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10 Tips & Strategies to Overcome Stagnation in Career

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While watching the animated movie, The Incredibles, did the scenes showing the regular work life of Bob hit you a little too close to home? Do you feel extremely restless with your monotonous life, regardless of how successful you may be in your bank balance, and also feel stagnant at work? Does having a “Eat, Pray, Love” type of vacation seem more attractive day by day?

Tips & Strategies to Overcome Stagnation in Career

 

Chances are you suffer from worker’s fatigue and take some measures to change, which is important if you want to grow in your career further. That is the main point of concern in this article, and you will learn different techniques to overcome your career stagnation. 

What is Career Stagnation?

Career Stagnation is what happens to a professional when someone gets bored with their work. Job Stagnation is when someone feels like they’re not moving forward in their job. This can be because they don’t have opportunities to grow, they’re not interested in their work, or they don’t have the skills for a higher-level job. They start feeling stagnant at work, which makes them feel underconfident and bored.

It can make people frustrated and demotivated, and it can also hurt their job performance. To get out of career stagnation, people need to figure out why they’re not progressing and take action, like learning new skills, looking for new challenges, or changing careers. This can help them feel better about their work and be more successful.

Why is Career Stagnation a Major Problem?

Even in the movie ‘The Incredibles’, you get to see how the main character Bob faced a challenge when he reached a career standstill. Every day seems like the day before, with similar work, no motivation, and zero change in pace

However, the stagnation that harms one’s professional life does not only relate to situations where one is clearly unmotivated. 

In some cases, professionals at the top of their game notice a sense of stagnation, where they earn suitable income but no growth. That, too, is a problematic situation, and you need to take intentional steps to surpass that. 

10 Best Tips to Overcome Career Stagnation 

After knowing the possible signs that you may be undergoing a stagnant career, take measures to improve your situation. The following are some of the most useful approaches you can take. 

1. Set a Specific Goal 

Getting motivation is one of the first steps to crossing the “stagnant career syndrome” obstacle. For that, you need to set a specific goal to reach. 

Therefore, first and foremost, you should reflect on the main priorities in your career. Not to mention, if financial security and stability are your main ambition, research what programs, insurances, and financial policies you have to target to get that long-term. 

After you prepare the main goal, considering your interests and qualifications, you can proceed with steps that will gradually help you achieve all levels. 

2. Ask Directly For Challenges

For many people, the feeling of restlessness occurs in their professional life because they are playing way below their level. Indeed, can you expect Kobe Bryant to play school-level tournaments only for the rest of his life, without trying for NBAs… ever? Exactly. 

You should challenge yourself if you can perform more in your current position. Understandably, you may not feel comfortable communicating with your direct supervisors. But it would help if you did so. 

Request a meeting with your supervisor about your career growth and feedback. During that one-on-one feedback, you can softly broach the subject of getting other responsibilities for the betterment of both you and the team/company. 

3. Focus on Measuring Definite Success Points 

There are different definitions of what it means to be successful for varying individuals. Some people consider experience or title the main measure of success, while others focus on money or influence. 

Of course, there are jobs with more than one such benefit. So, measure your idea of success in work life and then process with that path in your career

Here are some points to consider in this case:

  • In the last 5 years, how has your work status changed?
  • What is your priority for success- skill improvement, fame, or money? 
  • What did you gain quickly and what lessons are you still slowly learning?
  • If you could change anything in your career graph, what shall it be?

4. Focus on Networking 

Another important thing you should do to get over the slump in your career is to expand your field. For example, it can open you up to more opportunities in your career ecosystem or other fields. 

Moreover, networking with other professionals in your career field will also open you to guiding support. Then, with the help of more experienced seniors you network with, you can upskill at your role. 

5. Pace Yourself 

The gradual growth is more stable and reaps major benefits over time. In terms of your career graph, avoid taking steps and expect to get results overnight. For this, properly judge your skills and the outcome you desire to plan the future steps correctly. 

Instead, you should judge points like:

  • The current career position you have vs. what you want to achieve. 
  • Steps necessary to reach your preferred level. 
  • Understand what is blocking you from reaching the goal or things that need improvement. Then, proceed with slowly yet consistently taking career-centric actions. 

6. Request a Pay Increase 

In some cases, employees notice that they are stuck at a single level in their payscale with no growth for a long time, like years. This may indicate that you have outgrown your current position and need to upscale. 

Here, take time to understand the main cause first, like limited funding at the startup company you are working at or unethical management conditions in the business. Then, request a one-on-one meeting with your employers and discuss the pay increase point. 

7. Take Up a Positive Mindset 

Sometimes, people notice stagnation in their work life because they develop a negative perspective on the job or career. So, it would help if you adopted a positive outlook for the work opportunities. Indeed, instead of stressing about the high market competition, apply to many companies and keep constantly seeking job options until you get a good option. 

8. Get some change 

Sometimes, employees notice a lull in their work life if they are hired for specific skills that are no longer necessary. However, instead of lamenting the situation, you should study if you lost interest in your work because of motivation loss. Here, you can request a transfer to another role or department to get some necessary changes.

9. Get freelancing gigs 

Many people notice a lack of opportunities the longer they work in their company. Still, if you stay in the company due to your need for stability, you will soon potentially experience burnout. 

It would help if you considered freelancing to avoid job stagnation. Working on different processes will help you get motivation. 

10. Consider a job change 

If none of the methods work or you need different challenges, you can consider a company change. Research different open positions and reach out to recruiters. Indeed, check out your options and then take the necessary steps to overcome the problem. 

Conclusion 

Overall, career stagnation-related issues can affect anyone in their professional lifestyle. So, you should recognize the signs early and use the appropriate measures based on the signs you notice to overcome the problem. Follow the steps mentioned here to structure your work life better and consistently follow the techniques mentioned. Then, it is possible to overcome this issue and expand your career graph in a positive incline.



Last Updated : 14 Apr, 2023
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