how flexible should you be when scheduling an interview?

by Alison Green on March 25, 2013

A reader writes:

This has been nagging me for a while now and I just wanted an expert opinion on the situation or how I could have handled it better. So, I applied for a summer internship at a very small up-and-coming magazine and got called back for an interview. At the interview, I was told I was being seriously considered and to look out for a follow-up. Well, I did and got nothing for over a month.

So I emailed, inquiring about how the selection process was coming along. The person in charge apologized for not getting back, said they were very busy, and said on Saturday to come in on the following Tuesday. I agreed. She said she would get back to me soon to give me directions, as it was a new location. Well, she didn’t give me the directions until THURSDAY and asked me to come in on that Friday. I told her I unfortunately had plans that day (I did, I had a dentist appointment) and asked to reschedule. She never replied.

This person is kind of a” who’s who” in the industry I want to work in. Should I have pushed harder? Was I too inflexible? Was I wrong for not cancelling my plans and going to the office on that Friday? I just felt like I was being stringed along and not really wanted.

Hell, no, you weren’t wrong. It’s not unreasonable to be unavailable on a day’s notice, and it’s not unreasonable to expect a reply when you ask about other open time slots. And it’s certainly not unreasonable not to cancel an prior appointment, especially when your interviewer had already shown she was willing to renege on scheduled meetings (without even bothering to tell you).

However, what’s reasonable doesn’t always mesh well with how employers operate during hiring.

There are an awful lot of employers that operate the way this one did — alluding to dates that they’ll get in touch with you by and then not doing it, setting tentative interview times and then not following up with until long afterwards (while you’re meanwhile holding that time open and wondering what’s going on), stalling for weeks and then asking you to come in the next day, never responding to your replies to their scheduling emails, and so forth.

It’s rude — and incredibly so when you’re holding time on your calendar for them, and possibly even arranging to take off work.

But despite how rude it is, a lot of employers operate like this. Including even some that you might like to work for. And that means that you need to make your decisions with that in mind.

If you have options and you’re willing to risk that this is a rude/disorganized employer who won’t bother getting back to you when you ask for an alternate interview time, then I strongly urge you to continue to operate like a normal, reasonable person — saying “no, I have a conflict at that time, but could you do it Tuesday instead?” and assuming you will receive a reply back. (And figuring that if you don’t, you’ll be glad to have screened out a rude, disorganized employer.)

But if you don’t have options and aren’t willing to take that risk, well … the less flexible you are, the higher your risk of ending up in a situation like this one. Should you have to cancel a dentist appointment for an interview on a day’s notice? Absolutely not. But might you choose to anyway, knowing that some employers behave like this? You’ve got to make that call yourself, based on your own situation.

In job searching, how much you should put up with and how much you should bend to accommodate an employer comes down to how many options you have. So I’d start by being realistic about that, and then deciding what you are and aren’t willing to do from there.

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mini answer Monday — 7 short answers to 7 short questions

by Alison Green on March 25, 2013

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

1. Coworker’s loud calls are distracting

I work for a F100 company and I was recently promoted from a union to a management position on a new team. Since the promotion, I was moved to a new office floor that is somewhat vacant. There are about 5 union employees and the rest of us are management on varying levels. Everything is great, I really like the position, growth opportunities and I still have a huge window overlooking the park!

My dilemma is one of the managers (who was sitting over here before me) who sits in the back talks extremely loudly. We do not have doors that we can close, so I am stuck listening to her all day. Sometimes I put my headphones on and listen to jazz, but even then she can still be heard. I dread having to listen to the conference calls that are on speaker phone and every detail of her work that she is discussing. Everyone else manages to talk softly and discreetly. Since she is on the other side of the office and I can still hear her, she must be talking pretty loud. I assume no one has brought this to her attention since there are very few people over here. As I type, she has got on another call and she is ridiculously loud.

I have heard her speak to other people and she can be very brash and almost rude and condescending. How do I politely bring this to her attention without confrontation? I want to specifically address her volume and the fact that every call is on speaker. My work is important too and I need some concentration. My boss is in another state so I can’t (and wouldn’t) rely on him to fix this. I’m not “scurd” as they say, I just want to put an end to this and retain an otherwise pleasant office atmosphere.

“Jane, I hate to ask, but I wonder if you could keep your voice down when you’re on the phone? I’m finding that it really carries and make it hard to focus on times.” Or, “Jane, could you avoid speaker phone when you’re on calls? It makes it hard for me to concentrate.” You can probably only ask one of these for now, so pick it carefully.

I’m assuming she’s a peer, by the way. If she’s significantly above you in the hierarchy, you might need to just suck it up or find someone else to talk to her.

2. Adding a spouse or friends on LinkedIn

Is it appropriate to add your spouse on LinkedIn if you have no major professional ties? What about friends?

Sure, that’s fine. Lots of people add social contacts on LinkedIn and don’t confine their networks only to people they’ve worked with or know from a professional setting. (Part of the value of LinkedIn, after all, is gaining access to your circle’s network — something that doesn’t require you to know them in a professional context.)

3. Interviewing with the CEO

I’m super nervous about my upcoming second round interview. I’m interviewing for a junior position on a communications team. I’m meeting with a panel for the second round that includes the CEO of the organization. I’ve never had an interview with the highest ranking person at an org before–my question is, what will he be looking for? I assume they wouldn’t waste a CEO’s time with asking behavioral interview questions. What do you think he will be looking for ? More examples of my experience?

It could be a completely typical interview, with behavioral questions, etc., or — somewhat more likely — he might just want to talk more informally with you. I’d prepare as if it’s going to be the former because most people don’t do well at that type of interview without preparation, but don’t be thrown off it’s the latter.

4. Interviewer asked what my husband thought of him

I was at an interview, and the main interviewer knew my husband from a previous job. He asked me what my husband thought of him. The more I think about it, the weirder it seems. What are you thoughts?

Yes, that’s a weird question. He might have been joking, or he might have just been a weird and maybe awkward guy. Who knows?

5. Employer thinks I’m over-stating how difficult my work is

Ten years ago, I was hired at a church because they were starting a communications dept. and I had some Quark experience. I’m self taught on Photoshop. I’ve improved tremendously over the years with my design work. It’s solid and competent — for our demographic — but not inspired. A true graphic artist who I respect has judged my work to be quite on par with our church’s needs, for most things.

One of our pastors has decided that all three of us need to be cross trained. I was shocked yesterday when he told me that “due to my insecurities, I’ve over dramatized how difficult my job is.” Yes, I am insecure, yet I’ve been honest about the complexity for people who have never used these programs. I’m discouraged and distressed to hear this, especially after all these years. But worst of all, is that my word has no value to them. What is the best way to deal with this low opinion they have of me? How do I convince them that insecurity doesn’t equal liar? And why is it so hard to believe that people who have never done this kind of work might, possibly, find it a touch difficult?

Well, first, people are notorious for thinking that graphic design doesn’t involve as much work as it really does, so that comes with the territory.

But it doesn’t sound like anyone is accusing you of lying — just of perhaps being overly dramatic or overly anxious about the work that your job involves. Yes, it’s easy to be insulted by something like that, but it’s not going to be particularly helpful to you to take that stance. It’s not crazy to want some degree of cross-training in a small department, so that if you’re out some day and they need something changed in a document before you’re back, someone is capable of at least basic updates. I’d just look at it from that viewpoint and give up on trying to convince them that they’re wrong, since I suspect that will be fruitless — and frustrating.

6. Sent home for being in a bad mood

A friend of mine who lives in North Carolina just told me that his sister that works for a company on a commisson basis was told not to come in for a week because on this particular day she was in a bad mood because the windshield of her car was smashed. Is this legal?

Yes. If her position is exempt, she needs to be paid her full salary for every week in which she does any work, but if they sent her home for the full week — or if she’s non-exempt — they can absolutely suspend her without pay for a week. I’m assuming that if was at the point that she was sent home for it, that bad mood must have been pretty disruptive — that’s generally not a good idea at work.

7. Will a master’s hurt my chances of getting an internship?

I am finishing up my first year of grad school (it’s a 2-year program), and I am now applying to internships for the summer, when I will be on break. My field is communications/journalism/PR, and I am finding that a lot of people in my industry, even those at the top, don’t seem to hold advanced degrees. As a matter of fact, I was often warned in undergrad that in my field, experience is valued a lot more that a master’s degree. So my question is, do you think a master’s degree can hurt my chances of getting an internship for the summer? I am already having trouble even finding internships to apply for that accept grad students. Will I seem overqualified, un-experienced, or (at the risk of sounding narcissistic), I have even heard that some employers are intimidated by candidates with master’s degrees. I would love to know your thoughts!

I don’t think I’ve ever met a professional adult who was intimidated by someone with a master’s, so I’d drop that worry — or you risk coming across as thinking that it counts for more than it does. In most fields, most employers value work experience far more than graduate degrees (with the usual exceptions, like academia), and that’s certainly true in journalism, where what matters most is your ability to write and your published clips. (In fact, had you written to me earlier, I would have advised you to skip the graduate program and start writing. Much less cost to you, and a bigger pay-off.)

Anyway …being in a masters program, or having a masters, may or may not harm your chances of getting an internship. Some internships are specifically designed for undergraduate students, and those obviously won’t be a good fit. But your school should help you find internships that you’d be a good candidate for; that should be part of what your program does for you, and if they don’t, I’d think really hard about what exactly you’re getting out of the program — it should be helping you become more marketable, not less, right?

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my mother says I should call employers daily for an interview

by Alison Green on March 25, 2013

A reader writes:

I am at my second semester of graduate school. In order to get an internship for next semester, I’ve been really working 24/7 for the past month. However, I still haven’t heard anything from employers yet and of course feel frustrated, as the deadline for join my school’s internship program is in three weeks.

My mother, who is staying with me now, has strong opinions and thinks I should call employers much more often than I am doing now. (I normally only call them before submitting the application to ask for more details and when the time they promised to come back to me has passed.) However, my mother believes that employers are rather busy and don’t have so much time to go through every resume, and since I have a not-that-outstanding resume, I should call them more often. Maybe if the person has so much to do and doesn’t want to bother with boring recruitment, they will just pick the one who always calls them. Therefore, I should lobby by phone more often (“every day” is what she thinks is a decent frequency).

I don’t think my mother knows so much about the job market, but I do think it makes sense that all applicants are somewhat similarly qualified with promising cover letters, so maybe it is one way to stand out, as it could impress HR more than a plain letter. What do you think? What would be a nice frequency to call up the companies, and what should I say? (Especially if I really am going to call every day, I wonder what to say.) Is it a good idea to be more private and ask the person about their own positions or background on the phone? Or will this backfire on me if the company gets irritated or annoyed?

You are hereby forbidden to take advice from your mother on anything job-related.

  • The correct frequency for calling to check on your application: zero
  • The correct frequency for calling before you submit an application: zero
  • The correct frequency for taking advice to annoy hiring managers with daily (!) phone calls: zero
  • The correct frequently for calling employers and asking about their own backgrounds, when they haven’t even expressed interest in interviewing you: zero

The vast, vast majority of employers do not want to receive phone calls from applicants. If they’re interested in interviewing you, they will contact you. If you call, you will annoy them. If you call more than once, you will really annoy them and risk having your application thrown out or at least marked as “pushy/annoying.” And if you call daily, you will be told to stop and will probably never get a job there, ever.

After all, most employers get hundreds of applications for every open position. Imagine if all those people called them, even just once. (To say nothing of every day.) By demanding their attention, you’re going to come across as naive at best and and rude at worst.

They know you’re interested. The act of applying conveyed that to them. They will get in touch if they want to talk to you. But you can’t force your way in the door, and they are not going to be impressed by you continually knocking on it.

Now, yes, there are some employers who are so disorganized that calling them can be enough to get them to look at your application when they otherwise would not have. But these employers are the minority, so while there’s the chance that you could hit on the random luck to help yourself with one of them, you will harm yourself with everyone else (and everyone else is in the vast majority). So the overwhelming odds are that this behavior will hurt your chances. (Plus, those disorganized employers who respond to random phone calls? You don’t want to work for them. They’re disorganized and chaotic and don’t know how to hire.)

If you want to stand out, you stand by being a highly qualified candidate with a compelling cover letter and a resume that shows a track record of achievement. That’s it.

I know that it’s tempting to want to find some other way of standing out, especially when you feel you have a “not that outstanding resume.” But employers are looking for the most qualified candidate who’s the best fit. They’re not looking for the loudest.

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what managers learn that workers don’t know

by Alison Green on March 25, 2013

Have you ever noticed that often when people get promoted to management, their perspective on workplaces issues changes?

It’s because as a manager, you see things that you might never have been exposed to as a regular employee, and you come to view workplace questions through a different lens than the one you used previously. As a result, a manager’s stance on common workplace issues often ends up changing, often to his or her own surprise.

Here are some of the most common ways that your perspective might change after becoming a manager.

Turnover isn’t necessarily bad. Employees tend to raise their eyebrows every time a department loses an employee, but managers often see it differently. Most managers really care about retaining great employees, but care far less about retaining others. And some they’re downright happy to see leave, even though they might not let on to others.

Bonuses and raises are retention strategies, not rewards. Employees often feel entitled to an annual bonus or raise in exchange for good work, but these things aren’t rewards for a job well done. They’re given out because the company wants to retain good employees. If a manager knows that an employee is going to be leaving the company soon (because she’s going back to school, for example, or has accepted another job), that bonus isn’t likely to materialize—because at that point retention isn’t possible.

Not every position is designed for growth or satisfaction. To employees, it often feels obvious that employers should provide growth and development opportunities. But not every position is designed for that. Some roles are fairly rigid by their nature and don’t have any room for advancement (because the other roles on staff require different experience or skill sets). Many managers are perfectly happy to hire people knowing that they’ll only stay a year or two and then move on when they get bored, and they don’t feel obligated to try to keep them fulfilled beyond that. (They should, however, be upfront with job candidates that this is the case before hiring anyone. It’s wrong to blindside people with this after they’re already on the job.)

“Other duties as assigned” covers a lot of turf. Whether your job description contains that “other duties as assigned” clause or not, most managers are going to expect you to pitch in as needed. That could mean anything from covering for an absent colleague to helping the CEO with a pet project that’s totally unrelated to your core duties. Managers view you as being there to help the company achieve its goals, and the best way for you to do that can change on occasion. You can certainly speak up if you object, but it’s not always going to be negotiable.

No matter how pressing a problem is, something else might be more important. Employees sometimes wonder why on earth their manager isn’t paying more attention to a particular problem, whether it’s a slacking employee or a budget issue or difficulty getting what you need from another department. But when you’re a manager, there are tons of competing issues that you could spend your time and political capital on—from getting your staff raises to killing an unproductive program to adding a staff position to your team. Good managers quickly learn to pick their battles. It might look like they don’t see the value in advocating for something you want, but in many cases, they do but have made the judgment call that something else is a higher priority to focus on right now.

Managers don’t remember everything you’re doing, and we don’t need to. Employees sometimes get annoyed when it seems like their boss has forgotten details of what they’re working on. But managers have to remember all the details of their own work, plus the basics of what a whole team of people are doing, so don’t get irked if they need you to remind them of context or a key detail. It doesn’t mean they don’t care about your work; rather, the reality is that they can’t keep tabs on what every employee is doing every day. (That also means that you shouldn’t resent it if you need to remind your boss before your December performance review of what you achieved back in February.)

Attitude matters a ton. The reality is that being a manager is hard. When people make the job easier by being flexible, professional and pleasant to work with, a manager is more likely to reward them. And when someone is difficult to work with, it doesn’t matter how good the rest of their performance is—the price of keeping them on staff is often too high.

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my boss is dragging her feet on hiring my replacement

by Alison Green on March 25, 2013

A reader writes:

Earlier this week, I told my boss I would be leaving/moving to the state my fiance lives in at the end of our season in May. She knows we’re getting married, and I’m a terrible liar, so despite planning to wait until mid-April to tell her (in my field, 6 weeks or so is standard for giving notice), I couldn’t avoid telling her when she asked. Then she freaked out about plans for next season now being off-track because she had thought, that since I hadn’t said anything sooner, she’d “have me” for another season, etc, etc. I’m not worried about being let go earlier or treated poorly, but what I am worried about is what came out next: that she might not hire someone until July or August.

This is why I wasn’t going to tell her until mid-April, because her habit is to resist believing change is coming and to procrastinate on hiring a new person. (The woman before me gave her notice at about this same point and left in May and I wasn’t hired until July, and what had piled up was kind of a mess when I started; similar story the time before that.) I would LOVE to have the opportunity to help train the new person, rather than just leave how-to’s and my phone number. In addition, my boss has a lot more on her plate now than when I started (and we don’t have an intern now either), so there’s no way she’ll have time to keep the day-to-day stuff of my job running in the perhaps months between my departure and a new person’s arrival, not to mention her time spent getting the new person acclimated to our programs.

Is there anything I can do or say to help get the hiring process moving? I know at some point it’s out of my control, but I think she’s stuck in the “OMG WHAT AM I GOING TO DO!?!?!” phase. I’m already updating my job description so that won’t be what she’s waiting on. My fiance doesn’t understand why I care so much about trying to help her out because she hasn’t been a good boss but I’d like to leave this neat and tidy, and a months-long lag time between employees seems messy.

Honestly, it’s not your problem. And even if it were (which it’s not), you just don’t have the authority or control over the situation to make it work the way you want it to work.

Of course you’re right that it’s ridiculous and irresponsible to stall on hiring someone when if she moved faster, she could have a shorter vacancy, less work piling up, and maybe time for you to train the person. But this isn’t about what’s sensible or obvious; it’s about what your boss is willing to do. And you can’t control that. Moreover, you don’t need to. Because, again, it’s not your problem.

Your obligation is solely to give as much notice as you’re comfortable giving, to leave your realm as orderly as possible, and to leave behind as much documentation as you can for the next person.

That’s it. Your obligation is not to somehow push your boss into acting differently than she seems inclined to act. And it’s not to protect her from the consequences of her own actions.

Now, you can certainly point out to her what’s in the best interests of the organization and your eventual replacement. That means that you can say something like, “If the new person starts by May, I can help train them before I leave. To do that, I think we’d need to start advertising this week or next, with the goals of conducting interviews by X. If you’d like, I can update the job description and help with the initial resume screening so that we’re able to keep the process moving relatively quickly.”

But from there, it’s up to her. She’ll either act or she won’t. And it’s not your problem if she doesn’t, not any more than it’s your problem if she, say, doesn’t turn in a report to her own manager on time. This is not your job. It is hers, and you need to let her do it the way she sees fit — even if that way is terrible.

I totally understand feeling some personal responsibility for ensuring that your role is handled well, even after you’re gone — that’s common in conscientious people. But the reality is that what you can and should do is limited, because you are leaving. Get your area in good order and leave extensive documentation, then move on with a clear conscience. There’s no feasible way to do anything else.

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short answer Sunday — 6 short answers to 6 short questions

by Alison Green on March 24, 2013

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

1. Negotiating maternity leave and salary at the same time

I am excited about a recent interview. However, if it results in a job offer, I am worried about asking for too much in negotiations. I am 7 months pregnant and will need to negotiate a maternity leave. I understand taking leave shortly after starting is not ideal and I hope to negotiate a short leave 3-4 weeks, then reduced hours for an additional 2-3 weeks. First, does this sound reasonable? Or should I have different expectations of what will be agreed to since I will only be at the position about 10 weeks?

Second, when we discussed salary, we were $15k apart. I based my asking salary on industry data, but it was national data and not region-specific. I feel that the salary they said they were planning for the position is still on the low side, even taking our geographic area into consideration. I would be comfortable (but not ideal) taking $10k less than my asking salary but don’t want to sell myself short. My main question is… can I negotiate a higher salary AND a maternity leave? I feel like I should only be asking for one. Is asking for too much a turn-off to an employer? I have had three professional jobs and have only negotiated salary.

No, you can do that. Maternity leave is really a separate thing from salary negotiations (and what you’re planning to ask for there is more than reasonable; they’ll probably be relieved you’re not asking for more).

2. Declining to extend an internship

I’ve been an intern at a nonprofit wildlife hospital since last June. I’ve loved the experience and my end date has been extended several times. Recently, I’ve been asked to stay another nine months and this time I don’t think I can accept, as I don’t feel as though I have anything more to learn and they’ve already made it clear they cannot afford to hire me as a member of their full-time staff. How do I go about declining the internship without offending anyone? We work in a very intimate environment where the lines between friendship and professionalism tend to blur, but I do need a good recommendation from them before I leave, thus I can’t afford to hurt anyone’s feelings with my answer.

Do not worry At All about this. It’s perfectly normal to leave jobs and decline offers to extend internships. They’re not going to be offended. You can simply say that you need to find full-time work, but that you’ve loved the experience and hope to stay in touch.

3. What did this interview question mean?

I have a question about a question I was asked in an interview. The position is for a mid-career, non-management position, and I would be hired as the most junior position on a team. During the first interview, they asked me about my “strategic management” style. I was floored because this position will not supervise others. I fumbled my way through a response where I talked about how I handle projects (and gave a specific example). I know my answer was adequate enough to not kick me out of the interviewing process, but I am unsure of what they were looking for. I am just anxious that the next round of interviews may ask similar questions. What kind of information do you think they were looking for?

I have no idea — that’s a bizarre question to ask anyone, let alone someone not managing people. (I really have no idea what “strategic management style” even means.) But if you ever get asked questions in the future that you’re not sure how to interpret, it’s totally fine to ask for clarification. Just say something like, “Could you tell me a little more about what you’re looking for there?”

4. Do the rules change when you’re headhunted?

I was headhunted by a firm two months ago. I told them politely that I was happy with my current job but thanks anyway. They’ve reached out again today, asking if I’d reconsider because they’re being very particular and are really interested in the background I have. They’ve piqued my interest a bit more this time, but I’ve never been headhunted before. In these kind of situations, is it ok to ask upfront about salary expectations and bring up that I’m currently on manager track at my current role and wouldn’t move unless this opportunity (which isn’t a manger role) had similar opportunities? I normally wouldn’t bring this up so early during a regular job search but seeing as they approached me, do the rules change?

Yep. It’s totally fine to say, “I’m interested in talking more, but I want to be up-front with you that I wouldn’t make a move unless the opportunity was really the right one. I don’t want to waste your time, so can I ask you about the salary range and the growth potential in the role?”

If they turn it around and ask you what salary you’d be looking for, you can say, “Since I’m not actively looking, I haven’t given that enough thought. But if you can give me a sense of your ballpark, I can tell you if it makes sense for us to keep talking.” They still might not, because some companies don’t, but that would be ridiculous since they’re pursuing you.

5. Asking to connect with an interviewer on LinkedIn

I’m curious what you think of candidates requesting to connect with HR managers on LinkedIn. I am the HR person for a small company and have been doing a lot of hiring recently thus I have been doing a TON of phone interviews with candidates. I find it awkward to phone interview someone and then receive a request to connect and I tend to ignore these requests, regardless of if I liked the candidate or not. If we hire them then, sure, I’ll connect but I tend to be more selective with who I connect with. What are your thoughts, both for the candidates sending them and the HR managers receiving them?

I think it’s fine for candidates to do, because some HR people and hiring managers are happy to connect with them. Others, however, aren’t — feeling that they don’t know them well enough. (I’m in the last category myself, and ignore connection requests from most candidates I interview.) So while I don’t think it’s inappropriate to request the connection, I think it’s fine for you to ignore it if you’d prefer to.

6. Employer said they were about to check my references and then disappeared

I applied for an out-of-state job and had a phone interview and a subsequent in-person interview. I sent a thank you e-mail the next day after the in-person interview and my interviewer quickly responded that it was great to meet me and they would be in contact soon. A few days later the interviewer emailed me to tell me they would be contacting my references the next day. Great news! I contacted all my references to tell them to expect a call.

But nothing happened! All my references contacted me saying they never heard from my interviewer. It’s now been about 3 weeks since they said they would contact my references and I haven’t heard a word. I tried sending an “update on your timeline” email, but again, no response. Even if they had run a credit, background, social media, etc. check, I would have been in the clear. What do you think could have happened? I understand not getting the job, but it just seems odd to say you’re going to contact references and not do so and then completely stop communicating.

Could be anything — they went with another candidate, the hiring process stalled for some reason, your interviewer quit or got fired, she’s been out sick, something higher priority came up … or something else. There’s no way to know. Your best move here is to mentally move on, and let it be a pleasant surprise if they resurface later.

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short answer Saturday — 7 short answers to 7 short questions

by Alison Green on March 23, 2013

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

1. Contacting companies in the area I’ll be moving to in a year

My husband and I are in the unique position of knowing that we are relocating for his job in one year. I have begun researching companies in my field in the new area and am enthusiastic about all the prospects.

How should I go about communicating with these companies? Is it wise to reach out with an introduction rather than a formal application because it’s so far in advance? Or should I continue monitoring their job postings? In that case, what if a job is posted six months from now and I have to explain that I wouldn’t be able to move for another half of a year?

It depends. If you’re very junior, reaching out to companies now probably isn’t going to do you much good because they’re probably just not going to care that much (although you should still try to start building your network in that area). But if you’re more senior or have a very in-demand skill, it could absolutely be helpful to start making contacts and building relationships now.

2. Asking for a raise when my manager doesn’t have the authority to approve it

I have been working for my employer for three years. I like the company, and for the past 18months I have been doing a managers post but been paid a normal worker’s salary (as per the conditions of the post advert).

For a while, this was fine, but I now need more financial stability and I feel this is the right time to ask as I have completed my probation period, and I frequently receive positive feedback on my work from managers and external agencies. But how can I ask for a raise when it’s not within my manager’s or his manager’s control? I know they would both support me with this. But I the impression these decisions are made by our head office by someone I have hardly ever spoken to. It’s likely I will have to do it via email and I just don’t really know what to say.

You still go through your manager. It’s up to your manager to make a case on your behalf to whoever the decision-maker is above him.

3. Having mutual friends contact a hiring manager on my behalf

I’m interested in a position in which the hiring manager and I have two mutual friends. Is it too much to have both of them contact her on my behalf?

No, that’s fine to do, but make sure that it doesn’t come across like this. You should also apply on your own meanwhile — and then your mutual friends’ recommendations can be a supplement to that.

4. Getting in touch with a company without using their online application system

If I know there’s a specific company I want to work for, is there an appropriate way to get in touch with HR directly through linkedin? I feel that sending my application into their system through the Taleo site will just end up in my application in a black hole of other applications.

HR will just direct you to apply through their normal channels. However, if you can track down the hiring manager in charge of the area you want to work in (because — in case you are someone who doesn’t know this — a hiring manager is different from HR, very different), you can try sending your application directly to them, with a compelling cover letter. (You should still apply the regular way too, though, and you should note in your letter that you did — because you don’t want to look like you don’t follow directions.)

Plus, if you’re set on this company in particular, you should direct a whole bunch of networking efforts to people who work there.

5. Should I reapply for a job after a phone interview gone bad?

I recently submitted my resume to a firm and received a phone call from them since they wanted some additional information. I got nervous and said some things I did not mean, which made it look like I was not that interested in the job and may not be able to work full-time, when in fact I most definitely would work full-time if offered the position. The HR manager said she would send me an email by the end of this week if she wanted to set up an interview. It is Friday and I have not received an email. I want to clarify/redeem myself and therefore want to add my availability and strong interest in my cover letter and hence resubmit my resume. Should I just submit my resume again or should I withdraw the old one and then send the new resume (since I have the option of withdrawing it on their site)?

Don’t resubmit an application; that’s going to seem weird since you’ve already had contact with them about this very job. If anything, send a follow-up email to the HR manager clarifying whatever it is that you want to clarify. But don’t withdraw or resubmit anything.

6. Who do I follow up with when I interviewed with multiple people?

When you have an interview with several people at one company, how do you determine the “person of contact” when following up? I recently had an interview with a partner in the firm and also the events manager, and then I had a second interview with the same partner and a different associate. It’s been two weeks since they said they had planned to make a decision, but I’m not sure which of the three to follow up with. It’s a small place, so there isn’t much of an HR department either. I was contacted for the interview by an executive assistant.

Follow up with the partner, since you’ve talked with him twice and he’s probably the decision-maker. In general, the decision-maker is the one to check in with. If it’s truly unclear (not the case here), then go with the person you had the most rapport with.

7. Why is this offer taking so long?

I’ve been looking to move away from my current company and have interviewed with a multinational for a position that has much better future projections. The whole process was dealt with through a specialist recruiter for the sector I work in (linguistics). I received a verbal offer via the recruiter, which I verbally accepted, subject to seeing the specific terms (mainly bonus structure that the recruiter was unable to give me clear information about). That was two and a half weeks ago. Since then, I’ve been given various excuses as to why the contract (or even a written offer) has not been prepared and sent to me: namely, administrative delay and the HR manager on holiday.

My only point of contact is the recruiter – I have no direct contact with HR at the company. I really don’t know what to make of it. On the one hand, I think that they have no logical reason to be stalling or wavering on their offer; on the other, I just can’t see why they have not been able to send me some kind of document in the last 18 days. Is this normal? Am I being played? It’s starting to put me off the whole idea of the company as I see it as exemplary of how they operate.

Believe it or not, this isn’t that unusual. It takes some large companies a really long time to put together formal offers. And if the HR manager has been on vacation, that could absolutely hold things up. Ask the recruiter for a sense of the likely timeline, and meanwhile, keep up your job search. I don’t say that to alarm you — again, this isn’t that unusual — but just because you should always keep up your job search until you have a formal, written offer that you’ve accepted.

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should you attach writing samples, transcripts, and other extra items when applying for a job?

by Alison Green on March 22, 2013

A reader writes:

When applying for a job, should I provide supplemental materials such as sample writings, projects done, and/or transcripts when they are not asked for in the job description? I want to include one of my writing samples in the application, as the job I’m applying for asked for proficient written communication skills, but I’m afraid sometimes HR gets annoyed by extra materials. 

Don’t provide stuff that isn’t asked for. They don’t want it at this stage, or they would have asked for it. (They know that they can request it when they’re ready for it, believe me.)

You can demonstrate strong writing in your cover letter. And as for transcripts, most sane people don’t care about them — and the ones who do will tell you. To the rest of us, it’ll just come across as a little naive and a little strange to offer them unsolicited.

A cover letter, a resume, and that’s it, unless they specifically ask for more.

That means, of course, that those two items need to be awesome. So please make them so.

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my interviewers want my boyfriend and me to have dinner with their wives

by Alison Green on March 22, 2013

A reader writes:

I just got called in for my third interview for a political financial compliance firm. The first interview was over coffee at a Starbucks, and they drove to my location to make it easier for me to make the interview during my lunch break (I have a job and they know it). The second was at their office yesterday and I met the team. It’s a small firm with less than 10 people. And then they just called me moments ago to request that I come in for a third interview.

Now is where things get confusing for me. The interview is going to be over dinner next week with the two head guys and their wives, and they would like me to bring my significant other (boyfriend) so they can see how we fit in with them. I am so completely adrift in ignorance as to how this goes, it isn’t even funny. They told me it is down to me and one other person and they need to decide who they will choose. I also have no idea how much this job even pays at this point. I have until Tuesday or Wednesday next week to figure out what they’re really looking for during this interview and how I can do an awesome job and impress them with my amazingness. There is literally no information on this problem on the internet at all. Please help me?

Ick.

Sorry, that’s just my personal reaction. Plenty of people love this stuff. Are you one of them? That’s worth thinking about, because saying that they want to see how you and your boyfriend fit in with them and their wives is telling you something huge about the culture there. Do some serious contemplation about whether that’s a culture you want.

Moreover, make sure you’re thinking about whether you want this job, aside from the dinner request. I might be reading too much into it, but I get a vibe from your letter that you’re waiting to see if you’re selected by them, but haven’t thought much yet about whether you want to select them. This is stuff is a two-way street, and it’s crucial to think beyond “I want to get the offer” — because the way people end up in jobs where they’re miserable is often by focusing just on getting hired and not thinking rigorously about what happens after that.

I realize I just went on a tangent that might not apply to you at all, but there’s a lot of “I want to impress them” in your letter and not a mention of “I’d really love to do this work,” so I thought it worth mentioning. If it doesn’t apply to you, ignore me and consider it a PSA for everyone else.

In any case … Assuming you’re still interested, what they’re going to be looking for during the dinner is probably what kind of rapport you have with the group, as well as how you handle yourself in businessy social situations, which maybe the job will put you in a lot. (If it won’t put you in those situations, then this is weirder.)

Dress nicely, be warm and charming, and hope that your boyfriend can do the same. Follow some of the tips in this post. Don’t get drunk.   Ask the wives about themselves, and be sincerely interested.

And let’s hope your boyfriend is down for this. If I were a significant other expected to go on someone else’s job interview, I would not be happy. But then I’m a curmudgeon.

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