my dad has been applying to jobs pretending to be me by Alison Green on March 8, 2023 A reader writes: I’m a recent graduate who’s been job hunting for the past few months. I live with my parents and recently, I’ve discovered my father has been applying for jobs pretending to be me. On top of that, he’s gone out of his way to personally email CEO’s from various companies and design […] Read the full article →
coworker plagiarized my paper, should I tell my boss we can all see he’s offline, and more by Alison Green on March 8, 2023 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker plagiarized my paper I’m curious about an issue that happened to me a number of years ago and how you would have advised me back then. I had a coworker who I knew on an acquaintance level. We were friendly and would occasionally […] Read the full article →
why are employees blindsided when I fire them after warning them that I might? by Alison Green on March 7, 2023 A reader writes: I’ve twice now been put in the tough situation of needing to fire someone after they failed their PIP now, but I don’t know how to make it less surprising and traumatizing for the person on the other side. Both calls ended with me consoling them as they cry for an hour […] Read the full article →
how to answer “tell me about yourself” in a job interview by Alison Green on March 7, 2023 It’s common for job interviews to open with a question that sounds simple on its surface but which many job seekers find difficult to answer: “Tell me about yourself.” Job seekers often aren’t sure exactly what interviewers want to know when they ask that question. Are they requesting a full history of your life? Should […] Read the full article →
my boss said she doesn’t think mothers can fully commit to their jobs by Alison Green on March 7, 2023 A reader writes: I’ve been at my current company for 10 years. In 2021, I had my first baby. Every department I’ve worked in has been very supportive and flexible — not just of me, but of anyone who needs to adjust their schedule for caregiving duties, doctors’ appointments, and even social events. We’re hybrid […] Read the full article →
I’m a nepotism baby, paying based on where employees live, and more by Alison Green on March 7, 2023 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Can I ask coworkers to stop introducing me as my dad’s kid? To put it bluntly, I’m a nepotism baby. I work as a paralegal at a fairly small criminal defense law firm (four attorneys, one of whom is my dad, an office manager/paralegal, and […] Read the full article →
sorry for the technical difficulties by Alison Green on March 6, 2023 As you might have seen, the site has been having technical difficulties since last week (for users, mostly slow loading times or not loading at all). I’m working on it and hopefully it will be solved soon. Read the full article →
update: my needy boss wants me to “adopt” her by Alison Green on March 6, 2023 Remember the letter-writer whose needy boss tried to invite herself on the letter-writer’s vacations and nights out with her husband. (First update here.) After I reprinted it last week, the writer saw it and sent in a current update: What a surprise to see this pop up again! It’s been a long three years. Our […] Read the full article →
should companies offer bonuses instead of raises? by Alison Green on March 6, 2023 A reader writes: My workplace wants to start giving out annual profit share bonuses in lieu of salary raises. Basically, the base bonus (which is based on how well the company does that year) would be multiplied by the number of years someone is there (so for the sake of simple math, if the base […] Read the full article →
my company is pressuring us to donate huge amounts of money to a coworker by Alison Green on March 6, 2023 A reader writes: I am a high volume sales professional for a very successful company. I have a group of peer colleagues with similar tenure. A few years ago the company hired Jane in a support role for our team. From day one, Jane has been terrible at her job. However, Jane is best friends […] Read the full article →