September 2017

my coworker keeps badgering me about why I don’t drive

A reader writes: At 26, I am the youngest worker in my (small) office, though this is not my first professional post-college job. For the most part I really enjoy what I do, have gotten really good feedback, and am friendly with the rest of the staff. Because I have a learning disability that makes […]

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my boss doesn’t believe I’m really quitting

A reader writes: How should I handle a clingy soon-to-be-former boss? I work for a small nonprofit, and am part of a four-person team (there’s no overlap – I’m the only person in my position on our team). My boss and executive director knew last October that I wanted to begin looking for a new […]

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update: I ghosted my ex, and she’s about to be my new boss

Remember the letter-writer who had ghosted his long-term girlfriend 10 years earlier and just learned she was about to become his new boss? Given the outrage of much of the internet over the letter, I didn’t expect to receive an update, and I’m grateful that he sent one in. Here it is. I admit I […]

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I answered more questions on the radio this weekend

I was on public radio’s Marketplace Weekend again this weekend, taking more questions from listeners about job searching. (This was a bonus round because we got so many questions from people the week before!) We talked about: what to do if you’re overqualified advice to someone who’s applied for 700 jobs and isn’t having any luck […]

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what to do when you disagree with your boss’s feedback

It can be tough to get critical feedback from your boss, especially when you thought everything was going well. It’s even tougher when you don’t agree with that feedback and think your boss is wrong. Here’s the best way to respond when you disagree with your manager’s feedback on your work. Don’t react right away. […]

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my new employee spends too much time justifying everything

A reader writes: We are a very small facility in the northeast U.S. with under 10 employees who are all from the town we work in. I recently hired a new employee who is originally from the midwest. For the most part her work is acceptable, but she has some personality traits that are affecting […]

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weekend free-for-all – September 23-24, 2017

This comment section is open for any non-work-related discussion you’d like to have with other readers, by popular demand. (This one is truly no work and no school.) Book recommendation of the week: A Year in Provence, by Peter Mayle. A charming and funny account of a year spent living in rural France. Much pastis is […]

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