Ask a Manager

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

1. Job-hunting during the last week of a campaign

I work in politics. More specifically, I run the fundraising effort for a congressional campaign. After the upcoming election on Tuesday next week, I am planning to move to a different city where I have limited professional contacts, to be closer to my currently long-distance partner. I’d like to start seriously job hunting, outside of my current field, but I’m wondering if employers would find it strange that I am applying for jobs just a week before Election Day. Will this seem lazy or uncommitted?

Nah, it’ll seem understandable, since it’s clear your job is about to end. And when you’re job-hunting outside of politics, people are far less likely to realize how intense working on a campaign is and that you’re not supposed to be thinking about anything else during it.

2. Coworker with eating disorder

I work with a gal who appears to have an eating disorder. She’s 58 and she thinks she’s fat (she’s not even close) and the only thing she consumes are protein shakes. She has a variety of them at her desk. A couple of years ago, I visited this coworker in the hospital because she had avoided solids for so long she got a perforated colon when she gave in and ate food. After her surgery and release, she did eat healthy, fiber-rich solids, but she’s reverted back to her shakes again. I know it’s not appropriate to talk about it and I believe management can’t do anything, but I’m worried about her health. Is there any work-appropriate action I can do/say to help her?

Eating disorders are notoriously difficult to resolve. Add to that the fact that you’re not close to her — and that even the close friends and family of people struggling with eating disorders are generally unable to do much to help — and there’s not a lot you can do. You can certainly express concern, call an eating disorder hotline for advice, and/or urge her to talk to your EAP if your company has one, but unfortunately you’re not in a position to really help her.

3. Should I bring a brag book to an interview?

I have an interview with the most prominent employer in my field next week. I want to stand out from the thousands of other candidates; should I assemble a brag book containing a transcript, writing samples and letters of recommendation?

No. If they care about your transcript (many employers don’t), they’ll ask for it. Letter of recommendation count for little outside academia and sometimes law, for the reasons I explain here. Writing samples could be useful if (a) they’re good and (b) the job involves at least some writing, but I’d simply bring copies with you or email them afterwards; there’s no need to assemble them in a binder.

The only people who should be bringing portfolios to interviews are designers or their ilk. This is one of those things that some career centers and others who don’t really understand what employers care about are recommending, but it comes off as a little naive unless you’re in one of the few fields where it makes sense.

4. Negotiating the holidays off when you get a job offer

I’m currently in the midst of job hunting. I have an interview tomorrow, but so far that’s my only concrete lead. My concern right now is that the holidays are approaching, and since my family doesn’t live in my city, I’d like to visit them over that time, especially if I remain unemployed. Flying is the best option, and, of course, airfares are steadily rising.

I don’t want to wait too much longer to book as I’m worried about how expensive it’ll be, but I’m worried that booking something now could potentially jeopardize a job offer if one were to come up in the next month or so. The flights I’m looking at would keep me out of my city for two weeks (December 23 – January 6) as I have to visit two different cities. At what point is it a reasonable request to negotiate the holidays off when receiving a job offer?

It’s completely reasonable at any point. Just be prepared that you might have to pick between the job offer and keeping your flight.

5. Will giving notice guarantee me work until then?

I’m a mechanic for a pretty big, high-end prestige car company but I feel I may not have a job in the very near future. I am planning on leaving the company to take an indefinite break to travel for an extended period of time in approximately 10 weeks time. I have been with the company for roughly two years and am required to give two weeks notice. I have only recently returned to work full-time from a workplace injury that occurred back in February. Work isn’t so busy at the moment and I feel my job is at risk within the next month or so, but I need to work until the day I leave to have all my funds up to scratch for the big move!

Would it be safer if I gave 6-8 weeks notice rather than two, to guarantee me the work until my departure? If I have handed my resignation in with more than two weeks notice, can I get dismissed within those 6 weeks without getting paid out the 6 weeks notice, or can my work dismiss me with giving me only 2 weeks notice even though I have handed in a resignation?

Your employer can dismiss you at any time, whether you’ve given notice or not. At some places, if you give notice, they’ll decide you should leave earlier. Other places are grateful for notice, especially if it’s longer than the standard two weeks, and are careful to treat notice-giving employees well, since they know that other employees will take their own cues from how they see it handled.

It sounds like you think giving 6-8 weeks notice will guarantee you work until then — whereas you otherwise might be let go — but that’s not the case. I would stick with giving two weeks notice, and assume that your employer will honor it … unless they have a track record of telling people to go early. (But if they’re currently planning to let you go because of the lack of work, they’ll probably be grateful that you resigned before they had to, you’ll work out your two weeks, and that will be that. Most employers strongly prefer it if someone resigns before they have to let them go.)

6. Alerting a recruiter to a medical leave

I am waiting to hear from a recruiter to schedule an in-person interview, but I just scheduled an out-patient procedure for next week. Thing is, there is a slight chance that this procedure may turn into a surgery, depending on how things go. So, best case scenario, I will only be out 1 week. Worst case, I’ll be out 3-4 weeks.

I feel like I should be proactive and give the recruiter the heads-up that I will be unavailable for at least a week, but am not sure if I should be vague about it, or if I should just tell the recruiter that I will be out for a brief medical leave — especially when there’s the chance the chance that the recovery period may be prolonged. I really, REALLY want this job, and don’t want to miss out on this opportunity. What approach do you think is best?

If you’ll be available by phone and email during this one week, no heads-up is necessary because you’ll still be reachable. But if you’ll be entirely unreachable, yes, send a quick email saying you’ll be dealing with a personal matter (no need to say it’s medical) and unreachable for the week. If it does end up taking longer, then you can update the recruiter — but I’d wait until you know for sure that that’s the case.

7. Asking to be paid less so you owe fewer taxes

I just recently got a new job and it came with a significant increase in pay. However, I think I am now approaching the line where my federal taxes switch from 15% to 25%. Obviously I am not asking you to be my accountant, but does that make sense? Is there a point where you would ask HR to take your pay down $1,000? Or would the solution more likely be that you give some sort of charitable contribution to keep your taxable income down?

I’m not qualified to comment on the tax decision portion of this, but asking to be paid less is rarely a good idea, since your future salary (including raises at this job and your salary at your next job) will often be based on your current salary. If you want to progressively earn more, at some point you’ll have to deal with the fact that you’ll be taxed at a higher rate. And yes, there are things like charitable contributions that can make your tax liability lower.

Read an update to this letter here.

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

1. Applying for a job when the company’s email is down

I applied yesterday to three positions at an organization whose offices are in Lower Manhattan. The application deadline is today. A little while ago, I got a message indicating that my emails containing my application materials couldn’t be delivered. I suspect that this organization may have had its power knocked out by Hurricane Sandy, and that that could have taken out their email system if it’s hosted in house. The only phone number I have for them is giving me a busy signal.

In this situation, should I 1) try to resend the applications; 2) hold off until next week, hoping that I’m right about what happened and that they’ll be willing to accept a “late” application with explanation; or 3) something else? On 1, I’m a little worried about being perceived as spamming and unprofessional if my original messages do get delivered later.

Try to resend the applications now, just to make sure it’s still giving you an error message. It’s not going to look bad if they later get a second version; they know they’ve been having computer problems. Assuming it bounces again, yes, hold off until next week. I’m sure hiring is the last thing on their minds right now.

2. How to thank your manager

I truly admire my boss. On top of being a brilliant attorney, she’s gracious, cheerful, polite, professional and respectful to everyone. She has the ability to remain calm in high stress situations and she has a natural talent for being able to validate the angriest of client’s while making them feel completely understood (even if their demands are completely ridiculous). Mentoring comes as second nature to her and I for one take full advantage of everything she teaches in both word and example. She’s the reason I love my job and I truly enjoy seeing her walk into the office each day, as she smiles and greets each person by name. The grace with which she carries herself encourages me to grow both professionally and personally.She is the best example of the power of positivity. Let me also add that amidst all her outstanding qualities she suffers from severe Rheumatoid Arthritis and she experiences chronic pain every day. Her motto is ” it could always be worse.” She is pretty amazing.

I would truly like to express my appreciation for all that she gives to me professionally and personally. In your opinion would writing her a letter accompanied by a small gift be appropriate? I might also add that I have a second boss (her law partner) and I’m not certain how my gesture would be perceived by her ( I admire her too, but for different reasons). Although, I would do my best to be discrete in my expressions to my positive boss, I would not want to be perceived as having altering motives by my second boss or my coworkers.

As a manager, how would you have liked an employee to express such sentiments to you? Any thoughts you have on the matter would be greatly appreciated.

Note, no gift. What you wrote here is beautiful; turn it into a note and she’ll be moved far more than any gift could move her. Receiving gifts from employees can make managers feel awkward, but receiving sincere appreciation, particularly when accompanied by specifics like this, is awesome.

3. Applying directly for a job when the employer is using a staffing agency

I am looking for a job in fundraising in the nonprofit sector. I recently saw a listing for a fairly senior level job (Director of Development) with a family foundation. It was listed through a temp agency (unusual) and I tried to apply through their website, which was awful and tedious, asking ridiculous lower-than-entry-level temp agency type questions. I gave up on it and did a google search with the information provided (a lot). I know exactly which foundation it is — no doubt. There is no information about the position on the website and I think it is probably a first hire for them. Is there any reason not to apply directly thru the foundation?

Well, they might not be doing the hiring in-house and might simply forward your materials to the temp agency, but there’s no real harm in trying.

4. Why was I asked about salary twice?

I was asked about my salary requirements during the phone interview, and I responded. During the in person interview, towards the end, the hiring manager asked about my salary requirements. I’m curious why this question was asked twice?

Was it the same person who asked you the question twice, or two different people? If it was the same person, I’d assume they forgot they’d already asked (and didn’t take good notes). If it was two different people, they each wanted to hear your answer (either because the first didn’t convey the information to the second, or because the second simply wanted to hear how you talked about the question).

5. How should overtime pay be calculated?

I am a non-exempt employee for my company. I was told that I get paid overtime for hours worked over 80 hours in a two week span. Your article in Yahoo! says overtime should be paid for any time exceeding 40 hours in one week. I’ve been with the company going on 6 years now and have been told this since day one. Who should I talk to at my job about this? I am afraid if I speak up, I will be reprimanded.

It depends on what your job is. Federal law requires overtime to be paid if a non-exempt employee works more than 40 hours in one work week. However, there are some exceptions in the law for medical care providers, police officers, and fire fighters, who can have overtime calculated when they work more than 80 hours in two weeks. But if your job doesn’t fall in one of these categories, then your employer’s practice doesn’t comply with the law. I’d raise this by simply saying to your HR or payroll department, “I actually think I’m owed X hours for overtime for this period, since it looks like the regulation says to calculate it based on one work week rather than two.” Be matter-of-fact and non-accusatory about it, you should only have issues if your company is slimy. If that turns out to the case, alert your state labor agency.

6. Company is changing our commissions

I work in the jewelry business. Starting this fiscal year, my company started a new rule saying that they will withhold a percentage of our commission per quarter if we do not sell two diamond engagement rings. Is that legal? They made us sign a form to acknowledge this rule.

I don’t have any particular expertise in this area, but as far as I can tell, this is legal because your company can structure their commission pay any way they want. No law requires commissions, so in a sense it’s sort of like offering paid vacation time: It’s not required by law, so they offer it, they can decide how they’ll restrict it. They do, however, need to pay you at least minimum wage, as well as any overtime if you’re non-exempt, and if withholding part of your commission puts you beneath those levels, that would be a legal issue.

7. Is it ever okay to give less than two weeks notice?

I work for a company that manages foreclosed properties for a bank. I was hired on as a temp 6 months ago with about 30 other people. There was no interview process, I applied through a temp agency and got the job. Since I’ve been hired, about 60 more people have been as well. This job is impersonal and it’s just important that I meet my quota every day and get the job done. There is a high turnover rate with people being transferred to different departments, fired, leaving etc. Recently, my company was bought out and now is under new leadership, which has thrown everything up in the air while they try to re-organize everything. I was going to give my 2 weeks notice tomorrow, but am reconsidering because I think they would have no problem letting me go right then, and I really need these next 2 weeks’ pay check. Is it ever appropriate to give less than 2 weeks notice?

When your company has a track record of asking people to leave the day they give notice, they give up any standing to expect employees to give the usual notice period. However, if you haven’t actually observed them doing this and instead just suspect they’ll do it to you, you’re in a stickier situation. Because you can’t point to how they’ve handled this in the past, you risk simply appearing unprofessional and damaging future references from this job. However, if you’re a temp working through an agency, you might be able to talk to them about how to handle this.

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

1. My office is recruiting candidates at the mall to find a “specific demographic”

The law office where I work is apparently looking for a part-time receptionist. I assumed they placed an ad in the paper like usual when there’s an opening, but today I found out that two of the business office staff went to the mall to scope out candidates. As in, they planned to approach workers in various retailers to tell them about the opening. On their way out of the office, they said they were looking for “a specific demographic.”

I didn’t ask what they meant; I was so surprised I nearly choked! They came back super excited about having found two “girls” in college who would either one be “perfect.” Hopefully they weren’t going for a certain look (but one of them has expressed disgust to me before about overweight people), but I’m sure they were looking for someone bubbly as the last person who had the job was cranky. The mall trip was mandated by the owner of the firm, a male attorney in his mid-60s.

I have no say in any of the decisions, but the idea didn’t sit right with me and I couldn’t believe they really did it. Am I just stuck inside an old recruitment box, or am I right thinking that sounds completely crazy?

It’s ridiculous. That’s not how you recruit. It’s also potentially discriminatory, in the illegal sense, depending on what “demographic” they were targeting. Assume you’re working with people who, at a minimum, don’t know how to hire and who might also have some bigotry problems going on as well.

2. Do I need to give earlier notice?

I plan to sign an offer letter with a new employer that has a start date 3 months away. I intend to continue working at my current employer until 2 weeks before my start date and then give notice. Am I under any legal and/or ethical obligation to give notice before that date? Might there be a legal issue if the two employers can be considered competitors in the broadest sense and my current at-will employment agreement forbids “working or consulting” for competitors during my employment?

Nope, that’s fine. You’re not employed by your new employer until your actual start date. You can check your employment agreement to make sure that there isn’t some unusual clause in there about notifying them if you “accept employment with” a competitor, but if it’s a standard agreement that just forbids “working or consulting with” a competitor, you’re fine.

3. Asking about health insurance early in a hiring process

I’m in the process of job hunting, and I’ve noticed a couple of positions at Company X (falling under the general blanket of “Big Data Analytics”) that seem to fit my skills reasonably well, and from what little I can glean at this point, the culture seems to be good, too. However, their website makes no mention of benefits (other than a few relatively minor things such as a casual dress code, etc.).

The thing is, health insurance is something that my wife and I absolutely must have, and for various reasons that I won’t go into, it would be nearly impossible to find affordable coverage for both of us. Obviously, if Company X doesn’t offer health insurance, that’s something that I’m unlikely to be able to negotiate with them. Also, while I certainly know enough not to bring up benefits early (or in the middle of) the application and interview process, I’d hate to waste their time–and mine–only to reach this impasse (if the impasse actually exists, of course, since it’s possible that Company X actually *does* offer health coverage).

So, what would you recommend? Applying anyway and hoping for the best? Trying to somehow diplomatically ask if health insurance could possibly be on the table (and if so, how)? Something else?

If it’s a professional position, I’d assume it offers health insurance; in that context, it’s more common to offer it than not. It’s still a perfectly reasonable question to ask, but the reality is that some interviewers will interpret a question about it at an early stage as seeming overly focused on benefits, rather than the work itself. For that reason, I’d wait until you’re further along in the process, or even until you’re at the offer stage. And yes, I realize that’s ridiculous. (But it’s also true that most of the time, full-time professional positions include insurance.)

4. Applying for a job with someone you previously interviewed with

I’m a recent (2011) grad and am currently working as a child protection social worker. To put it lightly, I hate my job. Before I accepted this position, I had interviewed for a position at a local nonprofit providing counseling and outreach around tobacco use. I almost had the job, and lost it to a classmate with zero relevant experience but a father in politics with money to spend. I realize that sounds bitter, but we were a small class and she confided this to me not knowing I was the other candidate. She recently asked me for interview advice so that she could get a job similar to mine, and it worked — and her job has been reposted. The employer had offered me a volunteer position, but I declined as I had to relocate to accept my current job. Both interviews went extremely well at the nonprofit, and I think we parted on good terms.

The contact is the same woman with whom I interviewed. Should I apply just by sending my resume? Or should I try and reach out more informally first?

If it’s an electronic application system, apply through it and then send her an email letting her know that you did, reminding her of your conversations with her last year, and letting her know that you’re really interested in talking about the position again. If it’s not an electronic application system and the instructions just say to email her a resume and cover letter, then do that — but say what the stuff above in your cover letter to her. (Which can be a semi-informal, conversational email.)

Read an update to this letter here.

5. Do I need to tell an interviewer I was laid off from my job since applying?

I read your post about whether you should tell recruiters you were laid off and, yes, when asked, it seems that it’s best to admit the truth. However, I applied for a job while employed and, two weeks later, I am interviewing for the job after having been laid off. (My department was restructured and my position was eliminated, though I left “in good standing” with a letter of recommendation.) Should I volunteer this information during the interview or wait until it comes up? The new position really is a continuation of my old position — almost the exact same job, but in a directorial capacity and at a different organization. I’d think my position being eliminated (it was a new position, at that) only makes me look less qualified to have more responsibility in this area.

Should I tell them outright during the interview? I figure it will catch up with me eventually. My current Linkedin profile reflects that I’m no longer employed. Also, I’m concerned about salary leverage if I admit it too early.

You were employed when you applied, so you didn’t misrepresent anything on your resume. This is no different than if you’d voluntary resigned after applying for a job. You don’t need to volunteer the information, but you shouldn’t lie. If asked, explain that you left during a restructuring. (You can even word it exactly like that, which leaves hazy the question of whether it was voluntary or not — although obviously if directly asked, you tell the truth.) But you’re under no obligation to raise this if it doesn’t come up.

6. Negotiating a later start date

My partner and I will be traveling for 3 weeks in January to visit family on a different continent. Most of the job postings I’m looking at right now have a start date on January 1. What is the best way to handle this?

Do I tell an interviewer up front that I’ll be gone for 3 weeks in the first month? Do I only bring it up when I have an actual offer, and then try to negotiate a start date in February? Do I simply not apply for jobs with a start date in January? Please assume that cancelling the trip is not an option.

Wait and see how the process plays out. Lot of employers think they’re going to hire someone by a particular date, when in reality it will take far longer. There’s a good chance that some of these jobs are going to end up with later start dates. But if things do seem to be moving reasonably quickly, yes, try to negotiate a later start date once you have an offer. (Don’t try to ask for three weeks of vacation in your first month; that will generally look naive.) However, if you get the sense during the interview process that they’re serious about that January 1 start date, say something then — otherwise, in that context, you’ll look like you were operating in bad faith if you wait.

Also, keep in mind that you may end up in a position where you need to choose between a job you want and the trip — some employers may not be able or willing to be as flexible as you need, so be prepared to make that choice if it comes to that.