how can I explain why I went to a for-profit school? by Alison Green on February 14, 2018 A reader writes: I graduated from DeVry in the late 80’s. I earned a four-year B.S. there. I was heavily recruited (high test scores) by many colleges and ultimately it came down to a UC and DeVry. DeVry was on a trimester system, so I would graduate in three years vs. four years, and I […] Read the full article →
are my mentors taking advantage of me? by Alison Green on January 22, 2018 A reader writes: I have two people from undergrad that I would consider sponsor/mentors and, today, friends. They were not professors but were employed in my department and I got to know both of them very well throughout my four years. I volunteered for every open house and outreach event for the school, was hired […] Read the full article →
how to say “stop following me” at an event by Alison Green on January 3, 2018 A reader writes: I was wondering if you could help me with a professional problem that seems to be coming up more and more lately. I am fortunate to be fairly well-known in my field, and attend a lot of professional events. I try to meet as many new people and existing contacts as possible […] Read the full article →
my CEO wants me to send his relative’s resume to “all my contacts” by Alison Green on September 7, 2017 A reader writes: My first job out of college was in Washington, D.C. as an analyst in a three letter agency, a highly sought after experience. I don’t talk about it much anymore because inevitably, now that I am on the outside and in the private sector, I get asked to forward along resumes of […] Read the full article →
my contact wants to charge me for a networking meeting by Alison Green on September 6, 2017 A reader writes: Is it normal for someone to charge a client for a networking meeting? I’m currently in the process of looking for a new job and setting up informational interviews with professionals in my area. I emailed back and forth with one woman trying to set a time to meet, but kept getting […] Read the full article →
I received a networking email from a stranger who’s job searching for her husband by Alison Green on August 29, 2017 A reader writes: I received an odd email from an alum of my university (“Jane,” a stranger to me), asking for help finding her husband “Bob” a job in my state, where they were planning on moving. The email was bcc’ed, so I assume she searched for “wide job field” and “state” and sent an […] Read the full article →
business contacts say they want to ask my opinion, but it’s really a sales pitch by Alison Green on June 27, 2017 A reader writes: Your post last week about informational interviews made me realize I have a similar question. I’m a mid-career professional, and while I do sometimes get requests for the type of informational interview that that post was about, more often I get asked for a different type: the request for a phone conversation […] Read the full article →
what should I say to terrible networkers? by Alison Green on June 20, 2017 A reader writes: I work in a high-profile field that’s extremely hard to break into. As I’ve become more successful, I’ve had a lot of people reach out to me and ask if they can have some of my time to ask some questions. I’m usually happy to say yes to these requests, and either […] Read the full article →
do I need to give up an impressive business contact who’s hitting on me? by Alison Green on June 13, 2017 A reader writes: I need advice on whether I should give up on a customer senior executive as a professional resource and how to preserve the working relationship with him if his intentions are not completely professional. I’m on the negotiating team for a negotiation expected to last several months, where the customer’s senior executive […] Read the full article →
how to turn a request for free help into paid consulting by Alison Green on May 11, 2017 A reader writes: I has a pretty specific niche job. Most people who do what I do have PhDs, and finding a job like mine is rare and coveted. I was recently at a conference describing my position, and a leader from another organization came up to me to ask me how he could find […] Read the full article →