short answer Sunday: 7 short answers to 7 short questions by Alison Green on March 18, 2012 It’s short answer Sunday — seven short answers to seven short questions. We’ve got a question about what to think when an employer doesn’t check references, whether you can ask not to work with someone, and more. Here we go… 1. Asking not to work with someone Recently our team got a new senior level associate and it’s been incredibly difficult to work with them. They don’t pay any attention to detail. To give an example, they were reviewing my work one time and asked me a question about how this was done when it was sitting right in their face. This person doesn’t seem to care and is really hard to work with because I often have to re-walk them through my own work when it is already laid out in front of them. (The directions say “do A, B, C,” and I literally sit there and point to A, B, and C.) Anyway, we received a wish list request for next year from management about what we would like and not do with our current job. Is it appropriate to request not to work with that person? Is this something I should talk to someone about? Probably not, not as a wish-list-type item. I’d focus instead on what projects you might like to take on, resources or training you’d like to have, better systems you’d like to see implemented, etc. — not “I don’t want to work with Joe.” But you could definitely approach your manager, calmly explain the difficulties you’ve encountered with Joe, and ask for your manager’s advice on improving the situation (which, take note, is different from complaining about him.) 2. Interviewing with a company that recently had layoffs I‘d love your advice about how to address a somewhat touchy hesitation I have with an organization I’m interviewing with later this month. It’s a position with a small (but pretty high-profile/controversial) nonprofit that experienced a drop in membership (and therefore, their budget) late last year and had to lay off employees in multiple departments. I’m in the running for a position that is taking the place of two employees they had to let go. (I learned all of this during the phone interview, although these cuts were widely written about online.) I’m on board with their mission and comfortable with the job description but –now that I’ve had time to think about it– I’m a little worried that this job would be the first on the chopping block if they experienced further cuts. Is it appropriate to bring this up during the interview? If so, how would you broach the topic? And what would the manager think if a candidate brought this up in the interview? (I’m being interviewed by a panel of four people.) You should ask about it. This is a totally reasonable and legitimate thing to ask about, and it shows that you take your career moves seriously. I’d just say something like, “What kind of impact have last year’s budget cuts had internally? Do you expect to need to make additional cuts?” You can also ask, “If additional cuts do end up being needed, how likely is this position to be a candidate for cutting?” (You could also save that last question for after you get an offer, when their obligation to be honest with you about it will be stronger.) A good employer will see this as you doing responsible due diligence. But if your interviewers are defensive on the topic, that’s a red flag. 3. Asking for feedback after a rejection I have just received a rejection letter from a company I applied to a few weeks ago. They informed me that, after considering my cover letter and resume, they have decided not to offer an interview or proceed any further with me. My question is this: Is it okay to respond to thank them for letting me know and to ask for feedback? It would be worded similar to the following, though I’m not sure how to word these things, as this is the first time I’ve ever done something like this: Dear ______: Thank you for letting me know. If you have the chance, I would greatly appreciate any feedback you could offer on my application. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, ____ As this is my first professional job search, I’m very uncertain as to what’s appropriate and what isn’t. You could do that, and many people write something exactly like that, but it’s less likely to get you feedback than something more personal. It sounds a little perfunctory, like it’s the letter you send in response to any rejection, which makes it easier for someone to ignore. You’re more likely to get a response if you write something more engaging. Read this for some ideas, or this. And also keep in mind that you’re more likely to get feedback after an interview, but it’s still worthwhile to ask. 4. When an employer doesn’t check references I’m waiting to get the offer hard copy version of an offer, but we’ve discussed the terms on the phone and everything looks good. Except for one thing that kind of seems odd — none of my references have been contacted. I think I wowed them in the interviews, but still, it seems odd that they wouldn’t call at least one of my references. Is this some kind of “red flag” that I should be aware of? i.e. they are desperate to hire someone, because as a company they have some kind of skeleton in the closet my Googling has not yet discovered? This is actually weirdly common. Sometimes companies will ask for references because they know they’re supposed to, but then aren’t sufficiently motivated to actually do anything with them (often because they mistakenly believe that anyone you offer as a reference will say glowing things about you — something they’d quickly learn isn’t always the case if they would actually start making those calls). If you’ve been diligent about checking them out (including interviewing them right back when they were interviewing you) and haven’t found any red flags, I wouldn’t let this one factor freak you out. 5. How can I ask if a company is likely to be bought? I have an upcoming interview with a small medical device manufacturer. They are a fairly new company but are past the startup phase. I think the job is a great match with my experience. My biggest concern is that they will be bought out by a bigger company in near future, which is common in this field. I know in many buyouts, the bigger company is only interested in purchasing the technology, not the personnel that goes with it. Even if staff aren’t let go, I don’t want to work for a giant corporation. One of the primary reasons I’m interested in this company is their size. What is the best way to ask a company about this without sounding negative? Be straightforward and explain that one thing that especially excites you about working there is their size, and ask about the likelihood of being acquired by a larger company. Be aware, though, that “not very likely” could be true one day but not true next month, and it’s also possible that the person you’re talking to isn’t privy to buy-out plans that are in the works. So to some extent, unless you hear “a fundamental tenet of our company’s philosophy is to stay small,” you can’t really rely on things never changing. 6. How do I reach out to a contact’s contact? I’m a 23-year-old recent college graduate who’s working at a paid internship at a non-profit. I’ve been reaching out to contacts made through my family for networking purposes and to see about getting a position at a different company. Recently one of my contacts gave me the contact information of someone I’ve never met but is very high up in an organization I badly want to work for. I’m aware that I have a single shot to make a good impression on them, but I have NO IDEA how to go about this. Do I call them or email them? Do I tell them I’m looking for a position or just mention that my other contact thinks I could be good at their company? In short, what do I say? What shouldn’t I say? Email her. Say that Bob Smith suggested that you reach out to her because you mentioned that you’d love to work at XYZ Company because ___ (fill in with compelling reasons why). Say that you know she’s very busy but you’d be grateful for any advice she can provide, and attach your resume. She’ll decide where to go with it from there — she might tell you that they’re hiring for a position that you might be qualified for and here’s the link to apply, or she might suggest that you have coffee to talk, or she might just tell you to check their jobs page periodically. Or she might forward your resume to someone else there and suggest you speak with them. Hard to say — but you’ll be positioning yourself as well as you can if you send the type of email above. Good luck! 7. Asking for my own office I currently work for an a firm where I provide IT support and do a lot of database / web development. I enjoy doing both, but I find it quite distracting on two counts. One, I share an office with a coworker who can be a bit boorish at times, and two, people like to walk in with there technical issues instead of calling or emailing. I find it quite difficult to concentrate on my work at times and I feel my productivity is suffering. I would love to have a separate office (or at least some cubicle partitions). I heard our predecessors in this job had a set-up similar to what I would like. OK, now there is one more rub, I am on contract and my co-worker is full-time. Is there anything I could do? How can / should I approach my manager? You can certainly ask your manager if it’s possible to get your own space, so that you’re able to focus more fully without interruptions, explaining that the type of work you do requires deep focus and when people interrupt, it takes time to get back to where you were (assuming that’s true; it often is for your type of job). Just be okay with her saying no (whether it’s because there’s no available space, or because it would cause problems with others who would feel they should have gotten their own office before you). If she does say no, try to be more assertive about protecting your time from interruptions — including wearing headphones and training people to email you instead of walking in with their questions (which you do by consistently saying, “I’m actually right in the middle of something, but if you email that to me, I’ll get back to you before the end of the day”). Oh, and if you’d be happy with just a cubicle partition, I’d be surprised if your manager said no to that — just explain it’ll help you focus better. You may also like:a resigning employee gave me the best gifthow should I handle job candidates who cut me off, are long-winded, or answer the wrong question?are short interviews always a bad sign? { 59 comments }
Julie* March 18, 2012 at 6:05 pm #4: For the last three jobs I’ve received, my references were never contacted. Two were pretty decent places to work; one was not a good fit for me for a variety of reasons. I wouldn’t say this is a red flag unless there have been other indications of carelessness or disorganization on their part.
Jamie* March 19, 2012 at 10:20 am My experience was that my references were not checked more often than they were. It’s ridiculous, but it’s really common.
OMG* March 19, 2012 at 1:43 pm The same thing with my previous job, none of my references was called. This was at a very well-known retail and a great company. I hated my boss there so I stayed only for a year. But the company itself was great. So I wouldn’t take it as a red flag.
Anonymous* March 19, 2012 at 8:02 pm Same here. I had them lined up and coached on how great I am. Not one got called.
fposte* March 18, 2012 at 7:33 pm On #1–no, you can’t ask not to work with Joe, but if you love working with Angie and think her projects are really interesting, you might be able to ask about working with her more. On the other hand, I don’t think Joe’s villainy sounds all that serious in your examples–they all describe somebody who prefers face to face briefings over reading print info. Sometimes it’s quicker to say “What’d you do?” than to read through a whole document to find the answer. Maybe if you can think of the document as support and the answering of the queries as the main part of the confirmation it’ll just seem like the process rather than a problem.
Charles* March 19, 2012 at 10:06 am I agree with you, fposte, and with Jamie below, the example of Joe’s “bad” behaviour doesn’t sound all that bad; But then I’ve been known to do the same thing. OMG! Does that mean others have asked to not work with me?!
Jamie* March 19, 2012 at 10:08 am How do I get people to ask not to work with me? It’s barely 9:00 am and I’ve had my fill of people for the week already.
Michael* March 18, 2012 at 7:36 pm No. 4: Definitely more common. Just chatted with a recruiter at Target who said they don’t contact any references because they just encounter too many times when the employers don’t give out the info.
BC* March 18, 2012 at 9:42 pm The least they can do is make an attempt. Verify dates of employment/job title, at a minimum. Due diligence, for pete’s sake.
Anonymous* March 18, 2012 at 10:24 pm Verifying dates of employment etc is different than getting a reference. That kind of information usually comes from a background check and usually is verifiable. Getting information beyond that, like an actual reference or discussion of performance, is what can be difficult/impossible to obtain.
JT* March 18, 2012 at 11:29 pm What is this “background check” you mention? And in particular, what at the sources of information for it and who conducts it?
Ask a Manager* Post authorMarch 18, 2012 at 11:34 pm Verification = verifying dates of employment, employers, job titles, etc. (This is what I think Anonymous meant by background check.) References = getting information about what your work was actually like
Anonymous* March 19, 2012 at 11:14 am Yep that’s what I meant exactly. As to sources, we usually use the work number (which I have found to often be inaccurate or missing info), and if we cannot find the info there we will ask the company or request documentation from the candidate. A background check will also include a criminal check that is run through various state and national databases as well as a check of your social security number to make sure it’s valid and matches the name provided to us. FYI this is what my company does, so I can’t speak for others.
Anonymous* March 19, 2012 at 11:16 am Oh and as far as who conducts it. My company, a large US based company, uses a 3rd party major background check company. Smaller companies may just do this themselves.
Corporate Cliff* March 19, 2012 at 3:21 am Interesting. They checked both of mine before hiring me in 2005. I suppose times, they are a-changing.
Kimberlee* March 18, 2012 at 7:52 pm As far as #1 goes, I definitely agree with AAM in this case. My question is, is it legitimate if there is simply a big personality conflict? Like, you’re a great employee and add tremendous value to the company. They hire on this other person, who is great at what they do, but just cannot get along with you. I think I’m about one of the friendliest, most accommodating people I know, but I’ve had co-workers that fit this bill in the past. If its obvious that neither of you are doing anything *wrong* in terms of the work, is it appropriate to ask to not work together?
fposte* March 18, 2012 at 10:12 pm Not in the workplaces I’m familiar with–it would suggest either the requesting individual was high maintenance or the other person has something seriously wrong with them, leading me to think I need to know more about the problem. Even in the kind of serial-monogamy workplaces I know of (law firms where somebody works for Joe for a little and then Angie for a while, that kind of thing), *somebody* still has to work with Joe, and then I have to figure out who that is and if it’s fair for somebody else to spend more time with the more difficult person. But now I’m curious about the workplace you know better than I do–how would that work in restaurant management, K.? Would you let somebody change shifts to avoid working with somebody they don’t like?
JfC* March 18, 2012 at 11:05 pm This is maybe too generalized, but I think people tend to assume when there’s a personality clash or conflict in a relationship, at least one of the people involved is some kind of villain. This isn’t true. Like a romantic relationship, or a candidate in a certain job position, sometimes there just isn’t a match.
fposte* March 19, 2012 at 9:09 am I think it’s true that personalities just don’t match sometimes, but as a manager I have to be alert to undisclosed villainy, and if it’s not undisclosed villainy, you generally have to just find a way to work with the person you don’t click with.
Jamie* March 19, 2012 at 10:15 am However, in a romantic relationship the way the personalities of the people involved mesh is the whole point, if that falls apart it’s a dealbreaker. Co-workers? It makes work more pleasant if you get along well – but it’s not necessary. Unless it’s so extreme that it affects productivity, a personality clash is easier to deal with if everyone involved just focuses on their own work. Co-workers can be horrible, don’t get me wrong, but if you filter everything they do by how it relates to your ability to do your own job and ignoring the rest it can be less stressful.
Ask a Manager* Post authorMarch 18, 2012 at 10:14 pm Ooooh, that’s tricky. It depends on a number of factors: most importantly, your position and the other person’s position (is there really a workable way to not work with each other? there might not be) and where you each are in the hierarchy (if you’re well above the person, you can probably get away with it; if you’re not, you probably can’t) … plus your own relationship with your boss (if you’re already seen as a prima donna, for instance, this will not help), how the other person is perceived (if they’re generally well-liked, this request might seem strange), and so forth. This is also the type of thing you can only ask one time (if at all), and it’s not a card I’d play unless you’re really pushed into a corner (which should be pretty rare).
Charles* March 19, 2012 at 10:17 am “This is also the type of thing you can only ask one time . . .” True! In all my years of training, only once have I asked to NOT have a certain person in my class. I did spell out the reasons for not wanting her in the class. Importantly, it was not framed as “my” preference, rather, it was because of how she was affecting the learning for others in that class – describing her as disruptive would be an understatement. (I’ve dealt with disruptive or difficult folks before and can handle them; but she was WAY over the top) And, most importantly, I offered a solution – to train here one-on-one. However, the whole time I was talking with my boss and her boss I felt like I was the one skating on thin ice.
khilde* March 19, 2012 at 2:59 pm Hey Charles – I have been a reader of the blog for a while now and did realize that you were a trainer, but for some reason never replied to one of your comments to tell you that I am, too!! I work for state government and do professional development/supervisory training for state employees. I’ve been in the position for almost 6 years and only now am starting to really feel like I have a shred of knowing what the heck I’m doing. This blog has helped me learn SO MUCH that I can use as a trainer – it’s part of my professional education. Just wanted to say “hey” to a fellow trainer!! – Kathy
Charles* March 20, 2012 at 11:42 am Hey! backatcha! (non-native American English speakers that’s a “Hello, back at you”) “I’ve been in the position for almost 6 years and only now am starting to really feel like I have a shred of knowing what the heck I’m doing.” Hey, don’t worry, I’ve been teaching/training and doing instructional design for over 30 years and still think that half the time I’m just “faking it.” The day we stop learning as trainers is the day we need to find something else to do.
Above Odds* March 18, 2012 at 8:14 pm On #1 good advice. I would like to add that is may be good to try and develop a relationship with this person. Try to find out what makes them tick and from there develop a better working relationship. Getting to know someone sometimes is all it takes.
Monique C.* March 18, 2012 at 8:15 pm #7. In case the private office or the cubicle doesn’t pan out, I would suggest investing in a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones.
karen* March 18, 2012 at 9:08 pm Agree! I’ve found they do wonders to protect against how zoo-like my office feels at times.
Lee L* March 18, 2012 at 9:47 pm #2 I’d ask how long it has been since they laid off the two people you seem to be replacing. Seems kind of unethical to lay off two people and then immediately hire a replacement.
Kimberlee* March 18, 2012 at 10:00 pm Eh, I don’t think this is unethical. Combining two jobs into one means really, significantly changing the job description. Even if both people were stellar at their jobs before, it could well be that both became dramatically under-qualified after the switch. When you’re downsizing, making the right personnel decisions is even more important than ever.
K* March 19, 2012 at 2:12 am The writer says that they had layoffs late last year. If this is a non-profit, my guess is that this organization had layoffs around the holiday seasons. OP #2 should definitely ask about the layoffs especially if they laid off people “late” last year. Last year, I researched a company that wanted me to interview with them and found out that they had a significant amount of layoffs. I was concerned and asked the recruiter about it. He blew it off and said that the company was “ramping” up. I didn’t get the gig, but 4 months later I found out that the company no longer existed. Thank you Internet! AAM is right. If they get defensive about your question, that’s a red flag so heed the warning :).
#2 OP* March 19, 2012 at 2:52 pm They laid these folks off in October/November of last year, for the record. I still feel weird about asking – one would think the position would be somewhat stable simply by the fact that they are offering it. I probably will ask, though. Especially since — when I asked about their hiring timeline — they said “we’ve been getting by without it, so if the right candidate needs to give more than two weeks, we’d be open to that. “
Ask a Manager* Post authorMarch 19, 2012 at 3:09 pm Ask. You might hear something like “it’s stable as long as we get the donation we’re expecting from X Foundation,” and then you can ask about how likely that is and when it’ll be known for sure.
saf* March 19, 2012 at 10:20 pm Huh. Sounds like you’re interviewing for my old job. Or would, if they hadn’t already replaced me. They laid 2 of us for “financial reasons,” then created a new job (posted as exactly my former job description) that combined both jobs AND added a business development component (not disclosed in the ad – they had to re-advertise twice before they rewrote the ad!) Upper management was not truthful with us during the layoff, and I hear they were not truthful with my replacement in the hiring process. Ask LOTS of questions.
Bob G* March 18, 2012 at 10:37 pm Regarding #1 (asking not to work with someone). Is it possible that the person asked you how you did something because they were checking to make sure you actually understood the work and were not just going through the motions of A, B & C? I’m only asking because you said they were “reviewing” your work which makes me think they are more senior then yourself.
Jamie* March 19, 2012 at 9:39 am That was my first thought, as well. I do internal audits and I’m always asking people how they do their jobs – even though I already know. I need to make sure that practice is matching up with written procedures. I wouldn’t appreciate it if someone’s attitude was along the lines of why are you asking me when the answer is right in front of your face.
The Other Dawn* March 19, 2012 at 10:41 am I hate to say it, but I am guilty of this. I definitely have this attitude many times. I work at a very small community bank. I’ve been here since day one. The first part of my career here was spent having to figure mostly everything out for myself: calling our core processor to figure out how to do this or that in the core system; searching for the information I need in order to write procedures; having to figure out how an application works, reading endless system documentation, etc. I think having to be very resourceful and work independently for the first several years made me feel that everyone else should be like me. It was very hard for me to understand (still is sometimes) that not everyone can just dig in to system documentation and “figure it out.” Some people need to be walked through things, rather than just reading about it and then doing it.
AD* March 18, 2012 at 11:03 pm Re: #4, as AAM points out often, the best reference-checkers talk to people OTHER than the ones you’ve written down.
SCW* March 19, 2012 at 12:03 am I took a job once that they offered me the day after an initial phone screen. They never did any reference checks or certificate checks, and I was so excited about the job (my first out of college) that I didn’t ask any questions. I learned a lot in that job, most importantly that I needed to ask a lot of questions during a job interview so that I wouldn’t be as surprised when I started a job as I was with that job! Ironically, they thought I was more entry-level than I was, and I was constantly being told that they were surprised I knew how to do this or that. I also found that they didn’t value their employees, because they could easily and quickly replace them–there was a lot of turnover.
anonymous* March 19, 2012 at 6:44 am #7. Even if you get your own office, you might still get interrupted because that’s what people are used to. Retraining people not to interrupt you can be hard to do. You have to approach most people and give them reasons and solutions. Since you’re in IT support, you can institute a trouble ticket system and tell people you’re doing it to track questions and responses. You can just be upfront and tell them ‘when I’m wearing headphones, I’m trying to concentrate on something. Unless it’s a dire emergency, email me.’ Making up manuals online with common questions and answers and then asking if people have checked the manual first is good, too. But you have to be careful. People will sometimes think you’re ‘mean’ if you are trying to change an office behavior. Good luck.
JT* March 19, 2012 at 7:28 am Re #7. Beyond having your own space, it’s important to address the cultural/managerial aspects of this. In non-IT issues, can staff just walk up to other staff and expect the other person to stop what he/she is doing? I’m not talking about asking “Do you have a minute?” but just launching into a mini-meeting or consultation? Probably not unless it’s an emergency. So your job, even as IT support should not be different, unless your job is supposed to be immediate response. Where I work – small organization with about 35 people, the IT sits 20 feet from me. But his policy is that non-emergency support has to go though email to a special address or to a certain phone number. He sold this process to us by pointing out that this helps him log issues more easily, and that both systems can reach him (or a backup person) anywhere, even when he’s not in the office. I think you should consider doing something like this.
Jamie* March 19, 2012 at 9:45 am I should have read all the comments before posting below, it would have saved me some typing by just agreeing with everything you’ve said here.
Jamie* March 19, 2012 at 9:35 am My sympathies to #7. I’ve been in that situation and it’s so hard to maintain a high level of productivity when you don’t have the privacy to focus. If you follow Alison’s advice, and you should, but they can’t or won’t give you your own space try to see if you can work from a conference room or something with a laptop. It can be tricky for the DB side, if you’re compiling locally…but would work for the web dev, even if it was just an RDP into your desktop. However – I have to say this about one of your issues… “two, people like to walk in with there technical issues instead of calling or emailing.” Your own office won’t stop this from happening. Even if your own office was located at the north pole accessible only by dogsled. The ONLY solution to this is exactly what Alison suggested – train your users about the proper way to submit a request. Nothing will stop the drive-by requests if you stop what you’re doing to respond. If you have trouble enforcing that then implementing some helpdesk software can help you here. Tell them everything needs to go through the helpdesk (via email) as you need to track your tasks and time spent. Spiceworks has a great one, and it’s free. Barring that, headphones or earplugs help. Most people think twice before interrupting someone who is less available…however, this will not stop everyone.
Charles* March 19, 2012 at 10:24 am It might be good to also think about this: “I heard our predecessors in this job had a set-up similar to what I would like.” OP might try to find out why that is no longer the case. Maybe the current setup was management’s solution to IT not being available before. Is it possible that the office was made more open so folks could just walk in? As a side note, OP’s one comment is also related to question #1 – OP’s office mate can be quite “boorish at times.” I would not bring that up!
Jamie* March 19, 2012 at 10:32 am I was wondering if her predecessors were full time employees, like her co-worker, and not contract. I can see where management might be reticent to give private office space (which is at a premium everywhere I’ve worked) to a contractor. Office politics being what they are most places, sometimes a logical action will be sacrificed in the name of angering fewer people.
The Other Dawn* March 19, 2012 at 10:31 am 1. Asking not to work with someone I don’t really see this as a problem, at least not one worthy of asking not to work with someone. Senior level people aren’t always the most detail-oriented. Some people are better at big-picture things. Also, they don’t always have to time to sit down and read something all the way through and digest it. It’s easier to skim it and then have the person who wrote it explain it in lay terms. It’s frustrating sometimes, but it’s common. At least, in my office it is. This happens with my boss all the time. I painstakingly write something up, like a report or a policy, and feel that I’ve covered every possible question that could be asked. Inevitably, he comes up with a bunch of questions that I believe are laid out in front of him (all he has to do it READ!!!). I then have to explain and break it down into the simplest terms, sometimes having to explain it three different ways. It took me a long time to realize that this is how he ensures that he understands, so there could be no confusion either for him or the reader. Yes, it’s exceedingly frustrating sometimes, but I understand the value in it. It helps me figure out when I’m not being as clear as I thought, so I can go back an tweak it a little.
NicoleW* March 19, 2012 at 10:52 am I think we have the same boss! I do get frustrated with repeating myself and reviewing information I’ve already explained – I have so little patience! But I try not to let that show, and I have come to understand how important it is that he fully comprehend everything, especially in a budget document. In my case, my boss gets questioned by our company president like he’s on trial – so if he doesn’t understand the info backwards and forwards, he won’t be able to make a strong case and answer all the president’s questions.
The Other Dawn* March 19, 2012 at 11:24 am Yes, exactly. I find myself doing this as well (even though it annoys the crap out of me to have to explain myself to someone else). If something happens at the branch, which I’ll eventually have to explain to my boss, I ask as many questions as it takes for me to understand. It sucks having to say to my boss, “I don’t know,” and then having to gather more information from the branch because I didn’t ask the right questions to begin with.
Anonymous* March 19, 2012 at 11:07 am Re #1. Sigh. If more of you got dogs and really got into the whole positive reinforcement (R+) thing, you’d know how to handle it. Really. Serious dog training isn’t about the dog, it’s about controlling your own response to, well, pretty much anything. Don’t think I haven’t trained my boss, my husband, and my coworkers. Chocolate, anyone? (she says with a smile and soft eye contact).
Jamie* March 19, 2012 at 11:59 am Now all you need is a spray bottle to keep Leonard off the couch. I take a ridiculous amount of joy in a well placed BBT reference!
Anonymous* March 19, 2012 at 12:13 pm We serious dog trainers almost never need Positive Punishment (P+). Once you get your timing of the reinforcer, you can rely on that almost entirely. The exception being when the behavior is dangerous. As in, my employee is on Facebook again and at risk of losing her job. That is a behavior I need to extinguish rapidly, so P+ is definitely in order. The best part about that BBT scene was they not only got the Skinner reference correct, but also all the other published works. It was shown at a dog trainer’s conference to huge applause.
Suz* March 19, 2012 at 12:48 pm Clickers are going to be the next big trend in employee development. :)
OP 6* March 19, 2012 at 1:53 pm How long is the average one should expect to wait before getting a reply back? I ask because I emailed Friday (forgot to attach my resume.. d’oh), and I know no one checks their email on the weekend, but I haven’t heard back yet. Just wondering what the mark is for when I should expect that the other person has just deleted my email.
Ask a Manager* Post authorMarch 19, 2012 at 3:07 pm This is about emailing your contact’s contact, right? I’d give it a week before you even start to worry. If you emailed Friday, I’d wait until Monday of next week and then follow up with your original contact to say, “Hey, just FYI, I emailed Jane on the 16th and haven’t heard back from her yet.”
Anonymous* March 19, 2012 at 8:43 pm I’ve been reading your blog for a while now. Thank you for the great advice and insights! It’s really been a big help.
BadMovieLover* March 21, 2012 at 11:53 am I recently asked my official (on paper) boss to put me on a different sub-group because of the PM heading that group. I told him that it wasn’t working out for me, both because of the type of work I was being assigned and the PM’s management style. Happily, I was granted my wish, and even more happily, a few days later, the official boss announced that said PM was moving on to another department.