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My boss told me I'd have to pay him to quit. Can he do that? I'm negotiating my updated contract at work and my boss, in an attempt to get me to comply, told me I could owe him up to $20,000 if I were to quit. His argument was that he invested a lot of money in me to help build my skill set, like paying for me to t...	Check your contract or the terms of your employment agreement. If you are in the USA, which I am guessing due to the "$20,000", unless you signed a really stupid contract, you owe your boss nothing.
How to handle boss giving task that might breach the law? I am a developer and I work for a start up. My boss assigned me a task of checking two career-related networking sites. I need to programmatically visit these sites, and check whether they have a link for each entity in our database or not. If yes, I need to sav...	Raising the task the boss just asked me to do with the legal department would be perceived as rather hostile to my boss--I would not want to do this until I thought there was a problem and had discussed it with the boss first.
Does it look bad if I leave early as an hourly employee? I'm an hourly employee who works 40 hour weeks at a small office. Yesterday I left early (About 40 minutes) because I just wasn't being productive anymore. As an hourly employee, I get paid based on exactly the time I worked. I do not have any expecially pressin...	So you should discuss this with your manager directly. Most overtime is paid when you exceed the hours for the time period and not on just a daily variance. As to "reflecting badly upon work ethic" - that also depends on the attitude of your manager, but for a single occurence, in a situation that is unclear, I don't t...
Offered raise with an increase in hours I'm currently working as a 40 hour salaried employee. The company I work for recently said that I'm one of their most efficient employees, and has offered me a 10% raise if I increase my hours to 50 hours a week. Now, I understand that this is a personal decision, but my math s...	Yes, a good company would compensate you accordingly if you were doing more time.
Would a hack for a competitive video game look good on a resume, or would it call into question my ethics? I'm considering developing a hack for a competitive multiplayer game and putting it on my resume. Is this a good idea, or would it cause too many questions? Could I avoid this by not distributing or attempting to ...	Some people might see this on your resume and react positively, while others would react very negatively. I'd say any hack that might result in a ban from that game world when detected would probably be something you kept to yourself.
Maintaining a paper trail after leaving a company Over the course of my two years with my current employer, I've collected a small but not insignificant amount of company data on my personal machine(s). Most of these are in the form of old config files I keep as a back up or emails with information I like to reference....	Generally speaking - when exiting a company you are to turn over all property that belongs to them.
How can I ask for a different brand of hardware offered by my employer? The employment perks state I get my own MacBook Pro (to work with) and iPhone, but I really dislike Apple hardware (not going to discuss Apple vs Brand X) and I simply work way better and much more efficient on a Linux machine. How can I polite...	Just ask and be nice about it. Unless you're so good at what you do that the company thinks the value of your work eclipses the costs of having one oddball system in the office, they may simply say "no thanks" and move on to the next candidate. Instead, when you get the job, ask the IT department if it would be possibl...
In an interview when answering a question, should you say if you're not sure? This was embarrassing but in an interview I was asked if I what the current version of Java was and I wasn't sure but had an idea. I said 7 (and the correct answer is 8). In situations like this is it better not to guess and admit you'd have ...	If the truth is that I don't know something, I tell them.
If I forget to invoice a customer, who pays? I am a freelancer. Last year I did a large project for a client. The job went very well. However at the end of the project things were quite hectic with me wrapping up the project and starting a new job for a different customer at the same time. The client was very happy wi...	You did the work, so you should get paid in full. Making invoicing mistakes can project a lack of professionalism, and that's never a good thing.
Should I tell my supervisor if one of my direct reports is pursuing another job? I supervise 5 people and one them confided to me she is pursuing another job possibly. She was very emotional and cried a lot. She has not made a final decision yet. Am I obligated to tell my immediate supervisor? <Q> Short answer: <S> Abs...	Don't tell anyone that you want to leave.
What kind of objectives we could set for a team working on different projects? I'm a team leader for a software development team, who is working in the same location, but for several customer. No more than 2 people working together. As you can imagine, it is difficult to build as a team.One of my ideas was to have some...	Have each team regularly give brief presentations (over lunch) to the other teams as to what they are doing, what challenges there and what novel things they are doing to get around them.
How to suggest more strict deadlines? A friend of mine (let's call him Jim), asked me for advice on an tricky situation where I'm not sure how to handle it either. So maybe one of you can help how to approach it. Jim actually is working in a young company. The product is still in development so it is important for the...	Also, use a spreadsheet - divide the project into tasks and assign his own deadlines.
how to avoid being a point of reference for functional and technical issues without getting a financial reward? It is quite a long time now that in my company I am a point of reference both for functional and technical problems, I mean that I sometimes work as a business analyst as to say I get the customer question an...	Don't go to your boss and ask for a raise because you're doing all this work he doesn't think you should be doing. You need your manager to set some guidelines for what your responsibilities are.
How do you convince a colleague clean up workspace without being his boss? I have a colleague who works with his hands on our product testing; however, his lack of workspace organization and a clean up protocol leaves much to be desired. Most of what I'm talking about is tools not being put back, wires all over the pla...	Inform your colleague that when it happens and a client visit is to occur, then your colleague can expect all of the stray belongings on his desk to be tossed into a box and tucked away on a shelf someplace. At some point, he'll become frustrated at not finding his materials and at that point either he'll shape up or s...
Turned down a client after accepting dinner, how could I have handled this better? I was approached by a guy recently who wanted me to be involved in his startup. He asked me to meet him, he bought me dinner, talked about funding and market potential, etc, then invited me to see the technology. I told him my rate and ...	It appears that you did everything that one would expect in your situation. Quote him a fair price at your rates, invite him to price-shop if he is so inclined, thank him for the opportunity to bid, and you're done until he makes an acceptable offer. Accepting an invitation to dinner does not obligate you to any commit...
What are the odds of software companies contacting references at the time of job offer? I am interviewing at some major software companies for senior engineer/scientist roles. My current boss is a very hands off kind of a guy, and is not very familiar with my precise roles and contributions to various projects, and may...	It will not seem odd not to list you current boss in the reference list you'll submit as recruiters are well aware that when candidates are searching passively for new job position, your current company may not be aware of you wanting to leave. In almost every case in my career (which is long), references are checked a...
Can my employer own any code I write? United States Software Engineer here. Can my employer legally make me sign something that says they own any code I may write(including at home)? I know they can terminate me at anytime for any reason. My question is: is such a agreement even valid? They allow you do to stuff in...	If you are a w-2 employee who is not an independent contractor then all of the work you do while being paid for them or on their projects is inherently owned by them unless you have a special contract stating that you will retain copyright of code you write.
Asking a new employer to buy me out of a "training costs must be paid back" clause I've signed an agreement to repay the costs of training (a few thousand $$) in the event I leave the company within X period of time. The training is for an industry specific certificate which I've just completed. Is it reasonable to as...	Some companies will factor that buyout cost into their offer to you. It's obviously Ok to ask them. (It may very well be "No", since this is your problem not theirs, and they may not want to be the solution.)
Hygiene Etiquette for Riding a Bike to Work I have an internship that is close enough to my apartment that I could ride my bike to work. Obviously, that will cause me to sweat on the way to work, especially during summer, so even though I would do proper hygiene and shower before heading to work, I could smell bad by t...	If you don't have a shower, find somewhere nearby that does have one and will allow you to use it. If the standard roll-on or spray deodorant doesn't work, you might consider trying long-duration (clinical) deodorants, which in most cases get rid of the smell.
How to go on leave just after joining a company? I have just been accepted in a new company however, I have a pre-planned trip 1 week after my official start date. This has been planned months earlier and everything has been booked. How do I tell them (new company) that I need to go on this trip without giving a bad i...	Based on where you are in the hiring process I would tell them right away. So I strongly recommend to be upfront about this.
I've learned one my family members is terminally ill, when should I inform my employer? I've recently been informed that one my family members is terminally ill, and is only expected to survive 12-36 months depending on treatment. When should I inform my employer? What are my risks? <Q> If it might affect your work pe...	There are drawbacks to telling them later, such as leaving them in a bad situation workwise. The sooner they know the better.
Attending a Strip Club after hours on a business trip Is it appropriate to attend a strip club after hours during a business trip? My employer and/or our client has paid my travel and lodging expenses however I also feel what I do after work is my own business. Thoughts? <Q> What you do outside of your working hours i...	No, you're on a Business Trip after hours or not, in terms of clients etc,.
My coworker is lying about the current state of his work One of my co-workers stated that he has done a test of the application he's working on, and that it's currently running on ten PCs. But I've found that it's running on a single PC only, and the tests on this PC failed, a fact that can be deduced from the log file...	I believe your assumption that he's lying.
Is it bad news when an interview is postponed? So I have been in the process of interviewing at a company in town. I have some experience with jobs of this nature and I apparently passed their assessment test with flying colors, and a formal online interview was scheduled for today. I got a call today saying they woul...	If they had an offer out to a potential, still would make more sense to keep the interview on time, as rescheduling generally doesn't look good (and the times I've been rescheduled on, the interviewer has apologised). Most likely you will find that there is nothing bad about this delay.
What do employers do with the money they withhold for your income tax? As per the rules, every employer withholds money from your paycheck for your income tax. These taxes are only paid once a year. What do employers do with the money they've withheld from you in the meantime? Where do they deposit it? <Q> In the US, ...	They make payments to the IRS, either through their bank (all business banks have this facility) or by having the IRS debit their accounts.
What is a professional way to request my CTO and project manager to end my night shift I have been working night shift for the past 6 months and I'd like to request that this changes. I was initially promised that I would only be working these shifts for 3 months. However, I cannot continue doing this as I am facing he...	Be straight up and professional in your first request. I would set up a meeting with the manager and tell him that it was your understanding that working night shifts was a temporary arrangement, and that it is simply not something which you can continue doing due to health issues, life-work balance, or whatever your r...
Does my employer have the right to phishing a personal account for security purposes? A few days ago I received a LinkedIn invitation email from some other employee of the company. I clicked the email link to check this person LinkedIn profile, I logged in with my personal account into LinkedIn and, voilà, it turned ou...	Most employers have a policy stating that they own any and all information sent from within their network and/or devices and that you have zero expectation of privacy, so if you were using personal credentials to log into a personal account from a company network and/or computer, you've given them the right to "own" th...
Something to improve in the office and the only one with the feeling As always, I have something to improve in the office and the only one with the feeling.This time is that the AC machine is a bit old and noisy and would like to suggest my boss to change it.In fact, AC is not necessary for me at all but my collegues i...	Replacing an AC would be a company expense that the company is very unlikely willing to pay for.
Should I leave my company when I'm the only developer? So, I'm currently a intern at the company I work. I've been here for a year. However, I feel like the management doesn't give much value the development team. Currently, I'm the only developer that comes here everyday. There is a senior that sometimes comes during...	Make the move that's best for you.
How to handle an intoxicated on-the-job coworker I have a coworker who comes back from lunch high frequently. I know for a fact this is the case, because he has outright said that he got high during lunch. While I am in a state where it is illegal, it basically has the same penalty as a parking ticket. However, it ce...	Unless I wasn't confident that my manager would handle the situation, I would discuss it with them first, and if it continues, talk with HR. I don't think it's your job/place to confront this person.
HR asked me to send references. Are they going to call them? The HR sent me an email telling me that the interview went well. As a follow up to the interview she asked me to send her three professional references (names, professional relationship and contact information - phone and email). As a fresh graduate (I gra...	As far as quality goes, what's most important is that they're positive references, beyond that, if someone who is interviewing you knows your reference, that goes pretty far. A professional reference is simply someone that you worked with, typically a supervisor, a colleague, or a direct report.
How can I encourage a reluctant colleague to conform to new processes? I'm going to make this question as general as possible, as I've encountered similar problems elsewhere, those curious about the specific conditions can read below the break. In ~2 months time, I'll be leaving my current position. My manager is awar...	I don't think it is unreasonable for your colleague to want the author of the new process to be around the first time it is tried.
should i tell a company what i expect in salary? I'm applying for my boss's job this week, since she's leaving the company. The application process has a field for salary expectation to see if, "... our expectations are in line." Should I put anything in this field? I'd rather try and get them to give me a number fir...	Whether it is a required field on the form or not, I have never seen a candidate who had no idea of what salary to expect. Required or not, you should at least put a number there.
I broke an appliance at a company-supplied house -- should I turn myself in? The company I currently work at offers accommodation to interns, a position I currently have. This accommodation is shared among other interns. It so happens that I broke an appliance at the house. Obviously I did not do this on purpose but i...	Making mistakes is a part of professional life and the right way to deal with it is to own up to it, learn from it and deal with the consequences. You should generally never feel compelled to share anything that you do privately in your living space, with anyone. I would just write a email to whoever maintains the equi...
If I refuse an offer does that place me at a disadvantage if I apply to that company again? I am slightly concerned about applying to multiple companies at one time, not only because of the time consuming process, having to take leave for interviews etc., but also for the impact it may have down the line. Specifically...	In my experience, you would indeed be at a disadvantage with a company you rejected, particularly if you apply for the same job or a job in the same group later. There's no way to know for sure, but it certainly could affect whether they consider you or not.
How to explain to future employers that I left my previous company because of ethical reasons without tarnishing my previous employer? As a follow up question of this I need to figure out a clever way to describe my situation during future job interviews. The summary of the situation: I was working for a start-up as ...	The phrase you are looking for is "It wasn't a good fit."
Company offering an interview slot either tomorrow or the next working day - no exception. Is this a red flag? I've just passed a phone interview with a company in London. For the next round, they offer me 2 choices - either tomorrow at a set time, or on Tuesday at a set time as Monday is a bank holiday in the UK. I re...	Also consider that a very busy manager might be taking part in the interview, and his/her schedule might be very inflexible. Companies don't have to accommodate your preferences - they simply try out of politeness, or because they think you're an especially valuable applicant.
Can I refuse a promotion without penalty? This is my first question ever on here so bear with me if it's not 100% correct... I'm in a position at work where I may be offered a promotion in the next few weeks. If I take it my workload will almost certainly double, I'll be on call 24/7 (now it's one week a month). The...	Your Boss may be annoyed with you for turning down the promotion and that could reflect in your future pay raises, task assignments and performance evaluations. You can be terminated for any reason, or no reason at all.
Negotiating office location with business partner My co-founder 'Bob', and myself have been working out of separate locations for about 2 years. Bob and I built the business together and we both own an equal share. We are looking to get an office together in order to more efficiently handle an increased workload. Bob ...	He doesn't want to give up his office, but it is not reasonable for you to be burdened with unnecessary commute. If the company is paying for his space, you may want to look for less expensive spaces closer to you. You need to make some type of compromise.
How do I describe a role where I study different software solutions in my CV? As an intern, my current role is to study different stream processing frameworks, in order to integrate them later (by me) into a platform created by the company. By studying a framework, I mean reading its documentation, understanding its ar...	While your CV should obviously keep the job title you currently have ( add something like Software Developer in brackets if you don't have a title as an intern), you can describe it with one or all of the following: proof of concept implementations of [frameworks X, Y, Z / # stream processing frameworks] deployed and d...
Is it really inappropriate to ask someone out in the workplace? A bit silly but I may have a small crush for an HR advisor in my company. The company is large and the culture is quite formal. Ideally I'd like to meet her outside work and talk to her normally but there are no occasions to do so. Is it really in...	Best if you met her outside work, but of course that would imply finding out where she goes outside work, which might be thought to be stalking. But either way, follow her directions on whats appropriate and if she says no then leave it at that.
Meet for coffee about a potential job when I am not interested in a new job I received an email from the founder of a tech startup about meeting for coffee and discussing some openings at his company. He is experienced, the company sounds interesting, but I am 99% certain that I won't leave my job situation at this tim...	As you interested and might consider working with him now or in few months, I would advice you to meet with him and discuss your situation during the coffee meeting, being perfectly honest with your current situation and your expectations.
Can people complain about my grammar when I was not employed to use perfect English? My company head hunted me for my abilities of a warehouse manager and people management skills. My English however has never been my strongest ability and they are now complaining about my grammar in emails. As they never employed me...	If it is an issue, I'd approach your manager/boss and say you know it's not your strongest point and say you'd be willing to take some business English classes if need be.
What are the legal advantages of employee over contract status I've been on a rolling contract for a little over a year now out of school, and prior to that the work I did was in and out of internships. I've heard that employee status is much more preferable than contract status, and I'd like to better understand why....	In some countries, once you have been in employment for long enough, you will have rights if the employer wishes to make you redundant.
Asking for too many pay raises in one year? I currently work as a developer on a platform that demands certifications. Without these certifications, you're basically out of the running for any role that requires development on this platform. As it stands, I hold a certification on said platform. Earlier this year, dur...	Generally speaking, if your employer isn't looking to screw you over, you can expect to get regular raises until you're in the ballpark of the value you add to the company.
How should I approach a recruiter once you got an interview call via internal referral? The recruiter sent me a job profile, for which I sent him my resume, but after 2 days later he responded that the employer thinks my profile didn't match the job description. In the meantime, I discovered my ex-colleague is working ...	I have seen a recruiter more than happy to take a candidate from his colleague to fill a new position.
What should I say to a potentially vengeful ex-manager when interviewing for a job, after having left recently? Recently I left a job where I had worked for a number of years. Throughout my time there, I had more or less the same manager. I left because I wasn't being challenged enough and I felt a little overworked m...	If he presses for details, I would simply say, "I am uncomfortable repeating anything I said in a confidential exit interview. If he has any questions, answer them truthfully and sincerely in a straight forward fashion. You have already done what you need to do. In fact, as your ex -manager, they really have no reason ...
What is the right way to think about doing lower value work when small talking with an executive? I work as an IT helpdesk contractor in a large corporation. We basically have to help users with resetting their passwords, switching out broken stuff, so nothing fancy. Sometimes I get into smalltalk with the employees t...	When in doubt about any complement, a simple thank you is a safe response.
Problems in Concentration Due to Pregnancy I am currently 5 months pregnant and work in a tech company. We have an open seating area for the engineering department and this is where I sit as well. I have just received my semi annual review a few weeks ago with one of the highest scores in the company. However, recently...	Get a pair of noise canceling headphones, or ear plugs, and anything else that can lower stimulus. A few women I know had extreme increases in sensitivity to stimulus when they were expecting (which makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint, you're going to want to know if there is a predator in the area, if food is ...
Abrupt end to internship I am an intern at one of the major Silicon Valley Companies. I was recruited last December to work in a team for 8 months, which I gladly accepted. My signed offer letter says I would be interning for 8 months. I should mention that I am a PhD (international) student in EE from a different stat...	Any employment can be terminated at any time .
How soon before graduation should I start applying for jobs? I am a PhD student graduating in September 2016. I just started looking for jobs, but I feel that when recruiters look at my CV and see that I am still 5-6 months away from graduation, they'll ignore me. However, I can't just wait till 1-2 months before grad...	Recruiters may ignore you as they want quick paycheck.
Is it ok to socialize with your coworkers? I often feel uncomfortable around my co-workers. I don't know if it's okay to talk about stuff other than work-related matter. What is the general rule for workplace socializing? <Q> However in most cases, people don't care about whether you talk about work or non related ques...	So long as they help you professionally, I think it should be ok. Every company has a different culture. Maybe an unspoken rule but avoid big subjects like politics and religion.
I am asked to move to another position. Is it OK for me to ask for a raise? About me I am a new employee and also fresh on the job market. I graduated 3 months ago. Did really good in college, found myself a first job (as a software developer) 2 months ago without any problems. An internship, actually, but I was offer...	If the role they are proposing you involves more responsibility and more stress, then it sounds reasonable to consider asking for a raise, especially if your interview went well About saying "no" a second time : making the same offer a couple of days later, without changing anything to it, nor to your own current situa...
How to handle lack of supervision in start-up? This is a question I should have asked quite a while ago and is no longer relevant for my current situation, but I believe the answer still holds value. I hope this is not a problem ! Context French start-up, software & web development, created about a year ago.5 people...	: Write up a list of questions to ask your supervisor and ask him/her to answer it when they are available (or schedule a meeting for it), instead of going to see them each time you want an answer. Even if you're a senior developer, it's important to ask how the team works.
How do I accept thanks from my boss? I have a manager that thanks me occasionally for doing the basic duties of my job. Especially when she has a vacation day or a sick day and asks me to cover for her, she always comes in with a large amount of gratitude. This usually has the effect of making me feel a bit off put, an...	Take it for what it's worth, and a polite "my pleasure" or "you're welcome" is enough.
Recommending my wife for a job at my workplace I learned about a position in my company in our customer service department today at work I think my wife could be a good fit for. I work in the engineering department (I'm a new hire by the way). My wife has prior customer service experience and although she lacks the t...	Even though you are in development and this is customer service, it might still be that the company wouldn't like to see relatives together. If your wife is unemployed, meaning that you have a need for her to get a job, you might consider asking your direct boss, or the person responsible for the new customer service h...
All Programmer are Independent? Even as an Intern? I am currently doing my internship in a SME software development company. My boss, who is also my supervisor which also happened to be the owner of the company, to me I think, have a very different of teaching approach. Let me first tell you guys the story. When I hav...	In IT your are expected to be much more independent and able to learn by yourself. Apart from tutorials consider some programming books and asking what you don´t understand here on stack overflow.
How do I politely tell a coworker to only focus on his portion of the work? I've been working on a software project for a few months now with a very small team (and by small, I mean there was an extended period of time where I was the only developer). Our working dynamic is excellent for the most part, as each develope...	You NEVER OWN any part of the code. It is acceptable for anyone on the team to make any changes they feel necessary.
How do I stop my co-workers from teasing me with another co-worker? I have been working for more than 3 years now with my co-worker and people have been teasing us here and there and it doesn't make me happy, at all. Things have gone awkward to the point where I can't even do certain things just because people might th...	If there's someone spreading rumors you could confront that person and ask them to stop it, or risk action from HR. If the other person is chill about it you can even make your own jokes about it, might even be fun.
Told everyone I graduated but turns out I didn't I am finishing my bachelor degree. I finished my exams, applied to graduate and started applying to full time jobs in my field. I had a couple of interviews and have a couple more lined up. Today, I got an e-mail and my world came crumbling down. I'm not able to graduate...	As others have explained, fix your resume to indicate that you need 1 more course.
Is it ethical to coach referrals? If my company has a referral bonus clearly I benefit financially in the short term from getting my own referral hired. That said, I'm genuinely not interested in referring people I wouldn't want to work with, so I'd be judicious in who I refer. But the question remains. Even though I ...	If and only if your recruiter is that easily swayed to hire someone he just met you might want to change recuiter or atleast ask why he hired them because they looked equally qualified. So it is not ethical to do against the interest of employer/company.
Ending contract prematurely due to inconsistent pay I work in a vibrant startup. I love the culture, I love the environment. But recently the company I'm in ran into a financial problem, and it hit my payroll. At first I just get downpayments to my salary. Now I get nothing. My contract says I can leave the company in...	If you negotiate with your employer from a position of weakness because you worry what might happen without the next paycheck, you have already lost. Give your notice and leave. If you are unsure about your contract, ask a lawyer.
How can I pass gas with professionalism on days when it is a constant occurrence? Some background: I am a low level executive for a SMB with roughly 500 employees in the United States. Among other things, my role calls for me to directly supervise about a dozen employees. I have a small office (roughly 16 ft by 20 f...	Keep the air freshener under your desk, spray when you need to, and invite your reports in when it's safe. Experience suggests that getting enough sleep or not is also a factor.
Help getting a job So I am 23 years old and I have never worked or held a job a day in my life. I was never motivated to start working until recently when I've been getting bored, lonely and depressed staying at home all day.My problem is I don't know what kind of job I want. Any options I have come up with I just can'...	Whatever job you get, make the most of it: take it seriously and do an excellent job.
Is it ethical to accept an internship that I got because of a recommendation when I failed the (technical) inteview? I am an undergrad in the final year of my Engineering program. I recently appeared for an interview for an internship. I couldn't get through the interview as I didn't perform up to the mark in some roun...	In my opinion, accept the offer, get the job, work hard If I recommended you even though you didn't pass a test, then you can 100% assume that you have a legal and ethical right to get that position.
Using non-company-relevant resources from "group" training (like Pluralsight) towards a new role outside company My company (employer, not my own company) has paid for a "group" training subscription, similar to Pluralsight as that's probably the best known - that they add employees to and we can use all kinds of indus...	They will be happy you are learning that material if the company would be interested in promoting you to a position that used it. Yes, you can. Most companies have policy cannot use company time or resources.
Being told I am being forcably resigned instead of just laying off First some details about myself, I am a 20 year old college student (Junior standing, soon to be Senior in a few weeks) interning in a Software Engineering position, I've been working at my currently company (>1000 employees) since beginning of June la...	I would go straight to HR and tell them that whatever your department is telling them, you are absolutely 100% not resigning, and ask them politely to write this down, and since it is a serious matter, you would like a written confirmation. And nobody can ever force you to resign.
Boss wants my team to work weekends I am currently managing an in house team of developers, late in a sprint my boss requested that the team gets some work done by Monday. He mentioned that if the work cannot be done on the Friday, that the team should work on Saturday. The team got disgruntled, since they: want to ...	Make your boss choose whether this work is so urgent that it needs doing by Monday that other work will be delayed, or whether it actually can wait until the next sprint and be scheduled accordingly. There are a few cases where working extra can make sense, but it is never about adding new features, and certainly not a...
Unfinished master's degree on job interview I’ve studied 2 majors at university, where getting 2 master’s degrees is tied to finishing both, but I couldn’t end my studies in one of them. (Only the last stage was left: the state exam).I’ve passed the state exam at my other faculty with flying colors, but there won’t be ...	Another alternative is to say "masters degree in progress. Just be fully honest about it
Should an applicant admit to having paranoid schizophrenia? The person in question is a hobbyist programmer since their childhood and wants to make a transition to junior developer. S/he has never worked before. A few facts about the person: The person is passionate about programming, and quite knowledgeable as we...	Keep in mind, in many countries, specifically refusing to hire based on mental illness might be considered discrimination based on disability, and possibly illegal.
Cumulative jobs in resume I am new to the north-American job market (I am an immigrant) and I am struggling to prepare my resume and everything else. My biggest question at the moment is how to present the information that I've had two concurrent functions at the same company. My parents had a small company back in my...	If you held two positions, either one or both may show up in a background check for employment history .
Long Job Titles in Cover Letters In a cover letter, should the job title you are applying to be included in the opening sentence, or at least the opening paragraph? Many of the positions I am applying to have long titles (7-8 words), making the sentence it is included in awkward and hard to follow. Is there another lo...	If you are applying by email, then maybe you can reference the job position in the email's title (which allows you to exclude it from your cover letter) or in my opinion if you want to be sure that is clear of what you are applying for to put it in your opening sentence.
New employer wants me to pay for ISO 9001 accreditation before employment begins - is this a scam? I recently went for an interview for a new job, the interview took place in the restaurant of a hotel in Euston, UK. They called 2 days later to inform me I got the job of a customer service advisor with salary £20k+ an...	Some employment fraudsters ask the applicant to pay a fee in order to apply for a job. It's definitely not normal practice here in London for an employer to require an employee to pay anything at all before starting a new job.
How to work with senior colleagues who always seem to have an upper saying? I work with some senior colleagues, some of them have over 25 years of experience and I have around 5 years. One of them is my boss and he always seem to override whatever I say during meetings and in my view he thinks that I am too inexperienc...	Doing so during the meeting may not be the best time, depending on length, but you can always go up to the person making the decisions after the meeting and ask questions or schedule some time to learn.
Professional response to "Are you busy?" My co-workers often ask me "are you busy?" before asking for help or discussing a problem. I find this question hilarious: If you answer yes then you are a bad employee because you are unavailable and can't help the team, if you answer no then you are a bad employee for not havi...	If I'm not busy, I give them my full attention.
I am new at this place and I have found a critical bug How should I approach this scenario: I am working as a software contractor in a big telecom giant and they have an app, development for which has taken a painful two years and everyone on the team has worked very hard. I have joined this place just two months b...	Using scary sounding adjectives will burn you if the company considers code obfuscation to be a non-issue, or has evaluated the performance or maintenance or other cost to be unworthy of the effort. Your job is to report the issue so that others who understand the product and the company and the risk tolerances better ...
Birthday celebration in bad environment In my job, people are used to bring sweets on their birthday. But they are really bad mannered and distant to me and never invite me. This Sunday it was my birthday and I just passed to bring anything. I am incapable of putting a good face to people that are not nice to me and I ...	If they press the issue, tell them that it's your personal preference to not commemorate your birthday in any way, and as it's a personal decision the details are not appropriate to share in the office. If you want to get along in a particular company, you need to follow the cultural norms of that company whether you a...
How to find a low-challenge, low-variety job when coming from a highly educated background? I am a university graduate with a BSc and an MA. I am currently working for a (very) large financial company as a java developer who effectively spends most his time doing everything else IT related. I'm effectively sent on ever...	My recommendation for finding what you want to do is to find the types of things you do and find jobs related to them. Last, you can always take things off your resume - if you apply for a manual data entry job, consider taking your degree(s) off your resume if you feel they are making you overqualified. There are tons...
What's the most important career advice for someone who is going to work in the U.S. for the first time? I've been recruited to work at a large company overseas and this will be my first time working and living in the United States. I'm excited about the opportunity but part of me is worried about the fact that I'm fro...	Work hard and respect the people, the laws, and the cultural values of your location.
Acknowledging a worker for accolades given by outside party A contractor asked me,"So what did you think of the letter I sent your manager?" "What letter?", I replied. My manager has been sitting a a letter from a contractor commending me for my efforts to get a project done. It has been about three weeks and she has s...	You could have a conversation about this sort of situation and tell her that you'd appreciate if such praise was passed on to you in the future, but realistically, it would probably be perceived as a slap in her face, and won't over well.
How to resign from a remote-work position after my employer has invested in getting me a visa? I've been working remotely as a freelance programmer for a ~15 people startup company in the US (I'm from Europe) for about 7-8 months now. They've started a visa process to get me on site and the visa process has been taking...	Once you know what the situation is, you will have to contact the company in question and simply politely let them know that you don't feel like you're a good fit with the team, and you're quitting. Thank them for the opportunity and part ways.
Send more complete answers after the interview I did a phone interview for a programming job with a hiring manager. He mentioned that I did well, although I couldn't come up with complete and optimized answers for some of the questions on the fly, which were relatively hard algorithm questions. Would it be considered ...	My advice is to send a follow up email a few days from now expressing you really enjoyed the interview and would still be interested in the job.
Manager is pushing me to take an intern while I'm not sure to stay Last year, my manager asked me to try to find one subject that could turn into an internship, which I successfully did. Unfortuantely, due to some problems with HR which resulted in a very late posting of the offer, we haven't been able to find anyone f...	So, if your boss asked you to do something, you should do it (as long as you don't have some other compelling reason to object).
How to handle awkward conversation with co-worker in gym changing room who is naked I was at the gym (non work affiliated if it makes a difference) last week and ran into a co worker in the changing rooms. This would have been fine except she had just walked out of the shower completely starkers and tried to have a con...	you could just say i generally don't talk to people while they are naked.
How do you handle a pressing question in your head while someone is in the middle of explaining something to you? As a junior developer working on a rather complex system, I find myself in this situation constantly. A fellow programmer is explaining a topic that is relatively complex but I am following along with their...	At a certain point, you have to turn the lecture into a conversation. Write down your question and release the exclusive lock.
Is it unethical, or a conflict of interest, to hold shares in other companies in my industry? I work for Company A and hold shares in Companies B and C who are competitors of A, or work in the same industry "niche" (e.g. A, B and C are all banks and I work in credit card processing for A). Is that a potentially unethi...	Financial regulators usually do count these as a potential conflict of interest - but if you aren't in that sort of heavily regulated environment, it certainly isn't unethical. The issue would depend on the size of the investment, the nature of the investment, and your role in your employers organization. In every comp...
How can an experienced employee convince his manager to give team lead role & more responsibility? I am an experienced IT professional who was leading a small team in my previous company. I joined a new company a few months back. My manager & most team members are completely new to IT , and there are very few IT engin...	Stop complaining and start proving you have the skills they hired you for.
What do I say to my manager if he asked me about a colleague's raise? So my boss asked me to come to his office to take my opinion about a raise that my colleague asked for earlier. This colleague started only months ago but he proved that he is very good at it. Took big bugs and fixed it then started improving the ap...	I don't really feel comfortable discussing a colleague's salary, and in any case, I'm not the right person to make that decision. As other users have already pointed out, you should strive to give your boss an accurate assessment on your colleague's performance.
What if the last day of a two weeks notice lands on a holiday? I was offered a position at another company and have limited time to give my two week notice for my current job. However, I see that if I give my notice today (Monday 5/16) then exactly two weeks from now would be Memorial Day (Monday 5/30). Should I just g...	Most companies would probably prefer not to pay you for the holiday.
How to go to interviews during working hours? I am looking to move jobs soon (this autumn), the last time that I did this it was extremely difficult for me to go to interviews whilst in the office full time. This was largely from my boss being in the same room. It is also a casual environment where we do not suit up b...	If you're wearing polo's or other business casual wear, start with a dress shirt. You can take all or part of a day off to interview - take the whole day off and leave for the interview from home or take part of the day off and travel between work, home, and the interview as appropriate to change. Wear pants and shirt ...
How to deal with colleagues who explain things I already know? I am a programmer and my colleague is a scientist, we are similar ages and at the same seniority. Neither of us have a background in economics, though I have studied some economics out of interest. One day an economist was visiting our department, and the ...	If you like you can even respond with a witty/clever/humorous remark to indicate that you know the topic and in so doing, implicitly suggest a higher level of discussion. Anger is rarely helpful, especially in a professional environment. Unless you dislike someone rolling the eyes is not a great response for the obviou...
Concerned with third party quality of work. Do I say anything? I'm the lead developer of a startup that deals with deliveries and pickups for various companies. One of these partner companies has had a website and API built for them, and with 10 years of development experience I can say that the quality is far, far bel...	Definitely record the problem and mention it to your boss, this is your job as the subject expert.
Am I being taken advantage of (and/or underpaid)? I am a full stack webdev less than a year out of school. That said, I do know what I am doing and have shown this at work. Now, according to several sites (glassdoor is the only name I remember atm), I am getting paid ⅔ of the average in my city when I search for entry ...	You're worth what someone is willing to pay you. Get an understanding what is available in your market.
Dealing with a slow growth curve in improving automation skills and how that affects ones career I have been working as a QA since almost ~5 years now. While I am one of the senior QA in my team, and have brought in other quality aspects to the table, my automation skills are still "beginner".While my jobs have always ...	You could take some time to 'pair program' with your faster automation buddies: You tell them what they should be testing for, and they show you how to do it. Do what your Job requires you to do and improve if not perfect your good Qualities, which got you your current Position before trying to do other things. Your gr...
How do I explain to my employer why I'm leaving, without telling him that I think he's been lying to me? I'm a junior developer at a small company(about 50 employees) that specializes in a very niche technology. Since there are very few companies using this technology I'm really concerned about my future and I decided ...	Thank him for his efforts, but tell him that you have already accepted the other position and that you are a person who believes that a promise made is a promise kept. If they ask questions, decline to answer politely but firmly. Just submit a resignation letter that gives your last date of work on it.
Are calendar invitations rude? It seems like many people I work with inside and outside of the company always send an email about my availability for a meeting before sending a calendar invite. Is there some workplace social norm that frowns on sending just a calendar invite without some preliminary message? After I ac...	For me, there's nothing worse than an invitation that I accept which is subsequently re-scheduled several times, because the moderator didn't bother to check the calendar to see if folks were actually available.
Using work I've done in last job in a portfolio to start freelance work Last year I worked for a company that did mobile apps. A couple of months after I started to work there I told my boss it would be a good idea to start doing web sites to sell in a bundle with the apps, and he thought it was a good idea. Since then...	If you didn't mention the previous employer in your own portfolio it could cause a number of problems.
How do I document years of experience when I've been working at home? I am currently a freelance developer. However, I would like to be able to prove my eligibility for a job to any future employer. I've noticed there's a job listing that requires at least 14 years of coding experience, including at least 6 years of iO...	It can be helpful to get membership of a professional association - the kind where you have different levels (e.g. associate member, professional member, chartered status, fellow) because then employers can safely assume the professional association has done the due diligence on your experience in order to allow you to...
Receiving a different offer before first day of employment I received an offer from Company A on Monday. I got an offer letter and agreed to a background check, but never signed anything stating I accepted (This is a US based company, and I live in an at-will state). I started their pre-employment background check and ...	It is very unusual in my experience for a company (at least not a small company) to begin the on-boarding procedures and schedule a start date without a signed offer letter.
Would it be inappropriate to list only 1 semester on a resume even though I attended 3 semesters? Recently I was asked for my resume. I went to a 4 year university for computer science. The first semester I did OK (3.11 GPA), however the next two semesters I dropped several classes and didn't attend the ones I didn't d...	Leave your education off of your resume completely, if you like, since you didn't graduate. That really doesn't deserve to be mentioned on your resume as it will only have a negative effect.

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