We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.

Advertiser Disclosure

Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.

How We Make Money

We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently from our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.

How Can I Avoid Making Mistakes at My New Job?

By Lauren Romano
Updated May 17, 2024
Our promise to you
WiseGEEK is dedicated to creating trustworthy, high-quality content that always prioritizes transparency, integrity, and inclusivity above all else. Our ensure that our content creation and review process includes rigorous fact-checking, evidence-based, and continual updates to ensure accuracy and reliability.

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

Editorial Standards

At WiseGEEK, we are committed to creating content that you can trust. Our editorial process is designed to ensure that every piece of content we publish is accurate, reliable, and informative.

Our team of experienced writers and editors follows a strict set of guidelines to ensure the highest quality content. We conduct thorough research, fact-check all information, and rely on credible sources to back up our claims. Our content is reviewed by subject matter experts to ensure accuracy and clarity.

We believe in transparency and maintain editorial independence from our advertisers. Our team does not receive direct compensation from advertisers, allowing us to create unbiased content that prioritizes your interests.

A new job can be stressful enough without worrying that you’re going to make errors. Everyone makes mistakes because no one is perfect. The best thing that you can do is to put forth your greatest effort to not make any. If you’re starting a new job, there are some simple things that you can try in order to avoid making mistakes.

Learning from the errors that you’ve made in the past is one way to prevent mistakes at your new job. You should evaluate what was done incorrectly, why it happened, and how you can go about not doing it again. When you attempt to learn from all of your mistakes, you can help to prevent them from happening again.

If you’ve made an error, you should forgive yourself and move on. Dwelling on your mistakes doesn’t serve any purpose but to possibly shake your confidence. As long as you’re going to make every effort to avoid making mistakes again, you should try to put it behind you.

When you’re at your new job, you should make time to take a few deep breaths when things start to get hectic. If you’re stressed, anxious and tense you may start to make mistakes. Whether you’re at your desk, in an empty room or outside, deep breathing may help to calm you down so you can avoid making any errors.

From the moment that you’re hired you should start taking notes. Some employers will even give you quick tidbits of information during the interview. Take notes on how you should dress, office procedures, deadlines and any other relevant information in order to avoid making mistakes. You can look back on your notes whenever you need them so you don’t have to rely on your memory alone.

If you want to avoid making mistakes at your new job you should double check your work before turning it over to the next person. In some cases, it only takes a few extra minutes to look for any errors. It’s better to take a little time to review your work instead of taking chances by handing it in with possible mistakes.

It’s important to be confident and have faith in yourself no matter what happens. Instead of worrying about making errors, you should take things day by day. Be cautious and do the best that you possibly can in order to avoid making mistakes.

WiseGEEK is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.

Discussion Comments

By Potterspop — On May 19, 2011

There are some great tips mentioned here. Another is to ask questions of your colleagues. You can be subtle about it, something like 'so how do you like to prepare for the weekly meeting?' can yield helpful tips and advice.

I also think it's good to double check instructions and get important points in writing. I've worked for people who bark orders and then forget what they said. It takes no time to send a quick email memo to confirm what was discussed.

Sometimes people forget that a new employee doesn't have all the background knowledge they do, and this can mean they assume you know things that you actually don't.

By Acracadabra — On May 17, 2011

@CaithnessCC - I totally agree that being aware of your weak points can help you avoid sticky situations.

One summer I was press ganged into helping a neighbor's kid with his English homework. I didn't bother to revise anything myself and overlooked several grammar mistakes he persistently made.

By CaithnessCC — On May 15, 2011

I found this article while searching for stories of people who have messed up at work. It's got some useful tips that I wish I had read before starting with my latest company.

Yesterday I went to make some photocopies and accidentally inserted the paper the wrong way. The result was a hundred copies of nothing, and I couldn't get the machine to stop.

Eventually I turned it off, but I could have avoided this stress by simply asking for help before using the copier. Machines are not my strong point, so I could have avoided this kind of mistake by educating myself.

WiseGEEK, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGEEK, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.