Whether it’s unfulfilling tasks, a toxic work environment or a misalignment of personal aspirations, being unhappy at a current job can be a challenge. However, the desire to excel and rise above your dissatisfaction can be a powerful catalyst for change.
Below, 20 Forbes Human Resources Council members share advice and strategies to break free from your discontent and navigate toward both personal and professional excellence. These insights provide a roadmap for transforming dissatisfaction into a stepping stone toward a more rewarding and successful career journey.
1. Think About Your Skills And How They Translate To A New Role
The best organizations now think about their talent by the skills they have rather than their job title, and that has created so much more opportunity for folks. Our potential is no longer bound by a linear career. Think about how your skills could translate to a completely different role and apply, or ask your HR department about gigs or projects that would let you explore different pathways. – Siobhan Savage, Reejig
2. Initiate The Change With Your Manager
Initiate change. Reevaluate your approach to your current job or discuss altering the role’s description to meet your expectations; have an open dialogue with your manager. Explore internal mobility programs for job transitions within your company. If nothing works out, seek opportunities outside the company that help you excel and be happy. – Sudhir Singh, Sound Agriculture
3. Analyze Your Role And Look For Ways To Do Better
Take one action in your current role that makes you happy. Instead of looking at other companies, jobs, or managers, think about how you could take a few minutes today to change something about your role for the better. Is there a new way to complete a task? A person who could help? A new strategy you could implement? Perhaps your current role can be improved while you explore what makes you happy. – Kari Durham, Skyworks Solutions, Inc.
4. Understand Why You’re Unhappy Before Seeking Change
If you’re unhappy at work, reflect on what’s driving your dissatisfaction and your steps for short-term improvement. The best first step is to understand the “why” behind your frustration rather than assuming. Feeling unvalued is different than not liking a project; feeling underutilized is different than needing more workload. Once you know the “why,” voice it appropriately for proactive change. – Laurie Chamberlin, LHH
5. Be Intentional With Your Time And Energy
First, drop any victim mentality you may be harboring. Evaluate what you can control and what is outside of your control. Then, be intentional about where you spend your energy. Look for ways to make an impact on things that matter to you. If you have cultural alignment with your values and those of the company, it’s worth spending time and effort to manufacture the outcomes you want to recognize. – Megan Barbier, Boomi
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6. Expand Your Skill Set Proactively
Own your career mobility. If you’re feeling stuck, proactively learn new skills or deepen existing ones. Expanding your skill set can elevate your marketability and open new opportunities both internally and externally. – Britton Bloch, Navy Federal
7. Seek Opportunities To Demonstrate Skills
Employees who want to excel should seek opportunities to demonstrate new skills. Volunteer for assignments, take on challenges and adopt a growth mindset so that you keep stretching and learning. No matter how unhappy an employee may be, it is important to maintain a professional attitude if they want to advance. – Leigh Yanocha, Knopman Marks Financial Training
8. Reflect On Your Career And Then Commit To A Plan
I would ask them to reflect on why they are unhappy and what they can do about it. They should ask themselves: Is this the right place for me? Have I taken the steps to articulate my desires and needs? What is it that I want to excel in? What are the barriers and how do I remove them? After reflecting, they then need to commit to a plan to help them be successful. – Iman Abbasi, Plume Design, Inc.
9. Ask Your HR Department Questions
Ask questions! Ask your leader for coaching and to introduce you to programs in the company that can help you excel. HR is a great place to come, as most HR departments have learning programs that can be introduced to the associate. – Ryan Tofte, BioPlus Specialty Pharmacy, A Carelon Company, Elevance Health
10. Remember That You Are Capable
When you’re unhappy, it’s easy to fall into the trap of coasting and putting in minimal effort. Don’t let a job you dislike change who you are and the work you do; falling victim to mediocrity will only add fuel to your discontented fire. Just the reminder that you are capable can trigger a cascade that could change your perspective. – Jessica Wallen, Marten Law
11. Try Cross-Training And Job Shadowing
Keep lines of communication open with your manager. Express how much you enjoy the company, but that you’re interested in expanding your skillset to explore different roles at the organization in the future. Cross-training and job shadowing are great options when you want to grow without job searching, and for employers, that means not losing an employee, which is key. – Ursula Mead, InHerSight
12. Leverage The Power Of Positive Thinking
The ability to think positively contributes to maintaining a confident and proactive attitude toward the present and the future. You will be more successful and resilient if you can leverage the power of positive thinking and maintain an emotional intelligence balance. It is essential to believe in positive thinking to sustain motivation and accept the inevitable challenges of change management. – Dr. Nara Ringrose, Cyclife Aquila Nuclear
13. Find A Career Coach To Help
A career coach can help you get to the root of what drives you personally. They can support you in identifying your strengths, values and purpose and finding your “why.” A good coach also enables others to see new perspectives, embrace new ways of thinking, raise questions or challenge their current thinking patterns. This can be incredibly helpful when you are feeling stuck or lost in your career. – Jennifer Rozon, McLean & Company
14. Use Your Desire To Excel To Reshape Your Career
The old saying, “Wherever you go, there you are,” holds true in the workplace. We have been conditioned to think that if we don’t like our current job, we can find a better job down the street. But many who move to a different workplace (or role) find that the lack of happiness isn’t because of the job. Instead, use that desire to excel to reshape the role. – Tracy Maylett, DecisionWise
15. Find What Brings You Joy
Take time to reflect on your strengths, but more importantly, think about what drives you— where you find joy in life. Where and how does this overlap with your daily work? What can you do to focus more of your time and efforts on these areas? Get involved in activities slightly outside of your role (corporate, social, responsibility, perhaps?) and share what brings you joy with your colleagues. – Kshitij Jain, Joveo
16. Evaluate And Share The Positives And The Negatives
I’m a fan of acknowledging the negative and positive in everything. A great way to start this process is to think of what you would say to a candidate to attract them to your company. And then think of what advice you would give to the CEO or CHRO on what to change. With those thoughts in mind, focus on the positives, but also craft a potential solution to the challenges. Share these thoughts with your manager and ask for feedback. – Nicole Fernandes, Blu Ivy Group
17. Be In The Driver’s Seat Of Your Career
First, if you are unhappy in your current role, you need to understand the reasons. If it’s because of your team, your supervisor or your company, then maybe it’s time to change companies. If it’s because you lack challenging tasks and you are too comfortable in your role, proactively seek new projects and tasks. Be in the driver’s seat and act; don’t wait for others to fix it. – Ilona Bernotaite, Kilo Health
18. Formulate Questions And Apply It To Your Job Search
If you choose to seek new employment, use this opportunity to think about what you do and don’t like about your current employer, manager, or role. Formulate questions using this information and apply it to your job search. Ensure potential roles and companies align with it. Use it to create questions during interviews to identify if the potential company, manager and role is a fit for you. – Kimika Banfield, Arootah
19. Use A Career Interest Inventory
Consider using a career interest inventory to inform personal values (what matters to you), interests (what you enjoy doing) and skills (what you excel at). The results will validate if you are well-aligned in your current position. If not, initiate a candid conversation with your manager and explore internal opportunities more suited to your strengths, desires and career aspirations. – Laci Loew, XpertHR (a division of LexisNexis Risk Solutions)
20. Join Online Talent Communities
Join the online talent communities of companies you actually want to work for. If they are using artificial intelligence in their hiring practices, you’ll feel an immediate connection when a chatbot pops up on the screen to help you apply to roles that are a good fit. A company that attracts amazing people is usually one that employs AI to stay one step ahead of everybody else. – Jess Elmquist, Phenom
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