What do you do if you are consistently passed over for a promotion due to a lack of experience in a particular area or the lack of a particular skill? Or if you wish to move to a different employer or a different job and the same applies?
Many people find themselves in jobs which leave them feeling stuck in this way and they cannot see a way out. Their current job has its own set of duties and responsibilities, but these do not include the opportunity to learn and grow in the direction that they want to go in. A difficult situation, yes, but not an impossible one, and here are a few ways around it:
1. Volunteer Positions
Many charities and not-for-profit organizations are desperate for help, which could involve working in any number of different environments or carrying out any number of different roles. In exchange for your time, these organizations may be able to provide you with just the experience or skills that you are lacking.
2. Clubs and Organizations
Whether they are clubs and organizations which are directly related to your line of work, or ones which have been set up to cater for social, sporting or any other type of interests, they still need people to carry out key functions to keep them going. Not only do they provide the chance to learn new skills, but also to use them regularly
3. Your current employer
Although your current role description may not offer the opportunities that you need to move you on, few employers would be resistant to the creation of a project which will benefit his company. Think creatively about how you could add value whilst at the same time gaining the experience you need. This might involve, for example, setting up a team to carry out research in a particular area, to improve a process or to address a particular problem or weakness within a department. Alternatively, you might consider doing something which will benefit your company in a less direct way, such as by setting up a social club. By offering your own services to set it up, finding other volunteers to help run it and managing these other individuals, you could gain valuable leadership experience in the process.
Of course, there are other ways to gain the experience that you need, such as through internships or part-time positions, but the ability to secure such positions in a tough job market may make this impracticable. Far better in this case, to focus on the opportunities which are a little closer to home.
June 15th, 2009 at 1:44 am
I thought those are great tips, especially the one about volunteering. Where I live, a lot of people accept unpaid internships with local international organizations (I live in Geneva, so there are a LOT of them here) precisely for this reason – to gain some experience and pad their resume a little.
The only problem, of course, is that it can be pretty difficult to motivate yourself to keep working when you’re not getting paid. To be sure, you can keep telling yourself that you’re acquiring valuable skills – but it can sometimes be very hard to commit yourself when you’re not really being compensated for your services in cash (yes, even if you’re gaining valuable career skills that will help you advance later on).