Luke EatonData Driven Recruitment

Issue 57 3 min read

What to Do When Your Career Path Stops

Happy new year recruiters! Let's start the year off with a bang and talk about our careers.

Howdy Doodly Doo my cadre of super-sonic recruitment vikings and shield maidens! Happy 2026!

This year I will be talking a lot about data, career development, recruitment project management, tools and systems, AI, automation, LEAN and the theory of constraints, barbecue, and all the other nerdy shenanigans you have become accustomed to over the past year. I'm going nowhere mate!

Today, let's talk about what happens when you hit a career roadblock.

So there will come a point where you are no longer on a 'career path' and you can feel pretty lost.

Your career follows a fairly predictable path early on.

But in smaller, leaner tech companies, there's rarely another role waiting above you. This is usually where anxiety creeps in (certainly did with me).

You might start questioning the company.

Or questioning yourself and your motivation.

Or worrying about what the next performance review even looks like.

If that sounds like you, put down your coffee for a second and listen to Luke.

This isn’t a personal failure, it’s the reality of the career you chose

It's not just you. Loads of recruiters (especially Senior/Staff recruiters in small orgs) reach a point where vertical progression runs out, even though they’re still performing well.

Heres' my advice :

Stop thinking in promotions. Start thinking in scope.

At this stage, your value is no longer defined by:

If there’s no higher title to move into, the lever you still control is scope.

Your role gets bigger even if your title doesn’t.

Go deeper, not higher.

For senior recruiters, this is often the most underused path.

If you’re a tech recruiter:

Depth in a domain turns you from “good recruiter” into someone whose advice leaders actively seek out.

The same applies outside tech: depth beats another generic step up.

Expand laterally on purpose.

This is the point in your career where progression becomes self-directed. So instead of asking “What’s the next role?”

Start asking:

Then scope that explicitly with your manager. straight up tell them what you want to achieve, by when and what they can do to help.

Performance at this level looks like:

Not just “I hired X people”.

Accept that this part feels uncomfortable.

Early career paths are prescribed for you, but this stage isn’t. It's your first shot at going off road.

This isn't a bad thing, its an opportunity for you to have more agency in the direction of your career.

That discomfort means you’ve reached the point where you have to design your own path. Honestly mate (can I call you mate?) that's actually quite exciting.

How about you are you working on your career path just now? message me on LinkedIn about it or reply here.

Luke Update

Last year I joined the amazing Ava Labs, the brain boxes behind Avalanche. I've beed a huge Avalanche fanboy for years and I genuinely believe it is the best place to start a business, and for entrepreneurs to make money not just in Web3, but online.

I'm determined to be as present and consistent a member of our community as I always am and will be posting weekly newsletters, and daily LinkedIn posts with the goal of empowering recruiters with data.

I'm still doing a lot of product advisory for cool TA tech products and a smattering of coaching

This year I'll be doing a bit of travelling similar to 2025, and i'll keep you posted closer to the dates if there are any interesting events you'd like to meet at.

Here's me and one of the best recruiters in the world hanging out in Miami.

Well... that's issue fifty six! If you have any questions about it, or any feedback on this issue of The Data Driven Recruiter, grab me on LinkedIn for a chat.

I'll see you next week!

All 77 issues →