thoughts on rejection from a hiring manager in a competitive field by Alison Green on February 15, 2021 After last week’s letter from someone who was frustrated because she kept getting rejected for writing jobs, a hiring manager in a competitive field sent me this: We recently hired for a junior role in a competitive field at an organization with a globally recognized name and a reputation as a generous employer locally. I […] Read the full article →
should I re-hire an employee with a bad attitude? by Alison Green on February 10, 2021 A reader writes: I briefly worked at a terrible company where I was brought in to help fix problems with a team that had been underperforming. Soon after I was hired, it became obvious to me that the company was a mess and I chose to move on after six months. One person on my […] Read the full article →
what to do when a top job candidate has another offer by Alison Green on January 27, 2021 A reader writes: I’m hiring for a an open position and conducted a phone interview with a great candidate (we’d already interviewed him once before in a prior round but didn’t hire him) and told him that in-person interviews would take place within a few weeks, with someone in place by early March. I got […] Read the full article →
is it unprofessional to have an email address with 69 in it? by Alison Green on December 21, 2020 A reader writes: HR recently shared an applicant’s email address with me (think “firstname.nickname_69@yahoo.com”) and when I saw it, I chuckled a bit and thought it must be someone quite young and immature. HR saw my reaction and told me that he included a note mentioning that he was born in 1969, and that is […] Read the full article →
job applicants’ parents keep calling me by Alison Green on November 25, 2020 A reader writes: I work at a camp, with loads of seasonal employees. We just opened applications for staffing opportunities for teens age 14-17 and were flooded with hundreds of applicants who want to come do our dishes, haul trash, and chop firewood. This is a wonderful thing! The problem is their parents, who regularly […] Read the full article →
how can I find new hires who will be comfortable with our “boys club” culture? by Alison Green on November 23, 2020 A reader writes: I’m looking to add a new employee to my team, most likely a recent college graduate, and I’m not quite sure how to come up with questions to ensure a good cultural fit. Our team is a bit of a “boys club” with cursing and the occasional inappropriate joke made in smaller […] Read the full article →
will a job candidate who used to be in charge really be OK with a non-management job? by Alison Green on November 12, 2020 A reader writes: I work in biotech and am in the process of reading resumes and interviewing candidates to replace my only direct report, who left recently when she got a really nice job offer elsewhere. I work full-time at the bench and this is the first time I’ve had to drive the selection process […] Read the full article →
how to ask references about a candidate’s personality by Alison Green on November 11, 2020 A reader writes: I run a nonprofit and hire part-time workers to work in recreation-type centers across the city. Strong interpersonal skills are part of what we look for. However, interviews make people nervous, and it can be a little hard to judge those skills in interviews. My question is about checking references and getting […] Read the full article →
my employer won’t let us tell candidates what we pay until we make them an offer by Alison Green on October 5, 2020 A reader writes: I work for a private college, and my department is in the process of hiring a new staff person. I have been involved in vetting and interviewing applicants both for this current position and for several past positions, so this isn’t the first time I’ve faced this issue. But I don’t know […] Read the full article →
job candidate’s suspicious husband photographed me before her interview by Alison Green on August 26, 2020 A reader writes: I had a strange experience yesterday, and I think I need some perspective. I am a C-level department head. Recently, I volunteered to go temporarily to another location (very far from my home) that experienced a sudden and unforeseen leadership vacancy. Since I have no intention of staying here, I told senior […] Read the full article →