It is easy to end up uninterested after you work in the same position for a while. You might commit endless hours, months…even years to the same company however you haven’t moved forward. Unfortunately the climb up the corporate ladder may not always be a linear progression. You could be expected to sit and wait patiently (or impatiently) for an opportunity. This is truer than ever before in our present economy; businesses are running as lean as they possibly can, therefore there are tighter budgets and most likely less positions to fill. So when you understand that your job is in a rut, what can you do to fix it?

When moving up the ladder is not really a possibility for you personally, why not try moving sideways (Yes, that’s right, sideways!) Should you be ready to leave your comfort zone, branching out across divisions gives you the opportunity to have a better understanding of the organization while expanding your skill set. I’ve experienced this first hand in my own career as a programmer. Downsizing led to the IT and marketing divisions merging so my time was allocated less to programming and more to Search Engine Optimization. I was hesitant at first, but it was certainly better compared to being without a job. I needed to study quite hard but soon I was becoming proficient in the software and tactics required to keep our sites high in the search engine results. Given the opportunity to study something new reminded me what it was like when I first started out at the organization. Not only did I find that I was revitalized-but there was an added bonus and when it came time to review my salary the new skills which I had gained permitted me to negotiate an improved contract.

The truth is that I was rather fortunate to be granted that chance and that maybe this is not a possibility for everyone. If you can’t see any room to develop or if your situation is different altogether it could be beneficial to look elsewhere. Perhaps this is your first job and you have been labelled as the junior and in spite of all of your best efforts you can’t get anyone to take you seriously. Or perhaps your attitude has changed and you simply aren’t sure what you are doing in this industry any more. You may feel underutilized, underappreciated, under compensated, or just overworked. Either way, if you no longer take pleasure in your job you might need to leave and start fresh. Although you should make sure that before leaving your current job that you do as much investigation and ask as many questions as possible. Make sure that the grass really is greener; a new job may appear more exciting, more challenging, and provide more pay…but appearances can be misleading. You may find the same annoyances somewhere else and be no better off.

If you opt to proceed with your job search you will need to develop a plan. Go ahead and check the local newspaper/employment websites for jobs that suit your ability and experience. See how competitive the market is. Determine what employers are seeking. Must you upgrade your skills; do you first require a course? If your plan is to change careers altogether then look for job opportunities that are a good mix between what you love and what you are good at. If it is something that is entirely new for you than be ready to take that initial pay cut as you build experience. After you have conducted the initial investigation, clean up your resume and rehearse your interviewing techniques. Draw up a plan that sets out the people you will make contact with and how frequently. Will you approach recruitment agencies? How many copies of your CV are you going to distribute? During this process make sure that you have a backup plan. What happens should your employer finds out your intentions to leave? Are you prepared to leave work sooner than predicted? Or what if they counter offer? You need to be ready for these situations.

Ultimately-work is a large portion of your life currently and will be until the day that you retire. When you are in a job that is making you miserable then you should take active steps to find a job that you love. By all means, try your hardest to make the most of your current position first…but if that is not realistic make sure you do your homework and are well prepared in your job search. Good luck.