how to communicate with job candidates when a hiring process is dragging out by Alison Green on January 21, 2016 A reader writes: I work at a small nonprofit with no dedicated HR rep. Last year, we were trying to hire an entry-level role. For a number of reasons, the process went on much longer than expected. We had to extend the deadline several times, then put the search on hold to focus on hiring […] Read the full article →
how to get info from job candidates who turn down our offers by Alison Green on December 10, 2015 A reader writes: I am not a jobseeker (yet), but am currently working as untrained HR personnel. There are some things my management wants to know about job candidates under two circumstances, but I’m not sure if they are okay questions to ask. I guess I just want to know what I’m doing is right […] Read the full article →
we hire people to work in a really tough location — and they keep dropping out before their start date by Alison Green on November 19, 2015 A reader writes: I work for a contractor; our primary industry is providing professional staff at locations around the globe. One of the locations where we have staff is something like the the Wall in Westeros — it’s a far-away military installation, and it has an incredibly strong reputation as a place where you don’t […] Read the full article →
when job candidates won’t share their salary expectations by Alison Green on October 7, 2015 A reader writes: I have always asked job candidates what their compensation requirements are, either before they come in to meet with me or after they have come in. Most candidates do not have any issues disclosing what they’re looking for, although some get a little uncomfortable. Recently, I had a candidate who I spoke to […] Read the full article →
should I tell job candidates I’m a lesbian in case it’s an issue for them? by Alison Green on October 5, 2015 A reader writes: I’m hiring my first-ever direct report, and I work in a conservative industry in a conservative part of the U.S. I’m also an out, happily married lesbian, but most people assume I’m married to a man until I correct them. I’m used to dropping a comment about my wife into casual conversations […] Read the full article →
how to hire people to work for a difficult boss by Alison Green on September 2, 2015 A reader writes: I am an office manager in a 7-person business, and have been here for the last 4 years. I have been planning for a while to leave for graduate school and am in the process of hiring my replacement. The problem is, my boss has a really difficult personality. Prior to my […] Read the full article →
job candidate is triggering an etiquette land mine with appointment self-scheduling by Alison Green on August 20, 2015 A reader writes: I recruit for a number of positions for my organization, and I’ve started using a free online calendaring tool to let candidates see open blocks on my calendar and book times that work for them. It’s a bit less personal, but saves a ton of time on email back-and-forth since all I […] Read the full article →
candidates who don’t respond to interview invitations by Alison Green on June 29, 2015 A reader writes: I have recently begun a position where I do a lot of applicant screening. I review resumes, conduct phone screens and participate in in-person interviews with my boss. (Thank you so much for your columns! They’ve been invaluable to me in looking for great candidates). I’ve always agreed with you that it’s […] Read the full article →
why your job postings aren’t attracting the right candidates by Alison Green on June 10, 2015 No offense, but your job postings probably suck. Statistically speaking, at least. The weird reality is, the vast majority of job postings read like poorly-written internal processes manuals at the world’s most bureaucratic company. They do the exact opposite of what they’re supposed to do. Job postings should be marketing documents; they should attract people who will be excited […] Read the full article →
employers with rigid interview days and times by Alison Green on May 7, 2015 A reader writes: What do you think about employers who have very limited days that they’re willing to schedule an interview with you? (For example, the interview absolutely HAS to be this Thursday or Friday. Usually in these cases the days are in the very near future as well.) If I’m available (or if it’s […] Read the full article →