my boss called me “overly emotional” because I cried at work when I thought my grandmother was dying by Alison Green on February 11, 2020 A reader writes: As a sophomore in college, I was fortunate enough to find an internship in an industry I was very excited about. The company was small — the owner, three employees, and me. About halfway through the four months that I worked there, my family dealt with a serious crisis — my grandmother […] Read the full article →
my step-by-step guide to writing a resume by Alison Green on February 11, 2020 If you’re like most people, your résumé is … not great. That’s not because your work history is bad or your accomplishments aren’t impressive (you are undoubtedly Very Impressive). It’s because you suck at writing a résumé. Most of us do. It’s hard to be good at something you probably only do once every few […] Read the full article →
how can I get my employee to stop condescending to me? by Alison Green on February 11, 2020 A reader writes: I am a fairly easygoing person with one major weakness: I cannot handle it when men are condescending. After years of weathering many insufferable male friends, colleagues, boyfriends, and family members, I have simply had a lifetime’s fill of being condescended to. My tolerance has reached its limit. Now, when men in […] Read the full article →
company trip doesn’t feel like a reward, I’m dating another intern, and more by Alison Green on February 11, 2020 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Is this company trip really a reward? Every few years, my company rewards employees ith a vacation that everybody goes on together. Which sounds great, but here are the issues: 1. Married employees can bring their spouses; single employees can’t bring anybody. 2. The trips […] Read the full article →
I’m upset about my anonymous peer feedback results by Alison Green on February 10, 2020 A reader writes: Our division consists of eight teams, each with their own manager. Each team manager reports into the division head, Alexa. I am the manager of one of these teams. About three weeks ago, Alexa started a peer feedback exercise over email. This was a request to answer five behavioral-type questions (what they […] Read the full article →
should we ask candidates their salary expectations ahead of interviews? by Alison Green on February 10, 2020 A reader writes: I work in HR and am somewhat new to the field. Part of my job is managing recruitment. When I receive a promising resume, I will email the candidate to arrange a phone interview. In that first email, I ask, “What are your salary expectations?” If the person replies, “I am looking […] Read the full article →
can I talk about my boyfriend’s other girlfriend at work? by Alison Green on February 10, 2020 I met up with the wonderful Jennifer Peepas of Captain Awkward while she was in town and it was lovely! We decided to collaborate on answering a few questions together and crosspost them to both sites, and this is the first of two posts from that joint effort. 1. Can I talk about my boyfriend’s […] Read the full article →
hiring an ex, should I thank my son’s new boss, and more by Alison Green on February 10, 2020 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Should I hire an ex? My company is starting a massive and complex two-year project, which I am managing, and I’ve been given approval to hire a small support staff. We advertised publicly but after interviews we haven’t found a suitable candidate for the position […] Read the full article →
weekend free-for-all – February 8-9, 2020 by Alison Green on February 8, 2020 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: Excellent Women, by Barbara Pym. I find Barbara Pym cozy and funny, while my sister finds her depressing. I don’t know what that says […] Read the full article →
updates: the nameplate drama, contract-to-hire, and more by Alison Green on February 7, 2020 Here are four updates from people who had their letters answered here in the past. 1. My company says if you have a problem with someone, confront the person within three days (#2 at the link) After seeing my question published and talking to a close friend at work, I felt kind of empowered and did […] Read the full article →