Ask a Manager

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

1. Can I get this employer to cover my interview travel expenses?

I was recently contacted by a company that is the leader in an industry I have an intense passion in pursuing, after they found my LinkedIn. As far as I can tell, I have exactly the qualifications for the job they’re filling. The company is currently about 1,500 miles from me, though they’ll be moving 1,000 or so miles closer within the next year. Now, they recruited me, and I am currently employed and reasonably happy in my current situation, so I think I’m in a good position to request that if they want me to come out to interview, it should be on their dime. How do I ask for this? I’ve been digging out of debt and have very little available cash, though I could sell something or break into my emergency fund if I really really have to, to cover expenses, but I would prefer not to do this, if I can not-awkwardly get them to foot the bill.

Some companies pay for candidates’ travel expenses and some don’t, and some do for some positions (senior or hard-to-fill roles) but not others. If they approached you, they’re somewhat more likely to pay, but it’s still not guaranteed. (More on this here.)

If they ask you to come out to interview and they don’t mention travel expenses, I’d say, “How do you normally handle travel arrangements for candidates?” If they tell you that you’d need to travel on your own dime, you can certainly say, “I’d love to come meet with you, but would you consider covering the travel costs?” If they decline, then you’ll need to decide if it’s a deal-breaker for you.

2. Forgetting your interviewer’s name

I recently had a phone interview and wanted to write a thank you/follow-up email reiterating my interest in the job and highlighting some of the things we discussed, as per your recommendation. I am notoriously bad with names, and unfortunately I completely forgot the name of the person who performed the interview, as it was not the HR person I had been in contact with before this! The email address is one that from what I understand will not go directly to the HR person but to a variety of people on the staff, my interviewer included. Should I just not worry about it–something is better than nothing–or should I try and make an effort to find out my interviewer’s name?

Try to find out her name. Check the company website and LinkedIn to see if you can find the person with that role in the company. If you know her title, you can also call the company’s main number and ask for the name of the person in that position (without identifying yourself, because you don’t want it to be obviously that you forgot her name).

By the way, this is the third version of this question I’ve received in as many weeks — apparently a lot of you are forgetting to note your interviewers’ names. Consider jotting it down at the start of the interview, or asking for a card at the end.

3. HR told me my interviewers are hard to work with

I had an interview about 5 months ago for an admin position at a hospital. I met with HR, and she walked me to my interview, where I met with two women I would be working under and the head of the department. The interview went well, the two women that I would be working under said they I would split my tasks between them evenly, etc. We wrapped up the interview, they answered all of my questions, and right before I left they mentioned scheduling a second interview.

When I was walking back to the lobby with HR, she mentioned to me that the two women are incredibly difficult to work with, demanding, and get a lot of complaints from their admin. She mentioned something along the lines of, “It sounds like you can handle it but I wanted to warn you.” She completely caught me off guard, so I muttered something like, “Oh, I see, thank you for letting me know.” I never heard from then again, which is fine because that really soured me on the whole experience, but I’m wondering … Do you think HR was generally looking out for their candidates or do you think they use it as a way to “gauge” or “test” the candidates on handling information like that? Is there a better way I should have responded?

I’d take it at face value — they’re hard to work with, and so HR wants to ensure they get a candidate who is prepared for that. It’s unlikely that they were simply saying it to test your reaction if it wasn’t true (no one would want to say that about a colleague if it wasn’t true simply for the sake of gauging your reaction), but it’s certainly possible that she wanted to see if you’d blanche or take it in stride. (That said, it’s not really a conversation she should have had in passing — it’s worthy of a less cavalier mention.)

4. Why do so many internships require you to be a currently enrolled student?

I have a question about applying for internships as a post-grad student. For internships that require applicants to be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program, how uncouth is it to apply if you are a post-college student who is not enrolled, but meets all the other qualifications? For example, if I have a background and previous experience(s) in the qualifications listed, is it worth it to still apply? How much is the “currently enrolled” status weighed/important?

Internships that required this usually do so because they believe it helps them comply with federal laws on unpaid work. If that’s their reasoning, you’re unlikely to get them to change their mind. Some organizations are more flexible, but it’s going to be hard to know which are and which aren’t. There’s no harm in inquiring, as long as you’re braced to hear a lot of “it’s a firm requirement” and as long as you’re not spending a huge amount of time on the applications.

5. Start date keeps getting pushed back

I got a job offer about a month ago. The recruiting manager insisted that I respond to the job offer within a week, which I did. At that time, I had a counteroffer from the company I was consulting with (I was an independent consultant and was put on standby as work was put on hold indefinitely due to client management changes), but they offered me a very low position and salary (I have more than 25 years experience). Though I was very insulted, I knew that the counteroffer was done to keep me from joining a competitor.

Naturally, I accepted the new offer from the competitor with a start date in 2 weeks. After all the paper work had been submitted, I got an immediate response from the recruiting manager that there was a big chance the start date will be rescheduled. It has now been more than three weeks past the original start date and no definite start date has been confirmed. The new company called me a week ago and indicated that they are still very interested in me, but the delay is due to client management changes. They also stated that they would understand if I accepted another offer because of the delay. Now, I am beginning to worry that i should have kept looking and should have accepted the low counteroffer. I appreciate any advice you can give me.

Yes, keep looking. Until you have a definite start date, you can’t count on this job coming through. (That doesn’t mean that it won’t — it very well may — just that you can’t count on it.)

That doesn’t mean that you should have accepted your company’s counteroffer though. That was an offer you were insulted by, and at a low salary and lower position than you want. Instead, keep job searching outside both these companies. If the original job comes through in the meantime, great — but if it doesn’t, you won’t have lost time.

6. Should I have sent this employer my references?

My question is related to a job I applied at almost 2 weeks ago. I am very interested in it, and I know for fact that there were no more than a couple dozen applicants (it’s a very specific and unique opportunity) and I have experience and my cover letter is great, but I didn’t get a call! I think it’s because they asked for resume, a cover letter, essay, and references, and I didn’t felt comfortable providing references (my most recent one is not that strong but necessary for this!). What do you think I should do? Is it okay to send them an email (I feel it would be too pushy to call) and ask if they’ve made a decision yet and tell them I ”forgot’ to send them references and do it then? Or do you have better advice?

Don’t say you forgot — that will make you look careless, which isn’t the impression you want to make on a potential employer. You could contact them and say that you didn’t include references originally because you typically don’t give them out until mutual interest has been established, but that you’re extremely interested in the position and if it’s a strict requirement, you’d be glad to send them. That may or may not work, but it’s unlikely to hurt. It’s possible, though, that they’ve already screened you out for not following their instructions the first time, or that they’ve screened you out for other reasons (such as other applicants simply being better fits).

7. Should I stay or go?

I am a little over one year away from completing my EdD in Higher Education Administration, and I currently work as an assistant director in an office that operates like a nonprofit within the university (read — not well-funded and no chance for advancement). The university is currently constructing a five-year strategic plan that seems like it would give our office more prominence, more support, and more responsibility.

Prior to this, I had planned on job searching after graduation since that would give me the opportunity to work in an institution that values what I do, as well as the possibility for a pay and title bump. However, part of me is sure that I have the “grass is greener syndrome.” If these changes do indeed happen, I would be content staying as long as could take on more responsibility and receive a pay/title bump. The other extenuating factor is that once I receive my EdD, I will have a more advanced degree than my boss and my boss’ boss, which furthers my desire for a promotion.

As you may know, things move at a glacial speed in higher education, but I’m wondering how (and when) to approach my boss to see if increased responsibilities and pay and title bump may be in my future, given the university’s new plans. I don’t want it to come across as an ultimatum, but in reality if the university doesn’t hold true to what they are saying they would like to do, I am going to look elsewhere for an institution that is passionate about what I am passionate about.

Start job searching somewhere else. You can certainly talk to your boss in the meantime to inquire about the likelihood of new opportunities for you there, but it sounds like those plans aren’t finalized yet, and so anything your boss could tell you would be speculation, not any sort of guarantee. So I’d do both in tandem — actively job search, but also get your boss in the loop on your desire to move up.

By the way, this may be different in academia, but in general it’s not wise to have an issue with having a more advanced degree than your managers. It’s very common for that to be the case, and it doesn’t make you more qualified than them — and that way of thinking can lead to all kinds of problems.

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

1. Being required to take vacation days

A friend of mine asked me a question about companies that require employees to take mandatory vacation. His company is making everyone take five days of vacation. If someone doesn’t have five days in their vacation bucket, they have to take these days unpaid. I asked why and the response was that the company is trying to recapture lost profit. If they make employees take vacation, they can write down how much vacation time they need to account for, which flows through to profit. Have you heard of this approach before? Do you see any red flags?

Yeah, this isn’t unheard of. Some companies require a certain amount of vacation to be taken each year and even at particular times. For instance, some close for a week in the summer or between Christmas and New Year’s and require employees to use vacation time for that (or to take it unpaid if they don’t have the accrued time). And in some industries, it’s common to require a certain number of days to be taken consecutively — one week or two weeks at a time — in order to guard against fraud (so that another person steps in and takes over their work while they’re away, thus presenting an opportunity to spot fraudulent activities). And last, some employers do what your friend’s employer is doing: requiring the time off because they carry that vacation liability on their books until it’s taken (owed vacation time shows up on a company’s balance sheet as a debt or a loss).

2. Can I mail my resume instead of dealing with a frustrating online application system?

I’m in the process of applying for internships as an undergraduate student. However, many search engines for these internships/jobs are requiring me to sign up in order to send my information. When I transfer over my resume, it becomes mangled in what they try to substitute as a non-biased profile with your actual resume attached. I don’t feel comfortable with limiting and chopping up my resume to fit into the profiles. The mailing address is provided but no specific name. Is it acceptable to mail my cover letter and resume when the internship is linked through to a website?

No. If a company asks you to apply online and you ignore that direction and mail your materials in, you’ll look like you don’t follow directions. Plus, very few people mail applications these days, and most companies are no longer set up to easily process hard copy resumes. They want to receive them electronically, because it’s easier to get them into their electronic systems that way.

3. Job searching during a surrogate pregnancy

I am in the process of searching for a new position, though I am pregnant. There are some special circumstances involved, as I am a surrogate and this is not my child; hence, I will not be taking a maternity leave, just a few days for delivery. I have an interview coming up with a staff placement firm, I’m pretty far into my pregnancy where it is obvious. Do I bring it up and state my plan?

You’re certainly under no obligation to bring it up, and legally they can’t factor the pregnancy into their decision-making. But the reality is that people often do, and so it might be to your advantage to address the question of leave, which is surely going to be on their minds. You could say something like, “I’m sure it’s obvious that I’m pregnant, so I’d like to address my plans for leave. This is a surrogate pregnancy, and I’ll only be taking a few days off for delivery.” (You could leave out the surrogate part if you feel it will only invite personal questions, but not including it may invite skepticism about your plans for such a short leave.)

4. Can you be required to work when you’re sick?

Can my sister’s employer force her to work when she is ill? She doesn’t get sick often, but when she does, it hits her hard. The last time she was ill, she was constantly throwing up and could barely keep her eyes open or speak. She works at a day care center and her employer still made her come in despite her symptoms. So she was throwing up all day at work and they didn’t send her home. She stayed till her shift was over, and she got all the kids sick too. Any time my sister is ill, and tries to call in sick they make her work. But if other employees call in, they get the day off. I would like any advice you have to offer.

First, yes, they can require her to work even when she’s sick. This is really poor management — and has the potential to be horrible PR for the day care center if word gets out to their clients — but legally they can do it. (Unless she’s in one of the small number of U.S. jurisdictions that require paid sick leave.) However, it’s odd that they’re letting other people call in sick, just not her. If they’re singling her out because of her race, religion, or other protected class, that would be illegal.

5. Are diversity initiatives legal?

I work for an organization that has recently become very into its diversity initiative. For all open positions, these hiring mangers now want to hire diverse candidates to feel like they are contributing to the program. Is it legal for a hiring manager to respond to a batch of resumes and ask what the racial/ethnic background is of a specific candidate or candidates?

Federal law prohibits employers from making employment decisions based on a person’s race, including granting preferential treatment on account of race. It sounds like your organization has the wrong idea about what diversity initiatives are supposed to be about: They can make special efforts to build a diverse candidate pool, but they can’t take race into account in their actual hiring decisions, certainly not in the way it sounds like they’re doing.

6. Hiding your planned career shift from your employer

Do you have advice about being appropriate with your current employer while making yourself available for new opportunities, when it comes to making a career shift? For example, is it bad if your employer sees that you are publicly acknowledging that you are in grad school for an unrelated field of study? I hate the idea of being sneaky, but I also realize I work for a paranoid employer. Plus, I also feel that (within reason) I need to make sure I am doing what I need to do to get to a better place even if it makes my boss suspicious.

Yeah, if your boss sees that you’re in grad school for an unrelated field, she’s pretty likely to wonder if you’re planning on leaving when you’re done. That might be a big concern for her, or she might not care — it depends on the job and on the manager. (It also depends on your timing. Lots of managers won’t care that you’re leaving in two years, but many more will care that you’re leaving in six months.)

7. Resumes when you’re looking for part-time retail work

Do you have any suggestions for a resume and/or cover letter when I already have a full-time job and am looking for a part-time retail position to help pay down some debt a bit faster? I have some relevant experience, but it’s a little older, and I’m not sure how to represent my parallel full-time career path. Do I keep everything in separate sections? Only include my older relevant retail work and explain in my cover letter? Just do it chronologically with everything shuffled together? Help!

If you’re looking for retail work, they’re probably going to focus more on your application form than your resume, so I wouldn’t stress about the resume too much. Just use your typical resume and explain your situation on the application and in the interview.

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

1. Is my company handling a coworker’s outburst correctly?

I am new to the professional world and am wondering if my employer is handling an unprofessional coworker appropriately. Recently, in a meeting, one of my coworkers openly chastised another coworker for an innocuous comment. After the meeting, the chastiser followed the coworker into her office and proceeded to yell at her (using profanity) for about 10 minutes. The offender then left. Management is aware of what happened and is dealing with the situation by giving the person a verbal warning. Apparently, their procedure is to first give a verbal warning, then a written warning and then terminate someone. How they are handling this was not made public; I only know this because I personally spoke to management to voice my concerns over how the open display of hostility is affecting productivity. From anyone else’s perspective, it appears that the situation has been ignored, as business has proceeded as usual.

I’m wondering: Is this how companies generally handle unprofessionalism? Honestly, I was expecting the offender to be fired or at the least not be at work the next morning like nothing happened. I didn’t say anything when management outlined their strategy, but I was a bit surprised. In case it matters, this is not a union or government job, it is a for-profit company and we are all employed at-will.

Yes, that’s pretty typical. People don’t usually get fired on the spot for a first offense, unless it’s especially egregious (like punching someone or embezzling). Your company’s system of warnings is the most common system for handling problems. It’s also typical that your managers aren’t sharing with you how they’re handling this; disciplinary measures aren’t generally shared publicly.

2. When you struggle to sit still in interviews

I am a adult with ADHD, and it is very difficult for me to sit still. When I am sitting down to interview, this usually means that I talk with my hands a lot. I have been told that talking with your hands or fidgeting is a big turn off when being interviewed. Is there a way that I can tell whoever is interviewing me of my difficulty with sitting still without coming across as an excuse-maker?

I wouldn’t. It’s not that you’ll come across as an excuse-maker; it’s that you’ll draw attention to something that you don’t want attention on during an interview process and — rightly or wrongly — potentially raise concerns in the interviewer’s mind about your ability to focus on work. I’d just try to keep your hands clasped on your lap as much as possible to resist the temptation to move them, as much as you can.

3. Company requires employees to share email passwords

At my former place of employment, my boss required that our work email passwords be kept public and would frequently log into our work emails to find information, and encourage us to log into others’ work emails if we needed something. Is this practice ok? I had nothing to hide, but I feel there is a level of privacy that was being broken, especially on a coworker level.

It’s an unusual way to operate, and I’d be curious about how efficient it really was, but as long as everyone understands that they shouldn’t have any expectation of privacy, I don’t see anything to automatically condemn about it. But it’s certainly odd. (Although here’s a story about a company doing exactly this.)

4. Explaining why I’m leaving a job after four months

I have been in my current role for four months. I work at a children’s hospital as a child life specialist, which is providing direct patient care addressing psychosocial needs. I have decided I no longer want to be in a clinical role and want to get into nonprofit work for causes related to children. I have been getting callbacks for interviews, but I know it doesn’t look so great leaving a job after 4 months.

How should I explain my situation at interviews? I thought about saying something on the lines of, “I am looking for more career growth and a challenge and want to still be helping children but in a different role.”

Don’t say that! You’ll sound unrealistic, like you think that you should be getting more career growth and challenges from your current job after just four months. If you’re leaving a job so quickly, you can’t attribute it to any of the usual safe answers, like looking for more responsibility or being ready for a change. You need to more specifically address why you’re leaving after such a short time. In your case, that probably means addressing why you want to leave clinical work — but you’ll also probably need to address why you didn’t figure that out before taking your current role.

5. How do U.S. employers see foreign degrees?

Can you tell me what hiring managers in the U.S. think when they see a resume with a college degree from a foreign university? I graduated with a college degree from a national university in France. I have 2 internships under my belt and I worked for a couple years after graduating as a marketing assistant and as a bilingual executive assistant. All Fortune 500 companies. When I came to the U.S. 5 years ago in 2008, I took a retail job because I needed to work and the job market in my area was pretty small and bad.

Now that I am divorced, I want to go back to a career and I don’t know if having a degree from a foreign university is lowering my chances. I had it accredited by 2 companies that are recommended by top-notch universities in the U.S. They determined that I had the equivalent of a U.B. bachelor’s degree. On my resume, I specify that I had my degree accredited (and I can provide proof if they ever requested it). What do you think?

You’re probably worrying about it too much. Being out of your field for a while and not having a ton of experience is likely to be a bigger obstacle for you — the degree won’t register too much with most interviewers. They may be curious about how the school ranks in a general sense (since when they see a U.S. school, they typically have at least a general idea how good it is, and they typically won’t have the same reference points for foreign schools), but most employers don’t care much about where you went to school once your graduation is more than a few years in the past anyway. (A few fields are exceptions to this, like law, but in most it barely registers.)

6. Will leaving my job make me look like a job hopper?

I have been at a new job as a mechanical engineer for 10 months now, and it has become apparent that it is not a good fit for me. I have started the process of updating my resume to search for new jobs, but am nervous that only being in this position for such a short time will not look good to potential employers. My previous two jobs since I graduated college (May 2010) were also short term, but they were contracted positions (a 5 month stint followed by a 10 month stint). Will this hurt my chances with other employers by looking like I will jump from job to job?

Potentially. You should make sure that you indicate that the first two jobs were short-term contracts, but yes, having three short-term stints in a row does potentially raise red flags with employers.

7. Should I list a side business on my LinkedIn profile?

Should list a business I own/run on my LinkedIn profile? It’s an online niche retail shop that I started a couple years back from an idea for fun and to earn extra money. It’s really different then any of my professional “day job” experience.

My concern is with any new potential employers and/or recruiters. On one hand, it shows I have a lot more capabilities, but on the other, it could be a potential red-flag making them think I wouldn’t give 100% to full-time employment. I accomplish more than most and it’s never been an issue. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, but don’t want it to hinder my employment opportunities.

I’d list it, since it demonstrates additional skills that your main work experience doesn’t. You might run into an employer who will express concern and even ask if you’d be willing to close to it to focus 100% on work with them, but if that happens, you can decide at that point if that’s something you’re willing to consider. (And frankly, if an employer has that concern, you’re far better off finding out before you’re working for them than after.) In general, though, it’s unlikely to hurt and could possibly help you.

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

1. Are interviewers Googling me and not liking what they find?

I have applied for many jobs starting at the beginning of this year. About 20% of the time I will get to the first interview, which I consider a feat in itself, but I never get past that point. I never get called back for a second interview even though I’ve felt like all of my interviews have gone well.

What I am wondering is if the hiring managers are Googling me and discovering something they don’t like. I own a domain name that is my name on which I have posted a personal statement of sorts. I do not put this on my resume or cover letter, but if you Google my name it will come up in the search results. Do you think hiring managers consider this gimmicky, tacky, or otherwise in bad taste?

In general, that’s possible, but I looked at yours and it’s wholly inoffensive; I can’t imagine that’s turning anyone off. What I think is more likely is that it’s (a) math — there are far more qualified candidates than there are openings, so even though you’re getting interviews, there might have just always been someone more qualified, and/or (b) your interviewing skills aren’t serving you well. It’s impossible to say from here, of course, but one option is to try asking for feedback from any interviewers who you felt particular rapport with. You could also check out my (free) interviewing guide and see if anything there helps. Good luck.

2. Coworker has naked photos displayed in his cubicle

My husband can’t figure this one out. Context: he works for a small tech company and is the most junior-level employee there. He has a coworker who has a cube right across from his. This man is senior to him, but not in a mangerial role. The man is a white guy in his late forties and has what can only be described as nudie pics as his desktop background and also as his calendar, which is all Playboy-like beach scenes of naked women basking on sandy shores. Whatever. I told him that this is rude and innappropriate. There are three women who work there, but they are all in their forties and fifties and seem resigned to the adage that “boys will be boys” or something like that.

By law, all my husband has to do is report this behavior to the HR representative and indicate that this behavior makes him feel uncomfortable (because it weirds him out). Yet, the HR rep is also the company CFO…and my husband does want to move up in the organization and would rather not jeopardize his role in front of an exec. What would you advise he do?

Does your husband really think that’s he’s going to jeopardize his future in the company by saying, “Hey, Bob has photos of naked women hanging in his cubicle — can someone ask him to take them down?” It’s a rare company that’s going to take a stand against someone who points this out — more likely they’re going to appreciate the heads-up before it becomes a bigger problem with someone else.

3. I want my old job back

I became interim director of my department in a large hospital almost a year ago. There has only been one interview for the director’s position in all that time because of the scarcity of the particular talent needed. I did not want the position. I have increased the size of the department during the time I have been interim and we still can’t keep up with the work. Part of it is because our organization has had one regulatory survey after the other which requires my department’s particular expertise. I am working 6 and 7 days a week, usually 10-12 hour days. I am exhausted and sick of this but don’t want to bail out on the organization. I keep waiting for us to get done with surveys or to hire a director so I can go back to my position and my life, but after a year and 4 big surveys with 2 even bigger ones to go, there is no end in sight.

The company has hired a consultant team to help us get ready for the upcoming surveys, but it has resulted in a lot more work because a revamping of our structure was needed. The director’s work is very different from the work I was doing, so I am having to direct preparation efforts for a large organization with a very small staff, keep the usual tasks of the department going, AND master the information and tasks of a really critical director’s job as I go. The consultant team recommended the hospital hire a professional interim for the director’s position but the hospital has elected not to do so. I’d like to keep my old job, or at least get my weekends back. What are my best options?

Ask for your old job back. Say that you can’t keep us the hours that are required in your interim role. Say that you can do it for two more weeks (or whatever) but that you can’t continue beyond that. If they tell you that you have to, then explain what you’ll be able to get done in X hours (fill in however many hours you’re willing to work), and let them know that they’ll need to make different arrangements for the other items (which you should list for them).

You might also start looking at other jobs, in case this goes on indefinitely.

4. Explaining you’re moving because of a spouse’s new job

My husband is finishing graduate school this May, and we are planning to relocate to either Los Angeles or NYC to support his career. I am in an awkward position with applying for new jobs. My field has been hit hard by the recession, but luckily last March I was finally able to land a job. I feel it looks bizarre to be applying for another job so quickly and that it needs to be addressed in the cover letter. How is the best way to state it? I have been using this line in my first paragraph after expressing my interest in a position — “In late spring, I am relocating to New York City to support my spouse’s career. I will not need assistance in traveling for interviews or for moving.”

That’s the general idea, yes, but I probably wouldn’t say “to support my spouse’s career.” Even though it’s accurate, it puts a little too much emphasis on supporting his career rather than your own. I’d instead say something like, “I’ll be relocating in New York City because my husband has accepted a job there.”

5. How do employers look at distance learning?

After I graduated from college, I immediately entered the work force as a retail manager while I looked for work in my field. Years later, I’m still working that same job and realizing I need to pursue a Masters degree to move into the field I want to be in. I don’t have the ability to quit working full-time to go back to school and have been looking at schools that offer distance learning degrees. I’m particularly interested in a university that is based in Ohio with brick-and-mortar schools but an extensive online presense. Because I live on the West Coast, I am concerned about how it will look to future employers to have a degree from a school from one state despite working and living in another. I am also curious what the general opinion of hiring managers is when it comes to distant learning. This school is a private, not-for-profit university that is accredited, not a for-profit like University of Phoenix.

It depends on the hiring manager, but in general distance learning is being more and more accepted, as long as you’re doing it through a program connected with a brick-and-mortar school (and, for many hiring managers, at one that has a recognizable name).

6. Recruiter contacted me about a job I’ve already spoken to the employer about

I am unemployed after recently graduating, and desperately looking for work in a certain field. I have been applying through job sites, but I know exactly which area of the city I want to work in so I have been researching big companies I might like to work for.

Today I got a call directly from a company that I applied for — sort of a pre-interview thing. We chatted for a few minutes and then he said he’d pass my info on to the hiring manager. I was super excited because it’s a great role, and I’m thrilled to finally speak to a “real” person as opposed to recruiters. But then literally 15 minutes later I received an email from a recruiter with info on a job I had applied for, asking for my thoughts and for me to contact her. I opened the document…and it’s the SAME company!

Have I made a huge mistake? I’m not applying for hundreds of jobs so this isn’t a case of resume bombing, but I’ve been seeking out really specific roles so when I find them, I apply. Did I commit a huge error by somehow not recognizing a similar job description? Do I tell the recruiter what happened? Wait until the hiring manager from the company calls me? I have never searched for a “real” job before so I’m not familiar with recruiter etiquette. What do I do? I really want this job!

Just let the recruiter know that the company has already contacted you directly about the job. You can then continue with the process you’ve already started with the company itself. No need to do anything more than that. (The recruiter will bow out at that point, because you’re already a “direct” candidate with the company; she won’t get paid for placing someone who they located themselves.)