Getting a job during difficult economic times can be challenging. Once you're hired, the last thing you want to do is damage your career. The 10 points discussed below are danger signs that you may be risking your future by engaging in certain behaviors.
• Not Taking Your Education Seriously. If you play too much and end up with a run-of-the-mill 2.5 GPA, you'll be passed over for the best entry-level jobs, says New York City-based executive recruiter and coach Brian Drum of Drum Associates.
• Not Having a Plan. In the current poor job market, you may have settled for a career you aren't crazy about. That's okay, as long as you develop career plans to get where you want to be. Think of every job as a stepping-stone towards a promotion to a job you like.
• Lying. You'll lose your professional credibility in a hurry if you lie, from exaggerating on your résumé to getting caught fibbing on Facebook. If you call in sick to work and then post a photo on Facebook from a party you attended, that's a big problem.
• Hurting Your Reputation on Facebook or Twitter. Personal posts and tweets from work--when you're supposed to be doing your job--label you as a slacker. And what you post or tweet can come back to haunt you as well. You never know who might stumble upon those photos and messages. "You should assume that every boss and potential employer knows how to use Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, and that they are watching what you post, whether they really are or not," says corporate etiquette specialist Diane Gottsman of the Protocol School of Texas in San Antonio.
• Not Respecting Professional Boundaries. Sharing too much information about your personal life is unprofessional. Don't talk about your boyfriend or girlfriend, arguments with your parents, or how many bills you owe. On the other hand, if you hate sharing any personal information, throw out a tidbit every now and then--such as where you are going on vacation--if it helps you become part of the group.
• Gossiping, Slandering, Excessively Criticizing. Complaining or gossiping about fellow employees, the boss, or competitors can identify you as a troublemaker. It's hard to recover once you get tagged this way. At the least, you won't be trusted in the future with information.
• Carrying on an Inappropriate Relationship with Your Boss. "When you get involved in something unethical that can be brought out in the open, you're asking for trouble," Gottsman says. "Even getting too chummy with a boss can cause jealousy. When it comes to your boss, keep things professional."
• Job-Hopping Just for the Money. "Changing jobs after a few years won't automatically disqualify you for a position, but if you change jobs too often, employers are not going to want to invest in you," Drum says. "Many companies have 'last in, first out' layoff policies, which could leave you out of a job if you never stick around long enough to build a history anywhere."
• Losing Touch with References. You'll kick yourself later if you leave a job without collecting personal contact information from colleagues who can serve as professional references in the future. You need these folks.
• Leaving a Job on Bad Terms. "The employer only remembers about the last five minutes you were in a job," Drum says. "Give proper notice and don't leave a mess behind. It's very difficult to get another job when people at your last job remember you in a bad way."
Adapted from an article by Megan Malugani, Monster.com contributing writer
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