when I asked for a raise, my boss responded, “who should I fire?” by Alison Green on October 19, 2010 A reader writes: I’m in the media world. I’m emphasizing this because it seems that every attempt at getting advice use it seems that every attempt at getting advice for any work-related issue ends with “Hey, it’s media, the rules don’t apply.” Maybe you can help me. My boss is a monster. Exceptionally inappropriate, emotionally […] Read the full article →
would Hunter S. Thompson’s cover letter get him an interview? by Alison Green on October 18, 2010 Have you seen the old cover letter from Hunter S. Thompson that’s been going around, written before he was famous? Some choice quotes: “I stepped into a dung-hole the last time I took a job with a paper I didn’t know anything about (see enclosed clippings) and I’m not quite ready to go charging up […] Read the full article →
will people think it’s irresponsible that I quit my job? by Alison Green on October 18, 2010 A reader writes: I am in a competitive field in a competitive market. I am also a second-year MBA student. I joined a brand-name non-profit right before the recession started and instantly knew the position was a poor fit. Unfortunately, I felt stuck due the increasing unemployment. I’ve stuck around around for almost two years […] Read the full article →
is this job going to be a nightmare? by Alison Green on October 15, 2010 A reader writes: I applied for a position that looked great on paper – the organization, job duties, position, etc. I sent my cover letter and resume and within a week I had a call-back. I did a phone interview with one of my potential co-workers about my skills, salary expectations, and experience. Then, I […] Read the full article →
ridiculously helpful resource for managers by Alison Green on October 15, 2010 If you manage people, this is an awesome free resource that you need to check out: The Management Center’s resource library They’ve got sample scripts for difficult employee conversations, worksheets designed to help you plan projects, the best list of reference-checking questions you’ll ever encounter, sample rejection emails, and much, much more. (Note: You need […] Read the full article →
when traveling to an interview, how fast should you be expected to get there? by Alison Green on October 14, 2010 A reader writes: When asked to travel to another city for an interview, how soon should an applicant be willing to get there? A nonprofit recently asked if I could travel to its office to interview for a mid-level professional position that had been vacant for more than six months. This was on a Thursday […] Read the full article →
angry and insulted by coworkers doing my job by Alison Green on October 13, 2010 A reader writes: I was sent on a business trip overseas for 3 weeks, with 5 people from 5 different departments. Because of some business complications, the timeline for what we needed to do there was super tight. While I understand that and understand that everyone works together and does a bit of everyone’s work […] Read the full article →
stop sending me two resumes! by Alison Green on October 13, 2010 There’s an alarming new trend of people sending two resumes within one email message — generally one longer version of the resume and one shorter version, but sometimes one version highlighting one set of skills and one version highlighting another. It’s like they can’t decide which version is better, so they’ll just send them both. […] Read the full article →
should you end a job interview early if you realize you’re not interested in the job? by Alison Green on October 12, 2010 A reader writes: In a recent interview, I learned some things about the job that hadn’t been in the job description, and those things were deal-breakers for me. (I had not known about these things until the interview, so I wasn’t just wasting everyone’s time just getting some interview practice.) There had already been other things that […] Read the full article →
is it bad form to joke in a job interview? by Alison Green on October 11, 2010 A reader writes: I was wondering what your thoughts are on joking in an interview. I recently had a phone interview that I thought went very well. I was well prepared, am very qualified for the job and had competent answers to all questions. I even threw in a few well meaning jokes (none having […] Read the full article →