short answer Saturday: 7 short answers to short questions by Alison Green on November 13, 2010 Short answer Saturday is back! Seven short answers to short questions, all in the same post: Can’t get promoted after five years I work in a small department of a very large organization. There are about 20 of us in three different offices. My problem is that the managers rarely promote internally. Sure, you can […] Read the full article →
cleaning the office microwave: hidden duties when job-searching by Alison Green on November 12, 2010 A reader writes: I recently went on a job interview for a position of HR assistant. During the interview, the HR manager explained the duties required for the position. Just when he finished explaining, he said, “Oh, one more thing: cleaning of the kitchen should be done once a week, including the microwave and the refrigerator. The […] Read the full article →
if my wife works for a competitor, is that a conflict of interest? by Alison Green on November 11, 2010 A reader writes: My wife works in the advertising business. I’m also seeking a job in the ad business, which means that I’ll likely be interviewing with competitors. The two of us have already spoken at length about the potential conflicts of interest that could result from this kind of situation, and are prepared to […] Read the full article →
temp worker’s new account manager is a jerk by Alison Green on November 9, 2010 A reader writes: I work for a temp agency and a new account manger took over there. The first call he made to me I thought was disrespectful and unprofessional. Without going into the whole conversation, he was angry that I did not respond to his email, which I had and told him that I […] Read the full article →
10 things to know about applying for nonprofit jobs by Alison Green on November 8, 2010 If getting paid to make the world a better place would be a dream job for you, here are 10 things you should know about making the transition into a nonprofit job. Nonprofits have all the same types of jobs as the for-profit sector – and then some. Just like businesses, nonprofits need people to do […] Read the full article →
what qualifications can trump experience, when job-searching? by Alison Green on November 8, 2010 A reader writes: I was recently interviewed for a position in a growing organization and the interview went well. My potential employers liked me but they also told me up-front that I have the least years of experience compared to the others they have interviewed. Nevertheless, they promised to call me to the final stage […] Read the full article →
why do so many college career centers suck? by Alison Green on November 8, 2010 Preemptive apologies to any college career center that doesn’t fit this description — but every time I hear about a campus career center, it’s about the bad advice they gave someone: insisting you need to have an objective on your resume, recommending salesy interview answers instead of genuine ones, giving our commenter Rob bad advice […] Read the full article →
short answer Saturday: 7 short answers to short questions by Alison Green on November 6, 2010 I’m trying something new — seven short answers to seven short questions, all in the same post: company won’t hire former employees of competitor I applied for a job at a staffing agency and was told the particular company who was hiring wouldn’t accept applicants who worked previously for their competitor even though I no […] Read the full article →
victory: askamanager.com is mine! by Alison Green on November 5, 2010 After years of harassing the owner of the domain askamanager.com to sell it to me, victory has been achieved! I finally own askamanager.com, albeit at a somewhat extravagant expense. (Side note: People need to say “albeit” more. It’s a very useful word.) So now, the question: What to do? It was only two months ago […] Read the full article →
what does this interview question mean? by Alison Green on November 5, 2010 A reader writes: Right now my current job is terrible and I’ve been lucky enough to snag an interview here and there. During the last interview, I was asked by the manager if I was currently applying for other positions at other companies. I was taken aback as the question could be taken two ways […] Read the full article →