Photo by Freepik
You wake up, and it’s Tuesday, or maybe Thursday, and the job you used to feel something for has calcified into a blur. You hit your numbers, answer emails, stay cordial, and yet, something is missing, something that once made you burn a little. That’s the moment, quiet and dangerous, when you start coasting. A stalled career doesn’t come with sirens or alarms. It just seeps in, slow and silent, until one day you realize you haven’t felt proud in months. If that’s where you’re standing, here’s how to step forward and claw your way up again.
Identify the Block
Before anything changes, you’ve got to name what’s gone numb. Is it the work itself or the structure it lives in? Are you overlooked or just over it? Career plateaus can be rooted in a dozen places, and until you know where the leak is, you can’t patch it. Sometimes it’s systemic, sometimes it’s about personal inertia, and sometimes it’s burnout disguised as boredom. Spend an hour with a notebook and write like no one will read it, then start poking around the truth. This self-audit helps you overcome career roadblocks with your eyes open.
Reignite Your Passion
It’s easy to forget what used to light you up when every day feels like rinse and repeat. But passion doesn’t always die; it hibernates. Maybe it was working with clients hands-on, or building something that mattered, or just being recognized for doing good work. You don’t need to leap blindly to feel again, you need a pilot light. Look for projects that give you more autonomy or ask to shadow someone in a role you admire. Reignite your passion for work by moving toward energy, not away from obligation.
Invest in a Stronger Resume and LinkedIn Profile
You could be brilliant at what you do, but if your resume reads like a grocery list and your LinkedIn is just a digital shrug, you’re invisible. Most people try to wing it, stringing together bullet points that sound impressive but say nothing. But there’s a reason top performers outsource this stuff; they know it’s not just about what you’ve done, it’s how you present it. That’s where someone like Mike McRitchie steps in, helping you craft profiles that actually speak to hiring managers and recruiters.
Craft a Personal Brand
Your story doesn’t end with a title and a job description. It breathes through the way you talk about your work, the confidence in your voice, the values you embody when no one’s watching. Most people never craft their own narrative, so the world writes it for them. Don’t let your silence be interpreted as apathy. Rework your online presence, yes, but also your mindset. Start to build your personal brand like someone who knows what they want and isn’t afraid to take up space.
Expand Your Network
You don’t need to be an extrovert to build a circle that lifts you. You just need to be curious and consistent. Too often, career opportunities happen in rooms you’re not in and conversations you weren’t invited to. Start showing up where decisions are made, whether virtually or in person. Reach out to someone doing what you want to do, and don’t lead with an ask, lead with interest. Networking opens more doors than a hundred job applications ever will.
Lean Into Education
The world moves fast, and the skillset that got you here might not carry you through the next chapter. If it’s time to return to school, online programs open a door for people who don’t have the luxury of quitting their jobs or relocating for a campus experience. You can fit lectures between shifts, knock out assignments at night, and finish what you started without pressing pause on your paycheck. If you’re looking to open new career options with a master of business administration degree, this is the move that reshapes your ceiling. Education, especially when it fits your life, is one of the most strategic pivots you can make.
Seek Mentorship
No one seriously does this alone. There are people out there who’ve walked your path and know where it dips, where it gets dark, and where the footing gets good again. A mentor won’t fix things for you, but they’ll point where to dig. Seek out someone two steps ahead, not twenty. You’ll want someone close enough to your situation to offer specifics, not platitudes. The career coaching benefits from the right person can feel like oxygen in a windowless room.
Stagnation isn’t a death sentence, it’s a signal. A career stall can be the start of something, not just the end of momentum. You don’t have to burn everything down to build something better. You do have to decide that this version of you—the one treading water—isn’t the final form. Pick one thing this week to shift. Just one. That’s how the climb begins.
Unlock new career opportunities and gain fresh perspectives by exploring expert insights on professional growth from Mike McRitchie.
Leave a Reply