Stuck in a Rut?

Have you ever felt like you were stuck and stagnating in your job, and wished you could break out into something new? Sometimes we get complacent, and we keep our head down and we do our job, but then we end up losing a vision of advancing to whatever the next level may be, and the next thing we know, we're unsatisfied with where we are and not real sure how to get past it. Here are a few tips to help stimulate you to look at ways you can pursue advancement in your job.

Ask Your Boss - Your boss may not come to you first, and they too may have their head to the grindstone and not always thinking about the specifics of each employer; so take the initiative and ask them for a time to sit down and discuss it with them. Be direct and ask them about your future with the company, and how you want to make sure your job performance is always up to standards and meeting all of your company's goals. Explain to them your desire to advance, and ask how that might best be accomplished, and how best to reach your career goals. Sometimes a supervisor may just think you are doing what you can to get by without desiring for more, and this may just open their eyes and open doors for you.

More Work - If you feel that you have some spare time that could be put to better use, inquire from your supervisor if there are any other small projects or others teams you can assist with. Getting involved in additional areas of responsibility will increase your value to the company, and shows you have the go-get-em’ attitude and desire to see your department grow. If you can get involved in advisory boards or other committees, it can give you a reputation as someone who again desires to assist in the growth of the company in their industry, as well as gives you further name recognition on a greater scale in your company, which can eventually lead to more open doors for advancement.

People Skills - Be outgoing and personable. Develop stronger interpersonal skills by being friendly and listening to others carefully. Show interest in others, keeping it on a professional level, and practice to be a good communicator. These types of skills can be very helpful in gaining respect of co-workers and your supervisor.

Mentoring - If there are other positions within your career or company that you wish to step up into, see if it is possible to reach out to those already in that position, and see if they would be willing to spend a little time with you occasionally in assisting you to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to make the transition into such a position as theirs.

Never Stop Learning - Do not let your knowledge become stagnant, always seek to learn more and stay on top of the technology of your field. Seek additional training and certifications, even if it is in areas that are not directly in your field at the time. Learn what you can in the area you would like to move in to. Additional education and training can make you even more valuable to your employer, and can open additional doors for advancement.

Set goals and find out what it will take within your company structure to acquire those goals. Ask others; build a reputation of being the outgoing, hard working go-getter that is not just doing the bare minimum to get by. If you have tips you'd like to share, please comment for others to read.

Jeff McCormack resides in Virginia Beach, VA. where he works as a web designer by day. In his off time he is a husband, father, mail order book store manager, and musician. Aside from being a freelance writer for this Utilities Jobsite blog, he also seeks to assist in career choices and information by contributing to other Nexxt blog sites.