1 Very Unexpected Downside To Growing Our Careers (That Nobody Warns Us About)

When I was growing up, there was a lot of societal pressure around the idea of "climbing the ladder" in one's career.

It started at a very young age. Family, teachers, and others would routinely ask what we wanted to be when we grew up.

In high school, the focus was on getting into the best college possible (regardless of the cost and debt we would incur), so we could get a good job when we graduated.

By the time we completed college, the mindset was ingrained: the singular mission was to get a full-time job - and then keep getting better jobs with more pay.

Climbing the career ladder was no longer a concept, it was a mandate. To do anything else was considered a failure. Can you relate?

Today, an increasing number of people (many, for the first time), are experiencing an unexpected and unwelcome downside to career growth: access to fewer job opportunities.

It turns out, climbing the ladder can cut down on the number of jobs you're a fit for, making find a new job really, really challenging.

Let me explain...

Think of career climbing - not as going up a ladder, but up a pyramid.

When you start out in your career, you're at the bottom of the pyramid. The base is wide. There are a lot more jobs technically available to you because they require less skill.

However, as you build your skills and expertise (a/k/a climb the pyramid), the number of jobs you're a fit for become fewer and fewer.

Here are some signs you've reached the top part of your career pyramid:

A) Finding a new job is taking a lot longer than it did previously.

B) You struggle to find job postings where you are an exact fit.

In short, the more experienced we acquire, the harder it can be to land a job.

But even worse, when we have a career set back (fall down the pyramid), it can be incredibly hard to climb back up.

Why is it such a struggle to rebound?

Because there are so many people in the lower half of the pyramid with less experience and lower pay expectations to compete with. While we were busy climbing they pyramid, a new generation of workers replaced us at the base of that pyramid.

Suddenly, we are "overqualified" compared to the rest of the pool of talent.

So, what should you do when dealing with the professional downside of being an experienced worker?

The solution lies in marketing specialization. Many of the seasoned professionals I work with who are struggling to get their career back on track are making the mistake of trying to present themselves as a generalist, a so-called Jack or Jill-of-all-trades. They think by showing they have experience in everything their versatility will get them the job.

However, this has the opposite effect for several reasons:

1. It makes you look more expensive. Employers don't want to pay for skills they don't need. They also assume that you'll leave them for a higher paying job as soon as one is offered to you.
2. It makes you look unfocused. At this stage in your career, it's expected that you know what your specialty is and how you use it specifically to save and/or make enough money to justify your salary.
3. It makes you look desperate. Over-marketing your skills makes employers wonder why you are having to try so hard to sell yourself. Ultimately, casting doubts over your abilities.

It might sound counter-intuitive, but changing your job search strategy to reflect a more targeted approach will get you better results. That includes:

• Simplifying your resume.
• Using LinkedIn to attract the attention of recruiters and expand your network. (I wrote this post last week on how I've used LinkedIn personally to do this.)
• Targeting a list of employers that you'd like to work for.
• Using a connection story to differentiate yourself from the rest of the talent pool.
• Adjusting your answers to common interview questions so you sound more relevant.

These are just some of the ways that seasoned pros at the top of the pyramid are finding their next job, in spite of the current economic uncertainty.

Trust me, you can keep your career moving forward. But, it takes a different set of tools and techniques to make it happen.

PS - I have some in-depth online video courses to teach you all of the above. Courses start at $29 for lifetime access.

You can CLICK HERE to learn more about all 14 career courses currently available.

Now, what's been YOUR experience with the climbing the career pyramid? I'd love to hear it in the comment section.