weekend free-for-all – March 31-April 1, 2018 by Alison Green on March 31, 2018 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 Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror, by Daniel Mallory Ortberg. Delightfully disturbing (and sometimes funny) adaptations of classic fairy tales. Very […] Read the full article →
open thread – March 30-31, 2018 by Alison Green on March 30, 2018 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 […] Read the full article →
my boss found out I’m living with my parents, required to shave a beard, and more by Alison Green on March 30, 2018 It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. I’m embarrassed that my boss found out I’m living with my parents I’m 26 years old and moved back in with my parents three months ago as a combination of getting renovicted (where a landlord evicts a tenant under the, sometimes false, reason of conducting […] Read the full article →
my colleagues and I disagree on whether to hire someone who works for a competitor by Alison Green on March 29, 2018 A reader writes: I am one of two managers of a health/beauty-based franchise, where we provide better-rated services than our competitors. Recently, we were understaffed so we went on a hiring spree and hired three new hospitality staff, but we’re still receiving lots of applications. Today, we received through our website a message saying, “I […] Read the full article →
4 updates from letter-writers (the personal crisis, the coworker frame-up, and more) by Alison Green on March 29, 2018 Here are updates from four people who had their letters answered here in the past. 1. How do I hold it together at work during a personal crisis? Firstly, thank you for your kind words and a HUGE thank you to the commentariat here. Hearing that my struggles were serious and I had valid reasons […] Read the full article →
what are the strangest things you’ve ever seen on a resume? by Alison Green on March 29, 2018 I want to hear about the weirdest things you’ve seen on resumes. To kick us off, some highlights from past commenters: “The person whose description included only their entire astrological profile. I mean, sun sign, moon sign, rising sign, and midheaven sign. AND NOTHING ELSE.” “I received a resume for an IT Help Desk Technician […] Read the full article →
employee can’t afford our team lunches, a frequently pregnant senior leadership team, and more by Alison Green on March 29, 2018 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My employee says he can’t afford team lunches I have a small team, two staff plus me, and we’re all approximately the same age and salary (~$90-100k). Occasionally we’ll do team lunches or social lunches, sometimes with partnering areas. This is a government position and we […] Read the full article →
is it more effective to introduce myself to a company with a cold email rather than apply for a specific opening? by Alison Green on March 28, 2018 A reader writes: I am working with a career counseling service that is giving me all kinds of resume and job seeking advice. I told them the kind of job/company I want to work for, and there are two main employers that fit the criteria in my area. Both employers have recently posted the exact […] Read the full article →
do I like bad bosses? by Alison Green on March 28, 2018 This week on the Ask a Manager podcast, I talk with a caller who has found that she responds differently to her managers than most of her peers do – and she’s wondering what that might mean about her. You can listen to our discussion on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, or Anchor (or here’s the direct RSS […] Read the full article →
my boss keeps doing my job, and I’m worried I’m the problem by Alison Green on March 28, 2018 A reader writes: I’m a mid-life career change professional in the accounting world. I’ve been in my current position as a staff accountant for almost a year at a small regional retail company. This is my first accounting job after my career switch, after my post-BA certification and returning to work after raising a child. […] Read the full article →