Episode 38 - Part 1: working and getting sucked in without considering your future and/or value Music: “Just A Blip” by Andy G. Cohen From the Free Music Archive Released under a Creative Commons Attribution International License - Are you in a job where the only way to move up is to get out? Is your role becoming obsolete, as the skills required are being replaced by technology? Are your colleagues given opportunities that you’re not? If you answered yes to any of the above, there’s a good chance your career has come to a standstill. That’s right; you’re stuck in a dead-end job. "Change your life today. Don't gamble on the future, act now, without delay." -Simone de Beauvoir - Almost everyone experiences this at some point in their career, says Lynn Taylor, a national workplace expert and author of Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant; How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job. “It is often difficult at first to discern if you’re in a stagnant position. The realization rarely happens overnight because oftentimes the employee has offered to take on more challenging assignments, but that falls on deaf ears. After hitting enough walls, however, you realize that those efforts and energy could be better placed toward a new job search.” Here are 20 tell-tale signs that you’re stuck in a dead-end job: - Your work offers no change in routine; it’s very mechanical. This is perhaps what you’d be doing five years from now, and your career goals do not align with what you currently do. - If your position feels static and you don’t see a way to earn further responsibilities or get ahead even after offering ideas on the subject, you’re probably in a dead-end job. - Your skills are not being tapped. Your supervisor doesn’t tap into your skills set or go beyond what you’ve been contributing for quite some time. You may have been passed over for promotion – or your requests to take on more challenging projects have been ignored. - They’re not interested in your career goals. You are not being asked about your professional goals or future plans "The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power." -Mary Pickford - They don’t support your career plan. You are asked about your goals and plans, but the boss pays no attention to them or doesn’t support you in reaching them. - You’re subject to unfair treatment. You notice your colleagues are getting opportunities you don’t get, says David Shindler, author of Learning to Leap and founder of social learning site, The Employability Hub. - You’re not challenged. You feel unchallenged by your job, your boss, or your co-workers with no welcome avenue to change things, Reynolds says. - Your thoughts and contributions are not valued. Your voice is no longer heard and your opinions are no longer valued, Shindler adds. - You can’t get time with the boss to move projects forward. Your projects seem to get lost in the abyss. Essentially, you are being ignored out of a job; e-mails go unanswered and you’re lucky if you catch your boss in the restroom. "The best way to predict the future is to create it." -Abraham Lincoln - No change in pay, title or tasks. You have been doing the same work for more than one or two years without a promotion, increase in pay, or increased responsibility. While some people may enjoy working on the same tasks, a tell-tale sign of a dead-end job is employees who are not being offered advancement or new training. - You get that Monday morning feeling nearly every day. What you used to enjoy doing is no longer enjoyable. No enthusiasm to get up and go to work is a sign you’re in a dead-end job. - Attempts to change or improve your job are not welcomed. If you’ve tried reinventing yourself at the company, modifying your job description or proposed a lateral move to no avail, then it’s time to look elsewhere. - Your values and the firm’s values are not aligned. Maybe there are cultural differences; clashes in environmental aspects of its operations; civic responsibility or work ethic issues, et cetera. You’re not an asset to your team or department. You don’t feel like an important part of your team. "To be truly positive in the eyes of some, you have to risk appearing negative in the eyes of others." -Criss Jami - They hire outside talent. You realize that the corporate culture is to bring in outside talent when high-level positions open up, instead of promoting from within - You see favoritism or bias in management practices. If you’re not on their good side, you’ll probably be stuck doing what you are doing without any promotion in sight. - Your employer is sinking. You research and discover your company is not doing well. Profits are stagnant or down. The industry is not growing. Also, if your company is conducting numerous layoffs, and your desk is looking too clean from a lack of projects due to no fault of your own, you might be in a dead-end job.
