Ten ways to rev up a stalled career.

Editor's note:

When it comes to what our members want most from NEHA, at the very top of the list is career assistance, particularly in the area of finding new jobs. While we are limited in the number of "Classifieds" we can run in your monthly Journal (due to the relatively long lag time between issues), we can, however, provide other means of assistance that aren't so time-sensitive. That is what we intend to do with this new career column titled, "Career Consultant," written by Sandra Hagevik, Ph.D.

Dr. Hagevik currently serves as a career consultant for EnviroTemps, Inc., a national woman-owned project staffing firm specializing in the environmental careers field. Throughout the course of her professional life, she has written many resumes, both for herself and for other professionals. She began her career as a science and health teacher, and later moved into the fields of career counseling, university administration, and outplacement consulting. Dr. Hagevik has been a nationally certified career counselor since 1985, and has assisted hundreds of individuals from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors find satisfying careers.

We hope you enjoy this column even if you currently have no need to seek new employment opportunities!

You've been in the same position for several years with little expectation of moving up or getting a promotion. The alls around you don't even have handwriting on them. You feel stuck, bypassed, ignored, or marginalized. At a minimum, your engine needs a tune-up - if not a complete overhaul - and at last you recognize the need to act. What can you do?

Double Your Professional Contacts

Call five colleagues or experts in your field each week. Find them through publications like the Journal of Environmental Health or at professional meetings. The information and insights you'll gain could stimulate you in your present position and provide valuable leads for the future.

Write or Speak About Your Experience or Expertise

Offer to present at a professional or community meeting. If that means publishing, get started now. You might rewrite a scientific paper into lay terms for a less sophisticated audience and, in the process, improve your writing skills without having to re-create the research.

Volunteer

Pick an area that intrigues you, whether this is within your organization, your professional affiliation, or the community. Just do it. The managerial exposure and experience may enhance your "job" performance.

Seek New Training

First investigate the direction your field is headed and your preferred learning style. Then, using your best research methods, find the most appropriate, affordable, convenient and effective training. Remember that adult education is every bit as much about sharing your wisdom and establishing contacts as it is about gaining new knowledge. Even choosing a course designed for neophytes could stretch your capabilities and introduce you to cross-generational differences.

Tell Everyone Including Yourself that You Expect to Move Up

This includes your boss or supervisor. Knowing your intent may make that person feel a sense of urgency about working on your behalf. If this doesn't happen, be prepared to accept the reality of your status or the inability of your organization to benefit from your skills. Prepare to explain yourself.

Transfer

Get a transfer or "detail" (lateral or downward if necessary), to the most prosperous or proactive division of your organization, doing something you do well. Skills and experience are transferable within companies or agencies. Upward mobility comes from growth, not need. Focus on what you can contribute.

Become a Part-Time Consultant

Let your network know that you are willing to help them solve their problems. Remember that one of a consultant's best attributes is his or her impartial, external view of the situation. A perceived weakness, if you have one, such as directiveness, critical analysis, or intuitive decision making, may be exactly what another organization needs.

Move to a Smaller, Fester-Growing Organization

The more entrepreneurial the setting is, the less emphasis there is on degrees or job history What's important is the present - and your ability to adapt to the challenge of a rapidly changing environment. Think outside of organizational structures or terminology: If you're in a university, think training rather than education. If you're in a research lab, think opportunities rather than rigid protocol. There is little growth among the Fortune 500 (the term is an anachronism anyway), whereas growth in Internet-related companies continues to expand beyond logical expectations.

Become an Entrepreneur

Start a business on your own, or partner with others to create a business on the side. Learn first band what it means to invent, market, operate, and manage a new endeavor. This is even more relevant if you are the product or service. For this project, you'll need to reprioritize your time and energy.

Take a Sabbatical 

Retreat from your career life for a while, but do it with a goal in mind. This is the time to search inward, onward, upward, or outside of your current situation. Most people return from sabbaticals with renewed energy and enthusiasm for their work, although one's concept of work may be forever changed.

Dr. Hagevik has agreed to provide NEHA members with a free resume review. If you desire assistance in creating or making revisions to your resume, a reasonable price for this service will be determined based on the extent of work requested. To request a free resume review and/or additional resume services, contact a NEHA Service Specialist at [phone] ext. 0.