By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
For decades, I’ve observed that career advancement doesn’t always go to the most intelligent person or the hardest worker—though both traits certainly help. The professionals who thrive are those who stay attuned to opportunities, whether inside their current company or beyond. They’re often willing to tackle challenges others avoid.
Equally important is recognizing warning signs early. The ability to interpret workplace signals can mean the difference between a strategic career move and a desperate scramble. Here are six red flags that suggest it’s time to consider your options:
1. Your Reporting Structure Shifts Downward
When senior professionals suddenly find themselves reporting several levels lower than before without explanation, it’s concerning. For individual contributors, an unexpected reassignment that comes without any context about growth opportunities should raise eyebrows. These organizational changes rarely happen by accident.
2. The Ceiling Is Clearly Visible
Take a moment to observe the person one or two levels above you. If they’re roughly your age and seem settled indefinitely in their role, that tells you something important about mobility in your organization. When your answer to “What’s my next move here?” focuses on skill development rather than promotion possibilities, you’re likely looking at a structural limitation, not a personal one.
3. Ownership Changes Are Underway
Whether your company is actively seeking buyers or has recently been acquired, the implications for your career are significant. In the first scenario, it signals financial challenges or founders looking to exit. In the second, the transition is already happening. Both situations typically follow a predictable pattern: you’ll help integrate operations and transfer institutional knowledge to the new leadership team, only to face a severance offer or find yourself sidelined afterward.
4. You’re Stuck in Maintenance Mode
Organizations reward people who deliver innovation and growth—the exciting initiatives that capture leadership’s attention and imagination. If your assignments consist primarily of maintaining existing systems or managing legacy projects, you’ve been placed on a maintenance track. This rarely leads to advancement.
5. The Relationship With Your Manager Is Irreparable
When you genuinely dislike your direct supervisor, no amount of professional courtesy can disguise the stress that comes with each workday. If you sense the feeling is reciprocated, the situation becomes even more untenable. Professional relationships built on mutual distrust or dislike don’t improve over time—they deteriorate.
6. Your Industry Is Contracting
Industry expertise is valuable, but only in industries with a future. Remember when cryptocurrency firms couldn’t hire fast enough in 2021? Many of those same companies disappeared within two years. Traditional retail department stores once dominated American commerce; now they’re closing locations annually. When your entire sector is in structural decline, even exceptional individual performance won’t protect your career trajectory.
The time to launch a thoughtful job search is before circumstances become urgent. If any of these situations resonates with your current reality, start taking action today. Strategic career transitions require time, planning, and emotional energy—resources that evaporate quickly once a crisis hits.
Don’t wait for the situation to deteriorate further. Your future self will appreciate the foresight.
Ⓒ The Big Game Hunter, Inc., Asheville, NC 2025
How Much Are You Looking For? Defer and Deflect
ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a coach who worked as a recruiter for what seems like one hundred years. His work involves career coaching, as well as executive job search coaching, job coaching, and interview coaching. He is the producer and former host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with over 3000 episodes.
Are you interested in 1:1 coaching, interview coaching, advice about networking more effectively, how to negotiate your offer or leadership coaching? Schedule a discovery call at my website, www.TheBigGameHunter.us
My courses are available on my website, www.TheBigGameHunter.us/courses
Connect with me on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/thebiggamehunter
Thinking of making a career change and need some ideas that fit you. CareerFitter offers a free test and if you want more you can upgrade for the paid version.https://thebiggamehunter.us/Career
We grant permission for this post and others to be used on your website as long as a backlink is included and notice is provided that it is provided by Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter as an author or creator.
