BUSINESS & CAREER

COMMON CAREER MISTAKES YOU MUST AVOID

4 Mistakes You Can Dodge

You’ve probably thought about what you should do to get ahead in your career. But as it turns out, it’s just as important to consider what you should not do, too.

HERE ARE FOUR COMMON PROFESSIONAL MISTAKES AND HOW TO AVOID THEM:

1) NOT ASKING FOR ENOUGH MONEY

I get it. It’s hard to speak up and ask for what you’re worth. Plenty of people lowball themselves when making compensation demands, thinking it will make them seem more competitive. However, you’re doing yourself a big disservice by not asking for enough money. If you’re underpaid, you’ll only be able to keep it up for so long before you begin to get discouraged by how much energy you’re expending and how little you’re receiving in return. Don’t just blurt out a number. Do some quality research on appropriate compensation for salaries or fees within your eld before making a request. You deserve appropriate compensation!

2)MISSING DEADLINES

As writer Douglas Adams said, “I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they y by. hile this is funny and relatable, if you miss deadlines, you’re probably letting opportunities pass you by as well. Reliability is just as important as the quality of work that you do. If you’re constantly not delivering on time, then you’ll begin to get a reputation for being aky. hat’s not going to help your career advancement. To avoid this, be honest when quoting a timeline for a project. Don’t just be a yes person, especially if you don’t think you can deliver by a certain date. If you realize that you’re running late on a project, be proactive and ask for an extension before the nal hour.

3)WORKING ALL THE TIME

Many people suffer from the delusion that working more is impressive and that taking time off is a sign of weakness. This couldn’t be further from the truth. If you work too much, you will eventually get burned out. Your work won’t be as effective as a worker, and you won’t have a good work-life balance. For best results, make time off a priority.

WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES IN THE WORKPLACE AT ONE POINT OR ANOTHER. HOWEVER, REPEATEDLY MAKING THE SAME PROFESSIONAL MISTAKES WILL DECREASE YOUR HAPPINESS ON THE JOB AND YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT MANY OF THESE MISTAKES ARE EASY TO DODGE IN THE FIRST PLACE.

4)REPEATING MISTAKES OVER AND OVER

To a certain degree, mistakes are unavoidable and inevitable. Few people reach higher career levels without making a misstep or two (or ten). This is not necessarily a bad thing... if you’re able to learn from your mistakes. If you don’t learn from your mistakes, your professional life will be like the movie Groundhog Day, where you keep repeating the same cycle over and over.

How can you break free? Learn from your mistakes.