Ask a Manager

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

1. Interviewer mentioned contacting my current boss

I was on a phone interview recently and was asked, “What 3 good qualities would your current boss say about you?” And then the interviewer proceeded to let me know if this goes further they may call him for a reference. I couldn’t imagine that was a serious thought, right? How can someone possibly think it would be OK to call someone’s current boss for information about a potential employee for them?

It’s typical for employers to either agree not to contact your current employee for a reference, or to do so only when they’re ready to make an offer. Either way, you should control whether or not it happens, and what the timing is. If you move forward in this hiring process, say something like this at the next contact: “When I spoke with Jane, she mentioned that you might be contacting my current manager for a reference at some point in the process. My employer does not know that I’m job searching and I need to be discreet at this point in the process. At what point do you typically reach out to a current employer? I’ll obviously need to speak with her before that happens.”

 2. Factoring overtime pay into salary history

I’m a little unsure how to answer the question about salary at my most recent job and hoped to get your advice on this subject. This position had a base salary, but it was a non-exempt position so I also received overtime. When a prospective employer requests my salary history, I’m unsure if I should give my base salary or my actual take-home pay … which was a bit higher than my base. The concern with providing my actual pay is a prospective employer potentially being given a lower number than I provided (ie = my base pay) if they call to verify my salary and this disqualifying me from a job offer, but I also don’t want to cheat myself out of a potentially higher salary by not providing my total compensation. My W2’s could serve as validation of the discrepancy if pressed, but I’d hate to think it would come to this.

If you choose to share your salary history at all — which I maintain is no one’s business but yours — just be clear about what the numbers are. Say something like, “My base salary was $X, but with overtime, I earned $Y.”

3. Asking a recruiter about a position in a different location

About three weeks back, I applied for a position at a certain company at location x. Today, I heard from a recruiter from their company who wrote me to see if I would be interested in a different position at location y. I feel unqualified for the position at location y. (They’re both creative positions but require different software experience, so I have experience relevant to x but not to y.) I would like to reach out to her to inquire about the position I originally applied for at location x. How could I politely go about turning her down and inquiring about another position at the same time?

Just be direct: “I don’t think Y is a great fit for me because it emphasizes experience in Z, which I don’t have, but I’m actually very interested in X, which I applied for a few weeks ago. I’d love to talk with you about that if you think it’s a good fit.” (However, keep in mind that software can be learned, so if you’re turning down Y only because of that, it might be worth rethinking.)

4. Declining to give a mandatory contribution for office holiday gifts

I have been employed at my current job three years. I was shocked my first year there when I was told I was expected to contribute to a fund for Christmas gifts for the physicians and PAs. I was hoping you may have some advice as to how to decline or defend against this “mandatory” contribution.

I thought that this year I may suggest I would do something on my own, such as bake cookies, but I don’t want to continue this tradition at all. My “gift” is working hard every day! And now there are more people employed at the top level but the support staff is the same or fewer. There is an extremely high turnover rate. I am tired of sucking it up and compromising professionalism on so many levels so much of the time. My manager is a nice person and has a big heart, but he may be the worst manager ever! Horrible communication, misdirected priorities, finger pointing, lack of confidentiality, there is NO line drawn between personal and professional, and on and on and on.

You can simply say, “I can’t participate this year.” You don’t need to go into your reasons. If some of your coworkers feel the same way, you can also talk to them and suggest that you speak up and say you want to discontinue the tradition, since there are already so many demands on people at the holidays.

Read an update to this letter here.

5. Explaining why I’m going “back” to an admin position

I am currently applying for administrative/assistant positions. I have done this type of work for several years in the past, and I am well-qualified. The only concern that I have trouble explaining in a job interview is that I currently am not an administrative assistant. I left an admin role to work in a much more front-line sales position, and the question I am asked frequently is why I am interested in going “back” to a support position. The completely honest answer is that I just had a baby and I have an ill family member, so I am looking for a job with more consistent hours and where I can leave my office worries at the door come 5:00 pm. But if I said that in a job interview, I feel I would come across as unmotivated and possibly unreliable because I have admitted to these personal commitments. I am not unmotivated. I work hard, I take pride in doing a good job, and I take initiative. I am just looking for a better work-life balance. Is there any good/less concerning way of answering this type of question?

You shouldn’t get into a discussion of your personal commitments, but it’s completely reasonable to say that you found admin work more satisfying than the sales work you’d moved into and you’re eager to return to that career.

6. Can I apply without going through this recruiter?

A recruiter contacted me about a position I had not seen before, but I happen to know people at the company. The job is posted on the company website. So my question is, am I obligated to apply for the job through this recruiter, since I wouldn’t have known about the opening otherwise? Perhaps I’m being soft, as I feel the recruiter did me a favour by telling me who he’s recruiting for. It looks really promising, so I want to get my application in the best way possible.

Hmmm. The recruiter’s contract with the company might require that he get credit for the hire, if you’re hired — which isn’t your problem, but it could become your problem if it turns into a disagreement between the recruiter and the company. Realistically, if you were to tell the recruiter that you’d spotted the position and were planning to reach out to your contacts there, he wouldn’t know the difference … but it wouldn’t really be ethical to do that. The reality is that the recruiter earned his fee in this case, and you’d be interfering with that.

7. I want my boss’s job in 5-7 years

I am a hospitality manager at a nonprofit organization. I love what I do! I love the company I work for! I love everything about the job! Right now! I am way underpaid for what I do in the field that I am in. That is not a problem. I am more concerned about the limited advancement opportunites. Like I said, I love everything about my job now. However, I am worried that I am not going to be happy doing it for the next 25 to 30 years. If I were to move into my boss’s position when he retires (5-7 years), I believe I would be happy with the job and pay for the rest of my career. I fear that they may choose someone from the outside. Most of my peers would not want the position, but we all do work closely together. Human Resources may realize this as well and determine that an outside candidate would be best. That is where my boss came from.

I have asked multiple people about my future here and I have not had any real solid answers. I had applied for a similar position to my bosses and it was filled internally (seemed political). Which I am okay with. Should I consider other opportunities elsewhere? If I leave, would that open up that door when my boss retired?

It’s normal to not think you’ll be happy doing your current job for the next 25 years, even though you like it now. That’s the case for most people. You shouldn’t be getting anxious about the fact that you may eventually need to change jobs or companies; that’s normal and something you should expect.

You can certainly mention to your boss that you’d love to be considered for his job when he retires in 5-7 years, ask if he thinks they’d prefer external candidates, and ask what you can do now to start positioning yourself to be a strong candidate when that day comes — but keep in mind that that’s a long way off. I wouldn’t leave a job you love just because it might help you get a different job in 7 years — the odds aren’t good enough. Instead, just talk to your boss and get his advice.

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

1. Current manager seems to have hurt me with prospective new manager

I have gone for an internal interview with my firm. My current manager had a meeting with my prospective future manager (also his manager) regarding his concern for my leaving the department and my future wages. My prospective manager then proceeded to call me in before my interview to tell me that the new job will not benefit me financially, and that perhaps if that’s all I’m interested in, I should cancel the interview.

I have to admit that I had hoped for better wages, but the opportunity to better my career was what had attracted me to the position. My current manager has made many comments on how I will hate the new job, etc. I’m sure he’s just a little nervous that I’ll leave, but surely he shouldn’t have spoken about what my prospective wages could/should be?

I don’t know what your manager said to the prospective new manager, but yes, in most cases it would be a little inappropriate for him to discussing your future wages with the other manager. (Not illegal, just weird.) However, if he’s come to genuinely believe through managing you that you’re primarily motivated by money and wouldn’t be happy in the new job, it would make sense that he relayed those impressions to the other guy, since this is an internal interview and it’s generally expected that managers involved in an internal move will be pretty candid with each other. Regardless, though, I hope you told the prospective new manager that your primary interest is in taking on new responsibilities, rather than allowing your manager to set the other manager’s impressions of you.

2. What to say under “reason for leaving” on job applications

In networking or in interviews, I’ve discussed my reasons for leaving past/current jobs (e.g. left job to go to grad school full time, or job was limited term appointment) at whatever length makes sense for that conversation. But in the inevitable employment application form that I fill out during the hiring process, what should I put in the little box under “Employment History” for “Reason for Leaving”? Do I need a detailed reason here, or do they just need to know whether I resigned voluntarily or was laid off/fired? I’m sure that conversations with humans count more than files in HR records, but I just wanted to check what is expected on such forms.

It’s fine to just indicate whether you resigned, were laid off, or were fired. You can certainly add additional explanation if you want (“left for new job,” “returned to school,” or whatever), but generally, if they want more information, they’ll ask for it.

3. How many interviews is too many for an assistant position?

How many in-person interviews would you deem excessive for an assistant position? I am heading to my third of what I was told will be four.

That’s slightly higher than normal, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. If the interviews aren’t particularly effective — not thorough, not probing the right areas, repetitive or rambling — then they’re just wasting your time and theirs. But if the interviews are good, it means they’re concerned about hiring the right person and are proceeding cautiously — which makes a lot of sense. Frankly, it’s pretty silly how many employers hire people after only talking to them for an hour or two.

4. Dealing with a negative, narcissistic boss

I’m dealing with a boss who is negative almost all the time. Every conversation I have with him starts out with a criticism of someone who sent him an email, someone he had a meeting with, something that happened in our firm that he doesn’t like. He overtly criticizes his peers to me and everyone below his level, but never his boss. He has favorites on our staff, and announces things like “Staff Member A or B is my favorite employee.” Alternatively, he will come back from lunch and he is happy, or as happy as he can be. The difference is so startling sometimes that I wonder if he had several cocktails at lunchtime. His reactions are hard to predict….sometimes he is amenable and will agree, other times he will say no and go off on a rant. He is somewhat of a narcissist — only his jokes are the funny ones, he doesn’t really like or pay attention to other staff unless he needs something or unless they are one of his favorites, he doesn’t even acknowledge staff with a “good morning” unless they are one of his favorites, etc. He has never given me a compliment on my work (which my former boss praised often and which other people in the organization acknowledge) and I have never heard him compliment others, except for his favorites.

I wonder sometimes if this is just his personality or if he is bipolar. Any suggestions on how to deal with this? I don’t see any signs of him leaving the firm anytime soon (unfortunately) even though the rumor circulating is that he is seriously job-hunting.

It doesn’t really matter if he’s bipolar or not since the end result is the same — he’s negative and difficult to work with. You need to decide how much you care, and whether or not this is a deal-breaker for you. Assume he’s not going anywhere and he’s not going to change. Do you still want to work there? If so, you’ve got to look at this as part of the package and be clear in your own head about what you’re getting in return.

5. Is there a point of diminishing returns for internships?

I recently completed a professional masters’ degree and am looking for full-time work in my field. Everyone in my field recommends doing internships until you can find an actual job, which I’m totally prepared to do, although, as someone in my late thirties, I have to admit that I’m a little unenthusiastic about working for free or very little for the forseeable future. Is there a point of diminishing returns when it comes to internships on your resume? I’ve seen statements from people who hire in my field stating that they are more interested in proof of a stable work history than fancy internships. But my very stable work history is clearly not getting me anywhere right now. Is there a point where it just looks bad for you that all you can get are internships rather than “real work”? I’m starting to get worried about competing against next year’s graduates at this point.

In general, regular (non-intern) jobs in your field are better than internships in your field. And yes, years of internships after you’ve graduated are going to raise questions. But even so, internships in your field are better than no work in your field, or unrelated work. Assuming your choice is between another internship in your field or something totally unrelated, and assuming you want to stay in your field, go with the internship.

6. Someone competing for the same job as me gave my name as a reference

I was laid off back in February, and I have had a hard time finding another role. I am currently a finalist for a position that I would really love. Today, I found out that a former colleague of mine is up for the same position, and without letting me know, he wrote me down as a reference. When the recruiter called me, she let me know he was one of their top candidates before she realized I was the same person who was also in the running. I was a bit upset and caught off guard that he had put me down. It came across as I was talking to her, and I felt terrible. I sent her an email afterwards, stating, “I am sorry I was caught off guard by your voicemail. I was unaware that Brian had put me down as a reference for the same job I had applied to, I would have politely declined if he did. Unfortunately I don’t think it would be right for me to be a reference for him for this position. I apologize for the confusion, I hope you understand. Thank you.” I also found out he found out about the position by looking on my LinkedIn profile and emailing someone I was connected to. He also lied on his resume, which puts me in a bad position.

I am not sure if I handled the situation correctly and I am hoping to save face. I know she is in the process of contacting my references as well, but is there a better way to handle this? Should I just walk away?

Why would you walk away? You’re a finalist for a position that you think you’d love. You were candid with the recruiter about the fact that you didn’t feel comfortable providing a reference for this guy, and that’s all you need to say. As long as you weren’t inappropriately emotional or negative when you were speaking to her, you shouldn’t need to worry.

7. How much work history do you need to include on a job application?

I’ve heard lots of conflicting advice regarding the “work history” section of a job application. Some say you need to include your complete working history since you’ve started working; others say you only need include your most recent 3-5 jobs or most relevant jobs. What’s your take on this issue?

If the application doesn’t specify how complete a history it wants, then give whatever casts your candidacy in the strongest light. For most people, that’s roughly the last 10 years of work history, but that can vary depending on your specific situation. However, many applications ask for a complete work history; in that case, you need to decide if you’re willing to play that (often ridiculous) game or not.