For eight hours or more, every working day, you toil away in a cubicle and receive a regular salary. But where is this leading you? Can you see your job heading towards greater glories and riches, or do you foresee yourself stagnating at the same position? Here are some signs you need to watch out for.
Positive job signs
More responsibility: If you are being sought out for roles with greater responsibility, consider it a good sign.
Says Ritesh Jain*, 32, previously a sales officer at a Delhi recruitment consultancy, "The day I received my boss's missive about being promoted to senior sales manager, I felt really happy. At last I felt my hard work was paying off."
Promotion to leadership roles and managing a larger number of people than you are used to, can be interpreted as indicators of your senior's growing confidence in your abilities.
Good quality of work: To ensure a growing career, it is imperative that your resume flaunt a variety of projects -- projects that are clearly demanding, challenging, and that allow you to expand your skills. If your company gives you such assignments, consider yourself privileged.
Conducting interviews: When your boss charges you with the task of hiring people for your team or even other teams, you may take it as a fairly major duty being allotted to you. It puts you in a clear position of leadership, and shows that your boss knows you will be capable of selecting only those candidates who can perform as well at their job as you do.
Presentations to important clients: This is one of the best signals you can receive, of a company's faith in your skills.
Says Hemant Kumar*, a 29-year-old management executive at a reputed manufacturing firm in Pune, "I was pleasantly surprised and flattered when my boss called me into his office and said I needed to start work on a presentation to some European clients right away. Even though it involved two sleepless nights and extra hours of effort, it was well worth it."
Negative job signs
Reporting to peers or less experienced people: Priyanka Mehra*, 28, a senior developer at a prominent Bangalore IT firm, received a rude shock one morning, when she discovered that her peer had been designated her supervisor in the company's intranet systems. "If you have been reporting consistently to senior people, but are suddenly asked to report to someone you consider your peer or lower, it is frustrating," says Priyanka, who later resolved the issue with her manager.
No increase in responsibility or complexity: For three years, Mithali Chatterjee*, 28, of Mumbai had been developing applications at work with mind-numbing regularity. She seemed to do the same kind of work day in and day out. She was even due for a promotion to a leadership role, but none was forthcoming. It served as a warning to her that she wasn't doing something right. "If your responsibilities don't seem to be increasing either, you are stuck in a rut," she warns.
No invitations to important meetings: Sonali Mehta*, 27, a developer in a Pune IT firm, narrates her experience: "I went to work coolly, assuming nothing was wrong. Shortly after I reached the office, my boss called two of my colleagues into a meeting. When they emerged 20 minutes later, I was told that one of my colleagues would be leading another project, and the other would be replacing me."
Being overlooked for good opportunities: Are the plum jobs all going to other people, and you don't know why? It may be time to take a long hard look at yourself.
Mahesh Menon*, 33, an IT professional from Chennai, narrates his experience: "For several days I had noticed a couple of my colleagues going into conference rooms to take some calls. Only later I found that they were giving client interviews for good projects both onsite and at other client locations within India."
Instinct: Most of all, don't disregard your base instincts. Says Sujay Chatterjee*, 57, director of a consulting firm in New Delhi: "At the end of it all, if you are waking up every morning feeling weary about going to work, or if you feel your objective in terms of your career is not being fulfilled, take it as a sign that your job is not heading in the direction you intend it to. It is time for you to take appropriate action, whether it means a heart-to-heart talk with your boss, or re-evaluating your performance and trying to step it up a notch."
*All names have been changed to protect privacy.
