Top 5 Career Mistakes

Everyone tries to achieve the career success on his or her own terms but, as you may agree, only a few make it. Most land in a career path not by choice but by chance. Gallup report on Global workplace engagement, survey conducted in year 2014 across 141 countries with nearly 75,000 respondents,  shows a few countries professionals engaged levels in their work.

According to the above report, on an average only 13% of the professionals are engaged and about 87% professionals are either not engaged and actively disengaged. This indicates that the majority of professionals are not happy with their career resulting in high disengagement with work.

Here are the top 5 career mistakes that could ruin your career success.

1. Staying in Comfort Zone

It is rightly said that “Life Begins At The End Of Your Comfort Zone”.

If you really want to achieve your best in your career, you need to test the limits. Beware if your work is too comfortable, maybe you are falling prey to the lure of comfort. As you know that the change is only constant, at some point of the time every aspect of your work will change. Being attached to comfort zone, sometimes unaware of it, you may start resisting the change. You could miss great opportunities and result in career disaster.

If you realize that you are clinging to comfort zone, you need to deliberately push yourself to next higher career goal. Embrace the change proactively and adapt new skills to cope with change. Set yourself ambitious long term and short term career goals and go all in with your best efforts to achieve it.

2. Assuming your Job is Secure

Corporates, irrespective of their size and industry, are forced to reinvent their business models to stay competitive in the changing market demand. Increase in pace of disruptive technology emergence adds to it.

Assuming your job is secure in today’s workplace would be a big mistake. You may be one of the best performer in your organisation but, if business itself changes, your skills may not be useful anymore. Even if you didn’t go anything wrong, you might be made redundant. At the end, it’s just business.

You should be ready for such a situation, so that you can find a new job in shortest time possible. Always watch the market for related opportunities. It doesn’t harm if you apply for some, just to know where you stand and what are the things you might need to get into your resume to get a new job.

3. Not Staying Updated

Technology and Business landscape is changing rapidly. You might be very good in your current work. If you don’t inculcate the attitude of continuous learning, through updating yourself with changing technology, new frameworks, tools and business in your work area, your skills become outdated, eventually.

Spending all your time to manage your current work may not be a good idea as you may find it difficult to even look around and explore new skills you need to learn. Plan your time to update your skills, as it is no more an option, if you want to achieve your career success.

4. Money Over Work

Highest paying job doesn’t automatically imply the best job for your career success. The decisions made purely on money focus often lead to career setback in some point of time.

Career decisions needs to be based on 3 factors: Interests, Capabilities and Money. This 3 – Circles framework is discussed in detail in this post.

More important is the define your career success and consider the long term perspective while taking career decisions. Some of the high paid jobs may not be provide good career prospects on long term. Also, you might miss out a great career opportunity as it doesn’t pay in good money today.

5. Not Nurturing Network

Power of professional Network plays very vital role in your career success. You need to build your network on every opportunity. Attending events, conferences, other corporate sociable activities is the best way to build your network. Many people receive new opportunities because of the references, whom they know, rather than what they know.

Also nurturing network is equally important as you build your network. Nurturing networking means serving through extending your professional support, connecting business contacts, support in getting new job etc.,. Don’t miss out an opportunity to serve the network as it will payback in your career success.

Those are the top 5 career mistakes, you should avoid to achieve your career goals.