February 2019

I feel unsafe in the neighborhood I work in

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I am a woman in my late 20s, and work for a nonprofit in a mid-sized city. I grew up in a bigger city than this one, and went to college in a city with a higher crime rate than where I am now, but […]

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how do I not lose hope in a highly competitive field?

A reader writes: I’m in a very competitive, very niche academic field. I’m writing because I wonder if you and your readers can tell me how to keep going when I’m losing hope as this roller coaster of a search keeps on rolling. I have been applying for jobs since last year, and I have […]

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my coworker is unbearably negative

A reader writes: I have to sit with a coworker twice a month shut in an office by ourselves for several hours — and all she does is complain and groan about life and process all of her problems. I’d especially love your advice on ways to say “Hey, you’re so negative that I actually […]

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new manager keeps telling us we’re frustrated and defensive

A reader writes: A few months ago, we gained a new departmental manager (Kelly). Some background: Kelly is about 10 years younger than the two most senior people in our department, of which I am one, and comes from another industry so there’s a steep learning curve. My colleague (Alex) and I are finding conversations […]

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how do you hide your job hunt when you’re working full-time?

A reader writes: Can you tell me how to interview for new jobs while I’m still employed? I’ve been in my first professional job for three years since graduating from college and am beginning to think about looking for another job and moving on … except that I can’t figure out how to interview without […]

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how should employers respond to employees being doxxed?

A reader writes: How should employers respond to employees being doxxed? Background: I was in a popular online fitness forum last night when several posters complained about being doxxed by a popular Instagram fitness/weight-loss account. The influencer (or someone on her behalf) was looking up accounts that she felt had trolled her, trying to find […]

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