Do you think that your career has been stalled? Well, it can be suspended due to various reasons like lack of opportunities, lack of satisfaction in the present field, or lack of stability due to sudden change in your industry. Hasty decisions and mindless career changes can ruin your progress and even hamper your confidence. A wise person thinks well before he makes career related decisions. Otherwise, there is always a chance that your career stalls at the most unexpected juncture. So here are some warning signs which you should listen to and take decisions immediately.
How Do You Know If Your Career Stalled?
1. The duration of your present task:
Success in a certain career happens slowly and gradually. While the success can not be gauged monetarily all the time, progress needs to be made in some way or the other. Stagnancy in a career is a clear sign that you are achieving nothing in your career. You need to keep this fact in mind while evaluating your career decisions.
You should take into account the duration of your present task. If you are working on the same project for two or more years then get it straight that your career has been suspended. Your company owners may not have seen the kind of passion that you must possess so they have not granted you with new responsibilities.
2. Your last skill upgradation:
This is a highly competitive era. To survive in the career race, you need to be better than the rest. This can only be possible if you continually upgrade your skills to suit the ever changing demands of the market. If you have not worked on your skills for a long time, it is a clear sign that your career is stalled.
You should take notice when you have last learnt a new skill. If it was a long time back, do something about it. If your company has appointed someone for some specialized work which even you know then you are the one who has not made proper utilization of skills. Keep researching about the skills required in your field. Check out websites and blogs and try to understand what more skills you can add to your profile.
3. What does your performance review say?
Does your performance review indicate that you only meet your targets set by your company? Is it true that you have never shown a keen interest in learning anything new? Well, then your career is in danger. You should show passion and dedication in learning more from your company.
Companies wish to retain the best. You can be in the creamy layer only when you live upto the expectations of the firms and organizations. If review meets reveal that your performance has been consistently low, you need to do something about it. You must have a talk with your seniors and try to find out where you are lacking.
4. Did your juniors get promoted?
Well, the fact is that anyone who possess the right skills and abilities should get promoted for his efforts and get the right remuneration. Very often, young and enthusiastic individuals get promoted even with few years of experience. Yet, if this has happened more than once while you still retain the same position in the firm or organisation, it is something to worry about.
If there is a yes to this question then you should have a proper thinking. You should take into notice why this is happening? Your juniors have shown the company their ability and dedication in learning more whereas you are stuck at the same old place. Try to analyse the reason for your lack of progress. You may not be putting efforts in the right direction and this maybe hampering your progress. If that is the case, you can still take the right steps to change the scenario.
5. Are you bored with your present job?
Most of us do get annoyed. With our job lives at some point or the other. The reason for this boredom could be different for different people. For some, the work life maybe too hectic leaving no scope for a personal life. For others, it may not be his choice field. You need to understand the reason for your boredom if you are bored in your job life.
You should switch your career if it is lack of passion and interest in the field that is responsible for the boredom. You should try and find out what you are good in. It won’t help you sitting at the same place and doing the same work every day. In that way, you just get to earn money and not mental satisfaction. Now it is up to you to decide what you exactly want from your life.
6. Communication gap with your co-workers:
The modern professional world greatly depends on communication. This is one factor that counts a lot in the modern careers. In this fast paced professional world, people who lack proper communication skills fail to make a good impression on people. That is why you need to ensure that you maintain proper communication with your peers and colleagues.
Do you find communication gap growing between you and your co-workers? Then you must take steps immediately. There may be times when you are hardly given responsibilities and roles to perform. You are thought to be unfit for your present job. In that case, you don’t even receive office calls and emails. If these things go on then it is clear that your career is at stake.
7. Are you not called in for important meetings:
Most big firms and organizations work in a particular fashion. When they find the right candidates for their firms, they slowly and gradually increase the responsibilities on these candidates. They try to evaluate how well these candidates perform under different situations. Once they are convinced about the candidate’s abilities, they start including these candidates in significant meetings while taking important decisions.
Do you find that you are hardly called in for important meetings nowadays? This might happen sometimes as someone else might have taken your place in your company. You do not take part in company decisions or your signature is no longer important. Then this is a red signal for you to drive your attention to some other field. Or you can stay here trying to amend things by being more passionate about your work.
8. Decline in your industry:
Time comes in the economy and technology when people see a decline in their field of work. Did this happen to you? Then you should switch over your job immediately. Or if you have some other skills then you can start your business at home. As the world advances, many technologies become obsolete. You cannot predict what will happen to your job when this happens. So better accept the fact and move on with your life.
If you master many different skills, a switch in career becomes easy. Initially, the change may seem difficult. But once you acquire the required skills, everything starts getting normal. Be willing to accept change.
9. Recession in the market:
Even the world’s greatest superpower, America, has fallen prey to recession. Many people have lost jobs and many other had to make a fresh start. Recessions happen and they can be life changing.
Recessions are not in your hands. These can affect any person. So if your industry is going through a recession period then you have to accept the hard core fact and move on with the meager amount of salary that you were receiving. Your salary might not rise for some time. This entirely depends on your market conditions.
10. Your promotion gets stuck:
This might happen due to many reasons. One possible reason might be that someone might be preventing you from gaining a promotion. Office politics are common. There are many capable individuals who possess the right abilities to do the job but fall in the wrong books of powerful men in the company. This eventually prevents them from progressing. If you are one such individual, you should either work on your human skills or consider changing your job. Otherwise, your career is surely stalled.
11. No voice in the company:
There could be many reasons that lead to lack of authority in a company or firm. If you feel that you have no voice left in your present company then you should change your company. That is an alternative if the problem is with the firm or management. If you lack the confidence or authority, changing the company won’t help greatly. In such cases, you must work on your personality and try to regain your confidence.
12. No roles given to you:
If there are no roles given to you by your seniors then you should try to gain your position back or you can leave the company. When a firm does not give you any significant responsibility, it reveals that the firm does not greatly trust your skills. You must try and convince them. If that does not work, you may consider switching jobs.
