Are You Making These Career Mistakes?

The most common career mistakes aren't immediately obvious. Instead, they tend to be made up of small daily choices that move you in the wrong direction. Advance your career by staying focused and actively working to avoid these five common career mistakes.

Taking Your Position for Granted

After you've been doing the same job for a while, it's easy to start to let some things slide. Maybe you don't give every task your full effort, or you stop actively seeking out new challenges. Advance your career by always doing your best work and regularly looking for ways to grow. You may think no one pays attention to you, but others notice when you put your best effort toward each task. While you're at it, start actively working to improve your workplace reputation. By staying interested in your company's mission and becoming the go-to person in your department, you improve your chance of getting offered promotions and other opportunities.

Losing Sight of Goals

You might have had a grand plan in college, but a few years in the workforce may have caused you to lose your motivation. If so, it's time to take a good, hard look at your career goals. Even if you have a busy or stressful job, it is important to remember to assess your career plans regularly and make sure that your current activities are moving you closer to your ultimate goals.

Not Staying Up to Date

The older you get, the more important it is to stay up to date in your field and learn as much as possible about new or emerging technologies. Advance your career by keeping your skills current to better compete with younger workers who may have more technology experience.

Always Looking for Something Better

Sometimes, it can be hard to settle down into a job or a particular field of work. When things get difficult, many employees start thinking about moving along or even going back to college to learn something different. Although there is nothing wrong with leaving a job that is a poor fit or embarking on a career change, those options should involve well thought out plans, not spur of the moment decisions. To help advance your career, try to work through job and career problems instead of abruptly leaving. Talk to your boss or your coworkers about issues. If you do decide to leave, make an exit plan, and take the steps necessary to ensure you continue moving toward your career goals.

Devaluing Yourself

Perhaps one of the worse mistakes is devaluing your own contributions and abilities. Advance your career by contradicting negative self-talk with lists of your strengths. Remember that everyone makes mistakes sometimes. Try keeping a list of all your job accomplishments to help boost your self-esteem, and use content from this list whenever you're updating your resume.

Instead of worrying over making a big work-related mistake, start working to avoid mistakes that that can derail your overall career success. Advance your career by keeping your eye on the big picture, giving every task your best effort and staying up to date in your field. By remembering your worth and keeping your focus on your goals, you can steadily move forward in your career.

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