How To Overcome A Career Catastrophe After A Major Mistake
Everyone makes mistakes, and there isn’t anybody that can claim otherwise. While it’s true that most people generally learn from their mistakes, some folks make judgment errors of catastrophic proportions and aren’t even sure if there is a way out from them.
For example, some errors can have significant implications for other people and even result in dangerous outcomes. Others might not harm human health but could spell the end of a promising career.
If the latter rings true with you, don’t assume it’s all over. It’s worth looking at your situation pragmatically, as you can then determine how to overcome your career catastrophe and start again.
The following tips and tricks will give you some help to get you started:
Own Your Mistakes
The first step to recovering from one or more errors that have cost you your career is taking ownership of your actions. If you’re the cause of something terrible that happened at your workplace, don’t try to shift the blame to other people.
Instead, accept that your actions led to certain events occurring, and look at ways to recover your career from those events and options for fixing any problems you’ve caused. Remember that most negative situations can get resolved in mutually satisfactory ways.
Get Yourself Some Mental Health Support
You might have a reputation as someone who can deal with all the world’s troubles, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need help sometimes. That’s why you should seek mental health support to give you the tools you need to deal with and fix what has happened.
The support you need will depend on the severity of the issues, your current state of mind, and how you wish to proceed with your life. It’s worth seeking the help of a trained and qualified therapist at the earliest opportunity.
Deal With Any Legal Consequences
As you can appreciate, some workplace or career mistakes are more severe than others. For example, forgetting to turn a light switch off in your office before heading home is less catastrophic than forgetting to lock the doors of the bank you manage!
If your employer is taking legal action against you, hiring a lawyer is wise. Consider reviewing the effective strategies for defense criminal lawyers in high-profile cases to help you select the right type of lawyer for your needs and build a strong defense.
Look At What Led You To This Situation
While it’s essential to get the mental and legal support you need to recover from any catastrophic career blunders, it will also help to think about what led you to the result you must now deal with.
For example, did one or a series of bad choices occur because you were motivated by the poor judgment of other people? Perhaps you needed money due to personal debt and thought you could do something without people noticing.
Look back to what led you to the collapse of your career so you know not to make those mistakes again.
Make Attempts To Fix Any Damage Caused
Acknowledging that you’ve made one or more terrible mistakes in your career is one thing. But you should also be prepared to take actionable steps to repair the damage you caused.
For example, if you were involved in stealing assets from your employer, you should return any stolen articles or make arrangements to repay their value.
It’s unlikely that your employer would let you keep your job or return to the business, even after taking steps to fix the damage you caused. But it shows you’re willing to make amends and apologize for your actions.
Consider A Sideways Career Change
Depending on the severity of the consequences caused by your workplace mistakes, you might not be able to get a job in the same industry or sector. However, you can still use your skills elsewhere in another field!
Consider side-stepping into a new career with fresh challenges to help you rebuild your life.
Plug Any Knowledge Gaps With New Skills
One final point to consider is plugging any knowledge gaps. If your career catastrophe was down to a lack of knowledge, it makes sense to learn new skills that will help you avoid making the same mistakes in the future.
Conclusion
It’s possible to recover your career from most catastrophic mistakes – even costly ones! The best thing you can do is learn from your experience and take actionable steps to avoid such a situation from happening again.
