May 2008

time off in between jobs

A reader writes: I have been laid off for almost 10 months now. I have been working hard for this time to secure another position. I am currently concerned that the length of time I have been out of work is against me when I interview. I have had several interviewing managers ask me what […]

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protecting your time from long-winded interlopers

When you’re racing to get something done on a deadline and you get interrupted by a long-winded caller, do you:(a) Let them talk, trying to politely hint that you don’t have much time(b) Say, “I’m actually short on time right now. Could I call you back?” Far more people do (a) than (b) — because […]

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10 questions to ask your interviewer

When your interviewer wraps up your job interview by asking if you have any questions, you might be thinking that he or she is finished assessing you, but that’s not quite the case. Interviewers will draw conclusions about you based on the questions you ask — or don’t ask. If you don’t ask questions, you’re […]

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denied performance evaluation

A reader writes: I have a question on how to challenge a denial of work performance reviews on behalf of a co-worker. The position is an administrative assistant position which this person has been in 7 years. She has never had a yearly performance review and accordingly no raises! Her job duties have increased. She […]

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returning to the job market after depression

A reader writes: My brother, after a two-and-a-half-year recovery period from severe depression, will be entering the job market this fall. He was working low-level clerical jobs the past two years while getting therapy and getting his mental health together. Now he feels ready to re-enter the professional job market once again and get his […]

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you made a mistake at work — now what?

When you make a mistake at work, how you handle its immediate aftermath can often overshadow the mistake itself. First, here’s what not to do: 1. Don’t hope that if you act like it wasn’t a big deal, your boss might think it wasn’t a big deal either. This strategy will actually compound the damage: […]

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how to get the most of out your internship

A reader writes: I’m going to be starting a 3-month summer internship in the management consulting field for a reasonably small (~30 employees) boutique consultancy. I see it as the first step in my career goal to become a management consultant. My goals from this internship are: 1) To obtain a bunch of great contacts […]

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Sorry for the slow-down in postings. I’m crazed with work. And really horribly backlogged on answering my email — so if you are really anxious for an answer to something you’ve emailed me, it wouldn’t hurt to resend it. I’ll be back in better form next week.

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your interview starts NOW

I frequently see job candidates act as if only “official” contacts — like interviews and formal writing samples — count during the hiring process. They’ll send flawlessly edited cover letters and writing samples and then check on their applications with sloppily written emails with spelling errors. Or they’ll be charming and polite to me but […]

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passed over for promotion

A reader writes: A co-worker of mine was recently promoted to an open position without any other candidates, myself included, having been interviewed. When I first attempted to talk to the hiring manager about this, he accused me of “overreacting” and acting immature. Now, my purpose is not to argue why I should have been […]

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