CEO’s wife ruined my job prospects by Alison Green on September 22, 2021 I’m on vacation. This was originally published in 2017. A reader writes: I have been going through a very rigorous interviewing process for a permanent job in a firm where I have been undergoing a two-month post-college training program/paid internship which is very prestigious and only very few trainees are offered the permanent job. It […] Read the full article →
I accidentally threw condoms all over my interviewer’s desk by Alison Green on August 24, 2021 A reader writes: This week I finally landed my very first Big Post-Pandemic Interview! I studied hard, prepared extensively, and dug my circa-2019 interview clothes out of storage, along with my fancy business satchel and leather binder (the interview required me to bring a portfolio of prior work). I was ready to impress! I sat […] Read the full article →
10 really good questions to ask in a job interview by Alison Green on August 3, 2021 You’re in a job interview, you’ve fielded a couple dozen questions from your interviewer, and now your interviewer asks, “What questions do you have for me?” If you’re like a lot of people, you might end up stumbling around for what to ask. I’ve interviewed probably thousands of job applicants in my career, and I’m […] Read the full article →
am I supposed to remember the details of every job I apply to? by Alison Green on July 20, 2021 A reader writes: I lost my job recently when the small company I worked for went under. I have a little savings buffer, but needless to say, I am job hunting vigorously. I usually put in two to three applications a day and I spend hours trying to write thoughtful and personalized cover letters, so […] Read the full article →
do employers set up secret “gotcha” tests for job candidates? by Alison Green on July 13, 2021 A reader writes: A few years ago, I was applying to a position (entry level, only about a year or so out of college) and I noticed a fairly obvious spelling error in the job posting. It has been a few years so the exact error escapes me now, but it was one that was […] Read the full article →
why haven’t I heard back after my interview? by Alison Green on July 13, 2021 You had a great job interview, seemed to connect with your interviewer, and left feeling good about your chances. The employer told you to expect to hear something in a week … but now two weeks have gone by and you’ve heard nothing. Should you reach back out? Is the silence a bad sign? And […] Read the full article →
why do interviewers expect you to have already researched their company? by Alison Green on July 7, 2021 A reader writes: Why do interviewers put so much emphasis on your knowledge not of the role, but of them as a business? Most companies have quite generic web sites that don’t really tell you much that distinguishes them from their competitors, so it’s actually very difficult to learn much that is meaningful online. But […] Read the full article →
is this job description full of red flags? by Alison Green on June 9, 2021 A reader writes: I’m a content marketer with a good amount of experience launching new programs successfully. At the beginning of this year, I connected with a VP of marketing at a start-up. Shortly after, “George” contacted me and said he needed someone to launch a content marketing program and thought I would be a […] Read the full article →
my interviewer asked about my personal finances by Alison Green on May 27, 2021 A reader writes: Is it normal for a hiring manager to ask, somewhat insistently, how a candidate has been supporting herself financially during a period of unemployment? If it’s not normal, which is my suspicion, what could possibly be behind this? I work in a niche field and was laid off last year in a […] Read the full article →
was my “probably not, but maybe” response to a recruiter appropriate? by Alison Green on April 29, 2021 A reader writes: What’s the line between when it’s appropriate to completely ignore a message from a recruiter vs. when it’s reasonable to respond with a description of concerns that would need to be addressed? I recently ended up writing a missive in response to a job I probably won’t take (located in my neighborhood, […] Read the full article →