fast answer Friday: 7 short answers to 7 short questions by Alison Green on February 17, 2012 It’s fast answer Friday! We’ve got coworkers who won’t train someone, how to answer your boss’s phone, and more. Here we go… 1. Who should have employee passwords? Who should confidentially hold the usernames and passwords for employees’ server, e-mail and SharePoint access? Some say HR and some say IT. Put another way, are user […] Read the full article →
ask the readers: my company goes overboard on parties and gifts by Alison Green on February 16, 2012 Here’s our next “ask the readers” question. A reader writes: I work for a company of 400 employees. Our company has employee appreciation day, company picnics, baseball night, and a large Christmas party complete with a sit down dinner, drinking, and dancing. The company also throws everyone a birthday luncheon party each month. It is […] Read the full article →
including skill ratings on your resume by Alison Green on February 16, 2012 A reader writes: Any thoughts on grading yourself on your strengths in a resume? I saw a resume today that included a list of “skills” next to a graphical rating system with a 1-5 grade on how the guy perceived himself in each area, which were all subjective things like critical thinking, creativity, drive and […] Read the full article →
how to respond to negative feedback by Alison Green on February 16, 2012 All too often, when people hear negative feedback at work, they respond poorly — by getting defensive or angry or not listening. Those reactions won’t help the situation – even if the criticism is off-base. If nothing else, it’s in your best interest to hear what the other person is concerned about, and if you’re […] Read the full article →
ask the readers: when work gives you more than you signed up for by Alison Green on February 15, 2012 It’s our next “ask the readers” question! And this reader really needs some help. He writes: William Shakespeare once said in his play Twelfth Night “Be not afraid of greatness; some are born great, others become great and some have greatness thrust upon them.” I’m hoping that line applies to me — but it’s hard […] Read the full article →
wee answer Wednesday: 7 short answers to 7 short questions by Alison Green on February 15, 2012 It’s wee answer Wednesday — 7 short answers to 7 short questions. We’ve got someone in love with a higher-up, listing eBay work on a resume, and more. Here we go… 1. Employee shares too much personal information I manage a dental practice. Our dental hygienist tells patients too much personal information during appointment. Advice? […] Read the full article →
how to get your job offer yanked at the last minute by Alison Green on February 15, 2012 I hear from a lot of people who are worried that if they try to negotiate the salary for their new job offer, the employer will pull the offer altogether. This is pretty rare (not unheard of, but extremely rare). However, there are things that you can do during the offer stage that will cause […] Read the full article →
ask the readers: 2 questions about networking by Alison Green on February 14, 2012 Welcome to today’s “ask the readers” question. (For anyone who missed it, I’m posting one of these each day this week, in addition to my regular posts.) This is actually two letters, each on a slightly different aspect of networking (which I’m throwing out to you because I hate, hate, hate networking). First, a letter […] Read the full article →
your sex life stays off of your resume, and other Valentine’s Day lessons by Alison Green on February 14, 2012 Never let it be said that you cannot learn important lessons about romance at Ask a Manager! Here are several of them: 1. Do not ask your wife to accept a job offer on your behalf. 2. Do not ask an unknown IT department (or any IT department, really) to solve your marriage problems. 3. […] Read the full article →
when a flexible work schedule harms your coworkers by Alison Green on February 14, 2012 A reader writes: My colleague and I work in a particularly specialised area in our firm. There are the two of us, plus our director, who is not a specialist. My colleague, whom I will call Mary, recently returned from having her second child and asked to work 10 am til 3 pm, 5 days […] Read the full article →