September 2015

when flexible schedules hurt other coworkers

A reader writes: My colleague and I work in a particularly specialized area in our firm. There are the two of us, plus our director, who is not a specialist. My colleague, Mary, recently returned from having her second child and asked to work 10 am til 3 pm, 5 days a week, which she […]

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my boss is a yes-woman

A reader writes: My boss is a great person. We get on well and I feel I can have an honest discussion with her. This needs to happen, as I’ve noticed a troubling pattern of behavior that has an impact on my work. When she’s dealing with senior staff, my boss is a yes woman […]

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my new company wants me to change my name

A reader writes: I am starting a new job next week. Somehow another employee, who is a favorite of the regional manager, objects to my name, so I have been told I cannot use it. My middle name is King and it is a name that has been in our family for years. I have […]

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interviewer wants me to bring $350 to the interview, administrator asks staff to do his personal research work, and more

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Interviewer wants me to bring $350 to the interview Today I received a call from an armed security company for an interview. I was excited, but when he mentioned I needed to bring my driver’s license, social security card, AND $350, I started to become […]

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how to interpret common things job interviewers say

Job seekers tend to overanalyze everything that happens during the hiring process – from how long it takes a company to respond to their application to how friendly the person calling to schedule an interview sounds. But what they analyze more than anything are the specific words they hear from interviewers. My mail is full […]

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