Staying in the same position for years?

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Are you on the same position for several years, are you aware when you might be moving to the next role, or are you just waiting for it to happen gradually with the flow?

Well you are not alone read on….

It is worth reading this blog before you move on ofcourse the statistics might have changed as this blog was posted in 2014 but worth reading it in 2021

Staying employed at the same company for over two years on average is going to make you earn less over your lifetime by about 50% or more – assuming your career is only going to last for 10 years. 

What is Job clinging? 

Job clinging is when one works in the same position at the same company for a period of five years or more with little to no change in title, job responsibilities or salary. How Long is Too Long to Stay in the Same Job

Majority of the employees do not have clear career roadmap or holds very less idea on where they are headed. Days, months and years passes by in their same roles thinking about this.

The work goes on and on with no end….

So who is responsible for your career?

it’s you and only you are responsible for your career!

Organizations and managers are accountable to an extent

But it solely depends on you as an individual to take charge of your careers and push your boundaries and move to the next phase

Easy to say, but the reality is very difficult isnt it? as employees have no or little control over their career growth

But when I say growth does it only mean the Promotions and Progressions and your salary you draw every month

Well not at all the Growth here I mean is the skill you learn in your current position

Is that something your new potential employer is interested and looking for ?

Question yourself, are you performing the job which is required only in that particular company?

Asking these questions frequently makes you realize where you are in your career and what corrections needed.

If no actions taken easily 5 to 10 years will pass by…

Please for Gods sake never get stuck….

So here are some of my Do’s and Don’t’s!

Lets start with the Do’s?

1. Be Open and Spend time learning a new task
2. Managers do hold a lot of tasks to themselves the best way to learn something new is to discuss during your One 2 One and proactively request for new responsibilities
3. Leaders/Managers appreciate employees who are proactive and seeks new responsibilities
4. Majority of the times managers and supervisors must identify people to nominate for a new scope of work, being proactive puts you in the front line and the Go to person when there is a new opening
5. If you are aiming to become a Project Manager you may easily learn some of these skills by taking the additional point of contact roles for Risk Management, SME etc.. there are tons of reports you may learn like Risk Register, Audit planning and preparations etc…
6. Learn and Understand your managers Roles and Responsibilities
7. Knowing your managers work know where you are headed (already discussed to be proactive)
8. You can find the work responsibilities on your Companies Internal websites or check it on Google. (if you cant find out – just ask your manager – I am kidding)
9. For example: If you are a Team Leader – spend time to learn important tasks relevant to Management and strategy. Take certifications and stay connected to blogs/podcasts relevant to your market
10. Learning & Development Strategy
11. Check your companies Learning and Development plan (companies provide trainings based on Projects and companies long term requirements, importantly the value you as an employee can provide to the company based on those trainings)
12. Make use of these opportunity and get relevant training or certification you are interested in.

Never ever rely only on your company to provide you the trainings you need. Do your homework and save money separately to study for the courses you are interested in.

Honestly, in today’s environment you don’t need a instructor to teach you anything. There are billions of websites and majority of the information you do get it for free.

I wanted to become a certified PMP considering the classroom training was expensive

I ended up purchasing an eBook and some online courses, with that I was able to pass the PMP exam.

Some of the Don’ts

1. Never pass the responsibility on your manager to take care of your career – you know yourselves better than anyone. Trust in your manager and take all the advise there are amazing managers who always care and provide their best to people. But it’s your career hence take decisions based on your goals.
2. Procrastination: We all procrastinate, focus and try to reduce it through small targets. How Can I Stop Procrastinating?
3. Never say I wish I would have started early – well we wish we would have started early in our career, but the life teaches you some amazing hard lessons through experience Its fine just see where you are and start fresh and move on…..
4. Don’t be around people: I mean don’t be around people who demotivate you or keep saying Don’t work too much. Because these people themselves don’t want to work hard hence try to demotivate you as well. Try not to fall for that trap – this is the best advise I can give. Well Stay away!

For SME’s/team leaders who are aspiring to become a PMP or an existing manager facing hurdles, my personal recommendation is to study for PMP Certification this course provides you the foundation on

• People – soft skills required to run the projects smoothly
• Process – technical aspects
• Business environment – connection between projects and organizational strategy

personally, this course helped me to improve my operations and my understanding towards the above foundations better.

Note: there are quite a few online training institutions available online, here are some of them. I will continue to add more trainings providers in the upcoming days. Please feel free to visit.

1. PM Exam Coach

2. PMP Certification & Training – Exam Prep – PMP Boot Camp | Velociteach

Conclusion

Take your career at your hands, learn the skills you are passionate about and spend time researching and improving them. This way you wont get stuck where you are.

Have you ever been stuck in the same position? what did you do to get out from there. Share your comments to inspire others.