why group brainstorming doesn’t work, you’re leaving too many vacation days unused, and more by Alison Green on October 27, 2016 Over at the Fast Track by QuickBase today, I take a look at several big work-related stories in the news right now: the problems with group brainstorming, the hundreds of millions of vacation days we leave unused each year, and more. You can read it here. Read the full article →
someone took credit for my work, new coworker dresses much more nicely than me, and more by Alison Green on October 27, 2016 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. How do you interact with someone who took credit for your work? I’m a member of my college’s Teapot Club. Recently, I started volunteering to help out the club’s graphic designer. We initially agreed that I would make social-media graphics and such, but last weekend […] Read the full article →
can you say you’re looking for a new job because you want “a new challenge”? by Alison Green on October 26, 2016 A reader writes: When being asked by a hiring manager “why are you looking to leave your job,” one of the common advised response is “I’m looking to take on a new challenge.” Do you think that answering with “I’m looking to take on a new challenge” can be interpreted as admitting that the candidate […] Read the full article →
my employee was late to work on his first day by Alison Green on October 26, 2016 A reader writes: I have an employee who is now at least 40 minutes late for work on his first day. He at least called to let us know he overslept and is on the way, but likely won’t be here for another 20-30 minutes. He seemed mortified and was very apologetic, assuring us that […] Read the full article →
I share an office with a hoarder, did I creep out my coworker, and more by Alison Green on October 26, 2016 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I share an office with a hoarder I share an office with a guy who has a hoarding problem, and the company president has asked me to somehow persuade my colleague to clean up. I have no authority over my colleague — we have the […] Read the full article →
four updates from letter-writers by Alison Green on October 25, 2016 Here are four updates from people who recently had their letters answered here. 1. I think our employee lied about having cancer We continued to have problems with the employee in question. She would stonewall me (ignoring me completely, including when asked about work tasts) but was continuing to tell other employees she had cancer. […] Read the full article →
is job-hopping still a bad thing? by Alison Green on October 25, 2016 A reader writes: What constitutes job hopping? And is job hopping even a bad thing anymore? My husband and I (both 40 years old with professional careers) seem to be straddling the expectations of Generation X and Millennials. When we left college, the expectation was that while you may not spend your entire career with one […] Read the full article →
company is planning a secret overnight trip, lying to clients about freelancers, and more by Alison Green on October 25, 2016 It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. My company is planning an overnight trip with secret activities My company (a young tech start-up) is planning an overnight company trip. They’ve been keeping the details secret, which has caused a lot of anxiety, especially since teasers implied that we would be going camping. […] Read the full article →
I’m afraid I’m about to be offered a job I won’t be good at by Alison Green on October 24, 2016 I’m still sick so I’m pulling this post from 2012 out of the archives so I can continue resting. A reader writes: I had a second interview with a company last week and it went horribly, in my estimation. There were a bunch of technical questions, and I did my best to answer them to […] Read the full article →
you are turning off your interviewer without realizing it by Alison Green on October 24, 2016 If you’ve prepared for a job interview recently, you probably know the basics – bring extra copies of your resume, don’t badmouth your previous employers, arrive on time, and so forth. But as someone who’s interviewed hundreds of job candidates, I can tell you that there’s a lot more that goes into the kind of […] Read the full article →