if you wanted to telecommute, you should have said so earlier by Alison Green on May 23, 2009 I think I want to start a “turn-offs” series where I just complain about things that turn me off about candidates. (Or maybe, um, I already have.) Here’s the scenario for today’s: We place an ad. It clearly states that the position is based in our headquarters in Washington, D.C. The candidate, who does not […] Read the full article →
get the job title right by Alison Green on May 21, 2009 I can’t tell you how many cover letters I receive from people who get the title of the job they’re applying for wrong. I know what job they mean, because they’ve put it in the subject line of the email. But when I open the cover letter, there it is — a totally different job, […] Read the full article →
out-of-control employees and unhelpful boss by Alison Green on May 20, 2009 A reader writes: How do I handle a supervisor who insists on interfering in decisions I make regarding my personnel — such as leave time, work assignments, staff not coming into work and then apologizing to him with no explanation to me, etc. When I approach this supervisor regarding very specific issues that have arisen […] Read the full article →
using a third-person bio instead of a resume by Alison Green on May 19, 2009 Occasionally someone sends me a bio instead of a resume. By that, I mean a narrative of their career, written in the third person. (Am I explaining this right? Like a magazine profile, without the colorful tidbits. Or, well, like an obituary.) Don’t do it. It’s odd. Maybe celebrities do this, but I’m unnerved to […] Read the full article →
are you making these job reference mistakes? by Alison Green on May 18, 2009 It turns out that it’s possible for your references to diminish your chance of getting the job without even saying a word. Here’s a recent experience I had when checking the references of two candidates I had been torn between. Candidate #1 gave me the phone numbers of three former managers. I reached each of […] Read the full article →
should you warn an employee before firing her? by Alison Green on May 17, 2009 A reader writes: I am a partner in a small, family-owned small business and financial services firm with 9 employees and 4 consultants in northern California. I’ve always handled all the back office/HR issues – hiring, firing, performance evaluations, training, disciplinary issues, etc., with no problems for the last 10 years. My situation is that […] Read the full article →
the ethics of a “courtesy interview” when you realize the candidate isn’t right by Alison Green on May 14, 2009 A colleague and I were debating this question today: Near the start of an interview, if you pretty quickly realize that the candidate is not going to be selected for the position, what is the most courteous way to proceed? We both agreed that we tend to do a “courtesy interview” at that point (meaning […] Read the full article →
is pretending to be pregnant a fireable offense? by Alison Green on May 14, 2009 TV Guide Magazine would like to know: Is pretending to be pregnant in order to get out of work a fireable offense? Apparently a character on Rules of Engagement (a show I’ve never heard of) did exactly that, and TV Guide wants to know how this would fly in real life. I’m quoted answering this […] Read the full article →
should extra duties equal more pay? by Alison Green on May 11, 2009 A reader writes: I am currently a secretary, with a degree in computer engineering. My employer now wants me to be the back-up I.T. person in the office, which is not a part of a support staff position. Is it unprofessional to expect or to ask to be compensated for this addition of extra duties? […] Read the full article →
when a recognition program feels too fluffy by Alison Green on May 11, 2009 A reader writes: I work in a team of 24 within a large organization and we measure our employee engagement using the Gallup questionnaire. One of the questions our team scored lower on was “In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work,” and as a group, we decided […] Read the full article →