Self-inflicted obstacles that young workers must avoid

When starting your career, in whatever profession, young workers can make a wide range of mistakes without even realising.

HR Leader recently spoke to Cayla Dengate, a career expert at LinkedIn Australia, about how young workers can navigate those initial stages of their careers. There are a number of pitfalls that young workers, first entering their preferred profession, can fall victim to. Dengate offered some insight into how young Australians can avoid these often self-created obstacles.

“Firstly, not tapping into your network and connections can be a miss, even if you’re not looking for a job. Tapping the right connections is a great way to get your foot in the door, so be sure to build and nurture your network often,” Dengate said.

“Reaching out to your connections and engaging with their posts on LinkedIn from time to time can help you foster stronger relationships that might even lead to potential job opportunities.”

LinkedIn and other networking sites have proven time and time again to be a massive advantage for young workers who are attempting to foster connections in their profession. Dropping the ball on what can be such a useful tool is a mistake that a lot of people make when they fail to actively engage with these sites.

“Secondly, it’s having an incomplete LinkedIn profile. If you want LinkedIn to work for you and improve your personal brand, you’re going to need to complete your profile – so filling out every section, writing a compelling headline and providing potential employers with a comprehensive picture of your capabilities and experiences,” Dengate said.

“Lastly, spelling mistakes are never a good look. It’s always wise to proofread content before publishing on your feed or handing in résumés.”

In terms of the skill set that young Australians should invest in early if they hope to make their mark early in their career, communication was listed as the top priority.

“It’s hard to define one skill as being the most important; however, communication skills are definitely valuable across the board. This includes being able to communicate well and clearly with team members, customers, clients and managers,” Dengate said.

“Communication skills can help you manage conflict effectively as well as empower workers to voice their opinion and continue to grow in the workplace.

“It’s an important skill to achieve both business objectives as well as personal goals.”

As flashy skills like experience with AI and other technologies are often stressed as a major component to career progression in the modern-day workplace, communication still reigns as an essential skill that can transfer a young employee to an organisational leader faster than any other intangible.

“As AI changes the workplace, our data also shows the exciting possibility of a future where people skills become more essential to individual and company success. Communication skills can come hand in hand with leadership skills and teamwork skills,” Dengate said.