was I burned in this salary negotiation? by Alison Green on October 12, 2011 A reader writes: I was contacted by the recruiter of a company about a position a few weeks back. Titles for what I do for a living are often arbitrary, so I expressed to her that I wasn’t sure the salary would be enough in that it was a “specialist” role — even though the […] Read the full article →
how to deal with unreasonable deadlines by Alison Green on October 12, 2011 If you find yourself constantly struggling to meet impossible deadlines at work, it’s worth stepping back and taking a different approach to the problem. Here are six strategies that might help you cope. 1. Look at your colleagues. If you have colleagues who do similar work, do they also face similar deadlines? If so, how […] Read the full article →
how to handle 7 cringeworthy coworker situations by Alison Green on October 12, 2011 Whether it’s a smelly coworker or a colleague who sees meetings as a stage for her own monologues, you’re guaranteed to run into some awkward situations at work from time to time. Here are seven of the most awkward, and some tips on handling them. 1. The Smelly Coworker The problem: Your coworker smells so […] Read the full article →
manager publicly criticized me in an email to our whole office by Alison Green on October 11, 2011 A reader writes: I work in IT in an office full of men where I’m the only girl. I’ve felt left out for a while and generally keep myself to myself. This morning, an email was sent by a supervisor to the entire office giving 2 examples of how inputting certain details on a spreadsheet […] Read the full article →
how can I help my struggling coworker, who’s possibly learning-disabled? by Alison Green on October 11, 2011 A reader writes: I’m in a creative, non-managerial position and I’ve recently been given the task of managing the work of one of my colleagues. I’m not his formal manager; he and I have the same job title, and we both report to the same manager. I’m more of his editor or lead (we’re both copywriters at […] Read the full article →
awful advice: lie and cold call your way into a job! by Alison Green on October 10, 2011 A reader writes: I wanted to know what you think of the advice in this blog post: 3 Steps To Network Your Way Into An Interview. I find it weird that the writer basically advises cold-calling and calls it “networking.” Then there’s the other suggestion: “Call anyone the hiring authority has recommended.” Wouldn’t you find […] Read the full article →
ask the readers: when everything is an emergency by Alison Green on October 9, 2011 From my sickbed, I’m posting a few questions for readers to answer. Here’s the next one. A reader writes: I am in a work environment where I have multiple people, usually project managers (my internal clients) coming to me with “emergencies” to fix. Generally, these “emergencies” are caused by someone other than me, I may […] Read the full article →
ask the readers: does networking really work? by Alison Green on October 9, 2011 I am still sick, so I’m going to call on you guys to help answer my mail. I’m posting a few questions that I think there will be lots of interesting opinions on. Here’s the first one — have it at in the comments (and thank you)! A reader writes: I’m curious about how successful […] Read the full article →
short answer Saturday: 7 short answers to 7 short questions by Alison Green on October 8, 2011 It’s once again short answer Saturday — seven short answers to seven short questions. We’ve got a boss who doesn’t believe in vacation, a programmer wondering if he’ll get relocation expenses, and more. Here we go… 1. Boss doesn’t believe in vacation days I have a concern about my boss and his vacation philosophy. Essentially, […] Read the full article →
my boss revoked my vacation time — while I was on vacation by Alison Green on October 7, 2011 A reader writes: I requested for paid time-off for a vacation four months ahead of time. My boss agreed to let me take the three weeks that I had requested. One week and 2 days into my vacation time, I got a voicemail message from her stating that she wanted me to come back to […] Read the full article →