There are a lot of ways you can get stuck. Last week, we talked about getting stuck in your job search. This week, we’re taking a look at getting stuck in your job or career.
It’s a common problem: You’re not growing. You haven’t been advancing the past few years. What can you do?
First, let’s not look at it as a negative.
“I would frame it as an opportunity and a great thing,” said career coach Natalie Fisher. “The fact that you’re stuck right now means you’re ready for new information. It means that you are ready for new knowledge. And ready to have a huge up-level in the next step.”
That is some great advice. Instead of starting off by beating yourself up — about what you haven’t accomplished, or what point you haven’t reached — you could approach your situation with an open heart and mind, ready for what’s next.
The first thing you need to do now is identify where you’re feeling stuck. Then ask yourself some questions.
Get advice from ‘a colleague you trust’
First, let’s say you like your current company but you feel stuck in the job. You’re not getting promoted, you’re not getting noticed. You feel stalled out.
″[T]alk to a colleague you trust who is a few steps ahead of you in the organization and ask for their advice on what you should start doing, stop doing, and keep doing to get to the next level,” said Gorick Ng, a Harvard career advisor and author of “The Unspoken Rules.” “Bonus points if this person is also your manager, but I realize not every manager is supportive.”
Make sure that you are visible. That you and your achievements are on the radar of your boss(es) and other higher-ups.
When you’re first starting out, no one tells you about how you need to take ownership of your career trajectory by speaking up in meetings and making sure people in positions of power know who you are. No one tells you how to navigate office politics. But it’s something you need to do from the get-go in your career to make sure you don’t get stuck.
Wherever you’re at in your career trajectory, it’s important to make sure that:
1.You are on the right ladder — that you know which position you want next and the one you want several rungs up from that
2.You are getting noticed
3.You are on track for advancement
Ng says asking these five questions can set yourself up for success at work.
- Am I aware? Specifically, “Do I know which behaviors get rewarded — or penalized — in my workplace?”
“If no, compare the behaviors of the ‘high performers’ on your team to those of others,” Ng wrote. “Bias, discrimination, and double standards are definitely factors. The differences you observe can also tell you a lot about what you can do to avoid getting stuck.”
- Am I visible? Are you as seen, heard and known as others at your level? If not, Ng said, you need to get in the habit of introducing yourself to higher-ups, sharing your work, offering to help, etc.
- Am I intentional? A lot of times, but especially early on in your career, you may be excited just to get offered the job or be given an opportunity to try something new. But you have to ask yourself if you are really excited about the path you’re on and the opportunities that lie ahead, given your current role.
In other words, are you climbing the right ladder? If the answer is no, you need to rethink that. And you need to find the right ladder as soon as possible.