In the workplace, there are small missteps that are easy to recover from and then there are big blunders that can kill your career. Whether you are just starting out or have been in your career for years, here are four career missteps to avoid:
Everyone wants to get ahead, but the successful ones know their limitations and the timing associated with the right career move. Knowing when to push for a new promotion or career move is important. Trying to climb the corporate ladder to quickly can result in a poor reputation or worse failure in the new role. Often the new role is very visible and can greatly diminish your chances of moving up within the organization.
The average millennial will change job 6.3 times from age 18-25. Changing jobs for the right reason can benefit your career, but it depends on how and why you are making the change. While employers are much more willing to accept job hopping from the younger folk, a lot depends on how they do it. For more experience professional, be careful not to ‘job hop’. Moving jobs too often, even for the right reasons can make landing your dream role move difficult. When you do decided to leave a role, be candid, pick an exit timeline and stick to it and put in the extra work to ensure a smooth transition for you and your employer. This will prevent burned bridges that can come back to haunt you in the future.
Human nature doesn’t disappear when you start a new job, so it’s understandably that like-minded people tend to gravitate toward each other. Often, workplace bonds can be deep and long lasting. However, getting too close with one group of people and it can hurt your career, particularly if that group falls out of favor or are part of a round of layoffs. A better strategy is to make friends across the entire organization. This will help you build your name and reputation within the company. The more people you know throughout the company, the greater your connections and networking opportunities.
No matter your level within a company, we all have manager and mentors that can help us navigate and improve our job performance. These people can provide you with invaluable advice and feedback, but you must be willing to accept it. If you never learn to accept feedback or criticism, you’ll kill your career before it begins.
Preparing for an interview can be the difference between success and failure. One of the best ways to prepare for an interview is to practice your interview questions and answers. This will help you hone your answers.
We have complied 20 of the most common interview questions below. Practice your answers so you will feel comfortable and put your best foot forward.
1.- When socializing at a work party, it is best to hold my glass in which hand?
It is best to hold your drink in your left hand so that your right hand is free for shaking hands, eliminating the need to switch hands at the last minute. It also prevents you from offering a wet handshake due to the condensation from the glass.
2.- When at meetings at which people are wearing name tags, the best place to put my name tag is where?
Officially, you should place your name tag on your right shoulder because during the handshake (using your right hand), the other person’s eyes naturally follow your right arm up to your head to make eye contact, allowing time to slip another look at your name on your name tag. However, in practice, most people wear theirs on the left side.
By Claudia T. Marroquin
Delta Computer Consulting, Inc. is certified through the WBENC (Women’s Business Enterprise National Council) as a woman-owned and woman-operated business.
