1. Not Taking Your Education Seriously
If you party too much in college and end up with a run-of-the-mill 2.5 GPA,
you'll be passed over for the best entry-level jobs, says New York
City-based executive recruiter and coach Brian Drum, of Drum Associates. Not
finishing your master's degree is another way to hurt your
career-development goals, adds Anne Angerman, a career coach with
Denver-based Career Matters.
2. Not Having a Plan
In the current poor job market, you may have defaulted into a career you
aren't crazy about. That's OK, as long as you develop career plans to get
where you want to be. "Think of every job you take as a stepping-stone to
your next job," Drum advises.
3. Lying
You'll lose professional credibility in a hurry if you lie, from exaggerating
on your resume to getting
caught fibbing on Facebook. "If someone calls in sick to work and then that
evening posts a photo on Facebook of their extra day vacationing in Cabo San
Lucas, that's a big problem," says corporate etiquette specialist Diane
Gottsman of the Protocol School of Texas in San Antonio.
4. Sullying Your Reputation on Facebook or Twitter
Social media can harm
your reputation in other
ways, too. Personal posts and tweets from work--when you're supposed to be
doing your job--can tag you as a slacker. And the content of your posts or
tweets can come back to haunt you as well--you never know who might stumble
upon those bachelor-party photos. "You need to assume that every boss and
potential employer knows how to use Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace, and post
from the standpoint that everyone is watching--even if in reality they're
not," Gottsman says.
5. Not Respecting Professional Boundaries
Sharing TMI about your personal life with colleagues is unprofessional.
"Your coworkers don't want to hear about your fights with your husband,"
Angerman says. On the other hand, if you're ultraprivate and work with a
chatty group, join the conversations occasionally so coworkers don't resent
you.
6. Gossiping, Slandering, and Excessively Criticizing
If you publicly bash fellow employees, the boss, the board of directors, or
even your competitors, you'll be perceived as negative at best and a
troublemaker at worst. The ramifications can be broad and long-term,
Gottsman says. "Industries are tight," she says. "You don't want to be the
one who started that rumor about the head of your industry." As far as
bad-mouthing competitors--what if your company merges with a competitor, or
you want to work for one someday?
7. Carrying on an Inappropriate Relationship with Your Boss|
Never a good idea, but an especially bad one if your boss is married. "When
you get involved in a drama or in something unethical that can be brought
out in the open, you're asking for trouble," Gottsman says.
8. Not Controlling Your Alcohol Intake or Libido
Getting drunk at the office party or on a business trip damages your
credibility. Ditto a romantic, ahem, "indiscretion" that your colleagues
know about.
9. Job-Hopping Just for the Money
Job-hopping--in moderation--may not automatically disqualify you from a
position. "But it gets to the point--like if you have seven or eight jobs by
the time you're 35--that employers are not going to want to invest in you,"
Drum says. Also, if you have leadership aspirations, keep in mind that the
top dogs of many large corporations have been with those organizations for
long periods, he says. Additionally, many companies have "last in, first
out" layoff policies, which could leave you out of a job if you never stick
around long enough to build tenure anywhere.
10. Losing Touch with References
You'll kick yourself later if you leave a job without collecting personal
contact information from colleagues who can serve as professional
references for you in the
future. "If you were forced to leave a job and you can't ask your boss for a
reference, hopefully you've built up some rapport with a colleague and can
ask them," Angerman says.
11. Leaving a Job on Bad Terms
Don't become a lame duck when you've got one foot out the door, Drum says.
"The employer only remembers about the last five minutes you were there," he
says. Give proper
notice and don't leave a mess
behind. And by all means, do not make a huge dramatic production of it when
you quit, complete with cursing, slandering, and throwing things, Gottsman
advises. "It's very difficult to get another job when you've left
destruction in your wake," she says.