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Feeling Stuck at Your Job? Let’s Talk about Job Challenge (Career Resource No. 4)

November 15, 2021
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Do you remember the last time your job felt exciting? When new challenges would come your way and you could put your best talents to use and feel good about it? If you feel like dragging your feet to work every day and needing to check social media just to feel some excitement, it’s a sign you might be stuck at your job. You might think: “it’s fine, at least I have a stable job and a good wage, so it pays off”. But did you know that an unchallenging job can be detrimental to your career in the long run? Let’s talk about Job Challenge. 

Why you need job challenge in the first place 

Say you have a stable, well-paid job that allows you to enjoy yourself during the weekends and take a nice long vacation once or twice a year. Yet, every day, 5 days per week you feel bored and ultimately miserable at your job. And that amounts to around 2,000 hours per year. That is a lot of hours to be spending without feeling enthusiastic about your job! Moreover, that is a prominent reason why people leave their jobs:  

“Nearly 45 % of HR experts said organisations lost their best employees because they were bored with their jobs” 

But let us paint a more optimistic picture. Now, imagine your job is interesting and challenging. A challenging job allows you to show your talents and skills and it gives you a sense of meaningfulness. Actually, finding your job challenging enough translates into higher career satisfaction in the long run but also higher pay. That is something to be on the lookout for.  

How do I know I need more job challenge?

In the era of burnout and work stress, it is quite difficult to acknowledge that your job is not challenging enough. These questions will help you spot a lack of job challenge. When you reflect on your daily job, ask yourself: 

  • Can I fully make use of my professional skills at my current job? 
  • Does my job allow me to learn at work?  
  • Does my job challenge my skills? 

If you are a student, you can use the questions to reflect about past internships you’ve had in your desired occupation field. 

When reflecting on these questions, however, it is essential to be aware of your skills, and to know what your expertise is about. If you don’t feel sure about why you are good at your job, make sure to check our articles on developing soft and hard skills to help you find your talents!  

How do I regain job challenge and enthusiasm about my job? 

While the lack of excitement at work can seem like a dead-end, there are ways to spark up your job and regain passion at work. Here’s some of them: 

1. Talk to your manager 

As the saying goes “Communication is key”. If you do not find excitement in your job, it might be the case that your tasks don’t allow you to use your full set of skills. Try discussing with your supervisor about signing on a project or take on other tasks where you can best utilise your talents. After all, it’s quite a waste to not put your talent to work. 

2. Learn Something New 

Learning has the magic power to take you out of a rut and spark the enthusiasm you may have lost. There are hundreds of ways to learn something new. This can be related to your job or skills you need to get promoted, but it can also relate to developing other skills that you wish you got better at. The resources out there are infinite such as online courses, trainings, conferences and workshops. Try making a list of things you want to try out, and if relevant for your job, discuss them with your supervisor to get the support you need.  

3. Time to Quit 

Even if most issues at work have a viable solution, sometimes the best thing to do is take another road and make a change. Believe it or not, quitting your job can have benefits for your career, especially in the current job market. If you’re not convinced, check our article on why quitting your current job might actually be a good decision for your career. 

If you want more insights on how to create a career of your dreams, check out our other articles in our Ultimate Career Guide! 

Get the support you always wanted:

We know that sometimes, small actions of reflection like the ones we suggest in this article, quickly slip our mind and before we know it, we forget about them altogether. If you need an occasional reminder, follow us on our Instagram page and Facebook page – we use it as an interactive way to help each other implement the advice we suggest in our blog posts. And we love to hear about your experiences and thoughts!

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This post is based on the following sources and academic articles:

Hirschi, A., Nagy, N., Baumeler, F., Johnston, C. S., & Spurk, D. (2018). Assessing Key Predictors of Career Success: Development and Validation of the Career Resources Questionnaire. Journal of Career Assessment, 26(2), 338–358. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072717695584 

Ng, T. W. H., & Feldman, D. C. (2014b). Subjective career success: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 85(2), 169-179. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2014.06.001 

https://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/volume-20/edition-2/boredom-work

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