The Worst Ways Your Sign Is F'ing Up Your Career

In terms of job performance, plenty of factors impact your ability to meet—and hopefully, exceed—your responsibilities. From your experience and education level to how quickly you adjust to different environments, not everyone is cut out for the same type of gig.

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Your astrological sign can also determine your talents—and your struggles—while on the job. While certain signs have an easy, consistent confidence and focused, other ones find themselves distracted by Facebook, the sunshine, their co-worker—you name it. The good news is that with a bit of creative strategizing, every sign under the stars can rock their career. Here, a guide on what you might battle at the workplace, along with the secrets of how to overcome it ASAP.

Staying Focused and On Task

Celebrity astrology expert Kristin West explains the cardinal signs—Capricorn, Cancer, Aries and Libra—are relentless by nature. Even so, she says you can trust them to finish any task given to them, even if it takes a long time to fully understand the rewards of their labor.

On the other hand, mutable signs including Virgo, Gemini, Sagittarius and Pisces need multiple points of focus to complete any deliverable. Because a Pisces spends ample time getting lost in daydreams, their subconscious is churning constantly. This makes lists and breaks crucial to their performance: if they start each day making a thorough to-do list of what needs to be completed, they are more likely to remain on task as they reference it throughout the day. Breaks will also help them disconnect and release some of their fidgetting, so they’re ready to go heads-down on a project again.

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West notes a Gemini’s love of chit-chat works in their favor for building interpersonal relationships with co-workers, managers and clients, but can also be their downfall. Since they can discuss, brainstorm and talk for hours beyond end, they’re likely to fall behind on their work. That’s why scheduling time for such sessions is essential, as well as adhering to specific deadlines instead of lucid ones.

Virgos though? West says they work better with a timeframe to finish a task, instead of a specific date. This is because they spend a lot of time working through details, causing them to get behind.

Interviewing

While, unfortunately, putting your zodiac sign under ‘skills’ isn’t necessarily a traditional part of a resume, West says it should be, considering interview skills vary greatly dependent on your birthday. Leading the pack are Geminis and Libras, who are not only eloquent with words, but generous and empathic, too.

Aquarians and Pisces struggle with wowing in interviews, since they tend to leave out the details that really win a case. This means they should study harder than other signs before a big interview, since they’ll need to be prepared with concrete examples to pitch themselves and their talents.

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Because Aries can sometimes be self-focused, they might come across as arrogant in an interview. “Aries are constantly asking themselves, ‘What’s in it for me?’ and have a strong need to maintain and assert their individuality,” West says. They are ruled by hot, feisty Mars, and need to practice being charming and disarming, winning them more friends. This is because their hard-working attitude makes them a  successful sign, which could be a bit intimidating to others.

Public Speaking

As one of the greatest fears for many people, standing up in front of a crowd—whether in front of your friends or strangers—is anxiety-producing for most. Geminis find this to be a relatively easy ask, but other signs shy away from the limelight, making it a skill they must develop over time.

West explains Sagittarians feel pressure in public speaking situations because they instantly become self-conscious. To combat this, they will try to act more like an Aries or a Leo, but it doesn’t serve them well or genuinely. Instead, they should pull from their actual experiences to bring authenticity to their language. “Sagittarians have interesting lives due to their wanderlust and should rely on their many colorful tales to pull them through any public speaking challenges. Sagittarians are the archers of the zodiac, so if they can’t get over that pressure to perform, they can hit a bullseye during their speech,” she notes.

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When up on a stage—no matter the size—Pisces tend to have a minor freak out. They are more comfortable behind the scenes or having one-on-one conversations, especially since they tune-in so wholeheartedly to the feelings of others. West recommends Pisces improve their public speaking attitude by starting small via panel discussions or rountables before considering a solo keynote speech.

Though a Taurus likes the finer aspects of life and will invest in luxurious, expensive purchases—they don’t always perceive themselves through the same lens. As West says, they don’t appreciate how extraordinary they really are because they prefer to keep their lives simple and drama-free. This makes telling their own personal story a tall order, making them better equipped to lead a discussion interviewing other people than to be the focus of one. In a similar vein, West says Libra loves partnering up, so they can be challenged by doing a solo keynote. “They do best when presenting with a partner and feeding off each other’s energy. Just be sure Libra and their partner get equal talk time,” she says.

Multi-Tasking

Of the entire zodiac, West gives Cancers the gold star for multitasking because they’re the ‘mothers’ of the signs. As you might imagine if you’re a mom yourself or have ever stood in awe of your own madre, this gives them the professional ability to not only nurture and execute many projects at once, but even be happy doing so. On the opposite end of the spectrum—or ahem, solar system—are fixed signs like Taurus, Leo, Aquarius and Scorpios.

West says Tauruses tend to get fixated on one single assignment, causing them to struggle with the fine art of juggling. To combat this, West says a policy of honesty is recommended: “Be upfront about your ability to multi-task with a boss. If a Taurus bucks multi-tasking at work, they could come off as stubborn,” she notes. When you’re candid about your abilities, your manager might be more understanding and assign work differently to you.

For a Leo, their battle with multi-tasking is due to where they place their priorities. As a prideful sign that’s always eyeing the next step, West says they can have a one-track mind toward their department, the project and team they’re leading and anything else that’s selfishly related to them. It can be difficult for a Leo to see outside of their own scope, so lessons in empathic leadership may be helpful.

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For Scorpios, any type of ask that disrupts their work rituals will throw them for a loop, and they may respond in a zealot-like way. How so? They’ll stand up for what they find important—above anything else—even if it comes from a higher-up. This is when meditation practices, which can ease their intensity a bit, prove to be advantageous.

As for Aquarians, the very thought of multiple assignments at once is enough to send them over the edge, as they feel the pressure of many pieces in motion at once. This is because when Aquarians are on a task, their whole being is in it, and they dislike distractions or inconveniences, which jar them, West explains. Much like a Taurus, West recommends Aquarians request for space as they need it, and if in an open-office area, adopt a ‘headphones-on’ policy to minimize unneeded interruptions.

Lastly, Aries desire to charge ahead and thus, have little patience for anything but the best-of-the-best. “Being bogged down by too many small, annoying projects will irritate them. They could lose their cool if pesky details delay them in moving forward,” West explains. Patience here, as we all know, takes practice—and an Aries ability to remain calm will keep them exceeding in their careers.—By Lindsay Tigar

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Lindsay Tigar is a lifestyle and travel journalist with a decade of experience. Her work has appeared in Travel & Leisure, Vogue, USA Today, Fast Company and others. For her full portfolio, visit lindsaytigar.com or visit her on Instagram.

Photo by Jason Briscoe on Unsplash