Are You Sabotaging Your Career?
Do you know what's worse than not getting a promotion that you deserve? Getting a promotion.
No, really. Your boss might be penalizing you for being too good at your job. It's called the Promotion Sabotage Theory and it essentially argues that getting promoted often results in penalties and negative feedback from one’s superiors because these superiors are no longer needed for managerial or leadership duties.
In a study conducted by James D. Westphal and Emily B. Ansell, workers that were promoted were perceived as being less effective at their new position than those who had not been promoted.
"Promoted employees feel that they do not have to work hard for their success, leading to a perception of decreased effort," Westphall said in a statement. "But when you look at the performance or the work outcomes of these individuals, it didn't change. In fact, people saw this promoted employee as more effective than non-promoted employees. This suggests that performance outcomes don't change, but perceptions of effectiveness do."
Interestingly enough, promoted employees reported higher than average stress levels as well.
"You'll see in extreme cases where people who are promoted into management are micromanaged to the point where they're essentially treated just like an entry-level worker," Westphal said. "The perception is that once you're in this position, you don't need to be groomed anymore so I'm going to treat you the same as I would a non-promoted employee."
In this study, Westphal and Ansell found that perceived decreased effort was linked to being perceived as less effective at one’s new position. "The increased stress levels of employees who were promoted suggest that there are negative psychological consequences of the promotion," according to the press release.
These findings were based on 217 work teams in a multi-national firm.
For a less scientific approach, just ask yourself this question: Do you really want to get promoted? From personal experience, managers don't always take good care of their underlings. Or they do, and then they fire you when you least expect it anyway (thanks for nothing , Chrysler).
In other words, if you don't have to be promoted, don't take it. [ARTICLE END]
There's loads more where that came from . . .
Here are some other extremely well-written posts that I've done in the past:
If you like these posts and want to see more from me, please support my Patreon campaign . It helps pay for my Web development. Thank you!
I am not a psychologist or licensed therapist. So if you start having some serious issues, please see a professional.
© The author, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author.
Images are used for illustrative purposes only.
© The author, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author.
Images are used for illustrative purposes only.
© The author, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author.
Images are used for illustrative purposes only.
© The author, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author.
Images are used for illustrative purposes only.
© The author, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author.
Images are used for illustrative purposes only.
© The author, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author.
Images are used for illustrative purposes only.
© The author, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author.
Images are used for illustrative purposes only.
© The author, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author.
Images are used for illustrative purposes only.
© The author, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author.
Images are used for illustrative purposes only.
© The author, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author.
Are You Sabotaging Your Career?
Images are used for illustrative purposes only.
© The author, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author.
Images are used for illustrative purposes only.
© The author, 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author.
The most important tool you can have in your arsenal when going for a new job is a killer résumé. But, if you are having trouble writing or maintaining a high-quality résumé, it's probably because you are sabotaging your own career. Here are a few signs that you may be sabotaging your career with poor quality essays and résumés:
-You feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders and there is nothing anyone can do to help.
-You carry around piles of paper and spam stacks of resumes off to companies, hoping they will find "the one".
-You don't really care about what happens once when it comes to landing an interview or getting hired.
-You spend a lot of time and energy on your résumé, but don't go out and get face time with people.
-You are worried that they are going to find out you don't have a degree or that you can't do the work.
-The truth is, the only parts of your résumé that matter are the ones that show what you know and what you can do. So write those!
So let's talk about how to improve your résumé and prevent wasting valuable time by writing junk.
-Know what you want to say...
What do you want to convey about yourself and your abilities?
Can you find a way to make your own experiences conform to that?
-...before you actually write it.
A little planning goes a long way in making sure that the finished product is not only understandable, but impressive as well. Spend some time thinking, "How would I describe myself?", then try your best to make all of your experiences fit into those words.
-If all else fails, go old school.
You don't always have technology on your side. But even if you can't find an up-to-date template, it's better than nothing. Go through your old papers and find something that you know works.
-Take a look at other experts' work.
Don't be afraid to ask experienced professionals, or even others on the job market, what they think of your résumé or writing style. Because it's never too late to make improvements.
-It's okay if you don't have all of the answers right away. Just listen to the expert and trust yourself enough to do better next time.
When you're applying in the real world, do all you can to take advantage of every opportunity. Start by going to a professional network event or job fair and getting the best advice you can.
Make sure that at all times, the person reading your résumé is able to tell what you know and what you can do. If not, there's a good chance they will pass on it for something more impressive.
For more information about this subject or to ask anything about your own career, visit us online at www.careerskillsresources.com/ .
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Windy_A._Pangborn
URL to article: http://ezinearticles.com/?Are-You-Sabotaging-Your-Career?&id=6127380
About the Author: Windy A. Pangborn is a freelance writer and the owner of Careerskillsresources . She is also a career coach, author and adjunct professor at the University of South Florida . Her areas of expertise include interview skills, résumé writing, resume review, behavioral interviewing and cover letter writing.
The most important tool you can have in your arsenal when going for a new job is a killer résumé. But, if you are having trouble writing or maintaining a high-quality résumé, it's probably because you are sabotaging your own career. Here are a few signs that you may be sabotaging your career with poor quality essays and résumés:
-You feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders and there is nothing anyone can do to help.
-You carry around piles of paper and spam stacks of resumes off to companies, hoping they will find "the one".
-You don't really care about what happens once when it comes to landing an interview or getting hired.
-You spend a lot of time and energy on your résumé, but don't go out and get face time with people.
-You are worried that they are going to find out you don't have a degree or that you can't do the work.
-The truth is, the only parts of your résumé that matter are the ones that show what you know and what you can do. So write those!
So let's talk about how to improve your résumé and prevent wasting valuable time by writing junk.
-Know what you want to say...
What do you want to convey about yourself and your abilities?
Can you find a way to make your own experiences conform to that?
-...before you actually write it.
A little planning goes a long way in making sure that the finished product is not only understandable, but impressive as well. Spend some time thinking, "How would I describe myself?", then try your best to make all of your experiences fit into those words.
-If all else fails, go old school.
You don't always have technology on your side. But even if you can't find an up-to-date template, it's better than nothing. Go through your old papers and find something that you know works.
-Take a look at other experts' work.
Don't be afraid to ask experienced professionals, or even others on the job market, what they think of your résumé or writing style. Because it's never too late to make improvements.
-It's okay if you don't have all of the answers right away. Just listen to the expert and trust yourself enough to do better next time.
When you're applying in the real world, do all you can to take advantage of every opportunity. Start by going to a professional network event or job fair an
Are You Sabotaging Your Career?d getting the best advice you can.
Make sure that at all times, the person reading your résumé is able to tell what you know and what you can do. If not, there's a good chance they will pass on it for something more impressive.
For more information about this subject or to ask anything about your own career, visit us online at www.careerskillsresources.com/ .
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Windy_A._Pangborn
URL to article: http://ezinearticles.com/?Are-You-Sabotaging-Your-Career?&id=6127380
About the Author: Windy A.
Unfortunately, there are many ways that people unwittingly sabotage their careers and waste the chances they've earned. For example, if you decide that the best way to tackle a tough task is by procrastinating it until after work hours, then you will likely be unable to accomplish it properly. If you do this in front of your supervisor or peers when they inquire about what needs finishing up during your day, then you'll likely face disciplinary actions.
Researchers have actually tracked workplace behaviors that negatively affect job performance in order to help managers deal with them. You can read the list of their findings here. While you're on that site, test your own knowledge for sabotaging behaviors by taking their quiz .
This article will focus on some of the sabotaging behaviors from the list and offer solutions for how to avoid them at work.
First, a word of caution: if you are actually seeking a "solution" to a problem, reviewing the behaviors in that link will likely be quite helpful. However, if you find that these behaviors are deeply ingrained and difficult to change, then you may need to seek professional help for dealing with them.
1. Procrastinating
You may have already noticed that this sabotaging behavior is one of the first listed in the researchers' article. According to them, people who procrastinate (referring primarily to jobs) suffer from poor self-efficacy . Some researchers even go so far as to say that procrastinators often sabotage their careers because of negative consequences their poor self-efficacy generates for them.
The solution: boost your self-efficacy by building positive behaviors into your daily routine. Here are some examples:
Break large projects into smaller ones so that you can monitor your own progress. This will increase the likelihood of you following through on this behavior or goal.
Set reminders for yourself using alarms and sticky notes so that you are more likely to remember to do something.
Make a list of daily, weekly, or monthly goals to accomplish and share these across devices as well as with others who can follow up with you in support of them (e.g., electronic calendar, desktop sticky notes, Google calendar app, online collaboration tools such as Basecamp).
Be honest with yourself about your own behavior. If you are procrastinating, do not try to "make the problem go away" by convincing yourself otherwise! You will likely find that you don't believe you procrastinate and therefore will not be able to do anything differently.
2. Taking time off for personal reasons
Whether it is a vacation, sick day, or some other excuse for why you need to take an unscheduled vacation from work, taking time off for personal reasons is perhaps one of the most damaging sabotaging behaviors to have in your professional life at work.
While your bosses may seem to tolerate this behavior, that is most likely due to their own lack of understanding about the fact that the proper way for you to use your time at work is for working!
The solution: if you are taking time off for personal reasons, do so at the beginning or end of the day. If you must take a personal day, then make certain it doesn't affect other tasks or responsibilities in your professional life.
3. Having a bad attitude
Being negative and having poor customer service skills are both behaviors that can negatively impact your career opportunities. If you have these sabotaging behaviors in your work personality, then you will likely have little chance of making it very far in the company hierarchy.
The solution: improve your customer service skills by learning new ones every day. For example, you could use one of the many online customer service courses available to improve your knowledge.
4. Social networking
Unfortunately, social networking can often lead to career sabotage. The researchers in the above article included it as another behavior that can negatively impact your career at work. In this case, however, it is not the actual act of social networking but rather the way in which you do social networking while at work that will cause problems for you.
The solution: don't do any kind of social networking such as checking Facebook , sending email , etc. while at work. If your company has a policy against this, then make it known that you need to use your time during work hours for professional purposes and that you do not want to lose this job or any future ones by being fired due to a rules-violation!
5. Not asking questions when you don't understand something
There is nothing quite as frustrating as dealing with someone who displays an unwillingness to learn and understand how things are done "around here." As many of us know, the more we learn about technicalities, rules, and so on about our jobs, the more successful we tend to be in them. Therefore, having poor learning behaviors can be one of the most damaging ways that people sabotage their careers.
The solution: ask more questions ! Don't be afraid to admit when you don't understand, because that is a great way to learn new things. If, however, you find yourself unable to "learn" and therefore continue to have difficulties understanding how things are done around the office or elsewhere, then feel free to seek professional help for this problem.
6. Working too long
As we have already discussed in the section about procrastination , research has shown that those who work longer hours do not necessarily get more accomplished than those who work fewer hours. This is particularly true of those who engage in procrastination, as these people often spend more time working and accomplishing less than those who don't procrastinate.
The solution: if you are working longer hours at work, make sure that you are tracking how many hours you are working and what you are accomplishing over those hours. If you find that the work isn't getting done anyway, then it's time to assess why this is happening and what you can do differently to improve your productivity.
7. Poor listening skills
Poor listening skills can be one of the most detrimental of all sabotaging behaviors to have in your professional life at work. Poor listening skills often lead to misunderstandings, misunderstandings which frequently result in poor communication and
Are You Sabotaging Your Career? a loss of mutual understanding.
The solution: people want to feel they are being heard by others. When you listen attentively, you will ensure that they feel that way. If you need to speak up and say something, do so clearly and succinctly with relevant examples when appropriate.
8. Emotional displays
In addition to having poor listening skills, many people have problems stopping themselves from showing their emotions at work situations because of the negative impact it can have for their careers (i.e., "people will think I'm weak").
Conclusion
There are many ways people are sabotaging their careers when they don't mean to do so. However, the above discussion goes a long way towards helping you avoid these sabotage behaviors and instead help you focus on your career goals and success!
The key to succeeding in your career is to work hard consistently, whether you are at work or home. While that may seem like a fairly obvious statement, not everyone realizes this or chooses to take it seriously.
In order for you to build a happy professional life at work and make your career goals happen more quickly, there are some things that you need to avoid doing and some things that you need to engage in regularly.
Conclusion: Tomorrow is another day.
The importance of a well-written résumé isnt just to impress employers, its to give you the best chance of making a good impression on the interviewer. Make sure you are confident in what it says about you before you send it out.
Its perfectly okay to follow a recipe, as long as its one that works for you and compliments the way you write your own resumes. There is no
guarantee that anyone else will like your writing style – neither will anyone else read it, so why not make it something that interests and excites others?
Here are a few tips for making sure your unforgettable:
1) Know what you want to say about yourself before you start writing.
Images are used for illustrative purposes only."}}' data-reactid="30">© The author, 2012.
Conclusion:
A great way to keep your sanity is to not be busy.
SOLUTION: I become incredibly busy and put my attention into something that I like doing, whether it's writing, blogging, playing with my kids, or something else.
If you find that you're too busy to write blog posts, then you've got a problem. You need to find a solution because if you don't want the feeling of being overwhelmed by your workload and want to figure out how to keep yourself sane again (I'm speaking from experience), then I highly recommend that you: 1) Stop doing everything. 2) Find something else you enjoy doing.