As students and new graduates, the journey toward building a successful career is just beginning. While ambition and drive are essential, it's also crucial to be mindful of potential pitfalls that could hinder your progress. Recognising these warning signs early can be the key to unlocking a brighter career path. Here are three career red flags you can't afford to ignore:
1) Change is scary.
It’s not a secret that most people don’t like change – it can feel unfamiliar, daunting and unsettling. The ability to adapt to change, to embrace it and see the positives is a very powerful attribute to possess and in the current graduate labour market, it’s essential. Being resistant to new ideas, developing technologies and innovation can severely restrict your ability to grow and succeed in your role. To avoid this red flag, be one of the precious few in your team who’s ready for future career challenges by remaining unbiased and accepting of the new.
2) “But that’s not in my job description!”
When you’re starting out, it’s important to understand your responsibilities and to execute these daily to ensure achievement of targets. As you become more comfortable in your role, you will start to see how it fits into the wider team and business. It’s often at this point, there is an opportunity either to remain ring-fenced or to explore beyond the parameters of your job role. The temptation to stagnate is a mistake. Effective application of initiative in the workplace can really set you apart and it can translate to the success of your career – rather than waiting for opportunities to arise, proactively and consistently seek them out. Strive to exceed expectations and improve processes, volunteer for that new project, speak up in team meetings and welcome additional responsibilities over and above your job description. These actions are positive signs of a good work ethic demonstrating an interest in personal and professional growth.
3) The know it all.
You may be tempted to assume that, because you have a degree or maybe even a masters, that you know it all and therefore fail to recognise how crucial continuous learning is. Ever heard the saying ‘every day is a school day’? Well, whoever said that is not wrong. All of us, always have something to learn no matter what our age or level of education. Those who don't proactively seek to expand their knowledge and skills are at risk of being left behind. Resources such as LinkedIn Learning and ARU’s various CPD courses can be invaluable in the quest for developing our existing expertise and exploring entirely new fields. In turn, this culture to learn will do wonders for your career growth.
You are already on the right path – your desire to learn new things, to improve and develop your skills through education will build strong foundations on which your future career aspirations can flourish. Your time at university is encouraging an already present desire to remain curious, use initiative and crave knowledge and this can assist you throughout your professional and personal life to ensure you embrace progress.
Useful resources
Laura Kendrick
Business Development Manager