A career can be an exciting new chapter in life. Maybe you’ve recently graduated from college, and you finally get to do what you’ve been studying so hard for. Or, maybe you’ve left an abusive job and are finally coming into your own in a place you love. Whatever the case may be, there are still several factors that could prevent you from flourishing in your career, or, for that matter, ever attaining it to begin with.
These five things are a black mark on potential candidates. Employers want responsible, healthy, competent workers. If you’re looking to settle into a career, make sure none of these things are affecting your life first. Otherwise, you might be in the market for another job sooner than you’d like.
1. Smoking
Smoking is something that can have a larger impact on your work life than you might think. Smokers are usually more costly employees, taking longer and more frequent breaks throughout the day, driving up the costs of company-sponsored healthcare, and bringing a certain amount of liability to the business itself.
Smoking is a personal health hazard as well as a public one. Abundant evidence proves that second-hand smoke is dangerous to non-smokers, and for this reason, many businesses are adopting smoke-free policies to protect workers. This could mean your dream job is just out of reach due to your smoking habit.
While tobacco use might be on the decline, it’s still a common practice that around 14% of adults engage in. If you want that dream job, that steady, well-paying career, it’s probably time to give up cigarettes.
You don’t have to stop using nicotine altogether right away. Tobaccoless chew from https://blackbuffalo.com/ or nicotine gum offer a chance to slowly reduce your nicotine consumption instead of stopping all at once and suffering from withdrawal.
2. Laziness
Laziness is something that can cost you your job, your personal health, and even your relationships. It’s all too easy to fall into laziness with so much lethargy in our lives. Our favorite activities are often relaxing in front of a screen, and it’s proven that more screen time can actually reduce your productivity and make you moody.
When you finally achieve that long-awaited career status, you don’t want to squander it with a lazy attitude. Look at your career as one of your biggest achievements, and give it your all! If you’re planning to move up in the company, nothing less than your best will do.
3. Irresponsibility
Laziness often accompanies irresponsibility, which can also cost you your career before you ever get to it. Irresponsibility comes in many forms; from missing deadlines to being late all the time to not taking care of your part of a project. An employee is nothing less than an investment in the company’s future, and an irresponsible person simply isn’t a good investment.
Employers want to be sure they can trust who they’re hiring to handle their job and be on time. If you have a habit of being late, you’ll need to fix it before you attempt to start your new career. It could very well be the one thing holding you back.
4. Lone-Wolf Syndrome
We’ve all had the displeasure of working with these types. The “lone-wolf” isn’t a team player. Instead, he broods on the outskirts of the pack, choosing to do things his own way, in his own time. He doesn’t get along well with other people, and don’t even try to ask him about his work. It’s perfect the minute he sets the pen to the paper, don’t you know?
This attitude will get you nowhere in your career field, especially if working with a team is a hard requirement. If you don’t work well with others, it’s time to address this problem and figure out what it is that’s holding you back from being a team player.
5. Legal Troubles
Unresolved or pending legal troubles could easily be the nail in the coffin for your career. Certain allegations, even without a conviction, can cause employers to turn the other way. They don’t want to be associated with certain types of people, even if the allegations turn out to be false.
If you have pending legal troubles, it’s best to take care of them before you attempt to dive into your career.
Final Words
Certain behaviors and other factors can hold you back from a happy, successful career. Pay close attention to these five things that could end your career before it even starts. Be sure to address troubling behaviors like laziness or irresponsibility, and take care of any legal trouble you may have prior to entering your career field. We wish you luck and success in your career, and a joyful retirement many years from now!