interview garb: what needs to be covered by Alison Green on May 31, 2012 Courtesy of Elisabeth Fosslien’s very amusing “Get Hired” page. Read the full article →
how to deal with a defensive coworker (or anyone, really) by Alison Green on May 31, 2012 It’s hard to work with defensive coworkers — or worse, defensive bosses. Because they argue, don’t hear what you’re saying, and sometimes even lash out, people tend to start avoiding giving them useful feedback … which sucks for both sides, because problems go unaddressed and people feel like they can’t get their voices heard. But there’s […] Read the full article →
manager won’t tell us when she’ll be out on vacation by Alison Green on May 30, 2012 A reader writes: Our manager refuses to tell us when she is scheduled to be out of the office. She travels for business and has taken several vacations since I started in September; however, she has never notified us of her absence in advance. Sometimes she’s available via IM and sometimes she’s not, so we don’t […] Read the full article →
romantically rejected coworker causing problems at work by Alison Green on May 30, 2012 A reader writes: My workplace is extremely dysfunctional. In some ways, we are very much like a family (which can be nice), but the downside of this security (it’s just about impossible to get fired…just like your family) is that there’s no real consequences for bad behavior. Here’s my dilemma: I used to be friends […] Read the full article →
10 salary negotiating mistakes you need to avoid by Alison Green on May 30, 2012 Not much makes job seekers more anxious than negotiating – or even talking about –salary. After all, you might ask for too much, or ask for too little, or otherwise sabotage your own chances of getting the best possible salary. But salary negotiation will go more smoothly if you know what landmines to avoid. When […] Read the full article →
terse answer Tuesday: 7 short answers to 7 short questions by Alison Green on May 29, 2012 It’s terse answer Tuesday — seven short answers to seven short questions. Here we go… 1. Can my company prohibit me from being a reference for a former coworker? My ex-coworker came in to the office today to ask if i would be his reference for a new job he applied for. My manager was […] Read the full article →
when your references are deliberately lukewarm as a “strategy” by Alison Green on May 28, 2012 Sadly, my vacation is over. Why is the transition back into normal life so onerous? In any case… A reader writes: What do you do if your references don’t know how to give references? I recently provided my references for a job that I really want. This company has a very rigorous hiring process, so […] Read the full article →
dealing with unreasonable deadlines by Alison Green on May 25, 2012 This post was originally published on September 7, 2007. A reader writes: I work in a very small office, doing a series of specific technical projects, reporting to a very young, recent-graduate manager who doesn’t have any experience in my area. I am regularly asked to complete projects in in ridiculous time frames. For instance, […] Read the full article →
and I’m not even that nice by Alison Green on May 25, 2012 This post was originally published on June 19, 2007. Apparently I am engaging in some sort of deviant workplace behavior. I like to email short notes to people when they strike me as particularly awesome — and cc their boss. I never do it unless it’s sincere, but it’s not hard to find opportunities. Sometimes […] Read the full article →
how to fire an employee by Alison Green on May 24, 2012 This post was originally published on September 3, 2007. I’m reprinting it now because I’m taking a few days off. You’ll see a few new posts during this period, but I’ll also be using a few from the long distant past. Firing poor performers is one of the hardest things managers do — and also […] Read the full article →