Career out of control

Many executives possess great qualifications. Masters degrees in marketing. MBAs. They're undeniably talented. Yet, inexplicably, they seem to just lurch from one job to another.

Are you a talented and qualified professional who has lost momentum in your career?

If your CV has several jobs and employers in just a few years with no clear sense of purpose in the moves you've made, your lack of strategy and direction will be glaringly obvious and you will appear unfocused and disorganised.

This might not necessarily be your fault.

It might have been that one employer misrepresented the position. We all know it happens. Maybe a couple fell apart because the companies had insufficient working capital to invest in marketing or were not committed to research and development.

Each time you update your CV and start again, searching newspapers and the Internet, contacting recruiters, attending job interviews and eventually a new job pops up. You are no longer on a positive career path - you are in survival mode.

As the resume grows longer and becomes more convoluted, your job hunt becomes more challenging. Each time it takes longer and longer, and you begin to compromise. A drop in salary here, longer working hours there.

It becomes a self-perpetuating cycle.

Each time you 'fail' at a job, your morale and sense of self-worth is compromised - in other words, you lose your confidence. Think back to the start of your career and to your successes. You were confident, self assured and certain of your direction - not scrambling to survive.

This cycle generally starts with a single problem such as a lack of research on your potential employers. A business looking for a key employee will usually talk themselves up and often the role turns out to be different than what was initially represented in the interview.

For you, this can be the beginning of a downhill slide. Instead of following a strategy for your career, you've come to be seen as someone with a scattergun approach.

Regaining Control Of Your Career

The downward cycle and losing control can easily be prevented if you know the danger signs   and if you have some strong strategies for avoiding the patterns that cause problems.

To get started, look at EPR's free report "12 Keys to Successful Executive or Professional-Level Job Search". This report covers a range of practical approaches that help to keep the career moving where YOU want it to go. To receive the free report, simply enter your name and email at the top-right of this page.

Your best next step: arrange a free consultation with an EPR career management expert. Our Consultants can quickly help to evaluate the first areas that need attention in your career, and can help you to find goals and strategies that will get those areas covered quickly. Click here to arrange a free, no-obligation career consultation now.