What should you do if your career has plateaued?
Should you find your career plateauing for any of a number of reasons, there are a number of things that you can do.
Reframe your situation
Whilst things in your career may not be as you wish, remember that this is temporary, providing you are ready to do something about it. Your problems do not need to cast a long shadow over your entire career.
Envision your goals and aspirations
If you’re feeling unfulfilled by your current job, take a step back and think about the ‘big picture’. What drives your career ambitions? What are you in it for? What do you want to have accomplished when all is said and done? Think about whether the current role facilitates these overarching goals and aspirations. If not, then perhaps this is a sign to considering options external to the firm.
Reflect on your skills and invest in yourself
Take the time to honestly reflect on the value that you bring to the table and whether there are any gaps in your skillset. Have you stopped growing and learning, or become complacent? If you reflect honestly and conclude that your ability to add value is falling short, consider what you can do to close that gap. This could be doing some further training, qualifications, etc. Consider what the market wants now and anticipate what it will want. Then ask how you can align your skills and competencies accordingly.
Explore internal options
Getting out of a career plateau does not always require moving firms. In the first instance, if possible, consider opportunities to grow and progress internally. You may encounter some resistance because managers want to keep the right person in the right job, however, they also do not want to lose great people from the firm. So you might have to overcome some initial inertia.
Reach out to your network
It may be worth reaching out to your wider network and exploring new ways of challenging or growing yourself professionally. The direction you take with these conversations depends on what lies at the heart of your career plateau: is the problem with you, or with the firm? If the former, explore ways of developing yourself professionally through working with people within your network. If the latter, this might be the first stage of considering a job move by testing the waters with your network and softly discussing your options.
Change jobs or firm
If the above still doesn’t shift that niggling feeling of dissatisfaction, consider changing firms or roles. This doesn’t need to be the default option - if you don’t go through the above thought process, you may end up just moving your problems with you. However, if you do decide that your career plateau is the result of your current role or company, be proactive in undertaking a job search to find a job that better aligns with your career goals and skillset.
If you’re feeling unfulfilled at work, it’s important that you reflect honestly on the status quo. This will allow you to identify the core issue and to take your next steps accordingly and wisely. If you would benefit from having a sounding board to discuss your options, let’s talk.