Tag: career strategy

Career Stuck? How To Get Out

Scott Asai1 Comment

Collaborative post – may contain affiliate links

Everyone experiences a career rut at some point. Even the most interesting profession may become monotonous. Too long in the same work will make you feel stuck. In a world where there aren’t enough chances to learn and grow, we feel stuck. The good news is that escaping a career rut is easy if you put in the effort.

Break Out Of Your Shell

Get out of your comfort zone initially. Doing things the same way can just make you feel more stuck. Staying within your comfort zone is a big part of why you feel stuck in your profession. That’s fine, but to make a difference, you have to leave your own little safety net. It’s a significant move, but it will help you get out of your job rut. Not waiting for something to happen, but taking initiative and making it happen.

Set A Goal And A Strategy

To get out of a career rut, you need a goal and a plan. Setting goals offers you something to strive for and keeps you motivated. After deciding on a goal, determine how to achieve it. Create a game plan including action items, a timeline, and steps. Improve your web presence, update your résumé, and attend networking events. To truly observe progress and get out of your rut, you must be accountable throughout the process. Find an accountable friend to help you stay on track. A great way to set goals is to find someone who inspires you to do well such as Stephanie Summers Atlanta. 

Go For It

Take a risk to change your situation. Taking risks will challenge you and break up your everyday routine. Also, venturing out of your comfort zone can be part of your strategy. The idea is to think outside the box. If you’re stuck but not ready to ask for a raise, go for it. Apply for a job even if you don’t think you’re qualified for it. It doesn’t hurt to try, and you never know how risk can pay off.

Don’t Go Solo

Even if it is ultimately your responsibility, you cannot accomplish it alone. Locate a mentor, find a sponsor, attend networking events, and talk to your friends. Everyone you encounter could assist you to get out of your rut. Don’t be shy; you never know who will assist you locate your next chance. Ask for what you want directly.

Change Your Routine

Change your everyday routine to better your job and personal life. Even tiny changes, like waking up ten minutes earlier or checking email after reading the news, add up. Doing something different will help you break old patterns. It’s easy to go through your day on autopilot, rushing from one duty to the next without any thought. The days meld together, with a weekend vacation and a Monday return to the grind. Change one thing each morning, afternoon, and evening to see how it affects your entire day.

You are the greatest person to get yourself out of a job rut, so take responsibility and do it. In addition to the previous five actions, invest in your professional development to keep growing and learning. This can help you avoid feeling trapped and provide you abilities you can use now and in the future.

3 Reasons You Should Get Started Pursuing Your Professional Ambitions Now Rather than Waiting for the Perfect Moment

Scott Asai1 Comment

Collaborative post – may contain affiliate links

“One day I will…” and “I’d really like to…” are some of the most pernicious phrases you’re ever likely to hear, because they are slogans which are used to put off what could and should be done today, for later.

These phrases — and ones like them — rest on a basic fallacy; that whatever it is you want to achieve in business, or in life, there’s a “right time” to get started — some point where you’ll be wise, capable, and productive enough to get it done.

Of course, “tomorrow never comes”, and if you wait to pursue your professional ambitions, you’re likely setting yourself up for trouble.

Here are just a few reasons why you should get started pursuing your professional ambitions now rather than waiting for the perfect moment.

There are plenty of tools available to help you learn quickly on the go

One great fear that holds people back from pursuing their professional ambitions — whether those ambitions relate to making it as a day trader, or as an author — is that they simply won’t be able to learn what they need to learn, on the go.

According to this mindset, extensive research and reflection — maybe years of it — is required in order to make an effective start and to “keep up” with the pace of the industry and competition.

This mindset is flawed for various reasons, but certainly one of the key reasons is that there are plenty of tools available today that can help you to learn, actively and quickly, on the go. Read any good eToro review, for example, and you’ll notice that this trading tool is so popular precisely because it incorporates social media-style dynamics, to facilitate community-supported learning-on-the-go.

You get “ready” by engaging in the process of trial and error, not by “waiting”

Speak to any veteran high-performer in any given field, and they’ll happily inform you that there’s no substitute for hard work, and for actually engaging in the process itself.

Training is all very well. Reflection and analysis is often essential. But when all is said and done, you get “ready” to perform in a given field, by stepping into the arena and learning through the process of trial and error. You do not make progress by “waiting”, or even by “analyzing and strategizing.”

The most effective success lessons you will have will be those you learn through your own direct experience. So you get started, ready or not, or you’ll end up waiting forever.

Experience is often something you can’t replicate via research

To continue a theme from the last point; “experience” is its own unique thing, and theory and practice often don’t align in the way you might think, or hope, they would.

Reading books on a business topic can certainly give you a “map”, indicating the general lay of the land. They can also give you some meaningful tips on what to avoid, and what to focus on.

Nonetheless, experience is often not the kind of thing you can replicate via research. Which means that you can never “get ready” without doing the thing itself.

So, go get your firsthand experience, make some mistakes, and set yourself on the right path.

Finding A New Career That Suits Your Character

Scott Asai2 Comments

Collaborative post – may contain affiliate links

There are many variables to consider when it comes to picking the “perfect” career. That’s why so many people are unhappy with their current jobs. Perhaps it’s the right industry for them, but they’re just not being challenged in the way they’d like. Perhaps it’s an industry that interests them, but the job is simply too stressful or it isn’t geared towards their way of thinking. If any of these complaints sound familiar then you should consider changing career. It’s never too late – it’s better to start again in an industry that suits you rather than wasting years or decades in a job that you hate. Here’s some advice on finding a new career that suits your character.

Make a list of requirements.

If you want to find a new career then you need to know what you want. No career ever has to be permanent, but you don’t want to jump from career to career aimlessly until you find something that sticks. Before the job search begins, you need to make a list of requirements. You need to list the things you dislike about your current career and the things you’d like from your next career. This is about figuring out the kind of job that would suit your character. Maybe you need something a little more creative, or maybe you need something a little more analytical. There are more options out there than you realize. Creative people can let their artistic nature shine through advertising or web design. Social people might flourish in an interactive sales role rather than being trapped in an office cubicle. Consider the opportunities out there until something sounds right.

Build up your CV.

Now that you know what you do and don’t want out of a career, you should have a better idea of the available doors open to you. Still, if you want to turn your dream into a reality then you need to boost your credentials so as to stand a chance of impressing potential employers. It’s time to build up your CV based on the route that you plan to take. For example, if you’re keen on a career in charity then you might need to do some volunteering work to get some experience and create a resume that stands out to employers. Of course, you might need to take some training courses if you want to build your IT career or something more technical. There’s a lot of competition from other candidates in every industry, so you need to give yourself a better shot at getting the job you want by building up your experience and expertise.

Don’t make hasty decisions.

Jumping from one career to another is a big change in your life. Obviously, many people go through numerous jobs before they find something that really resonates with them, so you shouldn’t ever see a career as your end destination. You might move on again in the future. That’s why you should make sure that you avoid hasty decisions before switching career. Make sure that it’s the right move for you. Getting experience and interning for different companies might give you a better idea of whether the new industry in question would be right for you. Make sure you leave your current company on the right note too. A good reference is always important in the business world.