How Do You Get Unstuck When Your Career Isn't Going Anywhere?

How Do You Get Unstuck When Your Career Isn't Going Anywhere?gettyWhat keeps me stuck is regardless of what career I’m trying to pursue, I’m not getting interviews when I apply for jobs in those fields. I’m having to settle for jobs I don't want, that usually aren't full time, and don't lead up any kind of career ladder. As a result of this I never got to do many of the adult things that are unrelated to work but that you can focus on once you get your job hunt out of the way and are settled into a career. How do you unstick that?

There are two potential paths to answer this question: 1) advice for the job search to get more interviews and ultimately get on a long-term career path; or 2) help with a strategy to tackle the “adult things” outside of career. Let’s travel path two and figure out how this career part timer doesn’t have to put the rest of their life on hold while the dream career is still TBD. I’ve written multiple posts on path one already – e.g., troubleshooting a job search that isn’t working, getting more job interviews, breaking into new fields even after decades in your initial career. Focusing on non-career goals will help boost your career, especially when you feel stuck.1. Prioritize The ‘Adult Things’ You WantSome common non-career goals include finding a soulmate, having kids, owning a home, building retirement assets, paying off a big debt, or pursuing a personal passion. You might want all of the above since the checklist includes family, financial and wellness goals that complement each other. However, to get sufficient traction on each one, it helps to focus on one or two at a time. Imagine yourself as a plate spinner – you start one and once that’s going, you start the next till that one’s going, then the next, etc.You might decide to focus on your family goals because you’re in a budding relationship right now that’s promising so you build from there. Or you might pick financial goals as the starting point because money is your biggest concern. The priority you pick is less important than that you prioritize something based on what’s important to you.2. Dedicate Time And Effort To Your Newfound FocusOnce you confirm your focus area, confirm and dedicate the time and effort to improve your current situation. If you picked a personal passion such as running or creative writing, your improvement goal might be reaching a specific distance or number of words. It might be consistency, with a certain number of runs or writing periods each week. Or, you might identify a specific event (e.g., marathon, writing competition) that can give you structure and a deadline. Consider joining a running or writing group to give you accountability, inspiration and ideas.MORE FOR YOULook for free or low-cost resources if money is tight. If you feel guilty earmarking some of your free time to goals outside your career because you feel like your career needs all the attention, start small with just an hour or two each week scheduled around your part-time jobs, freelancing and/or ongoing job search. You may find that focusing on things other than career also improves your career prospects -- the off time renews and refreshes you, working on other fields gives you a fresh perspective, having other things going on outside of work makes you a more interesting person to network with.3. Recognize That Your Professional And Personal Goals Support Each OtherYou don’t need to wait for your dream career to start living your dream life. Your professional and personal goals support each other. Fueling your personal passions make you a more interesting person to network with. The running group, writing coop or whatever community you build around your hobby exposes you to more people and different people, who might be sources of information or even job leads. The skills you develop and projects you complete can be talking points and stories you use at job interviews. On the flip side, your career right now, even if it’s not exactly what you want, funds your personal passions, financial goals and/or dates that allow you to discover your soulmate. Appreciating the career you have now isn’t about keeping you there (you can and should continue your job search while doing the adult things). However, finding the good in your current situation makes you a more attractive job candidate, keeps you from labeling yourself as stuck in place, and boosts your confidence.