Ask a Manager

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss says “yes, my child” My boss tends to operate informally, preferring “drop in” conversations to formal meetings. I needed to check in with him about a project I was working on, and so when I saw him sitting in a common area I […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Should I only apply to jobs in my field when job hunting right out of college? My friends and I have made it to the most exciting time of year: college graduation! While some of us have work lined up already, others are bracing themselves […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss doesn’t focus during our meetings My boss considers himself a master multitasker. In reality, he’s pretty terrible at it. Like most of us, he’s not actually able to split his attention between two or three different tasks at any one time and this […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My coworker won’t stop complaining about my tattoos I started a new job in December; Carol started in February. We work for a small company, with six of us in production. We’re not customer-facing in any way. Carol was fine with me until the weather […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. I offered a job to a candidate — and her dad got on the phone with questions My coworker recently encountered this situation, and I’d love to hear how you would have handled things. My coworker, Sally, recently hired a new grad, Jane. As Sally […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Can I ask about salary before doing a skills test? I applied for a job that looks like a lateral move for me. I interviewed for it, and the interview went pretty well. Within a couple hours, they emailed me with a two-part skills test. […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Sending flowers on someone’s first day of work I work at a smaller organization, and Sansa, who manages our 10-person junior staff, is leaving after working here for the better part of the last decade. She’ll be sorely missed, and the head of the organization […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My employee does needlepoint in meetings I have an engineer who is doing an excellent job during the first six months in her new role on my team. All feedback has been positive, and I already have other engineering managers asking when she can apply […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. Our intern doesn’t flush the toilet We have a new summer student in our department. He’s working with my team and reports to my boss, however I have had no interaction with him beyond being introduced to him on his first day. Twice now I’ve […]

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My boss wants me to drive her daughter to appointments I am currently working for my mom and one of her good friends (who owns the company). My mom serves as office manager and I am her assistant, the general assistant, and do anything else […]