what does “energetic” mean in a job posting? by Alison Green on March 11, 2024 A reader writes: I have several medical conditions that make me generally a low-energy person. However, my attendance is never an issue, and I’m pretty smart and an excellent worker and employee. Previous managers have raved about me. Not to toot my own horn, but I think I’m a pretty awesome employee. I applied for […] Read the full article →
I lied to my interviewer about being employed by Alison Green on February 27, 2024 A reader writes: I got a job offer last week that I’m really excited about, especially because I was let go in mid-January and it’s been stressful to job hunt. I was recruited to apply for a few different positions, and one ended up with an offer. I told the recruiter I wasn’t currently employed, […] Read the full article →
company asked me to spend an hour giving feedback on their hiring process by Alison Green on February 26, 2024 A reader writes: I recently went through a lengthy interview process (five interviews, one of which lasted over two hours, plus two assessments) for a position, and after the final interview, the company asked me to join them for a feedback call. Interestingly, the feedback call was an opportunity for me to tell them how […] Read the full article →
I was rejected because I told my interviewer I never make mistakes by Alison Green on February 13, 2024 A reader writes: I was rejected from a role for not answering an interview question. I had all the skills they asked for, and the recruiter and hiring manager loved me. I had a final round of interviews — a peer on the hiring team, a peer from another team that I would work closely […] Read the full article →
my interview was canceled because I was “rude and pushy” by Alison Green on January 4, 2024 A reader writes: After an eight-month job search in a second language, I finally lined up a great interview with a great company. It took them four weeks from my application (and a follow-up email) to get the interview but, at 9:30 pm on a Monday night, they asked me to confirm one of two […] Read the full article →
can I ask an interviewer about negative feedback from the last person who had the job? by Alison Green on October 26, 2023 A reader writes: I’m interviewing for a job at a smaller company in my field. The company is interested in a niche secondary specialty of mine. They don’t engage in some of the traditional silo-ing of people in my job function but actually let us be in meetings with clients, I’d be managing freelancers from […] Read the full article →
bombing an interview: let’s discuss by Alison Green on October 19, 2023 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I bombed an interview today. Like seriously bombed, worst interview of my life. My brain just turned off. Could you request stories of other humiliating interviews so I don’t feel so alone? I went straight home and got into bed and right now I am […] Read the full article →
how can I do well in video interviews? by Alison Green on October 17, 2023 A reader writes: I’m job-searching for the first time in nearly a decade and am realizing that a lot of interviews these days, especially in early rounds, are done over video. This is a change from the last time I was interviewing, so I’m wondering what the best practices are for video interviews. I don’t […] Read the full article →
can you ask to see your future workspace before accepting a job offer? by Alison Green on September 19, 2023 A reader writes: Is there a way to ask to see your future workspace before you accept a job offer or at some point in the interview process, without it being strange? Several years ago I accepted a job that I would never have taken if I had known I would be spending all day, […] Read the full article →
interviewer asked what my best friend would say my worst habit is by Alison Green on August 2, 2023 A reader writes: I’m a recent college graduate and last week I had my first job interview that wasn’t for a retail or food service position. I found some of the interviewer’s questions odd and I wanted to get the opinion of someone more experienced. If it matters, I’m a young woman looking to enter […] Read the full article →