5 pieces of ‘good’ career advice to disregard

Most of us want to get ahead in our careers.

Whether you’re hoping for a promotion or actively seeking new opportunities outside your organization, you probably don’t want to be stuck in your entry-level or middle-management job forever.

How can you increase your chances of moving up?

You might think that taking on tons of extra assignments or being the first one in and the last one out of the office every day will catch the attention of the right people. It might at first, but don’t let these practices burn you out or, worse, diminish your professional reputation.

If you want to get ahead, think twice before you form these five seemingly helpful career habits, which could hurt you in the long run.

1. Volunteering for every project

Most career experts (and common sense) will tell you that if you want a promotion, you should volunteer to help your boss with a big project or offer to do something outside your normal duties.

Though going above and beyond might highlight your potential and prove your work ethic, raising your hand for every additional project will only bog you down. Your boss and team members will come to rely on you to pick up the slack, and the job you were hired to do will suffer.