January 2008

you are talking too much

I’ve done a bunch of interviews recently with candidates who sank their chances by not knowing when to stop talking. Your answer to the interviewer’s question should be direct and to-the-point. It should not result in you rambling on for five minutes, giving tons of background and tangents. If there’s more to tell and you […]

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denied a promotion

A reader writes: I starting working at my present company about 1.5 years ago. Before working here, I was doing recruiting for about 2 years at an agency. I came into my current company as an assistant to the recruitment team because I was told I didn’t have enough experience as a recruiter in this […]

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chronological resume?

A reader writes: Having been in the working world for 7+ years (post college), I’ve racked up a variety of professional experiences (have had 4 different full-time jobs, as well as done some complementary contract work on the side). I’m currently considering a new opportunity in which not ALL of my professional experiences necessarily apply. […]

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leadership style in Afghanistan

A reader writes: I have been working with First Micro Finance Bank of Afghanistan for the last 8 months and I am leaving this organization because of personal problems. The leadership style in Afghanistan is very authoritative and I have brought a new sort of leadership style in this company where everyone is open and […]

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be honest about employee problems

Do you have an employee whose performance you’re unhappy with? Tell them. Do you have an employee who you strongly suspect isn’t going to work on in the long-term? Tell them. All too often, managers avoid being candid with employees about concerns over performance or fit. They want to avoid a difficult conversation, or they […]

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I’ve been tagged

I have been tagged by The Ethical Slut. The rules:Link to the person who tagged you.Post the rules on your blog.Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.Tag at least three people at the end of your post and link to their blogs.Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. […]

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you need to wear a suit

Yes, you have to dress up for the interview. I don’t care if the office where you’re interviewing is business casual. You can wear business casual when you’re working there, after you impress them in the interview where you wore a suit. I don’t care if you don’t feel suits reflect the “real you.” I […]

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train people on day one

I recently had a new employee comment that he was pleasantly surprised by how prepared we were for him on his first day — that we gave him the materials and training he needed to be able to jump right in. I knew exactly what he meant, because our preparation stems from having worked for […]

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the ethics of editing writing samples

My cousin gave me pause today when he asked me to edit the writing sample he’s sending to a prospective employer. I know, of course, that job applicants — the good ones — get their materials edited by other people all the time. It’s part of showing due diligence in making sure you don’t have […]

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