Most of the time it is employees who feel stuck and cornered and their career not advancing as they would like it to. After putting in all the hard work and gaining experience and they thought everything was just right for their career to advance. Then they realize that something is amiss and they are stuck when the rest of the world is merrily marching ahead. But hold on a minute; before putting the blame on someone else, have you thought about what could have happened?

Here are a few indicators that tell you if you have met a roadblock in your career path:

1. You are sailing along, making your superiors look good and making money for the company. And just when you thought you were about to get that promotion, you find someone new arising on the horizon and you suspect he is brought to stop you from getting the new position, or at worst, dislodge you from your job.

2. You are doing just fine and the company (your employer) has even promised you a bonus the next fiscal quarter. You discover, one fine day, that your company is finding it difficult to live up to their promises in the face of new competition and is, in fact, planning huge layoffs.

3. You realize, after putting in years of sweat and hard work, that your employer (a small cap company) is being more than conservative in this competitive world with no plans for expansion or technical upgrades to face challenges. The gains you made are withering away. If you stay in this place any longer, you face the danger of losing out completely.

4. You think, quite often, that there is too much work and you are unable to handle it as well as you would have liked. You want to demand/request more resources or manpower irrespective of whether the increased workload is illusionary or real. You think that adding a few more hands will ease the pressure but management is skeptical and denies your request.

5. You took a job with a small company, as you were in urgent need of earning an income. You had hoped to seek a better one as thing progressed. Now you find it hard to convince large companies of your abilities, as they look down upon you as a guy from a small company used to an alien work culture.

6. A sizeable number (59%) of employees dont think depression and illness is a roadblock to their career advancement. The situation is worse with female employees thinking (of course, not without truth) that sexism/harassment, pregnancy and childcare are their roadblocks (source: depression center, University of Michigan).

There are many people who think, at times, that they are stuck at a roadblock concerning their career ambitions. Sports figures (remember Jennifer Capriati); politicians and business people, all find themselves in this similar, Catch-22, situation. They are often at a loss for ideas as to how to move forward. Knowing the early signs of career stagnation will put you on the track to career recovery.