December 2012

wee answer Wednesday — 7 short answers to 7 short questions

It’s wee answer Wednesday — seven short answers to seven short questions. Here we go… 1. What does this email from an interviewer mean? What should I make of this email, which I received as a response to my own email: “Thank you for your mail. Happy to have met up with you and have placed […]

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short answer Christmas: 6 short answers to 6 short questions

It’s short answer Christmas — six short answers to six short questions! Here we go… 1. Fired for being too attractive I was wondering if you’d heard about this case in which a dentist fired an employee for being “too attractive.” The Iowa Supreme Court upheld the firing as legal because she wasn’t fired because […]

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where are they now: 4 more reader updates

Here are four more “where are they now?” updates from readers whose questions were answered here earlier this year. 1. Update from the reader whose boss worked in a different country I want to thank everyone for their suggestions. It helped me realize that this situation is not unusual and that there are ways to make […]

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8 new etiquette rules for using gadgets in the office

You love to use “reply all” when you respond to email messages. You email and phone with the same message. You leave your cell phone ringer on, then leave your phone behind when you leave your desk. You are rude! As the use of personal technology increases at work, not everyone is observing new etiquette […]

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was I right to turn down this job?

A reader writes: I recently turned down a job with a major corporation, and I’ve been feeling uneasy about the decision I made–and also the entire interviewing and hiring process–for weeks now. I was hoping you might be able to tell me your impressions of the company’s hiring practices, because I can’t seem to make […]

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short answer Sunday — 7 short answers to 7 short questions

It’s short answer Sunday — seven short answers to seven short questions. Here we go… 1. Working with an executive coach I am working on internalizing my responses to the interview questions you outlined in your “how to get a job” ebook. Quite a few executive recruiters have contacted me, and I hope they can […]

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waiting to hear about a job during the holidays

A reader writes: A while back, I wrote to you about an internship that was going well, and the fact that there was a position open at the institution I was interning at. I applied, and got rejected the first time. I thought nothing of it, and went about applying for other opportunities elsewhere. The […]

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fast answer Friday — 6 short answers to 6 short questions

It’s fast answer Friday — six short answers to six short questions! Here we go… 1. Pointing out errors in a coworker’s work Do you think it’s worth it to point out minor error in a colleague’s work? Such as a missing “e” on a public form, “pm” where it should be “am” for training […]

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