September 2007

update from reader irritated by her boss

I just received an update from the reader who wrote in recently about being fed up with her manager, who wasn’t giving her enough information about projects, didn’t give her time to talk with him, and engaged in a variety of other annoying habits. Several commenters and I advised her on ways to neutralize his […]

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alternatives to firing

I believe in transitioning out employees who aren’t working out, but it doesn’t always have to be by firing. A few years ago, I had an employee whose work was pretty good (although not stellar) but who frequently got frustrated and resentful over several demands of the job, snapped at people, and constantly needed to […]

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where’s the raise I was promised?

A reader writes: I work for a small (13 staff members), quickly growing non-profit organization. When I received my original offer, I was told that there would be an informal performance AND salary review at 3 months. I made the very unwise decision to not negotiate my starting salary based on this promise, because I […]

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7 ways interviewing is like dating

1. Desperation is not attractive. When you’re seeking a job, you’re not asking someone to do a favor for you; you’re offering the company something they want in exchange for getting something you want. 2. Be choosy and deliberative and don’t just take the first thing that comes along. 3. Make your interest personal, not […]

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irritated by manager

A reader writes: I’m working at my first full-time job, and I’ve been here for just over a year. The company is pretty small, only about 20 people, but still much larger than my last job where there was about six of us. We were all very close, and any issues were usually dealt with […]

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billing your job search to your current employer

Attention job applicants: When you FedEx me your resume and bill the cost to your current company, I can see that right there on the shipping slip. Why does anyone think this is a good idea? It’s another illustration of how even the little things you do during the application process matter.

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dealing with unreasonable deadlines

A reader writes: I work in a very small office, doing a series of specific technical projects, reporting to a very young, recent-graduate manager who doesn’t have any experience in my area. I am regularly asked to complete projects in in ridiculous time frames. For instance, a project that I (and other peers) would normally […]

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how to fire an employee

Firing poor performers is one of the hardest things managers do — and also one of the most important. I’ll write in the future about how to make the decision to fire someone in the first place, but for now, here are six rules for the termination conversation itself. Disclaimer: This post doesn’t address the […]

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