Tips for getting back on the right career path

Dear Bob …

I’ve been in IT for the past 10 years, and I feel like my career is in a rut. I’m still relatively young, and I’m the type of person that always wants to be learning new things and feeling like I’m progressing. But for the past year I’ve changed jobs twice and I still feel like I’m not moving forward.

[ Also on InfoWorld: It’s far from an exact science, but Bob has tips on finding the right company culture. | Keep up on career advice with Bob Lewis’ Advice Line newsletter. ]

I left a job early this year that I was at for almost 2 years because I had a micromanager for a boss and I couldn’t take it anymore, but I really tried to make it work. This year, I’ve been taking contracts with the hope of going on full time, but I’ve been so bored that all I can think about is leaving.

In my current position, I’m working for a very prestigous global organization, but it’s very political and they treat their contractors very poorly. The only reason I’m hanging on is because of where my office is located (very convenient) and the fact that it’s very reputable (or so I think).

We contractors are up for renewal every 3 months, and supposedly they extend contracts every time, but I didn’t know this was the case when I was brought on board — I thought they were very long-term contracts with a hope of going full time. I would have to stay at least 5 years as a contractor before they would even consider me for a staff position. Being treated the way I am, I’m not even sure now that I would want to join them.

I’ve been offered a position at an organization that I don’t feel has a very reputable name, and the drive is a little farther than what I’d like, but still doable. I think I could move forward with my career at that organization, though, because I would be in more of a leadership role and could heavily influence a major initiative that’s in the planning stages.

I’ve been really unhappy this year because the organizations I’ve worked at are heavily outsourced and the morale has been very low, but I’m tired of job-hopping and really want to find an organization I can have a career path at and still grow everyday. I’m worried that I’m slipping into a “grass is greener on the other side” mode where all of the opportunities I take seem like they will be better, but I end up disappointed.

I don’t want to continue down this path. I’ve really enjoyed my career path up until the past year, but part of me also sees a change in corporate cultures because of outsourcing. I don’t know if I’m also just picking the wrong type of organizations to work for. I’m wondering whether or not I should just sort of suck it up and try to make things work where I’m at, or jump ship again to take a full-time opportunity with benefits to try to have a better career path.

I’ve done the pros and cons over and over, and I’m still having trouble making a decision. Your advice would be greatly appreciated.

-Confused

Dear Confused …

First of all: You appear to be thinking about the issues in a healthy way, by which I mean you appear to be thinking about your career strategically and not as just a succession of financial opportunities. Congratulations on that front.

To your current situation: I’d say you should consider the company you’re currently working with to be an excellent long-term career opportunity — that is, if what you want to enter management and build your political skills so that you can succeed in large, politicized environments. (I say “management” because a company that treats contractors poorly generally considers staff-level employees to be a necessary evil as well.)

This isn’t for everyone, but there are those who enjoy playing the game. If you’re one of them, stay where you are, learn the ropes, and in particular find yourself a mentor who likes you and has demonstrated an ability to navigate the minefields well. Only you know for sure whether this is or isn’t what you’re looking for. From your letter, I’m guessing this isn’t for you.

Be careful to assess this impersonally. Deciding it isn’t the place for you out of resentment isn’t wise. Deciding it isn’t the place for you because it isn’t the sort of company you want to be associated with is an entirely appropriate thought process.

Speaking of companies you don’t want to be associated with, don’t even consider working for one where the ethical standards aren’t in reasonable congruence with your own. I’m not sure what you mean by the company not having a “reputable name.” If by that you mean it has an unsavory reputation, you probably don’t want to be part of it, unless you think the reputation is unfair.

You also might mean the company is considered financially shaky. If that’s the case, you have to assess your appetite for risk. If it’s a great opportunity to grow and achieve, you might decide it’s well worth the potential for unexpected unemployment should its finances fall apart, especially if the position is one where you could have a significant influence in turning the business around.

I certainly wouldn’t let a somewhat long commute stand in the way of an otherwise excellent opportunity. If you had said that work/life balance is one of your primary concerns I’d give you a different opinion on this. As you appear to attach great value to what you’re learning and achieving, live with an inconvenient commute. In the grand scheme, it’s a minor trade-off. You can always move closer to your employer if the issue becomes annoying enough to be a distraction.

Now that all of this is out of the way, here’s what I think is missing from how you’re approaching your career: strategy and tactics. Think carefully about what you’d consider your ideal next position to be. By that, I mean the attributes of the specific position and the company offering the position. Make the list of attributes as short as possible; every additional item makes finding what you need less likely.

The list might or might not include company size, formality of style, whether the company provides products and services that are intrinsically important to society, whether the position is more generalist or specialist — that sort of thing.

Now ask everyone you know — personally and through your LinkedIn or Facebook networks — to let you know if they become aware of something that would be a good fit. Once you locate one, do everything you can to get an introduction directly to the manager who has opened the position you want. Next, find out everything you can about the company so that you’re in a position to have as informed a conversation as possible.

When you’re talking to the hiring manager, remember that everything in the conversation is about the manager, his/her challenges, and how you’re going to provide value in addressing them. Nothing in it is about you unless the manager specifically asks; when that happens, return the subject to how you’re going to solve their problems as quickly and naturally as you can.

Metaphorically, a great job hunt is more like angling than it is like netting. You’re looking for the one perfect fish, not a big haul.

Hope this helps, even if a fishing metaphor is a poor fit for turkey season.

– Bob

This story, “Tips for getting back on the right career path,” was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Read more of Bob Lewis’s Advice Line blog on InfoWorld.com.