Get Back On The Road To Career Success!

A sad day at Sigmar HQ today (not really, just a sad day for me), Betsy (my first car) is off to the scrapyard. I was driving along the motorway at the weekend minding my own business, when all of a sudden; Betsy coughed, spluttered and died. To this point, I’d never broken down before, so being a typical girl I rang my dad for help (oh the shame) as I genuinely didn’t know who to turn to when Betsy stalled.

Now before you think I’ve lost the plot, blogging about the passing of my car – the whole situation got me thinking about the people I turn too when I need help. And for anyone that is in a job they’re unhappy with who do you turn to when your career has stalled and what do you do?

A career stall is not a nice place to be, you won’t even notice you’ve stalled until one day it hits you that you no longer know where you’re heading. You’ll feel like a lost sheep – that hunger and drive you once had for your job is gone and you don’t know where to turn to for help.

The sad part is that once you’ve disengaged from your role, it becomes very hard to perform well and even harder to motivate yourself. So what do you do – do you aimlessly look in the rear view mirror, hoping for someone to notice you’re in need of help? No! You need to take action!

Service your Career

Firstly like servicing your car, give your career a check to see how you’re doing. Don’t just say you hate your job, figure out exactly what’s bothering you so you can figure out how to deal with it. Are you run ragged from 70 hour weeks or are you bored off your tree? Maybe you feel you’re not getting the recognition you deserve or maybe you’re just not passionate about your job. Also, what elements of your job do you like and dislike? Knowing the reasons you’re unhappy will give you the answers as to what direction you need to take, whether that be changing careers altogether or staying put and resolving current issues.

Talk to an expert

You wouldn’t chance your arm when it comes to fixing your car yourself (unless you’re a mechanic) so if you’re unsure as to what to do with your career speak to someone you trust. Whether that be a trusted friend who can give you reassurance or your friendly neighbourhood recruiter (shameful plug I know) who can advise you on what areas you are suited to and as to what you need to get your dream job.

Research, research, research

If you decide on a career change, research, research and research some more as to what you need to do to get there. Do you need to upskill, return to full time education, take an online course? Also what can you afford to do?

Get the ball rolling

Now that you know what you need to do to get your career motoring again, don’t put off taking action. Put together a plan to resolve any issues you have in your current job or to get a new job.

Finally adjust your attitude and try to be positive, negativity is one of the worst traits you can display in your job. Not only is it a bad look to others but it is bringing you down also. It’s easy to lose momentum when trying to making a big change in your life but keep your end goal in mind and hopefully before you know it you’ll be back on the road to career success.