May 2011

the office clerk I supervise is out-of-control

May 30, 2011

A reader writes:

I have a co-worker who is using my job title to make herself look more important. I am an Executive Assistant to the VP at my organization. We have a part-time worker in our department, I’ll call her Suzy. Suzy was hired initially as a temporary part-time office clerk while someone in the department was on medical leave. Suzy was going to move in 6 months – perfect timing for us.

In 6 months, Suzy’s move was delayed indefinitely and we are stuck with her. She has used the title Executive Assistant many times:

- In her email signature
- In an unauthorized interview in the local newspaper (I put a stop to this – the Director is the only one who needs to speak to the media)
- In her LinkedIn profile
- On business cards (don’t ask how a temporary part-time office clerk finagled business cards)
- On the phone
- In letters to customers (I put a stop to this and explained that the Director is the only one who can sign these)

I am her direct supervisor; she is also under the direction of the Director. The Director is my supervisor by default since the position of VP is vacant. Otherwise, the Director would be a co-worker and rank above me, but would not be my supervisor.

The Director and I have spoken many times about Suzy’s bad work qualities:

- Insubordination
- No discretion on the phone to customers
- Does not accept correction or instruction

Suzy has some good qualities but her negative qualities are quickly overcoming the positive. Now everyone in the office is focused on her bad traits and she is becoming a liability in my opinion. She could easily be replaced by a less-qualified, part-time employee. She is overqualified for her position and it must rankle her to remain in the job she holds. I am also overqualified for my position, as I recently graduated with my Masters degree. I plan to stay in my current position until I accept a full-time position elsewhere. I’m sure Suzy wants my job when and if I leave; I am pretty sure she would not get it.

My questions are; do I address the issue of Suzy stealing my job title? Do I begin to document Suzy’s insubordination even if the Director has not instructed me to do this? I plan to apply for an additional position in the same organization – one that I would do at night, online. I don’t want my lack of action in dealing with Suzy to be seen as weakness. On the flipside, I do not want to be seen as a whiner and complainer.

Um. You are Suzy’s manager. So manage her.

Her using your title is the least of your problems, and also the most easily addressed. Say the following: “Suzy, I noticed that you’re using the wrong title in your emails, on your business cards, and elsewhere. Your title is office clerk. Please make sure you’re using the correct title from here on.”

But that’s really the least of the issues here. A part-time office clerk gave an interview to the media on the company’s behalf?  She’s writing to customers when she’s not authorized to? She’s insubordinate, doesn’t take feedback or instruction, and handles customers poorly?  Why is she still there?

You are not “stuck with her.” You are her manager, and you need to start doing your job (and so does your boss). And that doesn’t just mean documenting these problems — it means having a serious conversation with Suzy in which you tell her clearly that her job is in jeopardy if she doesn’t make immediate and dramatic changes in how she approaches her work … and then replacing her if she doesn’t make those immediate and dramatic changes. It is not “whining and complaining” to set and enforce standards for people working under you and to hold them accountable for meeting them.

Now, I suppose it’s possible that you don’t have firing authority over Suzy, even though you’re her direct supervisor, but what does supervising mean if not setting a bar for performance and assessing how well she’s meeting it?  You need to start exercising the authority of your position. At the same time, talk with the director about the problems you see and how you’re addressing them. Be candid that you think Suzy might not be the right person for the job and that you’re giving her some time to improve (weeks, not months) but that she ultimately might need to be replaced.

You and the director both need to stop complaining and wringing your hands, and start actually handling the situation.

{ 54 comments }

Posted in good management

my job-share divides our workload unevenly

May 30, 2011

A reader writes:

I work in a role shared by two people – I work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and my colleague does Thursday and Friday.

The total workload at the beginning of the week in the first three days is about three times as heavy as the last two days of the week. This cannot be changed and spread more evenly, due to the nature of the role.

Do I have any legal entitlement to ask for the introduction of a monthly alternating rota so that we both share the heavy days on alternative months, or can I expect to get some recognition (either financial or otherwise) of the far greater workload which I carry?

Legal entitlement? No.

I wish I knew what mythical laws people are thinking of would prohibit all these miscellaneous practices.

But you can certainly talk to your boss about the possibility of alternating the heavy days, and you can certainly ask for a raise if you think your performance merits one. Speak up!

{ 11 comments }

Posted in advice about your boss, advice about your coworkers

my requests for post-job-rejection feedback are being ignored!

May 30, 2011

Continuing our Memorial Day weekend flood of posts…

A reader writes:

I work for a county (non federal) government agency. Three times since 2009, I have landed an interview for the same position that has opened up in one department over the past two years (not the current dept where I work, but in an area where I’ve had previous experience). Same position meaning same title, but maybe different office.

Each time, I didn’t get the position. Each time, I emailed the panel particularly the lead/hiring manager thanking them for the interview and asking for feedback. I have even stated I would be willing to meet with them in person, talk via phone or if they would prefer an email reply, etc.

Each time, I have not received a response. Making the interview is a good sign, but it’s obvious that they are looking for something that’s not on paper.

It’s difficult for me to know how to improve, what they were looking for, etc. if feedback isn’t provided. Although I realize that they are not obligated or required to do so, it would certainly help.

I always end my emails by saying that any feedback, suggestions, and/or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Any suggestions as to how to deal with this?

Well, first, it’s possible that you’re just not going to get feedback. There are all kinds of reasons for this: the interviewer has learned from experience that too many candidates get defensive and hostile when a reason for the rejection is given, or they’re lazy, or they’re under blanket orders from litigation-phobic lawyers not to comment, or the reason you were rejected is an awkward one (for example, you appeared crazy or combative), or there really isn’t much to say beyond the fact that someone else was just a better candidate.

However, you can at least up your chances of getting useful feedback by taking a different approach. You’ve been ending your emails with a note that any feedback would be appreciated — which is very easy to ignore because it’s not a direct request, and they might even think you’re saying it as something of an afterthought rather than expressing a real desire to get some input.

So I would write a more direct email. Say something like this: “I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me about the X job. I want to ask you a favor: I’m extremely interested in moving into a position like X, and I would be so grateful for your feedback about how I can better position myself to do that. Is there anything in the way that I interview that you think might be holding me back?  Are there weaknesses that I can tackle, or anything else that you think might help me pursue a similar position in the future? Please understand that I’m not in any way taking issue with your decision, but rather asking for help. I’d really appreciate any advice you can share with me.”

You still may not get much in the way of a response, but this will give you the best chance of eliciting one. Good luck!

{ 27 comments }

Posted in rejections

10 ways to ace your phone interview

May 30, 2011

My column this week at U.S. News & World Report is on 10 ways to ace your phone interview. If you’ve been reading me for any length of time, I’ll be personally disappointed in you if you don’t know these tips, but if you’re new or you need a refresher, check it out here.

{ 5 comments }

Posted in phone interviews

short answer Sunday: 7 short answers to 7 short questions

May 30, 2011

Seven short questions, seven short answers…  And note that we need advice from someone good at networking in the third question.

Including travel and volunteer work on your resume

My friend and I have this debate over my resume. I traveled to Thailand a year ago to do two weeks of volunteering and two weeks of traveling. I helped build a sustainable toilet for a impoverished but growing hill tribe. I also worked at an elephant sanctuary, sort of retirement/rescue home for abused elephants. She thinks I should list this on my resume to stand out, even though I’m applying for assistant positions because I’m straight out of college. What’s your take? Should I include it or is it unnecessary, since the skills I learned there was basically to survive, lay cement and never turn your back on an elephant?

Yes, include it. Some interviewers will simply find it interesting and will ask you about it; others will think it says something admirable about your character and will like it for that reason; and others won’t care. It certainly won’t hurt you and in some cases will help. (Don’t take up a huge amount of space with it though since it was only a month; I’m talking about a couple of lines, not giving it the same real estate you’d give to a job.)

Employer wants a non-employer reference

I am applying for a job where the employer wants a reference that is not a previous employer or relative. What should I do? I understand that they do not want a relative…but have you ever heard of employers asking for a reference that is not from a previous employer? I have a few professors I could use. Should I use them? Or, a best friend?

I don’t know why some employers do this; I’ve never understood the point. I’d use clients, non-manager colleagues, or people who know you in your community, but I wouldn’t use a best friend. You want to keep it in the professional realm.

Can I network with people I work with through my current job?

I am currently employed, but looking for a new job.  I have worked for the same, very small, company for the last 6+ years, and networking with other professionals in this “field” is non-existent.  I have, however, developed a number of good relationships with people who call on me in my role at this current company.  Is it acceptable to reach out to these people to ask if they know of any positions that I might be suited for?  I’ve been racking my brain for people I can reach out to in my network, and these seem to be the best bet  Would this be acceptable?  Essentially these people are sales managers or executives who call on me.

Probably, if you’re diplomatic about how you do it. You don’t want your boss to hear that you’re using company time and company connections to job search, and you also don’t want these people to feel you’ve put them in an uncomfortable position. So you need to be low-key about it. Maybe someone who’s more networky/schmoozy than I am can weigh in with some specific suggestions about how to word this appropriately.

Salary history when you worked in a foreign country

I was hoping you might be able to help me with the question of how to address my compensation history in my cover letter when requested by the job posting. My most recent full-time position was in another country, where I made significantly less than I would in the US. But I was paid the going rate for that country, which also had a lower cost of living and several other mitigating factors. That said, I am quite flexible on what compensation I would accept. So I really don’t want to discuss salaries at this point — it’s a complicated situation. This is a relatively entry-level position, not some high-level executive position. I also have to take a test first, which is probably more important to the hiring decision than anything else. Would it hurt me if I just avoided answering the question in my cover letter? Or do I have to say something, just to fulfill their application directions and have a shot at taking the test/getting an interview? This sounds like the perfect job for me, so I would love to hear any advice!

On the question of whether to address it at all, read this post. If you do decide to discuss it, I’d probably say something like, “I was employed in another country, where salary scales don’t translate well, but I’m seeking $__.”

Coworker and I are both applying for jobs at a competitor

Recently a friend and I both got positions at a local company, part time. We have both only been there about 4 months, however a local competitor just posted listings for the same position, but with significantly higher pay. We are told they are filling more than 1 spot. If both of us apply and get offers at the competitor, how do we handle it? I feel like it puts our current employer in a bad situation since losing both of us would considerably cut their staffing and also since we came together, it might look odd to both quit together. Would it be appropriate for one or both of us to approach our current employer about a pay increase? Advice please???!!!!

You’re getting way ahead of yourself; you guys are applying for jobs but haven’t been interviewed, let alone been offered the position yet. So I wouldn’t stress out about this until/unless you have to — and at that point, you should do what’s best for you, and your employer will survive, believe me. People leave jobs, and you can’t worry about how to coordinate it with someone else who might also be leaving.

Regarding a pay increase, I wouldn’t recommend asking for a raise when you’ve only been there four months, based on the fact that another company is paying more. You risk them saying, “Well, go try to get a job there then.” After only four months, they’re not that invested in you yet.

What should a resume lead off with?

I recently started reading your blog, and I have made several changes to my job hunting and applying practices. I still cannot get the resume right though. I agree with you that an “objective” is unnecessary and even detrimental because it is usually so obvious and uninformative, but how else do you introduce the resume? For example, if I cut out my objective, my resume would start with “education.”  Looking at example resumes online, when they jump right into “education” or “experience” or even directly into a list of experiences with no title, it is a little off-putting and seems unattractive to me. Is it just me who would prefer to ease into the beginning with some sort of introduction? I have no experience reading other people’s resumes, so maybe I just don’t know what to look for. I seek some sort of short introduction, however, I do not agree with some of your readers’ suggestions about replacing the “objective” with “personal profile” or other similar headings because I think that more detailed personal information is more fit for the cover letter. I would love your thoughts.

Lots of resumes start with the education or experience section; it’s really not jarring. However, skills profiles are growing in popularity, and if you don’t want to jump straight into education or experience, a short profile at the top is your best bet. Keep it objective, not subjective. No hiring manager cares if you think you have a great work ethic or outstanding communication skills; they want to know what you’ve achieved.

Capitalization

I’m working on my resume and want to quantify the marketing budget I handle.  What is the proper way to refer to the following?  Does it matter?

- Plan and manage annual marketing budget of $1,000,000
- Plan and manage annual marketing budget of $1 million
- Plan and manage annual marketing budget of $1 Million
- Plan and manage annual marketing budget of $1MM

or???

I don’t think this is a make-or-break issue, but I feel like it is important to stick with some sort of generally accepted practice.

Either $1 million or $1,000,000 is correct. $1 Million is incorrect (you don’t capitalize common nouns, only proper ones), and $1MM risks the possibility that your reader doesn’t know what MM stands for.

{ 11 comments }

Posted in short answers

is it appropriate to ask my interviewer for pointers for the next interview round?

May 29, 2011

A reader writes:

I’ve had two phone interviews with a company, then went in for an interview loop and interviewed with five different people. I heard from my recruiter today, and the fifth person I met with, the hiring manager, wants me to come in to meet with her again (we were a little rushed the first time), as well as meet with someone else on the team.

Would it be appropriate for me to contact the fourth interviewer from my first loop, to give me some pointers on what I can do better this time around? While she was taking me to meet with the hiring manager, she stopped me and told me how much she liked me, and gave me a couple tips, so I feel like it wouldn’t be completely weird to ask her for help.

What do you think? Would this be wildly inappropriate?

I don’t think you should contact her for “help” or pointers — she’s presumably interested in hiring the best person for the job, rather helping one particular candidate. It’s one thing for her to have said to you, “By the way, Joe really loves X, so you might make sure he knows the extent of your experience in that” or whatever type of spur of the moment tips she offered you in your interview, but you seeking her out to ask for pointers for the next round is a bit different. It potentially feels a little icky; you risk coming across as trying to sell your way into the job (rather than earning it on the merits of being the best candidate) and/or making her feel you’ve put her in an awkward position.

However, you could definitely email her to thank her for her time, reiterate your interest in the job, and tell her that you’d love any feedback she’s able to offer. You never know — she might take you up on that. Or she might not — but you won’t be taking as much of a risk by wording it this way. Good luck!

{ 3 comments }

Posted in interviewing

when does a writing sample become too old to use?

May 29, 2011

The flood of posts promised earlier is still more likely than not to be on its way … but it’s a 3-day weekend so it’s hard to decide if they’re coming today or tomorrow. And now that I’ve heard the terrible news that Christopher Meloni — who plays the extremely compelling Elliot Stabler — is leaving Law & Order SVU, I really need to put in some serious SVU time.  However …

A reader writes:

If I submit a writing sample from a job I held two to three years ago, does that raise a red flag for the hiring manager? I did a lot of longer-form writing for my first job out of college (publication summaries, web content, longer press releases), then worked in domestic politics for the next year where the limited amount of writing I did was extremely short-form and to the point (two-sentence press releases, for example). Now I’m applying to some jobs that would require longer-form writing, and I imagine the employer would want more than a paragraph for a writing sample. Am I safe using writing samples from my first job, even though some of them are almost three years old? Or should I write something new specifically for my job hunt?

Three years ago isn’t that long for a writing sample. More than five years, and I might wonder why you didn’t use something more recent, but even then, if your recent jobs hadn’t involved writing, it wouldn’t be a big deal. Of course, if you’d been writing all along and still offered me a sample from 5+ years ago, I might wonder what was up (i.e., is this the only good thing you’ve produced in that time?), but none of that is the case here.

That said, make sure that you still feel good about your 3-year-old writing sample. I sometimes look back at my own older writing and cringe. If you have any hint of feeling cringey about it, it’s okay to create something new just for the purpose of your job search.

{ 11 comments }

Posted in job searching

warning…

May 27, 2011

I have a bunch of random questions I want to answer and I don’t feel like putting them all into one short-answer post, so brace yourself for a possible coming flood of mini posts. Like, a lot.

Or maybe not. It’s possible that I might just eat potato salad and watch a lot of Law & Order instead.

{ 20 comments }

Posted in Uncategorized

when you’re asked to interview your prospective new manager

May 27, 2011

A reader writes:

Our department was asked by our director (male) to have an informal-type “interview” with 2 of the finalists in line to fill our manager position (the current manager is retiring).  We are a small department of 8 people (all female) and we are tasked with “being unemotional” and to have “facts” as to why we prefer one over the other.  Yet, we were told to not assume that this will make a difference in who is hired.

First question: What do you think of this?  We are thinking that this is a effort to make us feel good – that we have some say – yet we all know that that in fact is not the case.

Second question:  Since we have to go through this exercise – could you give us some ideas of interview questions that can be judged unemotionally and allows us to give some useful feedback to the director as to our preference?

Your inclusion of everyone’s gender makes me think that you think there’s something gender-based going on here (like that your male boss is assuming women’s input will be more likely to be based on emotion rather than facts) … and maybe that’s the case, but I wouldn’t jump to that conclusion, just based on what you’ve written here.

Asking people to interview candidates to be their manager is a sensitive situation: From your director’s perspective, he wants to make sure that you understand that the final decision may not match your recommendation, and it’s smart to make that clear up front, because it really won’t feel good if it’s a surprise to you later. He also wants useful input from you — not just “we liked Susan the best.” For your input to be helpful, he’s looking for specifics that aren’t about liking or disliking someone, but rather something more concrete than that — “Susan had really good ideas about how to streamline X and it felt like she really got the challenges we’re facing with Y,” or “Jane didn’t communicate her ideas very clearly and seemed stiff to the point that it was hard to get a good sense of her.”

Very often when I’ve asked people for their input about candidates, I’ve received responses more along the lines of “I liked Susan best,” and then have had to pull out details from them. So I’ve learned over time — and maybe your boss has too — to be clear up-front about what kind of input will be the most valuable.

(Of course, it’s also possible that your boss is a raging sexist and assumes women can’t give unemotional input. I’m just saying that I wouldn’t jump to that conclusion unless there’s a larger context to cause you to.)

Now, will your input be considered or is this just a charade to make you feel like you had a voice in the decision when you really didn’t?  It could be either, but I wouldn’t assume it’s the latter without some real reason for thinking that. While I can’t imagine a situation where I’d hand a group of employees final authority over who their next manager would be, I’d still (almost) always be interested in hearing their insights and impressions and factoring them into my decision. If everyone hates the candidate I love, that’s really important for me to know. And I’d be interested in hearing more nuanced impressions from them too, especially from people with a different vantage point than mine. I’m still going to make the final call, but the more well-rounded my picture of the candidates, the better decision I can make.

That’s not to say that your boss isn’t just going through the motions here; maybe he is. I don’t know enough about him to know, but at least factor into your thinking that everything you’ve described could be the actions of someone approaching this in a reasonable way.

As for what to ask the candidates when you meet with them, here’s a list of questions to consider:

  • What’s a common misconception some people have about you?
  • What has your biggest achievement been at ___? What results there that you produced are you most proud of? (You can then also ask the same question for other jobs they’ve had. You’re looking for someone with a pattern of taking things from X to Y — with Y being greater than X.)
  • Can you walk us through how you managed a recent large project, something where others were doing the work but you were overseeing it? What was your role? How did you interact with the people carrying out the work?
  • Can you tell us about a difficult decision you had to make recently? Walk us through the problem and what your thought process was, and how you ultimately handled it.
  • How would you describe yourself as a manager? How do you think people you’ve managed would describe you?
  • How has your approach to management evolved as you’ve gained more experience?
  • What do you do to work on being a better manager?
  • What do you think are some of the most common ways people fail at management?
  • Tell us about an employee who became more successful as a result of your management.
  • How would you describe the bar for performance at ___ (or in the department you manage)?
  • What do you look for when you hire people?
  • How do you handle performance problems? Can you walk us through your approach using a real-life example?
  • Tell us about a time you had to give someone difficult feedback. How did you approach it?
  • Tell us about a management mistake that you made in the past. What would you do differently?
  • Even the best bosses generate complaints from their employees now and then. What complaints do you think the people you’ve managed would have about you?
  • What drives you crazy in people you manage?
  • One problem that we’re struggling with here is ___. What are your thoughts on how you’d approach that?

There’s a wide range or good and bad answers here. Overall, what you’re looking for is a sense of how this person operates: Are they someone who’s focused on results, or do they get bogged down with minutia?  How do they make decisions? How do they see the role of a manager? What will they be like to work with? Do they communicate their ideas well? Do they think clearly? Are they smart? Are they willing to make tough choices and have hard conversations?  Do they have good judgment? Do they manage by fear? Do they manage at all? Are they open and transparent? Secure? A wimp? A tyrant? Indecisive?  Defensive?  Calm? Direct?

Use the list above as a starting point. Good luck!

{ 31 comments }

Posted in advice about your boss, good management

my employer cc’d my husband on an email turning me down for a promotion

May 26, 2011

A reader writes:

I recently applied for an internal promotion. Several other employees had mentioned my name for this position, and I asked to put my name in for consideration. Our CFO, to whom the position directly reports, agreed to meet with me. He kept putting our meeting off, and I finally got about fifteen minutes with him. During that time, he completely changed the way the job was presented, even going against the Monster advertisement for the job.

Rather than going through our HR person as he did with all the other candidates, he had me send him my resume directly, and he emailed me directly the next business day to let me know he’d hired someone else (and went on about the bachelor’s degree and how it was suddenly of great importance to him.)

He also copied my husband in on the email. We work for the same company, a by-product of when we were in a much smaller community and there were few options for employment that didn’t require a long commute.

There was absolutely nothing related to the IT department (where my husband works) in his email. He made no mention of anything related to my husband, but copied him in as though that were a normal thing to do.

My husband and I try very hard to keep our business relationship professional. We repeatedly remind people that we are completely separate at work; I even try to joke it off and say “I don’t have a husband at work, but I’ll see if J is available.” Why he would copy someone unrelated in on the email is stumping me.

Do I confront him about copying in my husband on this email, or do I just let it go? Either solution has me feeling a little sick to my stomach.

Wow. This is the exact opposite of that husband who wanted his wife to accept a job offer on his behalf.

And, like that, this is completely inappropriate.

I don’t even know what to say about what he could have been thinking — it’s just bizarre. Did he think he’d save you the trouble of relaying the info to your husband over dinner?

I’d email him back, thank him for considering you for the job, and then add: “By the way, I noticed you cc’d John on this message. We try very hard to keep a business relationship when we’re at work and keep the same boundaries here that we would with any other colleague. It’s better for us and better for the company. Frankly, our preference is for people to forget we’re even married!”

Hopefully that’ll make him realize that what he did was really stupid, but if not, you’ll at least have conveyed your message for the future. And from there, I’d just write it off to social ineptness.

{ 37 comments }

Posted in advice about your coworkers

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