[Photo/China Daily]

1. I'm too busy doing the doing

Very early in my career I avoided any workrelated events, as I was so wrapped up in my job. I was busy being busy. I was completely naive to the world of opportunity that potentially awaited me if I just unchained myself from my desk and made the effort to meet new people. It's so easy to get entrenched in our jobs and let these opportunities fall by the wayside.

Promotion and recognition is not just down to how good you are at your job or the number of hours you put in, it's as much about the connections you make - who you know, and who knows you. If you are not (in) the room, how will that happen? Be there, be seen, go to that event, meet people, greet people, listen to their stories, share your own and nurture those connections for the future.

2. Lost for words

Picture this: You have just met someone in a senior position in your firm, they ask you who you are and what you do. You just answer with your name and department. There were several situations where this happened to me early in my career. I had my chance to make an impactful introduction, but instead I had nothing - just the basics.

I want you to think about creating and learning what some describe as an "elevator pitch", but I want you to do it Twitter-style. By that I mean short, factual and to the point. This is who I am, this is what I do, but also bringing in a little context about the impact of your job, or you might want to mention a project that you are working on and how it benefits the company. Having this intro in your career armory is important.