5 Mistakes That Can Harm Your Career

Many of us make mistakes when we first start a new job. While some are harmless and can easily be corrected, others might cost us our jobs. Errors related to the tasks we perform can be avoided through learning and experience over time, but mistakes in our behavior are something we need to actively work on and be conscious of at all times.

By avoiding the critical mistakes, we can move forward in our career path and become successful in the long-run. Below we have listed 5 common mistakes that can ruin your career and a few tips on how to avoid them.

If part of your job is to hire new employees, check out this article to know 5 common hiring mistakes to avoid.

1. Ignoring workplace relationships

At most jobs, it is common to work in an open office space alongside numerous colleagues, supervisors and subordinates. Many of us only focus on our duties at work and tend to forget about the people we work with. To create a positive environment in our office space, we need to form good relationships with our colleagues.

Another important reason to have good workplace relationships is to get promoted. More often than not, employees that are closest with superiors and colleagues get promoted to higher ranks. These employees are seen as good leaders because of their excellent communication skills and friendly approach.

So, maintaining good relationships with people around you will not only make it easier for you to fit in, but it will ultimately help you move forward in your career. A few easy ways you can start establishing a good relationship is to simply greet coworkers when you see them, by saying “Hello” or “Good morning/afternoon”; you can also have a friendly chat with them during breaks.

Here is an article that tells you how important communication skills are to recruiters.

2. Not networking

Workplace relationships can be extended outside the company to people within your industry as a whole. Networking is very important if you want to get the best out of the industry you are working in. By meeting people in other companies or sectors, you are bringing in more career opportunities for yourself.

People in your network can inform you of better job positions and other work related opportunities that will ultimately help you move forward in your career path. To expand your network, branch out of your workplace and attend various conferences and industry related events to meet with new people that work in similar sectors as you. This way, you are not limiting yourself to just one company, you are gaining more information about other opportunities that could further advance your career.

Another way to grow your network is to have a good relationship with your employer, especially when leaving the job. Quitting a job or getting fired does not need to end on bad terms, you can make sure to have a good understanding with your employer so that they keep in touch and provide recommendations for your future employment.

By networking, you can also find other industries you could excel in. Have a look on the ten most in-demand jobs in Bangladesh, if you have links to people in these sectors you could easily find opportunities that are better than your existing job.

3. Misuse of social media

In the fast paced digital world we live in today, social media impacts your career as well. Many of us do not think too much of the posts we make on Facebook, or any other popular social media platforms, but these posts can affect our work life negatively. Posting about your employer or your colleagues can get you into a lot of trouble if they ever find out, which is very easy considering how public everything is on the internet. It can even put you at risk of getting fired.

However, getting fired is not the worst part. Finding a new job will become much more difficult as nowadays, many companies do a background check on potential employees by searching through their social media accounts. If recruiters find out that you publicly spoke badly of your previous employers, they will be less likely to hire you.

So it is best to make sure you use social media wisely. Avoid posting or commenting about things that happen at work and make sure you do not publicly speak ill about the people you work with!

4. Not being productive

This is a very obvious mistake. Not putting in your best effort at work, or slacking off on the job will definitely be a concern for your supervisors. Making mistakes like not meeting deadlines on time, not completing a task properly, or relying too much on your colleagues will all get you in trouble with your superiors. At first you may be issued a warning so that you do not make these mistakes again, but if you continue with this kind of behaviour at work, you might be out of your job very soon.

Although it is not possible to have a perfect record, employers expect a certain level of effort from each of their employees. If you keep performing less than expected, it may be time to evaluate yourself and find out why you are not performing well.

Another reason why some people slack off at work is because they do not feel motivated. Despite getting a decent salary and great benefits at your current place of work, you might feel as though this job is not for you. Many of us will look into different careers to see which suits us best, and more often than not we will end up working somewhere solely for the pay check rather than for our interest. To avoid this, it is best to research beforehand which jobs we want to pursue and which will help us move forward with our career of choice. Find out what information you should seek before applying for a job.

5. Resisting changes in the workplace

Nowadays, organizations are rapidly changing and refining their strategies to be the best in the market. With new technological advancements every year, it is essential to keep up with the latest developments to stay competitive in the market. Similarly, employees are also expected to update themselves so they can match their skills to the organization’s ever-changing requirements.

In order to do this, employees need to be flexible and adapt quickly to new situations. They also need to brush up on their existing skills and improve themselves to stay as valuable assets in their company.

Resisting against these changes can make employees redundant in an organization, eventually leading them to lose their jobs. To avoid getting sacked from your job, you need to regularly assess your skills and improve on them, alongside learning new skills that are necessary to perform your duties. There are many training options to choose from, both provided by companies as well as outside workshops and seminars, which you can attend to gather useful knowledge.

Without improving your skills and being adaptable, it will not only be difficult to stay with your current employer, but it will also be difficult to find a new job. Check out this article to find out what kind of skills most employers are looking for in new talents.

Conclusion

Hopefully this article has given you an idea of the career mistakes you should avoid at your job. It is quite natural to make mistakes at the beginning, but over time as you gain more experience and gather more knowledge, you will be less likely to make errors.

If you are currently applying for jobs, why not check out another article on the Do’s and Don’ts of interview body language to better prepare you for your job interview?

Visit Bikroy.com today to find listings of hundreds of job vacancies at the best organizations in Bangladesh.

What other mistakes can you think of that we might have missed? Leave them in the comments below!