Here Are Some Biggest Career Mistakes You Should Avoid Making This Year

The start of a new calendar year is a good time to reflect on the previous 12 months and devise a plan to improve things going forward.
Whether you experienced a few career mishaps last year or progressed as expected, it never hurts to strive to do better.
With that in mind, here are a few critical mistakes you should avoid this year at all costs.

1. Avoiding Risks

It’s not easy to step outside your comfort zone and put yourself in a position where you might fail. On the other hand, if you don’t take any risks on the job, you won’t know new things.
Next time a new idea comes to you, don’t ignore it. Rather, run with it and see where it leads. Even if it doesn’t work out, your boss will likely appreciate your ingenuity.

2. Not Continuing To Learn

It’s easy enough to coast at work when things are going smoothly. After all, why shake things up when your boss seems pleased with your performance? But if you don’t push yourself to keep learning and growing professionally, you’re likely to stunt your career growth and miss out on key opportunities to get promoted.
So figure out which areas you’re lacking knowledge in and take steps to bridge those gaps, whether it means signing up for courses, attending conferences and seminars, or enlisting the help of a mentor.

3. Getting Easily Confused, Agitated, Caught Off-Guard

It’s hard to keep your cool at work when deadlines loom and projects are dumped on you at the last minute. But if you don’t figure out a way to cope with job-related stress, you’re less likely to move forward at your company.

4. Neglecting Your Business Relationships

When it comes to furthering your career, the people you know are often just as important, if not more so, than the things you know.
Though you don’t have to visit everyone every now and then but, you should, at the very least, reach out to each person in your network every few months to check in–especially since you never know when those folks might have a solid job opportunity that’s perfect for you.

5. Allowing Yourself To Be Unhappy At Work

It’s an unfortunate fact that a large chunk of workers today are unhappy at their jobs. If you’ve taken steps to make your role better and nothing seems to be doing the trick, don’t resign yourself to another 12 months (or more) of misery. Instead, dust off your resume, reach out to your contacts, and seek out a job that you’ll find more fulfilling.
The longer you allow yourself to stay at a job that makes you miserable, the more your performance is likely to suffer, and that’s a good way to hurt your reputation and get yourself fired.

6. Not Asking For A Rise In Pay If You Think You Deserve One

Many people shy away from negotiating their salaries at work because they don’t want to come off as greedy or anger their managers. But you know what they say: If you don’t ask, you (often) don’t get.
Furthermore, if you approach that conversation the right way, you can pull it off in a manner that doesn’t damage your relationship with your boss. That means researching salary data so you’re able to present a reasonable number to your manager and going in prepared with a list of reasons why you deserve a boost.
The End!!!