Ask a Manager

It’s tiny answer Tuesday — seven short answers to seven short questions. Here we go…

1. Can you ask HR to clarify an ambiguous question on a job application?

I have a question about addressing ambiguous questions on job applications. In essence, the application I recently filled out has a question that could be interpreted in a number of different ways, so I emailed HR (once) to ask what they specifically meant. I did this because the ad states that applicants should direct job-related questions to HR (and provided HR’s email address). I should note that I was very concise and polite.

It’s been a few days and they haven’t responded, and I’m worried that if I’m left to my own devices, I may fill out the job application incorrectly. What do you think I should do?

Interpret it as best you can, finish the application, and submit it. Don’t wait for an answer from them.

Other candidates are presumably making do, and you don’t want to come across as someone who needs special hand-holding that others didn’t require. That’s not to say that plenty of applications don’t have poorly worded, ambiguous questions; they do. But you’ll rarely get clarification from busy HR departments, who tend to think their application questions work just fine as stated or that you should be able to find a way to make do. And following up a second time when you already tried once is likely to cement an impression that you’re potentially high maintenance, which you don’t want.

2. How to complain to another department about their temp’s terrible writing

We have an HR temp at our organization who has terrible writing skills. Her emails use incorrect tenses or include made-up words. Here are two of many examples:
“I have learn that the library was temporarily move into the conference room so I have schedule another room for this interview at rm 501. Also attach you will find (Name, no apostrophe) resume.”
and
“Can I have the password for (website) in order to login and post this job position and I apologized for the in-convinced this may have cause.”

She has used “in-convinced” in several emails, including emails to candidates. Our department is very worried these poorly written emails are going to drive away the best candidates, who will take one look at who we are hiring for our HR personnel and decide to go elsewhere. It is very embarrassing for us, especially since we are a college.

How can we correctly approach our HR manager about this? She has obviously seen some of these emails but doesn’t seem to be doing anything about it herself. Maybe a little push from another department will make her a little more proactive about fixing this issue?

Yes, someone should talk to her manager, ideally someone who’s roughly at the same level as her manager. That person should say: “I’ve noticed Jane has repeatedly sent out emails, including to candidates, with misspellings, made-up words, and generally poor writing. I’m concerned about how this is portraying us to candidates and others. What can we do to ensure that her emails are corrected before they’re sent out externally?”

If the problem continues after that, then you push back harder: “The problem is continuing, and we can’t have her unedited emails being sent out representing us.”

3. Should you pay to find a job?

What do you think of “pay for” job search websites such as The Ladders, Linkedin, or even a paid head hunter? Do they help? Sometimes I find it difficult to pay for these services. To me, Linkedin is an extortion site.

The Ladders is a scam, and in general, you shouldn’t pay someone to find you a job; reputable headhunters are paid by employers, not by job searchers. I’m not sure why you find LinkedIn to be “extortion” though; there are plenty of free ways to use that site to assist in job searching.

4. What to put on your resume if you don’t have any accomplishments

I read your article about why you might not be getting interviews. One of the points recommended listing specific accomplishments rather than job duties. What if I don’t have any accomplishments? I’m not saying I wasn’t a good employee, but I didn’t increase sales or save the company any money that I know of. This really has me stumped.

What made you a good employee? What about you should make an employer want to hire you over other candidates with similar job experience? That’s what your resume needs to convey. Figure out the answers to those questions (using objective facts, not subjective ones), and turn them into resume bullets.

People often think this needs to be quantitative (made $X in sales or saved $X in costs), but it doesn’t; for many, many jobs, it’s going to be primarily qualitative. But you do need to explain what made you great at previous jobs. If you can’t, how do you expect a hiring manager to figure out why they should hire you over roughly similar candidates? More on this here.

5. When can I express preference for a job location during an interview process?

I applied for a position at a company based in Washington, DC. My research indicated that the salary range for this position would make it a stretch for me to live in DC, but doable. When they called me for a phone interview, the recruiter said that the position I applied for usually started out at this other, more junior position and then typically transitions to the more senior position. I am totally fine with starting at a more junior level, but the salary is quite a bit lower, making it nearly impossible for me to make “ends meet” in DC (and I’m relocating from the Midwest). However, as I researched this more junior position, I noticed that they have an office in Charlottesville, VA, and that the job description on the website says “located in: Washington, DC or Charlottesville, VA”. Not only is that much more preferable in terms of living on the salary, but if I’m honest with myself, I’m not a big-city kind of person and I’d really prefer to live in Charlottesville. They’ve moved me on to the second round, which includes a research “homework assignment” that I have 7 days to complete. The email with the HW assignment said “…after we receive your homework assignment we will contact you within ten days about scheduling the interview in either our DC or Charlottesville office.”

At what point (if any) do I speak up about my serious preference for Charlottesville? Should I say something quickly when I submit my assignment or when I (hopefully) get an offer? I don’t want to be presumptuous, but I also don’t want to get far down the interview process and perhaps interview with coworkers in DC if I can swing the Charlottesville location. Is this something I should bring up sooner than later, or am I jumping the gun? Is it something I even get to voice a preference for?

Absolutely. It’s fine to email the recruiter and say something like, “By the way, I realized that we hadn’t discussed location of the position and it’s advertised as being in either D.C. or Charlottesville. I have a strong preference for Charlottesville, if it’s possible for that to be taken into account.”

It’s useful for them to know that at this stage, particularly if “strong preference” really means “the only one I’d accept.”

6. How should I have corrected this HR rep who misheard my salary numbers?

An HR rep asked for my earnings history, which I broke down into salary and sales commissions (I listed the commissions one by one so I gave her a total of four numbers). She misheard one of the numbers and when she gave me the total, I said that it was wrong because it was much too high. She shrugged it off and said she rounded a bit and quoted me a lower number, which was still wrong — but I was too embarrassed to correct her again (since I didn’t know why it was so off) and just said “yeah…” and moved on to my most recent job where I gave her numbers that I’m 100% sure are correct.

When I went home and did the math, I realized what had happened (she’d taken a “teen” for a “-ty”) and immediately emailed her to correct the error, but now I’m concerned that she’ll think I was lying about my commissions the first time and withdraw the offer. For future reference, what would have been the correct way to handle this situation? Should I not have pointed out the mistake?

I wouldn’t worry that she’ll think you’re lying. Just be straightforward: “I think you you heard Xty rather than Xteen.”

If something like this happens in the future, just point it out at the time. And don’t be thwarted if she gets it wrong the second time — just say, “No, it’s X,” just like you would with a friend or colleague. (In fact, how you’d handle it with a colleague is a good guide for lots of hiring-related situations where you’re not sure whether to speak up or how to word something.)

7. Are auto-replies to job applications rude?

I’m curious what your opinon is on auto-replies for applications/resume submissions. On more than one occasion, I have received something similar to this: “Thank you for submitting your information. If you are chosen to advance in the hiring process, you will be contacted…”

Isn’t that just as frustrating as not hearing back at all? It’s good that I know they received my application, but that still leaves me with no notice of rejection, so is it really any more considerate?

Well, it at leasts confirms that your application was received, so you’re not sitting around wondering if it’s lost somewhere. Honestly, you should be mentally moving on after you submit an application anyway — statistically speaking, your chances of being selected for an interview are low enough that it doesn’t make sense to do anything else. And really, what would you do differently if you got a real rejection notice? It’s just mental closure, and you can give that to yourself by moving on right after applying.

What I find far more rude is when a company interviews a candidate and then doesn’t get back to them. At that point, the person has invested time and energy in speaking with them, there’s been personal contact, and it’s incredibly rude to never bother to respond.

It’s mini answer Monday — seven short answers to seven short questions. Here we go…

1. Tattling in the office

In the past two weeks, I’ve had a strange meeting with my former supervisor where she vaguely indicated everyone in the office was accusing me of tattling, then she did something tattle-worthy the next day. Now today, another office person did something tattle-worthy. I haven’t had to tattle on anyone, to date, but I sure do feel like I’m being set up. Should I actually tattle? I’ve never had this kind of situation in a workplace before, and I’m very fed up. I think that if I do tattle, it will present some strength of character — that being that I won’t back down when someone’s doing something wrong. Yet, if I’m being set up as I think might be the case, I’ll have to tell every single time something like this happens. No manager would look kindly on this, I’m afraid.

My boss is a good boss and will listen to me and at least commiserate. I plan on just describing my discomfort and my situation and asking him for advice, though I know he’ll probably do something about it. My life is going to be made miserable, it already is.

There’s really no such thing as “tattling” in the workplace. There are petty complaints about things that don’t affect anyone’s work (“Jane is five minutes late every day” or “Bob won’t stop popping his gum”), and then there are comments about things that truly do affect the organization’s work. It’s not tattling to bring the latter to your manager’s attention. I have no idea which category the “tattle-worthy” things you mention fall into, but I’d start by not thinking in terms of tattling and instead thinking in terms of things that do and don’t affect the work.

I would, however, go talk to your boss and say that you’re concerned by the bizarre conversation you had with your former supervisor (who sounds absurd — both for relaying something so vague and for the entire “tattling” concept) and want to make sure that she doesn’t have concerns you should know about.

2. I just found an interview invitation from six weeks ago

I submitted my resume for a part-time job on April 1, received an interview invite on April 24, but I did not see email until June 8. I do not understand how I missed it because I checked it several times since then. What am I to do? I want to write an letter letting them know I’m still interested. What is the proper way to construct the letter. Or, should I send one at all?

Ouch. They’ve probably moved on — the position may not even be open anymore — but there’s no harm in trying. I’d write something back like, “I’m mortified — I just found this message in my spam folder. I realize it’s probably far too late, but if on the off chance you’re still interviewing, I’d love to talk with you and will make myself available whenever’s convenient. I realize you’ve probably filled the position by now, and if so, I appreciate your consideration and wish you all the best with the role.”

3. Can very short hair on a woman be a negative in job interviews?

I have a question for you about hair at interviews. I am a straight female and have short hair (short pixie). In the summer when it gets really hot, I like to cut my hair very short (think buzzcut with bangs) once in the beginning of summer and let it grow back out throughout the year. I’m due for my haircut, and while the cut isn’t a mohawk or Skrillex style, it’s a bit odd for women who don’t have ethnic hair. Do you think my short boy-style hair will negatively impact my applications for clerical positions that don’t interact with customers?

Nope, not unless you’re in a particularly conservative area of the country where very short hair on women is unusually shocking. (The south, maybe? I’m just guessing.) And even then, I suspect it’s not going to be a problem for most people.

4. My boss relies too heavily on my help

My current boss doesn’t know how to use a computer, let alone how to do the work we are supposed to do. For the past year, she has relied on me to do everything from creating our department’s strategy to helping her cut and paste he weekly updates for our organization’s leadership.

I’ve said something to both HR and her supervisor (the director of our department) and they just cannot believe that someone in her position doesn’t understand basic things essential for our job. Do you have any suggestions for me on how to handle my boss? I feel like she is taking advantage of me, and refusing to learn.

I don’t think there’s anything you can do here. It’s legitimate for your boss to enlist your help, and it’s not really up to you whether she’s refusing to learn or not. It’s for her managers to evaluate her performance, and if they’re happy with it (including her use of employees to help her achieve the results they want, which is an appropriate part of a manager’s role), then there’s not really much to be done. It’s more a question of whether you want to stay in the job under this particular set of conditions or not.

5. When employers want to talk to a reference that you don’t want them to talk to

I recently left a job after working for nearly a year as a content manager. The reason for my departure was mainly due to the vast cultural differences and language barriers between my employer, staff, and me. Plus we didn’t have a great professional relationship because of communication differences. My former employer is not known for putting in a good word for his former employees, whether they have quit or been dismissed. I know this for a fact, as he badmouthed them to me when I interviewed at that company. He has nothing positive to say about them, regardless the nature of their work performance or their relationship with him. He claimed that they were lazy, unreliable, had difficulties understanding their tasks, did not meet his performance expectations, etc. Now that I am no longer an employee there, I am worried that he will do the same to me.

I’ve been at job interviews where they have not only asked about my work experience at that company but asked me to evaluate my relationship with him. It’s not my nature to trash-talk people, so I tell them them that I left because I felt I wasn’t a good fit for the cultural environment in that company. Not all of them accept that answer and ask me to elaborate. Or they will ask if they can contact my former employer. If I tell them no, they will ask why or why I haven’t listed him as a reference on my job application. Not all hiring managers will ask for references, but I am concerned that they may contact my company anyway and ask about me. No one else at that company speaks English very well and they were openly hostile towards me. What should I do if the hiring manager insists on contacting my former boss (or anyone else at that company) or asks why I shouldn’t? I don’t want them to get the impression that I am withholding information or that I am unable to get along with people of different nationalities which isn’t the case.

All you can do in that situation is (a) prepare them for what he’ll likely say and (b) offer plenty of other references who WILL speak glowingly about you. To prepare them, I’d say: “I didn’t list him as a reference because he hasn’t handled it well when people have left, and I only saw him give poor references for other employees, even people whose work I knew was good. Since he seems to consistently give negative references, regardless of work performance, I’d rather offer you other references who can speak about my work.” And then compile as strong a list of alternative references as you can.

6. Nicknames on resumes

I am a grad student hoping to graduate end of this year. I have been reading your site for a while getting insights on the application process and resume. I have an unpronounceable first name (please refer to email address). My friends call me Maddy or Mads. Is that okay to include on a resume? Also, I am planning to go to a couple of networking events. Is it a good idea to get business cards made? Should I put my nickname on there too?

If you go by Maddy and want to be called that at work, then put Maddy on your resume and business cards. It’s also fine to put your unpronounceable first name, followed by “Maddy” (in the quotes), then last name. In other words, if I went by Rudolph, I might list my name like this:

Alison “Rudolph” Green

But overall, know that your resume isn’t a legal document that requires your full legal name. It requires the name you’re known by. You don’t want an employer calling references and asking about Alison Green when you go by Rudolph Green; your references aren’t going to know who they’re talking about. Similarly, it’s really weird to get to know someone as Alison all through the hiring process and then discover on their first day of work that they’re actually called Rudolph. Use the name you go by.

[Also, for the unpronounceable name, this might help (#2 at the link).]

7. Can my former employer refuse to reimburse my travel expenses?

I just moved to another job and quit the old one. But the old compony owes me about $3,000 in travel expenses for out of state travel. Can the company not pay me?

Legally, no — but if they resist paying you after you’ve requested it, you could need to go to small claims court to recover the money.

It’s short answer Sunday — seven short answers to seven short questions. Here we go…

1. My boss missed our scheduled call and blamed me

I was recruited to work at this company in February by a really great boss who I directly reported to for two months when he was suddenly laid off. I was then transitioned to work for my new boss. We are polite to each other, but there’s a level of passive-aggressiveness in her tone and the way she communicates that makes me uneasy. For example, we have a standing weekly check-in where she is supposed to call my cell phone (she works remotely). Occasionally, she will just not call in to the meeting. At first I would ask to reschedule, but after this happening several times I eventually accepted that she just will sometimes not make it for that meeting. She didn’t call in this past week but the next day emailed me saying I needed to be better about keeping our check-in. I apologized and asked if maybe the time scheduled on our calendars just wasn’t a good/convenient time for her. She said it was and that she had called me at the scheduled time and left me a voicemail.

Except that she didn’t. At least I’m almost positive she didn’t. I don’t have any missed calls or voicemails from her and I sat by my phone the entire time. I also sit next to the sales phone so if she couldn’t reach my cell, she would typically dial that but that didn’t ring or receive any messages. I haven’t responded to her last email since I’m not sure if mentioning I didn’t receive a voicemail would come across as accusatory. Do I respond at all? If so, what should I say? Am I being crazy? Is there some way she could have recorded a message and I just wouldn’t have received it?

Be straightforward and non-accusatory, like you would with someone who you were giving the benefit of the doubt: “Hmm, my phone didn’t ring and I don’t have a voicemail from you. Something must be going wrong with the phones. I’ll check with IT to see if there’s something they need to fix. Meanwhile, is there a good time to reschedule?”

And going forward, do two things: Call her if she hasn’t called you 10 minutes after the scheduled call time, and follow up with her to reschedule if she misses your check-ins. (Non-accusatorily — something like, “You must have gotten tied up during our scheduled call today. Is there a time that works for rescheduling later in the week?”)

That addresses this specific situation, but not the broader concerns you alluded to about her, so feel free to provide more details about that in the comments.

2. Can I get an earlier start date?

I finished my previous contract role in early May and am waiting to start my new permanent job in next few weeks. My new employer has provided me with July 1 as a start date, subject to reference checks. However, I would like to start in June (any day) to avoid a month gap on my CV and also because I am very keen to start work ASAP. Currently a third party is in process of reference checks, which should be straightforward. Can I ask my new boss to give an earlier start date based on the reasoning that I do not want a month gap in my CV?

Well, first, a month-long gap is nothing. No one is going to notice or comment on it. So that’s not a good reason, or anything you should worry about (and even if it were, it’s not a reason you should use in asking for this). However, if you want to start earlier for other reasons, you could certainly send an email saying something like, “By the way, I’m available to start in June and would be glad to if it works out on your end — but sticking with July 1 is fine too.”

The point there is to note that you can do it if they want you to, but not push for it — because they could have all kinds of reason for the original start date, including needing to prepare for you, wanting you to start after a big project is over or at the same time as someone else, the person who will train you being busy or away, etc.

3. Employer’s website says I’ve been rejected, but they invited me for an interview

I received an email saying that I had been short-listed for a position that I applied for. I went back into the online system to gain more familiarity with the application materials I submitted and remember exactly how I answered their online questionnaire. I was surprised to see that the status of my application, according to the online system, was “rejected.”

In your experience, is it possible that I was sent an interview invite by mistake? Their online system switched to a new one, a few days before I submitted my application, so this could just be some glitch that comes with a new system that people aren’t used to yet. Is this something I should raise with the HR rep who contacted me for an interview?

It’s more likely that your status is incorrect, rather than that the HR person contacted you by mistake. You could certainly reach back out and ask, but these systems are so often messed up that I’d recommend just ignoring the status.

4. Do companies keep a list of non-eligible candidates?

Do companies keep a list, for whatever reason, of non-eligible candidates?

They sure do. Some of us just keep it in our heads, but some keep a more formal list.

5. Can my company really make us take on this much work?

My company is having financial issues. They are about a year behind in paying their freelancers, and over the course of the last 6 months, some people have been laid off while others quit due to an increasing and impossible workload. Nobody who left has been replaced. Our team has shrunk down from 9 people (including 2 managers) to 3 people (no managers left). Each of the three of us has been juggling the jobs of the old employees, including our old bosses, without any extra pay. We are being asked to perform tasks that are beyond the scope of our positions and pay grades. The scariest part is that we can no longer keep up with the work.

Can I be fired for failing to perform the duties of an old coworker? Or for not being able to keep up with the workload (I am still getting all my tasks in on time — the issue is with the extra work.) I’d like to ask for a raise but fear I will be fired for speaking up and that my inability to handle 2 other jobs will be cited as the reason. Is this legal?

Yes, it’s legal. There are no laws forbidding unreasonable workloads or unrealistic work demands. There are also no laws forbidding an employer from firing someone for asking for a raise — although it’s not very common that that happens (not unheard of, but not common).

But given your company’s financial straits, it’s very unlikely that you’re going to get a raise, unless you’re very, very highly valued. Instead, I’d put as much energy as you can into finding another job as quickly as possible.

6. Applying when a company doesn’t have specific openings

If a company that you would love to work for gives you the option online to submit a general application (including resume and cover letter) that doesn’t correspond to a specific position, is there a benefit to doing this? How should I tailor the cover letter?

Yes. Sometimes they offer this because they might consider you for openings that aren’t so urgent that they’re being advertised, but which they’d still like to fill if the right person came along. Sometimes they’ll just keep you in mind for future openings. Sometimes — much more rarely — if you’re truly fantastic, they might find an opening for you.

Your cover letter should explain what kind of work you’re looking for and why you’re great at it, and why you’d like to work there in particular.

7. References for beginners

As a college student, how should I go about collecting references? Do most companies want to call references or read recommendation letters? How do I go about asking people for references if I know that they would be willing, but I have stayed in less-than-regular communication?

In the vast majority of fields, they want to call references and don’t care about letters. (Jobs in academia and law are sometimes exceptions to this.)

Ideally, your references are people who have managed you in jobs or internships. It’s best if you’ve kept at least somewhat in touch with them, but it’s not prohibitive if you haven’t. It’s fine to reach out now, let them know you’re job-searching, and ask if they’ll serve as a reference for you.

It’s short answer Saturday — seven short answers to seven short questions. Here we go…

1. Company offered me a job, then pulled the offer, then offered it again

In the past 3 weeks I have been involved in the interview process with a large restaurant corporation, I have recieved a verbal offer which was rescinded. However, when I inquired as to the reason for this the HR manager said she would make a call and subsuquently the offer was reinstated and put in writing as the same offer that was given verbally. Should I take this position or am I just the running the risk of being unemployed once more in a short duration? Any insight would go a long way right now!

I’d be really wary of accepting the offer without understanding what caused it to be pulled the first time, since you want to be able to be confident that the same thing won’t happen a week after you start the job. I’d call her immediately, say that you’re really glad to have the offer and would love to work with them, and ask if she can give you some insight into what caused the offer to be pulled earlier. If she’s vague, it’s reasonable to say, “I’d love to be able to accept, but I’m hesitant to do with worries about how secure the job is.”

2. Would this be too cutesy for a Skype interview?

I’m doing a video Skype interview with a company in a different state. It’s the third interview, to determine if they want to fly me in for the final round, but it will be with two people I haven’t talked to before and one person I have already interviewed with once (my potential boss). It’s a creative job, for a company that is a little quirky and generally laidback (for example, their dress code is: must wear clothes). I will be Skyping in my home office, and I was thinking of buying some paraphernalia from the state or the state’s teams and hanging that behind me. Like, a sports flag saying “Go Transylvania Teacups!” or whatever, just as to reinforce that I would want to move for this job. Cute or too much?

This is so very much not much not to my taste that it’s hard for me to give you an unbiased answer. But the more important point is that things behind you really shouldn’t be very visible in a Skype interview; your face and upper shoulders should take up most of the camera frame, and anything else visible should be a neutral background so as not to distract from your interviewer’s focus on you and your answers. (Yes, that’s somewhat of a dodge, but it’s still the answer.)

3. Employer fired me during a training period and won’t tell me why

I was recently hired in a new position. The work wasn’t set to begin until August, but I was hired with the understanding that I would begin training immediately. For the past month, I have been completing the online training program and have attended two in-person training meetings. There is no compensation for the training portion of this job. This week I received a phone call that my services are no longer needed. No additional reason was given. I emailed my direct supervisor and asked if she could clarify why I was let go, but I haven’t received a response and I don’t expect one at this point. I know it can simply be a case of a personality mis-match, but I can’t help but feel perplexed and I’m dying to know what happened. I hadn’t received anything but positive feedback prior to that call. Am I right to just leave it alone, since it’s clear that there’s no intention to provide any additional information?

It’s ridiculous that she didn’t tell you why, particularly when you asked directly. But you can’t make her tell you. I think you could try one more time (and when you do, being extra polite about it will increase your chances of an answer, e.g., “I understand that things sometimes don’t work out, but I’d so appreciate any insight you can give me into what I can do better in the future”), but after that you’d need to drop it and move on.

4. How to respond when asked if I’d accept a lower-level position

A few months ago, I applied for an internal position with another group at my company. This was a non-management position that would have been a small promotion and pay raise from my current position. I never heard back from that application.

Two weeks ago, I applied to a management position within that same group which would have been a huge promotion and pay raise. I was quickly called in for an interview. At the interview, the hiring manager made it very clear that I was there interviewing for the management position. At the very end of the interview, she mentioned that she noticed that I had also applied for a non-management position in her group. She then stated that the interview panel had also been evaluating me for that position as well in case they didn’t offer me the management position.

I was caught off guard. When she asked me if I would accept the lower level position if it was offered, I told her that I would not and I was only interested in the management position. At the time, I felt if I agreed to accept the lower position that it would come across as me not being confident that I would be chosen for the management position. She was visibly not happy with my response. What’s the best way to handle a situation like this? I feel like I killed my chances for getting either position with my response.

There’s no ideal way to handle this, but applying for two positions and then saying that you’d only accept one (without a broader explanation) when asked does come across a little strangely — after all, you already applied for that other position, which is certainly an expression of being interested in it. In any case, the best answer is usually something like, “I’d certainly be interested in talking about the other position if this one doesn’t work out, but this is the one I’m most interested in and which seems like the best match for my skills and experience level. I’d want to talk more about the other one before being able to give you a definitive answer about it.”

5. I sent my resume to a contact but now see a job posting with different instructions for applying

One week ago, I applied for a position that had “opened” after my friend in that position had resigned. I sent my letter of inquiry and resume to her manager, who I also know from within my industry. He replied, thanked me, and said he would let me know when the interview process would begin.

The next day, the position was posted on an industry job website. I have no qualms with the posting in itself, but it does ask for a salary history. Also, the contact info in the posting is for someone else at the company who I do not know. Should I send my information to this unknown person, with a salary history as directed (which I’m not crazy about doing) or just wait for my contact to reach out for me? If I do wait, how long, another week?

You could follow up with the original contact and say, “I noticed that the job posting instructs people to send materials to Jane Smith. Should I send my materials directly to her? I’d be glad to if so.”

But I wouldn’t just reapply — that’ll look odd if it’s not accompanied by explanation.

6. Why do companies change the posting dates on job openings?

Do you know why organizations change the “posting date” on their websites? A job I’m interested in originally had a posting date of May 4. Now a month later, the position has a posting date of June 7. I’ve been interviewed 3 times on the phone for this position by different people. The last person I spoke with was the hiring manager on Monday, and today I looked up the position the date has been changed. Do you have any ideas?

They’re keeping the posting live until they’ve filled the position, and many sites require that you repost after a month (or the posting expires). Also, some employers will repost just to keep the ad looking fresh. (If this was their own website and not an external one, it’s possible that they updated the job description or otherwise tweaked something.)

7. Why did this contact add me on LinkedIn?

The organization I work for has its own specialized health insurance company. Although our names are similar, they are a completely different entity. I have only dealt with them on a personal level to file my various health insurance claims. A few days ago, someone I have never met or dealt with from this insurance company added me on Linkedin. I was really put off by this as we are in no way professionally connected. I know it’s probably just easiest to ignore it, but part of me wants to message her and ask if there is some issue regarding my insurance that made her want to look for me on Linkedin. What would you suggest?

I think you’re thinking about it too much and you could just disregard the connection request, but if you’re really curious, sure, there’s no harm in messaging her to ask about it.