Tips To Help When You Experience Work Ennui

Many people feel dissatisfied with their careers. Here's how women can become more content in their work path.

Originally Published Dec. 2, 2020.

Multiple reports in recent years have shown women start their own businesses for various reasons. Some include job frustration, discontent with corporate America, and simply to fulfill a dream or passion.

BLACK ENTERPRISE spoke with Seamus Roddy, writer and marketing specialist, about this trend.

Roddy said, “It’s most alerting that although most Americans feel professionally successful, women are almost twice as likely (17% to 8%) as men to feel dissatisfied with their careers.”

Roddy pointed out that even with many Americans being professionally successful, a gap exists, and more women are being left behind. However, Roddy offered suggestions on what women can do to become more satisfied with their careers and operate more comfortably as their own bosses.

He says mentorship is one of the best ways for women, in particular, to be successful and fulfilled.

“Finding someone like you who has blazed the trail in corporate success or entrepreneurship can reap dividends for your career while mentoring newer employees can help increase fulfillment as you help others move forward.”

Here are some professional success tips suggested by The Manifest:

Practice professional networking

Professionals who develop fulfilling careers engage in networking. Professional networking helps employees make worthwhile connections and improve “soft skills,” such as conversational skills, necessary to work with a team.

Engage in mentorship

Mentoring boosts the professional success of both mentors and mentees. It is a two-way street that benefits mentors and mentees. Being a mentor provides exposure to new ideas, an opportunity to think critically about how to succeed at work, and the job satisfaction that comes with helping somebody else.

Negotiate a higher salary

Experts say asking for new responsibilities demonstrates that an employee has professional direction, wants to expand their skill set, and is open to contributing more to the company.

Rolf Box is chief HR officer at Resume.io, a résumé builder and career help service. He says that asking for new work responsibilities:

Increases the chances of receiving a raise
Makes a worker more marketable should he or she look for another job
Prevents “plateauing,” or a sense of professional stagnation
Provides exciting new challenges and skills

Hire a career coach

The best athletes on earth rely on coaches to develop their skills and help them succeed. Some employees are no different. They meet with a career coach to determine their professional path and identify the skills necessary to be successful.

An expanded version of these tips were first published on The Manifest.