the burnt bagel, the excessive candor, and other reply-all email catastrophes by Alison Green on July 3, 2024 It’s the day before a long weekend and I expect traffic to plummet, so to send you off into the holiday with something fun, here are 10 11 reply-all horror stories that have been shared here over the years. 1. The burnt bagel My first or two week at a new job, someone burned a […] Read the full article →
the new alphabetization scheme, the identical twin caper, and other stories of summer internships by Alison Green on July 1, 2024 Last week we talked about summer interns, and these are 12 of my favorite stories you shared. 1. The bookshelves Best ever intern was at a publishing company. She re-alphabetized multiple bookshelves (hundreds of books) by AUTHOR FIRST NAME. Every time I looked at it I started laughing. 2. The identical twins Years ago, I […] Read the full article →
let’s hear your weird summer intern stories by Alison Green on June 27, 2024 Over the years, we’ve heard about an an intern who gave another intern a tattoo in the office conference room; an intern who set up a cot for himself in a large open work space, complete with pillow shams; an intern who was blown away by an electric stapler; an intern who desperately wanted to work […] Read the full article →
let’s discuss wild overreactions at work by Alison Green on June 20, 2024 Inspired by yesterday’s letter about the CEO who freaked out over a very mild joke, let’s discuss wild overreactions at work. Some stories that have been shared here over the years: “This was a legendary story at the first restaurant where I worked, a popular downtown brunch place. A previous kitchen manager had a strong hatred […] Read the full article →
the lawnmower message, the mangled journal articles, and other stories of deliberately burnt bridges by Alison Green on June 19, 2024 I recently asked about bridges you intentionally, happily burned. Here are 12 of my favorite stories you shared. 1. The fish tank In college, I worked as a cashier at a national chain pet store. The pay was dismal but it was pretty easy work, so I stuck around. After working there for three years […] Read the full article →
I’m a terrible procrastinator by Alison Green on June 13, 2024 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I’ve recently realized something about myself: even though I am a high perfomer with glowing reviews from bosses and coworkers, I am a terrible procrastinator. But instead of procrastinating by doing nothing, I find other things that is of lesser importance but still need doing. […] Read the full article →
have you ever intentionally burned a bridge? by Alison Green on June 6, 2024 We talk a lot here about ways to avoid burning bridges when you leave a job. But sometimes burning the bridge is warranted — the provocation is sufficiently bad, and you’re willing to take the consequences. One example: the person who got an email at 3 pm on a Friday saying they were being replaced […] Read the full article →
how much will it hurt me to take a few years off from my career? by Alison Green on May 30, 2024 It’s the Thursday “ask the reader” question. A reader writes: I will preface the question with a warning: I’m currently enormously over-privileged in that we are very financially comfortable and I don’t have to work. I am a well-regarded mid-career specialist; I have always worked in the non-profit/multinational sector and make a decent amount of […] Read the full article →
the charismatic aura, the glowing tan, and other amazing items seen on resumes by Alison Green on May 28, 2024 Last week, I asked about the strangest things you’ve ever seen in cover letters and resumes. You shared some amazing stories — here are some of my favorites. 1. “A candidate happily let me know ‘I just got laid this morning’ (I assume he meant ‘laid off’ but it made me laugh).” 2. “I had […] Read the full article →
what are the strangest things you’ve seen in resumes and cover letters? by Alison Green on May 23, 2024 Let’s discuss the weirdest things you’ve seen on resumes and in cover letters. To kick us off, some highlights from past commenters: One of my coworkers once received a super long cover letter that included the fact that the candidate had been proudly celibate for several years. A college student applied for a summer internship […] Read the full article →