Get out of your career rut!
Your work life will most likely feature both highs and lows. Sometimes when you are stuck in a rut you don’t know where to start in order to get out of it. You may feel overwhelmed, frustrated, lost, or even scared. The good news? There are many career opportunities out there that can provide fulfillment. The bad news? It can be hard to find the right opportunity for you given your experience, skills, and interests. The following are strategies to help you get moving forward again. The keys are to start small, educate yourself, and focus on the positive.
The first step is to start small. Identify work you’ve enjoyed in the past, or work that interests you. Complete an inventory of your professional skills and determine how you would like to use them in a job. Then, create realistic short-term goals and work towards achieving them. Even if you identify a credible long-term goal, identify the steps that you need to take to get there and build up accomplishments. Achieving small goals allows you to gain momentum and confidence. It will also allow you to build your resume and qualifications as you work towards long-term goals. And if you haven’t determined what your long-term goals are, your short-term successes can help you identify new opportunities that interest you.
Next, it’s important to educate yourself. Find all of the information you can about career topics and areas that interest you. Read articles, follow influencers in your target area(s) on social media, and set-up google alerts to inform you of content that’s posted that relates to all of your potential career interests. LinkedIn is also a great tool to use since it’s a form of professional social media. Connect with professionals in your target fields and industries, join relevant groups, read articles, and complete online trainings via LinkedIn’s platform that relate to your career goals. The more information you can gather, the better. It will allow you to identify key issues and challenges in your field, build your professional network, and even identify specific jobs.
Focusing on the positive may be obvious, but it can be hard to do if you are in a career rut. Know that the more time and energy you invest in negative thoughts and experiences, the more those actions can prevent you from moving forward. Focus on how you can build your skills and experience while bringing value to a potential employer. Connect with positive people that will encourage you and provide you with constructive feedback regarding your career decisions. Don’t dwell on the challenges you faced in the past or the things that didn’t go your way. Know that every day, every word, every decision you make is a part of your journey and you can choose whether you focus on the positive or the negative.
Try these strategies if you get stuck in a career rut. They will allow you to move forward, even if it’s just a little bit at a time, in order to renew your focus and enthusiasm for your career. And while you do this, be very aware of opportunities that may sneak up on you. You may just stumble upon your next career adventure when you are least expecting it!
