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December, 2015
Ask a Manager
how to interview your potential new boss
Ask a Manager
DECEMBER 11, 2015
A reader writes: Our department was asked by our director to have an informal-type “interview” with two of the finalists in line to fill our manager position (the current manager is retiring). We are a small department of eight people, and we are tasked with “being unemotional” and to have “facts” as to why we prefer one over the other. Yet, we were told to not assume that this will make a difference in who is hired. You can read my answer to this question over at Inc. interviewing
manager asked about religion, new job was a scam, and more
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DECEMBER 21, 2015
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. Manager asked about religion when I asked to take a day off. My workplace has an unfortunately named paid time off day called “Religious Day.” It’s essentially a personal day that’s granted when someone is hired, without the need for accrual. Besides the name, the staff handbook does not specify what this day is to be used for. If you’re not religious, it seems like just another day of paid time off similar to a personal day. Am I on solid ground here? Your manager was out off line. 2. But one of my close friends is his direct manager.
update: my boyfriend has my old job and there’s tons of drama
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DECEMBER 21, 2015
Remember the letter-writer whose boyfriend had her old job and was being treated badly by a board member? Here’s the update. The museum’s operating season ended one week after you posted your response to my question about what to do about Pat. At that time, per your advice, I started slowly getting rid of my volunteer duties by letting the board know that I was resigning my position as chair for a semi-annual event. Pat requested an “employee review” between herself, a handful of other board members, and my boyfriend for this past Monday. updates
can I bring a crib sheet into interviews to help me answer questions?
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DECEMBER 21, 2015
A reader writes: I work in a sector where it is common to ask competency questions in interviews (apologies for being vague, but if I stated my work area you’d probably respond with “oh yeah, those guys probably DO get a lot of competency questions”). These range from informal “how would you handle this situation?” ” discussions to “please take us through the X process” to full-on sheets of exam questions with mark schemes. Needless to say I loathe the things. But recently I got my first bad reaction. Are there better ways to handle this problem?
Skill based learning – How it drives an organization’s performance
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how to convince an interviewer I’m okay with admin work, even with a master’s degree
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DECEMBER 23, 2015
A reader writes: I’m wondering about how to reassure interviewers that I am able and willing to perform administrative tasks despite the fact that I have a master’s degree and have some higher-level work experience. Some background: I’m in my mid-twenties and have done a lot of internships, part-time jobs, and AmeriCorps, and am looking for my first full-time salaried position in the nonprofit world. graduated with my master’s last June and moved to a very progressive metro area with an extremely tight nonprofit job market. Any ideas for good responses to this question?
update: should I take off my engagement ring for job interviews?
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DECEMBER 25, 2015
Remember the letter-writer who had been advised to take off her engagement ring for job interviews (first published in 2012 and then reprinted for Inc. in October of this year )? Here’s the update. I am the person who asked this question a few years ago and I know I’m long overdue for an update! First, thank you, Alison, for your fantastic advice and thank you to all of the commenters for sharing your perspectives! It gave me much needed sanity during my year long job search. At the time, I was just beginning my career and going through quite a few life changes (clearly). updates
how to answer the interview question “how does this job fit with your career path?”
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DECEMBER 28, 2015
A reader writes: All through high school and college, I wanted to be a journalist. I got my degree and spent four years in newspapers. And then I got fired. realized the industry was dying and changing and perhaps it was all for the best. still use my writing, editing, and research skills, but I’m in corporate America now and happy enough to work standard hours with good, reliable coworkers and decent pay and benefits. honestly don’t know. take life as it comes, and try to take advantage of opportunities if that arise. Why do they care? interviewing
how to prevent alignment problems on your team
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DECEMBER 1, 2015
If your office is like a lot of offices, you’re spending a lot of time right now setting goals for next year. And if you’re like a lot of offices, chances are good that those goals might be knocked aside next year when other projects, priorities, and metrics push their way in. But while sometimes it does make sense to set aside goals for new priorities, often when that happens it’s because team members and their managers are simply out of alignment with each other. You can read it here. how to prevent alignment problems on your team was originally published by Alison Green on Ask a Manager.
Leaving performance reviews behind: Where to start [Guide]
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Is your company ready to move beyond the annual performance review? Where do you start? What are the keys to success? In this guide, you’ll gain an understanding of: the forces driving change, three foundations of success and take a deep dive into the skills gap many managers have that will sink your efforts before they start and how to address them.
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telling a coworker she has B.O., putting degrees in your email signature, and more
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DECEMBER 29, 2015
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. Talking to a depressed coworker/friend about B.O. have a very good friend who’s also a coworker (on another team from mine). happen to know that she’s suffering from very bad depression, and I’m very proud of her for getting through it as well as she is. Here’s my dilemma–in the last few months, she’s developed a definite problem with body odor. I Should I say anything to her? And if so, what would you recommend I say? (As a side note, I don’t think this is due to cultural differences in diet.).
manager rarely speaks to staff, asking a coworker to stop talking about his gun hobby, and more
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DECEMBER 16, 2015
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. Asking a coworker to stop talking about his gun hobby. have a coworker who loves guns. We all know this (when you walk by his desk, he is likely on a gun message board) but chalk it up to a quirk. Today he and another co-worker spent the better part of an hour talking about guns. The other coworker is becoming interested in guns, so there have been some conversations like this lately. But this was the most extensive (involving white board drawings). But it did make me uncomfortable. What’s the protocol here? Is it ok to say something?
my employee plays games and uses his phone during downtime
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DECEMBER 29, 2015
A reader writes: I have a business analyst on my team that spends a lot of his time working on very large spreadsheets, consolidating, and analyzing information. Due to the size and nature of the work, a lot of times he will need to set the spreadsheet to do a specific job and then will simply need to wait for it to load for 3-5 minutes. This will happen multiple times an hour, so the waiting time can add up. During this time, I’ve noticed him on his phone, reading things, or playing games waiting for the spreadsheet to load. good management
update: coworker keeps calling me “baby mama”
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DECEMBER 2, 2015
Remember the reader whose coworker kept calling her “baby mama” after she returned from maternity leave, even going so far as to refer to as another coworker’s “baby mama”? And that other coworker was simply another person he disliked, not the father of the letter-writer’s child.) Here’s the update — and it doesn’t end up where you think it will! So, I went to HR about this once Fergus REALLY crossed the line (he called me a “know-it-all c- word” at a work function). hour meeting with the local HR rep and the area manager after my complaint.
Innovation Buster: How Losing Your Best Employees is Killing Innovation
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job candidate got company name wrong, makeup at work, and more
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DECEMBER 13, 2015
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. Job candidate got our company name wrong in a presentation. My company is currently conducting interviews for an upper-level management position. As part of the interview process, candidates give a presentation to staff. Recently, we had a candidate who got the name of our organization wrong on his opening slide–using instead the similar name of another company. The person in this role would frequently be representing our company by giving presentations at industry events and professional conferences.) Ooooh, that’s not good.
I have to share a hotel room with my boss on an international trip
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DECEMBER 1, 2015
A reader writes: I took a new position (event planner) earlier this year and relocated from across the country. During my interview, my boss mentioned we had one international event for 2016. No big deal. Now, she has booked a second international event and is on track to book a third in 2016. Planning an international event is incredibly challenging and time consuming. also wasn’t aware I would be traveling this much for work and traveling outside of my comfort zone. moved here to work here – not in Europe. find this totally inappropriate and invasive of my privacy and space.
how to break up with a client
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DECEMBER 2, 2015
A reader writes: Several years ago, I left a full-time job in order to freelance, and my most recent employer has remained one of my clients. have been handling an ongoing series of projects for them, with the understanding that my contract will be renewed each year for the foreseeable future. However, the work has become tedious and I don’t really enjoy it anymore. I’d prefer to focus on other, newer clients who are a better fit for my schedule and business goals (and I realize that I’m fortunate to have a large enough client base to be able to make that decision).
what shirt colors are okay for interviews, citing benefits I don’t use when negotiating salary, and more
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DECEMBER 8, 2015
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. Do I really have to wear a white or baby blue shirt to interviews? I’m an recent graduate searching for a job and this question has arisen for me more than once, although I’m not sure if it’s a valid one or if I’m just being over sensitive to suggested job-seeking norms. Most guidelines for professional dress I’ve seen come from university career centers, and beyond wearing a suit they specify wearing either a white or baby blue shirt. Being rather olive skinned, baby blue and white make me look like death. What can I do about this?
2016 Training Program Best Practices
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Can you hear the collective groan when you launch that new compliance course? Do you get complaints both public and private from trainees about the uselessness of the training courses you've launched? Is there anything that can be done about it?
how to write a self-assessment for your performance review
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DECEMBER 7, 2015
If you need to write a self-assessment as part of your performance evaluation, you might fall into the familiar trap of worrying that you’ll come across as a braggart if your rate yourself highly or that you’ll undercut yourself if you’re too modest. At U.S. News & World Report today, I try to demystify the process and show you have to write an effective self-evaluation. You can read it here. Here’s how to take the mystery out of the process and write an effective self-assessment, including how to avoid being either falsely modest or Ron-Burgundy-ish. You work habits
update: our job candidates have to give “positivity presentations”
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DECEMBER 26, 2015
Remember the letter-writer whose company was asking internal candidates for a promotion to give presentations about how to foster positivity at work , all because of one person who’d been causing a lot of drama? Here’s the update. wrote in a month or so back about my office’s internal hiring process, which changed to involve the candidates creating a “positivity presentation” because one of them was causing drama. Well, they are finally giving their presentations and they sound like they’ve been an utter flop. updates
Legacybox: all your memories, digitized
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DECEMBER 7, 2015
And now a break to talk about a sponsor…. Do you have a bunch of non-digitized photos and old VHS tapes laying around that you have vague ideas of converting to digital at some point, but have never bothered to actually do it? You need Legacybox – a mail-in service that will do it for you. Legacybox is an all-in-one mailed kit for converting your recorded moments into shareable, digital files.
my coworkers are birthday tyrants, job candidate called coworker “annoying,” and more
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DECEMBER 27, 2015
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. Manager says if I get a raise, fewer of my coworkers will get raises. have a salary that’s presumably on the higher end of non-management in the department I’m in. also have about a decade or more development experience than those I work with, so my spot in the range seems justified. What’s your opinion when a manager says “You’re near the top of the range. If we give you a raise then that means fewer of your coworkers can get raises too,” as a reason for me not getting a year-end raise? They are weird. 4.
Ditching the formal performance review? Kineo shares 3 Elements for Success
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I keep breaking office chairs, manager asked if I have a problem working for a woman, and more
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DECEMBER 15, 2015
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. keep breaking my office chairs. know this is a counterpoint to a past letter , so I thought the responses might be interesting. A year or so ago, upper management bought new chairs for our entire office. Overall they’re not terrible, but for me, they’re just not working. I’m significantly heavier than average, and beyond that I have a disability that means sometimes I wind up more or less falling into my chair, and I have to push myself up from it in a way that puts more stress on the chair. What’s your take?
I distributed layoff plans without permission, new job says I can’t take a previously okayed trip, and more
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DECEMBER 3, 2015
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. found my company’s layoff plans on the copier … and distributed them. There are several changes happening at my current workplace. month and a half ago there was an announcement that we would be organizing a few departments into a new model which came directly after higher-ups laid off 3 directors very suddenly. This was not due to performance issues but specifically part of the plan to move forward with a new model. They even escorted one of them out of the building with security. What are your thoughts? Should you distributed it?
time off at the holidays: can my employer do that?
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DECEMBER 3, 2015
This is the time of year when my in-box gets flooded with questions about how companies can and can’t handle time off around the holidays. Here are answers to some of the questions I receive most commonly. 1. My company is closed around Christmas and making me use PTO or take the time unpaid. Can they do that? They can indeed require that you use vacation time for that period, even if you don’t want to. As for making you take the time without pay: If you’re non-exempt , they don’t need to pay you for time you didn’t work, so yes, this would be legal. law + order
office party will increase my workload, my wife’s company party makes me uneasy, and more
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DECEMBER 14, 2015
It’s seven holiday-related questions, and seven answers. Here we go…. 1. Attending my office holiday party will seriously raise my workload. What should you do if attending your office holiday party will result in an increased workload? Our department’s holiday party is going to be during the workday, for four hours. Do I go and just accept I’ll be working very late that day? Should I show up for a limited time? Or should I skip the whole thing altogether? I’d make a brief appearance (seriously brief, like 20 minutes) and then return to work. Thanks for your insights!).
HR's Critical Role in Creating Productive and Meaningful Workplaces
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everyone knew I was fired before I knew, losing a bonus, and more
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DECEMBER 22, 2015
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. Everyone knew I was fired before I knew. recently got into trouble at work, where I took complete blame for it. I was called into the office, where I was told I would be suspended for five days (two of them being non-business days) I was told that I had to call on the fifth day and ask if my job would still be available to me. asked if anyone was going to find out about the incident because if I did keep my job I didn’t want them to think differently of me, and I was told everything would be confidential. Is this legal? short answers
how to get info from job candidates who turn down our offers
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DECEMBER 10, 2015
A reader writes: I am not a jobseeker (yet), but am currently working as untrained HR personnel. There are some things my management wants to know about job candidates under two circumstances, but I’m not sure if they are okay questions to ask. guess I just want to know what I’m doing is right or wrong, even if I have no choice in the matter. So, first, what are the questions appropriate to ask if a candidate turns down our job offer in favor of another offer? Are the following questions appropriate? Which company’s offer did you accept? What did they offer? Well, sort of.
what are the ethics of applying for a job that a friend wants?
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DECEMBER 30, 2015
A reader writes: You’ve said before that no one can “steal” a job. But what about when you apply for an opening that you only know about because a colleague told you that he applied for it? just finished a graduate program. I was older than most of my classmates by 10+ years. With a several-year absence from the workforce before the program, I’m being considered for roles more junior than my last one. I am willing to take a step back in order to work again. But a few months ago I didn’t expect I’d be going after the same jobs as younger classmates. But it’s still going to sting.
all my 2015 book recommendations
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DECEMBER 18, 2015
For most of 2015, I’ve made a weekly book recommendation when kicking off the weekend open thread. These aren’t work-related books; they’re just books I love and think everyone else should read. Sometimes they’re books that I’m in the middle of reading, and other times they’ve just long-standing favorites. A few people asked to have them all compiled in one place, so here’s the complete list (possibly in time for holiday gift-shopping!). I’ve bolded my favorites of the favorites. The History of Love , by Nicole Krauss. It is magnificent.
Learner motivation explained! Learn how to use an LMS to motivate your learners to upskill
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coworker was arrested for DUI, asking for a different room assignment, and more
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DECEMBER 1, 2015
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. My coworker was arrested for DUI and hasn’t told our employer. My coworker was arrested for a DUI a few months ago. only just found out because he’s in my carpool and he just realized he wasn’t supposed to be driving. also found out that he hasn’t told our employer. We drive rental vehicles as a regular part of our job. We don’t have the same boss and we technically don’t work together, just for the same company, but I have no idea if I should be telling someone. What should I do? Call me a busybody (I am one!
coworkers leaving love notes for each other, how to pick interns, and more
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DECEMBER 28, 2015
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. Coworkers are leaving love notes for each other. recently started working in a high-end retail setting selling a luxury item. The team that I’m working with seems really great for the most part, except for this one young couple who can’t seem to keep their private lives out of the workplace. It’s not enough that everyone knows that they’re dating; one of them has begun taping small love notes to cash registers that are shared between 5-6 of us, in full view of our customers. Am I just being an over-sensitive grouch?
4 big productivity traps for managers
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DECEMBER 23, 2015
If you’re a manager, you probably struggle mightily with time management; it’s pretty common for managers to feel like there are more demands on their time than time to meet them. But what if you’re inadvertently making choices that are undoing your best time management efforts? At Intuit QuickBase’s Fast Track blog today, I talk about four common managerial practices that can look like the right choices on the surface, but in actuality will become time sucks. You can read it here. 4 big productivity traps for managers was originally published by Alison Green on Ask a Manager.
my friend is blackmailing her boss, employee is overlooking emails, and more
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DECEMBER 7, 2015
It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…. 1. My friend is blackmailing her boss. have a friend who works as a server for an upscale hotel in a large city. She recently told me about a “deal” she made with her supervisor that has resulted in her making a lot more money. little background — she’s been at this job for about five years now. The hourly wage for her position is very low (with no raises in those five years) and most of the money she makes comes from gratuities. From then on, her paychecks were considerably larger. Yes, I think she’d likely be fired.
The Performance Management Storm: Four Macro-Trends Driving the Change
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