Glassdoor Updates
Is Your Career Soaring or Stagnating?
Glassdoor Team
Glassdoor Team | Author & Career Expert at Glassdoor | 2 July 2018
Summer’s here and for many of us that means taking a break from the stresses of work for a week or two and enjoying some well-earned fun in the sun. But before stuffing your suitcase with your best floral prints and switching off the work phone, there’s likely to be one more tricky task navigate: getting through that dreaded mid-year appraisal.
This can be a potentially stressful time if you’ve got competing priorities or have faced unforeseen challenges or stumbling blocks. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the review period is not just a chance for your manager to assess where you’re at with your key tasks for the year and decide on your grading. It’s also a good chance for you to review your career more broadly and decide whether you’re heading in the right direction or ultimately stagnating in your current role.
Recognising signs of stagnation
As you approach your appraisal, it’s worth considering your general mood at work. Do you have a spring in your step on your morning commute, ready to face the day? Or has it become more of a trudge? It could be down to the Monday Blues, or related to the sheer number of tasks on your plate – but if this is something you’ve noticed for a while, you might want to consider whether there is an underlying cause.
This is especially pertinent if these thoughts first cropped up at the start of the year. Though typically thought of as the number one time for people to look for a new job, many will actually use the New Year as an opportunity to reset their frustrations and tackle their role with a renewed sense of purpose.
It might be that this sense of optimism propelled you through the first six months of the year – the new year blues, to snowstorms in spring and the May bank holiday heatwaves. Sure, you might have done some window shopping to see what other roles are out there, but you were willing to give the situation a chance.
As the rest of the year stretches out before you, however, the question is: how far does this willing extend?
Deciding where you’re at
Before you type up that resignation letter, it is important to make sure you know the right way to kick-start the next cycle of your career growth. What are the questions you should be asking yourself to differentiate between temporary unhappiness at work or a fixable growth lull, and a genuine reason to move on? Specialist recruiter Michael Page has come up with a Career Growth Quiz to help you get a better idea of where you’re at. Once you’ve answered a few quick questions they’ll give you their expert diagnosis - and then give you the tools you need to turn stagnation into success. Why not try it today?
If you have a positive response to the quiz, then perhaps your situation isn’t as dire as you might believe. A frank conversation with your line manager to put in place a solid career progression plan might be all that is needed to get things on track.
However, if the assessment is less positive, it might be time to look at your options. Handing in your notice isn’t always the answer, but to know whether it is time to change jobs or not you must have a clear idea of where you are in your current career, and where your growth is headed.
Ultimately it’s up to you to decide on your next step. But if nothing else, taking stock and deciding on a plan of action is likely to make that summer getaway that bit more relaxing – and give you the clarity you need to face the rest of the year and kick your career on once you’re returned to work.
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Glassdoor Team
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