How to recover from a mistake

We’re all human, which means we all slip up from time to time. But an error rarely spells the end of your career. Here are a few handy hints from Adrian Granzella of The Muse on moving past a professional mistake.

Apologise
The first thing you must always do immediately following a mistake is apologise to whoever needs to hear it. Don’t put it off in the hopes that no-one will notice because if it does and you didn’t take responsibility it’ll look far worse for your integrity. Make it sincere and follow it up with how you’re going to fix the problem.

Suffer the consequences
Let’s face it – no matter how much you grovel, there will always be consequences when you make a mistake. Whatever that turns out to be – disciplinary action, the wandering eyes of your colleagues, having to rebuild the trust you had with your boss – just accept it and move on. Learn from the experience so you can be sure it’ll never happen again.

Soldier on
You’re not the first person in the history of mankind to make a mistake and you certainly won’t be the last. These things are bound to happen at some point, but a silly blunder or momentary lapse in judgement shouldn’t be held against you forever.

However, if you’ve made a major error that gets you fired, here are The Muse’s tips for explaining your situation to potential employers.

Read the original article at muse.cm/1IdM0Zi