what niche job boards do you use to find job openings? by Alison Green on April 17, 2025 It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. Today we have two letters, one question. The first: I’m a fed in a (relatively) safe job in a (relatively) safe agency, and while I’m hoping to stay, I am keeping an eye out for other opportunities. But as someone who went straight from academia to the federal […] Read the full article →
how do I apply for a job internally without my boss knowing? by Alison Green on February 18, 2025 A reader writes: I have many questions about applying to internal jobs, something I have never done. At my current company, a new role came up that is a dream job for me. But it is also a reach, as it would be a bit of a career change. Knowing this job might open up, […] Read the full article →
should you have a bunch of people send the hiring manager unsolicited letters of praise for you? by Alison Green on January 30, 2025 A reader writes: I just saw the below post on LinkedIn, and I thought I’d send it along and get your thoughts on this strategy. After years of reading your blog, it makes me cringe so much. (Why would you write someone a reference if you weren’t their manager? Why would you pester every person […] Read the full article →
employer wants me to write 30 essays before they’ll even consider my application by Alison Green on January 14, 2025 A reader writes: I’ve done my fair share of job interviews, but not in the past five years or so. In early August, I applied for a manager-level role at a local nonprofit that fits exactly within my professional experience and personal interests. Almost four months after the application deadline, I finally got an email […] Read the full article →
job application is fixated on high school academic performance by Alison Green on November 19, 2024 A reader writes: What do you make of employers asking job applicants about their high school performance? Besides the fact that I barely remember SAT or other score results from high school or college, is this even a real way to see how someone would perform at work? It feels infantalizing and not the best […] Read the full article →
when can I ask a potential employer about working remotely? by Alison Green on November 11, 2024 A reader writes: I currently have a job that is hybrid/remote, with emphasis on remote. I go into the office when needed, but that may be once every couple of weeks. I fell into this during Covid and I love it for so many reasons, from the lack of a commute to the vastly improved […] Read the full article →
how do I know if a job I’m interviewing for is a lateral move or a step up? by Alison Green on August 8, 2024 A reader writes: I’m in early stages of interviewing for a new position. This would be a change of sector for me, and at a much smaller organization, so I honestly can’t tell from the job description if I should think of this as a lateral move or more of a step-up. What kinds of […] Read the full article →
how should I balance workplace red flags vs. the necessity to get a job? by Alison Green on July 9, 2024 A reader writes: I’m searching for a job in the real workplace for the first time — previously I’ve only been family-employed and self-employed. So I have work experience, but not necessarily in an official workplace context. I’ve been job-searching for four months and haven’t gotten a job yet. I’m moving to a different state […] Read the full article →
need help finding a job? start here by Alison Green on May 8, 2024 Here’s a round-up of some of the most key job-searching advice on this site. Resumes and Cover Letters The first thing to know is, if you’re not getting interviews, you probably need to fix your resume and cover letter. If you’re thinking your materials are fine, I’ve got to tell you: More often than not, […] Read the full article →
job searching is so much work by Alison Green on April 29, 2024 A reader writes: I’m trying to look for a new job, but it feels like the scale of doing so is interminably large. I’m expecting to apply for at least 30-40 jobs before I even get one interview. It’s that competitive out there. But for each application, I’m expected to research a company and it’s […] Read the full article →