Performance review left me perplexed.

Anonymous

March 5,2024 at 7:02PM UTC

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Performance review left me perplexed. I was asked about my short and long term career goals. Then told that wasn't possible in my department. That even lateral moves were not possible for the foreseeable future due to the restructuring and layoffs that occured over the summer. I then flipped the question on my manager and asked what potential career paths existed within the department. She said none. This is the complete opposite of what I was sold when I interviewed with them a year ago. I was puzzled as to why she bothered asking me what my career goals were if my current position is a dead end job. Apparently what I do now is the most complex role at my level within the department.

This has been the weirdest experience I've had. My annual review marks were great. Just an odd way to start a review by goading an employee into giving career aspirations and then saying, "won't happen here." I'm currently looking at internal job postings in other business units (I work at a Fortune 20 company). But ever since the RTO mandate plus the layoffs and reorg, most new positions of interest are located at one of their hubs. Unfortunately, I do not live near a hub so my only option is to look outside the company. Such a sharp turn of events as I've been here a little over a year. The job market is awful right now so I really do feel stuck.

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AnonymousMarch 5,2024 at 7:30PM UTC
You could also move near a hub. Relocation for the right role could be a good career move. Being where the action is gives you more exposure. Don't take what your manager said as the totality of opportunity within your organization - she's one person. If you haven't already, seek out some mentors from outside of your department and get their thoughts on where the opportunities lie. If there's one thing I regret from my long career, it's that I didn't do this often enough - especially at points where I was feeling low about my current position.
AnonymousMarch 5,2024 at 9:23PM UTC
I have made several moves of hundreds of miles due to exactly this issue.
AnonymousMarch 5,2024 at 11:57PM UTC
I agree that it would be best to seek internal advice outside your department, especially if you see jobs posted that you feel you can do. Your boss may be trying to keep you, which is very shortsighted of them. Not allowing someone to grow within their job and career choices is asking the person to seek a job somewhere else. I left my very first career job for this exact reason. At my second job, I made it to senior management and was laid off after serving there for 22 years in a shake-up/reorganization to eliminate a layer of management (this was in 2003).
JJMarch 6,2024 at 9:59PM UTC
I am sure HR gave a list of generic review questions for managers.