Ask a Manager

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

1. People keep walking into my meetings

I am an administrative executive for a medium sized office and would like some advice on the subject of meetings. Our unit consists of approximately 10 people, and we usually operate as a family (a really close team) and get all of our work done with a bit of fun in between. My problem is that when we have staff meetings, we have unwanted people including themselves when the meeting does not pertain to them. They just walk into closed door meetings.

It is not is my personality to ask them to leave, but how else can I manage this and conduct the meeting?

You can’t get them to leave without telling them you want them to. When it happens, stop the meeting and say, “We’re in the middle of a meeting, but do you need something? If not, we need the room for about 30 more minutes.” If they don’t get the message and stay anyway, then you need to say, “This is actually just a meeting of the X team (or of people working on the Z project, or whatever). We have to kick you out!”

This is not rude. This is reasonable.

Also, pet peeve: Your workplace, as well as people in it might get along, is not a family. Family do not (generally) fire other family members or lay them off. Thinking of workplaces as families leads to a lot of bad decision-making (by both employees and managers).

2. My boss asked to share my self-evaluations with my replacement, and I said no

I was originally hired at my organization in one position, and have since been promoted to another position with more responsibility in a different department. My former boss (who still outranks me, but to whom I no longer report) wants to share my old annual self-evaluations with the new person who took my old job. The purpose of this is to give the new person some “guidelines” about how to do a self-evaluation. My old boss asked my permission, and I said no, because it made me uncomfortable. Our evaluations are pages long, and contain details about specific goals, problems, and accomplishments for me personally (not the department–that was a different report). I offered to advise or help the new person instead, which offer was declined. Was I wrong?

No, you’re perfectly within your rights (practical rights, that is, not legal rights) to decline to share your evaluations with someone else. Also, your boss’s reasoning is bizarre — she should be perfectly able to give your replacement “guidelines” without showing her a document that you prepared assuming that it would be kept in confidence.

3. Applying for multiple openings with an organization

There is an organization that has posted multiple job openings with very similar descriptions — all of which I am interested in and qualified for. Should I apply for all (seven) similar, but slightly different jobs, noting in my cover letter that I am doing so only because I am so interested in working for this organization and want to do my due diligence? Or do I only apply to one or two?

Apply to one or two and state in your cover letter that you’re interested in being considered for anything else you might be a fit for.

4. How much detail is too much on your resume?

I’m currently looking for a new position and have been following a lot of the advice from your site about resumes, cover letters, etc. While I know a 2-page resume is ok, I’m wondering how much detail is too much for one position.

My current position is in marketing/communications (my first “career”-type job); previous positions have been mostly administrative. I’ve had my hands in a lot of things in the 4+ years I’ve been in my current job — hosting/managing events, writing (newsletters, announcements, variety of web content, print campaigns, you name it), social media, managing projects/creating project plans, editing, analyzing data/web metrics. I’m trying to write the bullet points as “achievements” rather than duties, but the section for this job is still about half a page long (about 12-15 bullets), three times the length as any of my previous jobs (3-5 bullets each). Is this ok, or do I need to trim it down substantially?

If they’re all truly impressive achievements, 12 might be okay (although 15 is pretty iffy). If they’re not all truly impressive, and you’re listing some things just because you want to be comprehensive, trim it down. (A good test: If a hiring manager skimmed and only read three of those bullet points, would you be happy no matter which three they were? Or would you be dismayed if they were some of the weaker ones? That may happen in real-life, so take out anything that’s weak.)

5. New manager’s comments are making me uncomfortable

Over the past two months we’ve hired new upper management at the nonprofit I work at. My boss, the new CFO, has made comments twice now that have made me uncomfortable. A few weeks ago, we had a meeting with our new executive director in which the CFO acted somewhat disrespectful. He was hardly paying attention while his boss was speaking, making comments under his breath, laughing, etc. One of the executive director’s ideas involved having a company float in a huge local parade, and the CFO said “We’ve got lots of pretty girls here to put up there on the float…” then turned to the executive assistant next to him and said “I’m including you too, you know.” Everyone ignored him. I decided not to say anything about it since it wasn’t really to me directly. Today we had a photographer at our location taking photos for a local publication. The CFO came into my office and said to myself and my assistant, “We’re taking pictures and we need some pretty girls.”

I ignored this again. What should I do? He is at least 20 years older than me and this is really creepy! He’s my boss and should not call me pretty!

Talk to someone above him in the chain of command, or to HR if you have an HR department. Someone needs to tell him to cut this out, and there’s no reason that you need to strain your relationship with him by having it be you.

6. My employer made an app to help us do our jobs, but it’s only available on iPhones

I am a 100%-commissioned sales associate, and my employer has an app made for iPhones only, which can look up inventory in three different locations. Three of our 30 commissioned sales associates have iPhones and now have an unfair advantage on making more money due to the time the app saves. I believe this app is unfair because I am currently in bankruptcy and cannot afford an iPhone at this time. Other employees feel like they need to run to the store to purchase an iPhone so they don’t fall behind the times. It’s my understanding that the owner of the company is not purchasing phones for anyone. Am I wrong for thinking this is unfair?

It might be unfair, but there’s no law stopping your employer from offering the app for iPhones only if that’s what they’ve decided to do. You could certainly talk to your employer, however, and ask if it’s possibly to get a version for other phones so that you’re able to take advantage of it.

7. Should I take this job off my resume?

My first job out of college (8 years ago) as an asst editor/writer lasted three months (newly-created position, they needed more experience than I had/didn’t know how to train me, ended up being fired), but I’m afraid if I take that off I won’t have any other relevant communications experience on my resume, plus I feel like the job title looks good and I did learn a lot. Am I being silly, should I just take it off?

Yes, take it off. First, it’s only three months, and it’s unlikely that you have any significant achievements from such a short period of time. Second, the fact that you were fired is likely to harm you more than any good listing the job could do you.

It’s wee answer Wednesday — seven short answers to seven short questions.

1. I don’t want to relocate to the city my employer is suggesting

I received a relocation offer from my current employer. Our small company was recently acquired by a large corporation, and we all knew something like this would be coming. I’ve always told HR that I’m open to moving (which is true; no mortgage, no kids, no husband), but I’m not too keen on the new city.

They’ve suggested I come visit the city to meet other employees at the office and explore over the weekend, but I’m a bit hesitant. Even though it’s a better position & pay, I’m really not interested (and don’t want to be tempted by visiting), but I also don’t want them to think I’m blowing off the good offer and burn bridges. Should I go on the company-paid trip?

Also, how do I get other coworkers to mind their own business when it comes to this transition? I think they should just be worried about their offers, and I’m not interested in sharing the details of my own or what I’m thinking of doing, but I don’t want to be rude.

If you’re 100% sure you wouldn’t relocate there, just tell them that. But otherwise, go on the trip with an open mind; you might be pleasantly surprised. If you still aren’t interested in moving afterwards, you can tell them that you thought it over but it’s not for you.

As for your coworkers, tell them, “I’ll let you know once I’ve made a decision.” Repeat as necessary.

2. Rescheduling an interview

I have an interview for a new job, but my current job will not let me off at that time. They will for a time earlier that day. How can I ask the interviewer for a change?

Just ask. Say, “I’m unable to get away from work at 3:00, but could be available earlier that day. Would you be able to meet earlier instead?”

3. Social anxiety disorder and interviews

I have social anxiety disorder and am currently job hunting. In case you don’t know what that is, here is a brief rundown of some of the symptoms I experience: sweaty palms, nervousness, an intense fear that I am going to say/do the wrong thing, fear of being judged, and occasional anxiety attacks. Frankly, I go to an interview and I look like a nervous wreck. Medication hasn’t worked and neither has cognitive behavioral therapy, but I can’t afford not to work. The thing is, most of my nervousness is a result of being in an unfamiliar place or around unfamiliar people (both of which are factors at job interviews). Once I have had a week or two around a new job I settle in just fine. So my question is, should I be upfront during the interview and tell the interviewer that I have this mental illness, or should I just hope for the best and say nothing?

I wouldn’t announce a specific diagnosis, but it’s perfectly fine to say, “I tend to get really nervous in interviews, so I hope you’ll excuse any obvious signs of that.” Also, I don’t know if this will help or not, but there are a lot of tips for overcoming interview nerves in my free job interview preparation guide.

4. Feedback when you’ve been used to bad managers

I’ve been in my new position for 2 months now. In previous positions, I’ve either been blindsided by crappy managers with disciplinary action after having good reviews shortly before, or not receiving any feedback at all on how I was doing. In my current job, my supervisor is managing another person for the first time, and he’s a very busy person. We meet regularly every week. Each time he sends a calendar request to have a meeting to discuss ongoing work, my stomach clenches and I get very nervous. Then in the meeting, we discuss .. work. Not me or my performance, which as far as I know is fine. The last time we met, I asked how I was doing and he said “good!” I didn’t get the impression that he had any problems with my work. However, I still get very nervous when he schedules meetings.

I realize this is my own hangup. I want to do well in my new role and some day advance in the company. Should I ask him how I’m doing often, or wait for him to offer feedback?

Good managers do weekly or bi-weekly check-ins — to check in on progress, talk about priorities, give feedback, and serve as a resource. It sounds like that’s what your manager is doing, so I’d really try to see it as just a regular forum for that stuff, rather than as a Big Scary Conversation. You can absolutely ask for feedback on how you’re doing in these meetings, but it’s going to sound oddly needy if you do it every week — I’d limit that to roughly every quarter. However, what you can do more often is to ask for feedback on specific projects — “Did you have any feedback on that memo I wrote?”, “Is there anything you’d like me to do differently with Client X?”, etc.

5. Did naming a higher salary take me out of the running for this position?

I had a phone screening this morning and was, of course, asked about salary. I stated it was negotiable, but I would prefer $40,000. (My answer was based on the general market rate for the position, as well as my own personal budget.) My interviewer was silent for a moment, and said that generally, as this was an entry-level position, the person would be paid $30,000. She asked if I was still interested, as there was quite a bit of discrepancy between the two salaries. I stated that I was, especially since they have an excellent benefits package that she had outlined earlier. Is there a possibility I will be ruled out as a being “too expensive” in the long run? I am willing to take the salary to get my foot in the door, as this is a great non-profit managerial position that will look wonderful on my resume, and will not require a lengthy commute.

It’s possible you’ll be ruled out for being too expensive, yes. Employers often don’t like to hire people for a significantly lower salary than what the person was looking for, because of a concern that they’ll be dissatisfied and continuing to look elsewhere. But it’s also perfectly possibly that you won’t be ruled out — there’s no way to know how your interviewer will feel about it.

By the way, don’t base salary requests on your personal budget. It needs to be based exclusively on the market rate for the position.

6. Business professional attire vs. business casual

I have a question about office attire. I have about 5 years of work experience — one year at an internship where the dress code was business casual and four years at my current position where the dress code is extremely casual (I’m talking everything from jeans, t-shirts, and flip-flops, to yoga pants and over-sized hoodies). Needless to say, I need to buy a new wardrobe.

I asked my new boss what the dress code would be for my position, assuming it would be business casual. She clarified and said it’s actually business professional attire. She said it’s not suits and heels everyday, but it is professional.

With my lack of experience in dressing up for work, I am just wondering what “business professional” is if it ISN’T suits and heels every day. When I wore business casual at my internship, I’d wear slacks with a nice top and a cardigan (with heels or flats) — -would that be okay? Or, would this impact men more than women with their suits, ties, etc.? I have already bought a few outfits for this position, including lots of dresses that I planned to wear with a belt and a cute jacket or sweater. Please tell me I don’t have to return them!

Business casual is generally on the level of khakis, where as business professional is generally more dress pants and nice tops, just not full suits. Picture the suit without the jacket and you have the basic idea.

The outfits you bought are probably fine, as long as they’re not really casual fabrics. I’d wear the dressiest of them on the first day and get a feel for what other people are wearing, and dress to match that level of formality. (Also, think back to what you saw people wearing when you interviewed.)

7. Benefits of travel agents

I’m not sure if this question is outside your scope — if so, I apologize but would love guidance on where to go for the answer. I work for a very small company of 3 people. Is it beneficial for companies of this size to enlist the services of a travel agent? My take is that it is easy enough for everyone to arrange their own travel, but my boss is suggesting that we hire a travel agency. Seems like a waste of money, and creation of additional hassle, to me.

It is indeed outside my scope, but I’ll throw it out here to see if others have answers for you. For what it’s worth, my advice would be to talk to a travel agent and ask exactly this question; see what they say. You can also try one for a couple of trips and see what you think.