You've heard it for years.
Always be looking for your next job, even when you're employed.
That advice still has merit, but today's job market is forcing us to think about career advancement differently.
What happens when finding another job takes six months, nine months, or even longer?
Does that mean your career advancement has to stop?
Absolutely not.
People are still getting hired. I have one client starting a new job this week and another starting in two weeks.
It's possible. It's doable.
It's also taking longer.
We're in what's often described as a low-hire, low-fire job market. Employers aren't hiring at the pace we've seen in previous years, and many employees are staying in their positions longer.
And while that can be frustrating, particularly if you're ready for something new, it also creates an opportunity to rethink your career strategy.
Because the time is going to pass anyway.
The question is, what are you going to do with the time?
Career Growth Doesn't Always Require Changing Jobs
We've become accustomed to thinking about career advancement as moving from one employer to another.
And there are good reasons for that.
A new job can mean more money, greater responsibility, new challenges, and opportunities to develop skills you might not have access to in your current role.
Changing employers isn't the only way to move your career forward.
What if you invested the next six months in strengthening relationships within your organization?
What if you volunteered for a project that expanded your experience or introduced you to a different part of the business?
What if you became more intentional about developing new and needed skills?
None of these things requires a new employer.
And all of them can help position you for your next opportunity, whether that's a promotion, a new role internally, or a move to another organization when the timing is right.
You can be moving forward even when not moving on.
Choosing to Stay Is Different From Feeling Stuck
This is such an important distinction.
There's a big difference between staying in a job because you believe you have no other options and staying because you've identified opportunities worth pursuing.
One is reactive and waiting for something to change.
The other puts you in charge of creating change.
Choosing to stay doesn't mean you've given up on finding something new.
It means you're making a decision with your eyes wide open.
You understand the challenges of today's job market. You recognize that securing another position may take longer than you anticipated.
And rather than allowing those circumstances to dictate what happens next, you decide to invest in yourself and your career right where you are.
That means accepting the responsibility that will prepare you for the next chapter.
You can still conduct your confidential external job search while becoming more intentional about the opportunities available to you today.
Staying can be a purposeful strategy. Not a surrender of your career autonomy.
Of course, not every workplace offers meaningful opportunities to grow. And if you're working in an unhealthy or unsustainable environment, choosing to stay may not be the right decision for you.
When you have evaluated and opportunities exist, there's value in considering what you can accomplish without changing employers.
Ongoing Career Management
This brings me back to something I believe deeply and write about in my book, Own Your Career.
You can't leave career management to chance.
It's not something you do only when you're unhappy at work, worried about layoffs, or actively looking for another job.
It's a continuous investment in yourself.
It's made up of valuable habits, a strong mindset, the relationships you build, the skills you develop, the contributions you make, and the opportunities you pursue.
And it's recognizing that you have a role in determining where your career goes next.
Today's job market may be moving slowly.
Your career doesn't have to.
Six months from now, you could be in the same position, feeling the same frustration about the job market.
Or you could have six months of new accomplishments, a larger network that advocates for you, expanded skills, and greater professional visibility behind you.
Those investments have value regardless of when you make your next career move.
So, if you've been feeling stuck because changing jobs isn't happening as quickly as you'd hoped, I want to invite you to consider a different question.
Instead of asking, "When am I finally going to get out of here?"
What could I do right where I am that would move my career forward?
You don't have to wait for the job market to change before you start changing your career.
Ready to Take Ownership of Your Next Career Move?
You don't have to wait for a new job to start making progress.
If you're exploring opportunities with your current employer or considering a change, let's talk about where you want to go and how to make the most of where you are today.
