10 CAREER MISTAKES TO AVOID

Caroline Francis, Ed.S, MCC, NCCC

UK Alumni Career Services

1. FAILURE TO DEVELOP AND NURTURE YOUR NETWORK.

Isolating yourself.

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.

GOAL: BE PROFESSIONAL AND DISCREET.

5. FLIRT WITH OR DATE YOUR BOSS OR CO-WORKERS; TELL SUGGESTIVE JOKES.

GOAL: AVOID THIS PRACTICE AND BE WARNED OF RELATIONSHIPS GONE SOUR.

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.

8. BURN BRIDGES OR MAKE FUN OF COLLEAGUES, LEADERS OR CUSTOMERS.

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.

9. DEVELOP YOUR TECHNICAL AND WORK CONTENT SKILLS, BUT NEGLECT YOUR COMMUNICATION SKILLS.

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.

10. COMPANY CULTURE MISFIT

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.

A little grace goes a long way.