August 2008

fear of abusive former boss giving reference

A reader writes: Due to a very emotionally abusive work environment, I decided I could no longer wait for another offer (I had been trying for several months with no success), as my physical and mental health were imperiled, and quit my job. But now I face the very, very uncomfortable situation of potential employees […]

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belligerent rejected candidates, part 3

Here’s a conversation I had with a rejected job applicant today. He left me a voicemail inquiring about the status of his application, and I checked and saw that we had sent him an email two weeks ago to let him know that we would not be able to consider him for a position. Feeling […]

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50 days, 4 interviews, a consultancy offer, and a missing contract

A reader writes: I’m a consultant and I have been looking to join a larger consultancy. In hunting around, I found one… on its face, the organization seems to be perfect. My personal philosophy meshes well with their stated philosophy, etc. I sent off an unsolicited e-mail, asking if they needed someone like me. Their […]

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5 bad pieces of career advice

I’m sometimes unnerved by some of the career advice that gets repeated over and over in job-hunting guides and career columns. There are five particularly bad pieces of advice that I cringe every time I see. Bad piece of advice #1: When interviewing, figure out what the interviewer is looking for and shape your answers […]

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fired worker badmouthing company to current employees

A reader writes: How would you deal with a terminated employee who keeps calling active employees here on the job to speak badly about HR? It is sadly at the point where she is making things up and defaming the abilities of the HR team by spreading rumors. Any advice? I would probably do nothing. […]

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job searching: when does persistence become stalking?

A reader writes: Let’s do a mirrored image of your posting on an applicant missing a phone interview. Let’s say the prospective employer called me and wanted to set up an interview for either that day or a couple of days down the road. Then they explained that they needed to make sure the hiring […]

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