Surveying Career Pitfalls: Learn from the Most Common Professional Blunders

Ever wish you could go back in your career and make a change? Whether it was accepting the “wrong” job 20 years ago or bombing an interview question last week, learning from our mistakes is one of the many ways we can grow as individuals and professionals. But we don’t just get to learn from our own mistakes – we can learn from other people’s mistakes, too.

</p> <section data-block="SingleChoice"> <h2>What do you wish you could change about your college education?</h2> <ul> <li>Not going to college right away after high school</li> <li>Choosing the wrong major</li> <li>Not taking more time between high school and college</li> <li>Getting a degree in an area that wasn’t a good fit or didn’t have good job prospects</li> <li>Not focusing on studies/grades as I should have</li> <li>Other</li> </ul> </section> <section data-block="SingleChoice"> <h3>What do you wish you could change about your past job search experiences?</h3> <ul> <li>Submitting a resume with errors</li> <li>Focusing on searching for jobs with the wrong skills</li> <li>Spending too much time focusing on the role instead of the company you’d work for</li> <li>Not looking for a job in the geographical area you wanted to live in</li> <li>Focusing too much on <a title="Security Clearance Salary" class="aalmanual" target="_self" href="https://about.clearancejobs.com/employers/recruiting-resources/2024-security-clearance-compensation-report">salary</a> and benefits instead of the work</li> <li>Focusing too much on the work instead of the salary and benefits</li> <li>Other</li> </ul> </section> <section data-block="SingleChoice"> <h3>What do you wish you could change about your past interview experiences?</h3> <ul> <li>Making more professional clothing or hair choices</li> <li>Practicing answers to well-known questions like “Why do you want to work here?” and “Tell me about yourself” in advance</li> <li>Talking too much</li> <li>Not having follow-up questions for your interviewer</li> <li>Talking negatively about a past employer</li> <li>Asking more questions about the role you’re interviewing for</li> <li>Other</li> </ul> </section> <section data-block="SingleChoice"> <h3>What do you wish you could change about jobs you’ve accepted, whether it’s where you currently work or a position you held in the past?</h3> <ul> <li>Negotiating a higher starting salary or better benefits</li> <li>Selecting a job in a better location for me/my family.</li> <li>Choosing an employer more aligned with your personal beliefs</li> <li>Choosing a job with more upward mobility</li> <li>Choosing a job that is more challenging</li> <li>Choosing a job that is not so demanding</li> <li>Other</li> </ul> </section> <section data-block="SingleChoice"> <h3>What do you wish you could change about your career trajectory?</h3> <ul> <li>Not having a plan/goal for my career growth</li> <li>Neglecting my personal life to focus on my career</li> <li>Not investing enough time in continued growth and education</li> <li>Choosing a career that doesn’t align with your personality or skills</li> <li>Not taking enough risks</li> <li>Other</li> </ul> </section> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>

What past career choices do you wish you could change? Take our survey to see the most common things people wish they could change about their career past. It may help you feel some solidarity with others who have similar regrets or help you avoid making similar mistakes in the future.

Here are just a few of the areas candidates may wish they could jump in a time machine to change their choices.

Mistakes made in educational choices

How many times did you change your major in college? Or, maybe you skipped college after high school and now are trying to juggle education along with a career. These are just a few examples of regrets people may have about their education.

Mistakes made in the job search process

It doesn’t take much to mess something up while you’re looking for a job. You may be under more pressure than usual if you had an unexpected layoff or are transitioning from the military. You may be selling yourself short by not fully understanding which of your skills are most in demand or by having a glaring spelling error on your resume. There are lots of ways you can make a mistake in your job search even before you land an interview!

Mistakes in interviewing

Interviewing is one of the most stressful parts of the job search process. Whether you accidentally word-vomited TMI, blanked on your answer to the notorious “So tell me about yourself,” interview question, or forgot to do background research on the company, you are definitely not the only candidate to bomb an interview.

Mistakes in job acceptance

Not every job is a good fit for every candidate. But if you get an offer with a nice salary or unexpected perks, it can be tempting to take the job despite your gut feelings.

Every mistake is a learning opportunity and a chance for growth. And even though you may have regrets, you also may not be where you are now if you hadn’t made those mistakes.

What’s your number one tip for avoiding career mistakes? Leave us a comment to let us know!