Common Career Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Posted by Lismore Resume on 16 Jun 2025

Are you doing everything possible to progress you career but not getting results? Have you ever asked yourself why your colleague or friend gets promoted, while you’re stuck in the same place? Most of us commit common blunders when we work, which slows our development. Read on to learn about the mistakes we make and how you can avoid making them.

Key Takeaways

  • If you don’t set achievable goals, it will hinder progress.
  • Strong networks could lead to more opportunities to work and progress in your career.
  • Look into mentoring, continuing education and transferable skills development to remain competitive.
  • Negativity is not acceptable in any work environment.
  • Overcommitment can cause mistakes burning out, mistakes, and internal discontent.
  • Reduce stress by practicing techniques for managing time and learning to delegate tasks that are not popular.

Not Establishing Goals

Do you possess a precise picture of where you’d like to be in the next one year or two? Setting goals that are realistic will hinder your progress. Set clear, short and long-term objectives prioritizing those with the most impact on your career advancement. In order to increase job satisfaction Make sure these goals match personal interests.

Neglecting Networking

The development of meaningful relationships could lead to more opportunities for advancement and new jobs in your current position. Networks that are strong should not just be focused on senior employees, but also peers and former colleagues, as well as attendance at industry-related events and conferences.

What Can You Network Better?

  • Attend professional meetings
  • Join online forums that are related to your area of expertise
  • Volunteer for the task of organizing
  • Participate in employee resource groups

Stagnation

Insufficient personal growth could make employees less competitive and uninspiring, both within the company and the larger job market.

How Do You Stay Competitive?

  • Look for Mentoring: Find one who will provide advice, guidance, connections or highlight areas of improvement.
  • Continue Your Education: Complete additional courses, certifications or degrees that are pertinent to the profession.
  • Transferable Skill Set Development: Investing time into developing skills needed by other connected fields.

Negativity

Negativity has no place in any work environment. It causes people to feel uncomfortable, which makes communication difficult, which can hinder the growth of opportunities. In addition, it can cause problems with supervisors and colleagues, it could result in a delays in professional development.

Tips to Refocus Negativity

  • Focus on Positivity: Acknowledge that there are positives to your job when you’re overwhelmed
  • Be aware of sustainability: Look at how the work you do contributes to sustainability.
  • Seek out help where possible Get a mentor’s guidance or colleagues for business assistance.

Overcommitting Workload

The majority of the time, commitment to too much can lead to burnout, mistakes, and frustration within. While it’s important to put in the effort, commitment beyond one’s capacity will result in lower productivity and expected results.

Reduce Stress through:

  • Practicing Time Management Techniques
  • Define Clear Priorities
  • Learn to delegate unpopular tasks
Mistake How to Avoid
Not Establishing Goals Establish clear long-term and short-term objectives
Prioritize goals with the highest impact on career advancement
* Ensure goals match personal interests
Neglecting Networking Attend professional meetings
Join online forums related to your field
Volunteer for organizational work
Participate in employee resource groups
Stagnation Seek mentoring
Continue education through courses, certifications, or degrees program relevant to the profession
* Invest time in developing capabilities demanded by other connected fields.
Negativity Focus on Positivity
Concentrate on sustainability
* Seek out help where possible
Overcommitting Workload Practice Time Management Techniques
Define Clear Priorities
* Learn to delegate unpopular tasks

Common Questions & Answers

What are the most common mistakes that people make when they choose an occupation?

Common mistakes in the field of work include choosing a career based solely on salary, following in the footsteps of someone else and not conducting research prior to making a choice, and not taking into account one’s own abilities and passions.

How can I avoid following the wrong career direction?

To avoid taking the wrong path in your career It is important to evaluate your strengths, skills, and interests. It’s crucial to look into different careers and try to gain first-hand experience through internships or job shadowing. Talking to professionals in the field can also be helpful.

Are you ever ready to change your career?

It’s never enough to make the switch. Many successful individuals have changed careers later in life. However, making a big career change requires careful planning and consideration of the financial implications. It is possible that you will require additional training or education to prepare for your new job.

How can I make myself stand out in my chosen field?

To be a standout in your chosen area, look for opportunities to develop your professional skills and be active in networking with colleagues in your industry. It’s equally important to continuously increase your knowledge and stay updated on the latest trends in your field. Don’t be unafraid to take calculated risks or pursue innovative ideas.

What can I do if feeling stuck at work?

If you are feeling stuck in your current position, think about having a candid discussion with your supervisor on ways to develop within the organization or tackle new problems. It is also possible to explore other opportunities within the organization or consider doing freelance work or even volunteering to gain experience outside of work hours.

Conclusion

The information you have learned will help you avoid the commonly made career mistakes and how best to avoid them. Set goals that are clear, develop networks that will increase exposure in your field, prioritize the opportunities for personal growth, change negativity into constructive ones and be careful not to strain yourself beyond your limit.

Make sure to avoid these career mistakes is a financial investment which has long-term ramifications that should go hand-in-hand with exploring the offerings offered through Lismore Resume . We offer various training courses from to soft skills development to professional certification courses which offer an actual experience under expert industry professionals required to progress in careers.

Additional Information

Thank you so very much, Tanja and team! Our resumes look amazing! Appreciate all your help!
Wilfred Botin
Fantastic I had me update earlier in the year and got a new job a month later after receiving my new resume. Great Team and great service, I even have past on there details to others to call up to update. Will be calling again to get my linkedin account made 5 Stars all round
Mario Robertson
My resume was a complete mess, I sent my resume through and got a quick response from Tanja, she completely re-wrote the entire thing and turned it into a very impressive and professional document. awesome value for money and will not hesitate to get a cover letter written when the time comes. thank you so much.
sam valinouri
Positive: Professionalism, Quality, Responsiveness, Value I only moved to Australia a bit over a year ago, with Covid it wasn’t easy to find a job so i took the first opportunity to keep our household going. But i want more, i want educate myself and find a better job. With Lismore Resume i finally get this chance, since cv’s and cover letters work a bit different here and i need help to stand out in this harsh times. Tanja is an awesome professional, very responsive and her writing is incredible! Fingers crossed i’ll land my dream job now!
Elle Street
Tanya created a resume and cover letter for me. Her writing is powerful and wonderfully descriptive yet succinct where it needs to be; and perfectly summarised all of my ideas. Her communication was efficient and punctual, and I received my final products within two working days of payment. Thank you Tanya!
Isaac Groves
Tanja was a pleasure to deal with from the first initial enquiry via the website to delivering a professional service. Highly recommend.
Shayne Wicks
Very professional, easy to deal with and great communication. Highly recommended.
Brian Horsfield
Response from the ownera year ago Hi Lyssa, thank you so much for your wonderful rating. It was a pleasure assisting you and we wish you every success with your new documents.
Lyssa E
Was a very fast response, and what they have done was fantastic. Highly recommend for anyone who's looking for help. Thanks again
Matt Clews
Amazing service, quick, efficient and helped me land my dream job. Thankyou Lismore Resume I have been recommending you to everyone.
Sandra Tricoli
Career Misses That Could Derail Your Professional Ambitions

Resume

We provide professional resume writing services.

Career Misses That Could Derail Your Professional Ambitions

Cover Letter

We provide professional cover letter writing services.

Career Misses That Could Derail Your Professional Ambitions

LinkedIn Profile

We provide professional linkedin profile writing services.

Career Misses That Could Derail Your Professional Ambitions

Contact Us

Click the button below to get in touch.

About Us &

What We Do

We offer professional resume writing services and our highly experienced resume writers will ensure your new resume sticks out among the rest.

We’re a team of highly certified and seasoned HR professionals, recruiters, and consultants that are dedicated to delivering an excellent, well-written cover letter or resume.

We pride ourselves on our vast understanding of top-practice hiring methodologies and Australian recruitment standards. Also, our expertise in a vast range of industries and professions means that we can create a high-quality, impactful resume that meets your personal needs.

Our end goal is to deliver you with a striking and impressive resume that is correctly maximised for success in Lismore‘s competitive job market.

We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all of our writing services, so you can be sure that you will be fully satisfied with your new resume or cover letter.

100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Make an Enquiry

Request a Quote

Fill out the form below to get in touch or call us today on
1300 202 475