This article is aimed at those of you who have spent the last several years steadily progressing in your chosen professions moving jobs or getting promoted every two to four years. In the past this practice worked incredibly well. Companies were impressed and were only too happy to assist with new opportunities.Now, as a result of the economic downturn, the opportunities just aren’t there. Suddenly you are in a job two years longer than you planned, promotions have been put on hold; your resume is not getting the response you were used to and even worse, you have nothing new to add to it.The question becomes, how do you avoid becoming stagnant during this lull? At some point the economy will improve; the opportunities will return and it is important to be ready.Recognising that you can’t fight city hall and your situation is in no way a reflection of your past performance, you need to develop a battle plan.First you need to decide if you are comfortable taking on more work without receiving either a new title or increased compensation - provided it will reap rewards down the line. If you are, then your worries about stagnating are groundless as there are plenty of ways to shine, enhance your resume and most importantly, position yourself for advancement once the economy improves.The next step is to have a frank discussion with your manager, HR or executive (which ever person will be most receptive) and let them know your concerns. Stress that you respect the fact that budgets have been cut and opportunities are limited. Also stress the fact that you are committed to the business and its mandate.The beauty of these times is that the work still needs to be done and businesses are operating on a “do-more-with-less” platform. Equally important, businesses are keenly aware that their ability to retain and incentivise their top performers has been made all the more difficult when faced with incentive pay cuts; fewer promotion opportunities and a streamlined professional development budget.This is the time to demonstrate your understanding of the current challenges and that you are in it for the long haul. Announce your willingness to be part of ad hoc committees; assist on special projects and assume additional responsibilities, if appropriate. This is also the time to request an executive level mentor. In the absence of tangible rewards, many business heads recognise that their time and expertise has a perceived value to an employee and are willing to offer themselves up.The final part of the battle plan requires a great deal of self motivation - there are many online/self study courses available particularly for specialised designation areas.If you can cover the costs, enroll. Even if the training budget has been slashed, it may be possible to negotiate additional study days or perhaps reimbursement upon completion.By employing any of the above tactics, you have the opportunity toa) Raise your profile;b) Gain valuable experience outside of your normal responsibilities; andc) Become a known person to those higher up in the organisation.When it comes time to update your resume you will find that although you remained in a job longer than you originally anticipated, the time was productive and career enhancing.If you decide to remain with your current employer, when things start to improve, you will be remembered (read rewarded) for your initiative and loyalty.Kelly Francis is the founder of Performance Solutions Limited a professional services firm specialising in human resource consulting and immigration management. Contact Kelly on kelly_francis[AT]psolutions.bm, or visit the website www.psolutions.bm