What are the most effective ways to help someone feeling stuck in their career?

"Stuck" might come due to we are trapped in regular and repetitive activity without understanding the big goals behind. Seems like we are always busy but feels like nothing is productive; lost the meaning and the purpose of the job. So at some point, we need to step back then take a safe and comfort place to reflect and evaluate on ourselves. Then ask: what have we achieved? What can be improved? Are we learning something new? What is our current goals? What are we want in this life? How we would end this life? And so on. By doing so, we can re-evaluate ourselves to re-define the purpose of our life or career, and moving towards it. Write it down might also helps, also to have it stick in our working desk as a motivational reminder.

Step 1: Do a thorough self-assessment. Build out a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) Analysis based upon your experience, expertise and current situation. Next, I like to use a Venn Diagram (I'm more of a visual learner), where you can take the info gathered from the SWOT analysis and map it into a Venn Diagram to outline what you're good at, what you love, what businesses need, (and an extra point to consider) what you can get paid for. This is meant to be an open and honest exercise with yourself. It's about making your experience and expertise work best for you. Once you've spent some time working through the exercise, you'll find that your field of vision is much clearer. Forward Motion.

Start by making a list of your strengths and your values. What are you good at and what do you enjoy? What things do you require from your career to feel happy? Narrow that list to only the MOST important (top 3-5). Then, explore companies that share those values and search for roles that require your best skills. Once you've identified some new targets for your career, reach out to those people in those roles and ask questions. You'll gain much more clarity on where to go next than you would by assessing your options on your own.

Understand the WHY. I've learned valuable lessons from first asking WHY "we" are feeling this way. I've also experiences some of the shortcomings of developing performance plans and growth plans for individuals when the why is not shared clearly between team member and team lead. We understand business changes, we re-org, we establish annual missions and expect everyone will be good to go with these new ideas since they are here with us now. Do your team members want to be part of change? It could be your feeling of being stuck is rooted in change. Take a look, have a conversation, and ask WHY are you feeling stuck? @Brianrichie mentioned 'what makes you happy' love that. Understand before you plan.

Remind them of their value, their worth and their accomplishments and how those same skills can be transferred to a position at another company, another field, or even advancement at their current company. Have open conversations to talk about what is important to them, because we want different things at different stages of our lives, and then explore potential job opportunities. These are frequently positions that the individual never even considered before, because when you are feeling “stuck” in your career, it can be challenging to see yourself doing anything else. Empower the individual to push themselves out of their comfort zone so that they can successfully reach the next level.

When we feel "stuck" in our careers, we're rarely actually stuck. Sure, there's entropy and anxiety about the next move, but there are always options. Assessing your alternatives is a valuable exercise and provides perspective. Ask yourself: ? What would I like to do instead? ? Can I do it within my current organization? ? Could I freelance or work part-time? ? Is education an option? ? Can I afford a career change?

Anytime you find yourself “stuck” and anchored down, unsure how to move forward, ask yourself three questions: Why is this situation bothering me? What is it that I want? How can I attain it? In other words, get curious, ask questions and probe deeper. If you don’t ask questions, you won’t open your mind to the possibility of exploring new perspectives, which means that you won’t put yourself in a position to receive new opportunities.

Exploring alternative career options does not imply you are changing jobs. This exploration phase will either educate you that a change is necessary, or alternatively will bring the realization that your current situation is not nearly as bad as you thought. Word of caution: When exploring your options, be careful not to create a confirmation bias in your mind, seeking only information that erroneously addresses the frustration of the "day" or of the "week". The grass is not always greener and making more money is not always the answer. Have a solid and supportive mentor(s) that can provide unbiased feedback to help you navigate these professional transitions.

Facilitate learning and skill development: Encourage them to take online courses, attend workshops, or pursue certifications to enhance their skills and knowledge. Help them network with professionals in their desired field to gain insights and explore opportunities. Provide resources and support to overcome any obstacles they face in their learning journey. Build confidence and resilience: Offer positive affirmations and celebrate their achievements, both big and small. Remind them of their strengths and past successes to boost their confidence. Help them develop coping mechanisms to deal with setbacks and maintain a positive mindset. Connect them with support networks:

First, shift your thoughts. If you keep saying you're stuck, that leads to inaction and frustration. Replace that with thoughts like "I'm actively working to figure out my next career move." That keeps you focused on incremental steps. Among other things, always talk to people. Understand others' career journeys, other types of roles, how other's see your unique gifts. Use networking as a way to prototype ideas, test your assumptions about potential roles, and gain market intelligence. Couple that with a lot of internal reflection about what you value, what gives you energy, and where your skills are best utilized. Lastly: be pleasantly persistent. Career pivots can take time, but don't let anyone or anything dissuade you!

Learning new skills is always a positive, whether you are feeling 'stuck' or not. For example, exploring Artificial Intelligence further is wise whether or not it will impact your role or not. How can this hurt? Also, frequent communications with your management is absolutely necessary. Watch others-how are they progressing? Chat with them and if you feel comfortable ask for peer feedback.

Once you've finished your list.. decide which solution/s you will tackle first. Set meaningful timeframes for when you will achieve this action by. Ideally, share what you will do with your close confidante to make yourself accountable. If you don't commit to action, you'll procrastinate and continue to feel stuck.

Setting realistic goals is crucial when you feel stuck in your current career and are looking to make a change. If you set career goals that are unobtainable, then you deal with defeatist attitudes and possible depression & no one wants this. Measure your abilities realistically & be sure to focus more on your strengths. If you learn a new skill, can you financially afford to do so? If so, great, then go ahead and do it! If not, then focus on a different goal. Can you set a realistic goal for job applications per day or per week? When you set realistic goals, it gives you a sense of achievement & accomplishment that can help you feel "unstuck" in your career. That feeling of moving forward instead of standing still or barely treading water.

Turning your exploration into action starts with setting SMART goals. This framework ensures your objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. For instance, if you aim to transition to project management, a SMART goal could be: "Complete the PMP certification course within 6 months, applying for 3 relevant project coordinator positions by December." Such clarity helps you track progress, stay motivated, and increase the likelihood of achieving your career transition goals.

Do not hurry, have realistic targets and make consistent efforts and track your improvement on a periodic basis. This might help you in changing your role even if role change doesn't happen you will see a tremendous self improved version of yourself.

Remember you don't need to do this alone. Get an accountability buddy - someone else who is looking for work. You can job hunt together (even virtually) be the wing person at networking events and each other's cheerleader.

Add aspiring career trainings, webinars, workshops to your routine. Create your portfolio do some mockups and add that as a link in your resume/cv.

I highly recommend working with a career coach or executive coach to support the process and provide a safe environment to uncover why you are feeling stuck and what you may want to do next. It will help you get unstuck faster.

Seeking support from various sources can be incredibly beneficial in navigating this transition. Some ways are- *Emotional Support: Friends & family offer encouragement, understanding, and a listening ear during this challenging phase. *Networking: Friends and family might know someone in your desired field or have connections that could help you explore new opportunities. *Professional Guidance: Mentors and experienced colleagues can provide valuable insights, advice, and feedback based on their own career experiences. *Skill Assessment: They can help you identify your strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement, aligning them with potential career paths.

If you've been stuck for an extended period, considering support from a career coach may be beneficial. Many clients gain clarity within a few weeks, even after years of uncertainty. Investing in this can yield dividends not only in your career but also in other aspects of your life. I recommend seeking someone with a holistic approach, as addressing multiple aspects often requires thorough exploration. Being stuck usually involves more than one reason, and a comprehensive approach will provide valuable insights.

Specific to your career, it is unlikely you will get every promotion or land every job to which you apply. The reasons can vary, ranging from a subjective decision, to a technical / aptitude decision, and all the way to a "we just liked this person more" decision. Perhaps you interviewed poorly, or didn't have a great response to a difficult question. Let this be a lesson. It is unlikely you have practiced interviewing, therefore is someone ask if you are good at your job, your likely response is "yes", but if asked why you are good at your job, it is a harder question. If you know why you are looking for a change, you'll position yourself better to answer and address the core areas in which you can be impactful to an organization.

Adapting to changes is crucial in our new work setup. If you struggle to adjust to different situations and requirements, you will keep finding yourself in uncomfortable positions. So, what's the secret to being flexible? Firstly, work on your mindset. Train yourself to accept and face changes with a positive attitude. Secondly, never stop learning. Keeping up with new skills makes you more adaptable to changes. In reality, obstacles often seem like doors closing, but they're really opportunities for new doors to open. Sometimes, you just need to turn around and see what other doors are opening while the one in front of you closes. Embrace change, and you'll discover new possibilities.

In all of my work experiences there have been new procedures and processes presented. I could have made a fuss just like a number of co-workers did but it really was a waste of time. I just took the changes one step at a time. I have been a questionnaire since I learned to talk and have not stopped. If I am learning anything I want to make sure I understand everything about it. With getting questions answer and making mistakes while learning I have learned so much and became well trained in so many things. I was so accustomed to doing accounting with paper and pen method then computers came along. Talk about being flexible! I think during training I learned a new language and in turn felt extra smart. I could the same work two ways

It is as important to understand a setback as celebrate a victory. When we experience a setback, what is the best way to move forward? Look at what happened, seek feedback if it is possible, ask the question, “What could have been done differently that could have changed the outcome?” The answer may just what you need the next time to prevail. Setbacks are often disappointing. They are also an opportunity. We just have to reach for it.

Per my prior comment, I think whether you are a passion or a practical worker, this is so important. Especially in today's workplace. I think we have to understand that it's rare we will be anywhere forever. Heck, anymore it may be rare we are anywhere more than 5 years. The point is to learn and contribute as much as we can wherever we are in that time. Take the challenges we face and utilize our past experiences to help make our new places better. That I think is one of the advantages of not being at one place forever. We now can bring worlds of insight and experience that can improve our current workplace. Unlike before where people would often be stagnate or resign themselves to "this is how we've always done it".

Identify your path to take your first step. To get unstuck, you need to overcome your fear of the unknown and start moving forward. Decide on the path you need to take and then what steps to take to get there before you get started. Otherwise, you will inevitably feel lost. Entertaining too many choices or too much of thinking make you feel overwhelmed and blur your path and then again you delay taking steps forward. So, rather than thinking about the whole path, identify a few broad milestones and focus on them one by one. Milestones bring some certainty and allow your brain to more easily let you take steps forward.

I experienced a job lost where my employer sent my position along with 1000 others overseas. I was only a few years from I personally planned on retiring. I thought well ok, what am I going to do for the next three years. Well at the time the Federal Government would pay people if they would go back to school for training. I found out I qualified and since my second career choice was law, I thought well here is my chance. So after I finished collecting unemployment as instructed, I attended Community College for two years and study Computer Forensics. Graduated with an Associates in Criminology,with a speciality in Computer Forensics. No debt and three months later qualified for Social Security and there was do school debt. I was lucky.

I got powerful advice from my mentor and then I applied it to my mentee, here are my top 3 advice for those who are feeling stuck: 1. Look inside first: Because you might be surprised how your skills fit in places you didn't expect. Exploring different gigs here could open up cool opportunities. 2. Keep learning and growing: never shy about new things. It not only helps you but also keeps you ahead in the game. In other words, you have to encourage yourself for a strategic development. 3. Always have a wingman: Having someone to bounce ideas off or get advice from is huge. This is like when you are connecting with someone experienced can make a real difference

So often when we get stuck in our careers/lives we may unconsciously blame others for feeling this way. We may feel undervalued, unappreciated. Perhaps your role has changed and you just don’t like it anymore. While all these reasons may be true, blaming others on why we feel stuck only makes us more stuck. Believe me I know as I’ve been there! Do your best to be as objective about your situation and consider how you may have changed and that you feeling stuck is more about not following your true path!

Identify your path to take your first step. To get unstuck, you need to overcome your fear of the unknown and start moving forward. Decide on the path you need to take and then what steps to take to get there before you get started. Otherwise, you will inevitably feel lost. Entertaining too many choices or too much of thinking make you feel overwhelmed and blur your path and then again you delay taking steps forward. So, rather than thinking about the whole path, identify a few broad milestones and focus on them one by one. Milestones bring some certainty and allow your brain more easily let you take steps forward.