candidates who say they’re open to relocation … but really aren’t by Alison Green on July 25, 2022 A reader writes: I’m hiring for my small company. We have found a candidate for one of our teams who would be perfect. The role is based in New York and our candidate lives in LA. Before initiating the interview process, I asked my candidate if she would be open to relocating. We prefer to […] Read the full article →
my relative is lying about race to get a job in my department by Alison Green on July 25, 2022 A reader writes: A relative I haven’t spoken to in years is fraudulently applying to my department at a large university. To put it simply, this is a potential Rachael Dolezal situation. “Connie” is applying for a research and teaching position in my department. Her mother was married to my uncle for about 15 years […] Read the full article →
is rejecting people by phone more respectful? by Alison Green on July 20, 2022 A reader writes: I am just finishing up a highly competitive hiring process. We flew in the top two finalists for in-person interviews this week and have decided who we’ll extend an offer to. My question is around best practices for notifying the other finalist that she didn’t get the job. In the past, I’ve […] Read the full article →
how can I tell if an overqualified applicant is right for the job? by Alison Green on July 5, 2022 A reader writes: I’m hiring for a mostly entry-level position, a basic administrative job that has been categorized at times as both an administrative assistant or office manager. This position recently became vacant after an employee of one year decided to leave. We knew he was highly overqualified for the position, but he said that […] Read the full article →
the mystery of “remote” job listings that aren’t actually remote by Alison Green on June 20, 2022 Amid the boom in remote working spurred by pandemic closures two years ago, job seekers are encountering a frustrating phenomenon: jobs advertised as “remote” when they really aren’t. To the extreme and understandable frustration of job seekers, it’s become quite common for candidates to see a job posting for a role that claims to be […] Read the full article →
candidates keep turning down our job offers by Alison Green on June 13, 2022 A reader asks: My team has been expanding after a long period of being under-resourced and under-staffed, but the talent pool in our local area is not very deep. As a result, I usually have to conduct national searches for most positions. This means that I’ve had to work hard to identify serious applicants who […] Read the full article →
should you make job offers by phone or email? by Alison Green on June 8, 2022 A reader writes: I lead a team and just sent an email to a candidate making a job offer. After I sent the email (my typical practice), I was curious, and I googled “email job offers,” which led me to articles declaring the practice a bad idea and recommending phone calls instead. I was wondering […] Read the full article →
interview candidates have stopped giving me their availability when I ask for it by Alison Green on May 26, 2022 A reader writes: I work in the public sector as a manager of a library. I’ve been in this position for a little over a year, but have had other library management jobs for the past 5-ish years. Due to the lower wages (above state minimum, but by only like a dollar) and mostly part-time […] Read the full article →
what’s the best time to send rejection letters? by Alison Green on April 27, 2022 A reader writes: Is there a standard for when to send out rejection letters? I deal with a lot of hiring in my job and I usually know as soon as I review a resume or hold an interview whether or I’m going to reject someone, but I have always figured that people don’t want […] Read the full article →
job candidate was distracted by her baby throughout our interview by Alison Green on March 15, 2022 A reader writes: I’m a manager for a nonprofit and I was thinking about an interview situation that happened late last year. Last year we were looking to hire someone who can conduct telehealth meetings with families who just had a baby as a part of a federal program. I was calling applicants over the […] Read the full article →