Ask a Manager

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Job application asked if we should use force to protect traditional values I took this online assessment for a right below C-level manager position three weeks ago and I’m still thinking about this question. I’m stunned that it was asked. I’m guessing it skirts the […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Do younger hiring managers still care about thank-you notes? I’ve been on a couple of job interviews for entry-level jobs in my field and have a question about post-interview thank you letters. My rule is to always send one if the interviewer is a bit […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Do I need to say anything about my frequent bathroom visits? I recently started a new job. The people I work with are kind and supportive and it’s been great so far. My team has only three team members, the controller, a staff accountant, and […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Telling an interviewer God said this is the right job for you I’m asking this on behalf of a friend. She recently applied for a new position and made it through a couple rounds of interviews, but she ultimately did not get the job. She […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My manager is annoyed that I keep getting Saturdays off I work on a production line. It is difficult for me to work Saturdays as my wife works a weekend shift and childcare is hard to find on the weekends. My job is supposed to […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Was I wrong to joke about getting people fired? I’m an employee in an entertainment type of place and wanted to ask if my jokes have been inappropriate enough to result in a verbal warning. I was informed by my manager that I was supposed […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Is it wrong to hire a replacement before someone is fired? I’ve been at my current job for 2-1/2 years and have gone through three grandbosses in that time. Each new grandboss has done “house cleaning” where they’ve let go quite a few long standing […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker loves to abuse robocallers I work in a county government building that is constantly under construction. A few weeks ago, my desk was moved to accommodate some new renovations. My new space is a cubicle within an unrelated department. The person who occupies […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My interviewer become rude and disinterested after I got his name wrong I was recently laid off and got an interview after applying for the position within two days. I should have given myself more time to get prepared but was excited and decided to […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker made a rude comment about my grandmother’s death I lost my grandmother on May 16th. Her wishes have always been to get everything sorted as soon as possible; when my grandfather passed years ago, she was the same. Get the “life admin” sorted […]