Lateral move as an associate or VP

Some brief background: I'm a 3rd year associate. I work at a large firm which has a relatively strict 4 year associate program (2 years as a junior + 2 years as a senior - although the role is essentially the same). Lately I've been motivated to change firms and potentially make a pivot into a different sector focus. Given that I'm around a year away from making VP at my current firm, I'm seeking advise for when to start my search in earnest. Does recruiting as an experienced associate (for either an associate or AVP role) offer any advantages to recruiting as a newly promoted VP? Alternatively, does having secured a promotion to VP add credibility as an applicant (I can only imagine this helping for AVP roles, as VP opportunities will include candidates with potentially years of VP experience looking to lateral). Any advice from this community would be greatly appreciated.