Graduating from college and landing your dream job is a thrilling milestone for young graduates. While many get what they aspire to, some find themselves stuck on a plateau, yearning for a change. 

A career plateau can be a significant hindrance to one’s ability to develop in one’s present role; it is characterized as a time when progress seems complicated. There are a number of reasons why this stagnation may occur, such as a lack of relevant skills, little room for advancement within the field, and an unclear professional path. Situations like this might sap an employee’s drive since they don’t feel like they’re making progress and think they’re stuck. 

We at Rushford Business School provide professional development programs, career counseling, job search support, and mentorship to help our graduates take the next step in their careers. Our counselors are learned professionals who may assist in discovering the abilities, objectives, and desired professional path. 

“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” – Tony Robbins saying perfectly encapsulates the need for change.

Here are some practical strategic recommendations for graduates to break free from their current job titles and explore the advanced growth and opportunities in the corporate world.

But first!

How to grow out of your current job title 

By embracing continuous learning and a proactive networking approach, you can grow out of your current job title, and through correct mentorship, a change in the course of the current position can be experienced. Graduates and professionals must always be ready to volunteer for challenging projects and regularly seek feedback to identify and address their lack of skill. 

Don’t wait long, and break free when taking these strategic steps!

• Articulating Aspirations: Setting Clear Goals

Setting goals is the first and foremost step in overcoming a career plateau, as it helps identify the correct pathway toward change and growth. 

By using the SMART objectives (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound), professionals can invest their time in gaining skills relevant to their career field. Instead of setting vague objectives like, “I want to change” or “I want to quit,” specify a clear role in your aim, such as “I want to become a senior manager by the next year.” Or “I want to have a 20% raise in my new position of project manager in the next two years.”

Set a clear deadline that is achievable within your capabilities and ensure that you find time and support to meet those specific deadlines. By joining workshops, interacting with like-minded people, idolizing a good leader, networking, etc, you can easily align your goals with the career aspirations and the needs of the organization.  

Celebrating achievement, even if it is a small one, can build your motivation and focus to keep chasing the end goal. 

• Soliciting Constructive Critique and Cultivating Mentorship

Mentorship is one of the most important steps in growing out of the current job title and continuing to excel in one’s career. The experience that mentors share may save the time and effort of individuals from getting wasted. Seeking mentorship requires one to be clear about the problem they are facing so that it becomes easy to explain and derive solutions

By joining professional associations and forums, attending industry-specific conferences, and participating in networking events, you can build a robust professional network that can help you lead to relevant job referrals and collaborations. 

In order to facilitate deep student-teacher dialogue and group work on topics requiring a global perspective, Rushford makes use of the potential of online connection. In order to prepare them for the real world, students participate in a number of activities. We proudly belong to the UN PRME! Today’s business students are ready to make a difference tomorrow by taking PRME. 

You can avail of these benefits to access necessary connections and take a leap towards a dynamic business market.

Did you know?

As part of our commitment to being an AACSB member school, we provide our professionals with a wide range of contemporary schooling services, including mentoring programs, internships, collaborations, and more. Global business education is supported and advanced by the American Alliance of School Counselors and Business Professionals (AASCB), a worldwide alliance of business and education professionals. They get knowledge and set themselves up for professional success via networking events and conversations.

Our comprehensive network of academic partners can be accessed through the website, where you will be provided with the necessary support required for your career growth. It lets you interact with peers and industry experts to avail yourself of the best possible benefits when landing your dream job.

• Harmonizing Professional Pursuits and Personal Well-Being: Maintaining Work-Life Balance

The line between professional and private life has blurred significantly with the increasing competition and work pressure. The major downside of the work-from-home concept is that employees are always in working mode irrespective of the time, and research showed that around 40% of employees agree to it. Even though it provides flexibility and the comfort of working from home, the employees never really get a chance to feel relaxed as the work pressure is constant. Personal well-being is not prioritized as it should be, as many employees suffer from loneliness, anxiety, and depression. 

The need for a work-life balance is alarmingly increasing!

But how can you excel in your professional career that doesn’t come at the cost of burnout or overworking?

Do you know?

Google has established a positive and flexible workplace that encourages its employees to feel relaxed and stress-free while working. They have flexible working hours with no specific dress code for their employees. One specific step taken by the company towards maintaining work-life balance is “No meetings Wednesday.” This provides some time for the employees to focus on their personal work and projects. 

What can you do?

• Prioritize tasks – Time management techniques like the Eisenhower Matrix can be used to prioritize the urgency and importance of tasks. It shall help in minimizing your overtime hours.
• Delegate when possible – Trust your team and delegate responsibilities to them, allowing yourself some extra time to focus on the change.
• Recharge in between – Schedule your breaks prior to the day, as they shall improve your productivity and prevent unnecessary burnout. Take time to plan the next day one day before and ensure eating your meal at the right time.
• Evaluate and connect – Assess work-life balance and connect with loved ones to have the right amount of dopamine from time to time. It shall help you build personal relationships and be relaxed.

• Pursue higher education and build your personal brand.

Consider pursuing higher degrees like a Master in Business Administration from reputed B schools like Rushford Business School, as it can open doors to senior positions in diverse fields. Our  MBA, MSc, and DBA programs include a variety of specializations, including agribusiness, clinical research, economics, entrepreneurship, international business, human resources, marketing, strategic leadership, and quality management, all of which may be pursued online or in person. Dedicated to their professional achievement, the professors at Rushford push their students to go beyond classroom theory.

You can also opt for industry-specific certifications like PMP courses and others to enhance the credibility of your position.

Through LinkedIn and other networking resources, you can establish a strong online presence. Consistently publish insights, articles, and posts to engage in relevant discussions. You can also create a personal website and portfolio to highlight the necessary skills and achievements of the projects.  

Conclusion 

If you want to break through a professional plateau, you need to approach the problem strategically. Mentoring programs in the business world may help employees by providing them with objective feedback on how to map out their professional futures and make strategic decisions along the way. The goal is to equip graduates with the knowledge and tools they need to restart their career growth by helping them transcend their current job titles and achieve their career ambitions through the setting of clear goals and the use of available resources.

Rushford offers comprehensive career counseling and job placement services to help clients develop the networks and skills essential to achieving professional success. Finding one’s calling, developing one’s skills, and navigating one’s desired career trajectory are all tasks that a career counselor may assist with. The Global Immersion Program is an initiative that Rushford has carefully crafted to encourage understanding and dialogue across cultural boundaries. Our top-notch business education and networking coaching have helped many of our students advance in their careers by enabling them to think creatively and providing them with valuable exposure to the workings of the corporate world.