rejecting a candidate because they can’t interview by video, interviewer asked to see the writing I do for fun, and more by Alison Green on April 21, 2021 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Rejecting a candidate because they can’t interview by video I’m at a midsized government agency on the west coast hiring for a middle manager-level position. We posted nationally, got good responses, and have asked four candidates to interview over Zoom. We have three interviews set […] Read the full article →
my former coworkers hired me to work for them … but it was a bait and switch, they fired me, and I’m ashamed by Alison Green on April 20, 2021 A reader writes: I was recently fired from my job. I never thought I would find myself in this position, and while mentally I am struggling to get past the emotional aspect of it, I know I have to push through and focus on finding another job. My situation was a bit uncommon. A few […] Read the full article →
you need to ask for a raise — here’s how by Alison Green on April 20, 2021 I’m constantly alarmed by how many people tell me they’ve never asked for a raise. They feel awkward about initiating the conversation, or feel like they never get an opening to do it, or they’re worried they’ll sound greedy, or they just have no idea how one would ask for a raise at all. Instead, […] Read the full article →
my employee wants to work from home without child care for his baby forever by Alison Green on April 20, 2021 A reader writes: I’ve been a manager for one year and one of my team members, I’ll call him Larry, is consistently behind, terrible with due dates, and generally unreliable. He does really great work, but it’s almost never on time. My boss (the head of our organization) knows this unreliability has been going on […] Read the full article →
scheduling a Zoom call to reject a candidate, an insulting trophy, and more by Alison Green on April 20, 2021 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Scheduling a Zoom call to reject a job candidate My friend has been applying for jobs and made it to the final round for one position. She didn’t hear back from them on the timeline they had mentioned on the last interview, so she assumed […] Read the full article →
my employee is paranoid — can I help or is it not my business? by Alison Green on April 19, 2021 A reader writes: I lead a small team of four: two assistants who I supervise, and one colleague at my level but who doesn’t have supervisory duties. Because we’re a small team that likes one another, our meetings usually end with personal chatter—nothing boundary-crossing, just normal friendly updates. One assistant, Georgia, has a bit of […] Read the full article →
how can I protect my team from last-minute rushes? by Alison Green on April 19, 2021 A reader writes: I’m a new manager who heads up a team of 12 employees, and I’m having an issue with the other groups that we work with. The other groups have developed a habit of not including my team on work to be performed, then dropping it on us and demanding it be done […] Read the full article →
our boss’s high salary is tanking morale by Alison Green on April 19, 2021 A reader writes: This is an odd question in that I think I know what I’m going to do (dodge it and run — I am a nervous creature) but I’m wondering if that’s ethically what I should do. The scenario is this: I work on a five person team for a nonprofit. It’s the […] Read the full article →
coworker doesn’t pay attention in meetings, LinkedIn’s “stay-at-home-mom” job title, and more by Alison Green on April 19, 2021 It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Coworker doesn’t pay attention during meetings A team member never pays attention during our team meetings. She sits and types on her laptop, and if the meeting is via Zoom, it is obvious that she is doing work while we are all discussing various issues. […] Read the full article →
weekend open thread – April 17-18, 2021 by Alison Green on April 17, 2021 This comment section is open for any non-work-related discussion you’d like to have with other readers, by popular demand. Here are the rules for the weekend posts. Book recommendation of the week: Good Company, by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney. The discovery of a wedding ring that was long believed lost reveals secrets that unsettle a marriage and a friendship. * […] Read the full article →