWTH

Have you ever considered a horizontal career move? At PUMA it is all about fulfilling work and less about hierarchy. We believe if you can align your passion with your work, it will bring the best out of you. We asked two colleagues at PUMA about their experiences. Learn more!

Climbing “the ladder” isn’t the only way to progress in your career. We often think of growth as linear and vertical, but that isn’t always the case. Just because a new position at PUMA isn’t necessarily at a “higher” level than your current one doesn’t mean you are not advancing your professional skills. At PUMA, we want to develop our employees. It keeps us agile & fast.

So why not expand your skills and become an even more sought-after, multi skilled professional?
Why not develop a passion for a role in an entirely different department and make a lateral move to a job at the same level?

We believe, the more understanding our employees have from different departments, the better the co-operation is.

Why did you decide for a horizontal career move?

Dominik : The main reason for a horizontal career change was that I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and learn something new. I was a store manager/assistant store manager in retail for almost a decade and I loved it. But at some point, you have to decide if you’re going to take the easy, familiar path and stop evolving so much OR be bold and confident to figure out what’s next. I was also looking for a new chapter where my retail knowledge would be useful – I’m a firm believer in my new role as GTM manager and the closeness to customers that is clearly there.

What is the coolest thing about your move in the retrospective?

Dominik : First of all, I am honored to have such a great new team in the Merchandising CE team. I’ve been in my new role for five months now and still have a lot to learn from my colleagues. I like the variety that my job brings. It’s a very good mix of office and travel. I also find the possibility of remote work great.

What did the process look like?

Dominik: The process itself went smoothly and was a perfect fit. I had checked out the vacancy for my new position myself a few days earlier when HR contacted me to recommend the same position. They felt that I might be a good fit for the position. That was the deciding factor for me to give it a try, and I uploaded my resume into the HR platform and applied. A few days later I had a first interview and a second interview, and fortunately I was offered the job. 😊

Lena, why did you decide for a horizontal career move?

Lena: I am a woman with career ambitions. In the product area, my path was pretty much mapped out in terms of growth opportunities, and I knew I wanted to broaden myself to take a few steps forward in the future. And sales is a critical learning process for my future career path. I also won’t deny that the move to Berlin fit in well with my private life plans.

What is the coolest thing about your move in the retrospective?

Lena: Understanding that you can learn anything. Of course, I didn’t start the new role as a sales expert, but the team and people around me have been really helpful in filling in the gaps I’ve been missing. And I’ve gotten off my somewhat comfortable couch and picked myself back up, which I love.

What did the process look like?

Lena: The hiring manager proactively reached out to me. We had lunch, talked about the position, and clarified mutual expectations, followed by a formal interview with case study. Very simple!