When aiming to get a promotion, there are several behaviors and habits you should avoid at work. Your boss is continually assessing your performance, often in ways you might not even notice.

Demonstrating your suitability as an excellent candidate for more responsibility involves being mindful of both your actions and appearance. Your goal is to present yourself as a professional who is ready and capable of handling greater challenges.

1. Exposing Piercings and Tattoos

We are all individuals and have the right to express ourselves. However, most workplaces and businesses have strict rules about certain things. This includes brightly colored hair, piercings, and tattoos.

It’s perfectly fine to dress and look how you want outside of work. But you can hinder yourself by being overly expressive when doing your job at the office. Tattoo removal is easier and more affordable these days, if you feel that’s the better option over covering it.

2. Focusing on the Negative

It’s natural to feel like you haven’t done a good day’s work. Thinking you haven’t earned your money, letting people down, or not applying yourself as you should have can cause anxiety and depression at work. This leads to negative thinking that can bring you down and affect your chances to get a promotion.

But try not to worry! Instead, focus on what you contribute to the project, team, and your boss. This gives you the chance to improve existing skills and work on relationships to help get noticed for promotion.

3. Appearance Things to Avoid at Work

Like tattoos and piercings, you might be judged by how you look at work. A survey found that 40% of people feel their workwear plays a vital role in this. Looking your best at work is a good way to get noticed and reduce judgemental attitudes.

It also helps you feel more confident and stay more productive as a result. Additionally, staying well groomed with hair care, shaving, and good personal hygiene will keep you in good standing with colleagues and your boss.

4. Taking on Too Much Work

Most people want to impress their boss to get a promotion. One of the most common but biggest mistakes workers make is to take on more work. It’s good to stay busy. But the problem is we can often take on more than we can handle. Then pride comes in and ruins everything.

It is hard to go back to your boss and ask for a reduction in workload after asking for more. So you try to do it all. This ends in burnout, anxiety, and time off. As a result, your boss might see you as unreliable.

5. Giving Your Boss an Ultimatum

We’ve all seen it in movies and TV shows where the hotshot employee asks for a raise, or they will leave! But does that work in real life? Well, it can. But it is very rare.

In almost all cases, you are replaceable, no matter how highly you think of yourself. But even if you aren’t, this kind of attitude can ruin relationships between you and your bosses. And when this happens, you shouldn’t expect any sort of promotion anytime soon! So be very careful.

Key Considerations to Get a Promotion: Managing Appearance and Requests

Piercings and tattoos are things to avoid at work if you want a promotion. Your appearance can have a negative impact, and this also affects your wardrobe and hairstyle.

Unlike fiction, it is also not advised that you demand a pay rise or promotion when meeting with your boss.