Should you quit a job for money?

Avoid these seven career mistakes in 2014!

Procrastination, impatience and lack of ownership are some of the silly career mistakes most of us make.

Let 2014 not be the year you commit them again because they WILL hamper your career growth.

First let's reflect on the mistakes we committed last year and see what we can do differently this year and make it better.

Senior HR professionals helped us draw up this list of oft-repeated career mistakes. 

1. Procrastination

Most of us suffer from it.

We waste precious time during the day on less important tasks and towards the end of our shifts, we scramble to complete the pending tasks and meet deadlines.

What starts off as a one-off thing ends up as a routine that affects productivity and piles on stress.

HR expert Shikha Manchandani of Manpower Consulting, Mumbai, shares this advice:

• Maintain a to-do list EVERY DAY. Stick to it.
• Utilise the first half an hour at work to prioritise the tasks you need to do in the next six or eight hours.
• Set deadlines against each task and see if you can delegate or seek help on the ones you cannot achieve.
• In the New Year, focus on delivering quality, rather than quantity.

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Not owning up

Everyone makes mistakes at work but we seldom take responsibility for them.

Mumbai-based corporate HR trainer Vinod Bahl says that accepting a mistake does not make one look small. Instead, it helps one grow as a leader.

The next time you do something wrong, here's what you can do:

• Once you know you've said or done something inappropriate, own up instead of finding excuses.
• Try and correct it before someone else points it out.
• Learn from your mistakes. Avoid repeating them.

Lack of patience

Joseph Devasia, managing partner, Antal International Network, a global executive recruiting agency, believes that one of the greatest concerns of our generation is the need for short-term success and quick money.  

This lack of patience combined with astronomical expectations of career growth and promotion can prove detrimental.

He advises:

• Be patient. Stay put for at least two years in an organisation. Give it your best shot before you think of moving on.
• Being ambitious is good, but it is important that you have realistic expectations.
• Do not measure or compare your success with a fellow or senior colleague.

Not willing to take up additional responsibilities

By shying away from taking up an extra task, you not only portray yourself as a selfish performer, but also lose the opportunity to learn something new on the job.

Devasia's advice:

• Even if it means taking up a task you have never done before, be proactive, show interest and attempt it. Look at it as a learning experience.
• When doing it, avoid making it seem like you’re doing a huge favour to the team and the organisation. Also, try not to brag about it.
• Always aim for the larger good of your team and organisation.

Making work your life

Given the competitive nature and rigour of modern-day work culture, young professionals often take work home and work on weekends and holidays.

Besides losing out on family time and having an active social life, you may also end up feeling more pressured and sometimes resentful.

Shikha Manchandani believes it is crucial to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Here's how you can strike a balance:

• Spend quality time with family and/or go on a short trip with friends.
• If you are working away from home and family, call home every day or plan a surprise trip.
• If possible, work from home for at least a day every month and (this is for men mostly) share some family responsibility like doing the grocery shopping, baby-sit for a day or take your parents to a doctor for a routine check up.

Lack of communication skills

According to senior HR executive Prerna Sharma at Vistas Advertising, 60 per cent of Indian professionals lack basic communication skills and are unable to convey their thoughts in the first two sentences.

Her advice:

• The average attention span of an e-mail reader is less than five seconds; on the phone, you have to sell your idea in the first ten words. If you have to send a text or voice message, you have to be crisp and convey it in the least possible words.
• When you read something, underline the key points; when you write something, begin with the most important information at the top.
• When you speak, ensure you are polite and speak in an organised manner, pausing at the right places, taking the listener along with you.

Quitting for money

Money plays a significant role in influencing people to change careers.

However, it should not be the sole reason to quit an organisation, says Rupert Coelho an assistant manager at Lobo Staffing Services.

His advice: 

• Never quit a job because it pays you less. Come up with better reasons like better responsibilities and new challenges.
• Ensure you've researched the new job profile and considered its pros and cons well.
• If possible, speak to people who have worked in the organisation to understand the work culture and demands. A wrong job can be equally discouraging as unfair remuneration.

In nutshell, let this be the year when you review the above mistakes.

Focus on improving your communication skills.

Learn to network outside your team and your organisation so you get a little bit closer to your big career dream.