January 2016

8 phrases to remove from your work vocabulary

We all have certain fallback phrases that we pull out at work over and over – but some of them can be seriously annoying to coworkers and alarming to managers. Here are eight phrases that you might use at work without thinking much about them, but which are worth removing from your office vocabulary. 1. […]

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I feel insulted by my raise — and I let my boss know it

A reader writes: Last month, I had my first performance review at my first job out of college. Despite overwhelmingly positive feedback (98/100 points) and that fact that the company boasted their “best year to date,” I got a pretty abysmal raise of just 0.5%. But the worst part was the way my manager conveyed […]

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weekend free-for-all – January 9-10, 2016

This comment section is open for any non-work-related discussion you’d like to have with other readers, by popular demand. (This one is truly no work and no school. If you have a work question, you can email it to me or post it in the work-related open thread on Fridays.) Book Recommendation of the Week: The […]

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networking contacts keep sending me bad job leads, surgery right after starting a new job, and more

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Networking contacts keep sending me job leads that are too senior for me I’ve been looking for an intern / entry-level engineering position for a long time and I’ve spoken with a lot of people about my job search (former classmates, professional engineers, hiring managers, […]

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how can I stop gossiping at work?

A reader writes: I need advice about a difficulty with my job: gossip. This is my own fault. I would like to say that I have been unwillingly sucked into gossiping/complaining with my coworkers about other coworkers. However, I am ashamed to admit that the truth is I have been a willing participant. But now […]

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open thread – January 8, 2016

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 […]

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do “pain letters” really work?

A reader writes: I wanted to know what your take is on “pain letters.” I have been reading up on career advice, and I ran across an article by a Forbes contributor who says that we should junk cover letters and resumes for “pain letters.” I’d advise against them. When I’ve received them, they’re generally cringingly […]

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