open thread – June 16-17, 2017 by Alison Green on June 16, 2017 It’s the Friday open thread! The comment section on this post is open for discussion with other readers on anything work-related that you want to talk about. If you want an answer from me, emailing me is still your best bet*, but this is a chance to talk to other readers. * If you submitted […] Read the full article →
music lyrics at work, avoiding Facebook-friending a colleague, and more by Alison Green on June 16, 2017 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Music lyrics and work Today I was at work listening to music and I had a song came up in my playlist that made me wonder. The song was “That Girl” by All Time Low, which has lyrics that aren’t crazy outrageous but have some […] Read the full article →
how long should I wait for a job candidate to respond when I’m scheduling interviews? by Alison Green on June 15, 2017 A reader writes: I am in charge of our department’s intern program. It’s highly competitive and seen as fairly prestigious in our field, as paid entry-level positions are very rare. I initially sent out emails to six candidates to let them know that we would like to schedule interviews with them. Two of the six […] Read the full article →
update: my boss got drunk and was angry that I couldn’t drive him back to the office by Alison Green on June 15, 2017 Remember the letter-writer whose boss got drunk and was angry that she couldn’t drive him back to the office because she didn’t drive for medical reasons? The first update was here. Here’s the latest: I have some good news. On Friday I received an offer and I start a new job on Wednesday. I couldn’t have […] Read the full article →
ask the readers: times when work warped your thinking by Alison Green on June 15, 2017 One of the most toxic parts of dysfunctional workplaces is that they warp your thinking about what’s normal — you can start thinking truly weird stuff is normal or okay. That often means that you end up staying at that job longer than you otherwise would, which of course compounds the problem. It can also mean that […] Read the full article →
coworkers rely on my work to fund our barbecues, annoyed by salary negotiations, and more by Alison Green on June 15, 2017 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworkers rely on my work to fund our barbecues I work for a smallish company, but we have two office locations. My office location also has a warehouse, which I run. Two years ago, the boss of my office came up with the idea […] Read the full article →
interviewer told me to clear the whole day for a phone call by Alison Green on June 14, 2017 A reader writes: I received a call back for a position that I’ve really been hoping to get. The job has pretty decent pay for what it is, and the location is somewhere I’ve been hoping to go for quite some time. However, the person I spoke with informed me that I wouldn’t be able […] Read the full article →
how many questions can you ask in a job interview? by Alison Green on June 14, 2017 A reader writes: How many questions are OK to ask in a job interview while being respectful of time? I usually try to squeeze in as many as I can while monitoring how much time my interviewer seems to have available for questioning. I have asked as many as 5-6 questions before, but I usually […] Read the full article →
a job applicant found our interview notes on each candidate by Alison Green on June 14, 2017 A reader writes: I’m a manager of a department. Last year, two of my employees interviewed and hired some interns and a full-time employee. I’ve always written down my notes on paper on standardized printouts, but my employees decided to keep their notes organized on a project management/note-taking app. I was invited to the board, […] Read the full article →
hating your job versus hating working, toilet seat etiquette, and more by Alison Green on June 14, 2017 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Etiquette of putting the toilet seat down What’s the etiquette surrounding the office toilet seat when roughly 15 staff members to share one bathroom? I work in a public library where the staff generally gets along well and about 15 of us share one staff […] Read the full article →