Are you worried that your career is stagnating? This can be an issue as it could mean that you struggle to reach your maximum potential in the business world. It’s easy for a career to reach a dead end and if you’re not careful, you could remain in the same position for years without even realising it. This is something you definitely want to avoid so let’s explore some of the key reasons why your career might be at a standstill.
By Team Savant
Image: Alexandra Tran
Problems With Your CV
It’s possible that you are already applying for new jobs and positions. If that’s the case, then you need to think about your CV and whether it’s sending the right message to potential business owners.
On average a business owner or recruitment agent will spend about sixty seconds looking at your CV. This doesn’t give you a lot of time to make the right first impression or land their interest. That’s why you need to be careful about how you plan your CV and what information you include. Since you only have sixty seconds, in most cases your CV shouldn’t be more than a couple pages long. The exception would be if your amount of experience is relevant and the factor that separates you from the competition.
As well as this, you should make sure that you are customising your CV for each position that you are applying for. In doing so, you can show you have put a lot of effort into the application. You will also provide evidence that you know exactly what you are looking for. This is going to help separate you from those who are applying for multiple jobs and hoping something sticks. It’s okay to apply for countless jobs at the same time, but it shouldn’t look like that’s what you’re doing.
The best solution for enhancing your professional identity could be re-assessing your resume entirely, or alternatively, outsourcing a company to do it for you. ARC Resumes, for example, is a company that offers such a service. They write professional resumes designed to pass an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) search, making your CV better attract recruiters’ attention, which could help you go through a smooth and successful career transition in the long run.
Issues With Confidence
Countless research studies have shown the problems people have when they suffer from low levels of confidence. For instance, one study found that confidence levels directly correlate with the level of success that you will experience later in life.
The first step here is to explore the issues that are hitting your confidence hard. For instance, you might have aesthetic problems that are causing you to have lower levels in yourself. Common problems include skin trouble or hair loss. If you are suffering from problems like this, then it’s worth being aware that you’re certainly not alone.
A lot of people think that acne is mainly experienced by people in their teens. However, this is not the case. A lot of people still have acne later in life too. If you think this is hitting your levels of confidence then you might want to think about speaking with a dermatologist. They will likely offer you different forms of treatment such as creams and medication. Alternatively, you might want to think about exploring natural treatment for acne and rosacea.
When you get the right treatment, you could find that you have a lot more confidence in key situations such as at a job interview. Yet, be aware that problems with confidence can be more than skin deep. It could be tied to something that happened to you earlier in life. If that’s the case, then you might want to explore cognitive therapy. The right solution here will help you dig into the main cause and potentially solve the issue.
Not Enough Risks
If you want to push yourself forward in your career, then you can’t be afraid to take some risks. Taking risks is how you are going to find new opportunities in the business world. For instance, you might currently be working for one company that is providing you with a solid income but very little in terms of growth.
If that’s the case, then you shouldn’t be afraid to pursue other prospects and attend different interviews. Some people stray away from taking this step because they would rather work for the devil they know. While this is understandable, if you have hit a ceiling in your position, then you shouldn’t stick with your current company. You need to try and keep moving forward as much as possible even if this does involve taking some greater risks.
You should also be willing to invest in your career and new paths forward. For instance, you can think about investing in new training or qualifications. This won’t always be covered by your employer and you shouldn’t be afraid to pay for it yourself.
Remember, you can complete training and qualifications online these days. That means that you will be able to do it in your spare time without it impacting your current position or job. It’s always going to pay off in the long term as you will immediately find you are considered for more positions.
No Networking
Finally, you need to be aware of the importance of networking for your career. Why is this so crucial? You might think that to advance your career you need to make sure that you are pursuing different jobs on the market. However, this is not the case. These days a lot of business owners will actually seek out the candidates that they want instead. As such, you need to make sure that you are building up your social networking profile.
Some social networks are more useful to you than others. For instance, you should definitely focus a lot of your attention on LinkedIn. With this network, you will be able to connect with thought leaders. You could even find out whether there are opportunities before they are officially announced on the market. Twitter is useful too because it’s deemed to be more professional compared to options like Facebook and Instagram.
We hope this helps you understand some of the reasons why your career might have recently stagnated. The good news is that all of the issues that we have mentioned can be corrected with the right steps. Whether you need to build up levels of confidence or simply work on your resume, there are always steps that you can take to set your career back on the right track.