Getting Unstuck in Your Career
Getting stuck in your career at some point is inevitable. The path you thought would work out when you first started is no longer working for you. Millennials, on average, will work in four or five different jobs throughout their careers,, so it’s okay if you feel like it’s time for a new opportunity. As we get older we change and grow as a person which can lead us down different pathways. If you find yourself in this situation, here are some mindsets to adopt and steps to take to help you get unstuck.
Get over your fear that your world is ending:
Things change, and that is okay. Accept what is. Embrace the future and be optimistic. Bring good energy and have a positive attitude to your job even if you may not want to work there anymore. You may feel unsure and question everything about your career, but the universe is redirecting you towards your next great opportunity.
Focus on your current and past jobs:
Write down all of the things you did in those positions to create value. What did you like doing in those roles, and what did you hate? Start building your ideal job description. Building your ideal job description will help you better understand what you are looking for in your next position. Having a clear picture of how you create value will help determine how to market yourself for your next role. If you don’t have an ideal role in mind, you won’t know what roles you are looking for, and your job search will be a little bit like throwing darts. You want to hit the bullseye, but there is a good chance you will miss it. It will be harder for you to market yourself, and people will see you as a master of nothing.
Create a plan:
Create a plan to identify your next position. Treat it like a project you are working on at work. Break it down into small chunks and steps. It may seem overwhelming to begin with, but if you break it down into smaller steps, you will see it more manageable in the long run. You will want to define each next action clearly. Your brain needs clear next steps to process all of the information going through it.
Turn your plan and job search into a research project:
Once you have your ideal job built, research people, places, and things.
- People in the role you want: Can you identify some people working in a position you want or a similar role? Research them on LinkedIn and research what skills they have that make them successful in their role. This is valuable information that you can use to learn about what skills and experiences you need to gain to be successful in your next position.
- Places those people work at and their competitors: What information can you gather about the companies the people you identified work at? What is it like to work at those companies? What is the culture like? What type of customers do they serve? You also want to research some of their competitors. One of the things you will realize in your job search is that you are unaware of 85% of the companies that can hire you.
- Things you will need to succeed in your next job: What education, certifications, or skills will you need for the position you want? You will want to have all of this information available to create a plan to get the things you need for your next job.
Connect with people who can help you in your job search:
Focus on connecting with the people in your life who already would recomend you for a position. Let them know you’re looking for new opportunities. Be specific about what your looking for in your next position. Maybe they know someone working in that type of role. Chances are you have built up some social capital with them, and it’s time to cash in on that. Create a plan to get connected with those people that you researched. Begin to build relationships with them and learn as much about your ideal position as possible.
Most Importantly, take action:
The people you connect with will be the ones who get you your next job. If you feel stuck or stalled on your current career path, you need to take action every day to find and create new opportunities for yourself. Life is too short, and the world is filled with to many abundant opportunities to stay stuck.
Thanks for Reading!
