I have a missed call from an unknown number — was it an employer? by Alison Green on October 31, 2013 A reader writes: I sent my application through email after seeing a job opening on the company’s website. Six days later, I missed a call from an unknown number (I don’t have Caller ID). I’m almost positive this was the company calling as I usually never receive calls on my cell phone, and I have […] Read the full article →
after I turned down a job, the hiring manager asked me out by Alison Green on October 31, 2013 A reader writes: After I declined a career opportunity at a company, the hiring manager emailed me and asked me out for dinner and drinks, in a way that he clearly didn’t intend as professional networking.* I tried to read the message every which way, hoping it wasn’t what I thought…but basically I feel totally […] Read the full article →
job-searching is the real fright show by Alison Green on October 31, 2013 It might be Halloween, but for plenty of people, job searching is the real fright show. (Bad puns like this are also scary.) Here are eight scares you should hope to avoid if you’re in the job market this Halloween season. 1. Discovering that the job you’re interviewing for is completely different than the one […] Read the full article →
how to screen out candidates who just want a cool job, birthday cakes for some but not all, and more by Alison Green on October 31, 2013 It’s seven short answers to seven short questions. Here we go… 1. How can we screen out job candidates who just want to work here for the “cool” factor? I work at a small (8-person) creative media company that is considered “cool” in our industry and tends to attract job candidates who want to be […] Read the full article →
I’m the company bad cop and my job makes everyone hate me by Alison Green on October 30, 2013 A reader writes: Just wanted to get your thoughts on how to deal with people who take things personally at work. I am a natural hard-ass at work, precisely because I roll out policies and procedures in my current company. I am good at what I do, and I get great feedback from my bosses […] Read the full article →
I want to stop eating lunch every day with my employee by Alison Green on October 30, 2013 A reader writes: I have a direct report, “Dan,” who expects to eat lunch with me and another colleague, “Amy,” every day of the week. We were friendly and ate together a lot before I became his boss, and I would say are generally still friends. I do work hard to be clear on when […] Read the full article →
how to disagree with your boss and keep your job by Alison Green on October 30, 2013 When you know you’re right and your boss is wrong, figuring out whether to speak up can be tricky. But if you handle it adeptly, disagreeing with your boss can actually make you a more valuable employee. Of course, if you do it wrong, it can make you a less valuable employee, or even an […] Read the full article →
naked work retreats, singing coworkers, and other delights of the workplace by Alison Green on October 30, 2013 It’s seven short answers to seven short questions. Here we go… 1. Our team retreat included a naked sauna trip I work for an international NGO, and I’m the only woman on a team of 12, mostly North American employees. We recently held a team retreat in a country where gender roles are behind the […] Read the full article →
stuff for you to read by Alison Green on October 29, 2013 Three good articles that you should read — 1. This article from Harvard Business Review has great advice about how to deal with a screamer or an over-explainer — two frustrating types you might encounter at work at some point. It’s pretty insightful advice that wasn’t intuitive for me. 2. I’ve been known to try […] Read the full article →
ask the readers: how can I have more energy in interviews? by Alison Green on October 29, 2013 I’m throwing this one out to readers to weigh in on. A reader writes: I’ve been out of work for over a year, taking some freelance work (mostly unpaid) here and there. Recently, I’ve received feedback from a few interviewers that while my credentials and interview question answers are all stellar, they felt I lacked […] Read the full article →