What are the 8 biggest career mistakes to avoid? | Career tips for freshers

There is a saying- A smart person learns from their mistakes, but a wise person learns from other’s mistakes. 

As a fresher, you are going to make numerous mistakes while looking for a job, but it doesn’t mean that you avoid handy tips available to you around the globe.

The working world, you are going to enter is completely different from what you’ve imagined it to be. It is entirely different from your college or university environment and learning the rules by doing will cost you time.

Yes, initially you are going to do mistakes because every company has some protocols or ways of doing things, which is different from the theoretical knowledge you learn till now. But there are some common mistakes you can avoid after reading this write-up.

Making decisions based on salary alone

One of the most common mistakes freshers do is focusing on salary or package alone. As Jack Ma said when you are the age of:

20 – 25 Years Old

• Be a good student. Get some experience. Make mistakes. Don’t worry.
• You fall, you stand up, you fall, you stand up. Enjoy it.
• Don’t worry, any mistake is enjoyable learning for you; it is wonderful revenue for you.

25 – 30 Years Old

• Follow Somebody. Before 30 years old.
• Go to a small company. Normally in a big company, it is good to learn to process. You are a part of a big machine. But when you go to a small company, you learn the passion, you learn the dreams, you learn how to do a lot of things one time.
• Before 30 years old, it’s not which company you go to, it’s which boss you follow that’s very important. A good boss teaches you differently.

Not knowing your worth

This very common thing I have observed with freshers. They are confused about the skills they have and underestimate their worth. Knowing exactly the worth of skill or talent you are going to serve for your company will give you confidence and a competitive edge in comparison to your peers performing similar jobs. Never underestimate your worth or settle for less salary, only because you are fresher. Keep track of your accomplishments. They are going to hire because you have potential; after all, if you settle for less and don’t understand your worth then who should else?

Caution: Don’t settle for less doesn’t mean that you decide this purely based on salary. Sometimes, the experience you get is more valuable than earnings.

Expecting too much, too soon

We live in a society of comparisons, our family and friends compare us often with others without knowing the background details. We all have our aspirations from our first job. We thought, if we are toper, graduated from a good college or did a particularly demanding course, so we are the best and deserve the best too.

But the fact is, industry treats all freshers more or less just the same. They judge you on several parameters, your marks and college are a part of which. Rather than expecting too much at the beginning, look for a job that has a scope of growth.

Thinking linear for your career

Sometimes, I saw students stuck in a linear career path; that I have this particular degree so I do jobs related to this domain only.

We are living in an ever-changing environment, things changing around us very fast. If 3-4 years back you decide about some particular degree or course, then it doesn’t mean that till the time you complete your course; that should as valuable as before. In the current scenario, you need to develop a learning attitude with the spirit of a possibility thinker.

Gone are the days when you find someone at the same company for 30 years. Keeping a narrow choice span is not advisable. You have to expand your horizon to explore better options for you.

Living in a deception that your qualifications are self-explanatory

In the working world, you need to prove your worth through your work. Your resume sheets can be filled with attractive words but that doesn’t set you apart from other candidates. Your confidence, knowledge about the current scenario in business, politics, markets, consumer behavior will give you an extra edge.

Use of limited ways for job searching

Don’t stick to one medium for job searching. Use your network, college campus opportunities, professional social platforms to find a good job. And don’t stick to online confirmations only; go out and give walk-in interviews, check the website of your dream companies for fresh openings. Don’t just sit idle and wait for your dream job, work to find your dream job.

Lack of preparation

Don’t do the formality of the interview with proper preparation. Prepare yourself for the different interviews you are going to attend. Keep a check on the following things:

• Read the job description properly while applying for a job.
• Always have a resume ready to share with your networks while searching for a job. Do minor changes before forwarding if required according to profile.
• Always check all the information about the company that is available online.
• When you get the first call from the company, ask for further information for better clarity of a job profile.
• And the most important thing, save the number of the concerned person immediately with the company name; so if they call again you can recall the past conversation easily.
• If you didn’t hear back from the company after the first call, try to call them after few days to find out the reason for no reply.
• Do not just walk in casual clothes. No matter what job profile you are interviewing for, the fixed uniform for interviews is formals.

Having a ‘know-it-all’ attitude

Confidence is good but being overconfident is one of the biggest mistakes any fresher can commit. During initial days at new job, open to listen to everyone and understand the environment around you. Don’t rush to share your ideas; work on your ideas properly so that you can present them with confidence when required.

 

Do any of these career mistakes sound familiar? The key to success is to experience failure, overcome obstacles and take corrective actions. If you can make mistakes, learn and do better next time, you’ll be ahead of the game.