It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. A friend interrupted my job interview in a coffee shop I had an awkward experience recently. I met someone for a job interview at a coffee shop recently (standard for this company). The interview was going well, but about 10 minutes in, a friend I […]
Read the full article →A reader writes: I’ve been trying to break into a niche industry (30-40 jobs in a city with a population of 3 million) for a while now. I’m in my late 20s, and though it took me some time to decide what I wanted to do with my life, I have finished my degree and […]
Read the full article →A reader writes: I’d like your advice on talking points when asking my boss about the ability to work from home once a week. I work on a very small team at a very large company. There are usually just three of us from my department in the office on a given day. My boss […]
Read the full article →A reader writes: I’m the director of a public library in a small town. I have a part-time clerk (let’s call her Maggie). Maggie has a son, “Ralph,” who is, quite simply, not a very nice person. He’s a former drug addict who was okay for a while, but now seems to have figured out […]
Read the full article →It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I keep falling asleep at work I have worked as the receptionist at my current firm for over two years. In the last couple of months I have been unable to stay awake through my entire shift! I do not have a lot of tasks […]
Read the full article →I’m quoted in this Wall St. Journal piece, talking about hugging at work. My advice: “Huggers feel they’re really good at judging when someone wants a hug, but based on what the nonhuggers are saying, they’re wrong about that.” And this weekend, I was on public radio’s Marketplace, talking about job interviews. My segment starts at 6:11.
Read the full article →Currently, millions of employees in the United States are required to be paid overtime (time and a half) if they work more than 40 hours in a given week. But a new bill in Congress proposes changing that. The Working Families Flexibility Act of 2017 proposes allowing employees to receive comp time (extra paid time […]
Read the full article →A reader writes: I recently called an applicant to offer her a customer service position. She responded flatly as soon as I introduced myself. (“Oh. Hi.”) I was a little taken aback, but proceeded with the job offer anyway. Her terse reply immediately signaled a complete lack of interest. She said little other than, “Huh. […]
Read the full article →It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I overheard higher-ups complaining about my work friend I have a coworker who I’m pretty friendly with. We eat lunch together regularly and we’ve also spent some time together outside of work (dinners with our spouses, etc.). I’m at a slightly higher level, but we […]
Read the full article →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.) Book recommendation of the week: The Golem and the Jinni, by Helene Wecker. A woman made of clay and a man made of fire are marooned in 19th […]
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