Going rogue - advice for the rest of us -

Going rogue - advice for the rest of us - Rogue (per Dictionary.com): noun 1. a dishonest, knavish person; scoundrel. 2. a playfully mischievous person; scamp: The youngest boys are little rogues. 3. a tramp or vagabond. 4. a rogue elephant or other animal of similar disposition. 5. Biology. a usually inferior organism, esp. a plant, varying markedly from the normal. verb (used without object) 6. to live or act as a rogue. verb (used with object) 7. to cheat. 8. to uproot or destroy (plants, etc., that do not conform to a desired standard). 9. to perform this operation upon: to rogue a field. adjective 10. (of an animal) having an abnormally savage or unpredictable disposition, as a rogue elephant. 11. no longer obedient, belonging, or accepted and hence not controllable or answerable; deviating, renegade: a rogue cop; a rogue union local. Should you be going rogue? Sarah Palins new book obviously brings these questions of rogue to light. Lets face it this is probably not a word in the general lexicon before she used it in her title. Knowing the technical definitions makes it seem an odd choice. Eve Tahmincioglu asks about going rogue, which she defines as dogging your old boss. Eve quotes the Wall Street Journal, which said: it is for details of the McCain campaign that many readers will pick up Going Rogue, and Mrs. Palin will not disappoint them. She describes in particular how campaign aides muzzled her and mismanaged her family. One of the biggest mistakes of the failed McCain campaignand there was no shortage of themwas its handling of Mrs. Palin. Her criticisms of the campaigns treatment of her appear prominently in Going Rogue. Eve asks: Seems going rogue could be added to the HR lexicon as a new phrase to describe dogging your old boss and still succeedingAre we entering a time when former boss-dogging is acceptable? Eve points out that there are many venues for workers to trash their bosses, even if they are not high-profile, public figures. This is certainly true. One avenue to report a bad boss is ebosswatch.com. The site notes, If you are a job seeker or if you are thinking about making a career change, check with eBossWatch to make sure that you wont be stuck working for an abusive or bad boss. Search for the boss or company that you are interviewing with or considering working for and see how other employees have rated that boss. (Disclosure: the founder of eBossWatch is my business partner in GreatPlaceJobs, a site to help job seekers connect with opportunities in award-winning companies.) Selena Dehne tweeted a link today to a post about what to and not to do when you are looking for work. Prominent among the NOT to dos (by Bob Weinstein): * Dont badmouth previous employers or coworkers. Its very tempting to be honest and tell prospective employers the real reasons for being laid off or fired. But this is not the place for honesty. Prospective employers are not interested. Its bad form. If youre leaving because you had a daemonic boss or had difficulty with co-workers, find a plausible positive reason for seeking greener pastures. An evergreen reason is greater advancement and training options an opportunity to move up the ladder and take on more responsibilities. These are solid irrefutable reasons for changing jobs. While there may be something to say for venting about a bad boss, doing it online from your personal blog, Facebook, Twitter or other social networking account is just a bad idea. Face it would you want to hire someone who trashed her former employer? As the next and future employer, you might be concerned about your own reputation should bad blood come between you and the new hire. No matter how much you hated your old boss or loathe your current supervisor, it is a BAD idea to let anyone interviewing you know about it. Instead, try to put the situation in the best possible light if pressed and avoid discussing it if possible. Negativity can only hurt you, so why go there? Unless, maybe, you are Sarah Palin. This is another case of career advice must be personalized. It is certainly possible that telling her story may be just the thing for her career. What do you think? I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching? Â  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While youre at it, dont forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on FacebookId be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since were on the subject of doing something newAre you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers. photo by asecondhandconjecture