Career Mistakes Freshers Must Avoid

As the recruitment across campuses in India warms up, many things run in a student’s mind. Brush up of theory, Concerns of boosting CGPA in the final year, getting a couple of papers published and that nightmare of cracking the campus interview. While we can hardly control the kind of interviewer that we are destined to meet, there are surely many things that we could seek perfection in. As one is about to start their professional life, it becomes very important to start in the right direction. For most, this is an easy task, as they are informed and guided. But for the rest of us, those without any guidance or equipped with half-baked information, this becomes a Goliath task in itself. Although a damage done in the beginning can be easily corrected or reversed, an informed choice goes a long way in defining the right path. Here are a few career mistakes to avoid, especially when embarking on the first professional journey:

1.     Selecting the Wrong Educational Path: For most of us in India, our degrees and educational aspirations are chosen by our parents. While in certain cases this helps a lot, in major cases this isn’t the case. Putting the foundation cornerstone in the wrong direction paves the way for a huge disconnect between a person’s skills, their education, and the job they are about to pursue. Education must be in line with the skills and future job prospects the person seeks to pursue.

2.     Not Setting Realistic Passion vs. Career Aspirations: Most graduates are stuck between whether to pursue their passion, or go for a career. While both have their own merits and demerits, it is unfair how in most of the cases, just for the lack of informed choices, most of the graduates are forced to abandon their passion and be the earners for the family. This doesn’t mean that you should have unrealistic monetary aspirations from your passion, rather, you should carefully research on the options available, and whether you prefer earning more money or relentless pursuit of passion, even if it pays you less and demands more.

3.     Running after Money: Who doesn’t want to earn more money? Everybody does. But this doesn’t mean that just for the sake of more cash you go for something that destroys your mental peace, physical health, and drains your mind. Remember, most of the high-paying jobs require tremendous amount of sacrifice in terms of both personal and professional life, so go ahead only if you are okay with this.

4.     Choosing the Wrong Career Path: This is similar in nature to #1 discussed above. Choosing the wrong career in the beginning can harm your job choices in the future; for the most part, you end up being in a job that doesn’t match your skills or aspirations. Fresh graduates should not be simply moved by university placements, but rather, should conduct their own research on what career paths match their skills and capabilities, and what kind of work do they require.

5.     Unrealistic Job Expectations: Most of the fresh graduates, particularly in India, have no idea what their job entails or asks of them, and have very high expectations of their jobs. Blame it on the university placements or job adverts, people should not be swayed by mere promises and words, but should do their homework on the job thoroughly to see if they actually qualify for the job, and if they are ready to take up what the job expects of them. This includes salary expectations as well.

6.     Accepting the Bird in Hand: Now, this doesn’t mean that you take up any job just for the sake of getting into the professional world, and gaining experience. While there are sacrifices in every job, the extent of the sacrifice varies, and just for the sake of earning a few extra bucks one should not accept a job offer. A job is a big commitment which requires time and effort, so be careful to take up employment only if you have a good offer that matches most of the ideal job criteria.

7.     Avoiding Sales: If you think sales is just pitching to sell a product, think again. It is an integral part of the professional world. You have to sell yourself as a professional to land a job, you have to sell your accomplishments during a salary raise, and much more. Shying away from sales does you more harm than good, so remember to make an optimal sale so that you don’t lag behind and get the best for your skills.

8.     Considering Oneself to be the Smartest: Last on this list is considering oneself as the smartest of the lot. You might be from a top B-School or might have high-ranking credentials, but remember, learning is the key to success. If you think a B-School degree equals more knowledge, then you’re somewhat wrong; there is nothing better than on-the-job learning to grant you with more skills.

Finding a new job is hard at any point in your career, but as a fresher, it can be extremely stressful. If you find yourself unhappy with your career, or how it’s progressing: Change. That’s the only universal advice there is. If things don’t work out, don’t be too discouraged. Instead, sign off with an email thanking the hiring manager and indicating that you will welcome the chance to work with the company in the future.