June 2012

I now want the job I backed out of a year ago

A reader writes: Last summer, I was torn between two jobs: my job at the time and a new position with another company. Both managers competed against each other’s offer for about a week for my employment. I finally accepted the new job and gave the other my 2 weeks notice. To my suprise, literally […]

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do I have to add my coworkers on Facebook?

A reader writes: Quick question about adding coworkers on Facebook. Some background: I am new the workforce, I just finished up a year-long internship with a very large multinational company and have been with my current company for about 3 months. This company is a small, family-owned and -operated firm. Everyone who works there, besides me and another new […]

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telling a new employee that she over-shares

A reader writes: I work for a small marketing company and we just hired a new person for an support / assistant type position. Everything seems to be going well, but she is over-sharing personal details about herself. For example, she talks about her period and also was showing off her new tattoo, which is located […]

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terse answer Thursday: 7 short answers to 7 short questions

It’s terse answer Thursday — seven short answers to seven short questions. Here we go… 1. What does “competitive” salary mean? I’m curious as to your take on the term “competitive” hourly wage or salary compensation. It’s a phrase I’ll see on occasion in job ads and I never quite know how to take it. […]

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interviewer is worried about my “big personality”

A reader writes: I have a perplexing situation I’m hoping you can assist with. I am still in the beginning of my career in a media agency-related field. I am in the final stages of the interview process at a boutique-sized agency and couldn’t be more excited. Note that a former boss of mine (who […]

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team-building exercises: a scourge upon the earth

A reader writes: I just read this article on the worst team building exercises people have been forced to participate in. I’d love to hear yours and your readers’ experiences — I’m sure there are some doozies out there! My personal one is that we were doing team building/diversity training run by an incredibly artsy, […]

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thank-you notes: they’re not about thanking anyone

The job search advice industry has done a decent job of convincing job-seekers that they should send a thank-you note after a job interview, but a really bad job of explaining why and what the note should include. Here are the five most important things to know about how a post-interview thank-you note can increase […]

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is experimenting with your appearance unprofessional?

A reader writes: For the most part, I’m pretty conservative. Lately, I’ve had the urge to experiment a bit with my hair. When I was hired at my current job, it was shoulder-length and brown. A few months ago, I cut it fairly short and colored it red (auburn red, not, you know, clown red). […]

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Ask a Manager radio interview

On Sunday night, I did a 40-minute interview with WGN Radio (the number one station in Chicago and a good portion of the midwest!). Host Bill Leff and I talked about everything from people who send in photos with their job applications, to why employers are ruder today, to whether or not you should use glitter on your […]

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