interviewed with the flu; how can I redeem myself? by Alison Green on March 12, 2011 A reader writes: I was recently interviewed at a very reputable university that I’ve longed to work for and be accepted to as a student since I was a child. I’ve been applying to this university for over 6 months so you cannot imagine how ecstatic I was when I received an email indicating their […] Read the full article →
is my employer plotting against me? by Alison Green on March 10, 2011 A reader writes: I’m in a living nightmare at work right now. The I’ve been with this small, family owned, business for 5 years (passed down from a father to his daughter and son when he passed away) and I’ve seen a lot of unfair behaviour on their behalf. I’ve heard them lie to customers […] Read the full article →
do what you say you’re going to do by Alison Green on March 10, 2011 It amazes me that this has to be said, but this should be your cardinal rule at work: Do what you say you’re going to do, by when you say you’re going to do it, or update people accordingly. Every single time. No matter how small. Why? Because your word should mean something. Because your […] Read the full article →
how can I get critical feedback? by Alison Green on March 9, 2011 A reader writes: I am concerned that I am not getting critical feedback from colleagues and supervisors. Over the last 6 years of my career, the company I worked for had exhaustive assessments to include interviewing up and down the chain as well as clients. In addition, I have actively sought out ongoing critical feedback […] Read the full article →
being overweight in an office that’s obsessed with weight by Alison Green on March 8, 2011 A reader writes: Recently, one of my co-workers quit after only a few months of employment. Privately, she told me that a great deal of the reason that she left was that she felt ostracized because of her weight. (She’s fat. So am I.) She felt like our boss treated her differently than everyone else […] Read the full article →
things that aren’t good ideas by Alison Green on March 8, 2011 Just FYI, I get a lot of email at Ask a Manager. I have an auto-reply set up that explains that the volume of mail means that I can’t answer everything. And if I ask you why you’ve sent me the same exact email three times in the past few weeks, this is not a […] Read the full article →
interviewer was offended when I asked why the job was open by Alison Green on March 7, 2011 A reader writes: Any advice on how to “save” an interview when the hiring manager indicates your question is offensive? Case in point: at a recent interview, I was asked if I had any questions about the position and I responded with, “Why is this position available? Is is because of company growth? Someone left […] Read the full article →
yes, you really should write a better cover letter by Alison Green on March 7, 2011 Periodically I hear from readers who tell me that after they started approaching their cover letters differently, as I advise here, they started getting interviews. And yet I know many of you are still unconverted and since I would like you to actually get interviews, I’m going to continue to beat you over the head […] Read the full article →
short answer Saturday: seven short answers to seven short questions by Alison Green on March 5, 2011 Well, the title is misleading, because not all of these questions are short. But the answers are. Mostly. Okay, this is the longest short answer Saturday ever. How can I help my struggling new boss avoid getting fired? A new manager got appointed to be my boss just over a year ago. Whether he was […] Read the full article →
manager is scaring her employees with sad Facebook posts by Alison Green on March 3, 2011 A reader writes: I own a small business and one of my managers is Facebook friends with me and all her staff members. She is going through a divorce and has a young child, which is undoubtedly difficult, but she hides personal issues very well on the job (which has a strong customer service aspect). […] Read the full article →