how should I pay an employee for a 3-day trip? by Alison Green on February 19, 2010 A reader writes: I am the supervisor of a part-time salesperson, Mary, who is paid an hourly wage. She has been with us 6 months. Mary works set hours in our office (5 hours per day, 4 days a week), contacting and following up on sales leads. Mary was asked and has agreed to go […] Read the full article →
my coworker is taking credit for my ideas and work by Alison Green on February 18, 2010 A reader writes: I have an issue with an overly dependent coworker who does not give credit. We are both fresh out of college but I’ve been working a bit longer than him. I had already proven myself in the group and have been given awards by my bosses and managers for the work I’ve […] Read the full article →
should I fire the office assistant? by Alison Green on February 15, 2010 A reader writes: We have a Receptionist/HR Asst/Office Asst for our front desk. She does new hire packages, runs errands etc. Pros: very efficient, proactive, creative, works well under pressureCons: horrible time management, ignores feedbackFacts of life: she’s currently heavily pregnant, she has a very long commute and she’s pretty young ( It’s her first […] Read the full article →
silly hiring practices: essay questions on job applications by Alison Green on February 13, 2010 A reader writes: I’m curious about your experience with the trend of longer and longer job applications. I’ve completed plenty of applications lately, and I’ve noticed that the online applications have grown quite a bit. At first, you would just copy and paste your resume into the tiny form fields. Tedious, but okay. Then came […] Read the full article →
can a spouse contact an employer? by Alison Green on February 11, 2010 A reader writes: I am an HR Generalist at a health care facility in a semi-rural area. I wanted to get your opinion on having spouses involved in a candidate’s job search. Specifically, calling to check on the status of an application, asking why the candidate did not get an interview, hired, etc.? I typically […] Read the full article →
survived office burglary, then ostracized by boss by Alison Green on February 9, 2010 A reader writes: A few months ago, I was the only person in the office over a holiday. Lucky me, the office got broken into. I noticed the thieves before they noticed me, and I barricaded myself in my office and called 911. But instead of being hailed as a hero, I was surprised by […] Read the full article →
when does advice become consulting? by Alison Green on February 9, 2010 A reader writes: I work in the field of Community Development with an expertise in sustainable agriculture. In the past few years as the organic movement has increased, I have been contacted by nonprofit and government organizations who were referred to me by casual colleagues to answer questions and give advice to people and organizations […] Read the full article →
and we’re going to strip-search you before the job interview by Alison Green on February 5, 2010 A reader writes: After filling out an online application, I received an email from the (large and well-known) employer asking that I return to their career website to provide my date of birth, social security number, and driver’s license number. They added that they will only use the information to begin a background check if […] Read the full article →
how do you survive without a job? by Alison Green on February 4, 2010 In the comments on a recent post, Kathy asked: Hi, I have a question that I do not mean with any snotty tone, whatsoever. I am truly curious because it’s something I’ve always wondered: For those of you unemployed for lengthy periods of time, how do you survive? Did you have a large emergency fund […] Read the full article →
how to prepare for a phone interview by Alison Green on February 4, 2010 I’m always amazed by how often I can tell that a candidate hasn’t really prepared for a phone interview. Laziness aside, preparing takes a lot of the stress out of the experience and lets you answer the phone feeling confident and possibly even excited. Here’s what I recommend you do to prepare. Ideally, you’d do […] Read the full article →