You know the work don't biggies-of course you wouldn't talk to friends on the phone all day or chew gum during a client meeting. But other, more surprising actions that you think are NBD might be secretly pissing off your boss...and hurting your career. We asked higher-ups to spill the stuff they can't freaking stand.

By Stephanie Tuder

"I had an assistant who couldn't speak a sentence without using 'like.' In the real estate business, selling people is our bread and butter, and when you say like in between every other word, you just don't sound credible or smart." -Dawn, real estate agent

"There was one woman who would text me outside of work hours to say things like, 'Can't wait for your presentation tomorrow!' While her enthusiasm was great, texting your boss is never appropriate unless you need to communicate vital info fast and don't have access to e-mail." -Ryan, entrepreneur

Related: Awesomely Bad Job Candidates

"I can't stand how all the paralegal assistants are

Photo Credit: 20th Century Fox/Courtesy of Everett"I liked that she was always direct with me," says Annabel Gindi, 25, of her former boss, a no-BS book editor who represents several A-list authors. Sure, she could be a bit of a pill, eviscerating Gindi's grammar on e-mails; leaving her evening voice mails that began, "Oh, I thought you'd still be working"; insisting on a morning chai latte with just the right dash of vanilla. (She once made Gindi reimburse her $5 for a latte that arrived cold.) But Gindi swallowed these small indignities without complaint - after all, on any given day she could find herself talking on the phone with a celebrity writer, even taking a first pass on manuscripts at the boss's request.

About six months in, Gindi says her boss began asking her to handle personal errands. At first it was babysitting her kids; then she asked her to stand in line outside the Apple store at midnight so she could be one of the first to snag an iPad. She critiqued Gindi's lunch choices, gave her the silent treatment when

But Who would hire Me?

5 Reasons why Moms returning to the workforce make the best employees:

But who would want to hire me? I'm not worth anything, am I? Really?

This is a question I hear over and over from women who have chosen to stay at home to raise their families. They've made big contributions to our society, often unrecognized and unpaid, and are now ready to become significant contributors in our workforce.

Here are 5 specific reasons why returning Moms make the best employees:

1. Professionalism:
She will not distract your clients from the business at hand by showing her cleavage, tattoos, body piercings, flip flops, by flipping her hair, or sayingUM orLIKE

2. Schedule Coordination:
You will never meet a professional better equipped to manage multiple schedules than a Mom. Conflicting sports and activities, travel schedules along with the huge amounts of paperwork associated with each, make them pros at this. As a matter of fact, they are so adept at this that they know

Forbes' Caroline Ceniza-Levine thinks you should be bragging, and even "gloating" about your professional accomplishments.

As a career coach, former management consultant and recruiter, she as found that women have a harder time speaking up about their successes, and in not being able to do so, end up selling themselves short.

She admits that it will take practice because at first it seems unnatural - for some people. She also suggests constantly reminding yourself to brag, recap your professional achievements in your head, so as not to forget that you really do have something to offer potential new employers, clients and anyone with whom you want to work.

Ceniza-Levine says:

As a consultant and trainer I enjoy doing team building programs, not just because I get to go out of town but also because it is an amazing opportunity to observe people's behavior in different situations. I literally tell my attendees that the activities are actually meaningless; it's actually their behavior during the activities that is always worth noting. Almost every time before the outdoor activities begin everyone is upbeat and excited, but once time pressure and the need to finish first is added to the mix, startling personality traits suddenly start to come about.

This is where you start seeing the whiners, doubters and even know it all's. It's funny and tragic all at the same time.

So here's my top list of tips to be an effective team player.

1.) Don't assume you know the instructions even before it's given

2.) Learn to ask if you don't understand

3.) Throw your assumptions out of the window

4.) Listen. Then talk.

5.) You don't have to finish first.

6.) Don't give

Women Need to Up Their Game on LinkedIn: 5 Dos For Online Networking

Women seriously need to improve their online networking savvy. A survey by LinkedIn found that men are overall better at networking online than their female counterparts. The data was gauged by how many men versus women were using LinkedIn and how many connections men had compared to women on the professional networking website.

As job hunting shifts to the online space, it's vital to know how to best position yourself online and network on the web. Not doing so will mean losing out on career opportunities, and facing a harder uphill battle when competing against male job seekers for desirable jobs.

To get started on workin' your web contacts, read these five dos from Krista Canfield, the senior PR manager for LinkedIn:

• Do add a photo to your LinkedIn profile. If you add a photo you're seven times more likely to have people view your profile. Adding a photo is also important if you're reaching out to

I am preparing myself for my soon to be 'poor student' status. I am returning to school full time after 9 years! And, this time, I'm going in with an actual goal and a single mom of an almost 7 year old. I am starting to think the hardest issue I will face is saying 'no' to my friends. We're now in our late 20's and we all have had stable lives for a while now, meaning, we have money to spend. Now that I'm going back to school, the money I have will have to be spent on surviving for the semester. Since I need to get used to being a full time student and full time mom, I won't be working for quite a while unless I find a great work study or part time job that will work with my schedule.

Though I'm usually a very anxious person, I don't feel worried about what I'm stepping into. I have a great support system that I know will be there if needed. I'm mostly afraid of telling people I can't do the same things I used to. Dinner, drinks, movies, traveling. I've never thought of myself as

Photo: iStockphotoStress is something Joan Borysenko knows something about. She's a Harvard-trained biologist and author of the new book Fried: Why You Burn Out and How to Revive. For 10 nonstop years, she juggled completing her clinical research, running a working farm (yes, that meant feeding chickens), raising two kids, writing a book and running 25 miles a week. In her two free minutes each evening, she secretly smoked cigarettes behind a tree in her front yard. Then came the back pain. After that, a scary feeling that she was sleepwalking through her life, immune even to her kids' excitement about riding their new pony through the woods.

Related: 7 ways to reduce stress

She, the stress expert, was at the point of nonfunction.

Related: Are you secretly sad?

Borysenko was a perfect example of how trying to do more than you can do for too long can result in a host of problems: emotional exhaustion (say, feeling numb inside when you know you'd normally feel happy or sad), recurring physical effects