If you feel that your career is driving on a dead-end street, you may be guilty of sabotaging your own career development. Killing ones career is not something that people do on purpose. We tend to fall in that trap by accident or by lack of initiative. That may sound odd, but it is highly likely that your are in the grip of at least one of the following career killers.
Not Keeping Your Skills Up-to-Date – If there is one thing about career making you should never forget is that it always revolves around being ahead in the game. However, to achieve that you should constantly develop your skills and knowledge in the field in which you are working. There is no logic in expecting to climb higher, if you are not improving yourself, right!
Not Thinking Ahead – What is your next career goal? How long do you plan to stay at your present job? What is your career focus? So many questions and so few people that actually try to answer them for themselves. Having a plan about your career and the direction in which you want to develop it will allow you to move forward and reach your goal. Do not simply aim for a certain job, career level or salary. Think how you are going to achieve that. Once you have a plan, you can start following up.
Not Appreciating Your Successes – True careerists are not shy to share their success with the world. They learn to appreciate their small victories and they show their professional network of what they are capable. No, do not mistake that for bragging. There are many ways to share your career successes without being annoying. For instance, if you got promoted, update your social profile information. In that way, you will not only keep it up-to-day, but also let the world know about your achievement without making it look like a show-off.
Perfection Does Not Exist – While it is great to value yourself highly, you should never assume that you are the best in what you do. As many employers know, no one is irreplaceable. Even if you have helped the company to rise from ashes, acting like a diva is out of the question. Always keep your feet firmly on the ground and you will be able to follow your career path.
Feeling Complacent – One of the most common reason why people make all these career mistakes is related to complacency. When spending a long time working in a company, one may become less enthusiastic, interested and concerned on the job they are doing. Instead, they simply wait for the next paycheck. This feeling of complacency can be very dangerous for your career as it reduces your personal ambitions and desire to evolve as a professional.
