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Should I abbreviate information on a resume to maintain length/layout restrictions? I'm using the following format for a work experience title line in my resume, and it's causing a formatting issue Dates - Left Justified | Company Name - Centered | Address/State - Right Justified Ex: Jan 2000 - May 2012 | My really long fully spelled out company name here | Big City Name, ST this is causing things to run together on the line and/or to overflow the text onto a new line. I'm considering using the abbreviation of the company name as seen on logos, but I am not sure if this is OK or not. Is it OK to abbreviate a long company name for the sake of formatting your resume? And if so, then where do you include the full name of the company if the abbreviation is relatively unknown or misleading in some way? My other alternative would be to reformat the title line of this section and all other work experience sections into a multiline format. <Q> This depends on an important factor: are these length and layout restrictions being imposed by a potential employer, or are they your own formatting choices? <S> If they are being imposed by a potential employer, you should (within reason) conform to them. <S> Abbreviate as necessary to fit, but make sure it's still clear what company you mean. <S> If it's an abbreviation commonly used for logos and such, it's likely sufficient to identify the company. <S> If the company is imposing a certain format, than resume readers/screeners are going to be using that format to their advantage, filtering out those that don't comply and more easily processing those who do (since they know just where to look for the information then need). <S> If, however, these restrictions are just they way you decided to lay out your resume, then you should reconsider. <S> Your resume is about presenting your information in a concise, reader-friendly way. <S> A nice format/design can help with that, but your resume is not about fitting your information into a nice format. <S> Choose a format that better serves the information you want/need to include. <A> I have something similar to this on my resume. <S> I worked at a company named Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of North America. <S> On my resume I use MMMNA (Mitsubishi). <S> No one in the area knows it by its official name anyway. <S> Almost everyone in the area simply refers to it as Mitsubishi. <S> The goal of the resume is to get potential employers thinking (and hopefully talking) about what you want them to think about. <S> There is no value in them trying to decipher what the really long official name of the company really is. <S> You want your potential employers thinking about you not your former employer. <S> Give the abbreviation, and if there is a short name the company is known as put it in parenthesis. <S> If they have questions about it anyway they will ask in the interview. <S> So long as you are not trying to deceive them about your work the manager will understand and probably appreciate your efforts to make it more understandable. <A> Something to consider is what is the point of the resume. <S> My understanding is that it is used to get an interview to further discuss the position and <S> how well one fits into that role. <S> Abbreviations may work as long as they aren't getting into areas near offensive language, e.g. French Connection in the UK has an acronym that would be near an English swear word, at least to my mind. <S> If there are questions about where you worked this is something to be discussed in the interview unless you believe the company is the kiss of death in terms of anyone wanting someone that worked there .
| Since the purpose of the formatting is to highlight the important parts of your resume (only yours, and only with the information you currently include), you shouldn't set rules that are broken by the very information that are trying to guide. If you only need a couple of characters, I'd be more tempted to abbreviate the years to 00 and 12 instead of 2000 and 2012 to free up a few characters and prevent the dilemma on the company name.
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How do I deal with a boss who is not doing her job and gets defensive when asked for her help? I work in a classroom in special ed. We have 9 students with autism, 8 one-on-one aides and a lead teacher. The teacher has the aides do a lot of her work, including writing curriculum programs for students and editing her progress reports (she is an awful writer). She is on eBay, answering personal emails, etc. many times during the day. When approached with any personnel issues, she gets extremely defensive. People are afraid to say anything because she will say she is "stressed" and doing the best she can. Her personal life is a mess... Bankruptcy, terrible marriage, etc. How do I handle this? If I go to the director (her boss) it makes it worse. We do not get performance reviews. I'm not sure why, the communication through the hierarchy is not clear either. She technically manages me. <Q> Working in an environment with a stressed manager or co-worker is always a challenge. <S> However, when that stress is based on their personal life, and spills into the work environment, it becomes unprofessional. <S> All of us get stressed from time to time, but when someone recognises they are stressed, but uses this as a badge to hide behind and doesn't take action then <S> its not okay. <S> In any workplace, one stressed individual and their heightend aggressive (or passive/aggressive) responses can draw in other people, creating a "stress vortex" and ultimately a highly toxic workplace. <S> In a workplace with a duty of care, this is very much not okay. <S> The really positive thing is that she has admited she is stressed. <S> If you can, then approaching your manager directly is probably the best course of action. <S> As with any confrontation, the simplest approach is often to stay calm and measured, and don't lose your temper reflect back how the other person feels use "however" to invert the situation present your point of view <S> In this case : "I know you are stressed, and you have had a terrible time at home over the last few months. <S> However, I'm starting to find your stress is impacting on me and the others here. <S> We are really struggling without your leadership, and so I really need you to get some help with your stress, and start to get it under control. <S> " <S> I've had to do this several times with co-workers, but only once to a manager. <S> It has worked on each occasion, but I will not pretend it was easy when managing upward. <S> If you don't want to do this, you need to go to her manager. <S> Its important to highlight the professional impact this is having on you, and your co-workers, as well as the potential for some kind of escalation in the workplace. <S> Good luck. <A> Too stressed to do your job is too stressed to physically be at work. <S> This is just an excuse and not even a good one. <S> I have personally seen people successfully work when grieving a spouses death, when getting a divorce, when dealing with a serious illness in their immediate family, when dealing with a serious illnes of their own. <S> If you can't work, there is no excuse for allowing this to continue. <S> This person needs to be confronted with her poor performance and immediately placed on some sort of emergency leave to get her life together or be fired. <S> Document when she is late or takes too long a lunch or behaves unprofessionally in front of the students. <S> Once you have facts and figures, set a meeting with all the other aides and the director and show him the documentation and ask that this person be put on leave or fired. <A> It makes it worse for whom? <S> Her? <S> The students? <S> You? <S> I understand and I am truly sympathetic regarding the demands associated with being responsible for children with special needs. <S> I was a residential counselor for developmentally disabled adults for two years immediately after high school graduation. <S> My girlfriend also has two children who are autistic. <S> It takes a special person to assume such a vital responsibility, and not everyone can handle it. <S> There is no shame in admitting your limitations, but if they aren't capable of recognizing them and acknowledging them, some has to do it for her. <S> By remaining silent, you are not helping the situation, you are not helping the staff, you are not helping her, and you are not helping the students. <S> She is simply being enabled to not carry her share of the load, and that is fair to no one, including her. <S> I'm not saying people don't go through bad periods in their life, and that they should be expected to weather every storm with grace. <S> The problem here is that the teacher's inability to address her own shortcomings is having a negative effect that extends far beyond just her space. <S> Someone needs to be told, so that something can be done as soon as possible. <S> She could rebound and refocus, she could find help to get her through her situation so it doesn't affect her ability to do her job, or she could simply find a position which better suits her. <S> In either case, this is clearly a problem desperately seeking a resolution. <S> UPDATE: <S> If I wasn't clear before, you need to talk to the director.
| I would document the tasks that are her repsonsibility that she has assigned to you. I would suggest documenting the things she does that should not be happening during work hours such as the ebay surfing.
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What's a standard productive vs total office hours ratio? So it goes like this: we are keeping track of tasks using Redmine. We log time spent doing tasks, but at the end of the week if we add up all the time spent at those tasks there is no way a person has spent 40hs working. I think that's correct because offices have overhead (reading emails, politics, coffee, distractions).What would be a normal productive time vs total time spent ratio?Other areas in the organization just measure time spent in the office (with the rfid badges that open the door) but we don't like that approach and we are trying to convince Auditing to measure us using redmine instead. <Q> On most project management courses I have been on there's a general assumption of a ~6 hour "productive" day for operational purposes, with the rest being classed as overhead and general administration. <S> A large part of our organisation time-writes for billing purposes, and has a target "chargable time" utilisation rate of 80%; we operate a standard 7.6 hour working day <S> this is measured against which gives a similar figure. <S> This figure is about average for a technical consultancy role - I have seen some professions like lawyers quoted as being higher, and others like engineers a bit lower. <S> The overhead involved in "switching" tasks is quite high, and so while 80% is an average, someone with a highly "fragemented" role would be less if measured accurately, perhaps 60%; <S> this generally applies to anyone with a management role who has to interact with staff above and below, or clients. <A> An 8-hour day has 5 to 6 ideal hours; the rest of this time is spent in meetings, on phone calls, dealing with technical problems, fixing bugs in previous development, refactoring code and paying off other technical debt, etc. <S> All of it's necessary, none of it moves the project forward. <S> In practice, one calendar day may be spent completely heads-down coding and thus may have 8 ideal hours, while the next day may be spent primarily in client meetings and may have zero ideal hours spent coding. <S> It averages out. <S> I will echo other answers and say that your company is unique even among others in the same industry or niche, and thus the ratio of "ideal" to working hours is going to be different. <S> It's usually better to estimate in terms of "programmer-days". <S> Whatever the ideal-to-working ratio is, how many calendar days should a developer be expected to take to finish a work item, given past performance and the estimated complexity of the task? <S> The overwhelming majority of schedulable work items will take more than one programmer-day to complete. <S> Anything smaller than about half a programmer-day can usually be shoehorned in wherever it fits, provided it doesn't turn into the following: <A> No two departments are identical even if they are both the same (i.e. IT, HR, ...) across different companies/locations. <S> Use your tool to learn your baseline. <S> From that you can make informed decisions on what you can do to improve the ratio in your situation. <A> It's totally wrong to start with some ideal ratio and try getting people to do that ratio. <S> The amount of politics, distractions and the efficiency in meetings varies widely. <S> I've been in assignments with say 30min productive work a day (because of excessive politics and multiple involved teams) - to perhaps 7-8h/ day. <S> Some people in offices tend to get more <S> (task related or not) questions and might be a lot more distracted - <S> but it can be productive for team as a whole. <S> Why not turn this up side down instead? <S> Enhance the ratio instead, remove distractions etc. <S> Like other people said, the best productivity might not even come at work - solutions to hard solved problems may well come during vacation at a relaxed beach or when driving to work. <S> The real "Aha" experience. <S> Actually, today I "solved" a critical concurrency issue my client have been struggling for a long time with while snowboarding. <S> If you intend to use these figures for something - people will probably put up some overhead time on "productive tasks" anyway - because it is expected. <A> According to recent studies, an average worker is productive only 3 hours a day <S> This time may vary according to your expertise.
| At my last job we scheduled work based on an "ideal hours" concept; hours spent heads-down, flat-out coding new parts of the project (which from an external viewpoint is "forward progress" aka productivity). I honestly don't know if you'll find a standard that fits your workplace and culture.
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Convincing potential employer that my skills are transferable to the technology they ask for I have come across a job opportunity of becoming a web developer. The skills I have fit the criteria for roughly 90% of what they ask for. The employer is looking for experience using technology X, which I don't have, but I do have experience in technology Y. Technology Y is conceptually very similar to technology X, how do I convince the interviewer that I would be capable of transferring this knowledge across the two technologies? There are a few rounds of interviews and I have already passed one Technical interview which I feel went well. I'm expecting in the next interview that I will be asked about my experience with Technology X. At this point, how can I say that I am unfamiliar with X but very good with Y and I feel the skills can be carried over as there are many similarities between the two. How should I approach communicating that the knowledge I have can be transferred to the technology that is being used by the company I am interviewing for? <Q> This is a difficult one to answer as the level of 'convincing' required will be interviewer specific. <S> At the end of the day the only thing you can do is research technology <S> X. Make a list or a mental note of as many similarities as you can with what you know. <S> Perhaps even begin researching technology X to show you are willing to do what is needed to complete your jobs. <S> You can then say something along the lines of ' <S> Whilst I have very minimal / <S> no experience with this specific technology <S> I am very experienced in technology Y. <S> These two technologies are very similar to each other and I have done some research into this and discovered that at least x% of the common tasks are handled very similarly. <S> I feel my knowledge in Y could be transferred easily over to X if given a short training period and that my existing knowledge in Y could prove invaluable if you wish to expand into further technologies later down the line.' <S> This shows you are willing to learn X because you researched it, it shows you are dedicated to the job as you went through all of the effort of comparing, learning, researching ect. <S> It also shows them that you can open new doorways for them with your existing knowledge of Y, and i can think of no company that wouldn't like more choices to choose from for a solution! <S> I hope this helps you. <A> I'd argue caution with how transferable are you trying to position things here. <S> Some technology stacks can take some time to become very proficient and if you're going to claim that "A years in Technology Y would mean I should be treated like I have B years in Technology X," then that is likely not going to go over well. <S> I'd highly reframe this to state that, "My experience in Technology Y could be useful in reducing how long it takes for me to ramp up in using Technology X," or something similar where the idea is that you are using your experience but not stating any direct conversion formula. <S> You may also be inviting questions where you have to be careful in how you answer as it could be easy to shoot yourself in the foot. <S> "Well, in Technology Y, I'd do it like this and that and this other thing. <S> It's so easy!" <S> would be the type of response I could see some people dreading as while you are using what you know of one technology, you aren't mentioning the challenges to be faced and how you'd overcome that. <S> My main reason for the caution is that while things may be similar, working out all the differences can be its own challenge as how many tools are tied to that Technology that may do things a bit differently in another form is something to consider here. <S> The level of use of the technology is another side to things here. <S> If you have a lot of years of experience, then the transferability may be already factored into things to some extent. <S> Senior developers could be expected to pick up new languages or tools easily enough that this is rather moot. <S> At the same time, junior developers could be seen as having issues in switching stacks, presuming that the changes are sufficiently big, e.g. going from an all-Microsoft shop(IIS, ASP.Net, MS-SQL) to a LAMP stack, as this could be a lot of new stuff to absorb at once. <A> If the employer is taking the time to interview you <S> and they know your background, then to some extent they are interested in you and are willing to be flexible with job requirements. <S> It is not a matter of meeting " <S> all" the requirements as much as being the "best choice" out of a pool of candidates. <S> As important as the "desired" skill set is for any employee, it is JUST AS important that they be to be able to adapt to new problems on the job for which they don't necessarily have the exact skills. <S> In other words, if you can show a track record of adaptability/versatility and support it with actual instances, that might go a long way towards convincing them that you can adapt to the job.
| One successful spin-tactic that I've used in the past when confronted with an opportunity whose skill-set requirements didn't fully match my own is to emphasize that in almost any job you find yourself doing new and challenging things that were NEVER mentioned in the description.
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How do I politely decline contributing to boss's Christmas present? It looks like giving expensive Christmas gifts to bosses is my company's culture.I wouldn't fuss if it is under $20 in total, but they are asking 2 x $30 for the two executives in my company. The organisers never asked if anyone wants to join in, the e-mail sounded like this is mandatory.I would've ignored it but last year they composed a list of people who paid and sent out e-mail that they know who's not paying. I don't even spend $30 per head for my loved ones, so I think this is very unfair, considering I don't make that much money.Besides, the presents aren't for my direct manager. If it were for my direct manager, I would shed $30 because he has done huge favours for me throughout the year. How do I decline politely? UPDATE: Thanks all for the suggestions!To save the hassle of them chasing me, I sent them a gentle reply e-mail saying that I do not wish to participate this year. Which was replied by a flat "not a problem". It saves me all the stress I'll have to go through for couple of weeks if I were to ignore them. <Q> Send an email to organizer telling them: I are not interesting in contributing for holiday gifts. <S> This is a moral decision on my part and I would hope you can understand. <S> Please omit my name from the list of people participating and <S> any lists of those not participating. <S> Thank You. <S> This is both polite and assertive but not aggressive and make it clear that you do not desire to be included in any part of the process. <S> As an alternative you could try: <S> I am unable to contribute to the holiday gifts. <S> My salary is budgeted fully and I can not afford to contribute without forcing my family to do with out. <S> Please omit my name from the list of people participating and any lists of those not participating. <S> Thank You. <A> Wish the directors a happy christmas if you see them and go on with your daily work cycles. <S> If questioned by HR as to why you didn't contribute XXX to each director simply explain that you do not directly work with them and that your money has been spent on your family this christmas, but you hope they have a merry christmas none the less. <S> Any company that would try to rebuff this by saying you have to contribute anyway is not worth your time and effort. <S> You certainly shouldn't be working for them if they then insist the directors are more deserving of your hard earned cash than your own family. <S> I certainly wouldnt be hanging around any longer than my notification period whilst I polished up my resume and interviewing skills! <S> The other question has many good answers too. <A> My first tactic is in line with the first approach in RhysW's answer - ignore the email. <S> If they're persistent, I recommend reiterating the budget statement and leave it at that. <S> If you're concerned about the email with the names of the contributors and it wouldn't be seen as some sort of cultural faux pas, you might give gifts within your budget to these executives. <S> While you can't be sure how they will perceive this, giving them an individual gift may stand out more than contributing to a group gift. <A> It depends. <S> If your boss lives in poverty and his wife and/or children or the rest of his family cannot afford to pay him a Christmas present <S> , they I'd suggest that you contribute. <S> A realistic situation would be if the boss had done something beyond his duties as the employer to help the employees or an employee. <S> Say someone's child was seriously ill and the boss contributed serious money out of his own pocket to help that child, that would be a reason for a Christmas present.
| I would say the best you can do is ignore the email. If HR approaches you, you could ask them, and perhaps suggest that they should find if there is someone working at the company who is truly in need and would be really helped by a Christmas present. However, if someone approaches you about this, I suggest you politely say you don't have it in your budget to donate.
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Is it okay to work on personal projects in my spare time at work? About two months ago, I started work as a full time server administrator for a small company. I have almost nothing to do. I generally work 1-2 hours a day. There have only been two days where I worked 6-12 hours in a day. I've talked to a friend who used to work a similar position and he says that's normal. Most of my time is spent browsing the internet, reading Stackexchange, volunteering to help out help desk (rare because they almost never need extra help), and just trying to look like I'm working. When I'm at home, I spend a lot of time working on personal programming projects for fun. Would it be okay to do these in my spare time at work? For the time being, none of them are meant to be monetized, they're purely for fun. <Q> Would it be okay to do these in my spare time at work? <S> That's a question to ask your manager - not us. <S> In general, using company resources for activities that are not helping the company is frowned upon - doesn't matter that they are not for profit. <S> If you can see these activities as something that is helping you gain skill and making you more valuable to the company, that would be a good way to approach your manager about getting permission to expend time one these activities during working hours and using company resources. <S> I would suggest finding other activities that would benefit the company if these personal projects do not fit the bill - things like learning in order to get certifications or projects that will benefit the company directly. <A> As a fellow system administrator, this time is absolutely perfect for getting your network to an absolutely pristine condition. <S> We all know that day to day maintenance is no fun, but it's the difference between a solid, predictable network that you can be proud of and one that's no end of games. <S> In my view, you should spend the time doing the following (Essentially in order): <S> Ensure that all your current servers are patched and up to date where possible Ensure that the configuration of the servers is as good as you can get it, following vendor best practices where possible Maintain / build documentation. <S> Follow the "If I were hit by a bus... <S> " line of thinking Speak to your end users / customers and find out what they like and dislike. <S> You can never fix everything, but you'd be surprised how a small config change to you can really make a user happy. <S> After all that, start working on your own personal, but relevant development. <S> Build a lab and start investigating later versions of software and being planning a roadmap for the future. <S> It doesn't really matter if reality reflects it, but ensure you're in the game and aware of what technologies are up and coming. <A> Another thing to bear in mind is what your contract says. <S> So, make sure what you create is only done on your machine. <S> Also, be aware of creating something similar to products or services that your company has. <S> This could constitute a conflict of interest which most companies will not look at favourably. <A> If the president of the company came to your desk and asked what you were working on, would you be comfortable telling him/her? <S> You goal is to do something that is ethical, beneficial, and fun . <S> You have an opportunity here to to satisfy all three. <S> It won't be as fun as a personal project, but it will allow you to sleep at night and give you satisfaction at work. <S> Full disclosure <S> : I am guilty of answering this question at work. <A> I believe that according to USA law, but as well as in other countries, such as UK, what you in the company's premises belongs to the company. <S> In cases the law is vague, many companies state this in their sign up contract (I have signed this with my current employer). <S> You would not want to jeopardise the ownership of a project if it has to be sold etc, or of the charity you contribute, because you did something within working hours. <S> I believe I have read in a Spolsky article a case when the company owns even what you do outside working hours, but that's another story <S> and I could not find a link. <S> I suggest you to read the Dropbox Y-Combinator application , where they explain how they own all their code, including what was written in another company's premisses. <S> Quoting: <S> Are any of the founders covered by noncompetes or intellectual property agreements that overlap with your project? <S> Will any be working as employees or consultants for anyone else? <S> Drew: Some work was done at the Bit9 office; I consulted an attorney and have a signed letter indicating Bit9 has no stake/ownership of any kind in Dropbox. <S> What I do when having a personal project, is to do "internet research" such as choosing frameworks, reading articles at most code a snippet, but nothing that would distract me from my day to day activities or would jeopardise my output's ownership. <S> If they want a hello world in node.js they can claim it :-). <S> Every line of code written or anything else, is committed to a cloud hosted repository producing a third party trusted "out of office hours" - timestamp.
| Devise a project that you would enjoy working on, and that would benefit your employer. Even if your manager says its ok to "practice programming" in your spare time, some contracts contain a clause stating that anything you create on their machines is theirs.
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Should I include a picture on my linkedin profile? Should I include a personal picture on my linkedin profile? I would never consider including one with my CV / Resume, and yet I have one on linkedin (which has only just occurred as slightly contradictory behaviour!). I've asked a few people I know from varying careers, and some advocate it heavily, and others would never do so (and in fact the majority of people I know do include one). I know that there are related questions such as this but I couldn't find anything relating specifically to linkedin, which naturally has a slightly different M.O. to traditional CVs <Q> Putting a photo on your profile does a few things: <S> It distinguishes you from other profiles that only have a generic image People who look at your profile will relate to you better, as the profile now has a face <S> When meeting face to face, people may recognize you from your photo <S> It shows that you are who you claim you are People who do know you are more likely to connect with you - they know it is indeed you! <S> The major reason against it is possible loss of privacy. <S> You need to weigh the pros and cons for yourself. <A> To me, LinkedIn is significantly more than a "job seeking" website for posting a CV. <S> In practice I tend to use it more as the virtual equivalent of a conference (or other networking event), primarily through interaction in the various technical discussion groups within the key fields in which I work/operate. <S> Many of these discussions emerge continue as face-to-face meetings at conferences, and having an image of the person you are engaging with online helps to initiate this offline relationship. <S> At a recent major conference I was recognised by several people on the basis of my LinkedIn photograph. <S> These were "lurkers" on discussion groups, who had not contacted me online, but were happy to do so <S> "face to face" and continue the discussion in depth. <S> These in turn have become useful contacts and even sales leads. <S> I'd suggest that including a photograph on you LinkedIn and engaging in professional discussions is an excellent way to raise your personal profile within a given industry. <A> Yes, you should. <S> You are attempting to sell yourself in some sense to recruiters and other people who are only casually interested. <S> There are many, many examples of retailers finding out that having a human picture increases conversion rates on their websites (meaning more product sold, etc). <S> For example: in this article customers were 10%-20% more likely to call when presented with a human picture. <S> In web terms, this is a huge increase. <S> Additionally, a variety of examples indicate that images can increase conversion rate <S> Medalia Art sells Brazilian and Caribbean art online and using photos of artists on their homepage increased conversions by 95%... <S> When they replaced the painting with actual photos almost doubled the conversion rate (conversion in this case was clickthrough, not sales) <S> (this assumes of course you have a professional enough picture... don't put a picture of you at 2:00am after a night at the bars... <S> at least for most professional jobs this probably would be worse) <S> There is a difference between a resume and a LinkedIn profile, by the way, in that LinkedIn tends to attract unsolicited interest this rarely occurs with a resume. <S> You almost always submit your resume specifically to someone - you are initiating the contact. <S> While with LinkedIn you have the opposite type of interest. <A> Like GuyM, for me, LinkedIn is significantly more than a "job seeking" website. <S> The main reason that I have my photo on there is so <S> when I send a connect request to someone who perhaps I only met briefly at a business meeting or conference, they can put a face to the name and remember who I am. <S> It really annoys me when I get a connect request and think "I have no idea who this guy is" <S> so I don't want to do that to anyone else. <S> Now if, as you say, your reasons for using LinkedIn are more focused on job seeking, it's not as clear cut. <S> I'd still recommend putting a photo there - a neutral and professional one <S> * - simply because a LinkedIn profile feels a bit "incomplete" if it has that grey silhouette headshot. <S> Is that a problem? <S> Probably not. <S> But I know my instinct would be to take a profile less seriously if it looked incomplete. <S> * <S> i.e. <S> not like my StackExchange avatar with the sword and knitted chainmail <A> Yes I'd include a picture on your Linkedin profile! <S> From personal experience, my contact rate via Linkedin has increased dramatically since adding a profile picture. <S> Something that you wouldn't mind providing to your employer to put on their own website for the company directory. <A> I would say yes if you are comfortable with that. <S> This way it at least proves that it IS your linked in profile and that you aren't trying to use someone else's profile who is qualified, to try and get a job with the company. <S> This way you at least have that backup of being able to say no its definitely mine, see the picture and myself are identical.
| I've been told in several career workshops and by social media experts that I work with that Linkedin gives higher priority in search results for profiles that do have an image attached. Make sure to use an appropriate picture.
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How can I politely obtain frequent bathroom breaks during an onsite interview? I have some health issues that make it almost impossible to go more than an hour without visiting the restroom. I'm about to hit the job trail to get a new programming job and probably I will have full day onsite interviewing. How can I get the bathroom breaks I need without making a big deal out of it? What is the appropriate way to ask for these without being impolite or embarrassing? I know that legally in the US they can't discriminate against me for it. I'm more asking how to deal with the human situation of it -- I don't want to have to be a jerk about it, and I don't want to have to raise doubts (even if those doubts are illegal) and stuff. <Q> I'm answering this from the perspective of a hiring manager who tends to lead these sorts of longer interviews. <S> What I do when scheduling interviews is to ask up front if there are any accommodations we need to be aware of -- <S> and that's anything , from answering questions about building accessibility, to dietary restrictions when lunch is part of the process, and so on. <S> This would be a time to say "I need to take bathroom breaks more frequently than the average person, so will be politely excusing myself if there are no natural breaks that would allow me to go"...or something like that. <S> However, I know (based on my own job searches) that not all pre-interview conversations happen like this, and some people might not ask you anything. <S> In that case, I would consider it perfectly acceptable to own the situation and say up front that you have to take breaks more frequently. <S> Then, just do it. <S> It's not at all being a jerk. <S> I mean, if you have to go you have to go! <S> Reasonable places to work understand these things. <S> I wouldn't try to work around it or cover it up or anything at all like that, because you want to see both how people react to you, and how you get along with them, if you were to work there full time, and that starts with being honest at all stages of the game. <A> @jcmeloni's answer is great <S> but I would add that there may be some things you can do to reduce the impact of your condition on the day of the interview. <S> I would prepare ahead of time to minimize the amount of time spent in the bathroom. <S> Personally when I have an interview I change what I eat the day before to help avoid any gastric issues. <S> I do not know if there is any thing preventative you can do, <S> but if so then I would recommend taking them. <S> Taking the breaks will not be a big deal so long as you are only taking a few minutes, if you take 10-15 minutes every-time then the breaks are going to be more noticeable and may impact any decision the company makes. <S> I would probably take a little extra time a lunch to square away any issues and prepare for the afternoon. <S> While the company can not discriminate against you, it could impact your productivity. <S> So anything that you can do to minimize that sort of impression should be taken. <S> But do not compromise your health or cleanliness for speed. <A> And as an interviewer, I to so (building plan is so that you need to badge to get back from the bathroom). <S> And it seems that stress can have the same effect as your medical condition -- or that it is more widespread than you think -- as it occurs surprisingly often that a candidate asks for the bathroom both before and after. <A> Just tell them! <S> Part of the purpose you're interviewing is not just for the company to check your personality and whether you fit the job. <S> You're also on the look out for a company with a corporate culture that fits you and your health requirements. <S> If it reflects badly now, think of how it'll look when you get the job! <S> Everyone at management level age probably has a relative or in-law with similar health issues. <S> Many of them can sympathize. <S> If they're nearing retirement age, they can even empathize and worry about facing the same problems themselves. <S> It's a part of being human.
| My experience with on-site one day long interviews, is that they are a sequence of about one hour interviews with different people and I usually have been asked at each change if I wanted anything.
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Should a cover letter take a page or should it be short? Right now I am writing a cover letter to apply for a job, some people tell me cover letters should be short while other people tell me a cover letter should take up a page. Anyone who works in HR knows which one is the truth? Thanks <Q> A cover letter should show: that you are aware of what the position is that you are aware of who the company is that you've considered why you would be a good fit for this position and this company that you didn't just carbon copy a bunch of cover letters for every position you are applying to <S> It's the one place in most applications where you can sum yourself up and present a picture. <S> It can highlight reasons for oddities in your resume or make specific selling points out of what may otherwise be uninsteresting resume bullet points. <S> There's no maximum or minimum here, but I'd be surprised if you can write a cover letter worth reading in less than 4-5 sentences, and unless you have an incredible history and you are applying for a one of a kind position, it shouldn't take up a whole page. <S> I usually keep a few things in mind: <S> I'll write and rewrite cover letters for positions 2-3 times a week when I'm in the throes of a gentle job application process, 5-10 times a week in a heavy search - so if I take more than 30 minutes writing it, I'm wasiting time better spent on other job research. <S> The recruiter/managers reading this cover letter will probably read 10-30 such cover letters - if they have to read a dense, long cover letter for each candidate, they will stop caring after about 5 candidates - so the cover letter has to be tightly written and to the point. <S> In essense - don't say a lot of nothing, but don't be so terse that you don't make a point. <A> I don't work in HR but my opinion is that the cover letter should be to the point in terms of showing how great a fit <S> you are for the position by citing specific examples so that you demonstrate that you believe you can do the job well. <S> The idea is to get the interview to further discuss specifics to validate the initial match. <A> Cover letters should reflect the position. <S> If you're applying for a writing position, for instance, you would want to write a good story about yourself. <S> If you're applying for a sales position, you want to make a solid sales pitch in your cover letter. <S> One of the most effective cover letters I ever used (in sales), which got tons of attention started with two huge words in 72-font: "HEY YOU!" <S> The purpose of the cover letter was to stop them from reading YET-ANOTHER-COVER-LETTER and make them stop and think about mine. <S> It worked - I got to pick from some great positions. <S> So, depending on the position you're applying for, figure out a creative way to draft a letter which communicates that you'll excel at that position. <A> In the hiring process it really helps to understand roles, responsibilities and motivations of all the players involved: <S> In many cases the first person to read your cover letter is an HR staffer that has no specific knowledge about the position nor any personal interest in getting it filled. <S> His/her task is to weed out the obviously unqualified candidates and check the requirements against a list. <S> A staffer doesn't get dinged if they throw a good resume away: nobody will ever know. <S> However, they might get dinged if they pass bad resumes along to the next level, so they are more likely to be picky and play it safe. <S> The task of your cover letter is to get your resume through this gate! <S> So, put yourself in their shoes! <S> If you were an HR staffer who has to scan through 200+ resumes before lunch, what would you like to see in a cover letter? <S> I have had very good results with basically copy & pasting the posted requirements and listing my own qualification against them. <S> Most staffers will love that because you make their life really easy. <S> It's perfectly okay if you don't meet all of the requirements. <S> As long as you have a decent match and you are upfront about the holes, you have a good chance to get to the next level.
| While a cover letter may be a page on the high end if one has more than a handful of points to make, the key is to keep the fluff to a minimum in the cover letter and demonstrate how you fit this position so well.
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Quitting job on short term notice My situation is a rather easy one. For the last two years I have been working for a company, and they have been giving me short term contracts. Anything from one week to one month. At the end of my contract it is assumed that I will come the following day, because I am actually fulfilling a permanent employees role, and I will be given another contract to sign. Hiring decisions are not done in our office, and they have recommended me for a permanent job, but this company is big and saves a lot of money with this scheme. I have now been hired by a different company. They have given me a permanent job with much better salary which is also actually in my field. Here is the problem. I found out that I have a new job 1 week before the end of my current contract, but with the holidays there will be only 2 working days left to inform my current employer, that I will not be signing a new contract. I do not have a notice period, but I still feel that 2 days is a short period of time, since they need to find a replacement. (This should not be to difficult. The job does not require a lot of training.) I like my current work place and I don't want to make things difficult for them. How should I tell my my current employer that I am not signing a new contract, in a friendly way, that might also leave the possibility open of returning? Update Thank you for all the responses. If you would like to know what happened when I spoke with my current management, and also the reason for my choice, please see my comment on the chosen answer. <Q> It's an interesting position because whether you are (from a legal perspective) an employee or a contractor, it is highly variable from country to country. <S> In New Zealand , for example, laws exist to prevent exactly the situation you have described - which is regarded as "casualising the workforce"; in law, no matter what your agreement states, you actually would be considered a permenant employee. <S> Other countries do not allow "rolling contracts" or for contractors to work for the same firm for more than six months. <S> It is worth checking out the local laws where you work - most countries have information on this on the government websites associated with company taxation, as using contractors is often a tax avoidance scheme. <S> That said, this is a not a situation you have created or controlled. <S> If the company desired to have the benefits of hiring a full time employee (such as a notice period) then they should have moved you onto a permanent contract. <S> They chose this situation either because it was financially advantageous (for example not having to cover leave, insurance, or tax, or provide training) or so that you would not have the full benefit of any laws related to redundancy, if they had to downsize. <S> As a result, I would suggest something along the lines of the following, in writing: <S> "As a result of a change in my personal circumstances, I have decided to no longer operate as an independant contractor. <S> As a result, I will not be seeking further contracts with company name when my current contract terminates on date. <S> I've greatly enjoyed contracting at name . <S> I would welcome the opportunity to work with you again in the future if I chose to return to contracting or should a permanent role become available that fits my career path." <A> One thought is - that for better or worse, short notice is short notice. <S> It will always depend on job, location and the current state of the market as to whether 1 week's notice, with 2 days of actual work available is awful or no big deal - but <S> this isn't a vector you can easily change - it sounds like you want the new job, and it starts when it starts. <S> I'm not sure there's a better or worse way to tell your current management that you are leaving - about the best I can offer <S> is that ASAP is the ideal. <S> A few tips would be: Get a meeting 1 on 1 with your manager ASAP, make it clear that it must be done RIGHT NOW, and can't wait until after the holidays. <S> Know all the details of your exit from the company - state of your work, hanging details, exactly when you'll be starting the next job, and any other questions he might ask so he can have as simple a handoff as possible Be very clear with yourself on what you can and can't offer during the handoff - any offer you make above and beyond the call of duty should be something you're actually prepared to do. <S> Given the situation that you never have an opportunity to talk about future contracts, they always just give you a new contract, there should be no expectation on their part that you'd stick around forever. <S> Ideally, you'd have made that clear, subtly, while doing the job search - <S> but there's no way to go back in time on that. <S> I'd think in a situation like this <S> , your management (if reasonable) will not freak out - but in a situation where it become habitual to do things on short notice, the other party can get surprised when there's a change in routeine. <S> If faced with surprise, shock or outrage, be calm, cool, collected - firm but unapologetic. <S> It's not YOUR fault <S> they don't plan ahead - <S> and it's not THEIR right to assume you'll always sit and wait for a new contract. <A> At some point in the interview process, your new employer should have known about your current status. <S> They should ask when you can be available. <S> It's a sign of professionalism and I'm sure they don't want to hire people who don't care about these things. <S> Ask your current employer how much time they need, but let them know you won't go beyond what is considered appropriate in your area of the country. <S> There's no reason to burn a bridge here if you can avoid it. <S> You never know; they may tell you your time is up when you give notice.
| I would suggest there is a reasonable chance they will offer you a permanent role when you hand in what is effectively your resignation; if the company has been "avoiding" aspects of your local employment laws, it may be wiser to turn them down. Hopefully they want to encourage you to give ample notice.
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Is it acceptable to install personally purchased licensed software on company provided laptops? I have changed jobs recently. I am a software developer and I very much love Intellij IDEA , which I think is the best IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for Java. I have a personal license for the latest release of Intellij. My company uses Eclipse , which is also nice, but I like Intellij more. So while doing company development work I will use Eclipse as everyone on the team is using it. But I also want to practice new stuff for which I would like to use Intellij. Is it acceptable to install personally purchased licensed software on a company provided laptop? P.S: I work for a very large multinational company which is definitely among the top 5 software companies. I am putting this info here because the policies in startups and giant software companies are quite different. <Q> It might be actually be illegal! <S> If the licence you have when purchasing the software was for personal and not commercial use, then these can have very different price points - a lot of software is free for personal use but charged for business. <S> I would check the licence agreement very carefully first, and make sure you can use it commercially. <S> If not, then don't install it as the company would be liable. <S> A second pitfall will be the company's policy on software installation; this can vary hugely and could be a potential issue if you install software that is incompatible, you don't keep up-to-date or has security weaknesses. <S> A third issue is if you are using the software for personal projects on a company laptop; depending on your employment agreement they may well own all of the intellectual property associated with that development work. <S> This can be the case even if they don't use your ideas. <S> For a non-software example of this, the Bratz case is interesting. <A> Your employer owns the laptop (unless they gave it to you), and therefore gets to decide what you can do with it. <S> Obviously you can use it for its intended purpose, namely doing your job and installing whatever software your employer provides for that purpose. <S> And on top of all that, as GuyM's answer says, you need to worry about the licensing terms for whatever software you install; that's an issue between you and the provider of the software. <S> (And if you install pirated software on a company-owned computer, it could cause serious problems for your employer.) <S> Personally, I've installed plenty of free software on company-issued computers, when it seemed reasonable to assume that that would be ok. <S> For example, if I'm issued a Windows laptop, I'll install Cygwin immediately. <S> If I wanted to install personally purchased licensed software, I'd simply ask, and if the answer were no, I'd respect that (though I might grumble a bit). <S> (I'm not sure I can articulate why free vs. purchased makes a difference; perhaps it shouldn't.) <S> (Thinking about it later, for free software there's generally no doubt that you have the author's permission to use it; for purchased software, your employer could have legitimate concerns about whether it's legitimate.) <A> From JetBrains FAQ (Please see the updated link below) <S> Can I run my license on multiple computers, on my home machine and at work? <S> 31 October 2013 17:53 <S> JetBrains Sales FAQ <S> > General <S> This means you need as manylicenses as the maximum number of concurrent usages will be – <S> so for Xnumber of users, you will need X licenses. <S> Update: <S> FAQ <S> Can I use my personal license at work and at home? <S> Licensing and Purchasing FAQ <S> > Licensing Model Overview > License Types and Users JetBrains Team <S> Updated 04 October 2016 13:49 <S> Yes, you can use your personal license at work as well as at home. <S> Youcan use it working on your personal projects as well as projects ofyour company. <S> Our EULAs do not restrict this. <S> So, Jetbrains does not prohibit you from installing IntelliJ on multiple devices. <S> The only restriction is on the concurrent use of it. <S> However in your particular case, as others have recommended, it is better to consult your IT department regarding company policies about software installation in provided laptops. <A> I wouldn't -- company-owned property means they can do whatever they like with it <S> (and it can be confiscated / kept for evidence in an investigation / traded out at any point)! <S> If the company gave you the laptop, that'd be one thing, but if you don't get to keep it after you're (theoretically) fired, I wouldn't put anything on it <S> you can't live without. <S> If nothing else, you're setting yourself up for a world of pain should your device suddenly cease to be yours.
| Anything else (accessing non-work e-mail, web surfing, installing other software) may or may not be permitted; it's up to your employer to decide. You can install the software on as many machines as you like, but you can useit only on one of them concurrently.
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How can one ask for time off when company has policy against time off in December/January? My partner works in a UK clothing store whose policy is to deny ALL holidays during December and January. This means for as long as she is in this job, we can never take a Christmas/New Year holiday. Not knowing if this is a strict policy or not, how can best ask for time off during this "forbidden" period? <Q> As it seems like these particular days are very important for the business, it might well be part of the job to cope with working Christmas. <S> It's always possible to try to negotiate. <S> If she has this time off (that she is expected to work), what can she give up in return that is equally valuable to the company? <S> Summer vacation? <S> Extra weekend work? <S> Or something else extra that is makes up for the time off. <S> The main problem for the management to make exceptions from such a policy is that everyone might start to ask for exceptions and then it's easier to say no to everyone. <S> Working as a contractor is another option, where it might be easier to set the rules than for a regular employee. <S> If it's possible in this particular case, is another question. <A> If your partner is very good at their job, and is in a field where being very good is important, you could try the technique used by Bill Mason to get the entire summer off (so he could canoe) every year, while holding jobs (graphic design I think) that typically gave two weeks a year, maybe 3 of vacation: quit your job (with as much notice as you want to) at the start of the time you want off. <S> When you return from it, apply to various places including your old employer. <S> The risk is that no-one will hire you afterwards. <S> That's why you need to be good, and being good needs to matter. <S> This is perhaps too extreme a thing to get two or three days off, but if you'd like several weeks to go away somewhere for the holidays, it might work. <S> I can see your employer's point in not allowing time beyond the statutory days, if your partner is in a field where it's busier at that time, and competition for the time off could cause tensions among the staff. <S> Perhaps asking for a "leave of absence" would also be a strategy. <A> Is there another employee at a similar level who could cover for each other on different holidays? <S> Both may need to plead the case to the employer that one can handle it. <S> A second step may be to ask for part of the day off or a shift in hours. <S> This would prevent a lot of traveling, but at lease she could be there at a crucial time of a holiday. <S> At least in the US, the retail industry is notorious for hiring temporary employees to cover the additional hours since many make up to 85% of their sales during this time of year. <S> Similar to trying to get the night off in the restaurant industry. <A> Keeping the context in mind, as to why, for some industries like retail, holiday period is "forbidden" for leave. <S> Assuming that your wife knew it before she joined this industry. <S> Assuming that she has strong reasons to ask for leave given the precedent it would set and impact it would have on her co-workers,working over the holiday period. <S> I would very nicely put those reasons forward along with a proposal to make up for the lost effort down the line, if required. <A> December/January is considered part of the busy season for retail; she will not get those days off. <S> I know I have personally denied all request offs for those dates. <S> On the flip side management will also be forced to work all those days and with extended hours. <S> Retail is not a fun industry to work in if you want holidays off.
| Just asking unofficial to see what possibilities there are is one way to start. It's important to be able to negotiate in these situations. I am a retail manager and I can tell you that's this policy is strictly enforced.
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Should I add specific software to my Curriculum Vitae? I am considering adding BlueJ , an integrated Java environment specifically designed for introductory teaching, to my CV. But I am not sure if this is OK or not. In what sort of situations is it OK to add specific software programs like this to my CV? Not sure if it matters or not, but I'm a freshly graduated computer science engineer. <Q> It depends. <S> If the technology or skill is related to the position you are going for then I'd say include it. <S> It shows that you have a wider knowledge of the area. <S> If the technology or skill is something that is really specific to your current job and of no relevance to anyone outside your current organisation <S> then there is no need to include it. <S> In some cases it could even backfire, making you seem insular and incapable of working in more mainstream areas. <S> These are just the two ends of the spectrum. <S> It will depend on the specific skill and the specific position you are going for and making the choice on whether to include it is hard. <S> Put yourself in the position of the interviewer - would seeing this technology or skill on someone's CV make you more or less willing to hire them? <S> Ask yourself which of the two extremes above really apply in this case. <A> Here are some questions you should ask yourself about software you are considering adding to your CV: Is the software relevant for the job you're applying for? <S> If you're applying for a job that uses that specific software, then having it listed on your resume is more likely to make your resume stand out from the other resumes in the pile. <S> Is the software widely recognized and used within the industry? <S> Do you have other experience you could use to demonstrate your knowledge instead of listing the software specifically? <S> Ideally it would be better to demonstrate your knowledge through work experience if possible, since proof of real-world experience with that software is better than simply claiming you are familiar with the software. <S> The primary purpose of your CV is to get you an interview and a job, so if the specific software you are considering including will help you get that job, definitely list it. <S> If not, keep it off as it will detract from other details on your CV that could help you get the job instead :) <A> Your resume should match the position you apply for as close as possible with respect to software. <S> Then you will easier get through screening by HR and recruiters with little domain knowledge. <S> Note that specifying specific software suites might make you look a bit like a product specialist rather then a generalist in some field. <S> You should do some background check what software suits the company you apply for uses. <S> If you know SAP but you apply for a job at a company running Dynamics, you might well just type "proficiency in ERP software suites" or similar. <S> Note that this is just to make you through the screening to the interview.
| If the role description includes specific software knowledge, include it into the resume. If nobody recognizes the software, or if it's irrelevant to the industry you're applying for, its pointless to put it on your CV as it will just be extra text that someone reviewing your CV will have to glance through.
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How can I say no to a company after being selected? After a couple rounds of interviews, a company has offered me a position and asked me to come in to fill out the paperwork. I was quite ok with the offer, but have come to learn (from friends who have spoken with previous employees of the company) that the company's culture is bad and there are a lot of bad practices. They are asking for a two-year commitment (if I don't stay for two years I will have to pay a huge amount). I was comfortable with this situation until I found out about all the negativity. How can I professionally decline the offer? I followed this link - How to decline a job offer in writing Although my situation and point of concerns are somehow different from this, and they are as follows - The above link is only explaining about rejecting the offer but my thing is little different as they started the hiring process when i told them that I am looking for a job change and they instantiated the process. Saying "NO" is easy for me at this stage, but being in the industry I want to make it little more professional so that if in future if anyhow I came across with the HR, technical persons involved during the process, then this wont affect me at that time. What are the points I can mention for rejecting the offer, as I dont want directly to raise pointers at their bad practices involved which make me to think about this. <Q> Saying "no" is easy. <S> Call the person you have been dealing with in the company and tell them that you are no longer interested in the position. <S> I am assuming that you have got enough details about what "bad work culture" means to convince yourself you really don't want to work there. <S> If you haven't got details, remember that one person's "bad work culture" might be another's "stimulating work environment". <S> It doesn't matter who initiated the process - either of you can back out until an offer is made and accepted. <S> Finally, use this opportunity to remind yourself to research the next company you apply to before <S> they interview you. <S> EDIT: <S> having just read the comment about the "two year bond", unless you are in a country where this practice is normal (which is none I've ever had dealings with) <S> or the company is providing you with expensive training, decline this offer. <S> I understand you want to be polite, so just say you've changed your mind. <S> If they press you for more information, either tell them what you were told, or say nothing if you are more comfortable. <A> If you've completed the paperwork that is acceptance of the offer, then the key becomes to find a way to terminate the contract which may be a challenge <S> but then this is part of why you should have done more homework before accepting the offer. <S> I'd think though this may depend on the laws of your jurisdiction in either case. <A> Once you said yes, they started the process of telling other candidates never mind. <S> The longer you wait the more of the acceptable candidates they will have contacted. <S> They will view your rejection of the position at this stage as a black mark. <S> How long they will remember it is debatable. <S> If the rumors are true, you shouldn't apply to that company in the next few years because the odds of them changing faster than that are slim. <S> You don't have to go into great detail as to why you are rejecting the position. <S> They are unlikely to change because of it, and if you are wrong about them, they still won't come running back to you. <S> I have never had to accept a job with a two year bond. <S> I have known people who have to stay for a year to pay for some special training or moving expenses. <S> I did have one place who wanted me to verbally commit to a year, then 30 days later they decided to in-source and told all the contractors they could only keep their job if they were hired by the government. <S> Most contractors left as soon as they could find another contract. <S> If it is normal in your field to have the two year bond, then you must look very carefully at any new position. <S> Because rumors about working conditions made you balk, you might want to rethink your choice of companies/positions. <A> Corporations are not people and do not need the same approach as when dealing with people. " <S> Just say NO!" <S> Do not accept any commitments, unless they are reciprocated - you will find they are not. <S> The usual answer is "I am not authorized to commit to you." <S> But there will be no hesitation <S> is asking for a commitment. <S> Suggestion: <S> If you find any clause in any employment clause unacceptable, just mark it out and initial it. <S> Then get it accepted before signing it. <S> There is always room to negotiate, they just do not want you to know it. <S> Dear {{person}}, Thanks you for your offer. <S> I have chosen another position. <S> Sincerely,{{you}} <A> Re-negotiate. <S> Tell the company you are interested, but you can't accept the 2 year lock in. <S> You can then accept the job, but you have an escape hatch if it turns out to be as bad as you have heard. <S> If they turn you down you have lost nothing, and perhaps gained some confidence. <S> If the negative stories are exaggerated and they give you what you have asked for, you have the job, plus a little more money and a good negotiating position.
| If you haven't accepted the offer officially, then you should be able to decline without penalty Therefore the best advice to to reject the offer formally, as quickly as possible, and them move on. Perhaps also attempt to negotiate a higher salary. The actual work being done, the working conditions, the corporate culture are frequently mysteries when joining a new organization, knowing that you will face a big financial penalty unless you survive two years seems to be overwhelming.
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Displaying qualifications/certifications in my cubicle I would like to be given more responsibility at work but do not feel managers at my work place are aware of my other skills sets. I am a programmer and believe that is all the perceive me as - however I have also undertaken project management courses, scrum master training etc. I have certificates from these courses I have completed, they are usually short 1 - 3 week courses. At the moment I have them stuffed away in a filing cabinet at home. I was thinking of hanging them all on my cubicle so when managers came to my desk they would notice them. Is this something that managers would notice next time they are picking who will manage the next project or is due for a promotion. Or is this just trying a little too hard and asking to be laughed at by my co-workers. My workplace has 600 employees (100 in IT), the roles are somewhat flexible but are moving to be more strictly defined. It feels that management does not care what credentials I have on paper but are looking for practical achievements. <Q> Talk to your managers about it then. <S> It's easier for a busy manager to listen to you then to read insinuating messages by posters on your cubicle wall. <S> There is always a shortcut and that is to step up and take the responsibilities yourself - to show that you can deliver. <S> If you have some slack in your programming work (to some extent this is probably something you can handle a bit yourself when plans are set up in a project phase, look for simple tasks you know you can finish fast). <S> Then look for an overly stressed project manager (hopefully someone you know <S> well and that the managers trusts) and simply just try to help him/ <S> her out with some project management work. <S> Start small, and it might be the case that your PM plans some of your time into helping out with PM tasks. <S> You should still have the talk with your managers about your wish to change path and your courses. <S> But if you do this right, you would have some real experience within your company as well. <A> That being said, if you have that conversation, you immediately place yourself under a spotlight. <S> It is one thing to simply be assigned a task over and above your usual duties, because your manager wishes to give you the opportunity to succeed. <S> If you fall slightly short of expectations, your manager may give you the benefit of the doubt because you didn't ask for it. <S> However, if you put yourself out there, you need to be prepared to deliver. <S> For that reason, some managers tend to look for strong performers over and above educational successes. <S> As far as they're concerned, a certificate or diploma only means that you learn well, not necessarily execute well. <S> If I were in your position, I would tend to focus on finding out directly what I would need to do in order to advance from my current position. <S> Feel free to have the conversation with your manager, but don't put in the context of "I want to do more because I want to be more than just a programmer." <S> Make it about " <S> I want to do more because I want to learn more about the company." <S> Regardless of how you approach it, I would absolutely not hang my certificates in my cubicle. <S> If you want "credit" for them, provide copies to your manager and ask him/her to add these to your personnel file. <S> That way, you're giving the appearance of making your manager aware of your accomplishments, but not forcing him/her to take an action because of them. <A> I have a BS degree, an MS degree (both from top tier universities), a state registration, and a prestigious credential from a professional society which I earned. <S> I have framed wall certificates for each one. <S> I've also received a couple of rare honors from a former large employer. <S> On top of that I've donated 10 gallons of blood over the years and received a nice plaque. <S> But you know, I no longer display any of those things on my cubicle walls. <S> There's just one 8x10 photo of my kids or scenery from a recent vacation, and a recent company-awarded honor. <S> Minimalist and understated. <S> I hope I come across as quietly self-assured. <S> I don't need to brag about my past accomplishments because I try to make my present and future accomplishments speak for themselves. <S> And I assuredly am far from perfect; on those occasions when I do fall short, it would be kind of mortifying to discuss my failures in the presence of all those fancy certificates.
| There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a discussion with your manager regarding your desire to take on additional responsibilities.
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What is the best course of action when an employee's significant other applies for the same job as him/her? I'm in an interesting situation as a project manager. We've recently hired a promising new employee and told her that we were still looking for applicants for the same job. A few days later someone inquired about the job who, after a quick Facebook search, turned out to be our new employee's boyfriend. This situation may very well prove to be a wasp's nest of ugly issues: We interview him and have to reject him We hire him and they have an argument/disagreement in their relationship but still have to work together at their jobs We hire him and they break up but still meet every day because of their jobs One of them gets promoted who becomes the other's superior The company is pretty small so we can't hire him to work in another department. What's the "standard" course of action in such a situation? I'm inclined toward having an honest conversation with her about the pitfalls of working with someone's significant other and if she says they considered the problems that might arise, I would go on with the hiring process as if nothing happened; I would make an interview appointment and try to be as objective as I can while evaluating him. <Q> Ignore it. <S> Move forward as if you did not know this information. <S> Relationships, and all the downstream drama, are organic risks of every workplace. <S> Expect professionalism from everyone and move forward. <A> TL;DR Being proactive is great. <S> Solving the wrong problem---or worse yet, a phantom problem---is significantly less great. <S> It's None of Your Business <S> As a project manager, people's private lives are none of your business until and unless: It actually impacts the project you're running. <S> Your HR department makes it your business through some sort of formal policy. <S> Referrals Imply Relationships Referrals in general are good business practice. <S> Almost by definition, if you get a hiring referral from a member of the team, chances are good that the people have some sort of relationship. <S> It may be romantic, or perhaps they were just coloring buddies in kindergarten. <S> Why go to a dark place and assume that any one type of relationship is better (or worse) than another? <S> Should spouses be excluded from consideration on their merits? <S> Same-sex partners? <S> Ex-Army buddies? <S> Old college roommates? <S> Where do you draw that line? <S> Alienating the people who offer the referrals. <S> Chancing that people might quit to go work somewhere else, where they can interact in workplace-appropriate ways with people they clearly want to work with. <S> Teams Require Trust NB: "You" isn't aimed at the OP. <S> It's intended as an if-the-shoe-fits sort of pronoun. <S> No, that's not a typo. <S> Lack of trust for members of the team is a clear indicator of one or more of the following: <S> You believe you've hired people with poor judgment. <S> You believe you've hired people who are unable to behave in a professional manner in the workplace. <S> You actually have concrete instances where specific team members have displayed poor judgment or unprofessional conduct. <S> You haven't fired the dead wood, or otherwise reversed the poor hiring decisions that were made. <S> If you've made a hiring error, welcome to the human race. <S> If you've made a team-full of hiring errors, shame on you. <S> If you've made a ton of hiring errors and those people are still around... <S> well, the problem isn't the applicants or the yardstick for measuring them; it's the person doing the measuring. <A> When you say you have hired one employee already and are still looking for others to recruit, are you looking for multiple people with the same skills who will be in the same level/pay bracket or are you looking to replace the existing one. <S> If the latter, since you have already hired the candidate, do you have a plan to transition this person out of this role into a new one if a more suitable candidate pops up? <S> If this is the case, then I do not foresee too many workplace issues. <S> If you are looking to hire multiple people for the same kind of work because you have budgeted efforts as such, then I can only say I have worked on teams that had both partners working on the same team and reporting into the same manager (although this is not ideal) without too much drama. <S> However, having a couple report into the same manager is never ideal and some companies mandate that such employees be managed by different bosses.
| If you don't trust your team members to make solid referrals, or to act like adults in the workplace, then the hiring manager should probably resign immediately. If you reject referrals from people who know each other, you risk: Reducing your potential labor pool.
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Bring printed list of questions to interview Is it OK to bring a list of questions to ask the person that is going to be interviewing me? It is hard for me to memorize the questions to ask the employer and they are important and have to be worded a specific way. I know one solution is to practice, but I am asking if it is ok to bring a printed list of questions. <Q> It's absolutely acceptable to have a prepared list of things that you'd like to cover. <S> As a candidate, I like to have them hand written, personally, and cross them off as we discuss them during the course of the interview. <S> As an interviewer, a prepared candidate makes a much better impression than an unprepared one. <S> However, if you were to bust out with your phone or a tablet, that would be a big negative <S> *. <S> Both of those are pure distraction devices and your attention needs to be fully on the task at hand. <S> While that might seem to be "outdated" advice, consider who you're trying to impress in the interview and recognize that they might not have the same relationship with technological gadgets that you do. <S> * <S> Unless, of course, you're demonstrating an App, Website or other artifact that you've developed. <A> I always bring my notes about questions to ask -- on the pad of paper on which I also take notes during the interview. <S> I've interviewed dozens, perhaps hundreds of people and only a small proportion of them come prepared in this way; when they do I take positive notice. <S> I do not recommend writing these questions out word-for-word and reading from the list; that would be awkward and not reflect well on you. <S> You should be able to "outline" your questions as short notes and then ask them naturally. <S> For example, on one interview my note just said "business model"; I'd already researched the publicly-available data <S> but I still didn't know how they planned to make money, so I asked. <S> Other notes of this type could be "travel", "career path", "team structure", etc. <A> The better the questions the better the impression. <S> Questions that are specific to the job and the company and better than cookie cutter questions. <S> If you have a list of interviewers upfront (asking for it can never harm) you should look up their profiles: Best are questions that are really specific to the interviewer. <S> I once interviewed a guy who is probably one of the top 10 in his particular field in the world. <S> It turns out in preparation for the interview he had researched me and the other interviews thoroughly <S> and he had thoroughly prepared very specific questions that were quite specific to my background. <S> I was floored. <S> Now I understand why he is so good at what he is doing. <A> I have been the hiring offical and interviewed hundreds of people. <A> Not job searching related but in the same category. <S> When me and my girlfriend ware searching for a flat to rent (which, if you think about it, is basically the same deal as a job interview) <S> we made a list of questions to ask. <S> And this impressed all the landlords, even though they ware surprised as we ware the first they've seen to do that. <S> So it definitely helps to make you appear more serious and prepared. <A> When I interviewed for my job, I brought a list of questions and asked them in order. <S> No weird looks or anything from the interviewer, so it was fine to bring it. <S> Not only that, I also had a second paper with prepared questions and answers :) <S> I was surprised to find out the interviewer asking almost half the questions I had prepared answers for! <S> For those, I simply did lots of research on what interviewers usually ask and what they want to hear (but be honest when choosing what to say!). <S> If you are interviewing for a job after you have already been working, the questions will most likely be quite different, as you have probably accumulated enough experience to know which questions really matter when choosing whether to pursue the position or not. <S> Edit: This was in Finland, but I don't see how it would be different anywhere in the world.
| I am never upset by someone appearing organized and well-prepared and having a list of questions you don't want to forget to ask appears organizaed and well-prepared to me. Walking in with a list of questions makes me think that you've actually thought about the company and the position and that you care about something. Not only is it ok, it's a plus. Maybe a specific personality might be irked why you did not commit the questions to memory, but I'm not sure you'd like to work with those people anyway...
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Requesting that all tasks be submitted in writing I work in a team that does have a workflow management system for submitting work orders within the organization but it is used mostly for requests going from one team to another. While proper specification artefacts are used for larger projects, most small work requests within my team are communicated in an unstructured manner, if you are lucky in an email but most team members just prefer to communicate them verbally. Personally, I have a certain cognitive condition which limits my abilites to process auditory stimuli (it is not a hearing problem) and it has always been next to impossible for me to take notes as I am unable to listen and write simultaneously. E.g. I did very well in school but I always had to borrow and copy someone else's notes. So I work much better if all work orders are communicated to me in writing, even the smallest ones. My question is: Is it OK for me to request such accommodation from my team members given that it is different from their habituated M.O. and should I list my cognitive condition as the reason why? Thanks <Q> Asking for the requests in some sort of written or electronic form should be acceptable. <S> That said, I suggest that you be willing to accept emails (for example), rather insist on entries into some sort of issue tracking/change request system (e.g. Trac , if you're familiar with it). <S> Insisting on entries to a formal system such as this is likely to increase resistance to your requests. <S> As for the reason you give to your co-workers for doing this, it depends on how comfortable you are with them and accepting of your condition <S> you expect them to be. <S> Unless you're very comfortable with letting them know about your cognitive condition, my advice is to just say that you don't always remember their requests and the associated details and want to have the emails as a way to remember things. <S> OTOH, and depending on the law where you are, another possible reason to provide details about your condition would be to provide a legal defense if there should ever be performance issues due to you failing to do something you've forgotten, but I certainly hope things never get that far. <A> I've had plenty of coworkers handle this very informally - "I can do that, but can you do me a favor and send the request to me in an email? <S> I won't get it done if I don't have an email. <S> " <S> It's clear, <S> it's honest, it's brief. <S> Honestly, I'd skip mentioning the condition if possible. <S> Asking for a written note as a reminder is something that many people do - it's not odd. <S> So going into a description of a particular condition may distract from a very simple request. <S> OTOH - I would cover it with my direct supervisor and mention that you've been requesting emails because it isn't just a personal preference <S> , it's a true condition. <S> Do be sensitive to the fact that taking the time to write it out can be seen as an obstruction, and do what you can to limit the slow down - jotting down a quick note (physical or in email) is a lot faster for most people than entering data into a potentially complex form (the workflow system). <S> So do what you can to be an easy person to work with and go with whatever can work for you that doesn't slow down your team. <S> It doesn't even have to be electronic - if you all share a space, you can ask them to write it on a whiteboard or leave you a to-do list. <A> Technically speaking, a condition as that is a disability so you should be able to request such an accommodation both informally from your team mates and formally through your manager and your employer is legally obligated to accommodate you. <S> The level of detail you choose to share with your team mates like GreenMatt stated depends on your comfort level <S> but it's imperative you establish somehow to them that the current mode of operation will significantly affect your ability to execute your functions. <S> It will be a moot point if you suddenly drop that as a reason for missed targets during an evaluation (like a "My Dog Ate My Homework" type situation, when your dog actually did eat your homework). <S> A family friend's daughter had a somewhat similar situation where during a certain point in middle school, she developed a vision impairment. <S> Being that she sat in front of the class, she simply couldn't see what was on the board in front of her and failed to tell anyone. <S> Needless to say, she went from second in class to bottom 5 that term <S> and that's how we found out.
| Sometimes people will come to you with a verbal request or question, because for most people, it's helpful to discuss and issue or concern and get agreement about what to do before they try to write an email about it - so do let people talk to you and discuss with you if that's something you can handle.
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Is it out of line to ask for a raise to make up for a tax increase? Many in the US have probably noticed the 2% increase in FICA taxes this year. I realize my employer is not responsible for the tax increase. But neither am I, and now I'm earning 2% less than last year. Is it unreasonable to renegotiate? <Q> No, it's not unreasonable to ask. <S> You're getting less take home pay for the same amount of work. <S> However, it's also not unreasonable for the employer to refuse. <S> After all, a majority of their employees voted for the people who increased the taxes. <S> There's also the small matter that you didn't demand your pay get cut when the FICA taxes were cut two years ago. <A> There are two parts here which are important. <S> That you do not have any regular raises or other "standard salary increases" (a lot of companies have a small, inflation-type raise which is applied each year) is a big factor. <S> It means your company is much less likely to adjust salaries for something like this, because they have already decided it is ok to pay you "less" each subsequent year (consider that $100 is generally worth slightly less each year). <S> If this was present, it's easy to ask something like, "is the company going to make an additional adjustment this year to the annual raise based on how the increase in payroll taxes affects <S> take home pay? <S> " <S> Without that it's harder, because your company already somewhat doesn't care about these sorts of things. <S> Second, the size of the company makes a big difference. <S> For a large company a 2% salary increase for something they don't really have control of is a big amount of money each year. <S> An increase for this reason would probably be something applied to all employees (or none) and go through a big bureaucratic process. <S> Smaller companies are more flexible on a lot of these things because they don't have layers upon layers of bureaucracy (although they might have less financial flexibility). <S> However, you can definitely still talk with your manager and discuss a raise for other reasons. <S> It's unlikely you will be able to convince them to give you a raise because of this <S> but if you have been taking on additional responsibilities or otherwise increasing your value to the company <S> it's definitely something you should consider doing. <S> Lots of resources both here and online <S> but in general, you want to frame any request for a raise as a "win-win" <S> - you are doing additional work/responsibilities and would like to be compensated for this additional work financially. <A> You are responsible for your taxes. <S> The government we voted in voted for this increase, thus it is ours to pay. <S> EDIT: <S> Wow, I got blasted for this. <S> Here's the thing: <S> from an individual perspective, you may have very well voted for your representatives who were against raising taxes, but that's not relevant. <S> What is relevant is that, from an individual perspective, you participated in our democracy that resulted in who makes up our government now, and through that process our taxes were raised. <S> Therefore, from a collective perspective, WE ALL put those representatives to office. <S> The OP specifically said can I get ask for a raise BECAUSE of the tax increase. <S> Nothing about performance, nothing about cost of living (no, I don't consider tax as a cost of living increase), nothing tangible for which any reasonable employer should consider a raise. <S> So I think it is way out of line to ask for this specific reason. <A> No, it's non of the employers business. <S> It's pretty much the same as any other personal expense - non of thier business. <S> However, your price should be connected to the inflation. <S> So if this tax raise tend to drive up wages in general (I don't know if this is likely - I'm just a simple engineer) <S> you could ask for raise given a higher inflation and the value of your salary has decreased with respect to other salaries on the market. <A> Companies in generel do not give pay raises becasue taxes increased or health insurance costs increased (something that has affected my pay far more every year for at least the last ten than a 2% increase) or any other deduction from your paycheck. <S> Do not under any circumstances mention the tax increase. <S> That will only weaken your cases for a raise as everyone else is hit with this too and they do not want to set a precent of giving a raise for this reason. <S> In general, you never ask for a raise by saying that you need the raise because you need more money. <S> You have to give the company a reason that is in the company's best interest to pay you more. <A> You have to look at this from your employer's point of view as well as yours. <S> The amount they pay out hasn't changed (or it may actually have increased because they pay payroll taxes too). <S> The question they are likely to ask is "are you giving us more value than you were last year?". <S> If not then it is highly likely they won't increase your salary. <S> Since payroll taxes are the same for all companies, going to another company won't change your tax bill, so you can't hold that over them. <S> On the other hand, if you haven't had any kind of pay increase for a few years, that is a much better reason to ask for a raise. <S> I'm assuming you've got better at your job over those years. <A> Your salary should be raised by the same amount now that it was cut when the temporary cut was put into effect. <S> It wasn't cut, was it?
| If you have no annual pay raises, then talk to them about a raise but present to them why you are worth a raise. Don't ask for it, especially since I seriously doubt you gave money back to your employer when you got a tax break.
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Is it OK to not associate my current employer and title at a industry conference? My Intent: Interested in attending an industry conference to just learn about "other parts" of the same industry but has nothing to do with my day to day tasks at work. My goal: Become aware of other opportunities and positions. Create contacts if there is something that interests me. Basically, expand my consciousness of possibilities and horizons, so to speak. The Issue: When registering for the conference, they ask for a lot of current job info (and that makes sense) for a profile and conference badge.... but as I stated, I'm not going in context of my current employer or position. The Question: Is it OK to go to this conference and register without any company association or will I not be taken seriously? Is it OK to go in the context of just wanting to "grow" and learn and if something happens to spark a new interest, etc.... or does that make me valueless? Also, how should I introduce myself with my intent and goals? <Q> Of course it is. <S> How do I know? <S> Review your LinkedIn contacts. <S> I'm sure that at least of handful of them refer to themselves as 'Software Developer', 'Consultant', or 'Technology Executive' without any company affiliation whatsoever. <S> Also, consider your own experience at dinner parties. <S> Frequently, when meeting someone new, the conversation will pivot to what that person does for work. <S> Some will say, "I work for company 'X'", but many will say, "I'm a 'Y'" where 'Y' may be a profession (I.e. doctor, firefighter, banker, etc.) <A> A couple questions: Are you presenting? <S> It sounds like "no". <S> If you were, this would be a bigger deal, as companies may have a serious stake in whether or not you present as a representative of the company - and it can go either way. <S> In some jobs it can even be a big deal to try to present as a private individual if you are presenting in a capacity close to what you do for work. <S> If I'm wrong, and you are presenting, then I'd say talk to your manager and go from there. <S> It's much, much less of a big deal what your badge says when you pay and attend a conference as a regular attendee. <S> Particularly in a big conference hosted by a conference hosting organization - it's mostly a way of identifying you and helping you find others who are interested or connected to things you are connected to. <S> Did your company pay or did you? <S> Since I attend conferences both as a private person (I even run them for fun... <S> perhaps I'm crazy...) <S> and as a part of my job, I'm particularly sensitive to this. <S> My general thought is that if it's on your money, you can (and almost should), skip referencing your association with your company. <S> Most places I work are all or nothing - either they pay for the conference and my time, or none of it <S> - I pay, I take vacation to attend (or go on the weekend), etc. <S> If your company is paying the bill, check in as a courtesy with your manager to see if there's any strong preference. <S> At times, even when I was just an attendee, tiny companies of mine wanted to make sure that I represented them to show that they were out there in the marketplace. <S> At other times, my company really doesn't care, because they are mostly interested in the information I bring back, not in the reputation of sending me. <S> Either way, my deal is, when they pay, they have the right to choose how I represent myself. <S> What kind of company? <S> I've found that different industries are touchy in different ways. <S> Small consulting companies are almost always aggressive in representing themselves. <S> Big companies can be touchy about reputation and image. <A> Absolutely! <S> I identify myself publicly as "I work for a bank in NYC. <S> " <S> I do this because my online activities are not associated with my employer <S> and I don't want them to be perceived as such. <S> Some conferences require you put something there. <S> I put "CodeRanch" where I moderate. <S> You could put anything in that field though to show up on the badge. <A> If this conference is run by a competitor, and you do not reveal your current company affiliation, you could be considered to be there under "false pretenses. <S> " That is, trying to get inside information, poach employees, etc. <S> If discovered, you could be asked to leave. <S> I have personally heard of this happening at my company's main conference and competitor's employees were discovered.
| Bottom Line: When introducing yourself, it's totally up to you as to whether you should associate yourself with your current/most recent company or your profession.
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Could my name be misinterpreted? I'm starting my job hunt now and I've realized I might have a problem on my hands. In my country my name is strictly given to males. But in the UK (where I'm searching) my name is mostly given to females. Could this be a problem? Should I address this potential source of confusion on my CV/cover letter? As far as I know putting your gender or photo on your CV is not standard practise (and takes away precious space you have). Granted any prospective employer would figure out that I'm a male after a quick google search for my name, but still ... I feel I should address this. Or am I making a fuss out of non-issue? <Q> Why not just add "Mr. __ _ _ " to your CV and other messages? <S> That will clear it unambiguously. <S> Generally it's women that get discriminated, so you should be fine with disclosing your gender, even if it is not necessary. <A> The only times this would ever be an issue are for roles in which sex is a genuine occupational qualification, such as working in a women's toilets / performing bodily searches etc. <S> Assuming that the roles you are going for do not involve any such duties, any employer would be breaching the law if they discriminated against you based on your perceived gender. <A> I've interviewed people with "traditional female or male" names and been surprised when walking into the interview room <S> but it's never been a problem. <A> Notwithstanding laws and how far we have come over the past fifty years or so, we are still a very biased group, just in a much more covert way. <S> Hiring practices are still plagued with assumptions that are tied to from which group an individual comes--race, sex, religion, age, etc. <S> We are still tied to stereotypes and the mostly false predictions that are derived from them. <S> You asking this question exposes what I am writing. <A> Personally I would say just include it in the header of your CV, it won't take up much space at. <S> Regardless of the fact that there are laws to protect against discrimination, people do make judgements based on your gender <S> and I see no issue with clearing up ambiguity. <A> As far as I know putting your gender or photo on your CV is not standard practise <S> Actually I don't think so. <S> In the European CV standard template, both the Photo and personal data (sex included under the Gender entry) are taken into account. <S> I'd include both of them, without making the Photo two big so that it doesn't take too much space. <S> If you must choose though, exclude the Gender entry, because the photo will not only give that information but it will also help them see who you are in a different way and help establish a better relation from the start.
| It's a non-issue - It would be illegal in the UK to differentiate between males and females for any job role.
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What to do after I finish all my tasks and my manager has no tasks to give me? Sometimes, after I finish all my tasks, my boss has no tasks to give me. So I sit and feel bad I'm not doing anything. Additionally, I'm not sure if I can surf the Internet and mind my own business or look busy? What's the standard thing to do in this situation when I have no tasks from my manager? <Q> There are a variety of things you could do, I list those that I've thought of below. <S> A combination might be the best way to go. <S> You could develop or improve documentation and/or procedures on how you do your job, how your products are used, etc. <S> This will improve your knowledge of these things and can also please management, as they'll feel more comfortable knowing that someone else could work from this documentation if needed. <S> As alroc's answer says, you can do professional development. <S> This could be self driven training in something you currently do or something you might move into. <S> For example, a software developer could improve his/her knowledge of a development methodology, programming lanugage, or other technology. <S> Or he <S> /she could learn about managerial practices if moving that direction is of interest. <S> This will prepare you for the future (and make you more attractive to other employers). <S> Sticking with the software development example, you could find some code that needs improvement and refactor it. <S> This will make things work better for your organization <S> This will improve your overall/"big picture" understanding of how things work where you work, which can be useful for working through ogranizational problems, getting promotions, etc. <S> Network within your organization, so that you have more people available (and better know who to go to) <S> for help you when you need it. <S> Spend some time mentoring a new person. <S> This will develop an ally for you as well as make your organization better. <S> And, of course, nothing. <S> If you work extra time sometimes, you can view this as downtime to compensate for the extra. <S> If you are concerned about appearances, you could arrive just a little later than normal, take a slightly longer lunch, and leave a little earlier than when you're fully engaged with work. <S> If that's not a concern, take an afternoon off and do something you enjoy. <S> This will help you relax and be better able to work hard when the time comes. <A> If there is no other work to be done in your department, take the time for "professional development" - learn new skills (or learn your current skills more in depth) to better yourself. <A> Workloads aren't always balanced exactly. <S> You don't have to do this all the time and give someone an excuse not to do their fair share of the work. <S> If you are new to the job, it's in your favor to take on more responsibility. <A> Improve yourself. <S> Learn about other languages and frameworks that are in common use. <S> Learn about hardware; what's the current cutting edge in client workstations, what's the current average computing power of workstations in service? <S> What's the latest in server architecture? <S> Perform general maintenance. <S> If you're a coder, peruse the codebase and do general code reviews. <S> If you come across something nobody's actively developing that you think could be improved, refactor it. <S> I say this assuming that you have a well-covered codebase (unit tests that execute at least 95% of total LOC) and therefore can verify that your refactored version meets all the same functional requirements nas the original. <S> I also assume your codebase is big enough that you can find something to improve that won't subject someone else to PMS (Painful Merge Syndrome) on their next commit. <S> Lastly, I assume you are experienced enough with your codebase and with generally-accepted programming methodologies like GRASP/SOLID that you're refactoring and not "refucktoring". <S> Address your own workspace. <S> Clean your desk, organize materials, etc. <S> A lot of developers value a clean workspace free of distractions, but rarely have the time to actively maintain one. <S> You have said time. <S> Assist your co-workers. <S> If you don't have enough to work on, and someone else has too much, ask if there's something your co-worker can split off and give to you, or if he wants to pair. <S> If you're a junior coder, pairing allows you to pick up new things with a minimum of additional time invested by the person you pair with. <S> If you're a senior, you can spread your knowledge and train those around you to code better by pairing. <S> Be careful not to step on toes; the pair process requires a level of buy-in from all participants and their supervisors, and if that's not there you could be viewed simply as an annoyance. <S> Ask around. <S> If you develop internally, generally you can find things to work on by asking end users of the internal software about the problems they have with it. <S> Gather "requirements" for future revisions, and identify any low-hanging fruit that would provide a significant benefit at little cost.
| You could look over things in your organization and see if you can improve them. Offer to help one of your collegues. Learn the codebase, learn the frameworks it uses, learn the language it's coded in. Learn something about another area of your organization.
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How can I make wearing headphones at work more acceptable? If I really need to concentrate for a short burst at work (say 30 minutes), I work best when under headphones. However I appreciate that by doing so I run the risk of appearing anti-social and unproductive. To give a little context I’m talking about having music that isn’t loud enough to distract anyone else, and generally wearing only one headphone so I can still keep an ear out for anything I need to be aware of, and not all day but maybe one or two 20-30 minute slots during the day. Is there anything I can do to make my wearing headphone(s) a bit more socially accepted? As of now, no one in the office uses headphones, and I'm assuming any change to social norms will require integration. Headset I consider is iPhone earbuds. There isn't a policy as such but no one in the whole office (of about 200) uses headset. <Q> This is a good thing to be aware of, because you are right, in an office culture where 100% of people do anything - whether not wearing headphones, taking lunch at a certain time, wearing red polos, whatever - there is always a bit of a social weirdness which happens when someone breaks the mold. <S> I would recommend some simple conversations ahead of time: <S> Ask your manager something like, "I've noticed no one here really wears headphones when they work. <S> I find I can focus much better when doing so - would this be problematic?" <S> If there are a lot of younger people at your workplace, I suspect many of them are wondering the same thing. <S> Bringing this topic up with them (assuming you have some level of friendship) might cause a chain reaction <S> Briefly mention to your team <S> they are free to interrupt you for work related <S> but you are wearing them because they help you work <S> , "hey guys, I think I'm going to be wearing headphones to help me work <S> - I just want to let you know, feel free to interrupt me even if I'm wearing them" <S> I strongly suspect no one is going to actually care about this. <S> But simply by informing others you can avoid a lot of the stigma. <A> I run the risk of appearing anti-social and unproductive. <S> At my workplace, headphones are generally a sign that the person is either a) doing online training courses (often required) or b) really needs to focus right now and shouldn't be bothered. <S> Either situation is considered normal and not taken badly. <A> As per your comments, it seems that there's no real statement against the headphone usage. <S> Instead, you're assuming it based on someone else's behavior. <S> Although there's a possibility that exists a (informal, maybe?) <S> rule about it <S> , you're not breaking any rule trying it. <S> You may be following the ' monkeys ' behavior, which is something fairly regular (and safe, depending on how comfortable you're in your company). <S> So, what's the problem on giving it a try and using it? <A> You can give it a try and see what happens or just ask someone who's been around a little longer. <S> Maybe it's a pet-peeve of one of the higher ups. <S> If there's no one there you feel comfortable asking this type of question, you have some bigger issues working at this company. <A> My solution to making headphones at work more acceptable has been to slightly change what we're calling 'headphones' here. <S> I bought a bluetooth earpiece (Samsung HM6450) with A2DP support so that I can play music from my iPhone through it. <S> You mention generally only wearing one headphone anyway <S> so this would work well for you but the particular model I mentioned also allows you to plug in a set of real earbuds for full stereo sound when you wish. <A> If the real problem is that you'll be the first to do this, then you have to accept some (minor) consequences. <S> First, be careful of the type of headphones you use - in ear are fine, but if you need them to drown out noise do not get large ones that are open-backed... <S> closed backs are good. <S> Also be wary of ones that completely block sound - one day someone will prod you on the shoulder, wave in front of your face and say "answer your b****y phone" as you realise it's been ringing away and disturbing your colleagues. <S> Then the last thing, people will notice and one 'kind natured' type will interrupt you just for the sake of it, so be prepared to pull them out immediately and interact with the person, showing that the headphones are not a problem that will block communication with your colleagues. <A> by doing so I run the risk of appearing anti-social and unproductive Only if you are judged by appearance (rather than by results ) <S> - what is more important? <S> If the company is results-oriented, you don't have to worry about such trivial things. <S> All you have to do (really) is to tell your teammates around you that you would/would not mind if they interrupt you while you are wearing your headphones; that's it, no need to ask HR, etc.
| If you're really afraid, drop a message to HR, saying something like look, I'm used to use headphones to focus on my work; please let me know if there's any complain or rule forbidden it . So my advice would be to try it, maybe you can start a trend.
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Implications of showing promotions on CV? I’m relatively early on in my career, and as such have worked for two companies. A very approximate example of what roles I’ve had is: 2010-2013 Apple Company B 2009-2010 Senior Banana Company A 2008-2009 Banana Company A 2007-2008 Junior Banana Company A And I currently on my CV only show 2 roles, namely of Apple (2010-2013) and Senior Banana (2007-2010) as I originally felt that showing four roles might get too cluttered.The questions around this I have are If I put a job title and length of service, will prospective employers assume I have done that role for the whole period? And if so should I make it clear that I wasn’t always a Senior Banana in Company A? If I put in specific promotions, will this devalue the current title? My concern around putting all roles in is that if I switch industry / sector it might make the seniority of the last title seem less important. I found this related question, but felt this didn’t extent to address the scope of my specific questions. Edit to include more detail: Each level of Banana had different responsibilities - i.e. Junior Banana was help with XXX, Banana was be primary / lead contact for XXX, Senior was run / get new clients for XXX. Promotion for each title is kind of expected on an annual basis within the industry. I'm actually interested in being an Orange, and as such that industry might not know how a banana's career progression would typically change. I'm unsure if this is relevant, but contemporaries / friends I know who also worked as a Junior / Senior Banana have grouped all three titles into one as I have tended to in the past - could this be an industry specific trend? [I am aware this this may not be answerable!] <Q> If I put a job title and length of service, will prospective employers assume I have done that role for the whole period? <S> Yes, they will. <S> And if so should I make it clear that I wasn’t always a Senior Banana in Company A? <S> Yes, you should. <S> The thing to do is split the period into the different roles and how long you were doing each. <S> If I put in specific promotions, will this devalue the current title? <S> No, of course not. <S> In fact, this is something to highlight . <S> 2010-2013 Apple Company B details of role and responsibilities2009-2010 Promoted to Senior Banana - Company A details of role and responsibilities2008-2009 Promoted to Banana - Company A details of role and responsibilities2007-2008 Junior Banana - Company <S> A details of role and responsibilities <S> Alternatively: Company B - 2010-2013:-----------------------2010-2013 <S> Apple details of role and responsibilitiesCompany A - 2007-2010:----------------------2009-2010 Promoted to Senior Banana details of role and responsibilities2008-2009 Promoted to Banana <S> details of role and responsibilities2007-2008 <S> Junior Banana details of role and responsibilities <A> There are a couple of different issues here. <S> First, are you planning to go on being an Apple or a Banana? <S> If an Apple, I would be inclined to list Banana, with no particular prefix, for the full period of your first employment. <S> The reason for this is that I want to focus their minds on the latest employment. <S> This might change if being a Banana specifically helped me become an Apple. <S> Second question you have to ask yourself is, did your roles and responsibilities change with the promotions? <S> If so then there is more advantage to showing all three roles, each with specifics as to what I'd achieved in each role. <S> However, if the promotions were largely arbitrary (I had three promotions in my first job because it was the only way they could convince their bosses to give me more money, but I was never TRULY a senior anything), I would pick a single title and go into detail as to what I achieved at the company as a whole. <S> I will tell you that I've trashe- err, filed CVs where a candidate has overvalued their real position -- <S> eg. claimed to be a Senior Orange, after one year of experience, but never showed any indication of mentoring a single Junior Orange, or anything else that I would consider a Senior responsibility. <S> So think hard about it. <S> In the end, you have to ask yourself what message you want to convey, then figure out how to convey it most efficiently. <S> That's the challenge in writing a CV. <A> I would go so far as to say that people thinking you've done one role for [x] years is absolutely terrible if that's not the case. <S> Promotions and advancement are regarded as positives, they show you're not just drifting along, that you rise to challenges and that you seek to better yourself. <S> It becomes a bit grey if the changes are sideways (Or even worse, downwards), but ultimately, you should treat every single role / promotion as a new job and list it as such. <S> e.g <S> : <S> Oranges Inc , Senior Developer (Seattle, 2010 - 2013) <S> Accomplishments etc here <S> Banana Inc , Senior Developer (New York, 2009 - 2010) <S> Accomplishments etc here <S> Banana Inc , Development Engineer (New York, 2008 - 2009) <S> Accomplishments etc here <S> Banana Inc , Junior Developer (New York, 2007 - 2008) <S> Accomplishments etc here <S> There is absolutely nothing wrong with that at all. <S> In fact, in my personal case, one of the jobs which I list on my CV (And make a point of, too, as it was the sort of role I wanted) was actually a 6 month secondment. <S> If it had been unimportant I may have rolled it into my 'day job' but I wanted to highlight it, so listed it separately.
| The opposite is true - you got promoted within the company, that shows that you have what it takes, that others valued you enough to promote you (and probably over others in the same position). A role against a period would indicate that you have done that role throughout the period.
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Should I CC the client when transferring an issue to a colleague? I get a telephone call from a client. They explain their problem, I tell them that I don't have a solution ready but I will look into it and get back to them. ( don't call us, we'll call you ) I investigate and find my colleague is an expert in the matter. I talk to him, and he agrees to handle the problem. He asks me if I can send him an email, so he has an "official" demand and can answer properly. Since I promised the client I'd answer, how should I act? If I don't notify the client that I transferred responsibility, and the client gets no answer, this'll reflect poorly on me. On top of that, I'd like the client to know my colleague will be handling his demand, so any new information or queries about progress should go to him. Should I put the client in CC of the email I send my colleague ? Will the colleague feel "forced"? <Q> Personally I would reply to the client and CC your colleague into the email. <S> As you have already spoken to your colleague and they have agreed to the work, there is no reason why you can't adopt this approach. <S> This way both parties are aware of who is doing what, but you still appear to be in control of the situation, and if there are any follow up questions you should still be in the loop. <A> As you took the original call and took on the responsibility for me, in the clients eyes, you will be responsible and the point of contact until you have "officially" handed over control to somebody else. <S> What you should be doing is keeping the client informed and for me they should be the main recipient of the email and the person you are handing over the work to the CC. <S> I would normally write a quick email which states that somebody else will be responsible for the work and that as a first point of contact they should contact them with regard to it, also include explicit contact details for the person as many people are not that good at picking up on CC and so on. <S> I'd also add a small line along the lines of, "If you need any further assistance then please feel free to contact me with regard to the issue", 9/10 people will never contact you but it gives the impression that you are not palming off the work on to somebody else. <A> This depends upon whether you intend to transfer the task to your teammate, or he's just doing the legwork, and you'll still continue with the customer interaction. <S> Basically, if you are bowing out, you owe it to both the client and your teammate to ensure that the three of you are on the same page about (a) what the problem is and (b) who is expected to solve it. <S> An email from you to the client, informing him of the change, with a Cc to your teammate, does this nicely. <S> I would not do the reverse, cc the client on an email to the teammate, because that makes it appear as if the client is secondary in this, and that's not the case. <S> While the client doesn't have the option of declining this change, it is more than a courtesy copy -- it is absolutely critical that he knows both that you are no longer working on this issue, and who is. <A> The colleague asked you to send him an e-mail - I think it's a necessity to CC the client <S> (so the colleague has a point of contact as well as so the client does). <S> Otherwise you're going to be stuck in the unenviable position of having to liaise between them for however long <S> the issue goes on for and I'm sure you have more productive things to do with your time than that! <A> Yes, but only if you haven't replied already. <S> My point of contact at the staffing agency I work for has a bad habit of replying to a question with "I'll ask my colleague", then CC'ing me in on the email where she does the asking, then I get CC'd on the reply from her colleague to her saying "I'll do some research and get back to you" -- <S> three emails with absolutely nothing actionable for me for one simple question! <S> I would do one or the other: either email the client to say "I'm conferring with a colleague" <S> OR CC them in on the actual email.
| If you are transfering the task to your teammate, you should send an email to the client explaining the situation, including your teammate as a Cc, with details about just what the problem is (so a followup to a client email is a good starting point).
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Employee with no aspirations I have a employee who recently joined us. I know he has the skills, but unfortunately he seems to be busy gossiping rather than getting actual work done. He has made all the money he wanted to from his ancestors, and has no aspiration to work for. How do I motivate someone who "doesn't give a darn about anything". I am very close to firing him, but I want to understand what I need to learn before I do so. Firing someone is easy, but I want to think it through. <Q> "He has made all the money he wanted to from his ancestors, and has no aspiration to work for." <S> This is a bias and is likely skewing or prejudicing your assessment of him. <S> Try to remove that from your thinking the best you can. <S> Everyone has unproductive time at work. <S> Estimates range from 40% to 75% productivity in any given full day of work. <S> So the first question you should ask yourself is your perception of his wealth and the observed unproductive time linked. <S> That said, it comes to something measurable. <S> If you can show he is behind his peers in performance with measurable results, then have that cometojesus meeting and set a recovery plan with, again, measurable milestones. <S> If he fails, send him packing. <S> "How did this answer the question?" <S> EDIT: <S> First, I am challenging the OP in taking a look at the possible bias that could be skewing the his/her initial assessment of the employee. <S> Bringing up someone's wealth is not relevant and is a sign, to me, of a potential interfering bias. <S> Meet these or leave. <S> That's it. <S> The finer points of motivation, those that promote intrinsic desire to achieve-- autonomy, mastery, and purpose --are things down the road. <S> This guy just needs to keep his job if he wants it. <A> Why is the employee this way? <S> Motivations for work are a complex arena at best, and are (almost) never solely driven by financial means alone – I would suggest watching this to get a quick overview into some of the other factors. <S> The way in which you phrase this suggests a level of assumption around their personal circumstances, and the fact that you say you are close to firing them almost certainly will be a factor in how you interact with them. <S> Have you put as much effort into their ongoing development as your other subordinates? <S> It could be that you are assuming they do not wish to develop when in fact they are waiting to be asked. <S> How can you respond? <S> Fundamentally, not wanting to be at work is almost irrelevant to the firing process – you need to be sure that they are underperforming from a results-orientated perspective. <S> In your question you did not specify whether or not their results were notably sub-standard, and this is really the only benchmark that should be used. <S> I have worked with many people who are happy to stay exactly where they are in terms of role and have yet consistently delivered results. <S> Making assumptions about personal circumstances and how these relate to on-the-job performance is dangerous as this can result in any dismissal being illegal (naturally dependent on country context), so make sure that you go through a rigorous review of their work before any action is taken <S> and I would heartily advise you to speak to them to see if this can be rectified! <A> Obviously, this person did not take this job to get out of the rain. <S> Apparently he can afford to be elsewhere. <S> You have to put consequences to this behavior. <S> Not getting your work done and disrupting others from doing their's is grounds for dismissal. <S> Formally document some of these problems and present it to this person. <S> Workout some sort of acceptable goal. <S> You may be surprised to find that this person may to what it takes to keep his job. <S> As of now, he doesn't have to do anything. <S> You've given him free money and should consider yourself to be the problem. <S> There are probably others that are partially guilty of this as well (Or does he gossip to himself?). <A> It might be time to have a talk with him about why he wants to be at your company. <S> If you can understand his motivations then it should be easier to deal with him. <S> If he really doesn't know why, then maybe you can even talk him in to leaving on his own while he figures out what it is he wants to do.
| Therefore your employee may not be giving 100% because their autonomy and self-developmental needs remain unfulfilled – I would advise speaking to them to see what on-going development / autonomy needs they have, as this may give you scope to turn their performance around by appealing to their personal motivations. If he fails to meet expectations he needs to go. Second, since the employee is near being fired, the ONLY motivators of any value at this stage is the basic, bare bones milestones in a recovery plan.
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Should I accept a delayed and nebulously defined promotion? My employer is looking at creating a Media Specialist position. This theoretically would lead to a higher pay grade and hence be a promotion. However there are a couple aspects of the situation that make me rather uncomfortable, and I'm unsure as to what the best way to handle it would be. There is a job description and title written up. They want me to start doing the job almost immediately, however the county is in a hiring freeze and there is a re-assessment of the various positions w/in the county behind handled by an outside agency that is currently going on. This means any raise wouldn't actually happen until next fiscal year, but I also wouldn't actually know the specifics until then. I have been doing the kind of work this position would entail as "Other Duties as Assigned" for a few years now, and I am interested in the position, but agreeing to it before the specifics are even written on paper, much less known to anyone, gives me definite pause. What should I do? <Q> I think I'd take the opposite approach of what Dibstar offered. <S> Leaders lead because they are leaders, not because they have a certain job on paper with title. <S> If you want to grow in your career, take every new responsibility given to you whether it is formal or not. <S> Grow your organization; don't wait for someone to give it to you. <S> Titles, money, status, recognition will follow in due time. <S> If they don't at this organization, another will offer that to you after you have grown your abilities and built a reputation. <S> You've heard of the: dress for your next job. <S> Kind of the same thing here. <A> The best case scenario is that you get the job you want, with matching pay and sign the contract after you take on additional responsibilities. <S> However, it could easily be the case that you take on additional roles with only an informal nod to the new title (and pay), which in effect means you are working harder for free and with no title to reflect this. <S> to show your commitment to the organisation, whilst avoiding agreeing to a role which is undefined. <S> Ultimately, waiting for the role duties and responsibilities to be fleshed out before signing a contract benefits everyone, as you can be sure that your remit is in line with what you want, and the company is sure that you can do it. <A> A couple of things you need to assess. <S> First is your current position more or less likely to be deemed redundant than the new one by the outside agency doing the assessment and if it is, do you have the seniorirty to keep the postion or would you be the one who is moved out? <S> The one you choose could have great deal to do with whether you have a job this time next year. <S> But you not only need to assess the likelihood, but the job prospects if you become laid off <S> (It is a bad sign that they have an outside group doing an assesment and a hiring freeze, they are clearly looking to cut costs) and which professional area you want to continue to work in. <S> If Media Specialist is the area you want to go towards, you will find it eaiser to qualify for other government postions in this area if you have held the title. <S> If your current profession is where you woudl more easily find a new job, you might not want to do that. <A> Couple of points to consider: It is not unusual for the promotion to be granted “retrospectively”, i.e. to the individual who’s been already performing necessary duties hence has proven he is capable of doing the job <S> If you’ve been asked to extend your responsibilities and refuse it puts negative spin on your perceived corporate loyalty. <S> I.e. you are not where your firm needs you when it needs you… <S> I won’t be necessary fixated on full list of duties if it is already (broadly) within the scope of your past experiences. <S> This might simple be unknown upfront for the new dynamic role. <S> Instead I’d ask for a clear career progression path. <S> I.e. <S> what is the best possible outcome for say within 5-8 years horizon if you sign.
| You can be proactive in this and offer to help with the construction of the role duties and responsibilities, and mention some of the ideas you might have for shaping the role (as long as they have indeed mentioned that you are their best choice for this, otherwise that would be incredibly arrogant!) At the risk of sounding cynical, I would not agree to anything until the specifics have been nailed down, put onto paper and wrapped in a contract.
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What do I need to consider before proposing changes outside the scope of my contract? Without exception, when I go into a client's workplace, I notice things that should be changed - many things that are frequently outside of my mission. Sometimes serious things. I struggle with "Should I say something? or "If I say something, how should I say it?" Some background (I have my own company and I consult to other software companies): I normally get calls to fix things in marketing, management, or software (broken teams, processes, or ideas). Usually, I can be candid and behind closed doors, and mention something to the owner/co-founder/senior manager - starting with "Perhaps, it is not my place but I thought I would bring it up and let you decide. I noticed xxx" When that is not the case or when it concerns the owner or co-founder (their behavior or lack of it) and it is not why I'm there, admittedly, I struggle. I know many who artfully do the three monkeys - but most times, I've been thanked heartily for speaking up. (Frequently, I joke and say "my premature grey hair is making me say this.") Any rulesets or better ways to handle this? <Q> As an external consultant you have two major forces working in these situations and depending on your point of view, they may be pulling in different directions. <S> The forces are: Doing a good job - bringing most value to the client <S> Keeping the job <S> The view points are: <S> "I was brought in to consult ", meaning, taking an overall look at the client and giving your feedback on anything you believe needs to change <S> "I was brought in to fix one thing " <S> Sometimes these view points are reinforced in the contract - some clients may be interested in you doing one thing and one thing alone (they may be aware of other deficiencies and not want them to be raised and discussed as part of the contract). <S> At the same time, as you noted, behind closed doors, many managers do appreciate a candid appraisal - again, this is something you need to get a "feel" for, after seeing the manager/management team and their style of management. <A> There cannot be one answer that fits all. <S> I think it greatly depends on the level of relationship you have with a specific client. <S> Are you a hired gun to deliver a defined scope <S> , are you a consultant to the client, are you a partner, or are you a trusted advisor? <S> So the trigger of how much can you point out will depend on the depth of your relationship with your client. <S> The only caveat I see to this is if the problem you are seeing presents a risk to the work you are there to do. <S> In this case, escalate no matter the level of relationship. <A> It is easy to think we know what is best and sometimes we get into the mindset that we have all the right answers. <S> It takes a lot more effort to control our desires to dip our hands into everything we see that we don't like. <S> I have urges like this as well, as a part of me wants to control everything about the environment around me to make sure everything works smoothly <S> but I have learned that it is better to start out by asking questions about the situation if I get involved at all. <S> Sometimes there are details that are not obvious <S> or I do not know as much about the topic as I thought I did. <S> Asking questions instead of starting out by simply saying something along the lines of "I think this is wrong, here is how to fix it <S> " makes people less defensive and more likely to respond positively. <S> Beyond that, why put the extra effort forward to do something you aren't getting paid to do? <S> Going back to keeping your self control, I'd try to practice focusing on the task at hand and not let yourself get distracted by everything around you that you don't like. <S> I'm sure there are some places where EVERYTHING needs to be fixed and the fixes haven't occurred because people simply don't care, so <S> your comments won't have any benefit but could certainly rub someone the wrong way.
| In general, follow the spirit of the contract and once you get a "feel" of the culture of the client, follow that - if people, in general, keep their heads down, chances are good that the client is not open to suggestions that fall out of the specific issue you have come to fix.
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How do I ask my manager what my raise is ahead of time? Where I work they do not tell us what our raises are ahead of time. We instead have to wait until we receive the 2nd paycheck in January which reflects our new rate since we are paid bi-weekly. There's no real reason for this, its just what they do. My supervisor already knows what each member of my team will be receiving. I'm really eager to find out of course. Would it be appropriate for me to ask him before I get the paycheck where it has taken effect? If so, what's a good way to phrase the question so as not to make it awkward? <Q> Unless there is some real pressing issue as to why you need to know a few weeks early, I would stay away from asking this. <S> There are more possible negatives to collect here than positives. <S> Some of the possible negatives: <S> The raise has already been processed, manager may feel you areopening up the door to try and challenge him, whichwould be a hassle at this point. <S> Come off as nickel-and-diming your manager. <S> At this point your raise amount is irrelevant. <S> You should be activelytracking your goals and progress with you manager throughout the year,so that you raise estimate is not too far off. <S> So this shows you are notengaged. <S> Manager may see this as unable to resist immediate gratification ofhaving to know (manager might think - really, this guy can't wait another 2 weeks?). <S> If you haven't been discussing work with your manager it may come off as you only care about getting a pay check. <S> What you can do, for example, during your next review, is to say my goal this year is to take on more responsibility, so what is expected of me if I am looking to receive a raise double/the same as last year? <S> or...what is expected of me to be promoted to a level X? <S> Other things you might be able to find out to give you a better idea, without having to ask your boss: <S> Do note there are corporate policies about discussing this but from my experience it doesn't seem to stop it from happening, so see what info you can get if you do hear that type of conversation. <S> average salary increase across all employees in the department. <S> department budget for the year. <S> what other coworkers said about previous raises. <S> your mid or end year review scores (as everything is relative toother co-workers). <S> average raise in your industry. <S> how you rank in productivity . <A> Your best gauge would be your supervisor's history of disclosing information prior to the "official" release date. <S> If they haven't had a problem with sharing that type of information to a group of your coworkers, then they are more likely to provide you with information pertaining specifically to you. <S> That being said, they could be under direction from their superiors to not disclose any information to their subordinates, which is highly likely. <S> Payroll tends to be a very sensitive subject from a management perspective, primarily because most people believe they don't make enough for what they do. <S> So, rather than engaging in open discussion, they prefer to only deal with the issues at review time. <S> The second paycheck in January isn't that far away... <A> The appropriate question is really point of view. <S> From the outside looking in, I would opine it is very appropriate. <S> Each year, the discussion of pay adjustments is truly about renegotiating terms and conditions of continued employment. <S> It is an all parties at the table event working through a situation that is acceptable to everyone. <S> This cannot happen <S> ex post facto. <S> From inside out, however, it appears there is a culture of silence around this event. <S> The message is clear: take it or leave it. <S> Right? <S> I think you have every right to call a meeting to discuss this before it comes out in your salary. <S> However, because of the culture in YOUR organization, this is not risk free. <A> If it's the cultural office norm not to then I wouldn't bother for a couple of weeks <S> but it seems like a bizarre approach - how are staff meant to budget if they don't know what they'll be getting paid next month? <S> We have a sit down discussion where it has already been decided <S> but it's still worthwhile having those meetings so everyone can feel engaged in the process.
| To answer your question, I would simply wait and see. If you are close to a co-worker, discuss with them, employes love to gossip about this stuff all the time, which is a double edge sword but nonetheless a way to get more info. And I think a direct request, something like, "I'd like to set a meeting to discuss my compensation in the next year," would be appropriate.
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What are the impact of a developer when he/she changes technology, like from PHP to Java? I am a software developer currently working in PHP technology for 2 years. I am also pursuing my M.S program. I decided to change my technology to Java in my existing company. When I requested my manager on the same, he said he would support me for a change, but he listed out some impacts. A change in technology affects a person's career because, he said, I will be losing experience which I gained in PHP for 2 years. He also told me to prepare in my mind that I would be competing with freshers when I change technologies. He also suggested me to work in Java as an interest apart from my work, but I won't get much out of it. I think I can manage my learning curve, but I am not sure about my career curve. I am confused, like what would happen if I change my company. I want to change. What would be the impacts for the developer when he/she changes his/her technology? <Q> When I look at a resume and I see for example "from 2008-2010 worked as a PHP developer, from 2010-2012 worked as a Java developer <S> " I read that as 4 years of software development experience with a background in Java and PHP. <S> Of course your ability to code in a language you use every day will be greater than your ability to code in a language you haven't written for 2 years. <S> But a few solid weeks of practice should refresh your memory. <S> That said, I think it's important to remember that your project and organization may dictate the language you write code in. <S> For example, if I'm working in a shop that writes embedded C++ firmware for some medical device, I can't simply decide that I want to write Java code now on the same team and project. <S> I personally enjoy writing Python. <S> However, I work in a Java shop where the majority of my peers do not know Python. <S> Those peers may someday have to maintain my code. <S> As a result, I rarely write production code in Python, even in cases where I know Python would be simpler or more efficient, because the maintenance burden would outweigh the other benefits. <A> Software development is constant learning. <S> Knowing multiple languages is in my opinion a necessity. <S> When you "switch" from PHP to Java, you don't forget PHP. <S> You gain more knowledge, you don't lose any. <S> Learning new language in a familiar environment (same company) is somewhat easier than getting a new job with 0 experience. <S> Trying to learn something as a hobby is not as effective as having real tasks and experienced coworkers to mentor you. <S> Both PHP and Java are based on C syntax, so it's not most difficult switch. <S> Knowing both PHP and Java can be very advantageous in mobile app development - you could work on both mobile (Java) and server (PHP) aspects. <S> When you change company knowing 2 languages, you can choose from more offers. <S> The biggest questions are not related to any "switching". <S> Ask yourself: "Do you believe there will be more or better jobs in Java than PHP?" and "Do you like working with Java more than PHP?". <S> You can't answer the second without trying it. <A> The difference is if you go to another company you'll be going with either 2+ years experience with PHP as a PHP developer, or zero years experience with Java as a Java developer. <S> Since Java and PHP aren't as close to each other <S> it's likely to be viewed as a completely different language by future employers. <S> It also depends on what you want to do with the Java...are you still going to be working with the web side? <S> Or are you going to be making more "desktop" apps? <S> However there is no reason why you shouldn't learn Java, at least in your free time. <S> 2 years is not a lot of time and you will still have transferable skills between a Java dev and PHP dev position. <S> I'd recommend you to first start learning it on your free time and continue working with PHP at work, once you get competent with it, ask your manager if you can move into a Java role.
| And those two years you spent writing Java may give you a fresh perspective on PHP, improving the quality of your code. Switching languages may also put a burden on your peers who must maintain your code, and management may decide not to permit that.
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How to express that a non-disclosure agreement forbids you from listing work samples in an application When applying for a job, how do you express that a current work contract forbids you from listing those projects in a portfolio (and consequently, there is no items in your portfolio for the time of your current employment, because you are not allowed to show any of them)? And more specifically, how do you express that while you can not show or reference those projects (i.e. show or name them), you would be more than willing to talk about the quality, type and personal role taken in those projects? One way I thought of approaching this was to add something like "I would love to present some of the projects I have worked on over the last ... years for my current employer in a personal meeting" to a letter of application - but does that get the point across? If it is of any significance, I am referring to web designs, apps, graphic designs and coding of projects that are mostly publicly available. Edit: I saw there is a similar question specificly on how to include the details but not the name of a project under NDA. <Q> Most NDAs forbid disclosing details about the project or work that you've performed, or otherwise exposing proprietary information. <S> Even though some may try, they can not prevent you from discussing your work in broad terms. <S> For example if you developed a web service API for the government under security restrictions and an NDA you couldn't (and shouldn't) discuss the details of the project. <S> But there is noting wrong with describing your work in broad terms. <S> Following the example, I'd suggest something like. <S> Developed a web service API in a mission critical, security sensitive environment using XXX language and industry standard XML protocols to facilitate inter agency communications. <S> Stating a broad and high level description of your project wouldn't violate your NDA. <S> This gives the prospective employer enough information to make an informed decision to bring you in for an interview. <S> Which is of course your goal at this stage. <S> Obviously in an interview you'll have keep to that broad and high level description. <A> NDAs are common, everyone should understand that. <S> I'd refrain from saying that you can say more in a meeting - it might be understood that you are willing to actually break the NDA, just not on paper. <S> However, consult your NDA with a lawyer. <S> In many countries (notable exception is USA) <S> attributing authorship is non-transferable right. <S> So while NDA can (and should) forbid you showing the code, it's possible that you actually CAN say "I'm one of the authors of X" and sue everyone who pretends he did your job. <A> Here is a link to an article where someone senior is talking about a range of technology that they are interested in without actually saying that his company uses or plans to use any specific technology. <S> bet365 <S> interview <S> Is that because they decide to keep this information confidential? <S> Imagine if I had contracted there in the past, and had an NDA in place that prevented me from disclosing that bet365 used specific technology. <S> On my CV for applying for future contract work, I'd only talk about my customer history in general terms. <S> e.g. a well known UK website. <S> I would then be able to talk about the technology, identifying the technologies used, and the problems we solved using them - all without breaching an NDA clause forbidding me to reveal that the technology was used at bet365. <S> That would enable the potential new customer from confirming my technical ability and suitability for the role, without needing to breach the NDA. <S> In your case, you need to read the terms of the NDA carefully, to see what the agreement is actually forbidding. <S> However, what the NDA cannot do, is prevent you from talking about public information, as you are not disclosing it. <S> Likewise, read NDA's before signing them. <S> Signing an NDA that effectively forbids you from marketing your skills in the future is not a good idea, but may also not be enforceable in your legal jurisdiction.
| Most interviewers are well aware of NDAs and wouldn't push you to break it.
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My new colleagues seem too busy to answer my questions. How should I handle this? I recently left my job as a software developer in a company with 2500+ employees, to join a small software development team in a young company in another city. The job is in a completely new domain (finance) which I know very little about, but am interested in. I was told that it would be okay if I wasn't familiar with the domain as I could pick it up easily enough. Some of the technologies at play were a little new to me too. I've been here a few weeks now, and I've been observing a pattern where the developers seem to be stressed all the time, in some cases yelling and being rude to operations staff, because they're busy with all the new clients coming on board. As a new employee, when I need someone to answer domain specific questions (which I can't find the answer to after much searching), I'm told "I don't have the time right now", or I'm met with a short, terse, and vague response, which sometimes raises more questions. Is this normal in a startup environment? I don't mind being busy, and working long hours, but I was looking for a rational workplace, where current employees would invest in new hires and try to give them a little more direction, or structured projects in the first few weeks. I understand that startups, especially successful ones that are acquiring new clients and growing fast, will be busy places. Are my expectations unrealistic? How should I handle this? <Q> I think that half of your problem may just be culture shock. <S> The disparity between a 2500+ company and a small development team at a startup is pretty significant. <S> I think that you may have been a little optimistic with your expectations of dedicated mentoring. <S> What you're experiencing now is not altogether uncommon in that environment and there are a few things that you can do to help make things a little smoother for you. <S> Domain knowledge is really important, but some of your questions may require a lot more explanation than you initially expect. <S> For example, in finance, you may encounter the word 'option.' <S> Options are pretty complicated to fully understand and a passing question to a developer working on something else might not be the best way to cover that. <S> You can potentially counteract this issue in the following ways: 1- <S> Ask others for resources rather than answers. <S> Sites like Investopedia can be a good starting point for concepts. <S> Start compiling these resources in a company or departmental wiki to help future new hires. <S> 2- Form good relationships with non-developers that are domain experts and ask them for resources too. <S> This may evolve into someone 'taking you under their wing' to grasp the domain. <S> At the very least, it will let you 'spread out' your questions <S> 3- <S> Some people prefer email, some would prefer a meeting while others can handle the interruptions from an IM or a question over the cubicle wall. <S> 4- Find a pain point and own it. <S> The culture shock you're experiencing can be incredibly overwhelming. <S> Adding in the difficulty of learning a new domain and you, obviously, find yourself second guessing every decision you've ever made. <S> Listen carefully to the things that people are complaining about. <S> Grab one that sounds solvable and take responsibility for it. <S> This should help your confidence, your relationship with your peers and the efficiency of their work. <A> Pick a time that won't interupt everyone where you can ask several questions at once. <S> Have a discussion with your supervisor about expectations. <S> The timeframe they expect you to be up to speed may be much longer than you're comfortable with. <S> Are you writing production code? <S> Is it going to get reviewed? <S> I think the other answers are correct in having "you" provide some structure to your questions. <S> Maybe you're more worried about making mistakes then they are? <S> They probably had to learn things for themselves and hope you do the same. <S> This is probably part of the startup culture where they don't have the resources to document everything. <A> HAve you tried asking the operations staff your domain knowledge questions? <S> If you talk to them politely and with respect, they are highly likely to be helpful to you especially when the other devlopers are treating them as badly as you describe.
| Find out resources that other developers may use to help them understand the domain. Ask your peers the best way to ask them questions. You need to be able to focus on something specific and actionable and get yourself a 'win.'
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How to co-ordinate working hours for a team distributed across time zones? I am working very closely with a couple of other developers across time zones between North America and Europe. We all have flex hours and it's proving difficult to be online together at the same time for calls and chats, etc. We are collaborating in real time, on the same feature set at the same time. For example, I am working on part A of a feature 1, the rest of the team in Europe is working on part B, and C of feature 1. We spend a lot of time screen sharing, and talking about how to solve coding problems, and building restful APIs, etc. This makes it hard to anticipate and plan to be together, I really want to just know exactly when is the next time I can talk to another developer, so we can plan our work better. We are a small team we don't have fancy setups like Exchange, just Gmail accounts, and Goople Apps. I do not want to force the team to stick to fixed daily / hourly schedule. I am looking for an application where every team member can enter their work schedule for the next few days online and the application should display for each member when everyone else will be online in the local time zone. For example, I am in the EST time zone and I can say that I will be online from 11:00 AM to 7 PM EST time, and my colleagues in Central Europe should be able to see my availability in Central Europe time. Core hours / Blocks don't work because of the time zone difference, and because during core hours I might be in meeting with customers. So I really want an app that I can indicate my availability in different time zones. <Q> I am working in a worldwide distributed work-from-home team. <S> I don't think we ever saw the need for the tool and the setup you are looking for (but <S> then again, we cover enough timezones so that there is no time that would work for everyone anyway). <S> When someone wants to have someone else online at a specified time, it is arranged as needed, usually by a Google Calendar meeting. <S> This includes standing weekly/monthly/etc meetings. <S> Other than that, we are aware of each other's working hours more or less informally. <S> I think this setup works well for us, but it requires trust, good individual work capabilities, and is incompatible with micromanagement. <A> We enededup using google calendars to solve this problem very easily. <S> Here is how we did it. <S> Each person creates a Google calendar called "Name Availability" such as "Jim Avilability", "Jack Avilablity" Each person shares their availability calendar with everyone else Each person enters appointments for the hours they plan to work on their calendar in their local time zone <S> everyone can click the other peoples calenadr for google to layer them on top of each other and google does the time zone conversion in that displays everyone's calendars in local time zone. <A> We have had the exact same problem and in order to maximize our times together we have pretty good flex hours. <S> Normally my entire development staff has our standup about 8AM EST. <S> We are located in Kansas City, MO which has us on CST. <S> We have a lot of contractors on the East Coast and one in California. <S> Sadly she has to get up a little early. <S> The international groups we have are in India and in the UK and one developer in France. <S> The 8AM EST has so far worked out to be perfect for a general standup time and while group meetings. <S> The only time this has not worked out well is when we have Sprint Planning (every 3rd Monday) where I require every Sprint team to be involved. <S> The UK team has one designated tech lead that joins the entire day, but mostly they are there the majority of time. <S> In India it is a bit harder for them, but since these are regularly planned per our process they plan accordingly and have shifted their schedules. <S> The impromptu meetings are what cause the most grief <S> so we have team leads and defined responsibilities across the group <S> and they know how and who to pull in at the right time. <S> As I am the director of the group and a very active developer in our group I make myself available 24 hours. <S> I also travel to Asia-Pacific region, in particularly Japan and that means some really difficult hours for me. <S> However, I set the example and won't make the whole team suffer for one person. <S> In the end this schedule has worked out to be the best. <S> There are relatively few problems with it. <S> I do get some gripes from the developers about coming in early, but since we have a 2 days a week work from home policy (which often runs more than that) and excellent telecommuting infrastructure that works well <S> it hasn't been too bad. <S> Many of the developers, even the moms and dads, are able to attend 99% of the meetings somewhere without it being a hassle regardless of where they are located. <A> Even with flexible hours in a normal work place where everyone can come in from say 7:30 and the office closes after 19:00, you will have so called "block" hours where everyone is required to be "in". <S> In my experience, these block hours are from 10:00 - 16:00. <S> These block hours are set to facilitate scheduling meetings. <S> So you don't have to require your team to stick to a fixed daily schedule, but you most certainly could ask/require them to always be available for a set (couple of) hour(s) on a daily basis. <A> Having a strong culture of information being made available in writing (wiki?) <S> reducing the need for real time communication, and finally having a controlled mechanism to contact someone out of hours (and for them to be compensated for the contact) to prevent an entire team loosing a day waiting for an out of timezone answer. <S> Worked in one environment, where developers were paid £50 for answering the phone on an out of hours work call. <S> Strangely no one minded it. <A> Since someone will inevitably be forced to work at night, scheduling appointments in general is a bad idea because personal commitments, unforeseen events, and fatigue can lead to disappointments. <S> For just-in-time collaboration, a combination of things may work such as: A global SMS API service provider to check availability on the spot A cross-platform messaging app with streaming audio/video A good understanding of each other's personality <S> References Experience Of Fully Distributed Scrum <S> With No Time Overlap Adopting and Benefiting from Agile Processes in Offshore Software Development
| I'm not sure that the answer is to have people working the same hours, more a case of everyone knows when people will be available, allowing them to plan arround it.
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Should I tell recruiters who else I'm talking to? Possible Duplicate: Should I share information about positions I have applied for with recruiters? I recently put my resume up on Monster.com and a lot of staffing agencies have started contacting me to try and find me a job. One thing they always ask me, in tones most benign, is whether I'm talking to any other companies besides the ones they've introduced me to. If I say yes, they ask which company (usually along with "Oh, I haven't even heard of them!" and I can almost hear them scribbling the name down), then ask how I found them, and who I spoke with there, and whether they're HR or technical or a recruiter, etc. I can't think of any way it hurts me to give them this information, but somehow in the back of my mind I'm suspicious. Is there anything I should know about this? <Q> There are two aspects to this. <S> First, they do need to know that you haven't already been submitted for a job. <S> When two agencies send your CV to the same company, it causes problems. <S> There can be a fight over who earns the commission. <S> I have worked for companies who will not consider you for the job because it gets too complicated. <S> However, it is absolutely in the agent's interest to find out who is looking for staff. <S> They can then approach those companies and try to get themselves on the books. <S> This goes against you personally because it increases the pool of applicants. <S> So it's not in your interests to give them this information. <S> My response to this is always, "You tell me where you're submitting my CV <S> and I'll tell you if I've already been submitted." <S> On a few occasions, they've been aggressive to this response <S> and I tend to say, "Would you want me to give the same information to other agents? <S> " <S> That usually stops them. <A> Most HR departments frown on double submissions of a candidate even if from different agencies, many will outright blacklist an agency if they do double submit a candidate. <S> So in one sense it is a valid question. <S> However since most agencies would not submit you to a company without your approval and knowledge <S> it's really a fishing expedition on their part to find potential customers. <S> Bottom line is that you are in control of this information and can choose to share it or not. <S> My suggestion would be to not share it upfront. <S> You should always know beforehand what companies the agency is going to submit you to <S> and you can simply tell them then that you have already applied/submitted a resume. <A> Yes, recruiters should know they aren't the only ones you are using. <S> However, while I would name the agencies, I'd be cautious of naming specific individuals as that could just invite trouble if one recruiter starts calling another. <S> The issue of this is that you could be seen as someone that doesn't know how to maintain confidentiality as it isn't necessarily worth sharing all the information to someone else. <S> I'd view the agencies as being close to public knowledge to some degree. <S> However, the specific individuals working with you would be where I'd draw the line as that isn't something for them to know. <S> The other point here to note is that multiple staffing agencies may be trying to fill the same job and thus you have to be aware of who is the client if you go through an agency so that you aren't being doubly represented for positions. <S> This is a quick way to get disqualified from a position because you may be seen as trying to get an unfair advantage as well as it being unclear who should be paid if you were to be hired as each firm would claim, "Hey, you placed our client. <S> Pay us!" <S> Thus it is worth having some kind of tracking system, a spreadsheet is the simplest solution though I could imagine people getting a bit more complex for some cases, so that you know where you were applied and for what position specifically. <A> Don't do it unless the recruiter you are talking to is a person you well know. <S> Remember recruiters are client minded and <S> clients candidates are not their clients. <S> They will try to squeeze and get the most they can from candidates. <S> When they ask with who you have been talking to is because they are trying to get new positions. <S> In few words they will go and talk to the companies you have been talking to so that they can introduce candidates they already have. <S> This will reduce your chances of getting placed. <S> If they ask you if you are being interviewed just tell them truth without telling them the positions and name of the companies. <S> and then I tell you if I have applied. :) <A> I was a contracted/intern for a company. <S> They wanted to hire an intern so that in a couple months, they could hire me on full time. <S> Eventually they created the position which matched exactly what I did as an intern. <S> Before posting the position, the boss asked if I was going to interview with any other companies, and I said no, I plan on working here. <S> That day, I went home and started applying to other companies, because it occurred to me that they have the power to not hire me. <S> Turns out, they hired one of the bosses friends with no relevant experience, other than he knows how to use a computer.
| If they tell you they need to know in order to know if they can submit you, then you tell them, give me the name of the company and position first HR departments should not have problems with double submissions because recruiting agencies are not allow to submit CVs without the candidates' consent. My suggestion would be to tell the recruiters no, I am not applying anywhere else, and secretly keep your doors open.
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Is it appropriate to contact a potential employer before they contact you? When applying for a position, I often want to learn as much about the work as possible. A part of that involves looking for organizational charts and determining who does what and who might my boss be. Depending on where you are looking, this information can be relatively easy to find. When I do figure it out, I am often tempted to try to contact these potential higher-ups (either through e-mail or a social network) in order to differentiate myself from the rest of the applicants in the pool. One part of me says such an action shows ambition and will help my prospects; another part of me says it smacks of social anxiety and verges on stalking. So, Is it ever appropriate to contact a potential employer before they contact you? PS - I have only ever actually done this once and the response I got was quite positive. It turned out that the guy I contacted was no longer in the position I had thought he was, but he forwarded my email to his replacement and several other people. <Q> Directly contacting a higher up can be risky; some will take it as a positive while others will be extremely annoyed by it. <S> So unless you know the individual you're contacting you are taking a risk. <S> But this is exactly where networking comes in to play. <S> While it may be inappropriate for you to contact a higher up directly <S> In this case someone within your network already has a direct connection and an established relationship. <S> Obviously if you have submitted a resume directly to an individual <S> it's perfectly acceptable to contact them and follow up on your application. <A> Further to Stephen's answer <S> I think that when contacting someone as a prospective candidate, be wary of the information about you that social network holds. <S> For example, if I send a CV / resume to an employer <S> I know that all of the information contained has been vetted and checked and only reflects positively on me. <S> If, however, I approach someone more informally such as through linkedin (or even facebook), a lot more information about me might be made available (some of which may be negative) without me being consciously aware – even information such as who I am connected to may reflect badly if an employer has had a negative interaction with someone else. <A> Do you want to work at a company or for people who frown on this? <S> Sales, marketing, entreprenuers and other <S> "go getter" types may appreciate the do what it takes attitude. <S> Obviously you don't want to hinder your chances of getting a job, but if you are uncomfortable with this tactic, you may want to reconsider. <S> You could end up working for people who are really pushy and want you to be the same. <S> Some say good sales people will always ask for the order even at the risk of embarassing, offending the client or being rejected. <A> I think the answer lies in the statistics. <S> About 1/2 of all full-time hires comes through internal promotions or transfers. <S> The next highest source are from referrals and networks. <S> Reaching out directly to folks working in the area which you are targeting is networking. <S> So if you want to increase your odds of being selected, this is you next highest probability of doing so. <A> Remember also to take into consideration the culture, especially when applying for a job working abroad, or even one in your own country. <S> Understanding what the cultural norms are of wherever you're applying will help you determine what sort of action is appropriate. <S> It is important to research your workplace just remember to not do it with a negative attitude towards the prospective company. <S> Using sites like likendin can be useful to gather not only information on the company but also information on the people working there. <A> I could see this working better if you contact the people that would be your teammates and try to get a foothold from that angle. <S> While this may be harder, it could also be way better than trying to get an executive to tell someone a few levels down who to hire if we are talking about larger companies here. <S> I can remember for my current job that I had to contact the employer to have the initial discussion. <S> There is something to be said for where the initial applying for a position fits into things here. <S> While there are some people that may always get people throwing jobs at them, most of us aren't that fortunate.
| There is something to be said for whether or not the higher ups want to play a role in the hiring process as I could imagine to some degree that contacting someone's boss' boss may well be where there isn't much direct influence on hiring someone for a position. it's usually perfectly acceptable for someone in your network to introduce you in person, via email, a phone call or other setting.
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Is it safe to use an idea that was conceived by a previous employer? I want to implement an idea that was discussed as one of many potential ideas that a company I used to work for might take once the project we were currently working on had launched. However, the project never launched and the company has been dissolved for nearly a year. Now, one of those ideas is lingering in my mind and I have the capacity to implement it. As far as I know, no one else previously involved is planning to implement the idea. The only thing I would be "taking" would be the idea, there was never any written or verbal planning concerned with the idea, and I have no creative content from the previous employer. What steps should I take if I want to develop this project? <Q> You need to review the agreements you signed with the original company. <S> Many times any ideas, inventions, or other work product belong to that company. <S> There is a potential that someone owns the Intellectual property rights from that company <S> and they could have a claim against you if you use this idea. <S> If it never went beyond a comment of hey after we finish this we should work on a website to do some vague process, then there is less risk than if you spent time fleshing out what the site would do <S> and you use that work product in your new company. <S> If you find out who owns the IP from your old company then you could possibly strike a deal with them for the rights to create that product. <S> The risk is when you do that you reveal that you intend to develop a product originally conceived at the other company. <S> Depending on who owns the IP they may not even realize that they own the Idea. <S> If it is your old boss though they may just sign off on you developing it. <S> I think it is worth finding out before you start working on the project. <S> I would probably consult a lawyer before taking any action on the product either way. <S> The lawyer will save you the worry of not knowing which may save its cost in stress many times over. <A> Only a professional practicing in your jurisdiction area and in intellectual property(IP) can give you sound legal advice. <S> But before even going that far here is a litmus test of sorts. <S> Some common sense questions to ask yourself. <S> Was the idea/concept copyrighted, trade marked, patented, otherwise documented? <S> If the answer to any of these is yes then even if the company has been dissolved there may well still be an 'owner' of the concept. <S> This can be one of the principals, a creditor, or some form of holding company. <S> Untangling the ownership can, and most likely would be, an expensive and time consuming ordeal. <S> To what level was the concept/idea developed? <S> Generally speaking broad concepts and ideas are difficult to claim as your IP. <S> Where as the more detailed, thought out and planned concepts/ideas by their nature tend to prove ownership. <S> To use examples: While brainstorming at work someone throws out the idea of X during the session. <S> The idea is dropped quickly. <S> Maybe even dismissed outright and the business doesn't invest any further time and energy on it. <S> Everyone likes the idea and decides to invest additional time in discussing, prototyping, and documenting the concept. <S> The concept is never implemented. <S> Great (or even bad) idea and the company runs with it. <S> Obviously these are the extremes, but they illustrate my point in that the each represent the shades of gray that our legal and moral systems tend to deal with. <S> In most cases example one would be fair game. <S> Well at least the lightest gray of the three. <S> Example <S> two is the middle of the road. <S> Example three <S> , well it's pretty black. <A> There are litigation cases where people have done what you said. <S> Example: http://www.salon.com/2004/08/18/evan_brown/ <S> http://grep.law.harvard.edu/articles/04/08/05/0317229.shtml <S> (Outcome of the case). <S> There was another one in the UK which the ex-employee lost the case. <A> IANAL, but if it is an interesting idea that no one else seems to care about you should just pursue it-- at least to the point where you can see if it amounts to something. <S> No one can stop you from discretely experimenting with it or developing it. <S> Ideas by themselves are cheap, implementation is what counts. <S> There are already a million ways a good idea can fail during before/during/after implementation. <S> Sometimes the concept changes into something completely different than was was started. <S> Asking a lawyer "for permission" as a first-step will all but ensure the thing never sees reality. <S> And anyway, if it is really successful, somebody will eventually try to sue whether the idea is purely original or not.
| Part of what will matter is how much work was put in to fleshing out this "Idea." As Chad suggests you really need to consult an attorney before investing time and money in a concept that someone else may own. Even if a contract isn't signed stating IP rights, if you discussed the plan with your previous employer while employed by them they can claim a right to the work (depending on where you live). You're in a gray area here and a court could rule either way. You'd be hard pressed to prove that the ideas was yours since it would be easy to prove that your previous employer had already implemented it.
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Is it unreasonable to ask for a letter of recommendation from current employer without quitting? My friend works for a small company and recently applied to an opening with a prestigious employer in a semi-related field. Having little relevant experience outside his current job, he asked his current boss (the CEO) for a letter of recommendation for the new job. His boss told him that he would not give him one unless he put in his two weeks notice. Is such a request reasonable from my friend? Is the response reasonable from the boss? <Q> In a perfect world, an employer shouldn't hold a grudge against an employee who only wants to better thenmselves. <S> They should also recognize they are not in a position to offer the greatest job. <S> Most don't think this way and will hold it against you so <S> , don't expect their help. <S> What's worse then giving a reference to an employee who leaves for a better job, keeping employees who aren't capable of finding a better job. <A> In most US states that in itself would be perfectly legitimate grounds for termination. <S> A possible exception would be if a supervisor/manager that you've worked with is leaving the company. <S> In that case I would consider it appropriate to ask that person before they leave. <S> But that in itself might be questionable as far as your employer is concerned, so it might be best to request contact information then follow up with them after they left. <A> I think it is an unreasonable request. <S> The employer will likely interpret this as a request to pay for your friend's job search. <S> It also makes it difficult for the employer to plan long term. <S> They don't know if they need to hire a replacement or not. <S> It's quite reasonable to explain to your boss that you are planning to leave the company, within 'x' number of weeks, and to then request the letter of reference. <S> A co-worker of mine did this and it was quite positive. <S> The company was able to plan for his departure, and he left on good terms with the company. <A> This depends a great deal on the employer's situation. <S> On the other hand, if the employer appears to be doing well then I see this being not taken well in most cases. <S> I'd wonder if your friend could have changed the reason for the request. <S> If he had the letter written for the purposes of a background check or someone wanting to know more about him as he was thinking of moving that could work as a way around this. <S> The boss' response would be reasonable if he didn't see this coming. <S> In that case, there could well be a, "WTH" response that would be met with a confrontational reply like, " <S> Sure, if you put in your notice," though I'd question how good of a reference he'd be in this case.
| Most employers and managers would take asking for a letter of reference as an indication that you are, or are seriously considering, seeking other employment. If the employer is slowly sinking then the request may well be quite reasonable.
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How to structure a cover letter for new grad positions Since I am going to graduate in May I have started to apply for different software engineering positions, especially titled with the suffix New Grad. Although my cover letter has already undergone many rewrites, I feel still a lot insecure: The cover letter is really a hook to get the reviewer's attention and I do not want to blow with some blah..blah..blah. I ask also, because I often read: Tell us about your blog, side projects, open source contributions etc. and I struggle to integrate these information in a cover letter, because I still have this very conservative cover letter in mind, not something where I write: Hey and by the way check out my blog. How could I tackle this problem? Currently my cover letters consists of three paragraphs: Introducing myself, saying when and with what degree I am graduating then creating some motivation why I consider a job at that company and the tasks as very important and personally fulfilling. Tell them about my achievements: work experience I got while stuyding, honors and awards, what is really important for me in my technical work and some additions which take the job description into context Telling them about what my master thesis is about which I am currently writing, and some specialities on my resume they should look out for. My first guess would be to use the third paragraph, throw it away and rewrite it with personal things, like a blog, side projects, etc. But what do you say? <Q> What I read most often is this: Tailor your cover letter to the specific job you're applying for. <S> Bring up specifics from the job description and explain why your experiences make you the perfect person for the job. <S> The reason you may be reading "Tell us about your blog, etc. <S> in the cover letter" is likely because those sorts of things don't usually fit in the resume itself, but if you can find a way that your open source contributions help you fit the job, then the cover letter is a great place to bring it up. <S> However, if you're a new graduate, you may not have a lot of data in the Experience section of your resume anyway. <A> Most of what you plan on including in your cover letter sounds good. <S> I would caution you on one aspect: the discussion of the masters thesis. <S> If you are applying for a position as a recent graduate, it might not be the time to point out to potential employers that you are already planning on going back to school. <S> They may worry about how long you plan to stay with their company, especially if you start talking about a program that can realistically only be done full time, or in another city. <S> They will be worried that you might have applied to that program already and will quit as soon as you are accepted. <S> The fact that you have started thinking about it isn't bad, in fact they might even ask about future education plans during your interview. <S> Not mentioning it in the cover letter could be key to getting that interview. <A> My first guess would be to use the third paragraph, throw it away and rewrite it with personal things, like a blog, side projects, etc. <S> But what do you say? <S> No, I wouldn't re-write the third paragraph this way. <S> I'd probably take portions of the first two paragraphs and stick in references where appropriate from the blog, side projects and open source contributions. <S> Think of this way <S> : What are you wanting them to get from reading your blog, looking at your side projects and noticing your open source contributions? <S> Is it some measure of technical skill? <S> Is it communication capabilities? <S> The blog could be about anything <S> so I'd put it in the cover letter if it fits something within the job description. <S> This is the key point as it isn't "Hey check out my blog," but rather, "If you want proof of my writing skills, check out these entries that show I can write well," or check out these entries where I show how I know <S> technology X well, etc. <S> The key point here is how well the cover letter shows that you are enough of a fit to have a chat and see if that fit is still there at the interview stage. <A> The purpose of the cover letter is to <S> Clearly show that you meet the qualifications and requirements for this specific position <S> Explain why this specific position is a good fit for you. <S> A cover letter needs to be written with this specific position in mind. <S> A cover letter that could be used for multiple posting is basically useless. <S> The first person to read your letter will most likely be an HR staffer that knows fairly little about the actual job. <S> They read hundreds of cover letters every day. <S> Their job is to evaluate your application against a written list of requirements that are part of the job description. <S> Your cover letter is the ideal opportunity to help them do their work. <S> List your skills against the requirements for the job and they'll love you for it.
| Explain why you are a good fit for this specific position Having a section for things like open source contributions and side projects might be a good idea.
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Should I report a previous coworker's arrest to management? A previous coworker of mine was charged with aggravated assault last night after he had gotten into a fight with another female coworker(his girlfriend). The coworker had worked in a position that reported to me at a previous company, and I'm still friends with many of the previous coworkers who work around this man on a day-to-day basis. Should these coworkers be made aware of these chargers, and his management as well? <Q> A previous coworker of mine was charged with aggravated assault last night after he had gotten into a fight with another female coworker(his girlfriend). <S> The key from this is charged with - unless you know all the details of the situation (and even then <S> ...) it doesn't make sense to begin gossip about this. <S> The coworker had worked in a position that reported to me at this previous company, and I'm still friends with many of the previous coworkers who work around this man on a day-to-day basis. <S> Should they be made aware of these chargers, and his management as well? <S> If you aren't at the same company, it makes no sense for you to interfere. <S> An easy test is: <S> Would I report the charge to this company if I did not personally know the people involved? <S> If your answer is, "yes, I believe there is a serious enough danger in them working together to tell a group of non-friends <S> " then you should find a way to inform them (or at least the police). <S> If not, then no, you really shouldn't. <S> Otherwise it's going to come across as spreading gossip - and rightly so. <S> It's not your responsibility to manage this guy nor his coworkers anymore, either, <S> so keep this in mind. <S> While I would not necessarily suggest getting yourself involved directly, it may be wise to counsel the female coworker to bring it up to her management (and make better relationship decisions... but wrong Stack Exchange site for that...). <S> They will be a lot more receptive to her saying, "my coworker assaulted me, what can be done?" <S> than someone who no longer works there interfering. <S> Additionally, while you don't indicate how you know this information, I doubt it's going to remain private regardless of what you do. <A> If he's a previous co-worker and does not work in your company anymore, why is it any of concern to anybody currently working? <S> Do you keep tabs on all former employees and their personal lives? <S> Best to mind your own business, this does not concern the workplace or anybody else beside the former coworker and his girlfriend. <A> One question is are you doing this because you feel there is a real concern that other people are at risk from this person, and you telling will prevent that? <S> Or are you seeking revenge for him beating up your friend? <S> The reason I'm asking is because it matters. <S> If it's about revenge, punishment or simply "they should know", then it's basically just gossip. <S> In this case, more like slander since the action is still only alleged. <S> a) <S> You don't work there any more b) <S> You were not the one that got beaten up. <S> If anyone should raise it, it should be your friend who was the victim of this. <S> And even then, unless it happened at the actual workplace, it's really an issue to be handled by law enforcement and the justice system. <S> If it's truly a public safety concern of yours, then maybe you should rather be talking to the police and let them handle it. <A> Ask yourself what your boss would say if you said you wanted to do this on the companies dime, and what arguments you would use to convince him to pay you to convey this information to a manager at another company. <S> If you think you have a good argument for that, then go ahead and do so. <S> That's from a business prospective, but really, this is fundamentally a personal decision <S> -- you want to inform you friends. <S> And for that, it's really no different no different from any other piece of news you might share with your friend. <S> From a career prospective, you should consider whether this looks like persecution, or malicious gossip, but if it's just updating people on what is happening in your shared circle, that should not be an issue. <A> Categorically No. <S> Its not your business and its not your responsibility. <S> Its between your employee, the police and the business. <S> The person should tell the business of the arrest, as it may impact on their work.
| In my personal opinion, it's also not up to you to raise this in the workplace. An arrest is a private issue until it enters the public domain of the courts and that person is convicted or not, until that point the law (uk) presumes innocence not guilt.
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Found a fantastic job but just don't have the experience; should I still apply? Possible Duplicate: How can I tell which job requirements matter in software offerings? How can I overcome “years of experience” requirements when applying to positions? I've come late to coding, been doing it under 2 years and trying really hard to gain ground in my own time and at work. However, I've found a position via StackOverFlow that gives me quite a strong emotional charge when I consider it. It's exciting, complicated and matches a second, deeper obsession with Neuroscience that I have and had before I ever coded. My dilemma is they appear to need someone with much higher math knowledge and data analysis than I can offer just yet. In two years, I've gone from nothing to understanding why I'd want to mix functional and OOP code, fair fluency in VB and enough understanding to mix F# with R and slot the lot into a simple WPF project. So I'm confident I can learn what I need, fairly quickly. However, I'm on the fence as to whether I should chance applying. I don't need a different job - this particular role has just seemed to spark something off that makes me want - perhaps - to tilt at windmills a bit and go for something that is way beyond what I've done. Meaning, I think, that I don't want to waste their time I guess. I don't think my CV is sufficient to get me past any gatekeepers; though I think I can give a far better interview than I can CV. Should I still apply to a job even if I don't have the requested amount of experience? Update: As requested, I did get my first development job and I'd only gone for a handful of roles. The place I got into didn't do tests or ask silly interview questions. Instead they looked at the few samples of code I'd already done whilst they discussed different project types I'd worked on and generally chatted. Both are my immediate superiors and deeply experienced. So couldn't ask for better really, no ducking and diving through "please the executives and shrinks" stuff. Just could I learn, had I done enough to get started and would I get on with the group. Been there nearly two months, learnt a fair bit of T-SQL and Oracle, on top of legacy C#/VB - and about migrating these. So not bad at all. And thank you all for your encouragement! <Q> You won't know if you are qualified unless you apply. <S> From what you say you seem to be in a position where even if you get rejected there would be no consequence - you are in a current job and will not be losing it by simply applying elsewhere. <S> In other words - what have you got to lose? <S> Nothing. <S> What have you got to gain? <S> An exciting job in a field that you are highly interested in. <S> So - apply. <S> The worst that could happen is that they say no. <S> You can ask for feedback, and if you are lucky they will tell you exactly what you are lacking in - this can give you a chance to work on that side and apply to them again at a later date (even if they are not actively looking at the time). <A> The first resume screen is effectively free; when I screen resumes I don't remember the ones I rejected unless there was something astonishingly noteworthy about them. <S> "Doesn't have enough experience" <S> isn't astonishingly noteworthy; that happens all the time. <S> So you aren't harming your future chances at that point. <S> If you proceed to the next step, where you actually have a conversation, it's important to be very clear about what you can do now and <S> why you think you can do this job (despite the written requirements). <S> If anyone in the process (phone screener, hiring manager, other interviewers) has reason to believe you're faking it, that will not only doom your application but will be a black mark against you. <S> Interviewers remember candidates who tried to pull something like that, and we compare notes with colleagues. <S> But all that said, there is another option you might not be considering yet: if the field or company is exciting but you don't fit that particular job <S> , it does no harm and can do quite a bit of good to contact them and ask about other positions. <S> Emphasize that you're excited by (whatever you're excited about) and would love to work with the team and grow into that kind of role later. <S> (Wordsmith this, of course.)I've gotten two jobs by doing something like that. <S> In one case I was proposing a related job, which they hadn't yet realized they needed. <S> (For example, a software team with no QA has a gap. <S> Are they ready to fill it? <S> How about with you?) <S> In the other case the role was ill-defined; I aced some criteria and totally lacked others, but it sure looked to me like they needed two different people. <S> After the interview they agreed with that assessment and I became one of them. <A> Well there are two parts to this I guess. <S> Should you apply? <S> Absolutely, you have nothing to lose by doing so <S> and the worst that can happen is your CV ends up in a bin somewhere, nothing ventured, nothing gained. <S> You are obviously enthusiastic and what you need to do is try and get that across to the first point of contact, i.e. the person reading your CV, however that won't be the appropriate place to do that <S> so you need to include a covering letter which gets this across in the best way possible. <S> Will you get the job and can you cope? <S> This will be the hard part, I have been in software development for 15 years or so and have found moving between different languages not much of a problem, however I think you may struggle with the math knowledge, that's not really something you can pick up as easily in my opinion. <S> With code you can look at snippets and work out how it differs from what you already know and translate but with the math you either know or don't. <S> Good luck with it <S> and hopefully your enthusiasm will get you the job.
| If your goal is to try to get that job, then (as others have said) go ahead and apply.
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When applying for software development/programming internships, is this "Co Op Status" an important part to have on my resume, or kludge? I have a "Co Op Status" section on my resume that our Co Op education department recommended we include for our applications for internships. I'm curious if this is that necessary. Right now, this is what mine says: Is that really that relevant? I'll be applying for internships that start in May 2013, so that seems obvious, and the second part seems unnecessary if I've included my estimated graduation data and the fact I'm in second year. <Q> The very term just like that is confusing. <S> It's helpful to list co-op experience <S> but only if you have it! <S> Having a section with no history in it is a bad idea, just remove it. <A> It sounds like they're very caught up in the little world that is your school and its specific requirements. <S> Chances are the people reading your resume won't know much about those requirements unless they went there themselves. <S> The rule of thumb I use is that if you would have to explain what it means to a theoretical interviewer, that's time wasted that could have been spent selling yourself. <S> I struggled with a similar issue when I graduated because I was part of an experimental program that hadn't been done anywhere else before (undergraduate robotics). <S> I finally realized that I was dedicating an entire paragraph in cover letters trying to explain it <S> that was really more trying to sell the school on them than my own skills. <A> I'm not a fan of that wording due to a lack of information, but I think something making it explicitly clear that you are looking for <S> a temporary co-op block or internship is helpful. <S> First, when recruiting, companies will often be looking for co-op and full time positions at the same time. <S> This makes it very easy for the people (and there are lots of people involved - HR, hiring managers, the people visiting your university doing recruitment, who may be alumni and not part of the rest of the hiring process) looking at your resume know which category you fall in without having to think about your graduation date. <S> Second, many companies keep your resume "on file" for a set period of time, looking to match you with any new positions and being able to see on your resume that you were a co-op candidate helps them. <S> As someone who has recruited and interviewed co-ops before, I want to see this information easily. <S> At a typical university career fair, I only have a few minutes to talk to you. <S> If I have to ask you if you're looking for a co-op or full-time position, when you want to start, and if you have prior university-approved co-op blocks and then write that down on your resume so it gets back to HR, that's less time that I can learn about your fit for the position or tell you about the company and the work that we have available. <S> Where I recruit, we do a dozen or so on-site interviews the day after the career fair, so that 5-7 minute meeting at the career fair is where I decide if I'm going to bring you in for a 30 minute interview screening the next day. <S> As a student who had to do co-op blocks as a graduation requirement, those were the only time that I ever included a "Purpose" section on my resume (at the top, right below my name and contact information). <S> I used that section to identify that I was looking for a required co-op or internship experience of a certain duration starting in a specified time period and what types of things I was hoping to do during this block. <S> I also clearly identified how many co-op experiences that I had, as some companies did not hire first-time co-ops/interns.
| When you have co-op experience just add it in the section where you put work experience but add the co-op info by the group title, e.g. (co-op).
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How to refuse an interview invitation with a bad company? I'm currently on the market and my CV is opened to the public on multiple job search sites. I have sent my CV to multiple companies and some have found me online and contacted me. One of the companies though is a one for which I don't want to work. The company has a bad reputation (acts of corruption, playing blame games with diferent providers when their solutions don't work etc) and I had three friends that at different moments in time worked there and all stated the following (biggest mistake of their lives, worst job they ever had, incompetent bosses, low salaries but long working hours, old technologies, bad methodologies etc). I don't want to work there, I don't even want to go to the interview. My initial reaction was to say **ck off but luckly I resisted... They will ask for a reason why I don't want to work there so how do I refuse the interview without saying what I really think of them? <Q> Just a note, this question and <S> this one are similar (but different circumstances). <S> Those answers might be useful as well. <S> You can respond simply with an email/verbal: <S> No thank you, <S> I am not interested at this time. <S> If they press you for details, simply say: I'm sorry, but I prefer not to disclose that information. <S> Turning down a company asking you to interview with them isn't that big of a deal at all if done this way (even if you did care about working for them in the future, which you obviously don't). <S> Simply say "no thanks" and move on with your life and don't worry about turning them down. <S> They aren't asking you to marry them after all. <A> They can ask why you aren't interested in the interview. <S> You are under no obligation to give them an answer ( <S> no matter how much they may pressure you into opening up about it), and the longer your response the greater risk you take. <S> People talk to people at other companies, hiring managers change jobs, etc. <S> - so you may encounter these same people at a desirable company in the future. <S> A simple <S> "No, thank you. <S> I am not interested in the position at this time" is all you need to say. <A> As noted by others, you can try just saying something such as "Thank you, but I'm not interested at this time. <S> " <S> I believe most places will not press you further. <S> However, if they do, you can respond with "Sorry <S> , I really don't want to discuss this." or a similar statement. <S> If they really press for an explanation of why you don't want to interview with them, and you feel compelled to give some sort of explanation, I recommend telling the truth. <S> It may be that they don't realize their reputation is poor and this will be the wake up call they need to start changing. <S> Or, the person trying to get you to interview may know their employer's reputation, but has been unable to effect improvements, and this may help them start those changes. <S> Admittedly, they may get upset, but remember you're just the messenger here. <S> Also, I wouldn't expect change, but it is possible. <S> In giving an answer such has this, I recommend that you avoid being rude. <S> Say something like: "Unfortunately, your company's reputation as an employer isn't good and <S> I don't believe I would enjoy working there. <S> Thus, I don't want to waste your time in an interview." <S> Having said all that, I'm going to suggest that you consider interviewing with them anyway. <S> It's possible that their reputation is undeserved (as a flip side to this, the worst place I ever worked was very impressive when I interviewed and advertises themselves as a prestigious and great place to work). <S> They may like you enough to make an unbelievable offer. <S> Both those scenarios may be far-fetched, but are possible. <S> Additionally, practicing your interviewing skills has benefit for future interviews and is usually easier when you're not anxious about getting the job. <S> This other question has more about interviewing when you don't think you'll be interested in the job. <S> However, if that doesn't seem worth the time and effort, feel free to turn them down. <A> If the goal was to keep your future job prospects open with a particular company, then you would want to make sure that your response to them was nuanced and diplomatic. <S> But because they would have to make a radical overhaul to their business philosophy before you would even consider working for them, you don't have to agonize over finding just the right words. <S> You are looking for words that say no thank you, but I have decided to go in a different direction. <S> In fact I would use those words exactly. <S> If they don't get the hint and keep trying to contact you, just keep deleting their emails. <A> Short and sweet is always best - <S> "No Thank You" along with "I'm not interested in a position in your company" is a fine answer - and if you want to avoid temptation, send it by email. <S> If your only option is to phone and speak to a live human, and you get pressed, there's no reason not to say "Your company does not have a good reputation, based on my observations <S> , I doubt I would be happy working for you." <S> You certainly don't owe any explanation for an unsolicited request to apply! <S> It would be the same thing as explaining to a telemarketer why they are annoying. <S> Figure that the person making contact with you is very indirectly connected to the policies and cultural norms that trouble you, so taking it out this person in a lengthy rant is going to do no good.
| It's your call - you can also say "I'd prefer not to disclose this information", or "I'm simply not interested" and leave it at that.
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How to respond to a "Thank you" email from the management? Some companies send a "Thank you" to an employee for accomplishing certain tasks or when they want to offer him a bonus for his hard work. Should one respond to such emails and how? For my case specifically the company's CTO himself sent me a "Thank you" email with a small bonus which is really uncommon in our workplace so I have a feeling that I should respond in some manner. <Q> Your instinct is correct. <S> You have received two things from your CTO: <S> (a) a gift , and conventional etiquette (per Miss Manners) calls for thanking people who give you gifts, and (b) <S> a commendation (the "thank you" part). <S> Since they came together and you need to acknowledge the gift anyway, you can respond with something like "thank you for the bonus and the recognition". <S> Especially when the recognition comes from the higher levels of an organization, you have everything to gain and nothing to lose by being a gracious recipient. <S> Since the CTO sent you email, you should respond in kind -- partly because you're just continuing the venue he chose, and mostly because it's prompt. <S> Making him wait several days for your response could make him think you didn't appreciate the gift. <S> It's best if your response arrives before your next encounter with him, to avoid any awkwardness (did he get it? <S> did he appreciate it?). <A> I don't think it necessary to always reply with "you're welcome." <S> I think the difference in this case is that your boss has gone above and beyond what would normally be expected--just as you presumably did when you performed your task that was worthy of a bonus. <A> Don't thank someone for a "thank you" message, or for a card. <S> It just drags things out. <S> For most people, thanking someone (either by phone, by email, by letter, or with a card) is the end of the transaction. <S> So let it be the end. <S> If there is an actual gift (not just a card) or some kind of bonus, then definitely send a thank you. <S> And do it promptly.
| However, in the case of receiving a bonus or gift of some sort, I think you are obligated to reply with a "thank you." If he had sent you a letter through physical mail, then it would be more complicated: responding on paper isn't wrong, but if this is someone you interact with regularly, via email or face to face, you might consider valuing promptness over formality and using email.
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This Recruiter wants my Social Security Number? There's this really aggressive recruiter trying to get me for a job that sounds pretty good, is local, pays about right... and has sent me two voicemails and an email in the last 24 hours. Okay, whatever, he's trying to do his job. So, I go to fill in the stuff he wants, and... ... they're asking for my SSN right on their 'initial applicants' form. I don't care if it's a 'secure' form, it's still a required field to fill out, and it's setting off all my red flags. I'm half tempted to approach the hiring company myself -- the guy already told me who it is, anyway -- just to make a point about how disturbed I am by this, but I'm secretly wondering if the job even exists right now. This is the first recruiter I've come across that wants this information AT ALL -- not even before first response, not on the phone, not in an in-person interview! Is this legit, or should I let my instincts lead me as far away from this guy as possible? <Q> According to the Social Security Administration's Legal requirements to provide your Social Security number , the following situations require it: Internal Revenue Service for tax returns and federal loans; Employers for wage and tax reporting purposes; Employers enrolled in E-Verify; <S> States for the school lunch program; Banks for monetary transactions; Veterans Administration as a hospital admission number; Department of Labor for workers’ compensation; Department of Education for Student Loans; <S> States to administer any tax, general public assistance, motor vehicle or drivers license law within its jurisdiction; States for child support enforcement; States for commercial drivers’ licenses; States for Food Stamps; States for Medicaid; States for Unemployment Compensation; States for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families; or U.S. Treasury for U.S. Savings Bonds <S> None of those situations are "to apply for a position", which is the situation you are in. <S> You may refuse to give it, and I personally would until I was actually signing a contract/offer letter/payroll papers for a specific company. <S> As to your specific questions, I don't know how common it is -- I've not seen a request for a social security number in this context in a long, long time, but that is just me. <S> As for your response being warranted, it's perfectly reasonable to ask to confirm if the position exists and if Recruiter X is handling it, and that's the extent to which I would discuss it with them. <A> Here is how I handle it: Online forms <S> I leave the field blank. <S> If I cannot, then I enter 000-00-0000. <S> Paper forms <S> I leave the field blank. <S> So what happens when someone asks me for it? <S> It is very rare for that to happen. <S> When it has, I've said something like, "oh, I'm very happy to provide it once I accept the offer." <S> If they were to press the issue (only happened once, because it was "company policy"), then I've said, "Oh, I understand. <S> I was a victim of identity theft (true) and as a policy, I have to be very careful about giving out that information. <S> I'd be happy to provide it once I accept the offer. <S> " <S> In my case, the person backed down. <S> If they hadn't, then I would've ended the process at that point and moved on to my next candidate company. <A> This MAY be legit, but I don't think so. <S> Also, some bad HR people think they need to get SSN's from applicants. <S> I had responded to an ad, once, with no company name on it, and someone from Seagate sent me a form demanding it and a release to perform a credit check. <S> I responded that it would be premature at this stage without even having an interview. <S> She sent back a rather scathing email about how I need to comply with their policies, and she would now "take me off the list. <S> " <S> I looked her up on LinkedIn, and she really did work for Seagate, so take that for what you will. <S> BTW - I don't by Seagate hard drives, any more. <S> <grin> <A> I was approached by a recruiter for a great job with 3M (a local company here in Minnesota). <S> I gave all of my info except my SSN. <S> The recruiter assured me that 3M would not consider any applicant without an SSN. <S> I refused to provide it. <S> I explained to the recruiter that requiring an SSN makes them look shady. <S> There is no legitimate reason to require an SSN before an interview. <S> It is not acceptable to expect people to give up their SSN to anyone who asks for it, especially solely over the phone. <A> Searching the web, this legal link about the Use and Disclosure of SSN, reads: <S> (c) <S> Requests for disclosure of social security number . <S> Any component which requests an individual to disclose his or her social security account number shall inform that individual whether: (1) Disclosure is mandatory or voluntary. <S> (2) <S> By what statutory or other authority such number is solicited, and (3) What uses will be made of it. <S> (See section 7 of the Privacy Act of 1974 set forth at 5 U.S.C. 552a, note.) <S> I suggest you check that link, as it has other parts ( " <S> a" and "b" ) <S> , that you should read that may be related to your situation. <S> However (IANAL, though), it seems that those points may not apply to your specific situation here, which is applying for a job. <S> I also suppose that the recruiter should have followed all 3 points above mentioned, and if not you are in your rights to ask for clarification on them. <S> To be completely sure, you could consult a lawyer about this in case we missed some important details. <A> Some recruiters may want a SSN to help ensure that you really are legally authorized to work in the US, but they should still be able to do that without your SSN... <S> in its entirety or in part. <S> Some suggestions I've heard were to give a fake SSN, or fake the last 4 digits if that's all they want, and if you do get hired, correct yourself. <S> Whether or not you decide to go with this, or to be upfront and say you'll provide it upon receiving a written offer, I'd err on the side of caution and NOT give your real one till then.
| Recruiters will need to know your SSN if you are working through them as an agency and being contracted to the employer. You might ask why your Social Security number is needed, how your number will be used, and what law they think requires you to give your number, if they push you on it, and determine you final answer from there. It's quite possible that you are working with a dumb recruiter who thinks he or she needs/is entitled to this information; similarly, you could be working with a scammer.
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How to acknowledge project failures but still emphasize my technical abilities in job interviews? In my previous job I was working on a client-facing project for the first time. This new role added many extra challenges related to communication on top of the usual technical and cultural challenges one might face. As added issue is that there were too few technically competent staff who were capable of addressing these issues and due to various, undisclosed, reasons we received little help from management. I felt I was unable to focus 100% of my efforts into solving these issues due, in part, to unfortunate family crisis. Thankfully we did eventually get a few more staff who were sufficiently capable. However, this late introduction of capable staff meant that initially we were failing to meet client expectations, they gave negative feedback related to this and as a critical member of the team I was held responsible. I received negative feedback in my appraisal and as such was removed from the project. This has effectively made me lose my faith in my current company and I would like to look for other alternatives but I am worried how this negative feedback might affect my interviewers perception of my technical skills. This question is not only asked in Interviews, but also in my current project manager also when context occurs like considering me for promotions and increments. I don't want to lie about the truth behind the feedback but at the same time I want to be able to effectively convey my technical abilities without their views being marred by this one piece of feedback. So my question to you all is that, how can I sell myself to potential employers through truthfully addressing my previous shortcomings but still conveying my technical capabilities? Research that I have done : I have Googled with phrase "How to convey about ones failures in Interview". However I didn't get any results which answers my question. I have searched in the workplace.stackexchange before placing the question. I found this close to my question: Is it worth to tell a "Samaritan" (company mentor) about my story of particular failure? However above is about telling mentor which has no impact. But my question is about telling the person who is going to hire me for project. I would like to be in safer situation. <Q> A few points: <S> It's unlikely that any interviewer will find out about this through a third party since most companies (in the US, that is) don't give references any more for legal reasons. <S> That means you are in control of how to communicate this and when and how to bring it up. <S> This can be actually an opportunity. <S> One of my favorite interview questions is "Please tell me about a time when you screwed up". <S> Errors are normal and one of the most efficient, if painful, ways to learn if you accept them. <S> What I would be looking for is Honest assessment of what went wrong, what was under your control and <S> what wasn't You taking responsibility for the part that was indeed under your control <S> A thorough analysis of what you could have done differently A concise statement about what you will do (or already have done) differently in the future as the result of this. <S> So you are in control when and how to bring it up (and, yes, you should bring it up) and if properly prepared you can use this to your advantage. <S> Nobody walks on water all the time, so learning how you deal with problems and mistakes is an important thing for your interviewer to learn. <A> If the failure comes up at all, focus on what you did to try and make things work. <S> Sometimes projects don't work out. <S> This is a reality that any good employer should understand. <S> The key thing is to be able to show how you did your best throughout it. <S> I actually "failed upwards" in getting my current job. <S> My previous job consisted of 4 years at a company where I was brought in for a upgrade project that went on for 3 years and was finally shut down (largely based on my analysis of why it couldn't work). <S> It was a late found performance issue that there was no way to work around and <S> the root of the problem wasn't my fault. <S> From the death of that project, I went on to be a member of a team that spun it's wheels for almost a year doing effectively nothing due to lack of management interest in replacing the system we were tasked with building a replacement for. <S> Over the course of 4 years, I literally only saw about 300 lines of code go in to production, but I was recruited for and landed a job that was a 30% increase in pay and a major jump up in responsibility by not only acknowledging the failed projects, but working through how, even in an unwinnable situation, I did my best to ensure the projects had the best chance of success and how, upon realizing it would not be beneficial to the company, worked to help the company move on in the least damaging way. <S> In short, personal actions are not necessarily linked to the success or failure of a project and if you can stand on the merits of your own actions, then a project failure shouldn't matter significantly. <A> In today's world "fail fast and learn" is the mantra. <S> When you talk about your failures, the interviewer will look for what you learnt from them. <S> Hence focus on how failures helped you become a better person and improve your abilities. <S> If you shy away from talking about failures the interviewer will quickly call your bluff...don't do that. <A> Failure is a part of life and if someone says that all of their projects have gone perfectly, without any glitches, that is a sheer lie. <S> A recruiter will already be aware that projects have failures associated with them. <S> At what level the failure occurred and to what degree the failure was caused by you. <S> This gives the recruiter an opportunity to gauge you as a person, based on the answer that mistakes/failure were caused by fundamental mistakes or some acceptable reason(s). <S> For example, a Project manager could say that they were modifying any existing structure (building) to cater to some different need, then during execution phase they realised that the structure was not suitable for taking the new equipments or process loads. <S> This meant there was a need for strengthening of the all columns & foundations. <S> In this case there has been a fundamental failure. <S> Before starting the job, a structural analysis should have been done. <S> Only realising this problem might exist during the course of the project's execution shows short-sightedness and a lack of the basic knowledge to perform their job adequately. <S> As a recruiter this lets you judge the person's grasp of the fundamental skills needed to perform their job adequately, which in this case might be lacking if they had all the information to make the correct judgement. <S> It's also important when recruiting someone to see how well they handle failures or mistakes and what action they take (if any) in such a case.
| The answer that they expect is something that shows: That you accept your own mistakes and/or failures.
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What can I do about my transfer to a new position being blocked? My company has posted a position in another department. It looks like I am qualified for the position. Before applying for the position I talked to my supervisor and was encouraged to apply. In a few days I will have an interview for the new position. I have heard from a friend in HR that he heard that I will not end up with the job because my boss's boss doesn't want to let me go from my department. I have some critical processes and me leaving them will impact the performance of my team. I've been told that my supervisor is actually fighting for me but is being overruled. I understand in a way what's going on; they don't want to be left without resources, but then again they are stopping my growth for something that is not my fault! On top on that, I don't think they will offer a position change or salary raise to retain me. I'm at a point where I need to make a decision. I heard something that I probably shouldn't have been told, but I can't be 100% certain that the rumor is true. I am faced with a dilemma: So I'm really worried about this, and I'm tempted to quit the company. I liked it here and I think is a good company but I cannot believe what's happening. Quitting without knowing would probably not be a good idea. Is there something I can do in my present position to prevent this from happening? <Q> Internal transfers tend to require consent from your current management. <S> Yeah, that doesn't seem fair as you could quit entirely without anyone's consent, but that's how it works and the company naturally wants to protect itself from slipped deadlines etc due to people moving around. <S> So you should focus on making sure you'll get that consent. <S> Did you talk with the objecting manager before applying for the position? <S> If not, you should schedule that meeting now; don't wait for HR to ask him to comment on your application. <S> should I get the position. <S> It's possible, depending on timing and your team's needs, that you won't be able to take this position, but if not you're laying the groundwork for the next one. <S> And anyway, you should be discussing your career objectives with your manager on a regular basis anyway, at minimum as part of the annual performance review/goal-setting discussion, and he should be working with his management to help you achieve your goals. <S> Many managers will expect you to drive that conversation; as one example, the manager training I received at a large US company made that explicit (I should let them initiate and intervene only if I see problems). <A> Your situation is not unusual. <S> Many employees feel afraid to apply for a internal position, unless they are about to let go because of the end of a contract, or because of downsizing. <S> They fully expect that the moment they apply for a transfer, their current management is sent a email/phone call/text message labeling them a traitor. <S> Some companies actually protect their current employees by only letting the current manager know about the application after the offer has been accepted. <S> They do limit your ability to apply for a position when you are new to your current position. <S> You have now been handed valuable information regarding your future with the company. <S> If management cared about you they would approach you, your current supervisor and the new supervisor and have you workout a transition plan. <S> The idea will be to get you into the new position in X months. <S> During that time they will hire or designate your replacement. <S> You will document everything you do, and then train them. <S> When the date of transfer arrives you will now be in the new position, with hopefully a new pay rate. <S> During the next few months you will be allowed to charge overtime to the old job, to allow you to guide them though a key event or two. <S> If they just squash the transfer, they have told you (assuming that you are qualified for the new job), that they are willing to risk losing you from the entire company in the future to prevent a loss of capability today. <S> Use this time to prepare to switch companies. <S> Don't hesitate to apply to other companies, because the current one is not yet ready to let you grow. <S> If they don't give you the new job at your annual review make it clear that you are expecting a big raise/promotion. <S> Explain that by blocking the transfer the company said you are extremely valuable. <S> If they don't compensate you, take a job with another company. <A> Thanks for the update- that helped clarify a response. <S> So - your direct manager is on your side and advocating for you, but the higher management is restricting it. <S> I see two strategies: 1 - Talk up the chain <S> Can be a little pushy, but if you have serious concerns about the situation and are likely to leave if you can't get a transfer... <S> Tell him <S> you know you are important the current work, and certainly you don't want to leave the company in the lurch, but if you don't get a chance at the new role, then you are likely to look for opportunities in another company. <S> Ask him for a good approach and his support in talking to senior management. <S> Work out a plan together <S> so he's OK with you going over his head. <S> He may offer to advocate for you, instead (I would), and that's fine if you trust that he's a straight shooter working honestly on your behalf. <S> If not... <S> well... it's time to leave, regardless. <S> Working for a manager you don't trust is never a good answer. <S> 2 - Make contact with the other side <S> This kind of cross department sneaking around is only workable in a rare case. <S> If you fail, you do risk being seen as insubordinate by a territorial manager... <S> Go to the managers doing the hiring and voice your concern that you are too important to move from your current job. <S> Talk to them about wanting to make sure your current team is covered, but that you strongly prefer this alternate position. <S> This is difficult territory because you really can't come out and say "my senior management is playing games <S> and I know it", but you can angle a bit with body language to emphasize how much you appreciate being given an opportunity.
| Explain your reasons for wanting to move and that of course you don't want to leave your current team in a lurch, so let's talk about a transition plan Talk to your direct manager and get him on board with talking up the chain.
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What heading should be written in a resume instead of "Technical Expertise" when I am not an "expert"? Technical Expertise: Languages & Frameworks: C, C++, QtDevelopment tools: GCC, GDB, Valgrind, SVNOS: Linux (OpenSUSE)Concepts:: UML, Design patterns, Socket programming, Data structures This is a sample from my example resume. I know these subjects but I cannot say that I am an expert in these subjects. I do not want to mislead the interviewer by the fancy words like "Technical Expertise". I want him to question me but not like as if I am a God or a super man! What heading should be written instead of "Technical Expertise" when I am not an "expert"? <Q> Experience would be the most obvious choice. <S> This way all you are implying is that you have used these technologies and could have varying levels of skill. <S> Skill would also work as you are identifying specific areas though this doesn't always work as some software may not be seen as a skill. <S> Proficiencies would be a more formalized term if you wanted something a bit more exotic than experience. <A> No the original heading is fine. <S> I think your over thinking this in English "expertize" (or expertise if you don't use the OED) can also mean "Skill or knowledge in a particular area" - <S> This is the sense that it is always used in CV's and resumes. <S> I might say I have expertize in TCP/IP <S> doesn't meant that I am claiming CCIE level understanding <A> Technical recruiter here that has seen many thousands of resumes, and I've never seen "Technical Expertise" used on a resume (I'm in the US).
| The most accepted sections for that title would be either "Skills", "Technical Skills", "Technologies", or "Technical Experience".
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What are the repercussions on my career of quitting a contract job before it expires? I have almost 9 months left in my contract and I have an interview with another company next week. I am considering terminating the contract earlier if the company gives me an offer, however I am not sure what sort of repercussions this would have on my career. What are the repercussions on my career of quitting a contract job before it expires? <Q> There are two primary consequences of breaking a contract early: <S> The first is that it can paint you as untrustworthy. <S> The purpose of a contract is to define what services will be provided and what payment there will be for those services. <S> For example, if you go to the bookstore to pick up a brand new book by your favorite author, the store might have sold all its copies. <S> You'd likely come back to the store in the future. <S> If, however, you reserve a copy of the book beforehand (a less formal "contract"), and they do not hold a copy for you, how likely are you to reserve (or even buy) another book there? <S> Would you tell your friends about the problem? <S> The second issue depends on your contract. <S> A lot of (most) contracts have a clause covering failure to meet the contracted terms. <S> Breaking a contract (or not meeting the terms dictated) can result in forfeiture of payment for services, payment of a fine, or other penalties (this absolutely depends 100% on the contract). <S> Additionally, there may be laws in your city/country regarding this; this will depend on where you are. <S> Again, this completely depends on what the contract says and what the laws are in your city/state/country. <S> It is generally not advisable to break a contract. <S> Read your contact to be sure of what the immediate consequences will be, and consider whether the risk of a reputation hit is worth abandoning your client for a different opportunity. <A> If I've learned anything about employer/employee relations over the last 2 decades or so, it's that employers expect employees to be completely loyal to them, never even think about looking elsewhere let alone actually accept an offer from another company, yet they themselves can and will terminate you at the slightest whim or just because it's convenient <S> and you're fully expected to accept that without question and hold no negative feelings towards that company. <S> Apart from that, there's far too little information (as others have mentioned) to say anything about possible legal consequences. <S> You'd need to study the actual contract to know about those (most will have a few paragraphs devoted to what steps need to be taken to terminate the contract, what the restrictions are regarding new jobs (many/most contracts may for example bar you from taking up employment with customers or suppliers of the company <S> you're under contract with, or even working for competitors). <A> A "contract job" can imply a variety of commitments. <S> For example - the answer can be different depending on whether you've personally signed a contract or you're simply working in a temporary capacity through an agency. <S> In the former case, you actually have a contract. <S> The contract creates a legal obligation to provide services. <S> Penalties for breaking the contract may be statutory or in the terms of the contract. <S> If this is the case, unless there's a lot of money at the new gig, you're pretty much stuck. <S> If you're simply a temp, all you have to worry about is burning a few bridges. <S> You probably won't be able to get more work through the agency or with the client in the future. <S> Depending on how long you were on the job, leaving it off your resume might be a good idea. <A> Assuming that by "contract" you mean that you are being paid hourly to work on a project, the impact on your career for leaving this position and taking another more preferable position will be somewhere between almost none and none at all . <S> Think about what your resume will show: that you worked on this project for a while, then worked on another one. <S> That's all your next prospective employer will know. <S> If they check references, they won't expect one from every job you ever had. <S> They will be happy to speak to a couple of references you provide. <S> If you get a better offer, then to at least one employer, it didn't matter how long you stayed in your current position. <S> It will matter even less to the next prospective employer. <S> If someone is prepared to extend an offer, and sees that you stayed at some position very briefly, they will likely assume that the previous employer was bad. <S> They will have interviewed you, and liked you, while they may know nothing about that employer.
| It is also important to note that depending on the laws where you are, certain parts of the contract may be unenforceable. It may prevent you from being rehired by your current employer, but that's about it.
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Having conflict with my own manager So here is the scene : My manager got hired in my company 2 months ago (full time). Before that he came here as a consultant. The company he came from, I used to work over there until I got laid off. The CEO of that company told my manager something negative about me. I know this for sure. Now, when he was a consultant everything was good. He used to make jokes about me and I didn't like it. So I kind of reverted it back to him whenever he tried. But NOW he became my manager and there is a tension between both of us. I am afraid to ask any questions to him because the tone he uses is harsh and I feel offended. Plus he belittles me in front of his desk, where everyone can listen. My question is: How should I approach this issue? I don't want to drag this tension for a period of time. <Q> Second, if he says anything in front of others, see if you can take him aside and bring that up as well - "John, if you have an issue with something I've done, I'd appreciate it if you told me in person, rather than calling me out in front of the group." <S> Third, ask for some time for a sit-down with him, now that he's the manager. <S> He should be able to tell you what his expectations are for you (in terms of day-to-day processes as well as a long-term goal), and you should lay out your long-term goals as well. <S> If it's just the two of you, it could give him the chance to tell you about some things that he noticed about you when he was a consultant, but now he has to act on them since you're reporting to him. <S> This could be a chance for both of you to clear the air, and you'll have a better idea about what to expect in your work relationship with him. <A> I am afraid to ask any questions to him because the tone he uses is harsh and <S> I feel offended. <S> Plus he belittles me in front of his desk, where everyone can listen. <S> Without knowing more details, about all I can do is recommend some books by Suzette Haden Elgin, starting with The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense at Work . <S> In her series of books (they all have "gentle art of verbal self-defense" in the title), she describes a number of linguistic attacks and traps that many people don't realize are going on. <S> She also gives a number of responses that can be used to deflect away from the emotional attacks into actual communication as well as identifying the real issues under discussion. <A> In addition to all the good advice already provided here, I'd add that the best defense I ever saw was by a secretary who was accused of not being productive (not your exact problem, necessarily, I realize) who kept a log of all her work over the 30 days she was being "watched". <S> When she presented the hard evidence that she was indeed, very productive, her manager had to reverse their original low evaluation score. <S> My point is that even though you can't keep a record of the verbal conversations you have with this person, you can keep a record of all the positive, cooperative and professional e-mails (and it's usually a good idea to keep an e-mail trail of work issues, lest people forget what has been agreed upon). <S> Any evidence that you are cooperative and professional can only help you in case this issue with your manager deteriorates further. <A> Just ask him: I could be mistaken, but <S> I sense there may be some tension between us. <S> I'm not aware of any specific incident that could be the cause, but I just want to make it clear that I don't have any negative feelings about you personally or professionally. <S> I just want us to be able to work together. <S> Is there anything I have done or said to offend or cause you concern in any way? <S> You don't have to quote it, but you want to make sure that you communicate your lack of hard feelings toward him and give him the opportunity to voice whatever opinion or feelings he may have. <S> This way, both of you know exactly where each other stands and, hopefully, you can move forward.
| First, if he says anything negative to you that you don't appreciate, bring it up immediately - "John, I don't really appreciate it when you say things like that."
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Should I be sincere - in an interview - about the reason for leaving my previous job? I find myself in a situation similar to the man who wrote this post Lack of recognition in role and career development within role , that is to say I feel: I'm doing much more work with respect to what I'm paid for I'm doing work which go beyond the responsibility of my role The extra work, extra efforts, and skills I have are not recognized by my boss, so he lets me do simple tasks rather than more advanced ones (even more productive). These are more or less the reasons for I'm thinking of quitting my job and finding another one. If I go for an interview, do you think I should be frank about the reasons why I want to quit the job? Or could such sincerity boomerang on me? <Q> I'd go with cautious honesty. <S> :) <S> I'd really like (this big advanced work that you're not currently doing but would like to do) <S> and there's not much opportunity for that in my current role. <S> this job is perfect because..." is great. <S> "I'm overworked, underpaid, taking on more than my role dictates and never getting recognized in either money, promotions or interesting assignments" can come off like a rant. <S> Both are honest, but having goals and dreams is a very enticing quality in a new hire. <S> Having a buildup of frustration and disgruntledness is not. <A> I would generically encapsulate your reasons as lacking vision of perspective in the current position and pursuing career growth . <S> I am not sure about the culture in Italy, which is certainly a factor, but I can tell you that, in the U.S., honesty about hitting a dead end in your existing career or menial duties is in 98% of cases punished. <S> Why? <S> Because it is self-incriminating as an admission of professional shortfalls and <S> you should never ever say anything in an interview that does not work in your favor of making a sale. <S> An interviewer is not a shoulder to cry on, it is someone to make a sale to. <S> I understand you may be tempted to be honest or to even rant about frustrations in your current job. <S> Don't do it. <S> Just like Chad said in his comment, those are canned questions and are not worth a well thought out and honest answer . <S> -- it's the cusp of a market place and your mission is to make the sale. <A> There are a few pitfalls here <S> I'd be careful to avoid: Blaming the former workplace - If you talk down about where you worked before, then the people interviewing you may fear being in a similar situation in the future. <S> Follow-ups to these responses - As you give these answers, there may be questions from the interviewer of, "What did you do about these concerns?" <S> that may not be a question you're prepared to answer in a positive light. <S> Putting yourself in a less than great light - This would be bethlakshmi's response where if you answer in less than positive terms, it may not go over well. <A> The Grass Isn't Always <S> Greener Do some research and decide why you think the new job is better than your current one. <S> Just because one opportunity is better, doesn't mean the other one is bad. <S> Although you may not have been compensated/recognized for your efforts, you current company does let you do more. <S> You can now put these accomplishments on your resume/CV and get a better job. <S> Some interviewers may notice the discrepancy between your title and actual responsibilities. <S> Let them know you took the initiative to do more, but the company didn't have the room to promote you. <S> It happens. <S> Some day you're going to have to explain why you're leaving a good job.
| Always state your reasons for leaving in positive terms - "I want a new challenge, I work hard at my job, and I'm looking for opportunities for advancement. So be pragmatic and don't forget the interview is not a shrink session, not a chat with your BFF, not a place to be overly honest
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If you provided an incorrect answer to a technical question on an interview, should you respond with a corrected answer? Consider the situation where you've applied for a technical position (i.e. in Software Engineering) and on a phone interview you were asked a technical question. Regardless of the reason, you respond to the question with either an "I don't know" or an answer that isn't what the interviewer was trying to discern in regards to your personal expertise. After finishing the interview, you realize the correct answer. What should you do? Let your response rest as it is or should you respond, via email, explaining why you initially gave an incorrect answer and provide an amended response? <Q> Recruiter of software engineers here, and I have seen candidates who have botched an interview question send an answer after the interview (sometimes immediately, sometimes after a few hours or even a day or two) and the results have been very positive. <S> Here is how to do it. <S> Find out the email address of the person who did the interview <S> Write an email that says something about your mindset during the interview and that afterwards you realized what the correct answer was. <S> Write out the question as best as you can remember it, try and write out what your answer was (the botched answer) <S> and then how you should have answered and what you did wrong. <S> Close by saying that you are very interested in the company/opportunity and that you feel that your performance on that question was not indicative of your abilities. <S> If it was a tech question that could be answered with a coding example or some kind of app design, write the code/model and send it along. <S> I have to disagree with the answer above ( by Adam V) as I don't think this tactic will make you look obsessive at all, but on the contrary it will make you look very interested in the position. <S> Letting an employer know you are interested is a major problem for some candidates, and this is an easy way to do this - particularly if you go 'above and beyond' in your response. <S> I also disagree with Adam V's assessment that they will discount your answer now because you've had time to look up the answer. <S> The job of a software engineer is an open book test, with lots of reliance on looking things up during work. <S> Companies want to hire candidates that have great knowledge, but it is equally important to hire employees that are resourceful and know where to find the answers. <S> That is why some companies ask very difficult questions in interviews - not just to see whether you know the answer, but to see whether you will either try to lie about knowing the answer or to measure how resourceful you are and how you describe the act of finding an answer. <A> Honestly, I would say don't say anything about the technical questions ; at this point, you're an interviewee who got nervous and missed a question you might have gotten right in a better environment. <S> If you respond back at this point, though, then you run two risks: a) <S> you look a bit obsessive, like "I have to let them know that I knew this answer". <S> b) you've waited long enough to respond that it could look like you looked the answer up, and you don't gain anything with a right answer. <S> If you want to do anything, just respond back with a general thank-you, and possibly add a caveat: "I was so pleased to meet with you yesterday. <S> I'm sorry <S> I was so nervous and missed a couple of questions I should have answered correctly, but I look forward to hearing from you again." <S> Also, find a way to reiterate your interest in the position; add in some things you learned about the company from the interview. <A> I think there are two different questions: <S> If you said "I don't know" and outside the heat of the interview you do know <S> then I'd leave it as it was said - you didn't know at the time for any number of reasons <S> but you don't need to try and justify it. <S> If you answered and in hindsight you think they were asking something different <S> then a very brief follow up could be useful. <S> I'd caveat this with that the success or failure of an interview very rarely comes down to a single question. <A> imho, the best thing would be to get <S> deeper - take that technical question, try to come up with something better than just a plain answer (for example, not-so-obvious connection between this question and something else - take your time and try to find something good) <S> - then, later you might bring this thing up again, explain the situation (you were distracted etc) and offer that new idea described above.
| Telling an interviewer how you would go about finding an answer is always better than a simple 'I don't know'.
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Should I inform my employer of additional certifications I obtain that are not directly related to my position? Should I inform my employer of additional certifications I obtain that are not directly related to my position? Background: I am a software engineer. I graduated with a bachelor's degree within the past two years. I have recently been taking classes at some local universities and have obtained some technology certifications. These are legitimate certifications -- for example, the CompTIA Network+ certification -- but they are not related to my work or even the industry. Am I hurting myself by not telling my employer about these certifications? I don't necessarily want to transition into a networking/IT role, which is what a number of my certifications are in. My employer doesn't even have an up-to-date resume on me. Generally speaking, should I keep my employer up to date with my education, etc? <Q> I would disagree with your assessment that network training is not related to your work as a software engineer. <S> While your current project might not involve any network dependent components, in our current world of web applications, service based applications and cloud infrastructures, there is likely to be networking involved in your application stack in the future. <S> Just because you aren't writing low-level network api code doesn't mean networking knowledge isn't valuable. <S> I am a software development manager and I would view network knowledge as valuable in a candidate for a software engineering job. <S> I would talk to your manager about your training and certificates. <S> You should also be clear about whether or not you would like to take on projects in that direction. <S> The fact that you are trying to broaden your knowledge base demonstrates positive traits to your manager and he/she should know about it. <S> Of course, this probably doesn't apply ballroom dancing certificates :), but I would suggest you take a wider view of what continuing education might be valuable and make you a more well rounded employee. <A> I think it boils down to a simpler question: Why are you getting the certificates? <S> If you're just looking for something challenging to do on the weekend, you might not want to -- <S> but then, why isn't your current line of work challenging enough, and why are you not considering changing positions if you're more interested in other fields? <S> In general, though, if it's entirely unrelated, I don't see a reason to keep your employer informed. <S> Would you inform them if you, say, achieved Grandmaster status in chess? <S> Maybe not unless you have an opportunity to work on a chess application of some kind you want to transition into. <A> When some contracts are being bid, the bidders are asked to send sample resumes of people who might be assigned to the project. <S> Putting all your expertise and certifications on the resume makes your resume more valuable to your employer. <S> It can be included in more bids, which can lead to more wins. <S> It may also allow your company to see you as more than just a developer who knows language X. <S> I am surprised that they don't insist on yearly updates of resumes. <S> Every company I have ever worked for has insisted on this.
| If you want to start doing that sort of thing as a career, by all means, inform your employer, they might have work along those lines.
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Freelancer - Proof of work hours How do you document or proof the hours you were coding when on an hourly paid freelance job? I normally use timesheets for in-house consulting, but if a customer would question the billed hours that I was working on my own in my office, I couldn't proof anything. Is there some typical contract clause that you can use to safeguard against having to be able to legally prove (witness or similar) the duration, as long as the billed hours are resonable and documented in some basic form? <Q> You need to look at this issue from another perspective - the mutual trust. <S> There is no way to prove the number of hours you bill <S> your client is the actual number of hours you spend on the task you are assigned. <S> Before you take the task, you should ask the client how many hours they expect you to spend for that task. <S> Then you tell them how many hours you will need. <S> You and your client eventually reach a mutually acceptable number of hours needed before you start the task. <S> You go do that task, document the hours you spend in a readable format. <S> After you finish the task, report the result back to the client and then bill them with the invoice and the time sheet. <S> If the number of hours is within the reasonable range, say you told them you need 40 hours to do the task <S> and you put in 42 hours, chances are the bill would be accepted. <S> If you report 50 hours, 25% more than expected. <S> Yes, they would question you. <S> And you expect that. <S> So, you would have to explain why you spend 25% more than what you agreed earlier. <S> If you did all that and the client still give you hard time by asking you to provide proof of time spent. <S> You and your client are having the mutual trust issue. <S> This is another problem, not what you're asking in this question. <A> If you’re working as a freelancer there are legit sites that handle invoicing automatically to bill clients for hours of work. <S> However, there are different approaches to time tracking like Time Doctor, which tracks time accurately on real time. <S> It gives you analytics of your workday on where exactly you've spend your time and how much of that time is productive or unproductive. <S> Another time tracking tool is Toggl, which automatically syncs with Quickbooks and Freshbooks (accounting tools). <S> It also gives you record of work hours through mobile. <A> Generally speaking all that is required is a log of your activity, anything that you can refer back to at the end of the week to submit your hourly billing. <S> The lack of that documentation would pretty much turn it in to a ' <S> he said, she said' battle, while the documentation itself, for the most part would be considered reasonable proof if challenged in court. <S> A few suggestions that you may find helpful: <S> Outlook tasks <S> if you're using MS Office. <S> There are also a number of plugins available to semi automate the process. <S> A spreadsheet log.
| Any documentation would be helpful if the client questioned your invoice or refused to pay for all of the hours you billed. There are also lots of time tracking tools online that you could use to track work hours. Most accounting packages (Quicken Professional, Freshbooks, ...) offer basic time tracking and invoicing.
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How can I convince my boss that we need better machines? Possible Duplicate: How do I request new equipment for the office? My boss strongly feels that if we keep the machines clean which to him means: not installing any unnecessary programs and formatting the computer routinely, there is no need to purchase a new machine at least until it has been used for ten years. I tried to tell him that slow machines really hinder productivity and software gets heavier over time, but he would reiterate his argument. What is a good way to convince my boss to buy us a new machine? <Q> Everything is about Money. <S> One way to do this is to determine the average spent per employee on their machine compiling code, AND other functions which take time. <S> Do it for a week or two (or a month), get a report from each engineer of the amount of time involved. <S> Then work that amount of time out for the year and equate it to lost productivity. <S> Example: <S> Let's say each engineer compiles their code 10 times a day. <S> So you have lost 20-30 minutes per engineer a day. <S> Let's pick the average and say 25 minutes per engineer. <S> That works out to 4.5 days a year per engineer is lost productivity. <S> For 6 engineers that is 27 days of productivity lost. <A> Wow, I thought I was crazy sticking with a 2005 PC.. <S> In addition to the fine answer by Simon, I would like to add my own points. <S> With such an old machine, Repair costs are likely to be much higher, especially compared to repair under warranty. <S> You have not given any specifics, but if you have situations or data regarding this, you can use that to further your case. <S> Newer Machines and LCD monitors might consume lower power , low enough to be significant over 3-5 years. <S> Additionally, when presenting your case, take a mid-range machine as the ideal case, a high-end one might be going into diminishing returns area for a small company. <A> Be careful how you try to present any ROI argument. <S> There are a lot of purchases that could be made to help the bottom line over time, but are no good right now if your company doesn't have the cash or if venture capital is restricted. <S> You may be able to prevent wasting a certain amount of time per day/per programmer, but there are other factors: <S> Does your boss expect you to just work longer hours without extra pay because you're on salary? <S> You boss thinks each programmer already has several minutes of unproductive time, so you might as well be compiling at the same time. <S> Your company can't find any more billable hours or additional work to justify the time savings. <S> More productive hours may not directly create revenue. <S> Projects are not behind, so why bother saving the extra time? <S> (Would be hard to believe.). <S> Part of me thinks you're arguing with an idiot or someone who has been beaten up too often and has developed penny wise and pound foolish thinking. <S> I don't agree with the arguments I presented nor <S> do I know if your boss thinks this way. <S> The slow computers are probably another symptom about the problems with working for this company. <S> Your boss is giving the impression he just doesn't care to try and make employees happy. <S> It's not all about money. <S> There are other 'perks' he could offer that don't require as much company cash (e.g. flex-time, telecommute, free muffins on Tuesday, allow you to try and find other solutions/buy just one machine for compiling.).
| So you need to show that the machines will pay for themselves better then what you currently have.
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When should I consider myself to be at work? This may seem a strange question, but my workplace isn't an easy access building. The place I work is a large (several hundred acres), fenced off, limited access campus. There are only a few gates, with guards checking identification at these entry points. Also, random inspections of vehicles are done during the regular work week (Monday - Friday), and all vehicles are inspected on weekends. These inspections can be done on entry or exit to the campus. It usually takes two to three minutes to drive between the gates and the building where my office is. The short drive from the gate to/from my building does not usually bother me. However, there are slow downs that occasionally occur as I come to and leave work. For example, traffic back ups can occur waiting for the ID check or vehicle inspection; also, when an inspection is done, it usually takes several minutes to complete. Five to ten minutes of delay is common, but I've seen times when the delay has been twenty to thirty minutes. Obviously, these slow downs often take several minutes, and it's not inconceivable that it could add up to an hour or more. Thus, I wonder if I should add this time to the work time I log when I encounter these delays. Edit to add detail: The work location in question is not owned by my employer, which is a (sub)contractor with the organization which owns the facility. I've looked through my employee handbook and there's nothing in it about this. While I'm salaried, the terms of the contract say all contract workers are supposed to log all time worked. I've had some recent family issues which have forced me to make up time on weekends. On these occasions I am stopped - often for a considerable period - for vehicle inspections. I have only one charge number for the time I work on this contract. My employer does not supply a separate administrative(?) charge number for time spent in these delays. When I first came to work here, security was relatively relaxed. However, over time increasing layers have been added which have slowed things down considerably. The most recent addition is the vehicle check upon exiting the facility on weekends. Unfortunately, upper management has never made it clear if or how these things should recorded, and the low level managers with whom I deal are not likely to know more than me. <Q> If it is not clear, you should inquire about clarifying it with management. <S> Absent of policy or any clarifications, I would say that once you are in the company's area/campus past the first security check you are at work. <S> Look at it this way <S> : it's not your fault that they have a security policy that takes you an extra-long time to get into the office. <S> The time you spend at a security gate or in traffic is not your personal time, it is a direct consequence of their decisions and therefore it is 'how they chose to use you'. <S> They could always hire more security guards, build more security terminals, spend money to buy ridiculously expensive devices to scan cars, bags and people quickly. <S> It's ultimately a question of how they chose to run shop. <A> I don't believe there's a universal answer to this; it could vary from one employer to another. <S> If there's a written policy, you should follow it. <S> Since you've said there isn't, you should just ask your boss. <S> If you're concerned about appearing to be a "clock-watcher" (something you mentioned in a comment that's been deleted), make it clear that you're not asking so you can spend less time working if it took half an hour to get through the gate <S> ; rather, you're asking exactly what information you should put on your timesheet (or whatever equivalent you're using). <S> They require you to log your hours; it's up to them to tell you what that means. <S> It's entirely possible that the company will want to collect information about delays, with the goal of reducing them. <S> It's also possible that they don't care and just want you at your desk 8 hours a day. <A> If you have a badge system, when you badge into the building you are at work. <S> Walking into the building, parking, etc. is all part of commuting in my opinion. <S> Personally, I do a majority of my best thinking in the shower or my drive in, but I don't ever charge that time. <S> At the end of the day, every company does this differently. <S> I'm sure your company has a policy (or, at least do what your manager does) on this matter. <A> The legal term of art for this is "Waiting to Be Engaged vs Engaged to Wait" <S> If you're waiting to be engaged, you're on your own time. <S> If you are engaged to wait, then you are working. <S> That is, if you are waiting, but it's due to an integral part of the job <S> (Can't get to work unless you go through that checkpoint? <S> Congratulations, you're engaged to wait!) <S> , then you are at work. <S> Note that the usual commute to/from work is exempt because it is exempt. <S> here is a write up on the concept. <S> Since you say there is no explicit company policy regarding this, this is probably the best metric you can go by. <A> As others have stated, you should seek to get clarification from HR / management. <S> But I suspect you probably won't love the answer. <S> While not exactly the same situation, I point to this: <S> The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Tuesday that workers who fill orders in Amazon .com <S> warehouses need not be paid for the time they spend going through security checks to ensure they have not stolen any products. <S> (WP) <S> So my guess is that the law will say your time in the car is YOUR time not company/paid time, even though it really isn't. <S> (IANAL) <A> In every contract I have ever had, they have specified either that I am on the premises or at my desk. <S> Contracts will contain the definition of your work and place of work. <S> If they do not, ask to speak to HR or the legal team to clarify the matter. <S> No point in asking online about a contractral issue. <S> If you disagree with the companies policy (once its in a contract or policy) then you can negotiate with your manager about the matter.
| If you don't, I count myself as being at work when I am at my desk. Firstly you need to be absolutely sure what the company policy on this matter is and follow it.
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How should I tell my boss/peer that I do not want to lend him my gadgets? I am possessive about nearly all my things. I do not want to lend my camera/headphone to anyone since they are delicate items. My boss and peers know what gadgets I have and they tend to ask me to lend them the same for some hours or days. I do NOT wish to lend them any of my gadgets for any reason. They are my property bought from my hard earned money. How should I tell them no without sounding rude? <Q> "Sorry I don't know when I will need it next, you can get a good cheap one from XXX though" "Sorry I use this/these a lot" "No, sorry, I like to keep these things with me just so I know where they are / don't lose them" <S> "It's nothing personal, I just don't feel comfortable lending out my XX" <S> Alternatively like you said in a comment, if you don't need these things don't bring them into work, they can't borrow what isn't there. <S> The main point is to stay polite and respectful. <S> But remember they are your things and you do have a right to say "No", just try not to be rude to your peers in the process! <S> Sometimes just saying "No, sorry" will work brilliantly, they can't formulate an argument against why youre saying no if you don't give a reason for it. <S> This can be seen more as rude though, so be wary. <S> Some people will always think it's rude if you say no. <S> No matter how you say it, there are lots of people who think they are entitled to everything they want when they want it, and they will take even the politest of <S> no 's as a personal attack. <S> For these people there is nothing you can say that won't be taken as rude. <S> Giving in might be the easiest option at the time just so they aren't angry, but then you will have the situation where people will wonder why he is the special case. <S> Why do you lend your stuff to him but not to the rest of them etc. <S> So, stay firm, give a polite decline, and continue with your day, after all, you have a job to do. <A> Are these "gadgets" with you at work? <S> If so, why do you bring them there? <S> Are they for your job? <S> If not - don't bring them to work. <S> In Gurgaon India and more specifically at your work, do most people freely lend gadgets to each other? <S> Are you are the only one that doesn't like to? <S> If such is the case, maybe you can learn to lend your items as long as you are not using them... <S> If this is an isolated situation and a more general problem of not being able to say NO remember this; it is how you say NO that matters more than anything. <S> Are you crabby, dark and irritated? <S> If so, try this: With positive energy, a smile, and still caring for the other person, simply say "sorry I do lend those out but hope you find a pair. <S> " Here your tone says thanks fr respecting that, we are still friends if you want to be, and I'm ready to focus on work with you. <S> You are being honest, not making up lies, feeling good about how you responded, and happy that Vipul's ear wax is not on your headphones! <A> Just talk to them sincerely and say "I'm sorry and hope you'll understand because I can't lend you my gadgets". <S> It may sound rube but its your things and you have the privilege to do whatever you want on them or who could only use them. <S> There are no reasons for them to get mad at you because you haven't lend them your gadgets. <S> In return don't expect someday that when you ask something on them they'll also lend you. <S> However, if you trusted that person that he <S> /she will take care of your gadgets carefully <S> it depends on you. <A> When I am not doing what I went to college for, I like to turn a wrench. <S> The neighbors know I like to turn a wrench and that I have some nice wrenches of which to turn. <S> As such, they will invariably turn up looking to borrow a nice wrench or two. <S> Would I put that in an office setting? <S> No. <S> However, we can learn from the clear messaging from our little sign here: <S> Clearly communicate your intentions. <S> All you have to say is "Sorry, but I do not loan out my whatever it is <S> you are asking for. <S> " <S> If they push the issue, you can say "I am very particular with my things, and I want to avoid any conflict that would arise should something happen. <S> Please respect my wishes in this matter." <S> Now, that said be of the expectation that people will not loan you anything.
| So sometimes you do just need to be firm and say no (still politely) and more importantly don't feel you have to give in to the pressure from these types of people. If you bring them in to work because you do need them then you can reply with "Sorry, but I need it". I have a sign hanging in the garage that clearly communicates my policy when it comes to borrowing things:
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How to deal with a colleague who wants to be a personal friend and not just a work colleague? I have had to work closely with a colleague on several projects. I am a very easy going, open and friendly person so when discussions got side tracked sometimes to personal life I went along with the conversations. Prior to going on maternity leave I had to travel for work with this same colleague and we had to also share a hotel room while away for a week. On our way home she mentioned that I was like a twin sister to her - this caught me off guard but I just replied that we most certainly are not. I didn't do anything more about this as I went off on maternity leave. I am wondering how I should approach her upon returning as I will likely have to work on many projects with her upon my return to work. I get the feeling that she was offended by this comment as she didn't sign my card when my team sent me baby shower gift, she was the only one not to respond to my e-mail when I sent out a picture and a note of my new arrival. I want to make sure that we can work together and it not be uncomfortable but I want to make it clear that she is not my best friend - we are work colleagues. Update - thanks for all the comments howerever: I didn't want to go into too much detail as I didn't think it was necessary but I actually have a twin sister so that is the reason for my comment back to her. I certaintly didn't frown or say it rudely to her - I just matter of factly said that we are not twin sisters as I have one. In addition, she is lonely and doesn't have many close friends, especially not those who are women - in fact most people on my team - including the boss are very negative and abrupt with her (she does have a very assertive, confrontational appoach with people). She has tried on numerous accasions to get more invovled in my personal life while inviting me to get involved in hers, which I politely declined. Her twin comment to me raised red flags and boarded on the creepy for me. I do not want to be more than just work colleagues but I want to have a friendly working relationship. I think her not signing the card etc. Signals to me that she is hurt - I don't believe it was this actual comment itself - I think it is more about that while on pregnancy related sick leave and maternity leave I haven't been in contact with her (she assumed we were great friends, while I thought of her as a work colleague) and now I want to know how do I go back and smooth over her hurt feelings but at the same time have it be clear that I don't want to be friends? <Q> On our way home she mentioned that I was like a twin sister to her <S> I just replied that we most certainly are not. <S> I get the feeling that she was offended by this comment <S> If it were me, I would have got offended too by your rude reply. <S> Poor girl - all she said was that she liked your company very much! <S> So, what's the big deal in it? <S> Did she ask you to live <S> /sleep with her or become her girlfriend? <S> She merely told you her [non-harmful] personal opinion, and did NOT ask for yours. <S> Did she ask - do you think of me the same way? <S> , if not, then I don't see any reason of you to say "we most certainly are not" . <S> You could have simply looked at her without a smile, without a frown, and without a word . <S> This would have told her that you do like her but may not think of her the exact same way. <S> I want to make it clear that she is not my best friend - we are work colleagues. <S> I think you should apologize to her saying: Not sure why I replied rudely that day <S> , I am really sorry. <S> I do indeed respect your feelings and also think of you as a great colleague. <S> We surely are a great team in all our projects! <A> I'd say play it by ear when you get back. <S> If she withdraws from personal contact, but not work collaboration - then leave it be. <S> Stuff like congratulations emails and maternity cards are in that border zone between personal life and work. <S> You know you don't want her in your personal life <S> , you just want a good professional work relationship. <S> She may be hurt, she may not be, but if she's only expressing it in terns of not reaching out to you personally <S> then I'd say let it be. <S> If she's withdrawing/failing to collaborate professionally - if you come back from leave, and she's also behaving in a non-professional manner - not including you in work, not helping or going to you for help, - or in any way way not doing the things a good teammate/fellow professional <S> would in terms of getting the work done, then you have a problem. <S> You can apologize for unintetionally hurting her feelings, but stay clear that you want a separation between work and home life. <S> It's really your call on whether you want to explain your feelings in light of the fact that you are actually a twin, and that's a very different relationship than the professional good <S> will you have towards her. <S> It's not necessarily an obligation - <S> your feelings about your home life are your own and you're under no professional obligation to share. <S> Point out where you see that your professional relationship has suffered, and ask for ways that you and she can fix that. <S> I know from experience that there's a whole realm of passive aggressive possiblities here, but you'll have to take it as it comes. <S> As long as she's getting the work done and doing it correctly, you may have to put up with some amount of inhospitality. <S> It sounds like if there are others in the office who are abrupt and who have had other issues with her, it may be that you want to back away a bit. <S> Her being lonely isn't really your problem - as you say, you are not, and don't want to be, her friend. <A> You know, there is nothing better than a clear conversation in cases of misunderstanding between two people. <S> If you will hold up your feelings that would do no good to either of you. <S> She misunderstood you for that Twin sister remark. <S> May be you misunderstood her for that card thing. <S> You need to clear things up. <S> Go talk to her clearly. <S> It is quite possible that your colleague is somewhat lonely and she sees a good friend in you. <S> If she is smart, she will understand, but if she is like either you are my sister or <S> "I don't know you" then I suggest that stay away from her. <S> But you can not be judgemental and you must clear things up before reaching a conclusion.
| So I suggest that be a friend to her, but maintain your distance too when it is needed. Book some face to face, one on one time with her.
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When should I call a member of my team that is late arriving with out a phone call? I am a team lead and also an early riser, I am usually the first person in the office so I am already working by the time everybody else starts rolling in. Occasionally somebody on my team will not show up near their usual start time in the mornings. I tend not to think much of it, as traffic is variable, buses run late, snow, etc... but I think to myself after about 45 minutes from not seeing or hearing from somebody that I should probably try to reach out and contact. Proper etiquette on the employee part is to call ahead if you are going to be more than 15 minutes late, but does that necessarily mean after that period I am in the right to call or text that person, even if I am not their direct manager? The reason why I don't feel it is straightforward is because perhaps the late employee already called ahead to his direct manager, and the manager didn't pass the information along to me? It is not the employees fault in this case so maybe I am just being bothersome by calling? Perhaps it is just none of my business really as I am just a lead and not a direct manager? NOTE: In the situation above the employee was at a client site with the manager, nobody told me. Not important to the question but just wanted to share in case anybody was interested. <Q> The reason why I don't feel it is straightforward is because perhaps the late employee already called ahead to his direct manager, and the manager didn't pass the information along to me? <S> It is not the employees fault in this case <S> so maybe I am just being bothersome by calling? <S> Perhaps it is just none of my business really as I am just a lead and not a direct manager? <S> If the employee is not directly managed by you but their absence has an impact on your work then the first thing you should do is have a word with their direct manager. <S> This shouldn't be anything formal but something along the lines of: Is X coming in late today? <S> I have to talk to them about Y and need to schedule a get-together. <S> It needn't be as long winded as that especially if the manager knows you and X are working together on a project. <S> This also has the benefit of letting the manager know that X is late. <S> It's not your place to call X. <S> If they are late and their manager doesn't know, it's their manager's job to chase them up. <S> All you can do is raise it with the appropriate person. <S> On the actual cause of the problem - you need to have a good system in place that records when people are out of the office for holidays, training or customer visits. <A> If this happened only once, I'd ask the team member and the direct line-manager to let you know next time <S> and I'd be specific that, if it happens again, you'll be contacting your teammate to check that he hasn't overslept, for everyone's sake. <S> Then no one can complain when you do that the next time and, if you interrupt a nice holiday lie-in, they'll certainly learn for the third time. <S> If it turns out that your starting the conversation causes your teammate a problem (because he'd never told his manager either) suggest that, if he had kept you informed, then there wouldn't have been a problem. <S> On the other hand, if you're not held responsible in any way for the performance of the employee, I'd say let it go and don't worry about it, unless the absence is blocking your work. <S> For the record, I currently have a lead who isn't my direct manager <S> and I consider it more important that he knows my whereabouts than it is that my manager does. <S> Fact is, if my manager was wondering where I was (unlikely), he'd go and ask my lead. <A> It sounds like you maybe don't need to know where all of your co-workers are all the time except for planning shifts and other purposes. <S> If your DM says to not worry about it, then try your best not to. <S> If your DM says you have a legitimate concern, try working out a solution with your co-workers. <S> You don't want to step over your bounds and go around your DM, especially in a situation that involves holding other co-workers accountable.
| I would just communicate to your direct manager about the situation first and explain your concern. Where you have responsibilities to deliver and the absent team member is part of the delivery path, it's important that you are informed when they're not in the office.
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Why would a company remain confidential before an interview? I recently got a call from a recruiter who said that he was trying to find a good fit for a company's open position. The recruiter asked me some questions about what I am looking for but said that the company wants to remain confidential until they decide if they want to interview me. Is this normal or could the recruiter simply be fishing for something? I feel as though I shouldn't even bother spending the time talking to this guy if I have no idea what kind of position he is trying to fill, especially if he might be trying to get my resume to pass around without my consent. <Q> Some companies don't want it to be publicly known they are hiring. <S> Perhaps they haven't advertised it even to their own employees. <S> Perhaps 'ol jim' who they are going to replace doesn't know it yet and they dont want him mistakenly finding out they are interviewing for his position. <S> Perhaps they don't want their competitors knowing what sort of skillset they are looking for. <S> Perhaps they don't want their stock prices to drop when the public realises 'Favourite X joe with the brilliant ideas' is retiring to be replaced. <S> There are plenty of legitimate reasons why they might want to be confidential Plus <S> this might be a case of the recruiter not wanting to mention it to you in case you go and apply for a job there but not through them, so they lose their signing bonus Edit: As pointed out by Bethlakshmi in the comments , a recruiter who is hesitant to tell you anything about the company, might be lying and saying the company is confidential just to keep you applying through them. <A> RhysW's answer does a great job explaining the company perspective but from the perspective of the recruiter: <S> If you apply directly to the company, they lose their commission. <S> While some companies will only work with a recruiter any company doing both means the recruiter could very easily lose <S> It also prevents you from directly contacting the company with questions/etc and bothering them - which results in the company interacting with the recruiter exclusively As Chad says they could easily open up the ability for others to compete with them <S> It gives them a sense of control over the process <S> It lets the recruiter do the matching on "will you fit this company?" <S> in a way which doesn't cause hurt feelings. <S> If you hear that Company A didn't want to interview you, you may be less inclined to want to interview there in the future for different positions, which limits the recruiters options some <S> It forces a level of trust for you towards the recruiter, providing a future basis for future trust on other issues which might be difficult (salary, negotiation, etc) for the recruiter to "seal the deal" over <S> It lets them build a portfolio of potential employees without necessarily having to have specific positions available <S> Note: <S> the overall professionalism/ethicality of some of these can very easily be debated. <A> Other answers have covered much of this territory, but I'll mention something I've not see in the other answers. <S> I was once contacted by a company that was interested in hiring me to do work they couldn't tell me about for an organization they couldn't identify until I had obtained a high level security clearance. <A> Recruiters and HR also will do this to test the waters -- they do it to see what quality of people will respond and what kind of salaries they are making. <S> Essentially, it's a way to test the market -- especially useful in a market that's changing (for example, the San Francisco Bay Area which is exploding right now...) <S> so they can find out the LOWEST amount they can offer for that position. <S> Sadly, you can spend an hour or two applying online for a job that doesn't even exist. <A> Is the recruiter working for the company or independently? <S> Frequently with independent recruiters, they don't want the company and the person talking without going through them until they have established a claim to the recruit. <S> Otherwise, the recruit could simply bypass the recruiter and go straight to the company. <S> Additionally, it may be that the company simply doesn't want people to know they are hiring or there could be security concerns with the hiring process as well (though this is a rarer case).
| Some "spook" agencies in the government (defense and espionage) may not want job candidates to know who they are until they are reasonably sure the candidate can be hired.
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Sent an email to a wrong person. How to correct myself and recover from the situation? I used to be a contractor PM for a small outsourcing company. One sunny day, I was discussing with my colleague, a branch head, some unpleasant issues about how we optimize our expenses, shifting people, etc. Not a cheating, not a fraud, but clearly something that "should not go out these walls" . It was an important discussion, and I wanted to CC to a top-level manager to get his approval on our further actions. Accidentally, I have placed a name of a customer instead of my boss' name and sent the message. Luckily, it has nothing to do with that particular customer and his project that I led, but still, I have never recovered after that story. Everyone, including the top manager, told me, "don't worry, it happens to everyone", but at the end of the day I have asked to resign from the customer's project and never got further projects with that company. That was, indeed, my biggest mistake for all my career. I was doubtful for quite a while if I could ask this question here, but now I think I can. I'm thinking I could have recovered from that situation. How to correct myself after sending a sensitive information to a wrong person? Update, to be most precise. (1) The cost of actions the company has to do (staff and workflow re-arrangements) was quite comparable to entire profit I have earned for the company (I've been working just for several months). (2) Yes, I'm a kind of maximalist by character, and such failure is not compatible with my views on the business. If I were my boss, I would do the same: say, "it happens to everyone", and avoid assigning further projects to that person. (3) By "to recover" I understand an attempt to restore trust by the customer and colleagues. Other aspects are out of scope of this site. <Q> You write: Everyone, including the top manager, told me, "don't worry, it happens to everyone", ... <S> My advice is to believe them . <S> Based on what you've written here (and there could be other details we don't have), I think you're overreacting, particularly in asking to resign from the customer's project. <S> I've done something similar on at least one occasion. <S> I did a reply-all to an e-mail and mentioned some company-internal information that shouldn't have gone to everyone on the Cc list. <S> It was a mistake, it was pointed out to me, I was a bit embarrassed -- and I moved on, being more careful from that point forward. <S> It sounds like this happened some time ago, so communicating with the customer at this point <S> probably wouldn't be useful. <S> There's a very good chance the customer just ignored it at the time, and bringing it to the customer's attention again is unlikely to improve the situation. <S> If it had happened just recently, the best course of action would be to ask your manager what to do. <S> Maybe a quick followup to the customer explaining what happened and politely asking them to delete the e-mail would have been appropriate. <S> I wouldn't communicate with the customer about it without checking with management first. <S> Consider this. <S> If you were a top manager yourself, and someone working under you had made this kind of honest mistake, how would you react? <S> Would you angrily remove them from the project, or would you just tell them "don't worry <S> , it happens to everyone", and do what's necessary (if anything!) <S> to clean things up? <S> Assuming the latter, why be harder on yourself over this than you'd be on someone else -- or than your manager is being on you? <A> Everybody makes mistakes. <S> The only people who don't screw up once in a while are those who don't even try. <S> What sets the competent apart from the incompetent is how we deal with our mistakes. <S> When you make a mistake, the right way to act is: Minimize damage quickly and effectively <S> Inform those it concerns, and show that you have the situation under control (unless you don't, which would be a new mistake which needs to be acted on) <S> Take precautions to avoid the mistake from happening in the future <S> When prompted to give a report about the incident, focus on how you reacted, not on apologizing. <S> Wrong appoach would be to: <S> Pretend that nothing has happened When the situation can't be ignored, helplessly ask the superior what to do Apologize, but don't actually do anything actively to fix the mistake <S> Do pointless self-punishment, like resigning from a post without being forced to do so. <A> Keeping in mind that information sent electronically is out there, and you're not going to get it back, I think the best way to resolve this for yourself is to ask yourself what you hope to accomplish. <S> Do you want to save face? <S> If so, the best policy might be honesty. <S> Email them again, tell them it was intended for someone else, and apologize. <S> Hopefully they'll consider an honest admission of the mistake to offset the mistake itself. <S> Do you want to prevent the further spread of the information? <S> Of course there's no guarantee that they will. <S> Remember though that contacting them again might just get them to re-read the email, and in so doing you're just drawing more attention to the information. <S> You could consider just letting it go, knowing that the customer probably realized that it was sent in error, and deleted it.... <A> Focus on the value you're delivering today and will deliver in the future. <S> Everybody makes mistakes, but the fact is that you're still valuable to your employer and your clients because you are good at your job. <S> What you need to do is focus on how you deliver more value in your current situation, whatever that situation is. <S> The past is done, and doesn't change what value you can deliver today. <S> In the immediate aftermath of such a mistake, the answer is the same, but it's worth facing up to the situation, contacting the people involved, ensuring that there are no secrets left to come out of the woodwork and bite you later (perhaps even informing the client which was involved, especially if it's possible that the client you emailed could identify the client it was about), and ensure all the pain is in the past. <S> Face it like a boss, and then get on with doing some awesome work. <A> A good way to move beyond is to learn from this experience and set email rules. <S> I have rules set in Outlook which add a 5 minute delay to any email which is sent to an outside domain. <S> I also have a rule set which CCs the Exec Assistants and delays any emails which are sent to our Cxx level execs within my company. <S> This gives their Exec Assistants a heads up on what they may be having to deal with in a minute and the delays provide me protection that I hit send and realize there was a major typo or <S> I should/shouldn't have copied that person I can still stop the email before it is sent. <S> It is easier to stop an email before it is sent than it is to recall a message especially for addresses outside your server.
| Again, since you can't get electronic info 'back', your only option here is to email them again, tell them what happened, and ask if they wouldn't mind deleting the email and forgetting about it. Ask yourself whether your reaction to this mistake is causing more harm than the mistake itself.
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Does knowing the potential salary range for a position change how much you should ask for? I am in the process of interviewing for another job within my company. I am not yet guaranteed a job offer, but it looks promising and I don't believe there are any other candidates. I do expect to need to negotiate a salary soon though. I managed to get one of the HR people to tell me the salary range for the job I am looking at. This begs the question, Does knowing the potential salary range an employer is willing to pay change how much I should ask for in salary negotiations? <Q> You can ask for it, but here's why it's not a good idea. <S> When a company defines a salary range for a position, they base it not on just on the market rate, but also on their budgetary forecasts. <S> From the company's perspective, the best place for a new employee to start is from the 0th to the 33rd percentile. <S> This position gives the company an opportunity to assess the employee's talent and contribution. <S> Depending on the overall business performance and the new employee's quality of work, the company has the ability to be more generous at review time. <S> The higher you come in, the less wiggle room they have. <S> In most companies, once you reach the top of the salary range, they may not give you any more salary increases at that position. <S> They will either have to promote you <S> or you will have to apply for a position with a higher upper limit. <S> In either case, if you go in at the top of the scale, they may not have sufficient justification for the promotion or transfer based on the fact that you haven't been there long enough. <S> You could look at it as if you qualify for the top of the range, apply for a job with a higher salary range. <A> Should I ask for a salary at the top of the range, and if so, how specific should I be, if not, why not? <S> I'd be careful of taking salary at the top of the range for a couple of reasons: 1) Justification. <S> Are you sure that you are going to be the rock star in that position that justifies being paid the maximum in that range? <S> There is the potential for them to ask why you think you are worth that much to which you should have an answer. <S> 2) Future growth. <S> While I will acknowledge that if you do plan on moving into a different role a year or two later this is somewhat moot, there is the potential to understand that by going for the top right off the bat, you may get limited raises for a couple of years or more. <S> The second point is more about the idea that if someone is going for the top of the range and expects raises on top of that, this could be asking for trouble. <S> Some people would rather have the raises and get more emotional satisfaction from that than having more money at the end of the day while getting paid the same each year. <S> Thus, I'm questioning if the person getting paid $100K for 3 years with no raises will be happier than the person that started at $90K and got a 5% raise each year for the next 2 years. <S> While some people want to make salary be all about money, there is something to be said for what expectations are coming with that money you are getting. <A> Yes, you should always ask for as much as you can get. <S> If you aren't your own self-advocate then no one else will be. <S> Knowing the remunerative range is a big help. <S> I've worked at a lot of jobs and applied for a lot more. <S> I've literally been offered jobs where it was a big pay cut from what I was on <S> and it was a big waste of time. <S> I've also been employed at a workplace where I was actually working in the same role as the guy next to me <S> but I was earning more than $20k more per year than him and had just been hired, where as he'd been in the same job with no pay rise for 7 years! <S> It's often harder to get a pay rise after starting a job than negotiating on the way in because they ask, "What's the business case? <S> You're already doing it for x <S> and now you want y. <S> I cant justify it. <S> " <S> The loyalty thing employers talk of only seems to work one way it seems. <S> That said, if you're in an area with a lot of competition or don't have much experience <S> I'd just try to get in the door at the medium level of remuneration as you could be undercut by someone.
| By taking the top value right off the bat, in future years at that organization, you may be limited in terms of raises by starting out at the top for the position you'd have.
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What's the difference between paid time off, vacation, personal holiday? On various websites in the U.S. I see a distinction being made between personal holiday and vacation . What is the difference? Some examples: Wisconsin Jobs lists Annual Vacation Hours Schedules and states that additionally, the State of Wisconsin provides 4 1/2 days of personal holiday time. . California State University lists An employee is entitled to one (1) Personal Holiday , and Vacation is an accrued benefit which provides paid time off . University of Iowa HRM writes that Members of the University staff are eligible for 11 paid holidays a year -- two personal holidays that accrue and are taken as vacation, and [list of nine holidays such as Christmas, New Year, etc.] , then on this page they list details about vacation (but not holidays). What are the definitions of (personal) holiday , (personal) vacation ? Are those subsets of paid time off ? <Q> They are both subsets of paid time off. <S> But they have different intentions and probably have different rules. <S> The intention of a personal holiday is to allow employees of different religions and beliefs to take off holidays that are important to that person. <S> That way, a Jewish employee can take off Rosh Hashanah every year while a Catholic employee takes off Good Friday and the employer doesn't need to figure out which tradition's holidays are worth celebrating and which require employees to take vacation days. <S> The rules around a personal holiday are also likely a bit different-- <S> you may get them at the beginning of the year rather than accruing like vacation time, they probably don't roll over to the next year if they are unused, they may not be eligible to be cashed out when you leave, etc. <S> Every organization's rules may be different, though. <A> Vacation: <S> A form of paid time off that you accure over time and/or are given lump-sum. <S> You typically have to schedule this time off in many organizations. <S> An org may have a set number of hard holidays (like July 4) and then one or more personal holidays that are left up to you as to when to take them. <S> Sick Time: A form of paid time off that is typically unscheduled and taken due to an illness. <S> PTO: <S> A more common way to handle the all of the above all together in a generic fashion. <S> The thought is that it's more equitable for all employees and offers the most flexibility. <S> Unfortunately, in a lot of cases, the total PTO is often less than one would have typically been given had they been separated out as vacation, sick and holidays. <A> Until recently many full time employees in the US were given around 10 holidays a year. <S> These were generally fixed dates (New years, President's Day, Thanksgiving...). <S> They also earned between 2 and 4 weeks of Vacation. <S> And were allowed 3 to 10 sick days. <S> Vacation was requested in advance, sick could be requested either that day or in advance for doctor's appointment's. <S> If you were on sick leave for more than X days you needed a note from your doctor. <S> There were also rules about using or losing vacation and sick days if you had too much saved up at the end of the year. <S> In the last 10 years these rules/buckets have been changing. <S> Now an employee gets around 10 holidays a year but a few are called floating or personal holidays, while the rest are on fixed dates. <S> They allow an employee to schedule them to coincide with their children's school schedules, or to a more convenient date (they want to take the day after Thanksgiving). <S> Holidays expire at the end of the year. <S> If you forgot to take the floating holidays, too bad. <S> Vacation and sick are now combined into one bucket called paid time off or PTO. <S> They can either be scheduled in advance, or done at the last minute. <S> Some companies allow the employees to use another category called short term disability, if they are going to miss a week or two because they are having surgery or have major illness. <S> There are maximum limits regarding how many hours an employee can carry over from one year to the next for . <S> Some will pay you for excess hours, others will just throw them away. <S> There are other options as well: <S> Casual time off, and Alternate work schedules, that can add complexity to these rules.
| Personal Holiday: A form of paid time off that is simply a flexible holiday.
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How to motivate your boss to let you spend time on tasks that won't generate any immediate revenue, but will pay off in the future? A while ago my company started a blog. Only a few articles have been released until now, all working hours being focused on lucrative stuff. And that's fine, as a start-up company it's no mystery that the primary goal would be to make money. Yet, I'm convinced that spending more time on stuff like Open Source projects and so on would help my company earn some recognition. I already have some arguments on my mind, but I would love to hear what people have to say. What can you tell your boss for him to give you somes hours each week making deadline-free projects? <Q> While I don't know your particular company, in many startups there is far more work that needs doing than there is time to do it in. <S> Startups are often in a race - if not a direct one against a hard and fast deadline, then one against a potentially unknown competitor who might be developing a similar product and might get it to market first. <S> They also tend to be very short of cash, and therefore there has to be a really strong reason to spend any of it on anything. <S> And you spending time on something means spending cash - at least assuming you are being paid. <S> While you can easily argue that doing things like Open Source projects, or blogging, or background reading, or investigating potentially useful technologies might pay off in the future, that isn't really the question. <S> It isn't even about whether the benefits it brings would be worth more than the time and money spent doing it. <S> Even if you were certain that the thing you spent $1000 doing would bring in $2000 sometime in the future, that won't help you if doing it causes you to miss an important deadline now, or run out of money before a project is completed. <S> For a startup the question is whether doing these things are worth more than the other things you might be doing with the time and money. <S> So feel free to ask your boss about these things. <S> But be prepared for him to say no. <S> And if he does say no, be grateful - because it means your company has important work that needs to be done, and that you are playing an important part in doing it. <A> Here's how I've done it <S> and it's very simple: <S> Learn to communicate with your boss <S> so they understand you are doing this. <S> Step 2: never stop learning or exploring new technology for your current job. <S> Make it a priority to do this (if it takes 15% longer but gives you a huge amount of learning, and you have accomplished Step 1) <S> Step 3: if you want to justify something totally unrelated directly make sure you have a, "here's how this could be useful" explanation <S> Realistically though, if you are doing Step 1 (key is communication!!!! <S> your boss must know you are accomplishing everything they are requiring of you) <S> you easily can do whatever you want in the flex or spare time you have, and even moreso Step 2 above. <S> And a note which is probably applicable here: my overall motivation for work is greatly enhanced when I am allowed to explore new stuff or learn. <S> I am sure I am overall more productive as a result, even if I "waste" 20% of my time learning things which might not be directly applicable to my current work. <S> A lot of the reason I can do the work required for Step 1 in such a manner is I consistently approach every task and learn from it, automate something, etc, which makes me super efficient, which lets me learn more, and do more compelling work to allow the cycle to repeat. <S> This takes a high level of performance competence. <S> Aim for it. <A> Businesses have three reasons to do things: increase revenue, cut costs, and reduce risks. <S> (I've seen this various places, Bob Lewis comes to mind.) <S> To make a business case for doing something, you need to show how your proposal will impact at least one of these three. <S> The wording of the question eliminates increasing revenue. <S> That said some of what you said indicates that your ideas might produce revenue, but it's not likely to happen immediately. <S> For example, if you create a useful Drupal module, this could create exposure for your company which could bring in new business. <S> Without using the increased revenue option, your best bet is probably to "sell" your idea as a cost cutter. <S> Is it something that can eliminate labor? <S> Will it speed up a slow process? <S> Can it be re-used? <S> Showing that your idea would reduce risk <S> can be problematic. <S> It is often difficult to show what risks are present, what the probability is that something bad will actually happen, and what the costs would be if something bad does happen. <S> However, if you can make the case that the losses would be crippling, the probability high, or the costs low, you may be able to convince management that the work is worthwhile. <S> Of course, if you can make a legitimate case that two or all three of these factors would be positively affected by your proposal, you increase your chances of approval.
| Step 1: be absolutely awesome at your job and accomplish your work effectively.
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Loud keyboards and coworkers How can I solve the problem of loud keyboards? I like my keyboard a lot, I've been using it since childhood and it's the only keyboard I feel comfortable using. But it's rather loud, so it may be disturbing to potential coworkers. I know it disturbs me when somebody else is typing something with it. I'm working remotely right now, so there's no one to disturb, but I'd like to know how I can solve this kind of problem. <Q> The first step is to simply ask if it's a problem . <S> How loud any one keyboard is isn't the whole picture either; in an open-office plan without so much as cubicle walls a keyboard may be perceived as much louder than in an office plan with much more padding between users. <S> Once you've found out that it is a problem <S> and you know <S> how much of a problem <S> it is, you might simply find a "quieter" keyboard. <S> Rubber dome keyboards are much much quieter than mechanical keyboards (especially if you type gently), but you can also try jumping from Cherry MX Blue (obscenely loud) to Cherry MX Brown (normal loud) keyboard switches, or find a similar "leap" in keyboard volume. <S> If you're using a buckling spring keyboard (e.g. the IBM Model M) note that those are some of the loudest models possible. <S> For some more info on keyboard models, see Differences between Cherry mechanical keyboard switches . <S> If you don't want to lose your keyboard and it's a board with Cherry MX switches <S> I believe you can swap out the switches yourself to make a quieter keyboard (or just a different one), but changing ~100 keys is a bit time consuming. <S> Also ask what sort of keyboard your employer will be willing to provide. <S> They may buy from specific retailers or have specific models. <S> It's more about what your coworkers are able to put up with and what your company is able to provide than anything. <S> Unless you slam your hands down with every key press there's not much you can do to reduce the volume on a specific keyboard in a specific office layout. <A> In my opinion this is a bigger problem than people make it out to be. <S> If you work in an open-concept space, loud keyboards and loud mice mix in with the general drone of distant conversations, people's shoes clicking, air conditions working, etc. <S> All this noise adds up and adds to the distractions and fatigue. <S> So, having a quiet keyboard is a question of curtesy towards your coworkers. <S> When I work I use the mouse very rarely <S> and I hit a lot of keys (VIM for the win!). <S> I carry my favourite keybaord with me job to job, and it happens to be the chiclet-style Apple keyboard (it is quiet). <S> Keyboards are a very personal and subjective matter though. <S> I highly advise spending some time to find one that you like because the amount of time you use a keyboard throughout your life is probably greater than the time you spend inside your car, on your favourite couch, or watching your expensive TV. <S> Find a good one that you like (make sure it's quiet). <S> Buy it. <S> Bring it to work everywhere you go. <S> Don't wait for employers to do this for you. <A> I can only speak from my own experience working in a small software company, but we all have headphones. <S> There's five of us programming in a room of up to eight people tapping away at the keys. <S> In all honesty it doesn't bother me and I suspect in fact anyone here because it has never been a point of discussion among us. <S> while you're programming and actually hacking away at the keyboard, you're in deep thought (hopefully in the zone ) and most probably wouldn't hear a plane crash next to your desk. <S> To be quite honest, the sound of keyboards and mice both soothes and stimulates me in the workplace. <S> But that's just me.
| Other people might not notice nearly as much as you'd expect (after all, your keyboard noise is several times louder to you than it is to them due to the "inverse power law" business). while you're debugging, researching, testing or otherwise NOT heavily coding, headphones and some tunes of your choice can bring the solitude and isolation your brain needs if and when it needs it.
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Changing the culture of overtime to efficiency I work at a very young start-up company. We have had turn-over rates (mass resignation of staff, thrice) in the past but changes in the system have led to a more a stable employee retention and better technical-skilled employees. We do games, and I don't know with other software fields, but the " death march " is quite popular in our field. My boss believes that the only way for us to catch-up to top companies is to exert more effort, which generally translates to more time working. Hence, we've had a culture of working a lot of hours (we work an average of 65 hours a week, peaking up to 90hours a week). Our deadlines are either very difficult and sometimes impossible (since the team is pretty young) but our management sets deadlines at the "if people at company X can do this in X days, we can do it too" I personally believe that raising team efficiency is one of the factors that can help eliminate too much overtime. I've seen my subordinates/junior staff often not focused enough during the day, but I don't know how to objectively measure this (I've seen questions here relating to KPI's, or key performance indicators). I'm in a position where I have good relations with my boss (our CEO), the management and the entire team and I believe they're more than willing enough to hear out what I have to say. How can I approach this in a way that is beneficial for both the staff and the company? <Q> The link you included in your question contains really all the information and references you need. <S> Especially the Evan Robinson's well-known paper <S> Why Crunch Modes Doesn't Work , together with the supporting material and references, should provide you with ample arguments. <S> Basically, in pushing for sustained 60-85 hour work-weeks, your CEO is flying in the face of a majority of research done in the previous 100 years on worker productivity and risks. <S> This seems to be the norm in the games industry since the last 10-15 years though, so he's not alone in this apparent irrational behavior. <S> I would also add these hypothetical questions to your CEO: <S> In the last 10-15 years, has the number of zero-day bugs and defects in shipped games products increased or decreased? <S> In the last 10-15 years, has the average schedule overdraft on deliveries of games products increased or decreased? <S> In the last 10-15 years, has the average budget overdraft on games projects increased or decreased? <S> And finally: In the last 10-15 years, have the number of working hours per week for each person in games projects increased or decreased? <A> The simple answer is to simply begin working 40 hour work weeks and make sure YOU are efficient for those 40 hours. <S> If you aren't already burned out then the results will become apparent fairly quickly. <S> Keep in mind that if you choose to continue with the long work weeks you'll be looking for a new line of work in the near future and that won't include any careers requiring thinking skills because your body is going to shut down all on its own because you chose not to listen to it. <S> I really don't understand how people can let themselves be so taken advantage of like your company does to you. <A> Each person has a limit, after that they can actually produce negative work. <S> The density and severity of their errors will mean that that last few hours they worked, the project went backwards. <S> Their mistakes may be obvious , they broke the build. <S> Or it may be subtle, they picked the wrong choice of the size of a field in the database so that next week the tables will have to be rebuilt. <S> If you try to tell them that they are inefficient but you still expect 60-90 hours a week they will not have a reason to change. <S> If they can produce more quality code in less hours, but you don't reduce the expected number of hours, they can't help but be demotivated and inefficient. <S> One way to address the issue runs counter to the arguments in the mythical man month. <S> You need more developers. <S> Yes increasing the number of the people on a project does greatly increase communication issues. <S> But expecting too many hours also is inefficient. <S> Unless you are paying them for every hour of overtime, your costs will rise by adding members to the team. <S> But you have already had 3 incidents of massive numbers of employees quitting. <S> I know nothing of your company, but a great way to demotivate people is to have management be able to flaunt their free time, hobbies and wealth. <S> Management that leaves every day at 5, and has time for fun filled weekends, without a way to compensate the developers, designers, and artists is doomed to be facing mass exodus #4. <A> Seems to be working <S> If you're meeting the deadlines, I don't see how you can justify calling them impossible. <S> Your boss thinks he's the next Steve Jobs. <S> Just push for more-it's really that simple. <S> Negative Consequences <S> I haven't found any mention of what happens when deadlines aren't met. <S> Has anyone been fired? <S> If management is correct, and you aren't competitive in your market, everyone suffers the natural consequences of a weakened company. <S> Does it affect your bonus? <S> Rewards <S> If this company makes it 'big', are you all going to be millionaires? <S> I'd expect more turnover unless they pay better than average salaries. <S> Like too many programmers/engineers, you've developed an "all or nothing" mentality about your job. <S> The boss set this impossible deadline, <S> oh my! <S> So what? <S> The programmer is afraid they will release more bugs, but the management would rather meet the deadline because the level of bugs is acceptable in their mind AND THEIR USERS. <S> We'll have to spend even more time fixing things. <S> So what? <S> They know this will happen. <S> Everyone expects a quick patch after a major release. <S> It's all in your head <S> I'm willing to bet as the deadline nears, features get removed. <S> Cut back on your hours. <S> Get some sleep. <S> Do something fun. <S> You'll be more productive. <S> You can only suggest others take this advice. <S> When everyone realizes the sky isn't falling, your management may figure out you've learned to play the game.
| If you are already burned out then 40 hour weeks probably won't make a difference, so keep working your 60-90 hour work weeks. To change from a culture of overtime to efficiency you will have to stop the death marches.
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What are your options in dealing with an employer who does not pay for your gas when doing errands for him? I have a friend who works for a company part-time (paid hourly) doing marketing/website work. Occasionally, his boss will have him make trips to the store to get office supplies or go do some marketing task somewhere. Most of the time he does not mind doing this since it is close. However, lately he has been having to do this more often and the trips themselves have been up to 8 miles one way. He wants to tell his boss "no" or at least somehow be compensated for the gas. After all, he has an old car and the depreciation costs do add up fast if he is having to do this multiple times per week. Not necessarily getting into any legal matters as that would be outside the scope of this website, what are some options he can do in approaching his boss about this situation? Keep in mind, he does not have a lot of "weight" at the company since he is part-time and his job can be replaced fairly easily. <Q> There is an important point that gets missed by many people if he is doing this on a regular basis. <S> Most people's vehicle insurance does not cover its use for business purposes. <S> Getting to and from your work is OK, but if he is doing this regularly as part of his work, then he might find his insurance doesn't cover him for those trips. <S> If your friend has an accident he might find he isn't covered, and in extreme cases might be charged with illegal driving (depending on jurisdiction). <S> I don't see anything in the question about him asking to be reimbursed for mileage. <S> Unless the company is very small, there will be a system for making business expense claims. <S> Find out what it is, fill in the form for the miles driven, and see what happens. <S> I wouldn't even bother asking my boss about it - just do it. <S> It's a normal part of business, and his boss might have just assumed he will claim the mileage. <S> Make sure your friend has a detailed record of miles driven - for each trip note where he went, how far, and what he was going to get; wait until he has a good number of trips done and cliam them all at once, so it isn't a trivial amount. <S> With any luck your boss won't even know until its been paid. <A> In the US, you can claim the mileage on your taxes . <S> The IRS usually adjusts the rate in August. <S> You do need to keep records in case you're audited. <S> If the company is reimbursing, it's typically done on a per-mile basis, using the IRS rate or sometimes something lower. <S> Important point : If the store is directly on the route from home to work, and you stop there on the commute, you can't claim the mileage. <S> If you get to work, then are sent back out (and return to the office), you can claim that. <S> If the company isn't willing to reimburse at the time of the expenses at all, it's probably best to let it go and just claim it on April 15th. <S> If you're "easily replaced", you'll be replaced by someone who doesn't complain about making a couple 16-mile trips each week. <S> On an "old car", most of the depreciation has happened, your primary expenses will be gas & maintenance. <S> If your friend is outside the US, all of the above is probably void. <A> I have seen people change companies around on an unsupported reimbursement. <S> The trick was actually data. <S> In the case I'm thinking of it <S> was cell phone records. <S> While company policy was not to reimburse for cell phone use and cell phones were provided by the company only at a certain high level <S> , I saw this get changed by somone who took the call list from his cell phone bill for 3 months, highlighted all the work related calls (nearly all of them) and showed them to his boss. <S> He got reimbursement and the company picked up his cell phone policy. <S> I'd offer that similar might be possible here <S> On days with a pickup, note the event. <S> After a few weeks, tally up the total mileage per week or month and the additional mileage that was added as a result of running errands. <S> Figure out added costs using this as a percentage, and make sure you are comprehensive, presumably he's racking up: gas - average gas price <S> * mpg * miles traveled for errands wear and tear on the vehicle - public sites will offer depreciation on vehicles, + cost of maintenance * the % of mileage for work vs. total mileage. <S> a % of his car insurance. <S> - insurance per month <S> * miles for work/total miles Find a figure and ask for reimbursement. <S> It's also a good point of reference... <S> the $ involved for something like this can have little to no relation to the annoyance factor. <S> Finding a dollar amount may result in either your friend having a very good case for why he should get some decent compensation, or he'll realize that it seriously isn't worth the battle over such a small amount of money - either way, the perspective helps. <S> Granted <S> , I can see that the more value you provide to the company, the easier it will be to get a friendly ear for the cause. <S> So a minor caveat would be - as a dispensible employee, <S> anything you can do to become more indispensible is a worthwhile effort...
| If the company doesn't reimburse at the IRS rate, you can claim the difference on your taxes. - have your friend track his mileage each day.
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What to say about my goals with a company when the honest answer is "leave" It's time for annual evaluations and setting goals for the new year. The boss wants to talk about the career path I'd like to take. The problem is, I don't think I have a future here, as my title and salary don't reflect the work I'm doing; indeed, while I got a raise this year it's less than wage inflation for my specialty, so I'm farther from a market salary than before. There's no career path for my position here, either, my role is basically unique. So an honest answer to his question would be "working somewhere else, where I have a future." I don't want to tip my hand, but I won't lie to my boss, he's a good guy. What can I say that won't ruin my current environment or imperil my immortal soul (figuratively speaking)? I appreciate the virtue of caution, and I may give my boss the simple truth, but there are some reasons to think that what I want simply won't happen here. Please assume that I have indeed written off my current employer. What can I say that's not dishonest nor gives away my plan? <Q> No. <S> I would share with him what your goals are, just because you think there is no room for movement <S> it doesn't mean there isn't, your boss will probably know the situation better than you. <S> Go into the meeting, and share with him <S> what career path you want to take (or the one you would take if you left). <S> Discuss with him if you think this path is possible within the company, if it isn't then you know you will have to leave to pursue it. <S> If it is possible then hey you've just discovered that you can do the career you want without having to skip through jobs. <S> You don't empirically know that you have no future in this job, but saying you want to leave means there is a much much smaller chance that you do. <S> As far as i am aware the point of these review meetings is to review your performance for the last year AND <S> your projected goals for this year, if you can honestly tell him what your goals are (move up the ladder etc) <S> then chances are he can help plan a path with you. <S> This means you get to be honest with him (as requested) <S> and you get to discover whether you really do have a future at this company or not. <S> Perhaps they never presented the situation to you because they were unaware you were looking to move up the chain, showing self motivation and determination <S> might be just what they are looking for for a position thats just about to open up. <S> It certainly can't hurt to try right? <A> My wife gave the honest answer. <S> She told them that she planned to leave because the working hours were too long (6 days/week) and her boss was too mean. <S> Ever since, the boss was much nicer to her, tried to take up to senior management to cut working hours down to the standard 5 days/week. <S> She even got an offer for very costly training and a promotion with a very significant wage increase. <S> The key to getting what you want is to tell them what you want . <S> But do it nicely; don't just tell them "I plan to quit". <S> Instead, tell them that you don't enjoy working your current position and would rather work in Position X and have a salary of $Y by the age of N. <A> Have you considered that the annual evaluation might be there for just this purpose? <S> So that you can work with your manager to <S> find a career path for you. <S> Consider giving it a chance and present the issues you mention to your boss. <S> At least give the company an opportunity to respond to your misgivings before you just up and quit. <S> Don't always assume that the employer should or will take the first step in these situations. <S> They might want you to take the first step, to affirm that you have a genuine ambition to grow within the company. <A> The reason they ask these questions is because (in general), they'd like to know how to help you get to where you are going. <S> Your best move is to speak in the vaguest of possible terms; ambiguity is your friend in this situation. <S> For example, say your goal is to land a job in management with a $60k raise. <S> The person giving you the review very likely knows that a position like that won't open up in the company until he or she is fired, retires or resigns, thus signaling to your reviewer that you are unlikely to stay in your current position much longer. <S> How can you phrase that so that you get the benefits (e.g. training, conferences with networking opportunities) without jeopardizing your current situation? <S> How about "grow into a recognized leader within our industry and company in the X function of the Y domain."? <S> My point is that the less specific you are about the exact nature of your goals, the more likely you are to be able to leverage the benefits of enhanced focus on your career internally, but at the same time keep your options open without actually telling a falsehood. <A> If the real problem for you is that your work does not correspond to your title, then you can try to have that changed. <S> Either ask your boss to have your work load changed to reflect your title, or your title changed to reflect your work load. <A> I'd suggest honesty about both upward mobility and wages being problems: <S> "My two highest level goals for this year is close the gap between what I'm making now versus market rate and continue to develop myself in preparation for [greater position]. <S> "
| I wouldn't suggest mentioning that you are considering leaving to achieve these goals but it does give your manager a clearer picture of what you are about overall and opens the dialog with them.
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How can a self taught programmer beef up the education section on a resume? I'm a self taught programmer with 6 years of professional development experience. Due to only having an Associates of Arts degree, the "education" portion of my resume is bare. I already have a professional skills section so I think including those in the education section would be redundant. What are some ways in which I could expand this section? <Q> Don't bother. <S> The opportunity cost of going to school is too high. <S> Experience and knowledge is more important. <S> Certifications <S> There has been a lot of debate on the programmers section of this site. <S> There's generally two opinons. <S> One is that they are great, the more papers you have to your name the more attractive you are to your employers. <S> The second is that they are a waste of time, and are a signal of someone who wants to 'get the job and cruise'. <S> I've seen both of these attitudes. <S> Generally, the more nimble startups and very focused shops don't pay any attention to certification in my experience, whereas large enterprise will appreciate them (though to varying extent). <S> University Degree As long as you have some university degree, 10 years into your career it won't matter what the field was. <S> If you can talk about things you've done, things you know, and things you can contribute, that will matter much more. <S> Don't get me wrong, it would be IDEAL for you to have a comp sci degree if you want to be a developer, but now that you don't, it's better to invest your time doing other things. <S> What to do instead: <S> 1) Learn new/tomorrow's frameworks and technologies. <S> 2) Read books/learn general theory. <S> Go through data structures, algorithms, design patterns, etc. <S> 3) Participate in open source / build something of your own. <S> Put that experience on your resume. <S> The things above will serve you much better than sinking 3-4 years of your life and un-earned income into schooling. <S> IMHO <S> you will honestly learn more. <S> It might also do more for you than sitting through power-point slides of online accrediations. <S> Finally, there' something to be said for self-taught developers. <S> When you have a guy from general arts that did a lot of work to go into programming you know this person is passionate and interested in it. <S> You also know that they were/are willing to learn and aren't 'done' with their professional development <S> (IMHO developers who are 'done' learning should get out of the biz). <S> Good luck. <A> Thought I might as well turn this into an answer (originated from comments). <S> Industry-Recognised Certifications <S> I'd look at becoming certified in the technology or areas <S> you're already familiar with. <S> Since this is off your own back, you'll probably want to be looking for the cheaper certifications. <S> I know you can do some certifications (or at least parts of them) for free through Microsoft on their technologies. <S> Go to School Credit goes to Scaaahu. <S> Distance learning may sit well with you. <S> Here in the UK we have the Open University , which allows you to study at a number of levels on a flexible schedule (and reasonable cost), though this would take more time since each course has assignments, deadlines, etc. <A> What are some ways in which I could expand this section? <S> The simple answer is, "Don't". <S> Why fix something that isn't broken? <S> Instead of beefing up education, beef up some of the other sections. <S> Do you have a GitHub account or other publicly-accessible code to point people to? <S> How about a Stack Overflow account where people can read your questions and answers? <S> Do you participate in meetups or user groups, projects outside of work? <S> Do you blog on tech topics or attend conferences? <S> If you have been in the industry for 6 years, you obviously are able to get a job and keep one. <S> Why is your education now a concern for you? <S> Sounds like you will be looking for a job, in which case see all my suggestions above for fattening up the resume and making yourself attractive to employers. <S> Your lack of education hasn't hurt you yet, so you may have nothing to worry about. <S> Regarding certifications, I coincidentally published a blog post on this very topic today. <S> If you are considering taking the advice of those in this post that suggest certs, consider reading "The Stigma of Tech Certifications (and their real value)" . <A> Most of us only have one or two lines on the resume in the education section. <S> BA in X from University Y in YYYY. <S> They don't have paragraphs describing the course work and the projects. <S> If the job requires a bachelors, you don't have one, so there is no getting around it. <S> Some positions will require 10 years experience, or bachelors plus 5 years experience, or masters and ... <S> If the resumes are being filtered by software you might never make it through the filter without having the bachelors. <S> But there are other cases where you can bypass the filter. <S> Apply directly to smaller companies. <S> Take advantage of what education options exist in your employer. <S> Some will pay for a degree, others will repay your for X$ a year for classes related to your job. <S> Just make sure you bill them for ones that help you get your degree. <S> Otherwise use the rest of your resume to show your depth and breadth of your experience, thus minimizing the lack of a bachelors degree.
| If you have several years of experience already, your education is becoming less and less important by the year. Use friends and coworkers to recommend you for positions.
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On a resume, how can I explain self-taught software? I took on the bookkeeping position at my former job, just prior to the firing of the bookkeeper. I knew nothing about the bookkeeping software and had to teach myself the A/R, A/P, payroll and tax payment functions in QuickBooks immediately to stay current. In my other position, I had to teach myself a graphics program to replace one that was becoming non-functional. How do I explain this "self-teaching" on my resume? <Q> The term, as far as I know is - self learning . <S> In your cover letter, or in the personal summary, you can post this as a skill - you have a couple of very good examples on this. <S> Self learner - learned the main functions of QuickBooks just prior to the bookkeeper leaving company X . <S> In another job, learnt the XXX graphics program. <S> I can learn new software by myself. <A> I've never seen this sort of detail listed explicitly; software skills are typically listed in a section on their own, oftentimes categorized by experience ("Expert in A, B, C, Proficient in D, E, F, Familiar with G and H"). <S> I would simply list the software in the appropriate section, and if someone asks how you learned to use the software I would provide the "self learning" answer suggested by Oded . <A> Have a section on your resume for formal education and applicable skills gained via them. <S> Next, have a smaller section (just a sentence or two, no fancy formatting or anything) called "Experience With and Knowledge Of:" and list them there. <S> In this competitive market, you need to communicate everything you know and they will appreciate it. <A> Autodidact is a fancy way to describe a "self-learner". <S> Here is an example of how to use it in a sentence: <S> This means that company investment in my skill set is never a necessity, although if fore-coming it's always appreciated. <S> I have demonstrated this in previous roles where I.... <S> blah blah Quickbooks.... <S> blah blah Graphics package. <S> If applying for a job in the UK, less-complex language that's part of an extended vocabulary can still possess some allure. <S> Take into account your culture when deciding what sort of vocabulary to use. <S> This extended vocabulary is a more interesting and less-dull way of saying you're a self-learner. <A> If the people you're interviewing know QuickBooks (for instance) then you need to drop a hint about functionality you used that is only in QuickBooks. <S> That way they know you know it. <S> If not, all you can say is 'QuickBooks', since it's not of much interest anyway. <S> If you spent most of your time Invoicing, the emphasis should be on the Invoicing process, not on what software you used. <S> They'll be more interested in knowing whether you can keep track of business details than they are as to what program <S> you did it with.
| I am an autodidact and therefore automatically procure the knowledge to update and improve my skill set.
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As a contractor Is it inappropriate to invoice meetings? I'm a developer and i'm working on a particular php project. As a contractor, Is it inappropriate to bill for meeting time? Meetings that consist of clarifying scope and intent of work? Or is it not an issue at all? If so why is this? <Q> Meetings are part of the job - part of working. <S> Part of your job is to clarify scope and intent of work - you wouldn't be very effective if you didn't do this. <S> Of course you invoice for meetings - you wouldn't have them if you were not working. <S> Don't confuse the end product of your work with how you get there - for example - as a developer, your job is not to crank out code. <S> It is to solve problems - if you don't know what problems to solve, any amount of code you write is worthless to your client. <S> Going to meetings in order to find out what the right thing to write is a much better use of your time than writing code that nobody will use. <A> It depends. <S> If its a normal pre-sale meeting, your expenses are considered as part of the cost of doing business so don't bill them for it. <S> Well, that's unless you don't really want the job or they were literally begging you to take it <S> and you told them that you would in advance. <S> If your contract doesn't have such provisions, it would be wise to consult with the client and get it clarified before you do. <S> The last thing you want to do is to assume you can just because it "feels right" <A> Those meetings sounds like they are an important part of your job, and you should have no bad feelings for getting paid for those. <S> If you are lucky you the project owner understand the importance of the meetings and paying for them is no issue at all, but it could be that the project owner would like to "save" money by trying to have as little meeting activity as possible, thereby making your job more difficult as you probably will start with unclear scope etc. <S> If that is the case you might for instance want to charge less for meeting time as opposed to programming time so that the project owner gets the feeling that it is cheaper to talk with you to clear things out than you trying to figure out things by yourself. <A> The simple answer is that you should charge for meetings. <S> You can't do your job without some meetings. <S> These could be in person, or by phone <S> /Skype... <S> The longer answer is to check your contract. <S> Sometimes the contract specifically mentions meetings you must support/attend. <S> The contract could also specify if you can charge for travel time and expense <S> (subway fare, tolls...). <S> There is also the chance that the contract doesn't allow you to charge for some meetings, but those should be specified in the contract. <S> They may only allow you to charge at meetings they specifically ask you to attend.
| Any meetings AFTER you have signed the sales contract would be billable if your contract has provisions that allow you to treat any meeting/travelling/etc time as billable.
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Is okay to spend time learning at work? New (6 months) junior software developer in a .net shop. Haven't finished college yet.Only briefly touched on .net during the degree (Java degree). There are many parts of the .net framework (along with 3rd party libraries) that may be useful to the tasks to which I have been assigned. Is it generally acceptable to take time during a project to learn how to do the assigned tasks more efficiently? Even if it means taking a risk (such as trying out a 3rd party framework that may or may not be utilized...depending on how well it goes)? Or is it better to flounder through the tasks and learn how things should have been done when there is downtime between projects? There is no way for me to get a mentor, since I'm the only one who knows the technology (WPF) with which I work (which may sound bad, but we only have a handful (6-8) of developers, none senior). <Q> As long as your learning time (things you're learning beyond the scope of the current project) doesn't impact project deadlines or other deliverables, being proactive in learning things that will help you improve your productivity and/or the projects you're working on will be seen as a net positive. <S> But remember: your job is to get the product delivered to the specifications/requirements you're given. <S> Often, you'll be faced with the dilemma of "it works, but I see now I could have done it better. <S> " <S> Don't do this unless you can justify the time required, and there won't be an impact on any acceptance testing or project deadlines. <S> Make some notes for yourself, and the next time you're working in that piece of code, take the opportunity to make it better. <S> Read your job description carefully. <S> Mine (I'm not a junior developer, but I've had similar lines in every job description I've had throughout my career) has one bullet point which speaks to this directly: <S> Continuously follow and seek opportunities to improve development standards & practices, technical designs & architecture and governance structure. <S> In short, it means that part of my job is to do exactly what you describe. <A> Is it generally acceptable to take time during a project to learn how to do the assigned tasks more efficiently? <S> Yes, it is. <S> It is normally expected that you lookup documentation and learn more about the craft during working hours. <S> This includes learning about and trying new tools (libraries, IDEs and other tools). <S> is it better to flounder through the tasks and learn how things should have been done when there is downtime between projects? <S> There is always something to learn from existing projects - this is also part of learning, only a different aspect of it. <S> You need to determine for yourself which of these would be most beneficial for the company - perhaps discuss this with your manager. <S> In some ways, learning new tools and techniques is more valuable than looking back, though there is much to be said about introspection and retrospection - learning to avoid the mistakes of the past. <A> My rule of thumb is to spend 30% of my time plus or minus learning new and better ways to do things (or increasing my understanding of things we're already doing). <S> The way I look at it is, if I take ten minutes to learn a technique that saves ten minutes, then if I do that thing once, I've paid for the time. <S> If I take 2 hours to learn something that saves 10 minutes, I have to do that thing 12 times to pay for it. <S> But if it's something I do often, that can be really worth it. <S> At first, 30% will probably not be a realistic amount of time for you to devote to this. <S> One of the things that I find is that I sometimes spend more time learning new things when I'm under deadline crunch, because the skills I currently have won't allow me to meet the deadline. <S> These crunches have had some of the biggest impacts on my productivity over the long haul. <A> Is it generally acceptable to take time during a project to learn how to do the assigned tasks more efficiently? <S> This, definitely this. <S> The same way that when you solve a bug you solve the ROOT, not a symptom. <S> Take the time out when approaching a task to find the right tools for the job, to read up on the API. <S> It almost always will save you time in the long run. <S> Even if it means taking a risk (such as trying out a 3rd party framework that may or may not be utilized... <S> depending on how well it goes)? <S> Not so much this. <S> Remember that you're part of a team, try to work with them as much as possible, you don't want to build a rep as the green guy that runs off and makes massively complicated shit that no-one else understands. <S> You should be seeking to immerse yourself with a deep understanding of the technology being used in your current sources and by your current team. <S> You want the rest of the team to feel relaxed about reading your code, not apprehensive. <S> So if the team is using Postgres SQL for everything, then use Postgres yourself as long as its good enough for the job. <S> If you want to use something funky like MongoDb then get buy-in from the rest of the team first by discussing it with them. <S> While your junior status might result in you losing out in some of the decisions made be sure to take note of both the benefits and the pitfalls of the current technologies used. <S> Seek to champion changes in the culture that you think would be beneficial. <S> Be proactive about recommending beneficial technologies with convincing reasoning. <S> Before long you'll be one of the go-to guys for new ideas and technologies but don't expect the transition to happen overnight. <A> Your boss is going to ultimately decide, so I would make sure you accomplished two things: Finish the things your boss wants you to get done on time. <S> If your boss allows/expects you to improve your skills (hopefully they don't want you to be a jr. dev for life), make sure you're learning what they think is important. <S> There may be plans to work with a different technology stack. <S> Those who are proficient may suffer at this firm. <S> Do your best to open and maintain the lines of communication. <S> Know what is going on in your boss's world. <S> Leaders of disfunctional teams rarely get promoted at quality companies. <S> If he/she can't get promoted, you can't get promoted.
| But over time, the time you've invested in becoming more efficient and better at your job starts to accumulate to the point where you can decide for yourself what the appropriate balance is between doing the work and learning to be better at the work.
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Is It Bad Form to Remove a Deceased LinkedIn Connection? I feel kind of insensitive for asking about this. I am connected to a guy that suddenly died about a month ago of natural causes. I was just looking through my connections on LinkedIn, and apparently his family never deleted his account or whatever happens to a LinkedIn account when somebody dies. I am the sort that wants to keep his network "up-to-date" and "organized," but I don't want to be insensitive to his family should they be checking his forwarded email. I don't think this guy had much family (divorced with son) and I think his son would control his digital legacy. Unfortunately, his son is only about 10 years old, which doesn't mean that he is going to be taking care of these items for a long while. So, I have 3 questions: Is it bad form to remove a LinkedIn connection once the connectiondies? Should I wait for the family to deal with his digital items? What is an acceptable period to wait before removing the connection? He didn't have many connections, and I've also noted that none of his other connections have removed their links to him either. <Q> LinkedIn actually has a form you can fill out to report that a profile has been left behind by a deceased colleague. <S> This will allow LinkedIn customer service to remove the profile themselves rather than have his son happen upon the profile himself 5-10 years down the road when it thoughtlessly suggests his dead father under "people you may know" . <S> Verification of Death - Deceased Member From LinkedIn's privacy policy : <S> Memorializing Accounts <S> If we learn that a User is deceased, we may memorialize the User’s account. <S> In these cases we may restrict profile access, remove messaging functionality, and close an account if we receive a formal request from the User’s next of kin or other proper legal request to do so. <A> From the LinkedIn Removing a Connection help page: Connections will not be notified that they have been removed from your connections list. <S> So, nobody will be overtly notified that you have remove this connection. <S> The only way for somebody to find out, is if they are connected to both you and the other user, and they are keeping watch on your connections (or his) to see if they change. <S> As to whether it's insensitive, or bad form - why would it be? <S> As you say, people add and remove contacts all the time, and this should be no different. <S> To paraphrase Ricky Gervais - "Offence is taken, not given. <S> " <S> If somebody wants to be offended, then they will be regardless of your intent. <S> Waiting for the family to take action, isn't really your concern. <S> Let them do what they need to, and you do what you need to. <S> As for an acceptable time period to wait - the key word here is acceptable. <S> That's down to you. <S> How long do you think is right? <S> It's your LinkedIn account, and your network, so how long is acceptable to you? <A> For LinkedIn, instructions are here . <S> Depending on the site, this will either result in the account being removed/hidden, or set to some kind of "memorial" mode that restricts further changes. <S> However, if you can't do this (e.g. site policy says only next of kin can report), and the account remains live, you should delete the connection. <S> Deceased accounts are a security problem. <S> Dead people don't find out when their account credentials and passwords have been leaked . <S> They don't get notifications when somebody else attempts an account recovery process. <S> If somebody gets control of their account and starts abusing it, there is no way for friends to contact them and say "hey, I think you need to change your password". <S> Once somebody gets control of a dead person's account, connections can be abused. <S> People on LI often use connections as a metric of trust: "I don't know this person who's just sent a request, but they are connected to my friend, so they must be legit". <S> Somebody who controls your dead contact's account is in a better position to trick your other contacts into accepting requests, yada yada. <S> Depending on your settings, connections may also have more access to info about you. <S> You probably don't want a crook getting notifications every time you update your profile. <S> Most likely, the family won't notice that you dropped the connection. <S> If they do, it's probably better for that to happen at the time than months or years down the track.
| Where possible, if you know that a 'live' account on social media belongs to a deceased person, you should report it to the site. You can only do what you feel is right, and I, for one, see no problem with removing this contact.
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Should I list an on-call job where I barely ever work? I've been working at a company on-call overnights for about 6 months now, of which I've only actually worked with them for 3 months, and during those months only worked less than a week. I'd estimate that my overall experience here is only about 50 hours total. Since the economy has been slow and they don't need me near as often, I'm considering the usefulness of even listing that I work there on my resume. I'm technically still employed there and on their payroll, so I've been listing it as working 0 hours per week, just to have it there. Is there any reason to list this job at all, or should I only even mention it to people if they specifically ask for it (like list all your employment in the past n years)? If so, how little is too little for a job to be worthy of appearing on a resume? <Q> You will still need to disclose it on any application you fill out that asks you about "n previous positions". <S> However, if it is a position that fills a gap on your resume of some length (e.g. 2-3 months), then add it as whatever title you hold there -- if it is "On-call Developer" or "Developer", or whatever. <S> You don't have to go into any detail about how much you worked or when; the goal of this entry is to show that you didn't have a gap, not that you did great things (unless you did, in which case by all means talk about them). <S> If I'm reviewing your resume and I read that it's not a full-time job (or for that matter isn't a job you've held for very long), I'm not expecting to learn anything from it besides someone invested time in you <S> and you didn't get fired. <S> In other words, not much. <A> It depends on what accomplishments or achievements you reached while at the on-call job. <S> If it won't strengthen your resume, then it should be minimized. <S> You are absolutely correct about disclosing any previous positions, but allow them to make that request. <A> You could spin it in a positive fashion. <S> The fact that you were "dedicated" enough and "flexible" enough to be on call for night times shows a level of commitment and preparedness to work that employers would like. <S> Compare that to someone with "family baggage" where they are unable to help outside of office hours. <S> Just brush aside the number of hours worked and focus on how you were prepared to help them out at nights at the drop of a hat. <S> Even make up or tell them the truth about how you prepared for that. <S> Did you sleep or were awake all the time? <S> , if asleep did you have relevant materials to hand and a booted machine ready to instantly help out?. <S> Describe (and elaborate if required) <S> the instances you were called up and how you were "instantly" able to help and offered a great service.
| If it is not your primary position, and there is nothing to be gained by adding it, there's no reason to add it to your resume proper. If you are currently employed there, you may have to disclose that to a company that makes an offer.
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Training position after one year of full employment I have been offered a 6-month software developer training position. I've been working for one year as a software developer employed in another company. The company after the training period, if the experience is positive, will hire me for a full employment position. I was wondering a couple of things: Are there red flags I should watch out for if I accept this position? How would I list this 6-month training period on my CV after one year of full employment? <Q> It's normal, and getting ever more normal. <S> Effectively you're being given a 6 month probation/trial period in a place where the law states those can only last for example 1 month. <S> Makes it a lot cheaper for the company to terminate you if you're found not to be the candidate they thought you were after all, and they think they'll need more than the legal maximum for trial periods to figure that out. <S> If you don't, it won't matter either, so don't worry about the temporary jobtitle. <A> Are there red flags I should watch out for if I accept this position? <S> I would ask if they have any history of actually hiring anyone after a similar trial period? <S> Also, are there other financial indicators that this company will be in a position to take on another full-time employee in 6 months? <S> How would I list this 6-month training period on my CV after one year of full employment? <S> Treat it as a temporary contract position. <S> Be prepared to indicate why you agreed to this. <S> Was it a chance to learn a new skill-set or work on a quality project? <S> The drawback is if they don't hire you full-time. <S> The reasons may be beyond your control (budget, market decline, etc.). <S> Getting a strong reference from the hiring manager would go a long way in pursuading potential employers that your work was not the issue. <A> Sometimes you are the employee of a staffing company for that first six months. <S> At the conclusion of the period one of three things will happen. <S> They will hire you; they will send you back to the staffing company who will send you to another project; or you will be out of a job. <S> The tough thing is to determine how likely one of those options has been predetermined. <S> Sometimes the six month period is just used to get them over a rough patch. <S> You are looked at as a temporary solution without any hope of getting hired. <S> Others use it as way of paying back the hiring company. <S> They get a cut of your pay for 6 months. <S> I have avoided this situation but <S> I am seeing a lot more of it. <S> With the uncertain budget situation in the US many companies are willing to hire for 6 months, but are unable to forecast beyond that point. <A> Which country is this? <S> If Europe it might just be so its easier to terminate during the 6 months. <S> In Europe its actually quite hard to fire people so most companies do this for the first 6 months as a precaution. <S> I'd ask your employer if you're confused.
| As to your resume, if you make it through the 6 months it won't matter one bit what your status was during those 6 months.
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How do I mention I have carpal tunnel syndrome on an interview? I am a software developer. Unfortunately, many years ago I started to develop carpal tunnel syndrome in my right hand. I have successfully combated this by wearing a wrist brace any time that I am typing, by using ergonomic keyboards and by using a thumb-ball style pointer device instead of a mouse. By taking these steps, my carpal tunnel has not progressed or gotten any worse for many years. Interestingly enough, despite this, I can type faster and navigate around a computer much better than most people can - even other software developers. However, I am now job hunting. For any future job that I get, I would want to be allowed to use the prior mentioned items while working - even If I had to purchase them myself. At the very least, I need to wear my wrist brace. I know I need to mention these things to a future employer. However, how can I do this during an interview, or otherwise, without it messing up my chances of getting hired? <Q> Honestly - I wouldn't bring it up on the first couple of meetings. <S> At least in the US, employers are prohibited from discriminating from disabilities, and I have no clue whether carpal tunnel fits into that category. <S> But it can be really difficult to handle this one up front, and the first steps in interviewing should really be about the bigger job questions of whether you have the right skills, work habits and personality for the team that needs you. <S> After a job offer is underway, it may be a good time to mention it to HR in line with other work/family questions like benefits, absence policiies, work hours, etc. <S> - the modifications to a standard work environment that you mention are not expensive, and not likely to be a huge issue, so I think you are safe enough bringing up them up AFTER you've been offered a position. <S> Bring them up too soon in the process, and you will present an image of someone more concerned with small details that the work at hand. <S> I doubt that's your intent - and it's fair to want your needs covered - but mentioning it too early is putting the cart before the horse. <A> bethlakshmi is right on target. <S> I'm also a software developer who used to have a repetitive stress injury, so I'm in almost exactly your situation. <S> I use an ergonomic keyboard and a keyboard tray; without them I'd feel it by the end of a single work day. <S> When I recently changed jobs, I only mentioned this when I called the hiring manager to accept the offer, as I had done with the previous two jobs. <S> Any employer that's hiring you as a software developer will be spending a ton of money on you, paying salary and benefits, as well as the cost of your computer. <S> An ergonomic keyboard and a trackball won't cost more than a few hundred dollars at the very most, so it's really not going to be an issue for an employer. <S> (It so happens that I own an extra keyboard of the kind that I prefer, so I brought it in and use it at work.) <S> The right attitude for this is "I need some inexpensive equipment to do my job effectively, and I'm going to be a great new employee." <S> (It shouldn't be relevant to any halfway-decent employer, but this blog post <S> notes that carpal tunnel syndrome "may be a disability under the ADA. <S> " If you're in the US and are going to work for a really big company with a bureaucratic HR department and they give you any hassle, just use the phrase " reasonable accomodation " and mention the ADA, and they'll be very much inclined to do what you request.) <A> I would (and do) simply mention that I'm particular about some of the tools I use and ask whether I'm allowed to choose (or purchase and replace) <S> my keyboard/mouse and related items if I don't like the standard issue ones. <S> (I'm a sysadmin.) <S> I purchased a keyboard/mouse combo for work to match the one I use at home a few jobs back, and have taken it with me to subsequent employers. <S> Not that it's something to mention during the first interview, <S> but when you get further along in the process, it's definitely a fair question in relation to the type of working environment at your potential employer. <S> Probably no need to bring up the fact that it's for carpal tunnel. <S> As for "messing up [your] chances of getting hired," would you really want to work somewhere <S> that's so inflexible <S> they won't let you bring in your own keyboard? <S> (And for what it's worth, I've yet to have anyone have a problem with it, and have even had my last couple of bosses ask why I didn't have the company pay for my desired keyboard and mouse, instead of supplying it myself, <S> so I think you're probably worrying a lot over nothing.) <A> I simply bought the best ergonomic mouse I can get and connected it at work. <S> Nobody cares. <S> It still costs only a tiny fraction of my salary. <S> Looks unreasonable to start the job interview from the requirement for them to buy such a thing.
| I like saying it when I accept an offer, because at that point I can tell them that I need a keyboard tray, and here's what kind, and I need this kind of ergonomic keyboard, and they can order them and have them ready for my first day at work.
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How do I deal with a company who has stopped replying to me? As a student, I don't have a whole lot of industry experience; however, I did manage to find a company who is "always hiring", and who said I would likely be a good fit in their teams. I interviewed with them last year, but was told--despite their enthusiasm--that the company has recently taken on a group of new staff, and would get in touch with me at a specific date. However, they didn't. I attempted to contact the manager who was supposed to email me, but he never replied to me. I then went straight to the co-founder, who set me up with a VP of the company. He replied consistently at first, and I've done everything he's asked of me. However, it's been two weeks since his last email, and I've tried to contact him, with no success. How do I deal with these higher-ups who are either too busy to get back to me, or who are simply ignoring my messages? Is there a way I can politely contact them without seeming pushy? <Q> I was working at Brooks AFB when the BRAC commission closed most of it down. <S> Therefore, thousands of civil service people were now in the job market, sometimes for the first time in 20+ years. <S> I was working in an IT support group as a temp - I had landed three jobs in six years, so to me this was just another day in the life. <S> I would hear stories about how these soon to be <S> ex- workers were flubbing their private sector interviews, and I remarked to a number of them that they would have to practice this a few times before they filed down all the rough edges. <S> What it sounds like is that you're fixated on one company, and they're not interested. <S> Be prepared to interview with a dozen others. <S> Don't worry too much about landing any one role, just interview each one as best you can. <S> After each interview, figure out what you 'missed' and do whatever you need to fix it. <S> Looking at your profile <S> I see you can write code - does your website demonstrate the skills you're listing on your profile? <S> If so, you shouldn't have much trouble finding something. <A> Option 1: Do nothing and nothing will happen. <S> Only possible outcome is no job. <S> Option 2 <S> : Send another email which will probably be lost in the hundred or so emails the average upper level manager sees every day. <S> Very, very unlikely to produce positive result Option 3 <S> : Call him, put him on the spot and hope. <S> Probably outcome negative. <S> Seems like option 3 is your best bet. <S> All of them suck, and you have a low probability of success, but hey, a low probability is better than 0 probability. <A> My best bet for your question is that probably their company is closing down or you are not their first choice (to be blunt). <S> It is the company's prerogative whether you should be contacted or not. <S> Recommendation? <S> is the give more resumes to other companies that might be interested in your services. <S> Hope this helps.
| In any company you want to join however, no one would really want to entertain persistent demands, especially regarding job search.
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When facing a low salary offer, should I ask for more than my desired salary in order to "negotiate" down to my desired salary? I have received a salary offer from a company that I am very interested in working for.However the salary is only just over half my expected salary for my education level, though I am still interested in working for them. I have direct experience and very relevant knowledge relating to the project I would be initially working, but otherwise not a huge amount of experience overall. It is initially project work, with a six months contract I am very un-used to bargaining in regards to payment for work and wonder now that I see the employers salary offering range should I counter offer with something above my reduced expectation or equal to it? For example, if my target is 30k should I counter with 30k or 35k? <Q> It's easier to negotiate when you've decided what you want relative to the job market <S> you're in and what is the lowest you'll settle. <S> You can get better at negotiating if you practice. <S> Working out a strategy is part of it. <S> Also, try to identify what is really important to the person doing the hiring. <S> I took a lower offer once, but requested my evaluation occur in 3 months instead of the company standard 6 (There is a strong potential to give a raise at this time.). <S> For some reason this would create a problem with HR, so they just gave me more money. <S> Interesting because they stressed that the salary posted was firm. <S> Everything is negotiable, so don't be afraid to play the game. <A> You have to decide on two numbers: <S> One, how much pay you would like to get. <S> Two, what is the minimum that you would accept. <S> If you would like to get 35k <S> but you would consider 30k, then you ask for 35k. <S> Now it seems their offer was considerably lower, maybe 20k. <S> There are three possibilities: <S> One, they made a ridiculously low offer. <S> Two, you are very much overestimating your value. <S> Three, they are advertising a position and expect a beginner worth 20k, while you are much better and worth 30k-35k. <S> In the second case, you've lost. <S> In the first case, you tell them that they won't find anyone for that money, because their offer is too low. <S> In the third case, you need to convince them that they are better off paying 35k for someone worth 35k, then paying 20k for someone else who is worth 20k. <S> If you can't convince them, you lost. <S> If you can convince them that a better offer is needed, then putting 35k into the room, with confidence, is a good start. <S> You need to portray with confidence that you are worth 35k. <S> (And we don't always get what we want or what we are worth, so the offer may be a bit less). <S> Don't be disappointed if their answer to 35k is "no" and they don't even consider negotiating. <S> In that case you know you won't get your minimum of 30k, so nothing was lost. <A> During negotiating, please do not forget total compensation. <S> They may be stuck in a salary band, but PTO may be more open. <S> Also, how does their benefits stack up against other companies in the area? <S> Will this be a 9-5 job or weekend work? <S> All this is to be considered.
| Usually, I base the lowest I'll settle on a particular job and consider other benefits, perks, length of commute, room for advancement, or some sort of personal satisfaction gained from working for this particular company. If they negotiate then you take what you can get as long as it is at least your minimum.
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Contacting Recruiter after turning down their initial interest My question is somewhat opposite than most people would expect. So here it is... Last year, I was thinking to make a career transition into some very specific management kind of roles from an Engineering background. During the same time, some recruiters from top-notch tech companies contacted me for some great engineering career opportunities (same kind of role/track that I am doing currently). I respectfully turned them down saying that it does not match my future career goals although the position is very lucrative in terms of recognition and financially. Note that I turned it down right at the onset i.e. without doing any telephone or in-person interviews which kind of made sense since I did not want to waste anyone's time. Now after researching a bit more, I found that I need more experience to be in the kind of roles that I have been targeting and after doing some information interviews the general idea was to continue doing similar type of work (engineering) for few more years and then try again. So my question(s): Is it OK to contact those specific recruiters again. I understand that those position might not be available anymore but I want to make myself available if any such future opportunities arise. Also, what and more importantly how should I say tactfully that why I am interested again? What are the chances that they may take me seriously? I would really appreciate if anyone has been in a similar situation and have been successful at it. EDIT:Most of the recruiters that I talked about are recruiters working for the company and they are not necessarily 3rd party contract recruiters. <Q> I think you are overthinking this. <S> Recruiting companies get their business value by getting as many good candidates as possible on file. <S> The more people they know, the better they can help their customers, the more they can charge. <S> A bit simplified, of course. <S> I doubt they will care at all as to why you changed your mind. <S> Of course, there is a risk that the specific position is no longer available. <A> respectfully turned them down ... did not want to waste anyone's time <S> If you did it that way, what would be the harm in politely telling them you are again available for the reasons you state? <S> They'll come back to you with more positions. <S> And if after a year or two you feel you are ready for the career jump, they'll be happy to try and place you again. <S> Remember, recruiters see good candidates as an opportunity to get a handsome commission. <A> Here is a slightly different take: you can certainly contact these recruiters but it's not necessarily the smartest thing to do, at least not to get things started. <S> A good approach is <S> Make a list of the companies you might be interested in Research them thoroughly, plow through their job openings and identify potential fits Fire up your network, update your linkedin, connect to people inside these companies, ask your friends for recommendation and help you to make connections <S> Now try to leverage these connections to get direct contacts to a company recruiter or a hiring manager. <S> Any path that doesn't go through HR first is a real benefit. <S> If any of your previous recruiter contacts was directly from the company, now is a good time to ping them: " <S> Hey we talked last year and things have changed for me. <S> I would appreciated to talk to you again about this opportunity but also about some others that I have found at your company" Only if all of that fails, I would ping a 3-party recruiter again <S> The recruiter can actually backfire: <S> A company recruiter typically works only for one department. <S> Your resume may never make it to the other side of the building, even if there is a perfectly good fit. <S> For example, when working with an Apple IPhone recruiter, you may never get to the Mac opportunities Contractual relations between head hunters and companies change all the time, so you have no idea whether the head hunter still has the connections <S> Some more shady head hunters may construe your inquiry as an implicit contract to shop you around exclusively and they may create trouble in case you land something on your own. <S> They don't have much to go on but <S> just the threat of legal action can scare an employer off, especially if they have other viable candidates in the wings. <S> Some unethical head hunters (and they do exist) will forward your resume to a lot of companies that have no-head-hunter policies. <S> This will often automatically disqualify you from getting any job at that company. <S> This narrows your options and increase the head hunter's chance of placing you where he/she actually gets paid. <S> Nasty, <S> but I've seen it happen. <A> There's absolutely NO harm - telling the truth rarely goes wrong and it definitely won't in this case. <S> You were interested in a different job, you have changed your mind. <S> They may have current opportunities that interest you. <S> From their perspective - a resource for making good job matches has become available. <S> If they are smart, they will also realize you're an added bonus - you have shown by your actions that you won't waste their time on opportunities that are uninteresting to you. <S> Write a quick, short mail to any recruiters who had interesting opportunities. <S> Summarize: what you are looking for any critieria that matter (location, minimum salary, etc.) <S> your interest in future or current opportunities Don't spend time trying to dig up the past - figure that if the opportunity is more than 2 weeks old, it's over. <S> The goal is to make contact for the next opportunity. <S> Some will write you back, some will blow you off. <S> Also - in the process, make sure any and all public information about you points to the shift in focus back to engineering. <S> Recruiters do use that to look for good prospects. <S> Also, when you land an interview, you don't want to have to explain to the interviewer why your linked in/monster/dice/etc <S> profile says you want to be a manager, but you applied for an engineering role.
| So I think the recruiter will be thrilled if you let them know you are intrested now.
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Would my CV 'Suffer' if I transfer into a Smaller Company? I am facing a dilemma right now. I am currently working for a very big company with good pay, but I don't really like what I am doing, both as far as my daily activities are concerned and as far as the stress I undertake every day. On the other hand, I know that this experience is boosting my CV a lot. I now have the possibility to move to a smaller company offering me higher pay , but I am afraid that leaving a big company right now may have a repercussion on my future if I will ever want to go back working for a big company. If it can help, I've been working for this big company for less than a year and I am not even 26. If I had to move to a smaller company, would my CV suffer from that? Edit I'm updating my question to clarify some points that came out in the comments. I am not really concerned with the job hopping problem, since my two previous work experiences lasted 4 years and 2 years, respectively. Money is not really a matter of life and death, but of course if I had the possibility to earn something more while doing something I like, well, why not. <Q> People are concerned about job hopping when listing their jobs on their CV. <S> The size of the company is not relevant. <S> You can be on a large team while working for a small company, or a one man project while working for the biggest company in the world. <S> Pick a job based on job description, Pay, location, future prospects, technologies, cool toys, snacks... <S> not how the company size will impact your CV. <S> I have never heard of somebody rejecting a candidate because of the size of a previous company, unless it is directly relevant. <S> Starting a company is different then working for a company, or being the CEO of one versus the other. <A> There are a few advantages to working in small companies. <S> 1) You can grow professionally much faster. <S> This is because you will get to make a lot more design decisions, and consequently mistakes that you will learn from. <S> I firmly believe that at some point software design becomes like management - it can be taught only to some extent, the only way to really become good at it is through experience. <S> 2) You will most likely have a more diversified skillset. <S> You will not only gain knowledge depth but also breadth because you will be forced to do things that may be outside of your job description or comfort zone by circumstances. <S> 3) You may grow with the company if you are good, and your promotions will happen much faster than in a typical 9-to-5 place. <S> Smaller companies usually foster a more dynamic environment. <S> At the same time, working in large companies you will learn the challenges of 'enterprise'. <S> I see a lot of condescending attitudes about slowness and stupidity of big companies from my friends in the start-up culture, and they have some valid points. <S> What they frequently fail to see is that once their companies 'make it' they begin to mimic these same behaviours. <S> It is a different set of challenges, that may be difficult and interesting in their own right, and knowing how to deal with them is complementary to your techincal skills. <S> For me personally to like your resume, you need to have both kinds of experience. <S> In my opinion they are complimentary, and frankly necessary for someone in a senior position (which one day you will hopefully find yourself in). <S> Whether you accept this job now or not is up to you, we can't answer that for you. <S> However I would strongly advise you to 'go out there and see the world' from different angles. <S> You will become a better professional in the long term. <A> The answer from mhoran_psprep <S> "I have never heard of somebody rejecting a candidate because of the size of a previous company" is 100% consistent with my experience. <S> The danger here is being considered a job hopper since you have been only a few months with your current employer. <S> If you are at the beginning of your professional career you shouldn't be looking so much at how much money you make rather than at doing something you like doing. <S> The first few jobs will define your field of specialisation and later, when you have more responsibilities, mortgages and whatnot, you will want your work skills not to be in something that makes you miserable. <S> In light of the above, the better your CV is at a job you dislike the worse it will work for you in the long run, and the more difficult it will be for you to move to the kind of job you would prefer. <S> Now, you say you hate the job at the big company, but you are moving to the small one for a higher pay. <S> If that's the only reason, it would be a bad move. <S> My advice is: Get a job you like. <S> Stay in it for a year or two <S> (i.e. Don't be a job hopper. <S> Looks bad on the CV) <S> Shop around for a higher pay afterwards. <S> But of course YMMV. <A> One of the more common expectations from working in a smaller company is being able to do more, and manage a wider variety of skills. <S> They usually cannot afford the level of specialization that larger companies have. <S> The advantage of smaller companies is that you can be a bigger fish in the pond, giving you potentially more control and direction of working on projects. <S> It can be quite easy to have a management position there even if you haven't had that experience in previous jobs. <S> As a personal example, I was offered a Project Manager role only 3 months in, on my first job after finishing college. <S> (because I was still wet behind the ears, I only declined it to focus on building my technical skills) <S> If you are interested in leadership positions, working at these companies would be a good way to get the experience. <S> That has its downside, in that you might reach a plateau of experience or seniority too soon. <S> Smaller companies tend to involve more horizontal movement than vertical movement in job titles. <S> Overall, though, working in smaller companies will make you a more well-rounded professional.
| The size of the company you work for doesn't count as much careerwise as the skills you develop in it, so forget about the big company vs small company dilemma. However, you are also more likely to get fired much faster if you do not perform up to par.
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Job ad with no "number of years" specification I'm a graduating master's student in engineering with 2 years of professional work experience. I find some positions without any information about what level of experience employers are looking for in their candidates, e.g., "X+ years of experience", or "intermediate level". What's HR manager or department manager's intent on such ads? I have hard time imagining them saying, "we want a new staff, but we don't really care he/she is entry-level or senior-level". They list what kind of technical skills they need though. Why would an employer not post the number of years required in a job ad? <Q> I have hard time imagining them saying, "we want a new staff, but we don't really care he/ <S> she is entry-level or senior-level". <S> Often, that's not precisely what the ads are saying. <S> In my experience, it's not that they "don't really care" if they hire entry or senior level folks <S> , it's that they're going to look at the whole candidate pool and see what shakes out, and move the budget around accordingly. <S> It might very well be that the company is hiring for multiple positions to fit a range of experience, and they have a certain budget to do so. <S> They might find they can hire 5 solid mid-level people from the responses to that ad, or they might find one gem of a senior person and 1 or 2 entry level people, or some other combination. <A> Why would an employer not post the number of years required in a job ad? <S> Because "years of experience" is less relevant in today's knowledge-based economy. <S> Mark Zuckerberg became a programmer at age 12 and founded Facebook at age 21 . <S> A devil's advocate might say, "Zuckerberg is an outlier. <S> Most people need years of professional experience before they are accomplished." <S> But even if that's true, "years" of experience is not a reliable way of measuring someone's proficiency in a given area (especially in nascent technical fields). <S> For instance, Steve Sanderson began promoting KnockoutJS in 2011 . <S> If you were looking to hire a KnockoutJS programmer, it would be ridiculous to insist on a requisite number of "years of experience" because the metric would have little relevance to a candidate's ability to grok the KnockoutJS MVVM paradigm and develop code. <A> For a multi-skill position, asking for say X years of experience in skill Y is often pretty meaningless. <S> Just because someone has used skill Y for X years - it doesn't make them any good. <S> Additionally, there will be candidates who can rightly claim they've used skill Y for the required time but some will have used it much more than others.
| It is often better for a company simply to list the skills they're asking for and then choose the candidate based on roles/projects available and then train them on any skills they may be missing or light on.
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How can I convey expertise on my CV? I'm writing a curriculum vitae, and got to a certain impasse. Aside from the obvious Expert in XYZ , How can I say that I'm a "super expert" in a certain skill, but still remain humble in the sentence? <Q> It's actually the obvious "expert in <domain>". <S> Why wouldn't you use that? <S> It's rather clear and people from human resources are familiar with this term. <S> Just don't forget to illustrate how expert you are. <S> Writing: <S> I'm an expert in C#. <S> is not enough and not explicit enough, especially since lots of people are defining themselves as experts in a technology after playing with this technology for two years. <S> Writing: <S> I'm an expert in C#, since I've written this book about C#, participated in 8 large-scale projects and lead 6 other large-scale projects described in the list joined to the CV, led over 20 medium-size projects, worked for the last 10 years with C# at Microsoft and organized lectures about code contracts, LINQ, functional aspects of C# and other subjects for the last two years. <S> is better. <A> Don't summarize your skill level with a poorly defined word such as expert or "super expert". <S> This solves two problems: the ambiguity of the word "expert" - it means different things to different people - and the desire to be humble. <S> So if you're a chef, you don't say "expert in French cuisine" you say "awarded a total of 4 Michelin stars for my French cuisine restaurants over the years x to y" and "invited to judge the Whatever Competition National Finals", and whatever other achievements make it obvious to everyone that you are beyond expert. <S> You list your inclusion on various honour rolls. <S> You list the books you've written and the awards they have won. <S> And all of this leaves the reader knowing you're a super-expert. <S> A note <S> : if in fact you have won no honours, no awards, no laurels; if you have written no books, judged no competitions, been included on no special lists: consider the possibility that you aren't a super expert after all. <A> I would imagine that you are looking for the phrase "highly-skilled." <S> However, the word "expert," accompanied by the number of full-time years you have worked at that skill, is generally preferred. <A> Disclaimer: I'm speaking from an American perspective. <S> I can't say what's common on resumes in the UK or wherever. <S> (From the fact that you say "CV" rather than "resume", I gather you're not in the US.) <S> That said: "Expert" is about as high as it goes in describing job skills. <S> I don't think there's any commonly accepted word for a skill level above "expert". <S> I think some fairly common terms for lower levels of knowledge, in generally increasing order of level, are "have worked with", "familiar with", "skilled with/in", and "experienced with/in". <S> As MainMa says, though, rather than looking for more-boastful words to describe your skill, you are better off to give some concrete description or examples of what you've done. <A> To sound humble in resume, use adjectives to describe your skills and not you. <S> For example, don’t say I’m an expert in computer programming . <S> Rather, say I have excellent computer programming skills .
| Instead list your skills in a way that will let people correctly conclude that you are an expert, or better than expert. If you're a farmer, you list the awards your farm or animals or produce have won.
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Staying awake in meetings with projectors? I have this reoccurring problem. It is 9/10/11am and I am at a meeting where I sit either one chair or two away from a large projector screen. With the fluorescent lights off, the screen is bright in a dark room. I get drowsy and my head feels heavy. My eyes go off in their own directions until I try to snap out of it. Typed words become illegible and challenging to try and read. I have noticed this in same behavior in a meeting where the projector was used while fluorescent lighting was left on. When we break, and I get a chance to walk around, I can snap out of it. What can I do to avoid it altogether? I eat breakfast each day, usually shortly after 7am. I get 6 to 8 hours of sleep. I sometimes drink coffee but it doesn't seem to help. I believe it is some sort of eye-strain related to sitting too close to the projector screen, but I don't know. What can I do to stay alert in meetings? <Q> Get more sleep (8+ hours); Sit further from the projector; <S> Make sure your breakfast is light on the carbohydrates; <S> Take deep breaths to increase the oxygen in your brain; Take notes on the presentation with questions and ways you would improve it; Take a sucker (hard lolly on a stick) and slowly eat it during the meeting. <S> (At that point, the instant sugar will help, as well as giving a slight distraction that keeps your mind more awake. <S> That slight distraction actually helps your concentration ( <S> a super hot beverage that you have to sip, gum, or other options can be just as good).) <A> I have this problem in any meeting scenario where I'm being talked at (not encouraged to participate in any way), particularly when the lights are low, the room is warm and the chair is comfortable. <S> A boring topic being covered by the speaker, or a terrible speaker (reading directly from the powerpoint, monotonous voice, no energy or enthusiasm) doesn't help either. <S> There are a few techniques I use to combat this: <S> Prevention is better than cure: <S> Avoid meetings <S> which you know will provide little value and which you are likely to doze off in. <S> The best excuse is having value-adding or important work to do. <S> - right on the edge of it <S> so you aren't using the backrest. <S> If it's possible to stand at the back of the room without sticking out, that's even better <S> Drink strong coffee or eat something sugary immediately before the meeting. <S> This will give you a brief energy boost and keep you engaged <S> Ask questions <S> wherever possible - try to engage the speaker. <A> I've had this problem since I was 12. <S> My solution is often to go with a different mindset: I am a journalist and need to report the presentation to the masses. <S> I'll need to be able to understand everything, and I need to be able to give the presentation myself after having had it once. <S> I jot down notes on the form of the presentation <S> I summarize the contents <S> I report on the teacher, the people around me. <S> What are they wearing? <S> How are they acting? <S> What do I like about them ( <S> hey, good idea to bring a bottle of water) or do I not (man, someone texting on a mobile phone making a sound on every touch is annoying) <S> Since the amount of information you'll be getting is more than the amount you can process, usually you should not fall idle. <S> I do sometimes <S> bring some of my own work /documents to read/think about too. <A> Do you face the same problem reading a narrative book (like a history book or newspaper article)? <S> It might not be a medical issue if so. <S> Especially if you can view a computer monitor under similar conditions. <S> Everyone gets sleepy when they're passive. <S> You want to force yourself to be a little more active. <S> What you should do is go into the presentation with a few questions in mind, which should be answered by the end of the presentation. <S> I modify these from the book How to Read a Book : <S> What type of presentation is it? <S> A report/summary? <S> Proposal? <S> What is it about? <S> What's the topic? <S> Is it true? <S> What credibility does the presenter have? <S> Are the methods used correct? <S> What of it? <S> Why don't I just get up and leave? <S> Why should I listen to this? <S> How does this help me? <S> Does it contain information that I'll miss out on elsewhere? <S> What are the important points made in this presentation? <S> The first three should be answerable before the presentation starts or early on, but the third one requires that you answer the first two first. <S> The fourth question should be answerable by the first quarter of a good presentation and is probably the most important question of all. <S> The last question will require active effort and even note-taking throughout the presentation. <S> The most difficult points are usually the hardest to understand . <S> Copy those points, and think over it after it's done. <S> Something that is not difficult to understand is usually well known to you and not worth thinking about. <S> Something with more knowledge density often supports or summarizes the main arguments of the presentation and is often worth thinking about.
| Bring a glass or bottle of very cold water with you , and make a conscious effort to sip from it constantly Sit forward in your chair If it doesn't matter to you, feel free to sleep or zone out. In other words, attack it from multiple angles: even if one alone doesn't help, several together should.
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Only using years for employment ranges on resume I am trying to cut out all the unnecessary decorations on my resume and make it as minimalist as possible to give more weight to the skills and experience. One of the considered line items within that initiative was to knock out the months from the employment ranges and leave only years. E.g. before Company XMar 2008-Nov 2011 Now becomes Company X2008-2011 I wonder if this is a good idea. OUTCOME: As a result of many good rationales in favor of keeping the months, I have decided to do so. Thanks to all responders. <Q> As a hiring manager, I would probably ask you to supply the months, so I could get a better understanding of your work history. <S> I'd want to know and be able to ask you about any extended periods between employment. <S> My rules of thumb tend to lean toward: <S> One job ending in the same or subsequent month the next job begins means you likely left of your own volition. <S> Two to five months difference may signify the job loss was not your choice, but you had the initiative and/or the talent to be able to find another job relatively quickly. <S> Six months or longer will definitely cause me to ask you to explain the gap. <S> If there is education or skill development that covers all or part of the time period, I could readily assume you were focusing on your studies, which may or may not leave you sufficient time and focus for a quality job search. <S> All that being said, you may come across a hiring manager that isn't looking as closely as I would to these types of details. <S> Whether or not you include or exclude the months is completely up to you. <S> Historically, I've never excluded them personally, and I don't recall ever hiring someone that didn't include the information. <S> With that in mind, I would never reject an applicant who didn't supply the information, and I know I've never summarily rejected an applicant who didn't provide the months if their work experience met the qualifications I was looking for. <S> I guess what I'm trying to say is if you really feel the need to trim down content, be more concise with your job duties. <A> If I saw a CV that only had years, this wouldn't ring any immediate alarm bells unless there were multiple roles in the same year. <S> Months are only really relevant for contracting staff where they might reasonably have multiple roles in the same calendar year. <S> That being said, the majority of CVs I see do mention month and year. <S> One or two have exact dates which isn't really necessary in my view. <A> I don't see any advantage, but that just might be my lack of asthetics. <S> Including the months in a resume/cv is so common, it may bring uncessary attention to an area you're trying to de-emphasize. <S> At best the highering person will ask you to clarify during an initial interview. <S> Otherwise, they may think you're trying to hide something.
| I don't think the minimalist approach you're taking is going to make a noticable difference, but everyone appreciates the effort to have a cv that gets to the point.
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How to handle time off for surgery? I've got a major surgery coming up, and my company is just as aware of it as I am, and I'm covered for the time off, but what I'm wondering is how is a longer term leave like this typically handled? What kind of notice period should you give for a major surgery? I let them know as soon as I knew everything, told them in my interview I was expecting a surgery date this year, and then let them know as soon as I got the phone call today. What should my expectations be for salary while I'm away, is this typically covered by benefits, do I take time without pay? I'm guaranteed to come back, but I'm so far unsure how this will be handled, I've built up a savings just in case. Localized info I'm in Canada, and it is a spinal surgery, they estimate I'll be recovering for around 2-6 weeks. <Q> The coverage issue should be worked out with your company's HR department, as should be the mechanism for leave. <S> One thing I strongly advocate is making sure that you have a very thorough hand-off of anything you're working on when you leave for the surgery. <S> Odds are someone will be put in charge of it while you're gone so leave copious notes, pointers, and any and all information you can think of to make that person taking over as easy as possible. <S> This will pay off in the project's potential for the least interruption/downtime as possible, the least expense getting someone else up to speed and a whole lot of professionalism points for you. <A> We also have a policy that when you are ill, we'll cover your full salary until the short term disability starts. <S> This is a very expensive position for us (I think it's ten days, <S> so that's 4% of someone's annual salary with no revenue coming from them) but has served us very well in terms of employee retention: not just the person who is getting the salary but everyone else <S> as well thinks well of us for doing it. <S> Some firms might not cover the waiting period for the short term disability. <S> Some might not even have the coverage. <S> Some might go further than us and "top up" the long term disability (I believe our coverage switches from short term to long term at 60 days) to your full salary instead of the percentage our coverage provides. <S> (If you're not going to work for weeks at a time you're spending less on coffee, lunches, transit etc goes the theory.) <S> The law doesn't require any of this. <S> We're free to pay you only for the time you work. <S> But most white-collar jobs go beyond that. <S> You should really have asked before you took the job, but at least ask now. <S> You may need to do some juggling and planning to make sure your rent or mortgage gets paid. <A> Canadian employment insurance provides short term disability coverage up to 16 weeks so long as you have a minimum numbet of qualified work hours. <S> Many workplaces offer supplemental short term disability but this is not universal like EI.
| My Canadian firm has both short term and long term disability coverage which provides some or all of a person's salary while they are unable to work.
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E-Readers for office library instead of hard copies? In my department, we are floating the idea of replacing our library with a few E-Readers as often a handful of people will be researching a particular concept at the same time and sharing books becomes an issue. This was originally cited as cost prohibitive, but it was proven that even if we have one E-Reader for every three employees, it is no more expensive in the long run than physical copies. For anyone out there who has tried this, if we make the switch, is there one single factor that would cause us to decide to go back to a hard copy library? Note: I'm only interested in the concept of sharing E-Readers in an office as opposed to the general advantages/disadvantages of E-Readers for an individual. <Q> The real question is going to be whether you can get all of the relevant materials in digital form. <S> Not every book published is published in a digital format, and your library probably already has a large number of volumes that aren't in digital form. <S> Even if you can get everything in digital form, can you get it all in the SAME digital form? <S> Amazon has a pretty good selection of books, but they aren't the only ones out there, and sometimes publishers do crazy things. <S> As is often the case with electronic devices - content is king. <S> If you can get ALL of the content you need on the device, then perhaps it makes sense. <S> But if you've got a 30 year library of technical magazines that you regularly refer back to, then you probably can't make it work. <A> We considered going down that route earlier but gave up mainly because content, as mentioned by the others, was an issue. <S> Old content just wasn't available and a lot of our work evolvesaround legacy systems. <S> Not all new content was digitized depending on which part of theworld you are at, especially the non-technical stuff. <S> Not everyone was comfortable with e-Readers and a lot of themactually preferred hard-copy. <S> Everyone also had access to theinternet anyway and the e-Reader wasn't really giving us anythingsignificantly different considering <S> we all had personal tablets. <S> Unless its 100% acceptance, we felt that we would invariably end uphaving to maintain BOTH a digital and physical library...... <S> At the end of the day, the content drives the library. <S> If you are confident that you can get what you need and the users are comfortable <S> , I don't see why it wouldn't work. <S> In our case, we just weren't confident about both, so we decided against it. <A> Agreed on Content is king. <S> I've made good use of a subscription to Safari Books online and that may be another option, assuming required material is present there. <S> The pro is that you don't need a dedicated ereader in a physical form and the con is that you need to be online. <S> I can't tell you whether this will suit your needs.
| I would research whether the books you want to have digitally are available that way and, if so, by whom and in what format.
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Should I tell the company I'm interviewing with I've been laid off I was working for company A when I submitted a resume to company B last week. Company B just spoke with me and decided to bring me in for an interview next week. However, company A just laid off 75% of our office, including me. I know company B will ask what I'm currently doing for company A. Should I come clean that I was just laid off with 75% of the office or since the layoff occurred so recently, that I should play it off and answer as if I were still employed there. Thanks for your advice. <Q> Let's make this simple. <S> Pros to Being Unemployed: <S> Company knows you can start immediately Company knows that you will be applying to other jobs (there will be more competition for your services) <S> Cons to Being Unemployed: <S> Company may try to lowball you on salary assuming you're desperate <S> Pros to Being Honest: <S> Gives you a chance to frame the layoff in a positive light/redirect the conversation on your terms Cons to Being Honest: <S> Company may try to lowball you on salary assuming you're desperate <S> Suggested <S> Course of Action Assume the company already knows (it's a small world after all). <S> Unless your company is 4 people in a different industry separated by a large geographical distance, there is a good chance they already know about it. <S> Companies laying off 75% of their work force tend to create a blip on the radar (or at least the local news). <S> If you assume they'll ask you what you're currently doing, just prepare an answer like, <S> "I want to work with you guys on A, B, and C because of my experience with X, Y, and Z. Unfortunately, my current company laid off the majority of my office/business unit including me. <S> This just gives me more incentive to show you how good of a fit I can be for your team." <S> The wording isn't so important, so long as the main points are: <S> I am not just applying here because I knew I'd be laid off <S> My skills are still relevant to your company <S> Let's discuss how I can fit in here rather than focusing on a job that no longer matters <S> Focus on what's important. <S> Unless the company is malicious, they probably won't lowball you on salary (and would you want to work for a company that did that anyway?). <A> Yes. <S> It should not be an issue specially since you have been a victim of a mass-layoff. <S> I would send in an updated CV or just tell them verbally (in case you are talking to them directly anyhow) about the situation. <S> If not, you are gambling: <S> You tell them: It is unlikely that they will not hire you just because you got laid off right now. <S> You never gave them any wrong information. <S> The fact that you are laid off makes it rather better for them since you can join them without waiting for a notice period etc. <S> I do see hardly any reason why they should not hire you right now for this reason of being laid off. <S> You do not tell them: <S> There is a chance that they hear about the layoffs. <S> If they realize that you did not tell them about it, they might consider you as someone who hides facts for his own advantage. <S> This would be a very strong reason not to hire you. <S> I would try to turn the situation in your favor and write a note to them in the following tone: <S> "In the spirit of being open and transparent, and to proactively provide you with the latest development, I would like to inform you that there has been a mass-layoff at my current employer [*] which also affected myself. <S> This means that I would be available for additional interviews from [layoff-date] onwards and also of course to start working for you from the same day on, should you decide to hire me." <S> [*] You can add the reason here if you think that is public information, such as a merger etc <A> "Your present employment status," or lack thereof, is really something that an interviewer should have been trained not to ask. <S> American law is filled with various "anti-discrimination" provisos, and the interview process is the #1 place where charges of discrimination might arise. <S> ("Promotions" are #2.) <S> You are not obligated to say that you are laid-off, but, at the same time, there is no stigma attached to it, either. <S> I've been laid-off many, many times over these many years. <A> Has the company which laid you off already paid your dues and given you your relieving letter? <S> Usually, when companies let go off people they do give sufficient notice and tell them to look out for a job within that period. <S> Once the period expires, then you're supposed to go and collect the relieving letter. <S> If company A(the company which laid you off) did not give the relieving letter: <S> Assuming you get selected in company B: tell the new company thatyou'll be relieved of your duties by the time the period with company Aexpires. <S> Tell them that you'll join a week after that. <S> Try for a few more interviews and tell them the same thing - if you're selected. <S> Better to have more than one offer in hand. <S> Then merrily collect your relieving letter from company A on the appointed date.-Pick and choose which company you want to join. <S> Tell them the truth as everything can be cross verified these days. <S> This should not be much of a problem, especially if you have a good track record. <S> It's fairly common these days to get laid off. <S> I don't see why this should be a problem if it was the company's fault.
| However, if Company A has given you the relieving letter: Then there's no sense in altering the facts. Company may know and not appreciate dishonesty Prepare a nice way to broach the subject. The interviewer ought not inquire. Personally I'd just get it out of the way ASAP and clear the air.
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In a job interview, who should extend his hand first: the recruiter or me? I'm heading for my first job interview within an hour and I have this critical question: Who should extend his hand first: the recruiter or me? No cultural or religious cases, common interview. <Q> Keep cool, it depends on each situation. <S> Just look if he move his hand first and don't overstress for that detail. <S> Act Natural and all will be good. <A> You are overthinking this. <S> If they offer, accept it. <S> If you think to do it first, offer your hand. <S> Honestly, this will not make or break your job interview. <S> Just breathe and have the confidence that you're a good candidate who can do the job. <A> My first reaction to this question was something like "It doesn't matter." <S> However, I reconsidered after thinking of some situations I've encountered myself with people from other cultural and/or religious backgrounds. <S> In view of this, I'm going to say let the recruiter extend his or her hand first, at least at the beginning. <S> I say this because I've encountered situations where religious or cultural rules prohibit (intentional/non-emergency) touching by opposite gendered persons outside their family; as such, they don't shake hands when meeting persons of the other gender. <S> Other cultures prefer bowing to shaking hands. <S> The couple of times I've encountered these sorts of situations, the people were good-natured about my ignorance of their ways, but it was a little embarrassing. <S> Assuming no cultural or religious prohibition on either side, at your first meeting you should shake hands once they have offered the handshake, following all the usual suggestions about firm, but not hand-breaking, not too long, etc. <S> Also, if you have already established that it's okay to shake hands, I see no reason to wait for the other party to offer the handshake at the end of the interview. <A> I don't think anyone would notice who 'went first'. <S> I've never considered that it would be a significant social cue - and remember that your interviewer might well be nervous too, and is unlikely to have the memory or concentration in the moment for unimportant things. <A> From the official point of view, you, in that situation, are considered the to-become-a-boss, which means that your position is higher than theirs. <S> In that case, you are the one to offer or not to offer a handshake. <S> Therefore, theoretically, if you didn't want to shake hands, it would be your choice, not theirs. <S> In the real situation, usually there is a common sense that you want to shake hands, and you both move your hands automatically. <S> And that's it ;) <S> Of course, you should be careful about their religion or origin, and your acceptance of their way of welcoming, you show your respect to the person, which is always good.
| Since you'd rather avoid a negative at the start, let the other person initiate the first handshake.
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How do I respond to an apology? In a meeting yesterday, one coworker was unproductive and, for lack of a better word, sulky. The issue did not get resolved. Today, he sent an email to the team apologizing for his unprofessional behavior and listing some more helpful comments along with some suggestions for moving forward. Do I thank him for owning up to his behavior? Or would that just call more attention to it? <Q> I think that you respond to the apology by focusing on the positive content, which was the useful suggestions for how to move forward. <S> You can choose to do this either in an email to the team, or privately. <S> If you do it privately, you can also add a statement that you appreciated his apology. <S> Doing this costs you nothing, and it buys you goodwill from him. <S> Additionally, acknowledging an apology lets him know that you're willing to excuse an instance of poor behavior when he's identified it and tried to make amends. <S> From all appearances, his email was a highly professional way of handling a situation that he had (likely inadvertently) made awkward and uncomfortable, and responding to his apology recognizes that. <A> Assuming that "coworker" means that this person doesn't report to you and "team" implies a group of equals, I wouldn't reply to the apology. <S> If you'd like to discuss some of the suggestions for moving forward, by all means reply for that purpose. <S> The apology is to the team. <S> Having every member of the team potentially coming forward to discuss the situation isn't likely to be helpful-- <S> the person will end up being reminded of the issue a dozen times. <S> It doesn't sound like what the person did is worth that level of discussion and analysis-- <S> he was having a bad day and it showed in a meeting. <S> If you were this person's supervisor, then it may make sense to have a one-on-one meeting to discuss the issue depending on the person's track record. <S> I'd tend to expect that someone that apologized the next day after merely being sulky and unproductive the day before was just having a bad day and that it's unlikely to be something that really needs a manager's intervention. <S> If it is a pattern or if the behavior was more egregious than what you seem to be describing, then a conversation would be in order. <A> Talk to him face to face when you are alone. <S> Just tell him that you have seen his effort, and that it is appreciated, but he has to try to be more focused on what he has to do when he is in a meeting. <S> Don't insist. <S> (That's my point of view, do what you want. <S> I can give you some advice <S> but you master your life :) )
| People generally like having useful suggestions acknowledged. Just tell him (if you can be alone together).
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How important is a recommendation letter for the employer? I applied for an internship opportunity with several private companies, and one of them got back to me over the phone. During the conversation, the HR manager mentioned in passing that they were willing to take me in as an intern largely due to the endorsement I received from a government department. This was very shocking to me, because first of all, that recommendation letter was almost a carbon copy of 3 other letters. I applied to 3 different companies, so got one letter for each of them. And in each one, the only thing that was different was who it was addressed to. Everything else, from the heading to the body, was exactly the same. On top of that, it wasn't even a sparkling recommendation. It was simply, in sum, "he is part of our program and we are endorsing him, and would like you to make a 240-hour training program for him yourself, and we hope you agree." My CV, on the other hand, looks impressive for an intern applicant. I've got a cum laude standing, and I've done impressive extracurriculars, received some great scholarships, and so on and so forth. When I sent out the applications, I wasn't counting much on the recommendation except they'd get me noticed. But it seems to me that a bland recommendation has completely overpowered my CV. Is this an accurate feeling? How important is a recommendation letter for an internship, and is this also the case for when you're applying for a job? I'm asking because this might be a really good reason for me to ask for another recommendation when I do graduate (if they'll endorse me again). But I'd like to know how important this recommendation is first. I've always put value on the person doing the work, rather than the person talking about how great another person is, so this stuff is catching me off guard. <Q> I am going to address <S> the why they were willing to take me in as an intern largely due to the endorsement I received from a government department Generally speaking, hiring <S> decision makers in industry do not use recommendation letters. <S> Academia depends heavily on those letters though. <S> The letters will not matter after you graduate unless you are going to look for jobs in academia. <S> You are applying for an internship opportunity with private companies. <S> Most small to mid size companies do not have these opportunities; only large companies have them. <S> Most large companies care about governments because governments have power. <S> An endorsement letter from the government carries a lot weight to large companies. <S> Most large companies not only care about governments but also often have business relationships with them. <S> Your case is no surprise to me at all. <S> Again, recommendation letters may not be that useful when you look for real jobs in industry. <A> I wouldn't dismiss the importance of having a solid resume to present. <S> That being said, the presence of a recommendation letter is a differentiation point to help you stand out above those who only have the strong resume. <S> For an internship, the recommendation letter would carry a lot of weight, because it serves as a personal endorsement of your ability to succeed from someone who valued and respected you for no other reason than your worthiness of being valued and respected. <A> You are interpreting the fact that "that recommendation letter was almost a carbon copy of 3 other letters" as something negative. <S> Maybe the person who wrote it did not want to spend too much time writing three. <S> (I consider that a more likely and more powerful interpretation). <S> He/ <S> she did recommend you three times <S> , that's more important than the form it took. <A> I think it depends on if the letter of recommendation was offered to you or if you requested it. <S> Generally people are not going to write a bad one (and if they did you wouldn't use it). <S> So I would consider it just another tick in the box, so if you had it and also a good resume then it just gives you another edge. <S> The most important thing is to be able to demonstrate your skills, and if the letter of recommendation doesn't say much then there's not that much use other than the fact that you were not afraid to ask for one and the other party was at least willing to provide one.
| Once you get into the professional realm, the recommendation letter may not carry as much weight, but should still be considered a positive addition to your application package.
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Why do recruiters ask for ID and/or references? I am applying for jobs through a recruiter, and have just been asked to provide ID and/or references before being put forward for a role. If I get the job and the company wishes to have reference and Id then fine, but recruiters asking for Id and references even before you get the job? Strange. My manager would not give reference as he says it is just a ploy to get them in his books to spam him for jobs later down the line, but I can't think of why they would want my Id. Why do recruiters ask for Id and/or references before putting you forward for a role? <Q> This increases their success rate. <S> Most recruiters want your references so they can have more names and email addresses to claim they "know" and to contact about "great opportunities". <S> They take advantage of the fact that you expect to be asked for references at some point in the hiring process, and they ask you for names and contact info that are not required to evaluate you for positions at all. <S> How can you tell which kind of recruiter you're dealing with? <S> You probably can't. <S> It helps to come up with a canned answer to use when you're asked. <S> For example: to reduce disruption for those who've kindly agreed to provide a reference, I provide their details only on request, typically when I've made the shortlist for a position and am being considered for a second interview. <S> Not sure a fresh grad can say that with a straight face, so you might want to work something up <S> you're cool saying. <S> The ID wouldn't bother me. <S> Prove your name, residency, and right to be employed wherever it is you're applying: seems fine. <A> Recruiters have reputations too. <S> If a recruiter recommends candidates that turn out to have been not what they claimed, will the recruiter be used again? <S> So I can understand the problem, but I've never come across it happening. <S> If the recruiter has something special for you, get to know them and find out what they need, in order to help you. <S> It should be fine to tell them what your boss told you. <S> A reference says two things: 1) <S> this guy did actually work here2) <S> this guy is a good guy. <S> A recruiter shouldn't need more than the first one to get you on a short list. <S> There are other ways of telling them this - send them a pay slip - they normally want to know your current pay anyway. <A> They reason they want references is because part of the service that they provide their clients is to have checked references on candidates that they are going to present to them. <S> All clients want the reference done and some ask the recruiters to quote what was said on the references. <S> Recruiters can't go around this policy, or are not supposed to because hypothetically, if they place someone at a company and that person winds up stealing money, for instance, they are not held accountable in any way because the references were done. <S> This is why it's very important for everyone to stay in touch with former managers and upon leaving a job, ask them for their cell or home number or personal email address, in case they leave the company. <S> You need to be able to locate them and ask them to supply references for you. <S> If they won't the thinking is that they're not comfortable doing it for some reason and that's a red flag. <S> Just because someone interviews well and has stellar skills, does not mean that they have a good work ethic, or were dependable. <S> The fact of the matter is that if a valued employee leaves a company, the manager will want to help that person land their next job. <A> To ensure that you're not lying to them References and ID are one way to check if what you told them is true, e.g. if indeed you managed 10 people on a huge project, if your former boss indeed loved you that much, etc. <A> Only recruiters know why they are doing what they're doing. <S> Two things could be happening: either the recruiter wants to make sure they are not being lied to (so as not to waste time), or they are playing some sort of a game. <S> We can't tell you which one it is. <S> But in the long term, keep this in mind: some recruiters do act immorally and use all kinds of ploys to raise their commission. <S> You have to learn to say 'no' to these people when they are pushing for something that you don't feel comfortable with. <S> I would advise against risking any relationships to satisfy their demands. <S> Regarding references: it is completely normal to only give them in response to a conditional job offer. <S> I've frequently been given contracts where a throgough background check happens after I sign them, and it is well understood that if something doesn't pan out thenI will not be working there. <A> Seems like the recruiters need your data more than the actual personal contact. <S> There are at least two possible explanations to this, namely: this is either a part of global trend for less-personalised communication and 'statification' of economics, or the persons in charge/in control are those of introvertive types. <A> If this recruiter works for an employment or staffing agency, the "dirty trick" they do here is get your references, then use them as leads to find other jobs they can pursue and help fill to earn their commissions. <S> If this recruiter works directly for the hiring company, often their HR department, then I would feel much safer giving this information out before you've even had a first interview with them. <S> However, the norm is to NOT give out professional references until you're in the running. <S> In the former case, people who have served as professional references to others have gotten their time wasted when they either try to hound them for job leads, or otherwise hounding them when the candidate is nowhere near consideration (which is why they're typically given out towards the end of the hiring process).
| Some recruiters want your references so that they can determine how good you are and what kind of jobs to suggest you for.
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How can I help a team member who feels threatened by collective code ownership? I run a team of software engineers where I try to instill the practice of collective code ownership. One team member is continuously threatened by an individual he feels is meddling in 'his code'. Both people contribute greatly to the team, but the threatened individual seems to be taking things more and more personally. How might I defuse the situation and help the threatened person move past his feelings? <Q> In what circumstances are these code changes being made? <S> For example, do you practice internal code review? <S> Making code changes based on the recommendations of a formal code review process is quite different to a colleague committing uninvited changes off their own bat without any change control process. <S> If you do control these changes, ask the team member to explain why they think the changes are unreasonable in the context of proper code review. <S> This gives them an avenue to voice legitimate concerns (if they have any) and simultaneously gives you justification for silencing unreasonable ones. <S> If however these changes are coming about unplanned and uninvited, well, Don't do that. <S> He'd be quite justified in resenting interference in these circumstances - and it probably isn't about 'his' code, more to do with the uncontrolled propagation of changes. <A> Be neutral: <S> First both are great value contributors to the team. <S> When ever such conflict occurs the first thing in the process of diffuse the situation is be neutral and don't be on either side of the one. <S> Have an Individual One on One meeting: <S> Make clear that the objective of this activity. <S> Educate both of them. <S> Similarly educate the threatened team member, how he should act when other persons threatens. <S> Educate both of them is don't take things personally. <S> Review the process and improve: <S> Review the process or activities what they are following currently to achieve the objective of CCO. <S> May be <S> one person feels that a piece of code is great and other feels it is just crap. <S> May be one person just write sample code and check in and another person immediately review and put his review comments. <S> The person feels that meddling as it is not final piece. <S> If you don't have clear guide lines, clear process these conflicts occurs. <S> Hence define clear guidelines and process for this activity which should not give any scope for conflicts <A> Maybe the developer who feels threatened doesn't understand the situation. <S> You write that you appreciate both of them, but does (s)he know that? <S> Also, maybe they have different strengths that come into play here. <S> On many teams, I've seen people who excel at writing stuff from scratch with a crystal clear architecture in mind, but when it comes to the nitty gritty stuff where bugs start to turn up, they kind of fade out. <S> If that is the case, explain to the two team members that what you see is that they complement each other.
| Educate or counsel the individual who feels is meddling in his code so that he should not feel like meddling . Set up an individual one one meeting and listens to their concerns and their problems about this responsibility.
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What criteria should one use to determine the optimal distance and height of the monitor on his or her desk, to ease back conditions? What criteria should one use to determine the optimal distance and height of the monitor on his or her desk, to prevent chronical back injuries? I suppose that there are some "formulas" how to determine this. Therefore I provide the measurements: I have a 24" monitor. I'm 185cm ( 6'0 ) tall, my desk is 75cm high and 80cm deep. I would prefer to have my monitor on the wall behind, but it is not necessary. <Q> Here is the OSHA (United States Department of Labor) checklist http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/computerworkstations/checklist.html and setup guides http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/computerworkstations/index.html . <S> Anecdotally I have found those do NOT always work particularly well as it's too simplistic. <S> People are different. <S> To properly implement the guidelines you actually need a height adjustable desk. <S> Most US office furniture is too small for me <S> so I either end up with the knees sticking up or the arms angling down. <S> I bought an adjustable height desk at IKEA. <S> Worked great. <S> A friend of mine got hospitalized because of unspecific but severe circulatory problems. <S> Turned out his armrests were cutting off circulation. <S> Armrests were removed, the problems disappeared and never occurred again. <S> I always use chairs without arm rest (if facility can be properly duped). <S> Don't stay too long in any one place. <S> If you are just doing a few quick e-mails, take the laptop to the kitchen, dining room or porch (weather permitting). <S> At work book yourself a conference room for 30 minutes a day just to switch it up a bit. <S> Great are workstations where you can stand for a while. <S> Some people I know use different chairs: e.g., balls or knee chairs (wheels or rocking). <S> I believe there is no one-size-fits all approach that works for everyone. <S> You can experiment around and record in a journal how your body (back, neck, head, arms) reacts to that. <S> This will help you to zero in on the setup(s) that work best for you personally. <A> From ErgoCanada : ... <S> We at ErgoCanada recommend that the top of the viewable screen of your monitor should be at the same approximate height as your eyes. <S> Since most of the time you are focused in the middle of your monitor, you will be looking slightly downward at a 10° - 15° angle, on average. <S> At the very most the bottom of the viewable area of your monitor should never be more than 25° - 30 <S> ° below your line of sight. <S> How far away should my my monitor be relative to my eyes? <S> This depends on an individuals visual capabilities, a good rule of thumb is you should be a minimum distance equal to the diagonal monitor width (i.e. for a 20" monitor, your eyes should be at least 20" away from the monitor). <S> If you find yourself squinting or leaning forward, and you are at the correct distance, have an eye exam performed. <S> If you are using the appropriate corrective lenses and are still finding difficulty in seeing the screen, consider reducing the resolution on your display. <A> I've always found that the "top at eye level" to be not so helpful. <S> I saw a pricey chiro in London who gave me advice i swear <S> by - eye level should be at the 50-75% mark of the monitor. <S> In the same way that we don't tilt our heads to look at the top of a painting we're viewing, keeping the eye level roughly in the middle (i prefer on the high end at about 65% monitor heigh) keeps me sane. <S> I don't think your weight/seatheigh/deskheigh play a part in the monitor height. <S> On the other hand, i've read that for seating you should have a slightly greater than 90 (~>90) degree angle between quads and back, and ~>90 degree angle for forearm to bicep. <S> Also, a ~>90 degree angle for calves to quads. <S> Feet are meant to be flat on the floor in this scenario, not dangling. <S> Obviously then you could presumably get a "magic number" that would be the height of a given monitor from the floor for a person, but you'd need to know the lengths of varying body parts. <S> If your neck is bugging you, have a look at you <S> seat too <S> - a seat can cause issues (maybe you sink into it? <S> Maybe it is slanted to one side? <S> etc) that can cascade up the body to seemingly unrelated body parts (eg neck).
| And the monitor should be slightly tilted back (about 10° - 15°) so that when you are looking at the center of the screen your line of sight is perpendicular to the surface of the screen. I just requisition blocks of (sealed) printer paper from the supply cabinet to get my monitor to the right height. I found the biggest bang for the buck is: mix it up.
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Reinterviewing for a job after 15 months after not passing initial phone interview Beginning of last year, I was selected for the interview process for a position that I really liked. A recruiter (employee of the company) who use to work for the company contacted me for the position. My interview process ended after first phone interview and I was not provided any feedback as to why I didn't advanced to the next level. Since then I have been preparing myself for similar positions and have been doing a lot of informational interview. I feel now I am better prepared for such interviews. Now, a very similar position opened again in the same company few weeks back and I want to reapply for the position. Question: I am thinking to again contact the same recruiter (I verified that he/she is working for the same department/company) and expressing my interest again for the position. Is there anything else I should do (or NOT do) when I am contacting a recruiter for reconsidering me for the position? I don't want to say (or not say) something that would blow my chances away. <Q> A lot of things can happen in a year. <S> If I were you, without knowing the details of your previous interview process, I wouldn't reveal that you were previously considered for the position unless they bring up the subject first. <S> You want to be judged based on what you have to offer them today, not what they didn't feel you had to offer last year. <S> Otherwise, be honest, be engaged, and demonstrate your interest and enthusiasm for the position by coming up with meaningful and thoughtful questions to ask in the interview. <S> If this is a place you want to work, invest the time to get to know it and don't be afraid to ask about the company culture, expectations, and advancement opportunities. <S> Good luck to you, by the way... <A> Definitely contact the company and ask them if they would allow you to apply again. <S> A similar thing happened to me. <S> I applied for a position and got a phone call that I wasn't being picked for interview, and the HR person gave wishy washy reasons. <S> Three months later a similar job was advertised. <S> I rang the company and asked if they would accept me applying again, and the (different) HR person said they would, and gave me some tips as to tweak my CV and cover letter. <S> I got an interview and the job ! <A> I think interviewers don't always have the best idea of what the 'right fit' is necessarily, and to take anything they say <S> personally just makes you feel worse when you face a similar situation next time. <S> There is definitely a big factor whether they know you have applied or not and whether it is the same person doing the recruiting or not. <S> I think the fact that you reapplied for a similar job means that it is of interest to you, and I don't think it can work against you unless there was a specific reason they didn't want to hire you the first time and you need to avoid tripping the same alarm again. <S> If you cannot obtain this information, then I would suggest that you look at this as being a new interview where you have gained more skills and experience as an employee, and that if this is the right timing for you then the rest will take care of itself.
| There are always a lot of unknowns in the interview process, and the thing you would hope is that it is the skills of the applicant that determines whether you get the job or not.
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Releasing conference tickets in a fair way for all timezones The organizer for a programming conference is wondering how to release tickets in a way that's fair for people in all timezones. He's wanting people from all around the world to attend (and there's already speakers from the Americas, Europe and Asia), and is worried that if he releases a batch of tickets at a specific time, then people living in some countries will be able to buy them all while people in other countries are still asleep. Currently, he's thinking of releasing one batch of tickets at one time, and another batch at a different time. Will this solve the problem? What other approaches to this problem exist? <Q> An approach I saw work <S> well once (not a conference but another limited-availability online purchase) was this: the tickets were released in four batches, six hours apart. <S> If any were left from an earlier batch they remained available for sale, but this meant people had a pretty good chance of hitting one of the windows for a new influx of tickets. <S> I think they sold the last ticket a few hours after the final batch was released. <S> (Dreamwidth permanent memberships, a couple years ago, in case you're wondering.) <A> I would have thought the better way to make it fair is to allocate a certain number of tickets to each area/region if you want equal participation/attendance. <S> Of course, you could set a time limit so after an initial period then the remaining unsold tickets are opened up to everyone else that is interested. <A> I'm not sure how fast the places on the conference are sold. <S> He/ <S> She can think of a reasonable treshold like 30%. <S> If the tickets get sold too quickly, he/she might consider selling the tickets in different times of day, and maybe in days not consecutive, like Monday+Thursday week 1, and <S> Tuesday+Friday week 2, so that people who travel or so have the chance to get their place, too. <S> However, if this is the case <S> , maybe he <S> /she should reconsider some parameters of the conference, like capacity, ticket price, scope etc. <S> Having to "fight" for the places may discourage many possible participants who might form a good auditorium, but they (or they employer) are not so accustomed to "the modern fast world", or they simply don't like it.
| If less than 30% of the places are sold on the first day, you can release all tickets at once.
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How should someone respond to sudden small gifts after a promotion? After a promotion or reorganization, people invariably try to curry favor with the new management. But how should the newly promoted respond to sudden small gifts? [Small gifts might include: a box of gourmet chocolates, a bottle of moderately-priced wine, or sporting event tickets.] Should a new manager simply say, "Thanks" and graciously accept "small gifts"? Or should unequivocally refuse such small gifts because they could lead to favoritism and dilute the meritocracy? <Q> Of course, if you turn down the gift you can also offend the person who is offering it genuinely as goodwill <S> so you need to think about that side of the coin as well. <S> It is important that you set a precedent and be consistent, but if you make too much of an issue about gifts then people might think there's more to it. <A> In addition to the other answers, I would say that: Non-sharable gifts should be kindly refused, and one should be clear and clean about the reasons: " <S> I don't think that I should accept this gift." <S> The only exception is when it is a "community gift": If most of the department collect money to give you something (wellness voucher for instance), it is completely ok, you should show that you appreciate it, and it does not imply one person to be in favour (even when usually one person organises the others to do that). <S> Flowers are sharable (you place them in the office/meeting room), chocolates/coffee/sweets are sharable. <S> Bottle of alcohol is not, unless you have a "Friday afternoon cake" habit where you could offer it to everybody. <A> But how should the newly promoted respond to sudden small gifts? <S> [Small gifts might include: a box of gourmet chocolates, a bottle of moderately-priced wine, or sporting event tickets.] <S> Do you have a common area where people gather? <S> Water cooler? <S> Pantry? <S> Small staff break room? <S> If their gifts are food, then just open up the box of chocolates, place it in the pantry & let everyone have some of it. <S> Now, this does’t necessarily work in small groups, but in large organizations it’s an easy way to deflect these kind of gifts. <S> If it’s an object, your call on what to do. <S> But I do not recommend displaying them as trophies. <S> That really sends the wrong message to other people on staff. <S> I have known a few co-workers—not management—who would have items on their desk clearly on display as trophies of what they were able to get from others & it’s just obnoxious. <A> If the gifts come immediately after the promotion I would graciously accept them and by all means try to do what Michael answered. <S> Make sure everything is visible and in the open. <S> Note that you already concluded that people who give gifts "invariably try to curry favor with the new management". <S> That interpretation may be off. <S> Maybe they just wanted to congratulate you and the gift was to celebrate it. <S> You would have to refuse the gift as graciously as you would otherwise accept it.
| I think if it is a gift that can be shared, then sharing it among the workers or using it as a prize/incentive for performance would be a good way to both accept the gift and also dispel any sense of bias.
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Male wearing earrings in workplace (South Asia) I'm a male working in a medium sized company as a software developer. I am wearing ear rings on both ears for spiritual and religious reasons. I find this change in me has been taken negatively as one of my colleagues mentioned to me that it looked arrogant. I also personally noticed people were reluctant to speak to me. I intend to wear it for at least one month. But now I'm considering to get rid of them earlier. I want to know how is the wearing of earrings considered generally in an Asian workplace for men? I'm living in Southeast Asia and my colleagues are mostly Asians. <Q> I have suffered the same situation. <S> Try to explain why you wear ear rings (importance) and ask their suggestion whether you should wear ear rings or not. <S> By this way your will get positive feedback (by the way their permission!) <S> and they will understand your need. <A> In my experience, it's generally inappropriate for men to wear earrings in a corporate, software-development work environment. <S> That meaning, it violates the social norms, and you will be noticed for it. <S> That being said, the geographical location, company size, company culture, general attitude of the city, domain/industry, and most importantly, the specific workplace and coworkers you have to deal with, will completely change <S> if it's well accepted in your situation. <S> It seems like in your case, it's having some negative connotations. <S> Assuming there's no company policy preventing you from wearing them, then it's a personal decision to decide which is more important to you: <S> your perception to your peers, management and business partners, or your own spiritual beliefs. <A> In a democratic and free country you should be able to wear whatever you want, as long as it is not offensive (racist symbols etc.) and against certain obvious social norms (nudity etc.). <S> Your company may have a certain dress code. <S> Ignore the peer pressure. <S> Be yourself and be an individual. <S> You will both gain more confidence and self respect and in the long run you should also gain more understanding and respect from others. <S> Seeing as you're a software developer <S> I would think there is less of a problem with regards to "out of the norm" dressing. <A> In Corporate America, it is generally perceived as unprofessional in the corporate environment. <S> If this is where you work expect some condescending treatment toward you for a while, even after you take them off. <S> There are places like factories, plants, and other blue collar environments that are more casual and it is commonplace to see a man with one or two earrings.
| I would say use your company's dress code as a guide line, but don't use it as a be all and end all.
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Agreed price for agreed work to be done, but now asking for more work to be done? About 2 months ago I was asked to make a charity website for a friend, it was only going to be a html/css website ie. No need for PHP, JavaScript etc, being a friend I offered £60 for the website, we decided the look of the website and I created the graphics etc, the website was done. Recently he asked me to completely change the look of the website (no problem), ie remodelling and new graphics but now with what he wanted it required PHP, user access, JavaScript, ajax, DOM manipulation, the lot pretty much as he wanted an application form (over 30 fields), a donation payment form, a lot more pages than before, and I'm still under the impression he thinks he only needs to pay £60. What can I say, politely to tell him it's really not enough for the work I'm doing? <Q> I agree with Oded, it sounds like an entirely new website. <S> Consider the following services with regards to websites: AddsMovesChanges <S> Of course alot of us learn by experience in the freelance field, but if he wants to change the entire look of the website , then that is by definition a new site, even if it's still myfriendswebsite.com . <S> It may take some convincing and examples of what would fall under the Adds Moves & Changes categories and what would not, but ultimately it's up to the customer to continue to do business with you or not. <S> With my own website clients, I inform them that the template we agree on is it. <S> If they want to Add <S> a page <S> , that's fine, Move <S> content on a page then great, or Change <S> a page or the content of a page <S> then okay, as long as we still have the same basic template. <A> If you're willing and able to do the work, I would quote him your price per hour, and break down the requested additions/changes into estimates. <S> You don't have to charge what you might normally charge, as he is your friend <S> and it's a charity website, but you've completed your original agreement, and this is (at least from what I read in your question) outside the scope of that agreement. <S> Doing a favor for a friend is all well and good, but you must as some point draw the line and stand up for the value of your time and talent. <S> You don't need to be confrontational about it, but you must make it clear that this is not what you originally committed to. <A> I think that since you ask on Workspace and no Programmers, you know that you have done what was asked originally, and that you only look for the ways how to explain it to him. <S> I recommend you to find what exactly you agreed on with him (you might not have the specifics in a contract, but digging up the appropriate mails should suffice). <S> Then tell him that you are willing to do the changes he asks for, but before discussing that, you would like to sort out the agreement you had and you suppose to get the promised money. <S> Present him the contract/mail/agreement if necessary, to make it clear that you have done your job. <S> If he is irreponsive to that and he doesn't want to pay, then you have to be more straight, friends or not. <S> The politeness is, in my opinion, in making the situation clear. <S> You cannot be very polite to someone who does not understand the situation. <S> If this is not enough, you have no other option but to remove the project from their site until you two agree on that. <S> This may, however, mean that you are never paid.
| Just explain him that the job was underpriced at the beginning, that you were happy to help with his project, but that programming costs a lot of time (like other jobs do) and you cannot continue working on that without any extra money, that you want your money now.
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Interviewers doubt my freelance work due to no proof as my friend / coworker passed away recently I worked from November 2011 as a free lancer with a friend but he recently passed away in December 2012. Now when I interview for a job I have a gap in my resume that I have no proof for as my friend cannot vouch for me. There is no invoice trail as my friend was paying me by cash. Interviewers don't believe I had a job at that time as I have no proof of working there. How do I bridge this in an interview? <Q> I would list the position on my resume as free lance work. <S> I would not mention anything about your friend passing away. <S> When interviewers ask about the position if you can talk confidently about the work your did then they will be less likely to question the experience. <S> I have worked primarily on Intranet applications that are not available for the public to see. <S> But I can explain the projects at a high level and talk about the work I did on the projects as well as answering questions that interviewers ask. <S> This has always been enough for me to convince the interviewers that my experience is real. <S> If you have some code samples that you can provide to back up the experience that is even better. <A> (invoices, reference letters, if not code samples?) <S> I would suggest that you maybe contact your previous customers and ask for a reference letter that would describe the nature of your work, if possible. <S> For such cases, I scan the letters or print emails as PDFs and have them available in a way that I can retrieve them from a browser (dropbox links, personal site etc) so that proof can be produced easily <S> and I don't have to carry tons of paper for every interview. <A> Really, no paper trail? <S> So if you get paid cash in the country where you live, it is not taxable income? <S> If you remitted tax, then you have a paper trail from that. <S> If you were required to pay tax on this, but didn't, then maybe don't mention it in interviews. <S> The tax-free income you enjoyed can be regarded as an offset against the interview woes you're having. <A> In my experience no prospective employer ever asked for proof of anything, not diplomas, neither work experience. <S> And only once the most anal of all my employers asked for copies of diplomas a few months after being hired. <S> They do however tend to ask for references, a name, a phone number or email address, which is normal I would say. <S> As long as you can talk about what you did in such a way it gives them confidence you know what you're talking about, it should be fine. <S> Disclaimer, this is all IT related work. <A> The source of the problems are that many people are hiding the fact that they were doing no work in some time (looking for job or simply taking very long vacations) by putting "freelance" position in their CV. <S> In fact, if you were really freelancer, this means that either you were hired on the basis of civil contract or own company. <S> In first case you should have payroll in some kind (it is required to pay taxes), in second case you are paying taxes yourself and you can prove it also. <S> Of course, you can prove you have paid taxes (so prove your income) but not that all was from working as freelance, but if you had earned that f.g. selling carpets, why would you not continue that? <S> In worst case you are if you were working black. <S> But in that case it is better to hide that fact than to say you were doing something illegal. <S> Most companies would not like to hire someone with criminal past, even if you are ashamed of it <S> and you were forced to accept such deal because of your economic situation.
| With the truth: You can mention that your co-worker passed away (supposing that there is a way to prove it) and you should also be able to produce evidence of the freelancing work you did together
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I'm critical to the company, but underpaid and seeking new employment. Should I tell my superiors? I am in a critical niche position at a medium sized (~300 person) company and I am not respected and grossly underpaid. My daily operations are required in order for the company to function and there is not even one other person at the company who could even begin to do what I have been doing for the past few years. There were other members of my team but they all left because of the lack of respect and we have been unable to hire new members because so few people know the required technologies and skills. This leaves me doing the work of 4 people. It would be possible to hire a consultant to take over my position, but they are billable at 4 times my salary and not likely to have the skills and experience I have acquired. While I do enjoy certain aspects of the company, the poor pay and lack of respect within the organisation make it difficult to stay. However, my leaving would leave the company in a very difficult position and I would rather try to solve the problem. So my question is: should I tell my company I will require a position boost for respect and enormous salary boost or I will be leaving? If so, how should I approach the conversation? <Q> If you are unhappy with your position, title, or salary, you should absolutely voice these concerns. <S> But I would not phrase it as an ultimatum, at least not at first. <S> Explain your frustrations, your accomplishments, your situation, your needs. <S> Sometimes the squeaky wheel gets the grease. <S> If your efforts are fruitless, then you can escalate. <S> Personally I would never recommend explicitly telling them that you are looking for other employment. <S> It has too much chance to backfire, by souring the relationship further, or even getting you fired preemptively. <A> Neither. <S> Get them to convert you to consultant. <S> This is the way to go. <S> This is what people do in my industry (high-tech.) <S> It's a win-win for both sides: you make the bigger dollars, they keep you without needing to hire and retrain someone else, and you don't leave on bad terms. <S> You get to stay. <S> You are in the perfect position to do this, so take advantage of the opportunity. <S> A couple years ago I was working at a shop where the database guy did exactly this. <S> He had been working there for a long time. <S> He was tired of the pay and the politics. <S> He was an indispensable resource for the business. <S> So he simply negotiated with them to make him a consultant. <S> Obviously this requires negotiation skills - so my advice is: stop the "negative" feelings you might have towards the company, and replace them with a business mentality. <A> It depends on if you like the job enough to stay if you were given a pay/benefit raise. <S> Also, are you underpaid for your skills in the local state/area? <S> As opposed to just looking on the internet and seeing better paying jobs in other states, because costs of living vary. <S> There are websites that will give you this info. <S> I will assume you are underpaid in your area, since you are looking for other (better paying) work. <S> Do you know if they have it in the budget to give you more compensation? <S> You may not have access to the books <S> but if you hear things about hiring and etc around the watercooler, vs possible downsizing then that's an indicator <S> there is money somewhere . <S> That information could work to your advantage, as there is no point in asking for more money if they are about to go under. <S> There's also the option of quitting and then offering your services as a consultant, huge decision, which is a question best left for another SE site :-) <S> If you truly feel no one else can do your job, then let them know if they can't compensate you that you plan on looking for work elsewhere. <S> It's important that you intend to follow up on this threat. <S> It's not unheard of for a company to bring someone back because of their skillset, once they experience life without them.
| If you are performing mission-critical operations that affect the company's bottom line, but feel you are not getting the respect or compensation you are due, then you should absolutely look for ways to communicate your achievements. If you have a boss or boss's boss who is at all reasonable, approach them and meet about the topic.
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Jokingly told my boss "I quit" on April Fools, and I think I just got fired I jokingly told my manager "I quit" via email (it was longer than that) as an April Fools joke. We get along pretty well normally. Well, it seems my joke was taken a bit too seriously as I just got an automated email from HR with checkout procedures and an invite to a few "checkout" meetings later this week as well. My company has also been letting a lot of people go recently so I am worried this is an excuse to have that happen to me. I can see my manager responding in a like fashion but the HR communication worries me. He is also on vacation this week so I cannot ask him directly (which would be ideal). How can I determine if I am actually being fired or my boss is just playing along? <Q> The best plan of attack will be to slap your boss. <S> If this doesn't work, sleeping with your boss's wife is also an effective way to make it clear <S> you were only joking. <S> Failing that, you should probably just quit your job - no one wants to work with a bunch of people who cannot take a joke. <S> This is likely to make it hard for you to get a new job. <S> Fortunately you can just make up your new resume. <S> This will make is significantly easier to find a new job if they do not know to call your last one for a reference. <S> Make sure to watch out for an employee pushing you in front of a bus . <A> Call your boss immediately and indicate in no uncertain terms that the email was a joke (an incredibly bad idea, by the way), and you're concerned that it was taken seriously. <S> The risk of being a sucker and falling for his automated HR email prank is much less disastrous than actually losing your job over a poorly thought out joke. <A> There's no need to take action. <S> Just carry on doing your job as well as you can. <S> If your boss is playing along with your "joke," nothing will happen. <S> Mind you, if at some point in the future your pay stops being processed, you can be certain that they have "fixed the glitch" and you actually were terminated. <S> Please be advised that if you resigned in writing, you were not fired. <S> Your prank is in much the same taste as having a lawyer deliver divorce papers on April 1st.
| Slapping people at work is pretty common and will help make it more clear you were only joking.
|
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