November 2008

boss cut hours by half

A reader writes: I am my boss’ only employee and he cut my hours to 20/week a few weeks ago. I was surprised, to say the least. I thought he did it because he didn’t want me there anymore so I asked him if that was the reason. He said it was solely because of […]

Read the full article →

can I make the company give me THEIR references?

Yep, a Black Friday extravaganza: three posts in one day. A reader writes: After the second interview, when an interview requests my references, is it ever possible to turn around and also ask the interviewer for references from the prospective company? I would only do this if (1) I am really sure that I want […]

Read the full article →

silence from manager after layoff

A reader writes: I was recently laid off. My boss works in a different office and was not there for the layoff. The SVP who was there told me that my boss wanted to have a conversation with me about the situation. It has now been over a week and I have not heard from […]

Read the full article →

checking references without intent to make an offer

A reader writes: Do potential employers ever check a/some/all candidates’ references with no intent to present an offer to a/some/all of the candidate(s)? And where is the reference check in relation to the rest of the candidate choosing process? Only if they’re insane. Checking the references of a candidate you have no interest in hiring […]

Read the full article →

job-hunting while pregnant

A reader writes: I was laid off in July and am currently job hunting. I am also 10 weeks pregnant right now. I am 37 and this is my first pregnancy after several years of failed fertility treatments. I am thrilled, but I have been keeping the news very quiet until I am safely past […]

Read the full article →

why poor performers don’t get fired

Almost everyone has had the experience of working alongside someone who chronically doesn’t do a good job — and of puzzling over why nothing is being done about it. The answer: Nothing is being done about it because your manager isn’t doing her job and is allowing her desire to be nice and to avoid […]

Read the full article →

scared because of interview lying

A reader writes: I’m a legal assistant and I went for an interview with a lawyer. The office is small and there’s only one lawyer. The thing is, I lied on my first interview. My last job was at a law office assisting one attorney. I said I left on maternity leave but the truth […]

Read the full article →

connecting to your interviewer on LinkedIn

A reader writes: Is it recommended to add as a contact to your LinkedIn account someone you had recently interviewed with, if they are already in your extended network? Of course, this is dependent on the assumed rapport (although that can be hard to tell as well). I have mixed feelings about this. I think […]

Read the full article →

invited to apply and then rejected

A reader writes: I volunteer for a company and they asked me to apply for a post which I would not have applied for in the first place. I applied and they gave it to someone else. Why set me up for such a fall? I can see how it would feel like that, but […]

Read the full article →

stop sending me recommendation letters

Please stop with the letters of recommendation! Don’t attach them to your resume and don’t offer them up at the interview. I know you feel good about them but, unfortunately, they aren’t useful. Here’s why: When hiring managers get to the point that we want to talk to your references, we want to talk to […]

Read the full article →