is job-hopping still a bad thing? by Alison Green on October 25, 2016 A reader writes: What constitutes job hopping? And is job hopping even a bad thing anymore? My husband and I (both 40 years old with professional careers) seem to be straddling the expectations of Generation X and Millennials. When we left college, the expectation was that while you may not spend your entire career with one […] Read the full article →
is your AOL or Hotmail address hurting your job search? by Alison Green on October 5, 2016 A reader writes: Does it really matter which email provider you use to apply for jobs? I ask because I was reading an online discussion recently where people said anything other than Gmail makes a candidate look computer illiterate and/or less intelligent. Essentially, according to this discussion, AOL is for old people or people who […] Read the full article →
job-searching advice for a teenager on the autism spectrum by Alison Green on September 29, 2016 Here’s a conversation I recently had with someone who wrote to me, and I’m hoping y’all can help. She writes: I am having such trouble getting a real job. I don’t know why (though I have my guesses, which we’ll get to in a moment), but I really am. I am 17-3/4, and I will […] Read the full article →
how do you get experience if all the jobs require you to already have experience? by Alison Green on September 20, 2016 A reader writes: I’ve been working on applying for jobs in a different career track. My educational background is in English and writing (including technical writing). I used to teach writing at the college level, and now I want to be a technical writer. Every job posting I see requires at least three years of […] Read the full article →
can an interviewer tip off your boss that you’re job-searching? by Alison Green on September 7, 2016 A reader writes: If a person sends their resume to a company that is accepting applications, can the receiving HR department and/or the hiring manager tell one of their employees that “so-and-so sent us their resume, and your mother works where they currently work, do you know them?” Or can they even ask their employee […] Read the full article →
what’s the minimum amount of time I have to stay in a job that’s making me miserable? by Alison Green on August 30, 2016 A reader writes: I’ve been at my new job as an executive assistant and I’m already feeling very miserable. I made the mistake of taking a job that’s heavier on the administrative side and it’s just not the right fit for me. I was desperate because I’ve been job searching for nine months while relying […] Read the full article →
is there any point in applying to a months-old job posting? by Alison Green on August 26, 2016 A reader writes: I have a question about applying to job postings that have been up for a while. There is a company in a location and field that I am really interested in. They have a job posting for a specific engineering position that is a really good match to my background and skill […] Read the full article →
do you have terrible job search manners? by Alison Green on August 22, 2016 You probably know to dress appropriately for the interview and to turn your cell phone off beforehand (or we hope you do!) but there are some finer points of etiquette that can make a real difference in the impression you make during your job search. Here are 10 ways to be sure you’re minding your […] Read the full article →
you can stop stressing out about these job search worries by Alison Green on August 15, 2016 Job searching is stressful – prepping for interviews, figuring out how to sell yourself while simultaneously having to evaluate whether you even want a particular job or to work with a particularly company, feeling like you’re constantly being judged, and the agonizing wait to hear back from employers. But job seekers often make the experience […] Read the full article →
hiring manager seemed annoyed that I called for more information by Alison Green on August 4, 2016 A reader writes: I recently found a position that I was interested in applying to on a very trade-specific website. The position is for a very large company that is headquartered on the East Coast, but the position is on the West Coast, where I live. The job ad didn’t list much information other than […] Read the full article →