open thread by Alison Green on February 21, 2014 It’s the Friday open thread! The comment section on this post is open for discussion with other readers on anything you want to talk about. If you want an answer from me, emailing me is still your best bet, but this is a chance to talk to other readers. Read the full article →
should I let my staff constantly change desks, verb tense on resumes, and more by Alison Green on February 21, 2014 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Is it normal to ask for a 2-3 year commitment to a job? I recently interviewed for a marketing coordinator position. The manager noted that she would want the next person in the role to stay at least 2 years and hopefully 3. I ultimately […] Read the full article →
don’t check references? here’s a horror story for you by Alison Green on February 20, 2014 This was originally published in 2010. This post is for anyone who has ever said or secretly thought that reference-checking is a waste of time. Not long ago, I had a job candidate on the verge of being hired. He had wowed everyone in the interview and clearly had the skills to the do the job […] Read the full article →
what surprised you most when you first started working? by Alison Green on February 20, 2014 A friend and I were talking recently about what surprised us about the work world when we started in our first post-college jobs. I told her how how surprised I was by how tiring it is to work a full eight-hour day (and I remember finally understanding why my mother seemed so tired after a […] Read the full article →
when a meeting goes off on a social tangent, how can I bring it back to business? by Alison Green on February 20, 2014 I’m sick, so Thursday I’m running posts that were already waiting in the publishing queue, which means no short-answer post today. A reader writes: I’d like to reach out regarding a very minor issue I have discovered in my general demeanor/social etiquette in the professional environment and was wondering if you had any advice for […] Read the full article →
my coworker is doing the work I’m supposed to do for him by Alison Green on February 19, 2014 A reader writes: I work on a team of three (plus our manager) as a supporting associate for two salespeople. I like my role and have no problem doing what other people might view as menial tasks, such as data entry and filling out form letters, in order to free up the salespeople’s time so […] Read the full article →
8 ways companies can attract the best job candidates by Alison Green on February 19, 2014 While employers often feel that in a buyer’s market like this one, it should be easy to attract great job candidates, that’s not always the case. Top candidates always have options, and they can generally afford to be picky about what jobs they apply to, let alone what offers they accept. That means that employers […] Read the full article →
how can I stop being afraid every time my manager wants to talk to me? by Alison Green on February 19, 2014 A reader writes: How do you get over “the fear” when a manager wants to talk to you? In jobs I’ve had before my current position, managers only contacted you when they wanted to moan about something – which was a lot of the time. As a result, I dreaded every time my manager called […] Read the full article →
who has the final say in hiring, sick day favoritism, and more by Alison Green on February 19, 2014 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Who has the final say in hiring? I had a two-part interview this past Monday at a company for a role that is my dream job. Although I rocked the portion of the interview where I got to meet the executive VP and VP of […] Read the full article →
are personal branding websites a crock? by Alison Green on February 18, 2014 A reader writes: What are your thoughts on personal “branding” websites? I’m talking about websites where the home page is usually a few brief sentences that provide a snapshot of the person’s profession, a casual picture of the person (sometimes engaged in a hobby, such as playing an instrument), and an About Me section that […] Read the full article →