why I am losing at interview phone tag? by Alison Green on August 25, 2009 A reader writes: I wondered if perhaps you could shed some light on a situation that I’ve just encountered for the second time since I got laid off last October. I received a call late Tuesday afternoon and was not somewhere that it was convenient for me to take a professional phone call. The caller […] Read the full article →
how to deal with job rejection by Alison Green on August 25, 2009 If you’re a job seeker in this economy, in addition to knowing how to write a good cover letter, talk winningly about your accomplishments, and follow up without being too stalkerish, you’ll probably need another skill too — dealing with rejection after applying for a job, maybe even one you really wanted and thought you […] Read the full article →
contracting vs. full-time job by Alison Green on August 23, 2009 A reader writes: About 9 months ago I was let go from a great full-time contracting position I held for three years with a large corporation. At the time, the company was laying off hundreds of employees and contractors like myself were the first to go, and I was sad to leave the work and […] Read the full article →
companies that interview with no intention of hiring you by Alison Green on August 23, 2009 A reader writes: Today I experienced something I had before. I felt tricked and cheated after I found out that the interview I had 3 weeks ago was fake – they had a candidate, but arranged to have interviews nevertheless. This already happened to me twice. I feel frustrated for my wasted time, effort and […] Read the full article →
bad interviewee behavior: more tales by Alison Green on August 22, 2009 My friend writes: I call a lot of people to interview them for various positions. I could have an admin person set up these interviews, but I prefer to do it myself. Lately, I’ve noticed a rash of bad behavior — applicants think that because I’m the one calling, I have nothing to do with […] Read the full article →
complaining about work on Twitter by Alison Green on August 20, 2009 A reader writes: I’m a fan of twitter and have recently started a departmental twitter feed for my branch library. I’m encouraging my student staff to come up with ideas for posts, and they’ve been very enthusiastic. However, one of them sent a tweet from his personal twitter account, while he was at work, which […] Read the full article →
more resume shenanigans – leaving off dates of employment by Alison Green on August 19, 2009 I’m seeing what might be a trend of people using a chronological resume format but leaving off any indication of how long they held each position. This is really not a good idea. It looks like you’re trying to hide a series of short stays and in a pretty inept way, because it jumps out […] Read the full article →
new HR coordinator without resources asks whether to leave by Alison Green on August 18, 2009 A reader writes: I graduated in 07 with a BA. Since than, I’ve been working FT while completing my MBA in HR as well. I began my HR career working as a recruiter for a staffing agency for about a year, but soon found out that sales is not what I really want to pursue. […] Read the full article →
emotional after performance review by Alison Green on August 15, 2009 A reader writes: Some background: I am in my mid-twenties and I work as an assistant for a small, nationally renowned non-profit. I love a lot about my job: I get to research topics I love, and I get to apply skills that satisfy me. I have a heavy workload that has increased substantially over […] Read the full article →
EmailYourInteriewer success story by Alison Green on August 15, 2009 An update on EmailYourInteriewer.com, which lets job-seekers send an anonymous, polite letter to employers who interviewed them and then never bothered to get back to them: It’s now generated 95 letters to employers. A couple of employers have written back to apologize. Here’s one of those replies: Please let your candidate know that I apologize […] Read the full article →