expect these 5 questions at your next interview by Alison Green on October 20, 2014 While you can never predict for sure what questions you’ll be asked in a job interview, there are some questions that are so common to be ask that you should expect to hear them – and more importantly, should spend time preparing your responses to. All of these questions have the potential to cause a […] Read the full article →
is there a polite way to walk out of an interview? by Alison Green on October 15, 2014 A reader writes: I am hoping you can offer advice about a bizarre interview situation I faced. The job was not entry level – it was a directorship position for which I met all qualifications listed in the job description. When I showed up at the interview, it turned out that they had the other […] Read the full article →
I was asked to set aside four hours for a 10-15-minute phone call by Alison Green on October 9, 2014 A reader writes: I received an email from a hiring manager for a customer service position requesting that I do a phone interview. However, they are expecting me to set aside an entire 4-hour window of time to be available for the phone call. I already work at a call center that is closing down, […] Read the full article →
what question do you wish you had asked before taking your current job? by Alison Green on October 7, 2014 What’s the one question you wish you had asked before accepting your current job? Bonus points if you can phrase it in a way that would actually be reasonable to ask in an interview. (For example, you probably can’t ask, “Is the CEO an abusive tyrant who can’t keep an assistant longer than three months?” but […] Read the full article →
did my interviewer give my resume a numerical grade? by Alison Green on September 30, 2014 A reader writes: I had an interview today and noticed that at the top of the copy of my resume the interviewer was holding was “97” written in red pen and circled. It made me think of a grade. Is this an accurate assumption? Are there any other explanations you can think of for this? […] Read the full article →
yes, government interviews suck — but here’s how you can do well in them anyway by Alison Green on September 29, 2014 I complain with some frequency here about how awful most government interviews are: They often stick to a pre-set list of questions that they ask all candidates, don’t deviate from the list at all (which is crazy, because some of the most useful information comes from digging in with follow-up questions about a candidate’s answers), […] Read the full article →
I’m losing out on job offers because I don’t make enough eye contact by Alison Green on September 19, 2014 A reader writes: Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been told I make eye contact less often than other people do. My dad’s constant refrain from about age 8 onward was “stand up straight and look people in the eye!” I’ve done my best over the years to improve the length/frequency of my […] Read the full article →
should I take out my nose ring for job interviews, and other nose ring conundrums by Alison Green on September 8, 2014 Two questions about nose piercings at work. 1. Nose piercings and interviews I have a nose piercing (a small stud) that I got when I was at my last job. I recently left that job and have been interviewing for new positions, but taking my piercing out before interviews – and having to put it […] Read the full article →
double standards: why your interviewer can take interruptions during an interview but you can’t by Alison Green on September 1, 2014 A reader writes: I had a phone interview with a company that let me go a month ago, for a position in a different part of the company. During the interview, the interviewing manager put me on hold to discuss a budget question with a director who walked in. I know that it’s rude for […] Read the full article →
how should I handle this unprofessional interviewer? by Alison Green on July 17, 2014 A reader writes: I just turned down a job due to an incredibly unprofessional hiring process, and the company has requested more info and a phone call to discuss my decision. I’m not sure how to handle this. First, some background with names changed. I applied in March when I saw the position posted. I […] Read the full article →