a person I asked to be a reference is telling people I’m job hunting by Alison Green on April 6, 2021 A reader writes: I work in higher education in a student support capacity (not a professor). I have been working at the school for seven years total, two years in my current position. I am not unhappy with my current job but there is very little room for further growth as we are a smaller […] Read the full article →
my interviewer said I lacked “real world work experience” — what does that mean? by Alison Green on April 5, 2021 A reader writes: I’m a recent grad. All my work experience so far has been on-campus jobs such as tutoring or being an assistant in my department’s office. Recently I was thrown off by a comment an interviewer made. I was being interviewed by the executive director and the marketing manager together. The marketing manager […] Read the full article →
can you bill for your time after a long interview process? by Alison Green on March 22, 2021 A reader writes: A friend recently sat for 29 — yes, 29 — half-hour interviews for the position of senior director. The interviews included the CEO, president, COO, CFO, etc. The company’s hiring manager called her two references, both of which are highly respected in the field, and both of which attested to giving her […] Read the full article →
every job posting asks for more experience than I have by Alison Green on March 17, 2021 A reader writes: I got into my field about a year ago but I’m at a very small startup that’s dubiously stable, so I’m trying to start my job search before I’m forced to by outside circumstances. Unfortunately, the field I’m in is intensely competitive for junior positions, which there are almost none of. I’ve […] Read the full article →
how can I move out of working in retail? by Alison Green on February 25, 2021 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I graduated with an MFA in fine arts several years ago and worked briefly as an adjunct after finishing school. The work was low-paying for the effort I put in and so unstable that I found myself abandoning the thought of pursuing a career in […] Read the full article →
is applying for jobs a numbers game? by Alison Green on February 18, 2021 A reader writes: I’ve been job searching for what feels like forever but in reality is probably about six months. I’m getting conflicting advice about how to approach my job search and I’m not sure how to sort through it. I’ve read that it’s smart to apply for as many jobs as you can because […] Read the full article →
how much do you need to self-promote when you apply for a job? by Alison Green on February 1, 2021 A reader writes: When you’re applying for a job, and especially in something like a cover letter, where is the line between necessary self-promotion and overconfidence? I’m looking for jobs right now, and I’m finding it really hard to hit the right note to convince a hiring manager that I’d be great at the job […] Read the full article →
is it a red flag when a job is posted for a long time? by Alison Green on January 14, 2021 A reader writes: Is a job being posted for a long time a red flag about the business hiring? There is an organization I would like to work for and they’ve had a position they have been trying to fill for over a year. I do not qualify for the position, but I wonder if […] Read the full article →
my job search after grad school has been soul-crushing by Alison Green on November 18, 2020 A reader writes: I’m a recent-ish (May) master’s grad who’s been pretty furiously job searching since I finished my degree. I’ve had a few really promising opportunities that ended up not working out, and a lot more non-responses. It has been, to put it lightly, a fairly soul-crushing process (and I know I am not […] Read the full article →
I lied to get a job and can’t let go of the guilt by Alison Green on November 17, 2020 A reader writes: I’m currently struggling with deep guilt about my work situation. Five years ago, I falsified experience on my resume to qualify for my first professional job, a junior associate position. The job required two years of experience but I had about a year’s co-op experience. So on my resume, I falsified work […] Read the full article →