Building your professional reputation takes time, but it can be damaged all too quickly.
We all know how important it is to have a great professional reputation. When your co-workers and others in your industry know that you are a hard worker and that you are a person with a great deal of integrity, doors are always opening. This is especially important when you find yourself looking for a new job.
Building a great professional reputation takes time and hard work, but damaging it can be very easy. Sometimes, all it takes is just a few mistakes or a couple of off-color comments that will take a very long time to repair.
Here are 6 ways that you can damage your professional reputation:
- Reply all – If this has ever happened to you, then you know how damaging it can be. While it's a good idea to not send emails that you don't want everyone to read, even if you aren't dishing about a co-workers, hitting reply all can damage your reputation. Be careful when you send mail. Don't use reply all intentionally either, unless you are specifically addressing the group. No one likes a form email.
- Jumping in during meetings – When you are new at a company, it is tempting to try to jump in during meetings. Enthusiasm is great, but because you aren't familiar with the group dynamic, you may not be contributing as much as you think. When you are new, sit back and listen. Most of your participation should be asking questions.
- Not keeping your boss updated – If you are working on a project, be sure to update your boss frequently. This way, you can be sure that the project is correct and avoid costly mistakes and delays.
- Not having a reputation – If you don't have a reputation, then you aren't standing out. If you think that you are getting lost in the office, take some time to socialize and meet your co-workers. Find out new things about the people in your office. As you learn more, you will build new friendships and learn a few tips at the same time.
- Taking on too much work – On one hand, you want to be as productive as possible. On the other, when you take on more than you can handle, you run the risk of looking like you can't deliver results on time.
- Focusing too much on your boss – Spending too much time building a relationship with your boss and ignoring your co-workers is a bad move. The old adage is “It's not what you know but who you know...” And the most important people to know are the ones that work at your same level.
Hopefully, these tips will help you stand out as a team player and a great co-worker. Remember that your professional reputation is the key to career success. Do your best to protect it in every situation.
What do you think causes employees to lose credibility and damage their reputation? Let me know in the comments.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for Administrativejobsblog. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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