Career & Finance

7 Ways You’re Sabotaging Yourself at Work

You may be wondering why your career isn’t advancing at the pace you’d expected, despite the fact that you’re doing good work. If so, it’s possible you’re guilty of subconsciously sabotaging yourself in any number of subtle ways. Here are seven of the most common.

1. You Avoid Attention

We’ve mentioned before that it’s not wise to fly under-the-radar when it comes to your work. No one likes a braggart, but the sad truth is that no one is going to notice your efforts unless you flaunt them a bit. One of the keys to doing this successfully is making sure that you are regularly updated on your own achievements. Keep a running list of things you accomplish both inside and outside of work, whether it’s publishing an article on Medium, gaining a certain number of social followers within a month, or landing a new client for your employer. (Incidentally, this inventory will increase your happiness levels, too.)

Depending on the type of work you do, it might also be wise to sprinkle career-related posts into your personal social media accounts. That way, your current or future employer can be made aware of your accomplishments without you having to painstakingly download them.

2. You’re Always Late

Even if you spend a significant amount of time working when you’re not actually at work, there’s something about showing up late to the office every day that signifies to your boss that you’re not serious about your job. It’s an unfortunate reality, given you may work through lunch or late into the evening in order to make up the time, but it’s a reality, nonetheless. Aim to be on time whenever humanly possible.

3. You Don’t Stand Up For Yourself

Ideally, your boss worked his or her way up the ranks in your company, so they know exactly what your position entails. However, this is rarely the case, and ignorance on behalf of your superior can lead to unrealistic expectations for your performance.

If you are constantly being weighed down by an unrealistic workload and yet you don’t speak up, your boss may simply think you’re not trying to succeed. Make sure you’re articulating your struggles regularly without whining—open, non-emotional communication will set you up for success.

4. You Are A Perpetual Overachiever

A recent study showed that employers prefer working with those who seem talented, rather than those who seem to work hard. This may seem unfair, but it’s a phenomenon with which to contend, nonetheless. Though we do advocate for alerting others to your achievements, it’s important that those efforts look, well, fairly effortless.

Try to limit the amount of stress you project in the workplace to make it seem like you’re running sh*t without breaking a sweat. It’s not wise to work long hours just to look as though you’re doing more than everyone else—your boss is likely to instead wonder why it’s taking you so long to complete your tasks, and possibly even assume you’re not 100% competent.

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This post originally appeared October 8, 2016, on The Zoe Report.