Avoid These Career Mistakes

You’re making your way towards a new career, working hard on your Carrington College program. It takes an awful lot of dedication to get into a new career; once you’ve made it and got that first job, don’t undo all that hard work by making easily avoided career-limiting mistakes like these!

Being inaccurate – Let’s face it, spelling mistakes happen to everyone! Just don’t make one on your resume, cover letter, or post-interview thank-you note. It conveys a lack of attention to detail and suggests that you could be just as careless with your work. Wouldn’t it be terrible to miss out on a great opportunity because of a typo?

Keeping the focus on you – Career success is shared; if you do well, there’s a good chance that your colleagues will share in that success because you’re part of a team.  If you adopt a ‘flying solo’ attitude in the work place, it will be noticed and your opportunities for progression could soon be limited; you could find yourself labeled ‘not a team player’.

Thinking your learning is done – If you adopt an attitude that suggests you know all there is to know about your career, then you’re done. Stay current on advances in your profession and you’ll stay in contention for future job opportunities and pay-raises. Your Certificate or Associate degree can only take you so far. Your skills need to be adaptable as the industry changes; it’s easier to adopt a positive attitude to continual learning than to fall behind and play catch-up.

Being inattentive – Turn your phone off while at work, especially in career defining meetings and interviews! Always try to be focused on one thing at a time – and that means being at work while you’re ‘at work’. Leave Facebook, Twitter, and texting for your breaks. If you absolutely have to have your phone with you in case of family emergencies, make sure it’s on silent, but you may still have to briefly turn it off in key situations.

Being overly aggressive in interviews – Questions are good in interviews, but don’t make them about salary and vacation until you feel you’ve made a positive impression. You have to prove your potential worth to the business before you discuss what they will do for you. Make your questions  about the job’s responsibilities, growth opportunities, and corporate culture.

Hiding in the shadows – Be confident in your skills and your abilities; be prepared to take risks to advance your career. If you stay in your comfort zone then you’ll find it hard to grow. Don’t miss out on an opportunity because you’re frightened to take a chance. Sometimes you have to speculate to accumulate!

Going through the motions – Put in a full day’s work every day. Arrive on time and see out your shift conscientiously. Leave when you’re work is done, or when it’s appropriate to do so – not when the clock says it’s time to go. Arriving just in time and leaving two minutes early suggests that your heart’s not in it and you’re just going through the motions.

Communicating poorly – Many workplace issues arise through miscommunication. Make sure that you’re always clear and concise with your communication. And if you don’t think someone is communicating clearly to you – say something. Don’t just take your best guess at what you think they meant. You can have all the technical skills in the world, but if you can’t communicate well with colleagues and patients, career progression may be difficult.