Ask a Manager

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…

1. Job candidate who bear gifts and quote MC Hammer

I am hiring for an entry-level assistant position in my department. One applicant has dropped by the office twice now. The first time she left a small scented candle with a note thanking me in advance for calling her in for an interview. Today, she dropped off a plant with another thank-you note that said, among other things, “PS – I realize that I am pushing protocol to its limits by pre-interview notes and swag. I really want to work here and will do nearly anything to get noticed. Enjoy the plant.” The notes are not well-written and include some bizarre references. Today, the note quotes MC Hammer, as she is “Too legit. Too legit to quit… trying to get an interview.”

I would not have called her in for an interview based on her resume, but this behavior has me running for the hills! The etiquette lessons drilled in to me from birth leave me feeling like I need to thank her for the gifts, but I don’t want to open up a line of communication with someone I do not feel is qualified for the job. What would you do?

I don’t think you’re obligated to send a thank-you for the gifts, since they’re the equivalent of marketing materials for herself — and you don’t send thank-you’s for promotional items, after all. But I’d send her a rejection notice sooner rather than later so that this doesn’t continue … and it would be a kindness to include something like, “Typically we prefer not to receive gifts from applicants, and encourage applicants to focus on standing out through their cover letters and resumes.”

2. Being asked to come in early when you don’t need to

For the past 18 months, my wife has been a happy exempt full-time employee at a small-to-mid-size Texas company. The nature of her job is such that she is frequently required to stay one, two, or three or more hours late to complete a project that a) is due in the morning and b) has been handed to her late in the day. My wife has been okay with this, because the company has been good about flex-time and so she’ll work 9am-6pm (or, often, 9am-7pm or 9am-8pm).

In the past week, upper management has been pushing to make many employees work 8am to 5pm. My wife is concerned that she too will be counseled to be at her desk at 8am, which will considerably complicate her commute and other aspects of her life, and – as she is exempt – she will still be counted on to work extra hours to make deadlines. Effectively, she foresees being asked to work an extra hour every day. And there is no actual reason for her to begin work at 8 am, except that someone in management thinks it would be more “corporate” and “professional” for people to work 8am-5pm.

Do you have any advice on how to handle this situation if (or, more likely, when) it arises? Management openly recognizes that my wife does a great job – there’s no issue of poor performance here. And my wife is one of several employees who are in this kind of situation – she’s not asking for special treatment. My wife doesn’t want to quit (but I stand behind her if she chooses to do so). At the very least, I feel there should be an upward salary adjustment. Ideally, we’d like for management to agree not to “fix” a system that isn’t broken. What do you think?

Yep, I agree. Sometimes there are legitimate business reasons to ask people to come in early, but it doesn’t sound like the case here — and it sounds like she’ll end up staying late with some frequency anyway. How about suggesting she say this to them: “Since we tend to get a lot of rush projects later in the day that require staying late, I’d like to stick with coming in at 9, since I know that I’ll be here well past 6 on a regular basis?” She could also point out that it will complicate her commute, since sometimes it’s easier for managers to say “oh, okay” when they hear your reasons.

3. I’m worried I’m paid less because I don’t have housing expenses

When I was 25, I received a fairly large family inheritance. It was enough to buy a house, which I now live in. Sooner or later, the topic comes up with my boss and they find out that I own a house outright. (For instance, it came up in conversation with my boss that he had been looking at curtains for his house and I said something about how I had bought curtains from a certain shop, and he was like “why did you BUY curtains if you’re renting?” It ended up coming out that I own, and he wondered how I could afford a mortgage on my salary, so I explained.)

As soon as my boss knows about this, I think it holds me back from being offered a higher salary. I’m pretty sure my boss thinks: “She doesn’t need more money because she already has a whole house.” In my previous job, I believe that there was definitely a ceiling on my pay rate because of my circumstances. And my current boss made a comment a couple of days ago along the lines of “I don’t expect you’re the kind of person who lives paycheck to paycheck.” I was quite surprised and I asked why he thought that. He said: “Well, most people spend about half their salary on rent or a mortgage. You don’t have that.” So he thinks I’m earning way more than I need.

Is this fair? I feel that I should be paid what I am worth, no matter what my personal financial situation. Is it better to lie to my boss and make out that I just pay rent like most people my age?

If it’s really affecting your salary, it’s absolutely not fair. Your expenses (or lack thereof) are no one’s business, and just like companies don’t pay higher salaries to people with large families or high debt or profligate spending habits, nor should they pay less to people with fewer expenses.

But you shouldn’t lie about your circumstances (although there’s nothing wrong with avoiding sharing it in the future). The best thing that you can do to get paid what you’re worth is to put together a strong case for a raise when you feel you’ve earned one — and lay it out with facts and research to back it up.

4. How to turn down a thinly-veiled request for a LinkedIn recommendation

Thanks in no small part to your advice, I happily have a new job (for over a year now!) that I adore. Since then, I’m sad to say many of my old colleagues have been laid off. One of these laid-off colleagues recently contacted me asking if he could write a recommendation for me on LinkedIn, which (to me) clearly looks like he wants to write one for me so that I will write one for him. He included that I would be able to help him tailor it to my liking. It looks canned, apart from mentioning a specific project we worked on.

I believe that references should be honest, and tailoring a recommendation would not be honest. Furthermore, this person and I worked together enough that I think he could write one without my assistance (I did excellent work, according to him and others)… but I myself have very little to say about him that would be positive. He is nice, but I think he mistakes various degrees and accreditations (of which he has many) for actual skill (of which he has very little). I am being a bit generous in this description, but I could write something nice (and at least mostly true) if I needed to.

So, I don’t know how to respond without being a jerk. I feel like anything I do will either be rude or dishonest. What do you think?

If it’s truly canned, one option is to just not respond. If he’s sending it to a bunch of people, he probably won’t track who doesn’t get back to him.

But if you feel like you have to respond with something, one option would be something like this: “Thanks so much for getting in touch! I’m old-fashioned about LinkedIn recommendations and am uncomfortable soliciting them or shaping their content. If you’re inspired to leave one for me, that would be of course be very kind of you, but I try to avoid the tit-for-tat recommendations that I know some people do.”

5. If I was laid off, do I have to say I was “discharged” when job applications ask?

When I was in high school, I worked for a small company that, unfortunately, was hit pretty hard by the recession, so I was laid off. My supervisors stressed that it wasn’t performance-related, I stayed in contact with some of them after I left, and they gave me excellent references. Fast forward to now: I recently encountered an online job application that asked if I’d ever been “discharged” (that was the word it used) from a job, and for an explanation if the answer was yes. My instinct was to click the “yes” option and then explain, but since it’s an online application I’m a little worried that my application would get filtered out before any human ever actually read the explanation.

Does the term “discharged” refer to being terminated for any reason (including downsizing), or is the connotation more like “fired” (that is, being terminated for a specifically performance-related reason)? In other words, should I choose “yes” to a question that uses that word? And how reasonable is my concern that my application would automatically be rejected if I checked the “yes” button? My instinctual suspicion is that a lot of companies would do that, but I have no firsthand knowledge.

Yep, you might get screened out or otherwise have it held against you if you check “yes.” Assume that what they’re asking is whether you’ve ever been fired, which you haven’t been, and answer “no.”

And even if you had been fired, that was in high school. I don’t think you’re obligated to report high-school era firings once you have an adult job history (and assuming that that company is no longer on your resume, which it probably shouldn’t be, unless you’re still in college).

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…

1. Is it okay to use color on a resume?

I just started creating my resume using a template from a friend. My wife was looking over my shoulder and said you never use color of any kind on a resume. I really see nothing wrong with it, since the color is so subtle. Can you settle our disagreement?

It depends on the color and how you’re using it.

Loads of not-otherwise-especially-traditional hiring managers, myself included, are still very traditional when it comes to resumes and wish that everyone would just stick to a traditional format and stop trying to find ways to mess with it. That said, a little bit of subtle color isn’t going to kill anyone … as long as it’s a conservative color like red or blue and is confined to things like headlines. Be aware, though, that plenty of electronic application systems will strip it out anyway.

2. I had a weird scene with my overly fastidious, controlling boss

I am a freelancer who, for the last five years, has primarily worked with one organization. I go into the corporate office twice a week, and the other days I work from home. My boss is a kind, caring person at heart, but is highly fastidious, bordering on controlling, as well as extremely sensitive to her environment. Strange smells, changes in temperature, any kind of noise at all will start her talking about “how difficult it is” and how “it needs to be resolved.”  She is also very “aware” of the mood of the room, and seeks to constantly check that everyone is okay. I understand that she cares about others, but on another level, she is trying to control me, and others, and the cleanliness of her environment in order that she get’s her “emotional” peace and quiet (her need to have her environment very orderly seems to give her that). She doesn’t seem to be able to just ignore things.

Today I snapped over something fairly inconsequential but annoying, and I feel bad about it, as I know she is very sensitive and I don’t want her to think I’m unpleasant or against her. She picked up some folders I had placed on the floor under my desk and moved them. I asked her if there was a problem with having them there, and she said the floor was dirty. It wasn’t; in fact, the cleaner had mopped it yesterday. I responded a little bluntly that it was fine to leave them there, and I put them back on the floor. She immediately got quiet, then angry, and then upset (over a half hour period). She didn’t say anything to me during the time she was upset and angry; I could just feel her emotional state. She said a few things as if she was trying to pretend everything was okay. As I had only intended to come in for a few hours, to work on something quickly I left a short while later (earlier than I had intended), and so the situation remains unresolved.

I still don’t really know why she felt the need to move things around in my area…. whether, she genuinely thought she was doing me a favor by moving them, or if it was part of her need to tidy. I’d like to briefly talk to her about it, as it’s something she frequently does, but I’m not sure how. In some ways I think she is convinced she is “helping people.” Overall she is quite a good boss, although very highly strung and a bit of a hyper-empath. As I am a freelancer, albeit one with very steady, regular work, I guess I feel more vulnerable too. I know she is happy with my work, but I am concerned she may start to sour on me. What do you suggest?

If this is her style, there might not be a whole lot that you can do about it. As you point out, she’s high-strung, overly controlling of the environment (and the constant checking of whether people are okay is part of that), and sensitive. Additionally, you’re only there a couple of days a week, so she has “dibs” on how she wants the environment to be. Given that, I don’t there’s much you can do about the broader issues.

That said, it’s reasonable to follow up on what happened today. The next time you talk to her, I’d say something like, “I might have misinterpreted, but when I was in the office the other day, I got the sense that you didn’t like that I put those folders back on the floor under my desk. Did I misstep?”

She will probably tell you that she doesn’t like having things on the floor (I suspect she is someone who considers the floor inherently dirty, no matter how recently it was cleaned), and if that’s the case … well, it’s her call. I understand why you snapped at her about it — I’m sure your frustration has been building up — but ultimately she does get to make that call. You could try saying, “Do you mind if I keep stuff there in the future? It’s a system that works for me.” But I’m pretty sure that she doesn’t want things on the floor, and she wants you to go along with that. The bigger issue is clearing the air from the weird scene today, and hopefully raising it in a calm, non-defensive way should do that.

3. What to say to a racist coworker

We have a new hire who is very young and a bit facile. I’m not her manager, just a coworker. I have been helping train her. She is my counterpart in another program.

She makes so many ignorant and offensive comments regarding race that it puts quite a few people off at the office. The first time I heard her, I didn’t even know how to react because I didn’t think people still thought that way. I don’t think she does it out of hate, I think she does it because she’s ignorant and was raised in an atmosphere where it was accepted. It’s not accepted here and I want to approach her about it before she ends up hurting someone.

How should I approach this? One coworker ignores her, another talks about her behind her back, and another told her she was the most racist person she knew. However, none of that really works toward a resolution. Please help! Do I just let her sink and be offensive?

You must, must, must say something. By not speaking up, you’re allowing her to think that you’re okay with what she’s saying — and possibly allowing anyone else who overhears her to think that too.

Her motivations — the question of whether it’s hatred or ignorance — don’t really matter here, and in fact will only distract you from the piece of this that you need to address. What matters is that she hear in clear and certain terms that what she is saying is ugly, offensive, and unwelcome.

I’d say this: “I want to talk to you about something that’s really been bothering me. When you’ve made remarks like X and Y, I should have spoken up in the moment. Those statements are not appropriate to make here. Please don’t continue saying things like that.” (And if she does continue, you should report it to someone in a position of authority over her; your company has an interest in not letting her create a hostile workplace.)

4. Can I get copies of my past performance evaluations?

Can I receive a copy of my reviews for the last 6 years? Is that required by law in the state of Georgia? For five years, our reviews were done without getting employees’ signature, because nobody actually saw their review in writing.

Some state laws require employees to have access to their personnel records, but Georgia isn’t one of them. In Georgia, as in many other states, no law gives you the right to see your own personnel file (unless you’re a public sector worker, in which case you can both review and copy it). However, that doesn’t mean you can’t ask — plenty of companies wouldn’t object to giving you copies of your own evaluations. In your case, though, it sounds like written evaluations may not even exist; if you didn’t see them, there’s a good chance that they were never created. Not every company does formal, written reviews as a matter of course, and if you haven’t been told that your company does, I would assume that it doesn’t. (If written reviews DO exist, keeping them secret would be unusual.)

5. Why do I have to upload a resume and enter all my info separately?

It’s been a few years since I was on the job market. The last time I was applying for jobs, I still printed out and mailed resumes and cover letters. Now it seems everything is online. I don’t have a problem with this, but what is beginning to irritate me is the fact that many companies ask for you to upload a resume and cover letter and on the very next screen ask for that same exact information in text boxes. Is this just so a computer can scan through everything and mark me as a good candidate based on the words I put in the boxes? As a job seeker, this process is exceptionally frustrating and feels like a complete waste of my time. Why bother even asking me to upload a resume in the first place if I just have to re-type and re-format it on the next screen? Can you provide some insight?

Yeah, it’s annoying. Uploading your resume is good because it allows you to present your info the way you want it. On top of that, though, companies who insist that you then enter all that information separately as well are doing it to ensure that receive all of the information they want (because not everyone includes every field that their system is going to ask you for, or doesn’t include it in the format they want it in). And yes, sometimes it’s to assist them in doing early-stage screening automatically (although that’s far less common than people fear it is).

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…

1. When we have lunch events, an employee wants to take a second, personal lunch break afterwards

Is an exempt employee entitled to an additional hour of “personal” lunch time if they participate in a company-hosted function such as a picnic or other celebration? These events are never mandatory and often run over the allotted hour for lunch, but we have an employee who insists that she is still entitled to an hour for her “personal” lunchtime. Any information you can offer is appreciated.

Well, point out to her that exempt employees aren’t entitled to any lunch hour at all. While some states do require specific breaks for non-exempt employees, no laws require that for exempt employees. So if she’s arguing this from a legal standpoint, she’s wrong.

Beyond that, if you don’t want her taking a second lunch on those days, tell her that. Be very clear with her about the fact that invitations to voluntary events held over lunch are invitations to spend her lunch break engaged in that activity, and that if she feels she will need a separate lunch break afterwards, she should decline the invitation. That said, there’s an argument that since she’s an exempt employee, you should let her manage her own time and not nickel and dime her over this kind of thing. And who knows, maybe she wants to attend these events as part of your team, but also uses her lunch time to run errands, recharge by herself, or some other perfectly legitimate reason. But it’s really your call, and which way I’d lean would depend on how strong a performer she is overall.

2. Using a nickname on my resume

When I was applying for my current job, I filled out my resume using my “brand” name, the name I am commonly known by professionally, instead of my legal name; think “Peggy Olson” instead of Margaret Olson. On the official application form (which accompanied my resume) and my hiring paperwork, I used my legal name, because it’s my legal name. The person who referred me for the position told me the other day that he had a really hard time collecting the referral money, and he was told it was because of the mismatch – their computers couldn’t accept that the “Peggy Olson” who was referred was the same as the Margaret Olson who was hired. The HR rep framed this as being my fault.

Is this unusual? It was my understanding that resumes and cover letters should use your brand name and not your legal name in cases where they are different. All of my references, my LinkedIn page, my publications, etc are under my brand name. Is this just a peculiarity of this employer, or did I do something wrong?

You didn’t do anything wrong. Resumes aren’t formal legal documents that require your birth name; it’s completely normal to use the name you commonly go by. In fact, it can be problematic if you go by Peggy but put Margaret on your resume; references may have no idea who this “Margaret” is that the reference-checker is asking about, and you can arrive for your first day at your new job to discover “Margaret” has been used for your email, business cards, and computer login.

This HR rep is being ridiculous. Not only did you not doing anything wrong, but they should be able to find a way to get the referral bonus to the right person. They’re not at the mercy of their computer system for that.

3. Should I tell colleagues that I’m on a medicine that’s making me woozy?

I have chronic migraines that have gotten worse in recent months. Yesterday, I left work early to take an emergency doctor’s appointment after a 4-day migraine – I couldn’t take it anymore. My doctor put me on a medication that he mentioned may make me feel woozy for a few weeks – I took my first dose last night, and boy was he right! I’ve been feeling hazy all day at work – having trouble coming up with words, having difficulty focusing on the computer screen. I called my doctor’s office and they confirmed that once I adjust, the symptoms will go away.

I’m not sure exactly how to approach this – I have a “manager,” who functions more as an adviser (though she is on vacation for the next two weeks and the symptoms may be gone by the time she’s back), and my day-to-day work is coordinating logistics for four different project management teams. I generally need to be pretty sharp in order to keep everything straight, since I’m working with so many different people in different time zones. Part of me wants to give my project managers a heads up, but I don’t want to draw attention to something that may not end up affecting my work. I plan on keeping detailed lists and calendar reminders, and working extra hard to keep things organized while I adjust to the new medication. What would you recommend?

Personally, I’d be comfortable telling people I work with closely, “Hey, I’m on a medication that’s been making me feel a little woozy at times; I’ll be fine in a few weeks, but I wanted to mention it in case you notice anything strange.” That shouldn’t put anyone off. You’re giving them a head-up to explain something that they might otherwise wonder at, and you’re telling them it’s going to be short-lived. I’d rather have them know what’s up than notice something and draw their own conclusions.

4. Asking about a raise that my boss suggested a few months ago

I started working for a small business in January. I am the second most senior employee after the owner/boss. My boss keeps me informed of all aspects of the business, so I know that the business is struggling a bit financially. We are waiting for several payments that may take weeks or even months to come in.

In May, my boss told me that I was doing really great work and he was very impressed with how quickly I had jumped in, taken on new responsibilities, formed relationships with our customers, etc. At that time, my boss told me that he would give me a raise at the beginning of June. We didn’t talk specifics about how much of a raise at the time, but I was certainly happy to hear his good impression of me.

Now, it’s the beginning of August and there hasn’t been any raise nor any mention of it since May. I normally wouldn’t be afraid to bring the topic up again, but I know (and my boss knows that I know) what the business’ financial situation is. Is it okay to bring up the raise when I know money is tight right now? Should I bring up the idea of a raise, but ask my boss when he would be able to actually start paying me more?

This is a little bit tricky because you’ve only been there eight months, and normally I’d say not to ask about a raise until it’s been a year. On the other hand, your boss brought this up on his own and gave you a specific timeline. I think it’s reasonable to check back in but without pushing the issue. I’d say something like this: “We’d talked in May about revisiting my salary this summer. Is that something it still makes sense to talk about?”

That said, this depends on how tight things actually are. If things are truly dire and the owner is worried about having to lay people off or make painful budget cuts, it would look tone-deaf to bring it up right now, and in that case, I’d give it a little more time.

5. If not a functional resume, then what?

I know you have strong opinions against functional resumes, so I’m wondering what other advice you’d give to someone who is trying to get back into her field after having to take survival jobs to get by. I have an MA in policy and have done policy work in the past. This is what I am trying to return to. Unfortunately, during the recession I have had to take unrelated, lower-level jobs to pay the bills, and I don’t want that to be the first thing the resume reviewer sees or what they focus on.

How do you suggest shaping my story on the resume to play up my relevant experience front and center, instead of distracting with the more recent survival jobs? I’d rather have someone be annoyed with my resume format but notice my skills and experience than dismiss me entirely off the bat because they only scanned the first two, unrelated job titles.

The problem with functional resumes isn’t just that they annoy hiring managers (although they do) — it’s that they make you more likely to get rejected because it turns your resume into a mess, where it’s not clear what you did when or for what employer, and it screams “I’m trying to hide something.” In most cases, I won’t even follow up with someone who has a functional resume, so don’t think it’s just something that mildly annoys employers but doesn’t ultimately affect your chances.

Instead, I’d kick your resume off with a section titled Relevant Experience (or even better, get more specific — like Policy Experience or whatever else fits) and then follow it with an Other Experience section, where you can put the survival jobs. Good luck!

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…

1. Speaking up when clients are hostile and abusive

I am wondering what your thought is on clients who are extremely rude to those working for them on a consulting basis. I work as a consultant in a technical field, so all our work is done for clients who are paying us to provide a technical service for them. Most of the time we work for pleasant people, but on occasion we get some really choice clients who are incredibly insulting, unprofessional, and childish in their interactions with us — the F word used repeatedly in person and via email, yelling, ridiculous or unreasonable requests (emails at 4 pm saying “I need this tomorrow” and when we indicate that’s not possible, a response to the effect of “I don’t care if you stay til 4 am to get it done, you will finish”), emails sent in 72 point font bolded capital red letters (I wish I was joking about that last one), the list goes on.

As consultants, I understand that part of our job is customer service and some of that is defusing situations where a client may be upset. However, in my view, some of this type of behavior really crosses the line and makes for a toxic work experience for me and for my coworkers. I feel sheepish admitting this, but some emails have been so bad that I’ve gone out and cried in my car so as to not lose it in the office. We even had a team member quit because the stress of working with one particular client who was very rude to him consistently was just too much. Do you think there is a point at which we have a right to speak up about such treatment from the client even though the client is the one paying us? If so, how would you go about doing that?

Absolutely. This comes down to a fundamental company philosophy: Is your company willing to tolerate abuse in order to keep clients’ business at any cost, or is it willing to draw the line and protect staff members from abuse, even if it might cost them business? You’ve got to know where your company stands on that in order to figure out what options you have for dealing with this. A good company (and I’d argue, a smart company) will refuse to accept this type of thing — and will be willing to lose clients over it, even though in reality you rarely lose clients by refusing to be treated poorly. (Most people know when they’re in the wrong on this kind of thing, and few are going to yank their business when they’re told that they can’t swear or yell at employees.)

So, where does your manager stand on all this? Does she know it’s happening? Does she know the extent of it? If not, go talk to her and ask for permission to start handling these situations differently. (For example, saying to clients, “I’m happy to help you, but I’ll need to hang up if you continue yelling/using abusive language” or saying, “We’d be glad to help, but we need 48 hours turnaround for this type of work.”) If your manager does does know and she’s not willing to do anything about it — or if the company has a whole has a philosophy of not caring about this — then you’ve got to decide if that’s a job you want. In that case, your salary isn’t just paying you for technical consulting; it’s also paying you to put up with this kind of unpleasantness. Is that a job you want, at that price? That’s the call you’d need to make.

2. Responding to coworkers’ jokes about the Ferguson riots

I live on the border of Ferguson, MO where riots have broken out. On Monday, there were some jokes in the office about how us “North County” folks all have new shoes and rims for our cars, or how we were in on the looting. It sounds harsh, but I can assure you that these were truly said as a joke and there were no racial intentions attached.

As I said, I live near the riots, not close enough to be in immediate danger, but we are still concerned. My husband and I have been staying up into the early morning to keep an eye on the situation. I am tired and strained, and these infrequent “little” jokes are starting to get on my nerves. My coworkers don’t grasp how scary it is. Saying something would make my coworkers feel awful, but if I snap at them, it could be worse. How should I handle this?

“I know we’re all tense, but this is a serious situation about serious issues and it doesn’t feel right to joke about it.”

3. Employer will pay for continuing education — at a highly religious institution with offensive anti-gay programs

My husband works at an organization that encourages and pays for continuing education. My husband is wanting to get his PhD and they are willing to pay for his education but they will only pay for him to go to one college, because they have an agreement with them for lower tuition. This would normally not be a big deal, but this institution is very religious and even has a program where they train counselors to “reform” gay people. We do not share their religious beliefs, and are extremely opposed to their values.

I know that this is probably not an issue of “is this legal,” but I am wondering how he might address this to his supervisors. He really would like to further his education, but does not want to attend this school, nor does he want it listed on his resume. He does not work for a religious organization, so I am not sure why they insist that he attends this school in order to get reimbursed, and there are many other universities near us that he could attend. What do you think the best way would be for him to approach his supervisors so he could possibly attend another university?

“X University is strongly religious and has some controversial programs that are contrary to my values, to the extent that enrolling there isn’t an option for me. Could we work out an arrangement where I could take advantage of the company’s education benefit at a different university?”

4. Is preference given to job applicants who apply earlier in the process?

When a job has an application deadline, is preference typically given to earlier applicants? I am concerned if I apply later, a rolling review has already begun and standout candidates become favorites, possibly overshadowing me. Then I wonder, wouldn’t I stand the same chance either way since those candidates would pop up at some point?

It depends on the employer. Some wait until the application deadline to start reviewing applications. Others review them and interview people on a rolling basis from the beginning. With the second group, if you’re well qualified, you might get an interview no matter when you apply, or you might only get interviewed if you’re clearly better than the candidates they’ve talked to so far. But there’s no way to know from the outside how a particular employer is handling things, so if you’re interested and qualified, it makes sense to apply regardless — but also to do it as soon as you can, rather than thinking it won’t matter if you wait until closer to the deadline.

5. Does this mean I didn’t get the job?

I called today to follow up after what I felt was a great round of interviews. They told me that they are interviewing more candidates and will get back with me. Is this a nice way of them telling me I am no longer in the running for the job? If so why can’t they just come out and say that?

No, that is them telling you that they are interviewing more candidates and will get back with you. It’s possible that they’ve already ruled you out but have a policy of not rejecting candidates until the end of the process (silly but not uncommon). It’s also possible that you’re still in the running but they’re not done interviewing. There’s no way to know. The best thing you can do is put it out of your mind and move on, and let it be a pleasant surprise if they do come back to you.