January 2013

terse answer Thursday — 7 short answers to 7 short questions

It’s terse answer Thursday — seven short answers to seven short questions. Here we go… 1. People keep walking into my meetings I am an administrative executive for a medium sized office and would like some advice on the subject of meetings. Our unit consists of approximately 10 people, and we usually operate as a […]

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ladies, be dainty when asking for a raise

Yo, ladies! Want to ask for a raise? A new study suggests that you do it by appearing hesitant and feminine — because people like their ladies dainty and non-aggressive. Of course, this will come naturally to you, because you are a lady. Here are some of the study’s recommendations: * Mention that you feel uncomfortable […]

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how to hire when you know an applicant personally

A reader writes: I have an opening on my team, and a person I know is asking questions about it and seems like she might apply. If she applies, she will likely be deemed qualified and will be in the interview pool. I saw a post that warned against hiring a friend, but this woman […]

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wee answer Wednesday — 7 short answers to 7 short questions

It’s wee answer Wednesday — seven short answers to seven short questions. 1. I don’t want to relocate to the city my employer is suggesting I received a relocation offer from my current employer. Our small company was recently acquired by a large corporation, and we all knew something like this would be coming. I’ve […]

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what was your most cringe-worthy career mistake?

If you’re like most people, you’ve had some truly cringe-worthy moments in your career, where you did something so clueless or embarrassing that you still cringe when you think about it today. Perhaps it was when you were first starting out, or perhaps it was more … recent. Today is the day that you confess […]

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how to respond to job rejection – and even make it work for you

It’s your favorite topic: job rejection! Obviously, getting rejected for a job you really wanted is one of the worst parts of job searching. But if you handle the rejection well, you can get something useful out of the disappointment. 1. Don’t get angry. There’s no point in getting angry or taking a job rejection […]

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why oddball interview questions don’t work

If you haven’t been on the receiving end of oddball job interview questions yourself, you’ve probably heard about them: “If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?” “What would I find in your refrigerator right now?” “What kind of animal are you most like?” … and so forth. If you’re hiring […]

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