weekend open thread – September 7-8, 2024 by Alison Green on September 6, 2024 This comment section is open for any non-work-related discussion you’d like to have with other readers, by popular demand. Here are the rules for the weekend posts. Book recommendation of the week: Really Good, Actually, by Monica Heisey. Reeling from the […]
The 3 Keys To A Successful Job Search
It can be very demanding to look for another job when your current one is constantly stressing you out. After all, when you get home from a long and frustrating day, the last thing you want to do is give any more thought to the world of work. Unfortunately, most new jobs don’t just fall […]
open thread – September 6, 2024
This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager. It’s the Friday open thread! The comment section on this post is open for discussion with other readers on any work-related questions that you want to talk about (that includes school). If you want an answer from me, emailing me is still […]
a dog-sitting job gone bad, delayed approval for time off, and more — Ask a Manager
It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. My neighbor, her nephew, my kid, and her dogs My question has to do with kid work. I recently found myself in an uncomfortable situation with my middle-schooler, Falcon, and I’m wondering if I handled it badly. My neighbor, Jane, asked Falcon to check on […]
does posting sob stories on LinkedIn hurt your job search? — Ask a Manager
A reader writes: I work in a field that has been heavily affected by layoffs in the past year. I have been lucky and managed to maintain work, but many talented people I know have not been so lucky. My question is about whether posting depressing, sad posts on social media, especially LinkedIn, affects your […]
my anxious employee wants daily reassurance — Ask a Manager
my anxious employee wants daily reassurance by Alison Green on September 5, 2024 A reader writes: I manage a small team, including one employee who joined us somewhat recently. This is her first time doing the kind of work that we do, and training from afar isn’t ideal (we work remotely), but she’s learning and […]
4 Best Questions To Ask In A Phone Interview
In every interview, it’s important to ask questions. This especially includes phone interviews. Asking questions during any type of job interview makes you seem more intelligent and interested in the job. It also makes you more appealing to hiring managers—as long as you don’t ask questions you could easily find the answers to. If you […]
let’s discuss workplace contests gone awry — Ask a Manager
I’ve told this story before, but I think it’s been a few years, so I’ll tell it again. I previously worked for a company that did “holiday decorating contests” around Xmas. To me, this just read as the owner effectively saying, “Decorate the office on your own time and out of your own pocket, and […]
doctor’s office constantly leaves me on hold, coworker’s bare-bones emails, and more — Ask a Manager
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. My doctor’s office constantly leaves me on hold — how do I deal with this at work? Do you have any advice on how to handle important personal phone calls with LONG hold times when you’re working in a client-facing position? My doctor’s office has […]
my coworkers are engaged but one of them is cheating … with my boss — Ask a Manager
Thank you so much for responding to my question. I couldn’t really respond to any of the comments on your post, but I read them and really had a good think about everything you said and what the commenters were saying as well. I’m here to offer an update in case you or any of […]