Job gaffes that show you in poor light
Patricia Kitchen

WHAT an endless number of ways there are to mess up your career, pretty much all of them revolving around judgment — bad judgment.

For instance, how smart do you think it is to disagree openly with your boss over an important issue — right in front of other people? Answer: It’s pretty low on the smarts scale, whether you’re right or wrong, says Richard Bayer, chief operating officer of a career-coaching network. The way to express a significantly differing point of view is to get the boss off to one side before you give him or her an earful.

(Some would say it’s unwise to disagree with the boss at all, but I seriously question the wisdom of continuing to work for someone who requires total agreement, someone who insists on always being right — as, unfortunately, some bosses do.)

Disagreeing "in public" is just one of the several common mistakes that can stall — or ultimately end — your career with a given employer, as outlined in the new book, "Navigating Your Career" (Delmar Learning).

Here’s another one: thinking that because you sit in front of your office computer all day, that makes it yours to do with as you please. Next time you feel the urge to send a snide e-mail, an off-color joke or a link to a smutty site, picture this: your cyber-gaffe sets off the company’s e-mail filter system, sending the joke or whatever directly to a "check this out" bin for review by someone in your computer or human-resources department.

Here’s another mistake: attending a company party dressed as if you were going to a night club. Or drinking or flirting as if you were at a club. What’s important here is to forget the word ‘club.’ Forget the word ‘fun.’ Forget the word ‘party.’ Remember this is a company event. The words to keep in mind are these: "My boss is watching me."