how do I reconcile my heart and my brain when making big career decisions? by Alison Green on July 29, 2019 A reader writes: I want to leave my job, and possibly my career. I’m a 30-something attorney, but quickly into law school realized the dream wasn’t what I thought it was and moreover that I’d probably not be an attorney forever. Fast forward eight years. Unfortunately my husband and I experienced an unexpected and tragic […] Read the full article →
did I send too many follow-up emails, I’m worried about working with a childhood friend, and more by Alison Green on July 29, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Did I annoy this employer with too many follow-up emails? I recently applied for what is essentially my dream job and got an automated response saying that all applications would receive a reply, whether positive or negative. A week and a half later, I sent […] Read the full article →
weekend free-for-all – July 27-28, 2019 by Alison Green on July 27, 2019 This comment section is open for any non-work-related discussion you’d like to have with other readers, by popular demand. (This one is truly no work and no school.) Book recommendation of the week: Mrs. Everything, by Jennifer Weiner. Sprawling over seven decades, this is the story of two very different sisters and how they change as the world, […] Read the full article →
open thread – July 26-27, 2019 by Alison Green on July 26, 2019 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 →
talkative job candidates, baby showers at work, and more by Alison Green on July 26, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Talkative friend was advised to show interviewer he can be quiet My friend “Alex” is applying for jobs as at breweries and bars. He had an interview today at a brewery and one of his other friends, “Charlie,” knows the head brewer and business partner. […] Read the full article →
do job titles matter? by Alison Green on July 25, 2019 A reader writes: I work for a small company of 25 employees. We still call ourselves a start-up (with all of the cultural elements that brings), but we’ve been around almost 10 years now. The founder/sole owner believes “titles don’t matter” and it’s more important to focus on the responsibilities each person has. So most […] Read the full article →
updates: the harsh email, the school supplies, and more by Alison Green on July 25, 2019 Here are four updates from people who had their letters answered here in the past. 1. My manager calls and just reads my emails back to me (#5 at the link) It turns out that there were a couple of issues that created the situation where my boss reads emails at me over the phone. […] Read the full article →
ask the readers: what do I do once I retire? by Alison Green on July 25, 2019 A reader writes: My concern skews to an older audience than most of your readers but it’s one that I probably should have given more thought to years ago. How do I prepare to retire and what do I do once I retire? I’m not talking about the money piece of retirement, but rather, what […] Read the full article →
my employee wants to know where I am at all times, public transit crisis is making me late for work, and more by Alison Green on July 25, 2019 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My employee wants to know where I am at all times I started a new management role three months ago and am managing a small team. One of my staff was under-performing when I started, and one of my directives was to get them on […] Read the full article →
can you fire someone solely for being racist? by Alison Green on July 24, 2019 In an interesting juxtaposition with a letter from earlier today, a reader writes: I know you have answered a few variations over this, but I am hoping for a more clear answer in reference to my situation. Recently, my company hired someone that was extremely racist. He worked with me on his first day, where […] Read the full article →