2014 Career missteps to avoid

Times have definitely changed – technology has improved so much that it has been making our lives extra comfortable and accessible. Career wise, there are also a lot of changes. There are now more “new” careers, businesses are growing and companies are getting bigger. Professionals that have made it big in their industries know the ins and outs of the game and they also know that there are certain mistakes to avoid.

You may have read about career missteps to avoid before (such as quitting your job without a plan, take a job you don’t like, take too much risk like invest money you don’t have, etc.), but check out the list of new missteps to avoid below:

Not understanding the possible consequences of online presence – sure it’s fun to share images, videos and your thoughts online but if you do not set your privacy settings right and you went on with an irresponsible tirade about your company or someone you work with, or if you shared a video of you out partying when you have called in sick that same day, well, that may back fire on you. Websites such as Linkedin is like your online resume and once you are in a network, some of your updates may be sent to those connected to you and if you disclose some confidential matters in your profile or if you keep on sending signals (about maybe quitting your job), your employers can find that easily and you can even get the boot for it.

Some people like to do "selfies" but some people likes to record or take images or other people – you can’t stop people from having fun in and especially out of the office with their other colleagues and there are things that you cannot really stop (even with policies and guidelines) such as office romance, drunk employees at office events/parties: and with a lot of people owning a Smartphone nowadays, it won’t be long before an image or a video of you can go viral online and be something that can hunt you for a long time.

Not recognizing culture and diversity in the workplace – companies and businesses grows and as they expand, they will hire people from different culture, race, age, gender, religious, etc. section. Some of the missteps that even contribute to the failure of the whole organization is not valuing diversity in the workplace. Poor workplace diversity management can lead to conflicts, miscommunication, delays, and even lawsuits. 

Resources:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/2012/01/19/the-worst-career-blunder-you-can-make/
http://www.tlnt.com/2013/04/08/hiring-wisdom-top-10-ways-to-guarantee-your-best-people-will-quit/
http://www.meditec.com/blog/career-mistakes-to-learn-from/