September 2008

interviewers who don’t interview

A reader writes: I recently interviewed for a position that I think I’m under-qualified for. The position is to be a dean of department at a university which requires 7+ years experience in a similar post and a great deal of knowledge about financial markets. I graduated from the top ivy league school in the […]

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how to play the post-interview waiting game

So you had the job interview, things seemed to go well, and you left expecting that you would hear back soon. But now … silence. And you’re left waiting around with no idea of when or if you’ll hear from them. It’s not at all unusual for the hiring process to take longer than a […]

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verbally abusive boss

A reader writes: I recently left a large internet company to join a well established, yet small creative agency. The company’s philosophy of listening and constantly learning really connected with me and the team was very passionate about doing good work for a great set of clients. The issue here is the level of verbal […]

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bad job vs. possibly unstable new company

A reader writes: I took a job that I am not well suited for, but have done just satisfactorily elsewhere in the past. But personality conflict with my manager and my resistance to working hours that would eliminate any work / life balance ended up leading to my demotion. I’m concerned that I’ve been irreparably […]

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reality-based management

If I had a management theory, I’d call it “reality-based management.” Reality-based management means that you commit to seeing and dealing with reality, as opposed to living in some hazier alternative. Period. That’s it. The rest stems naturally from there. For instance: Reality-based management means that when an employee comes to you with frustrations or […]

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new manager doesn’t trust us

A reader writes: I’ve been confronted with a situation at work that violates what I would consider a level of professional trust, but my direct management doesn’t seem to agree, and now I’m left wondering if I’m the one who’s wrong. Let me explain… My organization puts on a yearly conference, nominally for us, but […]

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listing volunteer work on a resume

A reader writes: I am currently doing freelance consulting to make a little extra money (and I mean little) and keep my resume active while I am job hunting. I also do extensive volunteering, but some of that volunteering has turned into more substantive program development and outreach that I am proud of, and I […]

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no, you really do have weaknesses

Apparently there is a new superhuman breed walking among us, utterly free of weaknesses. In interviews, I always try to get candidates to speak honestly about their downsides. I do this because I’m trying to have an honest conversation about their fit for the job — and about the job’s fit for them. I do […]

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6 reasons you failed the phone interview

Last week, I wrote about reasons your resume might end up in my trash. This week, let’s assume you’ve made it past the initial resume screening and now are at the phone interview stage. Here are some ways to quickly fail the phone interview: 1. Not displaying a grasp of what the job is all […]

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