How confident do you feel about your career outlook in this new decade? If you have your technical skills down, have you been focusing on improving your soft skills? Let’s hope so! It’s often overlooked how much soft skills, particularly professional presence, can impact your shot at success. The good news? You can shape your professional presence, and you can start by weeding out these small but critical mistakes that could be hurting your career advancement.

Arriving late

Something as simple as arriving on time shows you are organized enough to keep a calendar and polite enough to respect people’s time. It’s a simple win! So don’t be the person who keeps everyone waiting. Keep a detailed calendar with as many reminders as you need to keep your commitments. If you’re missing your computer’s calendar reminders, try syncing them to your smartphone or smartwatch. Be sure to plan for travel time and for meetings that regularly run long. You’ll never regret planning to arrive early—it’s a built-in buffer for unexpected delays.

Dressing down

“Dress for the job you want” is not antiquated, and dressing up is making a comeback in many businesses. If you dress sloppily or inappropriately for your position or your company’s culture, your work team won’t take you seriously. (Those Chucks are comfy, but are they worth standing between you and that promotion?) If you’re not sure what’s appropriate for your workplace, take a cue from the people around you. What do your supervisors wear? How about that person whose work you really admire? You can always reach out to your boss or HR if you have questions about the dress code. But if you have to ask whether a particular outfit is office appropriate, it isn’t.

Writing overly casual email or text messages

When properly written, personality and tone should come across in work messages without abusing the “extras” you might use in personal correspondence. (The occasional smiley face is usually fine in an established working relationship.) If your message has more than one or two exclamation points, especially if they are paired together, ask yourself where you might tone things down.

Making excuses

You messed up! Taking accountability for your mistakes shows you are a self-aware, confident leader. Even if that flub wasn’t directly your fault, you show your best side when you search for solutions instead of blaming others. Remember, people like and respect people who get things done, and excuses are never a step toward productivity.

Lying

Hand-in-hand with accountability comes integrity: the strength of your character and work ethic. That text message that “didn’t go through” may help you save face in the moment, but lies tend to snowball. Why risk it when even the smallest fib can brand you as a liar? If you find yourself habitually lying, take notice when you do it. Do you see a pattern, such as challenges with time management or follow-up? How can you change your habits to avoid the urge to lie?

In conclusion

This year, commit to becoming the professional you’ve always wanted to be! When you intentionally shape your professional presence, you may be surprised how even the smallest changes can steer you toward a more promising future.