my boss drinks and expects me to drive with him by Alison Green on May 14, 2019 A reader writes: I work for a tiny company — the two owners/managers are a married couple and then there’s me and one other employee who are admin. About once every six weeks, the owners take us out for a fancy lunch downtown. This is considered a perk and a treat but it is definitely […] Read the full article →
taking notes on an iPad during an interview, the poo police, and more by Alison Green on May 14, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Can I take notes on an iPad in an interview? This happened to me two years ago, but I’m still not sure what to make of it. I had signed up for government-sponsored interview training, where they teach you how to prepare for an interview […] Read the full article →
do you have to control your emotions to be professional? by Alison Green on May 13, 2019 I’m taking today off, so this is a reprint of a post from April 2016. A reader writes: I recently got fired from a job of four years. They told me I could stay until the end of the fiscal year (several months from the time of firing), and that I’m going to be replaced […] Read the full article →
the destructive myth of the “dream job” by Alison Green on May 13, 2019 When you write a work advice column, you hear from a lot of people who think they’ve found their “dream job” – often based on little more than an ad. They write to me wanting to know how to get hired at the dream job, or how to get over not being hired, or excited […] Read the full article →
my coworker wants us to call her boyfriend her “master” by Alison Green on May 13, 2019 I’m taking today off, so this is a reprint of one of my favorite letters. I originally published this at New York Magazine in September 2016. A reader writes: An employee, “Sally,” started at our workplace about a year and a half ago. She’s not my subordinate, but is the subordinate to a peer of mine, […] Read the full article →
my boss told me to be friendlier to my ex-BFF, interviewer seemed uninterested in me from the start, and more by Alison Green on May 13, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss told me to be friendlier to my ex-BFF I work in a tiny company (three people, including me) that rents office space from a slightly larger small company (15-20 people). I sit on a four-person desk in an open plan office with three […] Read the full article →
weekend free-for-all – May 11-12, 2019 by Alison Green on May 11, 2019 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 Farm, by Joanne Ramos. This is one of my favorite books of the year so far! It’s about a luxury baby surrogate business and […] Read the full article →
a happy ending by Alison Green on May 10, 2019 A reader writes: I’ve been reading your blog for many years, starting when I was miserable and stuck in a role with an awful manager, and your advice has made a big impact on how I approach work and applying for jobs. Most recently, I was laid off last fall from my job at a […] Read the full article →
open thread – May 10-11, 2019 by Alison Green on May 10, 2019 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 office is obsessed with my professional athlete fiancé, I don’t have career goals, and more by Alison Green on May 10, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My office is obsessed with my professional athlete fiancé My fiancé plays professional baseball for the city in which we currently live. He is on a minor league team, which means that he makes less than minimum wage and might not ever be awarded a […] Read the full article →