Some people seem to be bullet proof and can save their jobs, if not their reputations, after even the worst of mistakes or even after multiple mistakes. This kind of smart/slippery character may be naturally blessed with the instincts to survive any blunder but, according to Mark Wilson, managing director of specialist financial recruitment agency Sharp Consultancy you don’t have to be the Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister to survive.
Mark comments, “There are certain things you can do to help negate the effect of any clangers you might accidentally make at work. Firstly, if the worst happens and the mistake was yours, own up and apologise. It is really important that you don’t blame others, especially anyone you work with closely, as you may well need their support to help survive the incident, you will also gain respect for having the strength to admit your mistake.
What you do next is equally important to successfully keeping you in employment according to Mark, “No matter how the gaff came about, the next and vital step is to detail what you will do to put the situation right and what you will do to ensure it never happens again. Then you will be associated with a solution, not just a problem. This needs to be presented in genuine and calm manner – it won’t help your case if you come across as someone in complete panic. If your mistake was undeniably a one off, I suggest you highlight that as a secondary point, but keep the emphasis very much on your future actions.
“Assuming this goes well and you are given the opportunity to keep your job and make amends, it is obviously key to start making the necessary changes immediately – the worst thing you could do at this stage would be to sit back and relax. Your employer must see that you are serious about keeping your job and have turned over a new leaf.
“My final piece of advice is to try and avoid having to do any of this, by preventing any nightmare scenarios from happening in the first place. If you take your work seriously and are hard-working and efficient, whatever your profession, you will probably not only do a good job and earn the respect of your colleagues and employers but are also much less likely to slip up. While it’s true that a good work record and using these tips could help you survive after making a gaffe once, it’s clearly not something you should make a habit of. After all, it’s your job and professional reputation at stake and there are obviously limits to employers’ goodwill.”
