26 Oct Habits That Can Have a Negative Effect on Your Career and Make You Look Unprofessional
Ah, being young. There are many things that youth grants you, including skin without wrinkles, fresh ideas, limitless energy and the prospect of building your carrier from the start. When we are young, we feel like anything is possible and it really is if we put our mind to it. However, sounding young during an interview or in your resume can be a bad thing and limit your carrier options. You can express yourself anyway you want while you are brainstorming with your friends, but when talking to a representative of a certain company, it is important to show respect and effort by speaking their language. Preparing for a real job is important, and while you are searching for a perfect opportunity you can try making some money on the side. There are clear communication patterns that can make a person seem inexperienced and lead people away from the real message that they are trying to send. Try to re-evaluate yourself – recognize and tend to these patterns at the start of your carrier in order to make your transition from education to work easier.
Asking unnecessary questions
Being inquisitive is a good quality. Modern employers know to recognize this and they love workers who are curious for knowledge and think deeper. This is exactly why most employers will rather hire a young perspective mind than someone in their 40s. But nobody likes listening to someone who ends every sentence with an “up” note. With this “up” speak habit, you will most likely make your every statement sound like a question. This is maybe because people get confused and cannot see clear intent, but adding a question mark on each sentence falsely will only leave a negative impression. Moderate how you speak so that every idea has the intended effect and save endings on the high note for your performance at work. Even though you need to show respect towards the organization you work for or plan on working for, it is also essential to show initiative when you speak, so give yourself an appropriate amount of freedom.
Excessive usage of place holders
Many lovable words such as “like” can be very hard to love if used too often in the middle of a conversation. It is very common to hear people use place holders like “ah,” “um” or “you know” during stressful moments, like when talking to a big crowd or during a group presentation. If you use these place holders excessively during your normal speech, it can be a clear sign of inexperience and lack of confidence. At the beginning of their career, most people have had this kind of problem, and it’s understandable – they have opened a new chapter in life, which they know nothing about in practice. The important thing is to overcome the hard days at the office and not let them bother you. When you are a part of a business organization, you cannot express yourself like on the street. Luckily, place holders rarely appear on written paper, but you should try removing them from your everyday talk – at least while at work.
Extreme punctuation and excitement
Everyone knows that an exclamation point in your resume or email can make a strong impression. However writing things like: “Thanks for answering! I am willing to meet with you tomorrow, and I can’t wait!” is overfilled with excitement and this usually doesn’t suit a business interview or negotiation. When someone is overexcited during their business endeavors, he or she might come off as inexperienced. This applies both for real life and online communication. You can try writing a blog of your own for some time and it might help you get a better perspective on how you should react when talking to people on professional basis.
Try it out, build a basic blog, get a good hosting service and see what you can learn. A dose of excitement is good, however don’t overdo it. This is why it is good to save on exclamations and use them only when it matters and when you really want to make a dramatic effect. People want to see what you really think is important and if you use exclamations on everything, they will think that you don’t have a clue.
Having a young spirit that can create new things is something you must use to your advantage in order to build on your career. But, there are some rules that are here to stay, and like it or not, you must adjust to them. Hopefully, these rules are less strict each day and there are many fun job opportunities for fresh minds to show creativity. Work on your performance and bring the big guns to the table. Believe in yourself and be confident, while at the same time being modest. I hope these pieces of advice will help you start a great career.
