Ask a Manager

A reader writes: I’m currently preparing for an interview (with the help of your guide!) and I took a quick look at Glassdoor. One of the listed interview questions someone received was “Say something bad about your ex-manager.” How do you think you should answer this question? To me, it sounds like too negative of […]

A reader writes: I am hoping you can weigh in something that happened during a job interview. I traveled out of state for an interview and incurred all the costs, like hotel and plane tickets, because the hiring manager told me that she really wanted me in the role and it seemed like a really […]

A reader writes: Recently I went to an interview where they only really asked me two questions: “Tell me about yourself” and “What computer software are you familiar with.” Now, the job is very similar to the role that I am currently doing at the organization that I work for now and I know that […]

A reader writes: I have been interviewing for an junior level position at a nonprofit for the last two weeks. I was excited when I saw a third interview invitation this week, only to discover that the interviewer had sent a scheduling tool that showed all the interview slots available and what other candidates were […]

A reader writes: I work as a part-time assistant working full-time hours in a very, very small office (think extremely small; it is just me and my boss), and as a result I have taken on many responsibilities in addition to my job description. I did not originally have a problem with this, as it […]

A reader writes: I saw a job posting for an HR assistant and sent in my resume. I got a call from the HR director, telling me they wanted me to come in for an interview. I didn’t think there was anything suspicious about it because the company was real and everything and gave me […]

A reader writes: A company scheduled a phone interview with me by sending an email saying this: “Thank you for your interest in our company. We have received your resume for the above open position. As part of our hiring process, our interview panel will be calling you during the next couple of days. We […]

Last week we rounded up some things that job seekers should not do, ever. This week, we have a version for employers. 1. Pressure candidates to resign without notice from their current jobs. 2. Insult candidates over email (by calling them “pushy, unnuanced, unaware, and unprofessional” and saying “I wouldn’t want you coming near a donor”) and […]

A reader writes: I applied for a very promising job opening at a startup company and had my initial interview this week with the recruiter and one of the managers. They seemed to be very pleased with me, and the manager left me with the recruiter to talk about compensation, where he told me they […]