Are you stuck in the dreaded mid-level career wheel?

Everybody is getting promoted but you it seems.
So what are you doing wrong?

You started as a Graphic Designer right out of school, then quickly moved up to UX/UI Jr. Director within 2 years. But now, you’ve been a Digital Art Director for 6 years, and the words “Upward Mobility” send cold shivers down your spine.

So how did you get stuck in this mid-level career funk?

And how are you going to finally break that glass ceiling that seems to be holding you back?

Are you promotion material?

You went to a good school with a decent design program, you got a couple of internships in local agencies where you learned a ton, you have a decent network of contacts, you belong to a couple of local design organizations and clubs, you have a solid technical knowledge of your job requirements, you are very proficient with all software required for your job duties and you get along with just about everybody who you interact with on a daily basis.

So what else can you possibly do to move up?

First of all, it is quite possible that you have actually gone as high as you could considering the current structure of your group. If the only person above you is the Owner/Creative Director who is not going anywhere, then of course it may be time to consider moving to a different company altogether.

But you’ve tried that. And unfortunately it seems that all the opportunities recruiters have presented you are all lateral moves. Of course we all know that sometimes you have to move laterally before advancing vertically, but generally if you are de-facto overqualified for your current job, it is time to move up. Somewhere.

Unfortunately being a really good UI Designer or Digital Art Director may not be enough to become Associate Creative Director or Creative Director. We have discussed in the past that the skill sets required to go from a tactical position to a more strategic one are far from easy to acquire overnight, especially when it comes down to leadership abilities. But most importantly you need to be aware that those skills you have painfully and patiently been honing for the past 6–8 years may not be the ones you actually need to land that next level job...

— “Great, now you’re telling me… :/ ”

What are employers REALLY looking for?

What has been bugging you most, is the fact that you think you definitely have what it takes to do the job at the next level.

You have seen your boss do it for years and you have learned all you could from her/him. You feel that you are ready to take over at the drop of a hat and yet promotions come and go as you painfully watch your friends move up the corporate ladder, or move across the country to greener pastures.

So what do they have that you don’t?

According to a recent survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), agency Hiring Managers and Talent Acquisition Directors from all over the country prioritized the top 10 skills they are actively looking for when hiring or promoting people within, and their ranking may surprise you, and most definitely should quickly answer your questions:

10- Ability to sell your ideas and influence others
9- Ability to create written reports or recommendations
8- Proficiency with required computer software
7- Technical knowledge related to job function
6- Ability to analyze quantitative data

Good news is that if you’ve been a UI Designer or Service Designer for the past 6–8 years you should probably feel pretty good about yourself right now. Most likely you excel in the majority of those 5 hard skills, and theoretically you should have no problem getting that next job.

And that is exactly where the problem is.

Those are all “Hard Skills” which focus on very specific skill sets tied to the long-established Intelligence Quotient (IQ), while employers today are looking first and foremost for “Soft Skills”, which are strongly dependent on your EQ (Emotional Intelligence Quotient) far less easy to acquire than technical skills:

5- Ability to obtain and process information
4- Ability to plan, organize and prioritize work
3- Ability to communicate verbally with people internally/externally
2- Ability to make decisions and to solve problems
1- Ability to work within a team structure

As you can see here, the TOP 5 attributes heavily sought-after by recruiters and employers are ALL SOFT SKILLS and traits that make a person able to interact with others effectively, and unfortunately there are seldom technical college degrees preparing students for those particular skills.

As for your current company or agency? Well, they too may be woefully equipped to teach you those particular skills, and you may need to talk to your direct report and request to take a class or two on time management, interpersonal relationships or crisis management.

Either way, most of the skills mentioned above depend on you, and you only. It’s all up to you now on.

It’s not Magic.

So now what? Your career isn’t going to blossom overnight at the shake of a wand. It’s time for some serious introspection.

You are now facing several scenarios:

1- You feel pretty good about this.
As you looked over those top 10 skills, you may feel pretty good about yourself after all. If you feel that you are quite competent in 8 out of the 10 sought-after abilities, then you simply need to take a second look at your résumé and highlight those specific skill sets for they will check all the right boxes with recruiters. Somebody is looking exactly for someone like you. Somewhere. Make it easy for them to find you.

2- You don’t feel so good about this.
If that list triggers a whole bunch of red flags in your mind, then it’s time to take a closer look at your current skill sets and improve upon those you feel may be holding you back in your upward quest out of your mid-level career funk. Because, let’s face it, if you have difficulties prioritizing, planning and organizing your workload today, we both know it’s only going to get worse when you have to do it for 10 people. So get yourself a Prime membership, I see a lot of books in your future. It’s not magic, but neither are promotions.

3- Now that I think about it, I don’t see any of my old friends anymore.
You may also realize that you may be far happier than you previously thought and decide to shy away from managing others, organizing production schedules, present reports in front of the board of directors… Your old buddy from the 6th floor did get a sweet promotion last year, but when you ran into him last week he had no idea that basketball season had been over for a couple of months now. In other words, there may be a reason why you haven’t gotten a promotion, and that may not be such a bad thing after all. But now it is your decision, and you will have to live with it.

4- Managing isn’t for everybody.
Some of the most diligent and skilled workers on my past teams had consistently turned down promotions I had offered them over the past few years. They simply had no desire to manage people, or interact with external groups, or get involved with budgeting and scheduling or flying all over the country for client meetings. They were perfectly comfortable being Front-End Coders/Developers for the next 10 years as long they get to code, innovate, design, write, doodle, challenge each others and live their true passion, and I’ve always fully respected that. If getting a promotion and moving up to the next level means that you will never see a Usability Testing room again, and that very thought brings tears to your eyes, well maybe you’re better off where you are. As they say: “Be careful what you wish for…”

But at least now you know what recruiters are REALLY looking for today.

It’s up to you to act upon it.