Ask a Manager in the media

Here’s a round-up of Ask a Manager in the media recently…

* An interview on the BBC’s Business Matters

* An interview with Gretchen Rubin about happiness

* Some answers for Girls Night In about self-care at work

* An interview with the New York Post about embracing fear at work

* Five questions with Dear Wendy, in which we discover that we both answered the same letter

* A recommendation from Hello Giggles to buy the new Ask a Manager book for new grads

* Me in Bustle about how to talk to your boss about mental health at work

* Me answering some listener questions for Basecamp’s Rework podcast

* An interview with Vice about discussing salary expectations in a job interview

* An interview with transcription service Simon Says about the Ask a Manager podcast

* An appearance on the My Instruction Manual podcast (starts at 3:50)

* An interview with Monster

{ 18 comments… read them below }

  1. xkd*

    Glad I read the “Dear Wendy” – dang, what a way to get perspective on that letter!

    1. Close Bracket*

      Yeah, that LW has issues that only she can solve. I hope she sees somebody about it, or else changes jobs.

  2. ScoutFinch*

    How did the book signing go Tuesday night? Was it about what you expected it to be?

    1. Ask a Manager* Post author

      Thanks for asking! I had a great time. After 11 years of writing to people from behind a computer, it was kind of amazing to meet readers in real life. The audience questions were quite fun (here’s a report from part of the conversation), and I defaced a lot of books at the signing afterwards. Here’s a photo.

  3. Lucky*

    Quick, how do I post the Neal DeGrasse Tyson “we’ve got a badass here” meme? Seriously, good job and well deserved success, Alison.

  4. mark132*

    How many clones do you have? I think I would have to have 10+ to accomplish half of what you do.

  5. Flash Bristow*

    Wow, congrats Alison, not just on getting the publicity for your new book but for *making it relevant*. That really stands out.

    I absolutely understand your pride and excitement; when I am featured all over the press during one particular week for Reason, I can’t wait to tell people, plus of course it’s good for both me and the places I appear!

    But I’m particularly impressed with how your list is not just a countdown of “look at me! See how many places like my book – you should buy it!” but that each article linked is in itself interesting and adds new info or insight. I particularly appreciated discovering Dear Wendy – I’ll read that column from now on.

    As well as Manageriness (is there an actual word for this?) you are giving us all a lesson on constructive marketing – and introducing us to other interesting sites into the bargain. Thanks Alison!

    Finally, huge congrats on the book tour – I know hotel hopping can be exhausting, but I hope it reaps dividends and you’re also getting a little time to see new places and meet interesting people along the way.

    I’m certain your book will be a success, but if not it won’t be for want of trying! Awesome job, enjoy the ride!

  6. Blake*

    Hi Alison I’m drunk but this is awesome and you made it and I’ve been reading your column for years and never commented but this stranger is so proud of you and inspired by you!!

  7. Someonewhoactuallyhirespeople*

    On the salary topic. Our current system sucks. I agree. When I hire someone, I have a set market rate for their position. It is a range, lets say it might be 62-69k. I can start them above or below and I try to offer a salary that puts them in the right range compared to their peers. So if my highest performers are at 73k, I don’t want to bring in someone with much less experience at that rate. It means our salaries are not tied to experience or performance across the team. My decision is based on the market rate and how I assess their skill against others in the same role and those people’s salaries. It also depends on need. I will go higher if I need someone ASAP and that’s what I have to do. I also hit a cap. If they are at 120% of the high end of market rate, they are no longer eligible for raises without a promotion. If I bring someone in at the top or way over, they hit that wall too soon and get “stuck” in a role without a good way forward for a higher paying role and I have an unhappy staff who is demoralized. When I ask for salary expectations, I only care about two things really. Do they have expectations so high that I can’t meet them. If they want 75-85k, it may not work. If that is the case, it doesn’t make sense to go forward and waste everyone’s time (mine and theirs). I do try let them know its out of range and suss out if they are aiming high. Sometimes they are asking for 20k more than their current or expected salary. If they are a strong candidate. I try to figure this out. If they are just ok and I have other people with expectations closer to my range, I move on and do not invest the time in figuring this out because I am busy and recruitment is time consuming. It all depends on how many strong candidates that I have at that time. I don’t have time to invest in finding out their real expectations. I also want to know, do they have a realistic expectation for salary in that role. My company’s pay is competetive for the role in our market so people who have expectations that are way higher may have misunderstood the role and think it is a more senior role than it really is. All this say thay this….

    “In fact, you might go as far as to add 20 percent more than you expect to make.”
    ….
    Is not always good advice and I cringe to hear it suggested specifically for minorities and women who are already at a disadvantage and now risk making it worse. If it is too high and they list it in their application, it may even filter their resume so that it necer cones to me. I hate to think of that happening when really, my salary offer is competetive and they were a strong candidate. We both those and again this advice is only being given to minorities and women here. I am giving this side eye.

    1. Close Bracket*

      ““In fact, you might go as far as to add 20 percent more than you expect to make.””

      I used to add 10% to my current salary to arrive at my desired salary, which is not at all outside the norm in my industry. I had the chance to talk to someone at a company that I had never heard anything from. She gave a talk at a job fair, and she encouraged people to ask for a little more than they wanted, and I spoke with her after my talk. Well, she generously agreed to look at my application, and told me I had priced myself out of their range for that position! I didn’t actually need that extra 10%, and I might have taken less since I was moving from a non-profit to a for-profit and could have gotten stock options. The point here is that you just never know how your salary expectations will go over. I wish companies would provide a range. That would make everything so much easier. :/

  8. Kitty*

    Really delighted by all the coverage you’re garnering, it’s well deserved!

    Purchased eight copies of your books this weekend because I think your blog is absolutely brilliant and, in particular, I want my sisters and older nieces to get the benefit of your wisdom.

    Hope everything continues to go really well.

  9. Brazilian Guy*

    Congratulations dear! You have made a great work, here in this blog I feel like belonging to a wonderful community, always read your posts in the morning, even before the Washington Post :-)

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