May 2012

short answer Saturday: 7 short answers to 7 short questions

It’s short answer Saturday — seven short answers to seven short questions. Here we go… 1. Four-hour interviews I have a friend who got called for an interview with a local college for a temporary program manager position to cover an absence by the existing program manager while she is on sabbatical. My friend was […]

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winners of the networking stories contest

Thanks to everyone who shared their networking stories in the earlier post calling for them. It wasn’t easy, but we have our winners: Bob G, who had an entire tray of drinks spilled on his head just as he was about to make a much-desired quiet escape from a networking event The Other Dawn, who […]

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when an employer asks you to call them long-distance

A reader writes: I applied for a job at a large insurance company and was contacted to set up a phone interview. When I called the HR representative back to set up a date and time, she requested that I call her at the appointed time. I agreed. After hanging up, I realized that this […]

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ethics and your resume

A reader writes: I saw this post from Randy Cohen (formerly the author of The New York Times’ Ethicist column) on Facebook this morning: “A tougher one I received at the column: may a job hunter omit a Ph.D. [on his resume] lest a potential employer find him overqualified? No. Some things are not an […]

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what was your most awkward networking encounter?

Want to win a free Premium LinkedIn membership? Read on. I’ve mentioned here before that I hate networking. Hate it, hate it, hate it. It’s mainly because I’m an introvert, but it’s also because I have a special talent for saying things that sounded funny in my head but somehow aren’t when I say them […]

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job application asked what other jobs I’ve applied to recently

A reader writes: I submitted my resume and cover letter for a position yesterday and got an email this morning asking for more information– to fill out their “candidate profile” (name, contact info, salary desired, position desired, references). They asked for previous salary but I slipped out of that one by saying I’m a consultant […]

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how to appear more authoritative at work

If you want to be taken more seriously at work, take a look at how authoritative you appear. Many people, especially newer managers, undermine their own authority without realizing it, and then wonder why they’re not more respected. Here are 10 ways to exude confidence and appear more authoritative at work: 1. Get clear on your […]

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recruiter wants to change my resume

A reader writes: I recently responded to a job listing on a recruiter’s website. I was called in for an interview, which consisted of me sitting in the waiting room for an hour and a half to talk to someone for three minutes, in which I pretty much just read her my resume. I got […]

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former employee is using my title and job on LinkedIn

A reader writes: I recently discovered that a former direct report took credit for my title/job during the brief 9-month period she reported to me temporarily while my assistant was on maternity leave. What’s mystifying is that she did it on LinkedIn. While we’re not connected, we share a good number of connections because we […]

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when a job candidate wears too much makeup

A reader writes: I recently began interviewing candidates for a position at my company. I found a candidate I really liked, and introduced her to my higher-ups. I think she’ll get the position, but their complaints about her were that she wore too much makeup: 1- She was wearing fake eyelashes. The men asked me […]

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