How To Make Sure You Don’t Get Pigeonholed In Your Career

Job satisfaction is such a crucial part of our daily happiness. It’s where you spend one third of your time each week and where your intellectual contributions and ambitions are materialised and recognised. The global job satisfaction score was at around 7.1 out of 10 and the % of employees feeling engaged and committed was below 30% according to the Global Employee Engagement Index report.

Chile and India were the highest ranked countries with over 51% expressing feeling engaged and committed. New Zealand and Australia were on the lower end of the list at 26% and 22% respectively. This is validated by the fact that 60% of Australians indicated they have left their old employers due to lack of career growth opportunities.

So how do we make sure we have ample career growth opportunities within our place of work? Of course, there are few factors outside our control such as economic conditions, industry performance, competition, etc. However, that doesn’t mean that we can’t improve our chances of healthy and steady career progression.

Broaden your horizon so you don’t get pigeonholed

The biggest red flag is when you get pigeonholed or type-casted into a very narrow scope of function. Maybe it’s the nature of your role or skills or maybe it’s because of the organisational structure of the company. Even software engineers, who actually want to be pigeonholed into their natural habitat of coding and engineering, are now expected to have other skills in order to have any chance at a meaningful career path.

The best way to avoid this undesirable situation is by constantly upskilling yourself at and outside of work. You need to show that you are both capable of and willing to stretch beyond your role’s current remit. It is predicted that micro credentialing, the concept that you pursue multiple certifications across fields, will be the new norm in the not-so-distant future.

This is why online course program providers such as Training.co.nz provide a wide range of free courses as well as free apprenticeship to support the workforce that needs to be prepared for the demanding job market. We all need to embrace the idea that we are all lifetime students.

At work, you should also make an effort to branch out beyond your current day-to-day tasks. Volunteer to help on projects in capacity that will allow you to demonstrate a wider range of skills. Be proactive and continuously share feedback and input – show that you are very capable of being the leader by constantly attempting to improve the status quo.

Network, network, network

While most work environments are merit-based, the importance of your network in your success isn’t going to be diminished. You obviously won’t get a job just because you’re chummy with a few folks but what better way to get more people to endorse you other than letting them get to know you and what you can do?

Networking works because all leaders (current or aspiring alike) must have significant soft skills to lead the company on a steady course. They need to know how to manage people of various backgrounds, levels, and emotions. Thus, your ability to network will help you stand out as a potential leader.

Find a side project if you are stuck

If you are having a hard time trying to pivot your role where you currently work, then consider taking on side projects to add to your CV. Pick a project where you will be forced to do things completely outside your norm even if you are leveraging your main area of expertise. When you have something to show to people, it’s easier to change their perception of what you can or cannot do.

This is why Google asks its employees to dedicate 20% of their time to side projects. The more challenged, pushed, and engaged they are, the more they can bring that back into the company. You can launch new sites, products, etc. so much more easily than we ever could in the past. Taking on side projects will help you become the right kind of a generalist.