Are you a millennial? These mistakes are stalling your professional career

Millennials today form the largest and the most digitally comfortable segment of society. It's their affinity towards technology that has helped shape their career choices and lifestyle decisions. Instant access leading to gratification has raised the expectation when it comes expecting quick turnaround. As social networking and technological capabilities come naturally to them, therefore, it is pertinent to say that the millenials have come of age during the time when there are major disruptions happening in the country's economic and cultural milieu.

Thanks to these unique characteristics of the millennials, colleges and universities are beginning to change the way they do business in order to serve their interests. The ever-expanding workforce is also coming up with a roadmap to motivate and meet the expectations of the new-gen. Known to be multi-taskers, they are expected to have at least 6-8 careers in their lifetime, so their expectations from their work environment tend to be different from that of their parents.

Given the multitude of choices available, millennials tend to be nonchalant about their career and often end up making the following mistakes:

- Giving salary more precedence: The focus of the millennials is more towards instant benefits which in most of the cases means more money, rather than concentrating on learning and enjoying what they do. It is imperative that one chooses the path that adds more value to their career. This generation needs to focus on things which are more gratifying than money, such as learning, experience, taking up new tasks, taking responsibility, have fun while working. Promotion, raise, praise, bonus, all these will come when you start working responsibly and take delight in it.


Thirst for instant success, more money is hurting millennials in their careers.

- Lack of workplace flexibility: Millenials are more interested in being comfortable than flexible. They choose careers that allow them to live the life they desire, and are often busy indulging in such activities. Brainstorming, feedback sessions, team building and many more interactive techniques are being lost to the new nature of work: working from home. Convenience, impatience, inability to take criticism has become synonymous with this generation.

- Choosing a brand over quality of work: It sure is understood that every one wants to work for celebrated brands that will make one's peer envious. But what is not taken into consideration is the calibre of work that will be offered. One has to be sure that the new task taken up should offer an opportunity to grow professionally. A detailed job description and aligning one's goals in a way that it supports the greater good of the company too, helps.

- Too much, too soon: Slow and steady wins the race, and in a corporate world it is always the experience that counts. Going beyond your limitations and putting 100% effort without expecting wonders to happen overnight is what makes one successful. Millenials, however, either lose momentum quickly or expect instant achievement. Careers are shaped over a period of time and it's imperative they understand that and work towards it.

- Demand work-life balance: There is no such thing as work-life balance. When you start your career, you should focus on work and your personal life may take a back seat. However, over the years there may be occasions when personal life takes precedence. It is not possible to develop this balance unless one is ready to compromise on success.

- No fear of becoming obsolete: Millenials today seem to be ignorant of the fact that education is a continuous process and does not have to come to an end once you start working. Knowledge can never be obsolete. Today, there are various opportunities that enable individuals to gain comprehensive and specialised knowledge, without quitting their jobs. Regardless of their industry or niche, professionals today can undertake courses that can enhance their learning and development that will help them earn accolades in their career. Education is even available on phones, it's never too late to learn something new.

Shaping our career is in our hands and it's never too late. If you find yourself unhappy with your career, or how it's progressing-change your path. One can easily stop being proactive, or giving their best, complain about results and success, but if they work hard and start taking responsibilities and hone their skills, they can eventually move up the ladder of success within no time. Spending some quality time on planning their career, and not looking for anything that is convenient should be the first step in avoiding a wrong career move.