Don't Slip: Three Common Career Mistakes

Moving up in the world is not as easy as it used to be. Gone are the days when an employee could be promoted simply by showing up and putting in their time. Nowadays, tenure alone will not get employees to the next level. Instead, those with plans of onward and upward growth must learn to mirror the habits of top performers, while also taking a sincere interest in the expectations of their manager.

When your manager sees you, talks to you, and reviews your body of work, does he or she see a budding professional who can accept added responsibilities? If not, your potential for upward growth will be limited. There are dozens of “peels” that can cause a career slip-up, but the three highlighted below are at the forefront for many managers.

Peel #1 – Unreliable Attendance

Employees who cannot get to work when scheduled create the impression that they are not good with time management. As employees seek positions with increased responsibilities, deadlines and punctuality become increasingly important. There are times when life happens, and calling in ill may be unavoidable, however, employees can set themselves apart by toughing it out and being the person who can get to work when the snow starts to fall. Business strategy hinges on good attendance, and managers want to know whom they can count on.

Peel #2 – Avoiding Goals

Goals move business forward and companies need goal setters at every level. You can help your career grow by setting goals on a regular basis and sharing those goals with your manager. Go above and beyond the traditional month-to-month collection goals, and set goals that allow you to grow and develop professionally. By setting goals, you send the message that you are committed to continuous improvement and that you pay attention to results.

Peel #3 – Mixing Personal and Professional

Most managers would agree that employees who share too much of their personal life in the workplace present additional challenges for the company. Surely, we have all seen employees who gossip and who share stories about their wild weekend, even going so far as to cruise the aisles and distract fellow co-workers. Employees must be careful to represent themselves well while on the clock. Don’t be the employee who texts while talking to customers, clogs up the email system with personal emails and crude jokes, or who uses the phone system to place long distance phone calls. These behaviors put managers on alert.

Employees should be aware of how their behavior affects their long-term career aspirations. By learning to avoid these three peels, you will create a competitive advantage for You, Inc., and, in doing so, prevent a possible career-ending slip and fall.

Republished with permission from Collector Mentor.