October 2011

how to deal with a bad interviewer

In an ideal world, all job interviews would be conducted by interviewers who are skilled at asking relevant questions and ensuring that candidates gain a solid understanding of the position, the company, and the culture. Unfortunately, in reality, many interviewers are inexperienced, unskilled, otherwise unable to conduct effective interviews. But if handled correctly, encountering a […]

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short answer Sunday: 7 short answers to 7 short questions

It’s short answer Sunday. Today I get territorial about hair color and also call someone a dick. Here we go… Friend asked me to write my own letter of recommendation I have been looking steadily for work for a long time with discouraging results. Recently I applied for a job where a friend works (but […]

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want to ruin a friendship? hire a friend.

Right now, someone out there is thinking about hiring a friend and becoming that person’s manager. Don’t do it! At first, the idea of working with a friend can sound great – you get along well, you can talk through problems easily, you see eye-to-eye on most things, and you can act as each other’s […]

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when job candidates are scheduled for a half-day of interviews, can I end it early if they’re not right for the job?

A reader writes: I’m a teacher who also manages the recruitment of new teachers at my school. We invite promising candidates to campus for half a day for a tour, classroom observations, a few interviews and a demonstration lesson. On occasion, despite our previous screening, I can determine almost immediately that the candidate is not […]

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how parents can help their kids look for a job

We’ve discussed the ways in which parents inappropriately intervene in their kids’ job search here before — filling out applications for them, calling employers on their behalf, debating rejections … all wildly inappropriate and all things that hurt, rather than help, their kids. But there are some things parents can do that will help their […]

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10 myths about working for nonprofits

As someone who has spent my whole career working for nonprofits, I’m used to hearing all the stereotypes and myths about the sector:  nonprofits are touchy-feely places without rigor, where you can’t care about money and you’re probably a hippie, blah blah blah.  There are of course nonprofits that fit this stereotype — but there […]

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a weekend of short answers: short answer Sunday

I think this is a first — a short answer Saturday and a short answer Sunday in the same weekend. Today, we’ve got a job offer that looks better in retrospect, a confusing rejection notice, and more. Here we go… 1. Boss is asking me constantly if I have plans to leave I graduated from […]

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