should you confess a DWI to prospective employer? by Alison Green on February 26, 2008 A reader writes: I am a college student in my junior year, double majoring in Marketing and Management. In November, I was accepted for an internship at the corporate headquarters of a major retailer for this summer. I passed the drug screening and background test. However, in late December, I got a DWI while out […] Read the full article →
management and the Democratic primary by Alison Green on February 21, 2008 It’s been frequently observed that there are few policy differences between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, but here’s something that is a major difference between the two: management. Ironically, it’s Clinton who was originally heralded as a manager extraordinaire, to the point that she was derided for being too focused on mundane details of managing […] Read the full article →
coworker makes higher salary by Alison Green on February 21, 2008 Sorry for the silence. I’ve been fighting a horrific flu but am slowly returning to life again. A reader writes: I am an Executive Assistant for the CEO of digital printing firm. I worked in this position since 2005. I also worked as his assistant when he was SVP of another firm for 4 years […] Read the full article →
explaining a firing when interviewing by Alison Green on February 10, 2008 A reader writes: A few months ago, I was asked to resign from a management position. I’ve begun consulting on my own, but still find it difficult to explain how and why I left that last job. I’m not without fault in being asked to resign, but I believe that my boss long hoped I […] Read the full article →
can manager prevent me from transferring? by Alison Green on February 10, 2008 A reader writes: I’m one of three analysts at a very large corporation with over 40,000 employees. I’ve worked there for almost two grueling years. Our director is a work fiend who has amazing mood swings, is practically never satisfied, and has little regard for our personal lives. Our manager is a good guy but […] Read the full article →
recovering from nervous rambling in interviews by Alison Green on February 7, 2008 A reader writes: I enjoyed — and got some great suggestions from — your post on talking too much during an interview. Do you have any ideas on what to do if the damage has already been done? An obviously nervous, but exceptionally well-qualified candidate, who doesn’t interview well but gets the job done and […] Read the full article →
remorselessness over lying on the job? by Alison Green on February 7, 2008 A reader writes: I was terminated from my former employer after I falsely confirmed to a mortgage company that someone still worked for us who didn’t. I was not telling the truth, but this didn’t present any material damage to the company image as it is perceived in the public eye. Three days later, the […] Read the full article →
should you say you were fired? by Alison Green on February 1, 2008 A reader writes: I worked successfully for a year as a “software designer,” but really acted as a project manager/technical writer. After a year, the entire department was shuffled (all but one of the supervisors left), my job duties were switched to actual software design, and I was made responsible for all sorts of technical […] Read the full article →
references and second interviews by Alison Green on February 1, 2008 A reader writes: I interviewed for a position at a local university last week and felt that it went very well. I was shocked though the following Monday when one of my references called me and told me the hiring manager had called her and asked her about my attendance. (My reference is my former […] Read the full article →
you are talking too much by Alison Green on January 29, 2008 I’ve done a bunch of interviews recently with candidates who sank their chances by not knowing when to stop talking. Your answer to the interviewer’s question should be direct and to-the-point. It should not result in you rambling on for five minutes, giving tons of background and tangents. If there’s more to tell and you […] Read the full article →