IT Career Killers - Avoid These Seven Deadly Sins!
It doesn't always take a bad boss or a vengeful coworker to sink a career - sometimes, we do it all by ourselves.
Here are seven ways IT professionals sabotage their own careers, and how to avoid the dangers.
1) Slacking on Skills.
Nothing changes faster than technology, and the day you stop advancing your skill set, is the day you fall behind.
Sure, there are some "flash in the pan" trends, but if you find yourself using that as an excuse to stop venturing outside your comfort zone, then it's past time for some continuing education.
2) Over-promising/Under-delivering.
Claiming abilities that you don't have might make you a hero at first, but like the Wizard of Oz, someone will eventually see behind the curtain and your credibility will be shot.
Once trust in the workplace is gone, you might as well be, too - so when it comes to accepting responsibilities, be confident but honest about your skills.
3) Not Self-Promoting.
No one likes a braggart, but toiling away in silence without any recognition of your contributions will cost you in both salary and self-esteem.
To secure that raise or promotion, the IT career experts at Dice.
com recommend that you "tie your talents and daily activities to increases in productivity, output, revenues and profits.
" If you can put an impressive number value on your accomplishments, management will put an impressive number value on you.
4) Taking All the Credit.
Just as bad as not taking credit is failing to acknowledge others' contributions.
Colleagues resent a spotlight-stealing glory hound, and all but the thickest boss will eventually see through it, too.
Be a team player and share success when it happens, because fortune - good or bad - eventually catches up with you.
5) Confusing Busy with Productive.
Sometimes it's not how much effort you put in, but the kind of effort that counts.
Everyone has a hyperventilating coworker who dashes around like a madman from dawn to dusk - especially when management is present - but never actually makes anything happen.
Think "quality time", and work accordingly.
Both your professional and personal life will benefit.
6) Not Networking.
Even if you're a stellar employee, the days of the single-company career are over.
Make strategic use of social media like LinkedIn to establish yourself as an industry player, and don't skimp on face-to-face connection efforts, either.
7) Believing You're Irreplaceable.
No matter how good you are, there is someone else who can do your job.
Maybe not quite as well or in the exact same way, but you are not indispensable.
The minute you think you are, bad things start happening: diva attitudes, resting on laurels, feeling superior to colleagues.
If you don't stay grounded, you might not stay employed.
Here are seven ways IT professionals sabotage their own careers, and how to avoid the dangers.
1) Slacking on Skills.
Nothing changes faster than technology, and the day you stop advancing your skill set, is the day you fall behind.
Sure, there are some "flash in the pan" trends, but if you find yourself using that as an excuse to stop venturing outside your comfort zone, then it's past time for some continuing education.
2) Over-promising/Under-delivering.
Claiming abilities that you don't have might make you a hero at first, but like the Wizard of Oz, someone will eventually see behind the curtain and your credibility will be shot.
Once trust in the workplace is gone, you might as well be, too - so when it comes to accepting responsibilities, be confident but honest about your skills.
3) Not Self-Promoting.
No one likes a braggart, but toiling away in silence without any recognition of your contributions will cost you in both salary and self-esteem.
To secure that raise or promotion, the IT career experts at Dice.
com recommend that you "tie your talents and daily activities to increases in productivity, output, revenues and profits.
" If you can put an impressive number value on your accomplishments, management will put an impressive number value on you.
4) Taking All the Credit.
Just as bad as not taking credit is failing to acknowledge others' contributions.
Colleagues resent a spotlight-stealing glory hound, and all but the thickest boss will eventually see through it, too.
Be a team player and share success when it happens, because fortune - good or bad - eventually catches up with you.
5) Confusing Busy with Productive.
Sometimes it's not how much effort you put in, but the kind of effort that counts.
Everyone has a hyperventilating coworker who dashes around like a madman from dawn to dusk - especially when management is present - but never actually makes anything happen.
Think "quality time", and work accordingly.
Both your professional and personal life will benefit.
6) Not Networking.
Even if you're a stellar employee, the days of the single-company career are over.
Make strategic use of social media like LinkedIn to establish yourself as an industry player, and don't skimp on face-to-face connection efforts, either.
7) Believing You're Irreplaceable.
No matter how good you are, there is someone else who can do your job.
Maybe not quite as well or in the exact same way, but you are not indispensable.
The minute you think you are, bad things start happening: diva attitudes, resting on laurels, feeling superior to colleagues.
If you don't stay grounded, you might not stay employed.
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