should I hire a qualified candidate who comes with a ton of baggage? by Alison Green on June 5, 2023 A reader asks: My team recently created a new position. A colleague from another department got wind of this and asked when I planned to advertise the vacancy. I’m in no hurry to fill the position, so I said “hopefully by the end of the year.” He let me know that his wife is very […] Read the full article →
how do I tell my friend I don’t want to hire her? by Alison Green on May 17, 2023 A reader writes: I manage a small tourist shop. It gets rather busy during the summer, and I’m planning on hiring two people to help cover shifts. One of my friends wants me to hire her. She said that she needs more money to help pay bills. I’m reluctant to, because she rage-quit almost every […] Read the full article →
my coworker is pushing me to hire her daughter by Alison Green on May 9, 2023 A reader writes: I am hiring for an entry-level position. The daughter of our front desk manager applied for the position. Her resume was great, but her cover letter had two words misspelled, including in the company name. The position requires proofreading and careful data entry. I emailed her to let her know that she […] Read the full article →
after I hired someone, a mutual friend told me I’d made a huge mistake by Alison Green on April 20, 2023 A reader writes: I made a pretty big hiring mistake and I’m not really sure how to proceed. I recently hired a new employee — let’s call him Julian — for a fairly niche role within my company. Julian’s background aligned well with the role, all communication was timely and professional, he gave polished first […] Read the full article →
how can I hire good people to work in a dysfunctional organization? by Alison Green on March 13, 2023 A reader writes: My small organization is currently in transition. We have had significant staff turnover in the last two years, and the result has pushed the organization into a level of dysfunction that I know will drive many good quality candidates away. However, I still have to hire people (I have two positions currently […] Read the full article →
when I offered someone a job, her dad got on the phone with questions by Alison Green on February 14, 2023 A reader writes: We recently hired a new grad, Jane. As my colleague, Sally, was making the verbal offer over the phone, she asked Jane if she had any questions. Jane replied, “No, but my father does.” Then, Jane’s father took the phone and started asking Sally questions about the offer! The questions ranged from […] Read the full article →
job applicant keeps asking for another chance by Alison Green on January 30, 2023 A reader writes: How would you respond to a candidate who continues to ask for an opportunity after you’ve rejected them? This candidate was screened out and we sent them a message about finding a strong group of candidates and moving in a different direction, and we did tell them that we’d keep their resume […] Read the full article →
how to answer when a job candidate asks, “how did I do?” by Alison Green on January 18, 2023 A reader writes: Lately at the end of interviews, I’ve had people asking me how they did in the interview. Everyone who has asked me this question hasn’t done very well. I think it’s a really awkward question that puts the interviewer on the spot. What’s your take? What’s the best way to respond to […] Read the full article →
can I hold a job applicant’s proselytizing email signature against them? by Alison Green on January 4, 2023 A reader writes: I’m curious about your thoughts on a situation that I encountered recently. I conducted an initial interview with a candidate for a part-time position whose email address and signature caught my attention. The email came from an explicitly religious domain — think Name@JesusSaves.com or Name@ChristDiedForYou.com. A little research revealed that this address […] Read the full article →
how many interviews are too many? by Alison Green on October 10, 2022 A reader writes: I’ve seen a lot of questions on your site about interviewees who feel that the interview process is too lengthy or burdensome, which got me thinking about my practices as a hiring manager and how many interviews will scare off strong candidates. This 2016 letter writer from the archives was subjected to […] Read the full article →