forwarding praise to my boss, late thank-you note complaints, and more by Alison Green on April 11, 2015 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Committing to a start date before the background check is done I’m well aware it’s common practice for employers to want a start date nailed down before the background has cleared, but why?! I know you’ll say this is a red flag, but it’s so common. […] Read the full article →
update: my boss thinks I should share a hotel room with a stranger at a conference by Alison Green on April 10, 2015 Remember the letter-writer whose boss wanted her to share a hotel room with a stranger at conference, after she’d won a scholarship to attend that was actually saving her company significant money? This is a two-part update: one update from a few days after her letter was published in January, and one from this past […] Read the full article →
how can I send a thank-you note when I don’t know my interviewer’s contact info? by Alison Green on April 10, 2015 A reader writes: I did a phone interview last Thursday and I wanted to follow up with a brief thank-you note, but I didn’t. All of the communication came from a recruiting coordinator, and I was not provided with any contact information for the two staff members I interviewed with except the date, time, and […] Read the full article →
open thread – April 10, 2015 by Alison Green on April 10, 2015 It’s the Friday open thread! The comment section on this post is open for discussion with other readers on anything work-related that 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. * If you submitted […] Read the full article →
employee’s wife keeps causing a commotion at our office, I was interviewed by the person I’d be replacing, and more by Alison Green on April 10, 2015 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I was interviewed by the person I’d be replacing I have had several interviews where the interviewer themselves told me that they have submitted their resignation, and that they are interviewing me as their replacement. It happened to me more than once that the interviewer even […] Read the full article →
our new coworker is distracting and frustrating us by Alison Green on April 9, 2015 A reader writes: I am writing on behalf of myself and 3 other men at work, all between ages of 36-55. We are having issues with a new coworker. Strange behavior over the past 2 months from her includes: * asking us for all manner of random objects various times throughout the day (cookies, lemon juice, needle […] Read the full article →
how to decide whether to let someone work remotely by Alison Green on April 9, 2015 Managers are increasingly hearing requests from their employees to work remotely, either once a week or as much as full-time. If you’re a manager, how should you evaluate these requests and decide if it makes sense to say yes? Here are six ways to assess whether telecommuting could work for your team members. Assess what you know about […] Read the full article →
ask the readers: tell us about your successful salary negotiations by Alison Green on April 9, 2015 So many people are terrified about negotiating salary that they don’t even ask — and many times end up leaving money on the table as a result. So. Let’s demystify the process. Share your stories here of successfully negotiating for more money. What did you say (be as specific if you can!), how did the […] Read the full article →
employer altered my LinkedIn profile, gifts for Admin Professionals Day, and more by Alison Green on April 9, 2015 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My old employer altered my LinkedIn profile without my permission I recently left my job as a recruitment consultant on (what I thought were) very good terms with my employer. In our field, many employers acquire the license to a tool called LinkedIn Recruiter that […] Read the full article →
government-run career centers are terrible by Alison Green on April 8, 2015 A reader writes: I need a bit of advice when it comes to writing a resume. I’ve been going to a government career center for advice on resume and interview skills, and recently, my coach told me that I should be writing a job title in the center of my resume, right after my address. […] Read the full article →