Have you reached a dead end in your career?

Have you reached a dead end in your career?

Does your present job feel like a tunnel without light at the other end? It’s because sometimes the tunnel is a cul-de-sac. If your career is going nowhere, despite the money and security, then it’s time to take stock of the situation and make changes.

DIAGNOSIS

Conduct a P&L analysis Carry out an audit in writing. What is the goal of the business? How much is the revenue (salary/bonus) and where is it coming from? What are your expenses to get this revenue? How many hours are you investing and what are the commuting costs? Are there other operational expenses? Have you invested in making this business grow? How much are you investing in sales? How good is your marketing communication? Finally, is this business viable or are you losing out on time and alternative opportunities? Now, separately audit yourself. What do you like doing, what are you good at and what skills will the market be willing to pay you for? Put these in three intersecting circles to reflect your passion, talent and job market. In the centre of these three circles lies the right spot where you want to be.

Get external inputs

Share your situation with friends and family. They will help you make sense of what you are feeling and, perhaps, stop you from overreacting to minor irritants like an aggressive colleague or a micro-managing boss. Next, talk to colleagues about what’s happening around you; maybe you are misjudging the situation. Discuss with peers in the industry to get a sense of where the industry and your firm is headed. Is there scope for advancement internally or with the competition? Finally, speak to friends in other industries to find out what is hot in the job market.

SOLUTION

Change your daily routine

Reinvent the day, say, by doing yoga in the morning or taking a different route to work. Reorganize your work and walk across your office to meet people from other functions. Plan a visit to a client or another company office. The changes will help you see your situation in a different light, get a grip on your priorities and, perhaps, climb out of the hole you are stuck in. Once the ‘sameness’ mindset is broken, new possibilities can be invented out of nothing. The next step is to push the envelope. Sign on for that dance class on weekends or go for a monsoon trek in the hills. The moment you take physical action in a space that is challenging and outside your comfort zone, your confidence will go up and change will look possible to you.

Work your cash flow

Before you get going with your plan, calculate its financial impact. Then, target the problems you can solve immediately. This could include asking for a shift to another team if your current one does not suit you or requesting for a change in job description. Negotiate for a higher salary or bonus in case you are underpaid. Where you are unable to find easy solutions, look for alternative roles. Start speaking to people in your network to find suitable vacancies. If changing jobs is not an option but the cash flow is tight, figure out if you can do consulting on the side. Or, maybe, teach as a weekend faculty member.

Invest in permanent change

Lastly, invest in permanent change so that you do not find yourself in a dead-end job again. Instead of choosing a role on the basis of salary alone, evaluate criteria like learning opportunities and growth. If you have reached the peak of where your current skillsets will take you in the marketplace, invest in acquiring additional certification or skills. Make sure to pick learnings and skill combinations that are in short supply and the market is willing to pay for.

If taking a class is not an option, consider getting executive coaching or acquiring skills by working on projects where you will learn while you implement outcomes. Make sure you are working towards a planned goal. Then, at each stage of your career, you will be able to ask yourself if you are on the right path and are taking the right actions. The answers will help keep your career on track and out of dark tunnels.

HOW TO RECOGNISE A DEAD END

I am happy in my shoes.

I don’t want to step into my boss’s shoes. I don’t want the extra work hours, responsibility, travel and sales targets for negligible increase in benefits. Should I choose to remain in a place where I am not happy to grow?

My boss hasn't been promoted in five years.

And his boss has been around for 10 years. There is no attrition here. No one wants to leave because either they are too comfortable or there are no options outside. The company or industry is in a limbo and I have no future growth.

I have been doing the same thing every day for two years.

I am doing exactly the same work that I did when I joined. It is a niche job and does not leave time for any additional responsibility or learning. I can choose to stay here and see my other skills atrophy.

It’s okay if I don’t work every day.

Work pressure is negligible and I get plenty of time for my golf or trips to the mall. On some days, I can choose to work from home and spend the time reading. It’s a semi-retired lifestyle with no challenge to push me. I will soon become completely unemployable.

I am becoming a zombie.

I dread going to work every single day. My mind shuts down when I am on my chair and I feel demotivated and burnt out. I am drained of energy by the end of the day and endlessly wait for weekends. Either I will be fired or I will turn into a full-time zombie.

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