9 Signs You’re Never Going To Advance at Your Current Job, According to Career Experts
Written by
Cynthia Measom
Edited by
Jenna Klaverweiden
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If you’re feeling stuck in your current job and wondering whether you’ll ever move up and earn more, you’re not alone. Many people experience frustration when their career isn’t moving forward like they’d hoped.
Learning how to recognize the clues that you’re not going to advance at your current job can help you make a decision about your future. In other words, whether you should stay or go.
Here are nine signs that it might be time to consider a new direction for your career.
Feeling Underutilized
Stephen Greet, CEO and co-founder of BeamJobs, said that one clear indicator that you’re not going to advance at your current job is when you sense that your skills, talents and potential are not being fully tapped into or challenged.
“When you find yourself doing mundane tasks far below your abilities without opportunities to take on more responsibility, it’s a red flag,” he said. “Being in a position that fails to push you and utilize your full capabilities will eventually lead to stagnation and lack of fulfillment or growth.”
Minimal Feedback and Reviews
Greet said that quality managers and mentors will always give team members reviews and feedback that are meant to help them improve and learn new skills. But when there aren’t regular performance reviews, one-on-ones and coaching conversations, he said, important guidance that helps people move forward is lost.
“Without knowing their strengths, where they can improve and how they fit in with the company’s goals, employees may not know what to do,” he explained. “Employers who give feedback after the fact also show they don’t care about their employees’ growth and advancement.”
Limited Exposure and Visibility
“Gaining exposure and visibility to key stakeholders across the organization expands vital networking and opens doors to new projects and responsibilities,” Greet said. “Yet, some roles have very narrow scopes that keep employees siloed in obscurity. Limiting cross-functional collaboration and connections to leadership greatly hinders professional growth. It cuts off pathways to transfer internally or get recommended for upward mobility. Obscurity is a major barrier to advancement and a telltale sign of a dead-end job.”
Lack of Support and Resources
Emily Walton, coach and founder of Alo Coaching, said that if you are actively expressing interest in learning and developing new skills that will help you excel within the company and are not receiving support or resources from your boss or HR, it could be a sign that they are not interested in you advancing in your career.
A Toxic or Apathetic Manager
Walton said that another sign you’re never going to advance at your current job is if you have a toxic or uninvested manager who is stifling your growth and opportunities.
“If you receive comments like, ‘You’re not cut out for that work’ or ‘They’d never want you in that position,’ without any context as to why, then your boss could be inhibiting your advancement opportunities,” she explained.
Monotonous Work
Smita Das Jain, a personal empowerment life coach and executive coach, said that if you’ve been performing the same work tasks without variation or new projects for an extended period, it’s a sign that advancement opportunities may not be in your future.
She said an example is when you have a highly specialized role with no cross-functional opportunities or project-based assignments.
Invisible Achievements
Jain said if your contributions are frequently overlooked or credited to others, with little to no recognition for your work, it’s a sign that you’re not going to advance. Additionally, if the work culture doesn’t prioritize or celebrate individual or team achievements, it can lead to low morale, according to Jain.
Poor Leadership and Communication
Poor leadership and communication can also be another sign. “There’s a lack of transparent communication, and you’re often left out of important meetings or decision-making processes,” Jain explained. “The organization suffers from inconsistent or unclear leadership, resulting in confusion and disengagement.”
Feeling Trapped or Unfulfilled
If you feel stuck or trapped, that could be an indicator you won’t move up in your company. “You dread going to work, feel unmotivated, and have a sense of being stuck with no excitement about your job or future prospects,” Jain said. “The company has a high turnover rate, low employee satisfaction scores, and generally lacks a supportive or inspiring work environment.”
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