Ask a Manager

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

1. My company won’t promote me until they interview other candidates

I recently returned to full-time employment after taking a few years out with the children. I was lucky enough to get a position that closely matched my career prior to motherhood. It was a step down, but the pay was reasonably good. In the meantime, another job came up within the department that exactly matched my skills and experience and the pay was £5k more per year, so I applied. I was granted an interview and on the day of the interviews, I was the only one of 5 shortlisted applicants to actually show up! I had my interview and was advised that because I was the only one to show up, the job would be relisted and I should apply again the next time! Surely this is not legal. I was interviewed and I have all the skills/experience required, so why will they not even try me in the role? It seems very unfair. Is there anything I can do or do I just have to accept the decision?

Sure, it’s legal. If a company wants to ensure that they interview multiple candidates before making a decision, that’s entirely their prerogative. (Although this particular company either has extraordinarily bad luck or is extraordinarily bad at selecting candidates, if 4 out of 5 were no-shows.) Frankly, you’re lucky that they’re letting you interview for an internal position at all, since you haven’t been in your first position very long. Don’t make them question that decision by pushing them to hire you without talking with other candidates.

2. Why haven’t I heard anything about my internal interview?

I am a department manager at a library and am one of two people in our building with a MLIS. I was promoted to my position two years ago and have implemented a lot of positive changes that have boosted morale, increased cooperation throughout the building, implemented complicated technology upgrades, and saved significant amounts of money. Frankly, I’m good at my job and my reviews say so, and my boss seems to respect and like me, as do employees and fellow managers.

So the problem? My director announced her retirement and I applied for the position. Shortly after the position closed, the newspaper ran a story about the soon-to-be hiring, stating there were two internal applicants (me and the other MLIS holder) and the timeline for interviews and hiring. In casual conversation with my coworker, the other applicant, she mentioned her phone interview was coming up and asked when mine was. I didn’t have one and hadn’t heard a word from anyone about my application. Now we are almost to the point where they will be flying in other applicants for interviews, I still haven’t heard anything. Staff and other managers are beginning to ask me if I’m ready for the interview. I have no idea how to approach this. I’m upset that I haven’t even been told I’m out of the running and feel disregarded. I thought I had a good relationship with my boss but don’t feel comfortable approaching her about this as I don’t even know if that is appropriate.Things are complicated as the hiring processes involved county HR, the board, and my boss. Any advice for a confused internal applicant?

Ask someone! It’s entirely possible that signals have been crossed somewhere or there’s been some kind of miscommunication. Rather than sitting around wondering and feeling increasingly resentful, talk to whoever’s in charge of the hiring and figure out what’s going on. It’s as simple as, “If I’m still considered a candidate for the position, what’s the likely timeline for a formal interview?”

3. Can my manager change me from non-exempt to exempt to avoid paying me overtime?

I was hired as a salaried, non-exempt employee at my new job. When I work more than 40 hours in a week, I have to work fewer hours the following week, in order to only work 80 hours in a pay period. This has enabled me to put up some boundaries with my new not-so-fabulous boss. She constantly pushes for me to work long hours and not get compensated for it. The non-exempt status has given me leverage to push back. Last week, she informed me that I have been changed to salaried, exempt. Can she just do that and what are the qualifiers for being a salaried, exempt employee?

No, she can’t just do that. Whether a job is classified as exempt or non-exempt isn’t up to the employer’s preference; it’s based on the type of work you do and is determined by government regulations, which you can read about here.

It’s certainly possible that your job really should have been classified as exempt all along, but if not, she can’t just change the classification to avoid paying you overtime.

4. Replying to an employer who reached out about a job someone recommended me for

I work in education on the east coast. My current position is being restructured, and I am planning to reapply. In the midst of this rather stressful situation, I received an email out of the blue from an employer in Chicago. After speaking at a conference last year, I connected with a woman who has now apparently recommended me to this employer. He described the school in detail and it sounds like a pretty good fit. He also offered to provide me with a school tour (unlikely since I live so far away). How does one respond to such an enquiry? Resume? Just a quick email back?

If you think you might be interested, reply back and say that you’d love to hear more and learn what the next steps would be. You can also attach a resume at this point if you want to, although you can also ask to hear more before throwing your hat in the ring.

5. Boss won’t sign off on work experience for college credit

I am getting ready to graduate from a program in which the school has approved my job experience for credit in lieu of an internship. I had told my supervisor about this at the beginning, but she said we would talk about it when the time got closer. I had submitted my official job description to my instructor and the school, and they approved it. Now my supervisor must sign off on it, but will not now because my job description does not EXACTLY match that of the school program. My job title is biomedical equipment technician, and my program at school is biomedical equipment technology. I must have this degree in order to get a promotion from a tech II to a tech III. The only alternative is to do an outside internship (unpaid) for 8 weeks. These are only offered in the daytime, and my boss has said she would not allow that much time off. Do I have any recourse here?

Talk to your school, explain the situation, and ask for advice. You might be able to get different documentation to show to your manager, or they might be willing to contact her on your behalf to work this out.

Any chance your manager is refusing to sign off because she doesn’t want to give you the promotion that would come with the degree? If so, you have a bigger and more messed-up situation to deal with and will probably need to decide if you want to escalate it to someone who is not her.

6. Will lack of LinkedIn endorsements hurt me?

I know you’ve said that you don’t put much stock in LinkedIn endorsements. I do wonder if they’re hurting my current job search, though.

I have a small network of LinkedIn contacts, mainly current and former coworkers. While I’ve received endorsements, I’ve noticed that none of my current coworkers (and I’ve been here for over five years) have endorsed me for my primary job responsibility. I’ve always had positive performance reviews and have been successful in this position, so it’s not that I’ve been failing at my job. I’ve been looking for a new position for a variety of reasons, and I’m worried that the lack of endorsements for this skill will be seen as a red flag by potential bosses and coworkers who would be involved in the interview process. Any suggestions or assurances? I can’t make other people endorse me, but I don’t want this randomness to affect my job search.

I can almost guarantee you that no one is checking your LinkedIn endorsements or putting any serious weight on them. (For anyone unclear, we’re talking about skill endorsements here, not recommendations. Not that LinkedIn recommendations carry a ton of weight either.)

7. Dealing with a belittling coworker

There is a new manager at my job. He’s not my manager, but I do have to speak with him from time to time during meetings or in the hallway. This manager is a condescending, abrasive, know-it-all jerk every time I speak with him. He’s constantly belittling others and their opinions (not just me), and he never knows what he’s talking about when he does this. This is why pretty much the whole office hates him. I can’t speak with him about his problem face to face, because he constantly treats me like I’m some stupid little girl and doesn’t seem to take me seriously. How do I make him go away or get an attitude adjustment? Is there a way I can adjust my attitude to deal with him since that may be easier? Please help me before I say something stupid to him!

You can’t make him go away or change. But since the whole office knows what this guy is like, who cares? Continue to be professional and take the high road, set appropriate boundaries, and don’t harm your own reputation by behaving poorly. It sounds like this guy is well on his way to digging his own grave. And if he’s not, there’s no reason to let him provoke you into digging yours by being unprofessional.

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

1. Organization where I volunteer won’t bother to reject me for a job I interviewed for

I was rejected, apparently, for a job for a nonprofit I’m actively volunteering for. I’m not only volunteering, I’m developing and leading a public tour for their development department. This is the department where I applied for a job.

After a two-hour interview, they have not even sent me an email that I didn’t get the job. I heard it through the volunteer grapevine that they hired someone else. Even a polite email from me asking about the job was ignored. I understand that there may have been more qualified candidates. But doesn’t a high-profile volunteer deserve the courtesy of a return email?

I know I should forge on and be brave. I believe in the work they do, and in the work I’m doing for them. Advice on how to do this would be much appreciated. I’m feeling pretty much like a doormat right now.

Talk to whoever you report to as a volunteer, and explain that you’ve never heard anything back from the person you interviewed with, despite emailing and directly asking for an update. Say that you certainly understand if you didn’t get the job, but you’d hope they’d respond to anyone who put in time to interview, let alone someone who volunteers huge amounts of time to the organization. Ask them to look into what happened. Once you get a response, decide if you’re interested in continuing to volunteer — and if you decide you’re not, make sure you let them know why. This kind of behavior is incredibly rude when it’s done to regular candidates; it reaches a whole new level of insult when done to a volunteer.

2. When you don’t want to work with someone your company might hire

My supervisors are interviewing to fill a position on my team at work. The other day, I noticed a resume from a man I know from a little while back who they have interviewed. Someone I am close to was discriminated in their workplace, lost their job, and then won the lawsuit against the employer. I realized that the candidate for the job at my work is the son of one of the defendants of the lawsuit. Because of this, I do not want to work with this man, but I am not making the hiring decision even through I will be his coworker and will be training/working closely with him for the next few months if he gets the job. Should I tell something to my boss about a conflict with his family? I’m concerned this will affect our ability to work with one another.

What?! Do you want to be denied jobs or treated badly by potential coworkers because of something a relative may have done? What you’re proposing is incredibly unfair, as well as poorly thought-out. This guy didn’t do anything to you or anyone you know. Stay out of it, and if he’s hired, treat him as you would anyone else.

3. Employer won’t reimburse mileage or cell phone costs

I’ve just started working for a nonprofit and am realizing that they are expecting us to use our personal property for the job. This was not mentioned in the interview process. For example, they want me to use my car to transport supplies to another center. I’ve done it twice but I don’t want to make it a habit since they are not reimbursing for gas, mileage, etc. When my coworker asked for reimbursement for using her personal cell phone to call clients, our manager said that in this industry employees are expected to use their personal property without reimbursement. I would like to be seen as a team player so I don’t know how to proceed. I thought of saying that my car is not a reliable one and I can only use it to go to and from work. What do you think?

People are sometimes expected to use their personal car or cell phone for work purposes, but they’re generally reimbursed for doing so (mileage or gas, the portion of the phone bill that’s over and above what it would have normally been with non-work use, etc.). Your manager is wrong that nonprofit employees are expected to incur costs without reimbursement — use the property, yes, sometimes (as in any sector), but go without reimbursement? No.

As for what to do … perhaps you and your coworkers can show your employer policies from other nonprofits on this, many of which are available online, or suggest they get guidance from the Center for Nonprofit Advancement or a similar group.

4. Writing a cover letter to a previous employer

I have looked elsewhere on the internet and there is very little (almost non-existent) information on how to write a cover letter to a previous employer. How should I approach this? Also, it’s a retail company. I am applying for a different position than what I did last time though they are both hourly.

Approach it the same way you normally would, but more informally (if you’re writing to someone you know), and let your previous time at the company inform what you write.

5. Performance review accused me of something I never did

After 5 years of working for a nonprofit and constantly receiving good reviews, I have received an unexpected poor review. The only reason given for requiring improvement was one I was not previously made aware of or given the option to explain or contest.

At the end of last year, while we were moving from our long-time location to a new space, a long-time volunteer who I had worked closely with asked me what the new location would mean for my commute. I told her that it would not be any more difficult to get to through transit but that I would non longer be able to bicycle everyday.

This volunteer, upset about how the move would affect her volunteer experience, wrote a letter to management to complain. In this letter she mentioned that the change of location would negatively affect me (in addition to many volunteers) due to not being able to bicycle any longer. Management concluded that I had a bad attitude regarding the move (which I did not) and that I was sharing my negative opinions with volunteers (which I was not). The fact that this letter even existed was only mentioned to me once casually and I was unaware that it was causing me to be perceived negatively. I was never solicited for my version or events, nor were other volunteers contacted regarding their experience with my attitude towards the move. I did not once discuss my feelings towards the move with volunteers in a negative manner and instead worked with them to ensure them their volunteer roles would not be negatively affected. The only time I mentioned the change in commute was when specifically asked if I could still bike.

It has also been brought to my attention that my two immediate supervisors over the year do not agree with my negative appraisal. I am unsure how to proceed be do not feel this appraisal was fair or adequate. I have been given two days to sign and return the assessment but do not feel I can sign it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Well, first, signing doesn’t indicate agreement; it indicates you received it. It’s fine to write, “signing to acknowledge receipt only.” Meanwhile, though, talk to your manager and tell her that the content of the review is factually inaccurate and that you want her help in getting it changed.

(By the way, if this single incident caused the entire review to be negative, someone at your company is out of their gourd.)

6. Should I apply only for positions I’m fully qualified for?

After 4 years at my current company and over 2 years in my current position, I think that it is time to move on. I am a corporate trainer and am looking for another training position. Due to lack of experience (this is my first position as a trainer) and lack of formal education (I don’t have a college degree and my education in Adult Learning is all independent study), I don’t feel as comfortable at interviewing as I have in the past. I know I can train, I just don’t know how to “market” myself in an interview.

Basically, should I only apply for positions I feel qualified for, or should I apply for positions that I may not have enough experience for just so I can interview more? (As a side note: it normally takes me a week to apply for a job once I see it because I take the time to research and make sure I have a good resume and cover letter.)

Apply for positions you’re qualified for, but don’t feel that you have to be a perfect match. If you have 80% of the qualifications they’re looking for, go ahead and apply.

But don’t spend a week researching and preparing to apply. Given how many jobs most people have to apply for in this economy just to get an interview, if you spend that much time on it, you’ll either be spending every waking hour doing this or only applying to a job per week, which isn’t going to be enough. Aim to spend a maximum of an hour per application (including research time and writing the cover letter; ideally you’d have a basic cover letter that you could customize for each position — but not start from scratch for each, at least not most of the time). If you get called for an interview, at that point you can do more research and preparation — but the initial resume and cover letter shouldn’t take more than an hour, tops.

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

1. Starting a new job and changing my name in a few months

I’m starting a new job in May, but I’m also getting married in August. It seems like an inconvenience to my new employer to put my current name on the paperwork when I’ll be changing it in a few months. Especially when you consider user credentials, email addresses, business cards, introducing me to the staff, etc. It just makes sense to me to put my new name, but legally it isn’t my name yet.

I’ve already started using my new name in some cases but nothing major and official. What are your thoughts?

I don’t think you should start using the married name until you’re actually married and it’s truly yours, but why not explain the situation to them and ask how they’d like to handle it? That way, you’re not deciding something is an inconvenience for them that they might not care about. Plus, it’s really not a big deal as far as introducing you to the staff and ordering business cards; a name change there is really not going to onerous. It could potentially be a bigger pain with user credentials, so talk to them about that and find out what they think.

2. Is this salary negotiation a red flag?

I applied for a job in which I was spectacularly low-balled. The industry standard is 70k+ minimum, and they offered me 60k. I was floored as I had done some trial contract work for them as part of the process and, when you add it up, the contract work per-hour was higher than 60k a year — and here they were offering to pay me less.

I pointed this out (and asked for 75k+) and they were disinterested in budging to even the level per-hour of the trial; so we parted ways. 2 weeks has gone past and they’ve come back offering me 70k with bonuses up to 74k because they reviewed it and think that I’m now worth it. I want the job but I also know that the whole process was a red flag; do you think that I should say no because of how I was treated — is this a sign for how I will be treated in the job if I take it? They seem so nice when they talk to me and their employees rave about working there.

When you’re doing contract work, you usually have a higher hourly rate than what a salary would break down to — because you’re responsible for paying your own taxes, don’t have benefits, etc.

If employees rave about working there and they’re willing to pay you what you want, I don’t see a major red flag. And I don’t see signs that you were treated badly — this is pretty normal negotiation.

3. Looking for a job soon after starting a new one

I know that you should leave a job off a resume if you left after a few months, but what if you’ve currently been at a job for a few months and you’re already looking for a different job? Is there a way to put that on a resume without looking bad?

Well, you’ve got to be prepared to explain why you’re looking to leave so soon. You’ll definitely be asked.

4. Employers asked about my annual reviews from my current employer

Can a hiring manager ask what rating you received on your annual review? Or if you have ever received a verbal or written warning at your current employer?

Yes.

5. Following up with a hiring manager who rejected me when a new position opens up

I applied for a job that received 150 applications. I received a phone interview and it went really well. The hiring manager advised me of the process for the next round of interviews and when I could expect a call. I never received the call and sent a follow-up email. She explained HR was historically slow and said that she appreciated my patience and continued interested. Two days later, I received a very gracious rejection letter from the hiring manager. She made a point of telling me how impressed she was with my background, clear comprehension of what the department was looking for, and my professionalism during the interview process.

I was surprised, but honestly the rejection letter was almost apologetic — the nicest rejection letter I had ever received. I sent her a follow-up email thanking her for the opportunity in light of the large number of candidates and expressed my desire to work for such a well respected organization. I wished her and her staff much success and hoped our paths would cross again one day.

I would like to apply for a newly posted position at this organization and want to reach out to her for a referral and maybe insight to better my chances for this position. Would this be appropriate and will you provide some guidance on how to ask for help?

Apply, and then send her a note letting her know that you did. Don’t ask for insight to better your chances though; if she wants to give you that, she will, but if you ask for it, it’s a little too close to saying “give me a special advantage here,” which is too much to ask of someone who doesn’t know you well.

6. Business cards for recent graduates

I am a recent graduate exploring careers in different industries. I recently decided to get a business card to be a bit more professional, and to keep with me in case I find myself in a networking opportunity. I graduated with a psych degree but it is not something that I am pursuing as a career, but rather something I do in my spare time, volunteering. The majority of my professional experience, though in different industries, is administrative.

There’s so much out there as far as what a “young professional” should have on a business card, like graphics (I’m not so sure about that) or listing your skills on the back. I just wanted to get your thoughts on the best format for a business card for a recent grad/young professional that is not industry specific, but is still professional and gives people an idea of what I am about.

Name, contact info, and a brief line explaining what type of work you’re looking for. That’s it. Listing skills on the back — I’m not a fan, although I’m having trouble explaining why. I guess because that turns it into almost a mini-resume, which isn’t really what a business card is. And if you asked if you should carry mini-resumes, I would say no. I’m really having trouble articulating why I don’t like this though, so maybe someone else can supplement this rather feeble answer.

And all this is if you even need a business card — I’m skeptical that they’re particularly useful in this type of context, although they won’t hurt to have.

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

1. Supplying past performance reviews when applying for a job

I’m in the process of applying for a new job — my current position may be eliminated soon due to budget cuts, but even if it wasn’t, I’ve concluded that my current boss and I are not a great fit, and, while I’m very passionate about the large nonprofit I work for, I’m not that passionate about the work of this particular department.

Last year was a rough year for me. It was my first year in my new role, and someone unexpectedly quit, and I had to take on her responsibilities as well as my own until we could find a replacement, which took about 9 months. I did the best I could under the circumstances, but I didn’t receive the usual glowing performance reviews I’ve received from previous bosses. I’m OK with that: it was a growth year, and I’m willing to take that on the chin and try to do better this year.

Here’s the problem: I’m applying for positions within my current organization, and many of the hiring managers are asking for copies of my previous performance reviews. How do I — or should I — talk about my most recent review and explain the somewhat extenuating circumstances? I’m worried that this review — which was not terrible but not great — could damage my chances for consideration, but that saying something about my review proactively could make me look defensive. I wish I could send only 2010 and 2011, but I think that would look even more suspicious.

Provide 2010 and 2011, and say something like, “2012 was a tough year because I was doing the work of our vacant X position as well as my own for 9 month. I’d be glad to send it if you’d like to see it too, but there were unusual circumstances that year, and the review isn’t in line with the other two.” By the way, keep in mind that they’re likely to talk to your current boss at some point since you’re all in the same organization together, so if you think that might be a problem, make sure you’re applying for positions outside your organization too. (In fact, do that regardless, just so you have as many options as possible.)

2. Explaining a 2-year gap after a layoff

How do you respond when you’re asked why you have a gap of approximately 2 years in your employment record? I was laid off from a company I worked at for almost 14 years and have been unsuccessful in gaining full-time employment in my field. Is there a “proper” way to explain what was not in my control?

“I was laid off in 2011, and have been taking my time to make sure I find the right position.” Or if that’s going to sound/feel disingenuous, “I was laid off in 2011 — not a great time to be laid off!” If you were part of a larger layoff (such as a whole department cut or dozens of people), mention that too.

3. I can’t get enough hours at my job

I’ve been working at a grocery store for the past three years now and have been having troubles maintaining even semi-reasonable hours. After the first 8 months or so, I had asked what I could do to obtain more hours and even offered to train in other positions to become a better asset to the company/get more hours. In response to my request, my boss had simply said I was the “lowest on the totem pole,” which I thoroughly understood and so I backed off.

In the past three years, two people in my department have left and three have been hired, leaving me higher on the totem pole, or so I thought. A year ago, I had to pick up another part-time job to cover my living expenses due to the lack of hours, which I just quit due to many reasons. And even though I had asked for more hours, I was denied, even though the newer employees were maintaining regular hours, all of which were more than mine (they were averaging 25-40 and I was getting 10-15). I feel like I pull my weight and even pick up shifts when people call in or need me. Last year, I went three weeks without hours and didn’t get any until I had applied for part-time unemployment (which was accepted but I didn’t follow through because I got some hours when my boss noticed). I’m not quite sure what to do other then look for other work. I’ve noticed that I am the only employee working there who is under the age of 25; most employees are 30-60 (mostly 50-60). I have done nothing to show I am incompetent and am wondering if I am being discriminated against due to my age. What did I do and what can I do in my position?

It’s time to find another job. This one, for whatever reason, isn’t giving you the hours you need. You’ve asked, it’s been three years, and you’re not getting the hours. So it’s time to find another job and move on.

4. Reapplying for a job after moving closer to the area

I applied for a job back in November and didn’t hear back. Currently, I live about an hour (in traffic) away. In two weeks, I will be moving 15 minutes away from the area and I’ve just seen the job re-posted on Craigslist for the first time since I applied back in the fall Can I reapply and put a sentence in my cover letter that I will be living in the area in May? Obviously, I could have been rejected for 20 other reasons, but I’m wondering if it’s worth a shot or if a hiring manager would find that Super Annoying?

Yes, go ahead and reapply; it’s been five months, after all. And yes, mention in both your resume (under your contact info) and your cover letter that you’ll be living in the area in May.

5. Helping someone get hired with a language barrier

I work in an employment center helping people find employment. One particular client poses a challenge. She is from Bulgaria and moved here a couple years ago. Unfortunately, she has been somewhat isolated, which has impeded her learning English efficiently, but we can communicate as she has picked up quite a bit. She sometimes uses a translator app on her phone for words she doesn’t understand. She volunteers for me now to get exposure and learn. In the time that she has volunteered, she has learned very quickly and I am very surprised about how well she learned how to assist my administrative duties, i.e. data entry, so quickly. She was an accountant for many years and has a good professional work history in her home country.

I’m currently assisting her with developing a resume and cover letter so that she can get a job. How can she communicate to employers that she may have some language barriers, but has lots of other great skills? Any tips or help would be great as I would like to help her as much as I can.

She’s going to be at a disadvantage because she’ll be competing against candidates with similar qualifications but no language barrier, so her best bet might be to network as much as possible — join local organizations relevant to her field, volunteer, and do other activities to expand the pool of people who know her and her work. That way, she’ll have a better chance of finding someone who isn’t daunted by the language barrier and wants to hire her because they have rapport or she’s a known quantity.

6. Should upper management see the results of 360 evaluations?

360 reviews are periodically done on the top level managers at my job. The problem is, it does not seem like anything is done with the results. The review assigns a numerical score and lists all written feedback provided by employees at all levels. Someone independent of our organization discusses the results with the employee, and the numerical score is forwarded to upper management. Apparently upper management is only concerned if the numerical score is below a certain number.

I think that our upper management should be made aware of all feedback provided in the review so they can get a clear picture of the manager’s effectiveness. I just found out that my boss historically doesn’t do well on his 360s, and he is probably one of the worst bosses I’ve ever had. I’m not sure if his score ever fell below the threshold, but I know he’s received less than favorable written feedback. (Favoritism is a big problem in our office, he routinely lashes out at employees because his home life less than ideal, he doesn’t give staff resources needed to complete tasks despite having the resources to do it). Lower level employees like me don’t have a good mechanism voice these concerns with management. Going to HR isn’t a good option because he might fly off the handle if he found out someone complained about him (trust me, he recently flipped out after he found out a matter was escalated).

What are your thoughts? Should the results of 360 reviews be kept somewhat confidential like their being kept at my job? Should the higher levels be made aware of all comments so they can take care of any problems?

Unfortunately, the upper level managers at your organization aren’t interested in seeing the feedback, or they would ask for it. They certainly know they could if they wanted to.

There are a few times when it makes sense to go over your boss’s head (described here), but working for a company where the management doesn’t care to hear employees’ feedback isn’t generally one of them.

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

1. Interviewed by potential future employees

I have a second-round interview next week for a position I am really excited about. Part of the position requires supervising the day-to-day work of undergraduate students employed in this academic department. Supervisory experience was not listed as a requirement in the original job posting. I specifically addressed my lack of management experience during the phone interview last week, and was told that experience is not expected of applicants.

I was just sent an email with our schedule for the interview next week, which begins with a “conversation with current student workers,” which surprised me. I’ve since been told by friends and current colleagues that this isn’t unusual, but I’m still confused about what to expect — especially because this is the first thing I will encounter the day of the interview. I’m preparing to talk about the management style I appreciate from a manager, but as I have no management experience, I’m not really prepared to give examples of my personal management style. Any insights?

Student workers probably aren’t going to be conducting a formal interview of you — it’s more likely a chance for you to get to hear about their work straight from them and get a feel for that part of the job. I’d focus on asking them questions about their work — what are the challenges they’re facing with it? What’s most helpful to them in a manager? Etc.

If they do ask you about your management style, it’s fine to say that you’re new to managing, but that what you’ve always appreciated in managers is ___, and that you hope to model your own management style after that. (Obviously, you want to do some thinking about what ___ is — not only for this interview, but also in order to prepare yourself for the job if you get it.)

2. Am I right to be upset?

I’m in a fixed term contract covering maternity leave and found out via Facebook wall posts from the colleague I’m replacing that she will return to work on a certain day and has been in contact with my boss about it for weeks. My boss still hasn’t told me anything. I can’t help but feeling upset and disappointed about my manager’s poor communication skills and no longer feel motivated to put any effort in completing my work tasks for the 2 months remaining in my contract. I’m wondering — do I have a right to be upset or do I just have unrealistic expectations as I’m in a fixed term contract anyway? Should I say anything to my boss?

If you have two months remaining, it’s not a huge deal that your manager hasn’t yet nailed down a specific last day with you yet. But if you’re saying that the colleague is coming back much sooner than that and you’ll be out of a job sooner than planned, then yes, you’re absolutely entitled to be annoyed that no one has told you. But “entitled to be annoyed” doesn’t equal “entitled to stop putting in any effort in completing your work.” As long as you’re being paid, you’re expected to put in effort — and you’ll harm your own reputation if you don’t.

Why don’t you go talk to your manager, explain that you saw the colleague’s Facebook post, and ask for an update on what it means for your situation?

3. When it’s normal for a husband and wife to apply as a team

My husband and I work in an industry where couples are often hired together — on-site motel management. Recently, I’ve started seeing these jobs advertised asking for a resume along with their application (this has not been common in the past for these kinds of roles).

My husband and I each manage different parts of the accommodation manager role — we have complementary skills that we have gained from our professional backgrounds in different areas. My question is — should we have a combined resume? Or send in a resume each and tie them together in our cover letter?

Nope, individual resumes for each of you. But if you’re applying as a team and it’s normal to apply as a team, it sounds like one cover letter would be fine.

4. My coworker makes lots of mistakes and my boss isn’t dealing with it

I work for a very small office, but recently our workload has increased enough to warrant an additional hire. This person’s time is supposed to spent half time helping another department and half time helping my department. This person has never received any training for our department and I’m noticing daily (at least) mistakes. I spoke to my boss about his errors and explained that I thought our department could benefit from some additional rules and oversight so as not to single him out, but rather get all of us on the same page. She agreed, but nothing has changed. She has yet to have a sit-down conversation with him and explain some of our processes and rules, and still no training! Truthfully, she sits in her office all day and has no idea what either him or I do with our time, but I’m concerned that his mistakes and the incorrect information he’s giving to customers will reflect poorly on me and potentially cause future issues.

I fully believe this situation could be corrected with proper training and oversight from our boss, but I’m hesitating since it may cause issues by saying to her “it’s your fault.” I’m also concerned that I don’t have the authority to correct him myself. I’ve confided in a coworker who’s noticed mistakes and a lack of follow-through from the new hire as well, but her response was “don’t rock the boat.” I’m just not sure what the right plan of action is to stop this from getting any worse.

Sure, you can go back to your boss and report that the problems are continuing. But don’t pursue this “not singling him out” line of thought — when one person is making mistakes, the manager needs to explain that to him. That’s not singling him out in an unfair way; that’s just normal management.

However, your boss doesn’t seem especially interested in doing the job of a manager, so once you alert her to the ongoing issues, you may need to accept that you’re working for someone who won’t do anything about it. At that point, all you can really do is wash your hands of it (and of course, offer him as much guidance as you can reasonably do and are willing to do).

5. I missed five weeks of my internship due to health problems

I had serious health problems recently that involved hospital stays and being bedridden. I had been doing an unpaid internship this term. It was supposed to last for 17 weeks for a certain number of hours per week. I ended up being unable to go in for 5 weeks straight.

Do I need to address the missed time period if I list this internship on my resume? Like “January-February, April-May,” or would I just put the whole “January-May”?

Also, I feel horrible about missing such a significant amount of time, but I don’t want to do extra hours for the rest of the semester or extend the internship to make up for the time I missed (for reasons related to the internship itself, because I’m exhausted, and because I want time to get a paying job this summer). Will it reflect poorly on me to not make up any of the missed time? I feel like I shouldn’t be expected to make up the time since this was beyond my control, but I’m not sure if not making up the time will make me seem less dedicated or like less of a hard worker.

It won’t reflect poorly on you. These things happen. Your internship is for a certain number of hours per week and a certain number of months, and I’m sure your employer doesn’t expect you to increase those just because you got sick.

You can put “January – May” on your resume, because that’s true. When someone in a regular full-time job misses a long stretch for health reasons (or parental leave, etc.), they don’t need to subtract that out on their resume, and the same is true here.

6. Do I need two business cards, two websites, and two LinkedIns?

I am in my 50’s, and starting in a new field for me, interior design, although I have worked in a design capacity for most of my life. I have an MFA in Interior Design earned in 2010, and a BFA in Graphic Design. I have recently relocated to a major metropolitan city to increase the job hunting outlook and I have been networking and meeting people as best as I can.

I want to initiate my own interior design business which specializes in textile design, which will one day, hopefully, be enough to support me. But at the same time, I need more experience and income, so I will continue to look for a position with a design firm. So, the question is, should my business cards feature just “My Name, Interior Designer” or should I use “My Company Name, My Name, with Interior Designer/Textile Designer as my Title”? If you think I should have separate cards for each, and not try to rely on one card, does that also mean two websites, two online portfolios, two LinkedIns, etc.? That is fine, but they will all probably linked to each other anyway. I don’t want it to be too confusing…

Does the firm exist currently? If not, don’t claim to be at a fictitious firm that you haven’t started yet. Aside from that, either way is fine.

But you definitely don’t need two websites, two online portfolios, or two LinkedIns — that would be weird.

7. Job simulations when hiring interns

I’m wondering if you have any hiring resources for interns — specifically, I’m thinking about some kind of job simulation assignment. Is that overkill for a summer undergrad internship? I’m just having trouble evaluating these candidates since they all have so little experience, and I thought an assignment would help.

Yes, absolutely use some kind of short assignment or simulation. It will dramatically narrow down your candidates. Keep it short — an hour or less — and it can’t be real work that you’ll benefit from, of course, but definitely do it. You’ll find it hugely helpful.

As for what it should be, it depends on what work they’ll be doing for you and what skills you want to test for. It could be a short writing assignment, a research assignment, a role play of how they’d handle a particular situation, or so forth.