One of the recurring challenges I face in recruitment is this:

Clients often ask me to find candidates already doing exactly the job they are hiring for.

On paper, that makes perfect sense.

If a company needs a systems engineer, why not approach someone currently working as a systems engineer?

But in practice, those conversations often sound something like this:

“Hello Mr. ABC. My client is looking for a systems engineer. Your background looks like a strong match. The salary is similar to what you are likely earning today. The customer is Nissan, which you already support. The products are also quite similar. This could be a great opportunity. Would you be open to a conversation?”

And if I am being honest, the candidate would be perfectly justified in asking:

Why would I move?

Same title.
Similar work.
Similar customer.
Similar compensation.

That may be a perfectly reasonable opportunity.

But is it a compelling one?

Another lesson I picked up from Lou Adler over the years is the concept of career stretch.

What Is Career Stretch?

The basic idea is simple.

Strong professionals, especially those who are not actively looking for a new role, rarely move for purely lateral opportunities.

A new opportunity needs to feel meaningfully better overall.

That does not always mean salary.

Career stretch can come from:

• broader responsibility
• leadership exposure
• more strategic work
• customer-facing experience
• regional or global scope
• stronger long-term growth
• better flexibility
• more interesting products
• exposure to areas that develop new skills

In short, the opportunity should move your career forward, not simply sideways.

Not All Lateral Moves Are Truly Lateral

To be fair, not every move needs to involve a bigger title or significantly higher compensation.

Sometimes a move makes sense because:

• your current environment is unhealthy
• overtime has become unsustainable
• the commute is affecting your quality of life
• you want exposure to a different company culture
• you want to move into a stronger product category
• you simply need a change of environment

In those situations, what looks like a lateral move on paper may actually be a meaningful improvement.

What Does Career Stretch Actually Look Like?

This is where the idea becomes practical.

Quite often, when discussing opportunities, the initial reaction sounds something like:

“I’m an ADAS engineer. I know nothing about connectivity.”

“I’m a software engineer, not a systems engineer.”

“I’ve always been technical. Could I really move into technical sales?”

“I’ve only been a team leader. I’m not sure I’m ready for a small team manager role.”

In many cases, that hesitation is exactly where career stretch begins.

Stretch does not mean taking a role you are completely unqualified for.

It means stepping into an opportunity where much of your experience remains relevant, but part of the role pushes you into new territory.

That may look like:

• moving from ADAS into connectivity
• shifting from software engineering into systems engineering
• transitioning from engineering into technical sales
• moving from team leadership into formal management
• taking ownership of an entire product rather than one technical function
• being involved from RFQ through SOP rather than only one phase of development
• expanding from technical execution into broader commercial or strategic ownership

That discomfort is often a sign that growth may be possible.

The important question is not:

“Have I done this exact job before?”

A better question may be:

“Do I have enough relevant foundation to grow into this successfully?”

So When Is Stretch Too Much?

Not every stretch opportunity is the right move.

A healthy stretch should push you beyond your comfort zone.

It should not push you into a situation where success feels unrealistic.

A simple way to think about it:

If you can confidently handle most of the role, but some areas require growth, that is usually healthy stretch.

Examples of healthy stretch:

• first formal management role
• broader customer ownership
• moving into an adjacent technical domain
• larger project ownership
• exposure to global stakeholders

Examples of excessive stretch:

• moving into a function with almost no transferable experience
• taking on major leadership responsibility without any real foundation
• stepping into a role with unclear expectations and little support

Growth and chaos are not the same thing.

One Final Thought

Some of the best career moves do not feel completely comfortable.

That is often the point.

If an opportunity looks identical to what you are already doing, it may be safe, but it may not be meaningful.

And if an opportunity feels challenging in the right way, that may be exactly where growth begins.

The key is knowing the difference between healthy stretch and unnecessary risk.

Because if you are already 100% qualified for every aspect of the job, it may be worth asking:

Is this really moving my career forward?