August 2009

can job offer be rescinded over a misunderstanding?

A reader writes: My husband has been offered a new contract via email. His response was: “With all honesty I cannot but accept this offer.” The employer replied:“I don’t know how to interpret your reply, but what I understand is that you decline the offer.” He replied to this email clarifying that his answer was […]

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should I tell recruiters I was laid off?

A reader writes: I just graduated in December, and started work in January. The company lost a large contract, and my site had to lay off 20% of the work force, myself included. Any recruiter is going to ask why I left, and a friend of a friend who works for a staffing agency said […]

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manager asking me to discipline my coworkers

A reader writes: Several of the employees of my office (including myself) have been approached by our department manager, who has asked us to talk with specific employees about their attendance, personal phone calls, hygiene, etc. I feel this is the manager’s job to do but he has become down right insistent that we “handle” […]

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can I use my ex as a job reference?

A reader writes: On the application I have been asked to return immediately before what appears to be my final interview, it asks for three references that are not relatives or former employers. I would like to use my ex-wife, but I am concerned if this may be acceptable from the eyes of a recruiter. […]

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offer changed once I was on the job

A reader writes: I just finished my second week in my “dream job,” but there are some complications, and I’m not sure how to proceed. The job required moving from the Midwest to the West coast; I both received the job offer and accepted it by phone. At the time of offer, I was offered […]

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why I am losing at interview phone tag?

A reader writes: I wondered if perhaps you could shed some light on a situation that I’ve just encountered for the second time since I got laid off last October. I received a call late Tuesday afternoon and was not somewhere that it was convenient for me to take a professional phone call. The caller […]

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how to deal with job rejection

If you’re a job seeker in this economy, in addition to knowing how to write a good cover letter, talk winningly about your accomplishments, and follow up without being too stalkerish, you’ll probably need another skill too — dealing with rejection after applying for a job, maybe even one you really wanted and thought you […]

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contracting vs. full-time job

A reader writes: About 9 months ago I was let go from a great full-time contracting position I held for three years with a large corporation. At the time, the company was laying off hundreds of employees and contractors like myself were the first to go, and I was sad to leave the work and […]

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