10 c areer mistakes t o avoid caroline francis, ed.s, mcc, nccc uk alumni career services
TRANSCRIPT
GOAL: ABN – ALWAYS BE NETWORKING!
Don’t wait until you are unemployed to network.
People with developed networks get more opportunities and land on their feet faster after a job loss.
Join an association within your field. Participate on Linkedin.
When you run into a problem or a crisis, your network are the people you can call on for advice and help.
Make time for your colleagues, contacts, and friends. Support them and celebrate their successes.
2. LEAVE YOUR CAREER PROGRESSION UP TO OTHERS (E.G. YOUR BOSS AND MENTORS).
Not planning your career progression and the steps to get you there.
Rest on your laurels or get stale.
GOAL: DRIVE YOUR CAREER. INVEST IN CONTINUOUS LIFE-LONG LEARNING.
Keep your skill set current, especially technical skills.
Invest in your own professional development. Seek out positions that take you in the
direction you want to go. Consciously build your resume. Have personal career goals and purposefully
work toward fulfilling them. Ask for a special project or cross-training
opportunity.
3. HAVE AN UNPROFESSIONAL APPEARANCE.
Misinterpret “business casual” or “casual Friday” to mean anything goes.
GOAL: BE MINDFUL…
Dress for the position you desire. No matter what the position, “dress up” for
interviews. Be mindful of your audience and how you
represent your employer.
4. INAPPROPRIATE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Breach confidentiality, badmouth the boss, or company.
“Friend” your boss and co-workers. Post your comments during business hours. Utilize LinkedIn to advertise you are looking
for a new position. Firing off irate or threatening posts or e-
mails.
6. NEVER CONFUSE ACTIVITY WITH RESULTS.
Work hard and wait to be noticed, not realizing the importance of adding value, visibility, and communicating your value/tooting your own horn (as appropriate).
GOAL: MAKE SURE WHAT YOU DO IS VALUED AND/OR ADDS VALUE.
It’s not personal. Subtly make sure your boss knows the value
you are adding to the organization. Always keep your resume up-to-date. Be visible inside and outside your
organization and within your industry.
7. POOR ATTITUDE
Be defensive or blame others when things don’t go as planned.
Whine and complain. Resist change. Take credit for ideas and work
of others.
GOAL: BE THE COLLEAGUE OTHERS WANT TO BE AROUND
Remain positive. Leave your troubles at the door. Carry your weight. Give credit where credit is due! Share your opinions but get on board with
new direction. Own your mistakes. Take responsibility for
them. Offer solutions.
GOAL: DO UNTO OTHERS
Leave on a good note. You may need the reference later. Laugh with people, not at them. It’s a small world - what goes around, comes
around.
GOAL: BE A WELL ROUNDED PROFESSIONAL
Develop a variety of skill sets. Build relationships before you may need
them. Employees often get promoted for technical
skills but are demoted for their poor relationship skills.
Remember your customer service skills. We all have “customers”, whether they are internal to our business or external, more traditional customers.
GOAL: FIT IN
Observe and become a part of your company culture (e.g. dress code, open door, email, calendar sharing, lunch, etc.)
What does the company really value and practice? For example, some organizations value people staying in their departments/areas; others want a lot of cross-talk among departments and position levels.
If you don't understand the degree to which your company practices these behaviors, you won't fit in.
ADDITIONAL THINGS TO AVOID Job hopping. Staying in one job too long. Getting too specialized. Accepting a position purely for money. Not asking for help or being too afraid to admit
“I don't know”. Going over the bosses head (not following chain
of command). Losing control of emotions at work. Taking job/work culture too personally. Personal phone calls/being on cell phone at
work. Selling yourself short.