What's the quickest
way for a young professional to wreck a budding career? Mess up at the
office holiday party.
That's according to
Peter Hess, the 30-year- old founder and president of YAPA...a free Internet-based
membership organization for young professionals seeking career and personal
success.
Hess and Lou Kennedy
- nationally known author on business etiquette and etiquette trainer for
YAPA U, the educational arm of
YAPA - have compiled a list of
10 "no-no's" to avoid this holiday season:
- Mistake No. 1: The
Blow-off. The biggest error is not going to an office party that is a
"must-attend" event. Says Hess - "If you do
that, you show disrespect for your
company, your supervisors and your colleagues. That's a career-killer."
- Mistake No. 2: Forgetting
the Boss is Watching. Hess says senior managers pay attention to how people
handle themselves at
corporate events. In his words
- "They might not know your name, but they will remember your face."
- Mistake No. 3: T-shirts
and Sandals. Inappropriate dress at an office party draws attention, but
the wrong kind. Says Kennedy -
"The goal is to display professional
qualities, not show how funky or daring you are. Skip the plunging neckline
and heavy cologne."
- Mistake No. 4: The
Business-talking Bore. Hess says - "Some young professionals let ambition
drive them. They don't know how to enjoy conversation unless it is only
about business. They become bores whom bosses avoid."
- Mistake No. 5: Me,
Me, Me. Kennedy says self-centered young professionals will have trouble
working in teams with others...and
co-workers and bosses pick up on
this.
- Mistake No. 6: Who's
the Boss? Says Hess - "It is amazing, but some young professionals do not
introduce themselves to senior
managers at a company party. They
are afraid of what a boss might think, or they don't realize the importance
of a face- to-face
meeting. They should not be surprised
when bosses ignore them when it comes time for advancement."
- Mistake No. 7: About
My Pay. Kennedy says an employee who raises pay or other personal issues
at a company party "is marked as a person who does not understand what
is and is not appropriate at social events. No employer wants that person
in charge of others higher up on the corporate ladder."
- Mistake No. 8: Hanky-panky.
No longer is an office party an excuse for employees to become intimate.
Says Hess - "Now it means sexual harassment charges and dismissal for one
or both individuals."
- Mistake No. 9: The
College Bash. Says Kennedy - "Office parties are extensions of the workplace
and not campus free-for-alls."
Using some of the speech and behavior
allowed in college can show immaturity.
- Mistake No. 10: Set
'em up, Joe. "Drinking to excess at a company party will kill a career
instantly"...says Kennedy..."Don't have more than two alcoholic beverages
and better yet, don't drink at all."
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Copyright 1999 by United Press
International
All rights reserved
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