GUEST COMMENT: 19 steps to suffocating your career

1. Get caught up in your own world and busy life.

2. Don't bother keeping in touch with your network of friends, ex-colleagues, ex-clients and contacts.

3. Get made redundant or learn your job is under threat.

4. Get back in contact with your network because you've heard the mantra: "Networking is best way to find a new job."

5. Run around telling everyone "Oh, I love networking it's so great to reconnect!"

6. Jump on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to broadcast your "Hi, I'm looking for a job - please help!" message.

7. Suddenly get on every social media site connecting, friending and poking.

8. Request LinkedIn recommendations from people you've lost touch with (without making any effort to re-establish the relationship first.)

9. Keep asking for leads, help and advice from your network.

10. Don't bother taking a genuine interest in their needs or goals. Instead focus only on what you want.

11. Eventually find a new job and tell everyone how clever and important you are.

12. Don't bother thanking all the people who have attempted to help or informally advise you through your career transition or job search.

13. Tell everyone "....oh we must catch up once I'm settled into the new role. I'll call you."

14. Get busy with the new job and forget to contact them.

15. Just disappear off the radar and forget about your contacts and network once again.

16. Keep going for a few years whilst things are going well.

17. Then eventually get caught up in a rut again or lose your job.

18. Get back in touch with your network, return to the top of this list and follow the same cycle once again.

19. Start moaning and whining about how unhelpful and 'cold' your contacts and network have become.

In an age where job security no longer exists, your network and relationships play huge part in your career success. So follow these 19 steps and you're guaranteed to damage your network and screw up your career. Do the complete opposite and maybe, just maybe you'll establish genuine relationships and create real opportunities on an ongoing basis.

Sital helps a variety of mid-career professionals make successful career transitions in less time and with less stress. To learn more click here