July 2016

I feel guilty that I flaked out on a volunteer job

A reader writes: My first year of college, I signed up to volunteer as a hotline operator at my local rape crisis center. I went through the required online training, the in-person training, and applied/paid for all of my required clearances. However, once I actually started volunteering, I realized that, due to my own experiences, […]

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open thread – July 8-9, 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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how do I ask references about a candidate’s personality?

A reader writes: I am a manager at a nonprofit and hire part-time workers to work in recreation-type centers across the city. Since they are working with kids, adults, volunteers, stakeholders, etc., strong interpersonal skills are part of what we look for. However, interviews make people nervous, and it can be a little hard to […]

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interview with a professional belly dancer

Recently a commenter here mentioned that she used to be a professional belly dancer, and I wanted to know more. She kindly agreed to be interviewed, and here’s our conversation. So you were a professional belly dancer! How did you get into that line of work?  I started belly dancing classes on a whim at […]

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should I express my frustration with this interview process?

A reader writes: I submitted an application for an early career nonprofit sector fellowship program on April. The website for the program stated that applications received by that date would have a decision by May 16. A couple weeks later, I was offered a first interview with a program alumna and was provided with her […]

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my coworker treats me like an incompetent child

A reader writes: I have been in a new job since March. Due to my past experience and industry knowledge, I went from part-time to full-time quickly, and have also received a small raise recently as well. This happened in a little over a month, when I was informed it could take a year. I […]

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