Seven simple ways to ruin your career

YOU think you’re doing all the right things at work, but you have to be careful. Once tarnished, your professional reputation can be difficult to salvage.

ONCE tarnished, your professional reputation can be difficult to salvage.

Here are the seven easiest ways to ruin your career, and tips on how to curate a long and fruitful one.

BACK OUT OF A NEW JOB

Once you make a decision to accept a position, you should stick with it. Be a man/woman of your word. Unless there is an extremely strong reason to jump ship, stop going on interviews and pursuing other options.

You can bet your jilted employer will talk, and word will spread. It is usually a small world in industry circles, and it is wise to always conduct yourself with the utmost professionalism.

RESIST CHANGE

Remove the ‘nevers’ from your vocabulary and be open to alternative ways of thinking or doing things. Keep an open mind! Close-mindedness will only get you so far. Failing to embrace new ideas and perspectives will significantly increase your chances of being left behind or descending into complacency.

If you’re still using one of these, it’s time to move on.

OVER-PROMISE AND UNDER-DELIVER

You think you are doing yourself (and others) a favour by talking yourself up, but if you can’t walk the walk, you will surely end up disappointing co-workers and clients.

Do not make any promises you cannot keep. Manage your time effectively and turn in your projects on or ahead of time. If you feel overwhelmed or know that you may not be able to complete something on schedule, speak up and delegate tasks to others if possible. Keep communication open and ensure everyone is on the same page.

MAKE EXCUSES

Do not make yourself the victim at work. No one likes a martyr, and honestly it gets old fast. It should not be anyone else’s fault that you missed the mark. If you don’t have the answers, ask the right questions. Be a problem solver, not just a problem identifier. Beating yourself up won’t do you any favours either. Learn from your mistakes, and most importantly, take responsibility for your actions.

On the flip side, take responsibility for your successes too! You may see self-deprecation or deflection as humility, but all it really does is negatively alter other people’s perception of you. Don’t attribute your talents or accomplishments to pure luck. Accept credit where credit is due.

SEND A NASTY EMAIL

It happens. You are livid and want to send an angry email to tell off a co-worker who threw you under the bus. Or maybe you’re feeling bitter about being turned down for a job unfairly. You believe you will come out on top and really “stick it to ‘em,” but in reality you’re just portraying yourself as immature and hot-headed. That is not who people want to work with. Always allow yourself to cool off before hitting send. If you must, write out some of the angry thoughts to yourself and revisit them after some time. If you still think they are valid, figure out your next steps from there. Sometimes it is better to pull somebody aside in person to air out your concerns. You ideally do not want anything in writing that could be distributed around the block. Defend yourself when necessary, but always remain strategic.

TELL LIES

Don’t be a liar, liar.

Being trustworthy and honest is a fundamental characteristic that will always be valued. When you make a misstep you should own up to it right away. Getting caught in a lie is more detrimental to your reputation than admitting you are wrong.

I tell my staff this all the time — I’d much rather have someone own up to a mistake than try to cover it up. The cover up always just makes it worse, and makes me doubt them even more. Honesty is always the best policy, even if it’s a hard truth to take. And it is not enough just to tell the truth — be somewhat transparent rather than mysterious. Your credibility will be more stable when others feel they can understand your processes and aren’t left in the dark.

QUIT WITHOUT NOTICE

When you leave a job without proper notice, you will be burning a bridge behind you. It may seem insignificant, but you should always give your employer at least two weeks. Let an employer choose to let you leave in less than two weeks. By transitioning smoothly and leaving on as good of terms as possible, you increase your likelihood of a positive reference, as well as promote solid relationships within your industry. What goes around, come around.

Alan Cutter is the chief executive of recruiting firm AC Lion. This article originally appeared on LinkedIn and was republished here with permission.

What mistakes have you made that could’ve cost you your career? Let us know in the comments below.

Originally published as Seven simple ways to ruin your career