ask the readers: my office is keeping me painfully isolated at work by Alison Green on October 6, 2016 I’m throwing this one out to readers to weigh in on. A reader writes: A year ago, I jumped at the opportunity to take a promotion and move to a new business unit in my organization. It was a fantastic move for me: I’m happier all around, I’m doing more engaging work, and am by […] Read the full article →
should I do mediation with my incompetent boss, recruiter said she felt used when I turned down an offer, and more by Alison Green on October 6, 2016 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Should I really do mediation with my incompetent boss? I am an admin at a small company, 15 employees, and have a high-anxiety supervisor. Every day the supervisor’s work includes multiple errors, not remembering items or situations, and anxiety about issues that have no impact […] Read the full article →
an employee walked away from me while I was trying to talk to him by Alison Green on October 5, 2016 A reader writes: I manage a small staff of admins, which includes one technical support person. Yesterday our tech was doing some non-crucial updates to the phone system, which required him to check each phone in the office. When he got to the conference room, another employee was already in there taking a call on […] Read the full article →
is your AOL or Hotmail address hurting your job search? by Alison Green on October 5, 2016 A reader writes: Does it really matter which email provider you use to apply for jobs? I ask because I was reading an online discussion recently where people said anything other than Gmail makes a candidate look computer illiterate and/or less intelligent. Essentially, according to this discussion, AOL is for old people or people who […] Read the full article →
company wants references from “coworkers you didn’t get along with” by Alison Green on October 5, 2016 A reader writes: I’m currently interviewing for a new position with a company that works remotely. Over the past two weeks, I’ve had 10+ video calls with every member of the small team, along with a bunch of unpaid work tests that have included everything from client proposals to personality tests. It’s starting to feel […] Read the full article →
interviewer is bringing his kid to our interview, do my coworkers all pity me because my job is boring, and more by Alison Green on October 5, 2016 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My interviewer is bringing his kid to our interview I have just been advised that the attorney I am interviewing with will have his middle-school-aged child in the interview. I find this inappropriate and unprofessional. What is your take on this? And if asked a […] Read the full article →
a professional resume writer told me my resume is “awful” — is it? by Alison Green on October 4, 2016 A reader writes: I have been following your blog for more than a year now and I must say that it has been an invaluable source of advice and inspiration. Following your advice, I got interviews with every company I have applied to and received an offer. I am currently preparing to apply for a […] Read the full article →
my male coworker makes more money than I do by Alison Green on October 4, 2016 A reader writes: I am a lady-type person, and I’ve been with my tech-industry employer for about a year and a half. I work in a customer-service-type role as liaison between a handful of regular customers and engineers/developers. I am one of a two-person team in this role. My previous teammate, officially the Team Lead, […] Read the full article →
my coworker is a rude, inconsiderate bully — but am I being too sensitive? by Alison Green on October 4, 2016 A reader writes: Six months ago, I started a new position after leaving a very toxic work environment. One of my colleagues on my team, Mary, is responsible for the majority of my training and is essentially my counterpart. I initially worked longer hours, since Mary works remotely across the country and I wasn’t able […] Read the full article →
employee’s long bathroom breaks are tying up the customer bathroom, staff had meltdowns after talking with each other, and more by Alison Green on October 4, 2016 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Employee’s long bathroom breaks are tying up the customer bathroom We own and operate a retail hardware store that has been in business for 35 years. My brother and I grew up in the business and a few years ago bought the store from our […] Read the full article →