team excludes me from meals, a distracting boss, and more by Alison Green on August 26, 2013 It’s seven short answers to seven short questions. Here we go… 1. Would this cover letter be tacky? I’m interested in a Communications/PR job that will involve writing press releases. Is it tacky to submit a cover letter in the format of a press release, announcing my “hire” and including my experience/what I bring to […] Read the full article →
former VP is accusing me of causing a spam influx on her computer by Alison Green on August 25, 2013 A reader writes: I worked as the marketing person at a nonprofit for nearly 2 years. It was an entry-level position and I worked hard at it before I moved on to a bigger opportunity. I gave my manager the heads-up that I was job-searching a solid 2 months before I left, as a courtesy, […] Read the full article →
should I work for a creep, negotiating parking, and more by Alison Green on August 24, 2013 It’s six short answers to six short questions. Here we go… 1. Should I take a job working with a creepy boss? Recently I received an anonymous gift. The only person who could have known that it was something I wanted was my manager. It was not an expensive present, but it made me very […] Read the full article →
update from the reader whose new job was sending her work before she’d started by Alison Green on August 23, 2013 Remember the reader whose new job was sending her almost daily emails with research tasks to complete — before she had started the job? Here’s her update. As it turns out, I should have seen this as a warning sign. Although the company overall has great opportunities, it seems I landed in a role that […] Read the full article →
should our company switch to unlimited time off? by Alison Green on August 23, 2013 A reader writes: We’re thinking about implementing an unlimited paid time off program in my company, where if you need a day, or a week, you take the time and aren’t bound by a certain number of weeks you can take in a year. Certainly there are a ton of considerations in doing this. I’m […] Read the full article →
power will lead you to eat more cookies and chew with your mouth open by Alison Green on August 23, 2013 It’s Flashback Friday! Here’s an old post from June 2010 that we’re making new again, rather than leaving it to wilt in the archives. This is pretty fascinating: “A particularly amusing study — undertaken by Keltner, Gruenfeld, and another colleague — shows that giving people just a little more power than their colleagues causes them […] Read the full article →
food mishaps at business lunches, defensive coworkers, and more by Alison Green on August 23, 2013 It’s seven short answers to seven short questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker got defensive with me when her boss compared her work to mine This is actually something that happened to me at my former employer, so I can’t act on your advice, but I am curious what you think about it. I […] Read the full article →
how to figure out how well you’re doing in your job — and talk about it in a performance evaluation by Alison Green on August 22, 2013 In last week’s open thread, a commenter offered this excellent advice on how to how to (a) prepare for a performance evaluation when you haven’t received much feedback and aren’t sure where you stand and (b) figure out how well you’re doing in your job overall: Try to assess your performance in the role as […] Read the full article →
someone who was rejected for my new job reached out to me by Alison Green on August 22, 2013 A reader writes: I recently went through 6 rounds of interview stages for a telecommute position. The stages included a resume and phone screening, a questionnaire, multiple phone interviews, and finally an in-person lunch. It took almost 2 months, but I’m happy to report I was offered and accepted the position. I enthusiastically updated my […] Read the full article →
how to get a reluctant employee to take on a new task by Alison Green on August 22, 2013 A reader writes: The person who took minutes at our board meetings has moved on, and I’m leaving her position vacant for budget reasons. I want our bookkeeper to take this duty on, because she has already shown she’s trustworthy with sensitive information, and I feel she’s the best person on our staff for this. […] Read the full article →