Ask a Manager

A reader writes: I’m new to owning the hiring process at my company. Sometimes when I send hiring managers candidates, they reply with comments that I don’t think are appropriate or professional like “Nope,” or “Meh.” Am I being sensitive or is this not okay? Even if it is unprofessional, should I just let it […]

Think you’re good at hiring? See if you’re committing any of these five hiring no-no’s. 1. Conducting “courtesy” interviews with no intention of hiring the candidate Most people who hire know the feeling of wondering if you need to interview a particular candidate for reasons other than the person’s qualifications – for instance, because she’s […]

A reader writes: I work for a company that allows pets to be brought to work. In fact, we have a “Dog of the Day” program and a coordinator. Did I mention the pooches get their own company name/ID badges too? But I digress. Recently, I was part of a panel made up of a […]

A reader writes: I do a lot of hiring, and I try to respond fairly quickly to calls/emails from candidates. Recently, I’ve noticed that if I don’t reply to a candidate’s email quickly enough, they get panicky. Example: I had an applicant email me on Monday morning about an opening, and I responded to him […]

A reader writes: Our HR department is pretty lousy, despite us being a large organization and a big name in the industry. And so I ended up dealing with applicants we were interviewing for a position in my team directly. These applicants are all fresh graduates and have given me serious grief. Throughout the process, […]

I’m presenting this email exchange without comment with minimal comment. Letter-writer:  I am very new to the world of hiring, having just recently been moved into an HR role at my company. I have found your blog so helpful! But I searched and didn’t see an answer to this question… How can I best decline […]

A reader writes: My company has grown enough to add a counterpart to my position. I have been extremely involved in the interview process with candidates. We found a fantastic candidate early last fall and made him an offer, but he accepted a counter-offer (title and salary) from his company about a week before his […]

A reader writes: What is the best way to follow up with a candidate who was a no-show for their second interview? I plan to follow up by email, but am unsure as to how to word the message or what exactly to say. I don’t want to sound overly accusatory, if something serious did […]

A reader writes: I work in higher ed development/fundraising, and I was hoping to get your thoughts on a situation I encountered last month. We are currently interviewing for a position that involves handling sensitive and confidential information on our alumni and donors, and have been conducting group interviews (4-5 employees in each group) with […]