You're struggling to find your footing in your career. How can you get back on track?

1 Assess your situation

The first step to getting back on track is to understand what's causing your career struggle. Is it a lack of skills, experience, or qualifications? Is it a mismatch between your values, interests, or goals and your current role or organization? Is it a personal or professional challenge that's affecting your performance or motivation? Be honest and realistic with yourself. Identify the root problem and the areas you need to improve or change.

2 Explore your options

Once you have a clear picture of your situation, you can start looking for possible solutions. Do you need to update your resume, portfolio, or online presence? Do you need to learn new skills, get a certification, or take a course? Do you need to network, seek feedback, or find a mentor? Do you need to switch roles, departments, or organizations? Do you need to pursue a different career path or industry? Research and evaluate your options. Consider the pros and cons, the costs and benefits, and the risks and opportunities of each one.

3 Make a plan

After you've explored your options, you need to make a plan to get back on track. Set SMART goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Break down your goals into smaller, manageable steps. Assign deadlines and milestones to track your progress. Identify the resources, support, and tools you need to achieve your goals. Write down your plan and review it regularly. Adjust it as needed based on your feedback and results.

4 Take action

The most important step to getting back on track is to take action. Don't wait for the perfect moment, the perfect opportunity, or the perfect outcome. Start with what you have, where you are, and what you can do. Take small, consistent actions every day that move you closer to your goals. Celebrate your wins and learn from your mistakes. Seek help when you need it and offer help when you can. Stay focused, flexible, and positive.

5 Practice resilience

Getting back on track in your career isn't easy. You will face a multitude of difficulties, such as challenges, setbacks, and rejections. Stress, frustration, and doubt may arise. However, you can overcome these obstacles by practicing resilience. Resilience is the capacity to bounce back from adversity and adjust to change; it's a skill that can be developed and improved. To practice resilience, you should have a growth mindset that sees difficulties as learning opportunities, cultivate a positive attitude that focuses on the good things, build a strong support network for guidance and feedback, establish healthy habits for physical, mental, and emotional well-being, and accept change and uncertainty as part of life and work.

6 Keep learning

To get back on track in your career, it is essential to keep learning. Doing so will help you acquire new knowledge, skills, and perspectives, as well as stay relevant, competitive, and innovative. It can also open up opportunities and passions that you didn't know existed. Additionally, learning is integral to workplace safety; it helps you prevent, identify, and respond to hazards and risks. To ensure that you are continuously learning, seek feedback from your experiences, read books and articles that inform and challenge you, watch videos and podcasts that teach and motivate you, attend events that connect you with others, and try new things to explore your curiosity and creativity.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?