want to ruin a friendship? hire a friend. by Alison Green on October 28, 2011 Right now, someone out there is thinking about hiring a friend and becoming that person’s manager. Don’t do it! At first, the idea of working with a friend can sound great – you get along well, you can talk through problems easily, you see eye-to-eye on most things, and you can act as each other’s […] Read the full article →
when job candidates are scheduled for a half-day of interviews, can I end it early if they’re not right for the job? by Alison Green on October 28, 2011 A reader writes: I’m a teacher who also manages the recruitment of new teachers at my school. We invite promising candidates to campus for half a day for a tour, classroom observations, a few interviews and a demonstration lesson. On occasion, despite our previous screening, I can determine almost immediately that the candidate is not […] Read the full article →
my friend is getting married on my company’s biggest weekend by Alison Green on October 26, 2011 A reader writes: I just began a new job and I love it. Unfortunately, I have a case of bad timing. One of my best friends is getting married the same weekend as the biggest event for my company, in which everyone is required to work as an all hands on deck event. In fact […] Read the full article →
how parents can help their kids look for a job by Alison Green on October 26, 2011 We’ve discussed the ways in which parents inappropriately intervene in their kids’ job search here before — filling out applications for them, calling employers on their behalf, debating rejections … all wildly inappropriate and all things that hurt, rather than help, their kids. But there are some things parents can do that will help their […] Read the full article →
my boss keeps stealing my lunch, after I’ve asked him to stop by Alison Green on October 24, 2011 A reader writes: I have a bit of a weird situation and was wondering if you had any advice on how to deal with my manager. I’ve recently been transferred to a new department, working in a new office environment, under a new manager. His diet consists mainly of fast food and take-out. I have […] Read the full article →
10 myths about working for nonprofits by Alison Green on October 24, 2011 As someone who has spent my whole career working for nonprofits, I’m used to hearing all the stereotypes and myths about the sector: nonprofits are touchy-feely places without rigor, where you can’t care about money and you’re probably a hippie, blah blah blah. There are of course nonprofits that fit this stereotype — but there […] Read the full article →
a weekend of short answers: short answer Sunday by Alison Green on October 23, 2011 I think this is a first — a short answer Saturday and a short answer Sunday in the same weekend. Today, we’ve got a job offer that looks better in retrospect, a confusing rejection notice, and more. Here we go… 1. Boss is asking me constantly if I have plans to leave I graduated from […] Read the full article →
short answer Saturday: 7 short answers to 7 short questions by Alison Green on October 22, 2011 It’s short answer Saturday — seven short answers to seven short questions. We’ve got a weekend employee who’s going to get fired if she can’t attend weekday training classes, a frustrating vacation policy, a promotion yanked away at the last minute and more. By the way, I’ve only received two questions about workplace issues in […] Read the full article →
students: don’t make commitments you don’t intend to keep by Alison Green on October 21, 2011 A reader writes: I am a college student working my way through school to (hopefully, someday) work in journalism. Currently, I am working at a private school as an after-school worker to pay the bills. I enjoy working with the kids, but the school is incredibly demanding. I only work about 15 hours per week […] Read the full article →
how to let your staff know that someone was fired by Alison Green on October 21, 2011 For reasons that I will never understand, one of the most popular searches on this site is “how to announce an employee is leaving.” We’ve talked in the past about how to announce that (be straightforward and just say it), and we’ve talked about the even more inexplicable fact that some companies don’t announce it […] Read the full article →