Employment: Are You in a Dead End Job? - By: Jim DeSantis

How can you know if you are really in a dead end job? If you are in a dead end job, how can you turn it so it is financially and professionally to your benefit? Here are some insider tips.

You certainly could be working a dead-end job if you have held the same position, for years and years. If you had goals when you applied for the job and have yet to see those goals accomplished, it may be a sign of a dead-end job. Your work goes unrewarded, beyond the normal pay raises, especially if you have been employed by the same company for years is another tell tale sign.

Another sign that you may be working a dead-end job is your pay level. Has it been relatively level for a number of years?

In a slow economy, most employers automatically give all employees pay raises yearly or even quarterly that keep pace with the cost-of-living, but no more than that. If you have been employed by the same company for an extended period of time without any pay raises that are above the cost-of-living, you may be working a dead-end job.

Here are some good indicators that you are not going anywhere in your present job.

Have you asked for a pay raise above the normal raises and have been turned down for no solid reason? If, Yes, you may be in a dead-end job. Look, most employers expect employees to ask for a raise, especially after an extended period of time without a raise; therefore, you may have nothing to lose by asking.

Also consider this - If you do exemplary work in your current position you may be too valuable to the company in your present position to be promoted. So, ask for that raise if you believe this is the case.

If any of these apply, speak to your supervisor or supervisors about your concerns. This may involve asking for an increase in pay or asking for a promotion, should any positions be available. Remember, though, be careful what you ask for. Do not ask for an outrageous raise in pay. Be realistic. No employer is going to increase your pay by more than 5 per cent plus the cost-of-living increment. Also, before you ask for a promotion that carries a pay level increase, be sure you really want more responsibility that usually goes with it. Sometimes the increased volume of work is not matched by the increase in pay.

Whatever you do, do not let this idea of a dead-end job negatively impact your work product.

Be sure to present a positive attitude in front of your supervisors, volunteer to work late or cover someone else's shift in an emergency and so forth. You need to be a model employee, someone the company needs to keep happy, someone who is a great asset to the company.

When trying to improve your pay or position, keep in mind that your company is in business to make a profit. That profit provides you, and others, with jobs. The more you help increase profits, the more valuable you are to the company and to your fellow workers.

It may also surprise you to know that many times supervisors mistakenly believe that workers are currently satisfied with their jobs and pay level because they have not been told otherwise by the workers themselves. You need to be up front and tell your boss about tasks which are unsatisfactory but, at the same time, suggest how to improve those tasks. Volunteer to take on tasks that others are grumbling about and find ways of doing it better. Suggest those ways to your boss.

The last option you have, when looking to rid yourself of a dead-end job, is seeking employment elsewhere. If you have a family to support and a growing list of bills that must be paid, you may only want to seek employment elsewhere as a last resort, but it is still a step that you may want to examine.

Above all do not allow the fear of changing jobs to stand in your way. Just be cautious about seeking other employment. Your boss does not need to know you are looking for another job until you are ready to make the move.

About the Author

Jim DeSantis, former TV News Editor, provides cutting edge employment tactics. For scripted job interview answers see Job Interview Scripts and for the latest resume' techniques see Guaranteed Resume' at Jim's AnswersPlusInfo blog.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Jim-DeSantis/5679

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