we ask all job candidates to give PowerPoint presentations, employee disappeared with our data, and more by Alison Green on June 14, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. We ask all job candidates to give us PowerPoint presentations I work at a small (around 50 people now) start-up in the industrial biotech sphere. The way my company conducts interviews is that a candidate is asked to give a 30-40 minute PowerPoint presentation, regardless […] Read the full article →
do I have to give two weeks notice? by Alison Green on June 13, 2019 A reader writes: I have received a job offer that I am going to take. I am waiting for background checks to process before I can officially accept and start. What I am wondering is, once my offer is official and I am ready to leave my current job, how vital is it to give […] Read the full article →
update: should I tell my new boss about my previous poor performance in this job? by Alison Green on June 13, 2019 Remember the letter-writer who had been struggling with her job and was unsure whether to tell her new boss about the past problems? Here’s the update. Thank you so much for your response, and all of the commenters. The commenters in particular really helped me get some perspective and see that anyone looking in from […] Read the full article →
what tools help you focus on work when you’re in a loud or distracting environment? by Alison Green on June 13, 2019 A reader writes: Since so many of us are stuck in cubicle farms, what would you think about having readers share things that have helped them focus and get work done? For instance, I use Bose wireless noise-cancelling headphones and I LOVE them. I play music or white noise (or combine them!) when I need […] Read the full article →
everyone got laid off except me, men who pretend to be scared of women now, and more by Alison Green on June 13, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Everyone got laid off except for me I work for a small business (3-5 employees) and I had known the company was having some financial trouble for some time. Everyone in my office got laid off except for me. I was offered a small raise […] Read the full article →
my coworkers love talking about murder by Alison Green on June 12, 2019 A reader writes: I have a weird problem and I don’t know what to do. A group of my coworkers loves discussing murder. Like, they love it. True crime is their favorite form of entertainment. They spend long periods talking about the gruesome details of their “favorite” crimes. (Yes, they have referred to certain rapes, […] Read the full article →
when a job candidate asks “how did I do?” by Alison Green on June 12, 2019 A reader writes: I had a weird situation today when interviewing a candidate and I was hoping to get your read on the situation. At the end of the interview, he asked us for an on-the-spot evaluation, saying something like, “So, what do you think of me so far?” I nearly did a spit-take because […] Read the full article →
should I report coworkers for mean tweets about an intern if someone could get caught in the crossfire? by Alison Green on June 12, 2019 A reader writes: My workplace currently has an internship program in place. One of the universities that sends interns is a religious school — it has strict worthiness guidelines, tells students to report their fellow students who might be breaking rules, etc. Having attended it myself, I can understand how that atmosphere might set one […] Read the full article →
using a heating pad for cramps at work, secretly recording a bad boss, and more by Alison Green on June 12, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Can I use a heating pad for cramps at work? I am the only woman working full-time at a small company (we have one other woman on staff who, after a successful internship, was hired part-time). For what it’s worth, my boss is very conservative […] Read the full article →
how can you determine how old a job posting is? by Alison Green on June 11, 2019 A reader writes: How can you determine how old an online job posting is? I feel like this is so muddled if the job is posted on the company’s site but doesn’t have a date. Then you see that the same job is posted on several additional job boards with different ages. A job that […] Read the full article →