Lately I’ve had several people contact me who’ve said,
“I can’t seem to move up in my career. I keep taking on the same low-level jobs and don’t know how to get out of this cycle and move up to something better. I feel stuck!”
Oftentimes there’s a simple explanation for this phenomenon. People take a lower-level job expecting to eventually be promoted to a higher level position, but never take action on their part to ensure this will happen.
The Cycle
The cycle goes like this:
- You take a lower-level job telling yourself it’s a good foot-in-the-door and will provide an opportunity to grow in the company.
- You keep your nose to the grindstone and continue to work hard, hoping your boss will notice how good of a worker you are.
- You get passed over for promotion after the first year.
- You’re two to three years in, however nothing’s changed.
- You wonder why you’re still stuck in the same position and aren’t advancing.
- You begin to feel unappreciated, so you decide to look for a job with a different company.
- You only apply for the same level job you’ve been in because you think that’s all you’re qualified to do since you haven’t been promoted.
- You accept the same level job at another company with the same hopes of growing and moving up in the company.
And then the cycle starts all over.
Breaking the Cycle and Creating Real Career Growth
So how do you break this cycle? By taking responsibility for your own career growth.
The people in these cycles are in them because they didn’t take responsibility for their own career growth. They went in with no plan of their own and instead expected the higher ups to recognize their potential and promote them.
But, just like a job doesn’t fall into your lap, opportunities for advancement don’t either. You have to do your part to grow in your career. Below are ways to start, along with links to paNASH’s online programs that show you in more detail how to carry out each action (get 15% off each online program from Oct. 12-17 with discount code FALL2017).
- Ask for feedback, both on what you’re doing well and on areas where you can improve.
- Network with people within your department, people outside your department, and people in the same industry.
- Set goals for yourself in addition to the ones set by your supervisor.
- Help solve problems.
- Ask what it takes to get to the next level.
- Keep track of your accomplishments and share them with your boss.
- Know when and how to ask for a promotion or a raise.
In addition, paNASH provides a one-on-one personalized coaching track that focuses solely on career growth. The Career Growth Track provides you an in depth plan you need to break the cycle. Also, it’s perfect for those who’ve just started a new job. It includes:
- Successful onboarding in your new job.
- Preparation for promotion and advancement opportunities.
- Progression and transition planning.
- Methods for asking for a raise.
- “Fire”-proofing yourself.
- Maintaining joy and challenge in your career.
- And more!
Don’t stay stuck!
Don’t stay stuck in your career! The power is in your hands to become unstuck. You just have to learn how to wield that power by following the suggestions above. We can help you do that in two ways:
- With paNASH’s on-demand programs available online (get 15% off each online program from Oct. 12-17 with discount code FALL2017)
- And, with the personalized, one-on-one Career Growth coaching track.
Contact paNASH today and break the cycle!
Related Posts:
- Get Unstuck! How to Know When It’s Time to Invest in a Career Coach
- Why You Should Update Your Resume Every 6 Months
- Increase Your Income With This Simple Task
