Working Strategy: Things That May Jeopardize Your Job

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By Mia Bolaris-Forget

While school may give you the rudimentary skills necessary for finding a job, the best education you’ll get about moving ahead, especially in the corporate world, will come from hands on experience, trial and error.

And, the most common error most of us make is sabotaging our success without even knowing it. And, according to experts the most common mistakes that pollute your prosperity include:

1. Lack Of Likeability: Being people friendly is a skill worth its weight in gold. In fact, experts note that without it, chances are, you won’t go far. Most employers and employees prefer to work with those they like and get along with, even if they are less skilled than more competent but cocky counterparts. And experts add, that being good at your job is not quite as important as being liked by those around you.

2. Having A “Me” Mentality: While companies look for someone who is an independent thinker and self-starter, they also want someone who is a team player. Joining a company is similar to joining a “family” and no one wants to work with someone who is just out for themselves and act like a “superstar”. Instead, experts suggest making your supervisors shine and conveying that you are concerned with the greater good of the company.

3. Missing The Mark: When assigned a project most employers know exactly what they expect and when they expect it by. And, according to experts, it’s probably in your best interests to meet, or better yet, beat the deadline. Remember missing a deadline is not only “unprofessional”, but may have an adverse affect on the schedules and progress of others, even making your boss look bad. With that in mind, experts recommend promising less and delivering more, even if it means working extra hours or all through the night.

4. Getting Too Personal (On The Job): Work is meant for business, your company’s (or your boss’s) and NOT yours. Limit the amount and time of personal phone calls and refrain from discussing anything that you don’t feel is appropriate for others to hear. Another word of caution is avoiding emails containing too personal information and that may wind up in the “wrong” hands. Remember, many systems save deleted messages to a master file that your employer can check on at a later point. And be extra careful about hitting the reply all button, if there’s something you really don’t want others to read.

5. Keeping To Yourself: Not only is getting along with others essential but so is associating with coworkers and colleagues. Experts note that it’s imperative to establish healthy working relationships with others in your company and learning how to use those relationships to your advantage. Learn how to network effectively and don’t waste time on company politics. And, statistics show that successful networkers are able to be part of more successful teams, get better reviews, more promotions, and are more highly compensated.

6. Getting Romantically Involved With A Co-Worker: Sure it’s easy to fall for someone you spend so many hours (a day) with, but, experts advise against starting an office romance, unless you both work in separate divisions or locations. And they add it’s an especially bad idea to get involved with a supervisor or boss.

7. Getting “Complacent” In Your Position: Most business or companies want to grow, so you need to be ready and willing to embrace chance and that means being prepared to take some risks. Employees who fear failure and are not up for new challenges compromise not only their advancement, but also their current position, since they are often seem as resistant to the company’s growth and therefore “dispensable”.

8. Lack Of Ambition: Employers would rather see you try to achieve a goal and “fail” (as long as you learn something from your mistake), instead of someone who has no goals to reach. Experts suggest outlining daily objectives and planning your day on how to accomplish them. They note that eighty percent of your efficiency comes from just 20 percent of your labor. And they add its wise to focus on priorities and goals first.

9. Letting Yourself Go: Whether you work in a Fortune 500 hundred company or a business with only 5 employees, image truly is everything. Experts suggest using as a guideline how you presented yourself at the interview and basing your daily appearance on that standard. They not that people make many assumptions about you based solely on appearance, you if you want to “get ahead in the world”, you’ll need to keep your up. And, they suggest reaching beyond the obvious. Besides staying well-groomed, you should also brush up on your vocabulary, speech, grammar, and avoid slang and expletives.

10. Making Yourself A “Public” Figure: No matter where in the building you are, you are still in a working environment, so it’s wise say experts to conduct yourself accordingly and proceed with caution. Steer clear of personal conversations, what you say, and to whom. Also avoid making inappropriate comments, gestures, remarks, or telling questionable or off-color jokes. And be very careful about gossiping or telling secrets about those your work with, especially about bosses or supervisors.