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How can I politely ask my colleague to mute their PC? I work in an open-plan office environment with approximately 100 other people. It's sort of an unspoken rule (and common courtesy), to wear headphones if you need to listen to anything on your PC, as to not disturb others around you. If you aren't listening to anything, PCs tend to get muted so that there aren't email and Skype notifications pinging every few minutes. So a new graduate started working with us just over a week ago and they are completely oblivious to the noise that their PC makes. In addition to watching tutorial/training videos aloud, they have their Skype notifications turned on meaning every time somebody comes online/offline; there's a ping. Another member of my team showed them how to turn Skype notifications off last week, specifically using the term "annoying" to describe it; however, nothing has changed. They seem to be quite a quiet person and I really don't want to come across as being aggressive or rude, but their PC is literally behind me and it is pretty irritating. How can I ask them to mute their PC or wear headphones without coming across in this way? edit: Rather than coming up with solutions e.g. wearing noise cancelling headphones - as suggested in similar questions. I'm looking for an appropriate way to approach this person without coming across too overpowering, but in a way that will get my point across. <Q> The whole situation might clear up with a simple: <S> Hey, it's sort of an unspoken rule to have your machine on mute, or use a headset. <S> The sound is distracting to your coworkers. <S> Works doubly well if you either give them a headset <S> (I'm assuming the company supplies them?) <S> or point them to the one that's already on their workstation. <S> Like you mentioned; the person is probably oblivious to the situation, having never worked in an office before. <S> It's not rude to let them know about these things. <A> You have two options. <S> You could either talk to the person yourself, and try to keep the conversation as lighthearted as possible, while explaining in a firm manner that the behavior is annoying, goes against office culture, whatever to get the point across. <S> These people are usually more experienced with dealing with problems like this, and since they likely won't point out specific people that are becoming annoyed, the person in question won't feel like only certain people are aggressive or rude. <A> If they are a quiet person, they are not pompous it should follow: They seem to be quite a quiet person <S> and I really don't want to come across as being aggressive or rude, but their PC is literally behind me and it is pretty irritating. <S> You can quietly go to them, sit next to them kindly and whisper this smiling and looking them in the eye (assisting face) <S> " <S> Hi Charles, can I assist you to configure your laptop / PC's notifications to lower or play on the headphones?" <S> (or whatever you plan to help them do) <S> If they are reasonable they will take this a helping hand. <S> Also, other office staff will credit this to his/her discretion. <S> If possible, don't let the initial walk up to them <S> be noticeable by everyone, otherwise the subject may think this is a planned thing. <A> I have the same problem in my open office (my company is approximately the same size as yours).. <S> And the person which does a lot of noise (listening to trash metal music with stereo speakers) was here years before me and is the sysadmin, and is a good friend of the boss, and the boss doesn't care.. <S> so I wear earplugs.
| The problem with unspoken rules is that nobody knows they exist unless told about them. PS: earplugs with good noise reduction like 40 snr (standard noise reduction in decibels). The other option would be to talk to your manager/floor manager and have them approach the person.
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Coworker has nothing to do but doesn't want to upset her boss by telling her boss's boss I have a co-worker in my team (let's call him John) who is supposed to be working with a woman from another company. She's on a fixed duration contract. It's bit like outsourcing because her employment contract is with another firm, but she's on site with us in the office every day. She has a desk right next to John. For all practical matters she's a colleague. Let's call her Alice. I'm on good terms with her. Today she came into my office (a couple doors down the corridor) and as we started chatting it became clear that she has nothing to do. She's been really bored for the past weeks and she complained that receiving no assignments from John is affecting her mood and dead-locking her career. Her contract lasts for at least 4 more months and she is considering quitting because she is so bored. Now here's the thing, John is supposed to manage her by delegating tasks and tutoring, but he largely refuses to do so (despite her numerous requests) because he has a hard time trusting others with his work. But he specifically requested this outsourcing help a few months ago (he's often doing overtime despite management asking him to go home on time). I recommended that she talks privately about the situation with her boss (back at her company) or John's boss (who's also my boss). She said she's not comfortable doing that because she fears it will upset John because it would shed light on his inability to delegate or the fact that he did not need outsourced help after all (or is unable to use it), and ultimately fall back on her. I empathize with her difficult situation and I want to help if possible. But I don't want to overstep boundaries or upset John. I should add that John is an experienced senior engineer (close to retirement) and Alice and I are both in our early twenties. Plus, John's work and mine are largely unrelated. Should I talk to John's boss (who's also my boss) or mind my own business? <Q> By talking to your boss you could severely affect Alice (and even John possibly) in a negative way, as the situation may come down to her as you mentioned. <S> It would be even worse if you talked to your boss's boss, as going over your boss's head is something you should seldom (if not never) do, and even less if it not something that directly affects you. <S> People like John are not rare to find in companies; some people have a hard time delegating, plus some senior engineers sometimes have a hard time tutoring and teaching. <S> This may be the case of John. <S> In any case, Alice should be the one speaking. <S> It seems that she may needs to be more assertive when speaking with him. <S> Edit: Here are some relevant questions regarding delegating work and bosses doing more work than they could/should. <A> She should show documentation of the times she has asked John for work to prove that she is not just lazing around. <S> That person should discuss with their contacts at the company what to do. <S> Many people hate to delegate and whine they are overbooked, but won't let go of any of the work. <S> It is affecting her career, so she needs to move to another contract or get the company to get someone else to do the delegating. <S> But which action happens is entirely the choice of the company that let the contract. <S> There is no shame in being released from a contract due to there being no work. <S> She should also start applying for jobs because sooner or later they are going to realize she is doing no work <S> and she will get laid off. <S> The longer she works a contract with no achievements to show for it, the worse it looks on her resume. <S> Contracts are often short-term <S> so this is a case when having a quick turn-around should not negatively affect her as a job hopper. <S> You however, have no business in the problem at all other than to possibly suggest she discuss being reassigned with her boss (not John, her actual boss at the company that pays her.) <A> Should I talk to John's boss (who's also my boss) or mind my own business? <S> Unless this impacts you directly or your performance, you should most definitely mind your own business . <S> This can have a very adverse affect on your working relationship with your co-worker, and make you seem as though your just a self serving nark. <S> If however it does impact your ability to perform your duties , then you should report it to the proper manager to be addressed appropriately. <S> You are definitely within your rights to protect yourself. <S> ( and keep your job ) <A> There are two issues here: one between Alice and her manager and another between John and his manager. <S> The issue isn't yours. <S> There are a couple of statement that stand out to me. <S> She said she's not comfortable doing that <S> [informing her supervisor] because she fears it will upset John because it would shed light on his inability to delegate or the fact that he did not need outsourced help after all <S> She needs to inform her management of the current situation/status so they are no blindsided by the client (your company) raising the issue she didn't engage in any activities. <S> Remember, the contractor incurred an opportunity cost ; a contract was signed meaning a resource (Alice) was allocated for a project that the client didn't utilize. <S> I guarantee you I would bill the client even if they gave me no work. <S> John is supposed to manage her by delegating tasks and tutoring, but he largely refuses to do so ... <S> But he specifically requested this outsourcing help a few months ago <S> (he's often doing overtime despite management asking him to go home on time ) <S> (emphasis mine) <S> John already has the attention of management and I would be surprised he's not under a microscope already. <S> He asked for an outsourced resource which he's not utilizing. <S> At some point he's going to have to account for this. <S> As I mentioned from the onset, this issue isn't yours and you should steer clear of both of these minefields. <S> That said, it doesn't preclude you from giving each a friendly piece of off-the-record advice as to what the reality is (not what to do). <S> Keep in mind they need to make their own decision as to what their course action is . <A> may i suggest something completely different? <S> pair-working (like pair-programming, except that it's not programming) <S> john seems to have trouble delegating, yet this appears to be what he asked to be able to do. <S> so it's a matter for him learning how to get started with that. <S> john is supposed to tutor alice, so it makes sense to start working together. <S> they could start by just having alice watch john work. <S> then slowly let alice take over doing some tasks while john watches. <S> depending on the nature of the work, working together like that could already be more efficient. <S> (it certainly works that way with pair-programming, less errors are made, etc) while working together, this will also allow john to gain the needed trust to let alice work unsupervised, and thus achieve the initially intended outcome. <S> of course this depends on john being comfortable to have someone look over his shoulder initially.
| Short answer : You should mind your own business. She should talk to her real boss at the contracting company and ask to be reassigned due to no work.
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Coworkers lying to supervisor When in a staff meeting the other day two of my coworkers lied to my supervisor, and said it was another departments fault that their work is not getting done. I feel like I have a responsibility to tell my supervisor that she is being lied to. Especially since other people are being unfairly blamed. I do not know how to go about it though because in terms of hierarchy at the workplace I am the lowest, and my job was only temporary and ends in a week. But I do not think that any of my other coworkers who were in the meeting would report it because I have caught them saying the same sorts of things, just not directly to my supervisor. Is it appropriate for me to report them, should I even bother if I am am only there for another week? <Q> If I were the supervisor I'd definitely want to know. <S> I would arrange to have a chat with your supervisor just before you leave (ideally last day if you can manage it). <S> If you have any evidence of the lie make sure you take it with you, if you don't have any evidence then make sure you report it as a suspicion only. <S> Stress that you aren't wanting to throw anyone under a bus <S> but you are just letting the supervisor know what you know. <A> If I found myself in this situation I would respond in the meeting to correct the falsehood by presenting any information I had to rebut the lie. <S> This is at least above board, insofar as the liar knows exactly what you said, and everyone can respond in real time. <A> Is it appropriate for me to report them, should I even bother if I am am only there for another week? <S> That depends. <S> Do you think your supervisor will actually lend credence to your report, or do you have specific proof? <S> If so, you should definitely say something in your exit interview, or if there isn't one maybe in a private chat with your supervisor on your last day. <S> You don't want to make accusations that don't go anywhere, as that could jeopardize future references. <S> If I was the supervisor I would definitely want to know about it. <A> Is it appropriate for me to report them, should I even bother if I am am only there for another week? <S> Yes, why not turn them in at this point as long as you have proof ? <S> Present your evidence in a factual way , and do not get personal with it. <S> As a supervisor I would appreciate your honesty. <S> They key to this <S> is evidence . <S> If you don't have any, keep it to yourself as your the one on the way out the door and it will come across as sour grapes. <A> You should raise the concern to the supervisor "that people in the other department are being unfairly blamed". <S> Explain why you think the other department met their responsibilities. <S> No need to say anything negative about the suspected liars, focus on the positive side of the story, and let the supervisor connect the dots.
| It also depends if you like the company and/or your supervisor enough to want to tell them, but yes, generally you should mention it, at least somewhere, but only if you're absolutely sure they were lying and you can point to some facts to support that.
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How to thank internship supervisor and their boss for not firing me? I had an internship this summer and for the first half of the summer I kind of blew it. I was constantly late and overall just a bad employee. I would have fired me and plenty of other people in HR would have fired me too. My supervisor and their boss however gave me a second chance and I, at least in my perspective, turned it around and actually produced some quality work. I know my supervisor is pleased with my work as they said so and in a final presentation last week it seemed that my supervisor's boss is pleased with me too. My supervisor really went out on a limb for me and I wanted to thank them in person, but unfortunately I'll have to do it by email. I was planning on asking them for recommendations in the future, which I don't think they would be very opposed to. Obviously I could be very wrong about how they've percieved me since they gave me a second chance, but I think they would have just fired me if I was doing a poor job. How do I thank my supervisor and their boss for giving me a second chance and not firing me when I probably should have been fired? <Q> You already did it - you thanked them by proving them right in keeping you on. <S> You could do the polite thing in thanking them for their trust in you... <S> I'm assuming here that your prior "bad employee" phase was discussed at the time <S> and you've shown some contrition, <S> so there's no need to revisit that. <S> You only need go with the positives. <S> Yes, this is a short answer, but I can't think how adding more words can make this any more straightforward. <A> Include it in a farewell email. <S> At the end of an internship, consulting contract, or job, it is common for employees who are leaving under good terms to send farewell emails to managers and coworkers. <S> This email usually includes some positive sentiment about the work/people and your permanent contact information if you'd like to stay in touch. <S> Don't apologize for your shortcomings ; instead, thank them for their investment in you. <S> This keeps the focus positive. <S> You don't even need to mention or allude to your shortcomings. <S> This falls under "positive sentiment about the people": you're telling your manager that you appreciate their faith in you as an intern. <S> You can tell your manager that you learned a lot about how to be an effective employee, and that you appreciated their mentorship. <S> Do not say you're glad they didn't fire you. <S> I also don't suggest asking for recommendations in your farewell email. <S> Save that for when you actually need a recommendation. <A> Any time I've sent one, it has been very well-received--I've had people bring it up again six months after the fact. <A> They were doing their job, and in this case, they did it correctly, as you have learned from your mistakes and are now productive. <S> IF they had fired you they would have missed out on their productivity. <S> No need to thank them for being good at their jobs.
| While expressing your appreciation is fine, it isn't necessary to thank them. It may be old-fashioned, but a hand-written thank you card means a lot more to some people than an email.
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In what order should I list coworkers in emails? A few weeks ago, a (somewhat) seasoned coworker mentioned that some people -- especially higher-ups -- pay notice to the order in which coworkers are listed on email recipient lists. The idea is that, the more important you are, the closer you should be to the front of the list. Also, he mentioned a kind of etiquette when listing people in CC's. He said that people may get offended if they're not "listed properly". Is the company I'm working for just overly egotistical, or is this actually common knowledge/practice? How exactly should individuals on an email recipient list be added/prioritized when considering their position in the company and their relevance to the nature of the email? <Q> For most adults, order doesn't matter much. <S> I personally put the people I am most concerned about acting on something in the email first. <S> I also put people who are being informed but not expected to take any action in the CC not the To block. <S> Some people alphabetize, others put people in as they think of them. <S> However, you have had a coworker mention that this is a problem specifically at your workplace which might well be a personal hang up of his ( <S> in which case, putting him ahead of his peers in emails may make him like you more and hurts no one else.) or may be organizational culture. <S> Some companies do things differently than other companies. <S> As an intern, you need to learn to observe how things are done at your company. <S> Check with your boss to see if this is something that you should be paying attention to. <S> No need to mention who told you that, just say someone mentioned it <S> and you were unsure if it was truly the case. <A> Some emails are event sent automatically by queries or servers (and queries not necessarily return mails ordered in importance). <S> In some cases, if the message is of high importance (an event or similar) and would be sent to high level personnel a more formal approach would be to send a printed or written invitation . <S> In any case if your coworker said this you should inquire him on more details about what he meant so you can improve your email etiquette on your current company. <S> Edit : As mentioned in comments, sorting alphabetically could greatly help prevent problems like this to occur again. <A> I am a bit old fashioned. <S> In my mind there is no difference between emails and paper letters. <S> The TO list should be restricted to those who are required to act or to those who had asked a question. <S> The CC list are those who have a need to know in order of seniority. <A> I know with my firm, the C levels get listed first, then Managing directors, directors, VP's, Associates and juniors. <S> But, very rarely will I ever see an email in which a junior and a C level exec are included in the same email.
| Look at various emails you receive and see if people are generally put in order of their seniority. This I believe strongly depends on the specific way of your current company. There should not be any relevance in the email order.
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Mentioning/discussing possibly prejudicious details of work experience After completing my bachelors, I took a job as a mainframes (COBOL) developer in a company, as I was in need of a job. I have been in the company for about two years now, and am looking for better options as I don't think mainframes would have the best future for me. I learned web development by myself, and I think I know enough for a junior developer. Now, when applying for positions, I'm not sure how to describe my current work. I only worked with COBOL, and I feel possible employers may find my previous role being in a (rather) old language a negative. But I also don't want to show zero years of work experience, as I feel I have definitely grown as a developer, regardless of language. How(if at all) do I mention this language in the resume? How do I discuss the current job details in an interview? Currently, I don't mention the language I used in the resume, focusing on the responsibilities, etc. instead. I list the languages I know and am interested in separately. <Q> How(if at all) do I mention the language I have professional experience in, in the resume? <S> How do I discuss the job details in an interview? <S> I think you have answered this yourself when you said: <S> Currently, I dont mention the language I used in the resume, focusing on the responsibilities, etc. <S> instead. <S> I list the languages I know and am interested in separately. <S> That's exactly right. <S> Mentioning about the projects which you successfully completed and responsibilities held is far more important than mentioning a tool. <S> [Good/experienced software engineers tend to pick up and learn new tools/languages related to their domain, very easily too]. <S> During an interview, a friend suggested that I fake the amount of COBOL vs other stuff used <S> Please don't. <S> Good and experienced interviewers can always see through fakes, and they can do it within the first few minutes of the interview too. <S> So, please do talk about projects and responsibilities on your resume, instead of mentioning just the expertize with the tool. <S> You can always include a bullet point which says Languages/Tools used: COBOL, <>, <>, .. , but that is completely optional. <A> As someone who currently works in COBOL I can tell you that it is everywhere (you probably knew that already). <S> What you need to do is show the next employer the positives about your experience and not the negative. <S> You can use your time in mainframe land as a positive. <S> NO ONE teaches this stuff anymore. <S> This shows a potential employer that you are able to learn and could show that you are a self starter. <S> Take the discussion in that direction. <S> Don't lie to them about what you did or didn't do. <S> Show them that what you did do is valuable to them. <S> In this case, its not about learning COBOL itself. <S> It's about overcoming a challenge with little to no help and learning it well enough to perform your job duties. <S> Come equipped with some form of portfolio showing them your web skills and be ready to talk about the challenges you faced learning COBOL. <S> I think most developers will tell you that it doesn't really matter a whole lot which languages you studied or worked in. <S> A good programmer can pick up any language. <S> What makes a good programmer is their methodology for problem solving. <S> In conclusion: make a portfolio, show them your strengths and use COBOL to your advantage. <A> In your resume concentrate on your accomplishments in the job not the language the application was written in. <S> Talk about the complex financial report you created or the difficult troubleshooting problem, etc. <S> Talk about things like performance tuning if you did it. <S> List Cobol in your skills, but put it last. <S> Be prepared to answer technical questions about all the technologies you list. <S> Come with examples of the personal projects for Web development you have created and it helps if you have Git portfolio. <S> You can even put a personal projects section in your resume if you have room.
| Be clear on the business domain you have been working in and how your work impacts that. Discuss that you want to transition to web programming as the reason why you are changing jobs in your interview or cover letter.
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Is it bad to acknowledge being jealous in an interview? Simply, I was jealous of my colleagues at work who are working on projects that I want to work on. Well, I am trying to overcome this bad trait for at least 1 year and I feel I have made progress! Should I admit and say it clearly in a job interview that I was jealous? Or will that hurt my chances? I just want to really be honest and genuine with the interviewer. <Q> I just want to really be honest and genuine with the interviewer <S> No you don't. <S> He's not your buddy or your therapist. <S> You want to get the job. <S> Simply, I was jealous of my colleagues at work who are working on projects that I want to work on <S> There's almost always a better way to phrase things. <S> Being jealous is natural, and for many of us <S> it's the driving force to our self-improvement, but it raises questions that you might not want the interviewer to ponder. <S> One of them being why did the rest of the team get the cool stuff and Paolo got the crap stuff? <S> I'd say I'm looking for project diversity. <S> You'll always have to do the crap projects - someone has to - <S> but it's nice to do something cool once in a while. <S> Take your colleagues out of the equation. <S> My advice would be, leave jealousy out of it. <S> Good luck with your interview <A> Actually it is common (or at least it was to me) <S> being asked what's some trait of yours that you'd like to improve, or to describe a situation in which one of your cons came out. <S> A hint, though: even if there is something that can be judged negatively, always try to present it in a positive way (e.g.: there was this project <S> I was really jealous of, because it was a task where I could have used all my skills and represented for me a challange I was very much willing to beat) <A> Stating that would sound very negatively in any serious interview. <S> Jealousy <S> it's a very immature feeling <S> and probably you don't want to pass the impression that you are unstable enough, or immature enough, to leave a job just because you didn't get what you wanted. <S> If I was the interviewer, I would think: well, what would happen if he gets jealous again about some other project he wanted to work, but couldn't? <S> Would he leave just like he is leaving the previous job? <S> Interviewers in general are looking for mature and reliable people. <S> Don't use the word "jealous" and reinforce the skills you are good at. <S> That should give you a better chance to work with the things and projects you like. <S> And if by any chance you get stuck in a project you dislike, do your best and finish it. <S> Sometimes we work with things we enjoy and sometimes we don't, either way, we need to do our best. <A> There will surely be a reason for wanting to work on your colleagues' projects beyond them simply being better than your current work. <S> Maybe the project involves a new practice or technology that you want to get involved in, but because you're too typecast as the expert in another field, you haven't been given the chance to broaden your horizons? <S> This is just a hypothetical. <S> Think about what you like about your colleagues' projects and what it is about them that would benefit you personally and professionally (technologies, practices, more responsibilities etc.). <S> Then, think about how these relate to the role you're being interviewed for. <S> This is what you would mention in the interview rather than 'I'm jealous'. <S> Even if on some level it may still come across as jealousy, it will come across more as you thinking about your future career and development.
| There is no reason to be jealous about anything. Every time, during an interview, that you admit something "bad" about yourself, it makes you appear genuine and human.
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How to avoid bad mouthing previous employer while discussing mistakes that previous employers made? I had a recent interview with a CTO of a company, and while I feel that my interview went well, I also feel that I may have come across as bad mouthing my previous employer. In the interview, I discussed the technology stack that my previous company was working with, and talked about how I felt the technology was "past it", and I felt how the technology I will be working with at this new company will be more current. I also discussed how I felt that the new company I will be working at is more "adaptive" with the constant shifts in technology, and how I felt that the previous company I worked that seemed "slow to sense shifts in technology", and always "enter the market at the wrong time". I also said that because of these mistakes that I felt the previous employer made, I'd like work at this new company, where I felt the CTO/CEO will be more adaptive to technology changes, and won't make the mistakes that my previous employer made. I know that to not sound like I am bad mouthing my previous employers, I need to ensure to focus on the company I am interviewing at, instead of focusing on previous companies' mistakes. My question is how do I discuss these kind of mistakes that my previous employer made, without sounding like I am bad mouthing them? <Q> Period. <S> Pointing out previous mistakes is bad-mouthing, so no amount of sugarcoating will get away from that. <S> Like you said, focus on the positive of the company you're interviewing at. <S> State <S> any positive of the new company in absolute terms instead of comparing it to the old company. <S> Try to avoid discussing things which you can't phrase in terms of a positive. <S> For example: "Why do you want to leave your current job?" <S> I want to work with the latest technologies - {new company} is currently working with X, Y and Z and that really interests me. <S> You seem very "adaptive" to the constant shifts in technology and that sounds exciting. <S> If this leads to a follow-up question (on their part) bringing up the old company (or if this comes up in them asking about your past experiences), stick to the facts and try to come up with something positive to say: <S> "So {old company} doesn't work with the latest technologies?" <S> Not really. <S> We're currently working with A, B and C. B actually keeps up surprisingly well compared to the latest technologies in terms of efficiency, considering its age. <S> You can again try to circle back to expressing excitement over what the new company is doing, if doing so makes sense. <S> " <S> Enter the market at the wrong time" doesn't seem like something you can put a positive spin on. <S> That seems very subjective in the moment and, unless you're upper management, I'm not sure why this is something you're even concerning yourself with (although it's a different story if they're well on their way to bankruptcy). <S> Perhaps I'm just misunderstanding what you mean by that. <A> Your answer: don't speak negatively about your previous employer. <S> you will only come off as an arrogant, foul mouthed, disgruntled ex-employee. <A> Consider the words you use to express the problems. <S> If you say something like, <S> At my last place, they were stuck on XYZ methodology and it was a royal pain to live with, <S> you might be interpreted as negative and condescending. <S> You might have better results and come across as more thoughtful and open minded if you expressed the same idea along the lines of, There can be some challenges that come with XYZ methodology that I'd like to see whether I can help avoid in the future. <S> Some of these challenges are... <S> Of course, it could be a methodology, a technology, a business practice, or anything else. <S> Practice saying them before each interview. <A> "I would like to grow my career in a slightly different direction; I like how your company does X, Y, and Z, and think this approach is a good fit for me."
| Put a positive spin on things instead. Don't discuss (business) mistakes your previous employer made. Try to be less accusatory and more cooperative in the words you choose to use.
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I procrastinated on a project for too long, what should I do? This procrastination issue has a long buildup, but I will try to explain it briefly. I was working on a large project with a senior programmer in a language/methodology I was new to. About half-way through the project, the senior programmer left the job and the project was now all in my hands. Fast forward a month and I have a fairly good working program, which is great. The unfortunate issue is that now I am tasked with implementing the program into other projects, which I have no clue on how to do. Mixed with looking for a different job (unrelated to this project, but related to the job), I have unwittingly procrastinated on working on a solution to my issue. Now I have a deadline that I know I will most likely not meet. Should I explain to my manager that I am further behind that he may believe and that I have messed up, or should I just work extremely hard on finding a solution and deal with the mess-up at deadline time? <Q> Now I have a deadline that I know I will most likely not meet. <S> Should I explain to my manager that I am further behind that he may believe and that I have messed up, or should I just work extremely hard on finding a solution and deal with the mess-up at deadline time? <S> Both. <S> You should immediately talk to your manager about the project - where you are, when you think you will be done and why, and what you are doing about it. <S> You should also work extremely hard to find a solution as quickly as possible. <A> Should I explain to my manager that I am further behind that he may believe and that I have messed up, or should I just work extremely hard on finding a solution and deal with the mess-up at deadline time? <S> Do both. <S> Explain to your manager that you are behind your timeline, AND work extremely hard to meet your original deadline. <S> The mess will be infinitely greater at deadline time, and the obvious question would be "Why didn't you tell us sooner?" <S> When you explain to your manager, emphasize the positive parts (your working program), and do not lay too much blame on yourself. <S> You may have had unrealistic expectations, and the technical piece may be harder than you originally thought. <S> Be ready to present options to your manager if your manager requests, such as an estimate of the amount of work remaining, and a new deadline. <A> Should I explain to my manager that I am further behind that he may believe and that I have messed up, or should I just work extremely hard on finding a solution and deal with the mess-up at deadline time? <S> You should stop and analyze carefully your situation here. <S> If you consider you definitely can't finish on time you should speak to your manager ASAP. <S> Explain to him that it is not possible to achieve the project on time with the current resources available. <S> Also do have a plan on what to do next, as your manager will probably ask you that. <S> If on the other hand you consider you can finish it on time with some effort, you should go for it, but still inform your manager about the situation.
| Tell him that you will have to rush things a bit and work with your manager to create a plan that will work out.
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Can I ask customers for new opportunities? I would like to see what opportunities are out there, but most of the companies I could work with are part of my customers or partners portfolio. Can I ask my contacts for opportunities? Is it the norm? Or is it likely that I will be exposed and get in trouble with my current job? If I say "confidential", does it bear any weight? <Q> Can I ask my contacts for opportunities? <S> You can ask, but if you have a very strong relationship with your clients you won't need to - they'll volunteer the information without prompting or hinting. <S> Is it the norm? <S> To ask outright? <S> That's a judgment call on your part. <S> I wouldn't do it. <S> Others would. <S> Or is it likely that I will be exposed and get in trouble with my current job? <S> That would be my guess. <S> If you're lucky you'll merely get in trouble. <S> If you're unlucky, you'll be unemployed and the client won't want you either. <S> If I say "confidential", does it bear any weight? <S> Not really. <S> If you feel you have to explicitly ask your customers to keep quiet, then I'd say you don't know them well enough to trust them this much. <S> If you're serious about working for one of your clients, the trick is to be totally amazing and on top of things and an obviously fantastic fit for their organization. <S> You don't even hint that you're looking to work for them. <S> If they decide they want you bad enough, they'll approach you (which puts you in a great position to negotiate salary). <A> Check your contract and HR policies. <S> In many companies it would not be. <A> Can I ask my contacts for opportunities? <S> There's no definitive answer to this <S> but it's not uncommon for there to be a clause in your contract preventing you from doing this. <S> It is also common is for there to be a clause in the customer's contract with your employer preventing them from soliciting/ <S> poaching employee's <S> so before doing anything else <S> This is not an area to leap without looking! <S> Is it the norm? <S> It varies by industry.. <S> I've known some industries where it's very normal for certain staff to move between suppliers and customers regularly and others where it would be massively controversial. <S> Or is it likely that I will be exposed and get in trouble with my current job? <S> There's a distinct possibility of this, even if this is allowable contractually it may be frowned upon and any customer looking to hire you away from your current employer would have to consider that it may have adverse effects on their business relationship with your employer <S> and if they value that relationship higher than any potential gain from hiring you directly then they may well give your employer a heads up. <S> If I say "confidential", does it bear any weight? <S> Erm.. <S> no, not really. <S> It <S> might help prevent the client you talk to from revealing it accidentally because they thought your employer knew already <S> but they aren't your doctor or lawyer <S> so it's about as binding as a paper bag with a rip in it.
| In many companies this would be prohibited behavior and could get you either fired or involved in a very expensive lawsuit. I recommend you check out the contractual situation for both yourself and the customer.
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Should I slate my potential future employer's website at an interview for a dev position? I have an interview coming up at a marketing agency. They have multiple developers so I feel they should be somewhat competent. I'd rate my own skills as middleweight. They want a full-stacker. I've looked at their own website prior to my interview and it is pretty unimpressive: 100+ requests with a whopping 14MB+ of data transferred (massive res images etc.) Google Page Speed score of 0 for mobile / 0 for desktop. I have NEVER seen this before. Multiple css files loaded in with no minification. Random mixture of classes and IDs. Strange overrides. font-family styles all over the shop. Duplicate styles. It's a mess and a maintenance nightmare. Multiple js files loaded in with no minification. Mixture of jQuery and native JS. Potentially copy pasted code. Again an unstructured mess. No off-the-shelf CMS. Probably some in-house nightmare written in PHP 4 with Smarty. My question - should I diplomatically call them out on this at the interview stage... ("I noticed there are a few quick wins on your website you might be able to implement to improve performance")? Do I be honest...? How will the lead dev (who will be in my interview, along with the non-technical MD) feel about this? Pretty peed off I'd imagine. Do I just not mention their website at all? Advice please. Thanks. <Q> Then leave that document in your portfolio. <S> If at some point they get to talking about their web page you can mention that you did take a look and prepared a summary of the changes you would make if that were to become one of your responsibilities. <S> In this manner you are not saying that they did anything wrong, but rather suggesting ways to improve. <S> And showing that you have the ability to plan and take the initiative on things. <S> If they never bring it up and there is no natural way to bring it into conversation <S> then I would just leave that summary in your pocket. <S> Forcing this would likely look badly on you. <A> I don't think it would be wise to mention this before being hired, unless specifically asked in the interview. <S> What you want to do in an interview is demonstrating your skills and accomplishements, not to point the failures of others. <S> You also don't know anything about the situation in this company and what lead to such a mediocre result, which from experience I know is quite common. <S> Sure you could think they should show their talent on their website, but you have to realize most propects won't look at the source of the website to choose a provider. <S> As the ROI of having a technically perfect website might be close to zero (or at least they consider it that way), they then prefer to have their people work on billable projects for actual clients, their website becoming a pile of patches as years pass by. <S> Pointing this in an interview might well get the interviewers frustrated or irritaded as they might be well aware of the poor quality of their website. <S> You don't want to irrate an interviewer... <S> Anyway, as long as you're not one of their employees (yet), your only concern should be to know about the technical quality of the websites they produce for their clients, and if by working there you're going to be producing code that fits your standards, or be an happy developer at all. <S> Indeed, ideally a job interview is 2-ways <S> and you're free to ask questions about your future job conditions, you're even free to have them pass the Joel test , but criticizing their website is certainly a bad idea. <S> If you get the job, it would then be a good idea to propose such improvements pro-actively, which could be put in another question here if you want advise on how to address that. <A> If you do it diplomatically and at an appropriate point (e.g. If they ask about front end concerns or about site optimization), I think this would be a big win. <S> A few things to consider: Business doesn't happen in an engineering vacuum, many companies consciously choose non-optimal solutions for financial or other reasons (e.g. Maybe their talent base is all server guys). <S> Acknowledge that to them then perhaps talk about <S> how build pipeline, etc, could help automate that stuff without much upfront cost and pay long term dividends. <S> Especially if you're interviewingn with someone non-technical be sure to cover the business reasons this is important (bandwidth costs, end user experience, mobile, etc). <S> If the lead dev is in the room, start by talking about how great you find the site otherwise and acknowledge that they probably have other things in their backlog, etc. <S> in other words, pretend like you think he already knows what you're going to say, and had legitimate reasons to not have it done already. <S> Adding a personal example, given the number of answers that summarize as "no, are you nuts??? <S> " <S> I had an interview once with IBM. <S> At the end, they did the usual, "do you have any questions for me?" <S> I actually had forgotten to think of any, panicked, and asked, "Yeah, do you ever kick yourselves for giving up the rights to MS-DOS to Bill Gates? <S> " <S> THe interviewer was a VP (I didn't actually know that going in). <S> I got the job. <S> I had another interview years later where I called out one of my interviewers for antisocial behavior <S> I'd witnessed prior to the interview. <S> Got an offer there too. <S> I realize there's some confirmation bias going on here, but my point is that interviewing isn't as black and white as folks often make it. <S> Interviewers are human and the most important thing is developing a rapport with them. <A> Regardless of what you think is 'best practice' or whatever concepts you have, you really know none of the issues they have, why they're in the position they're in, and what their plans are. <S> Anything you say, without knowing anything, is going to come off as arrogance. <S> They may have a parallel website made, and they're doing final testing. <S> You would have no means to know that.
| Instead of talking about the problems with the website that they have, I would instead prepare a document that lists the steps you would take if it was in your responsibilities to improve the site, along with how long you think each step would take and how important you think the changes are to make. Any comments you make will make you look really unprofessional, because as a non employee, you (really) have no idea.
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How to navigate a drug test as a non-drug user with shy bladder syndrome? I'm a 4th year male PhD student coming to grips with the fact that I may not get an academic job. Alternatively, I'm looking to industry/government, but I have a significant hurdle in landing a job here: the drug test. I have never done drugs, nor do I ever intend to, but I have a condition called paruresis, more commonly known as "shy bladder syndrome" or "pyschogenic urinary retention." I have never been medically diagnosed, but when you have this condition it's blatantly obvious. I know that not all companies/agencies conduct drug tests, but many do. While my condition has improved somewhat over the past few years, frankly, I do not think it's possible for me to urinate with someone explicitly watching me. Obviously it sounds horribly incriminating when a person says, "No I cannot take a drug test." I'm sure that drug users have tried every excuse imaginable - including "I have shy bladder syndrome" - in order to avoid them. How can I handle this if I'm required to take a drug test? Would it be possible for me to take a blood test instead? I know that blood tests probably aren't used because of the expense, but can I pay for a drug test by blood out of pocket instead? Even periodically? I would be more than willing to do this if it landed me a job, and I'd assume these are no less accurate. Notes: solutions such as "getting over it" are not constructive here. Please assume (if for nothing other than the sake of the question) that I cannot possibly urinate with someone watching me. Also, this condition does not affect me in other ways, and almost no one knows that I have this problem. For practical purposes of everyday life, this condition is not debilitating and would not affect my work/productivity. Even when traveling with my department/colleagues or going to crowded places, I can creatively avoid difficult situations by using a stall, visiting the restroom at carefully selected times, etc. <Q> As GGMG said, most drug tests are taken in private. <S> If a urine test is not possible, there is always a hair follicle test, or a blood test. <A> As a probation officer by trade, our department dealt with a handful of offenders with shy bladder (and, yes, it is a very real condition). <S> We offered those select few a "lollipop" test. <S> It's an oral swab that you suck on for about fifteen minutes. <S> That's it! <S> These tests are highly reliable and are similar to buccal swabs. <S> I would suggest: Google "drug test" and your town's name Find an agency that does oral swabs <S> Speak to the agency <S> ; explain your problem; ask them how you might arrange for an oral swab (Just so you know what the expectations are, what their hours are, how much it will cost, etc.) <S> Should you be offered a job that requires a pre-employment drug test you're going to have to tell your potential employer that you have shy bladder. <S> Tell them. <S> "I have no problem completing a drug test. <S> Unfortunately, my bladder's quite shy! <S> I've found an agency which conducts oral drug tests -- here's some information on oral swabs and the agency for you to look over. <S> If you're comfortable with it, I'll complete the test tomorrow. <S> " <S> Make sure you obtain the fax number or email address <S> you want the results sent to. <S> Hopefully this will be useful to you! <A> Since Richard nicely covered that this likely won't be an issue , this answer will just assume it <S> may be. <S> https://www.drugs.com/article/drug-testing.html states that: Certain laboratory procedures may require direct visual observation while the specimen is being voided. <S> To your question: <S> How can I handle this if I'm required to take a drug test? <S> Certainly not by saying: <S> "No I cannot take a drug test." <S> Explain, only when it's necessary <S> (i.e. AT the test if a tester has informed you that they need to watch you), about your condition. <S> It may help to go get diagnosed, because it's a medical condition and (depends on location) most places cannot discriminate. <A> Being alone in the contribution room (bathroom) is usually enough for a regular employment drug screening. <S> If you've given a sample to you doctor, it's pretty much the same thing.
| Unless there are significant legal (DUI, criminal investigation, insurance fraud) or regulatory issues surrounding the test, no one will be watching you ;)
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Problems with bathrooms left disgusting and messy by coworkers I work at a large Fortune 500 Company in a very tall building. Each floor has about 200 or so people. Recently the men's restroom has been a disaster, it is frequently trashed with garbage everywhere and excrement all over the seats and I do mean all over. When I complained to management the culprits admitted to trashing the bathroom but then complained about me complaining about them. Management took no action saying they didn't know who did it (even though the people admitted to it) and we weren't allowed to complain about peoples bathroom activities they merely suggested I just use a bathroom on a different floor. How do I resolve this? <Q> Take a picture of it and provide to management. <S> If you are over reacting they will say so, if it's really as bad as you say, then the picture will do all the talking for you. <S> In the meantime use a different bathroom, but just provide the picture and indicate that you just wanted them to see what you are talking about. <A> There are really two options here. <S> First, the simple option of just using restrooms on a different floor. <S> I would recommend this approach frankly. <S> The fact that your management (at a Fortune 500 company!) isn't actively taking steps to address this is a bit weird to me, which strongly is suggesting something else is going on that you are unaware of - or your claims are greatly exaggerated here. <S> However, if you really want to fight this, your second option is this. <S> You need to be very objective and delicate (particularly since you already tried and got shot down). <S> I would recommend waiting a few weeks since you first complained to the management and then, if the problems continue, setting up time with those management in person and calmly raise the concerns of: <S> The bathrooms are unsanitary to the point of unhealthiness <S> It makes you uncomfortable working in an environment where there are significant health concerns <S> Verify your management understands what actually are the problems <S> You would like to know what steps are being taken to prevent the problems in the future <S> Come away from this meeting with action steps of some sort. <S> If you are not 100% confident in being able to do this in a respectful and polite way <S> DO NOT DO THIS. <S> Your post has the tone of someone who would not be good at the sort of nuance required for this, it might not be so, but this sort of approach will require a good deal of office politiking. <A> How do I resolve this? <S> I realize you don't want to read this but in the grand scheme of things, you're making a mountain (of poo) out of a mole hill. <S> You did what you should have. <S> You went to management. <S> Management gave you direction. <S> Ignore <S> that direction and take other avenues at your peril.
| Do what you're told and use a bathroom on a different floor if it bothers you that much.
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Best ergonomic setup posture for people who can't touch type? The standard for office ergonomics (screen position, keyboard position, chair height etc.) seem to be based on people who touch type. I cannot touch type - how should I organize my workplace? <Q> I can't touch type to any degree of skill, But that doesn't stop me from using the same posture as everyone else. <S> I've been doing this for more years than I care to remember <S> and it's not given me any problems. <S> So, just do the same as everyone else does. <S> If doing so makes you physically uncomfortable, then change your ergonomics <S> (chair height/monitor height/whatever) until you are comfortable. <A> The reason you should sit straight in your chair with your feet on the floor and wrists straight is to prevent back and wrist issues. <A> The ergonomic recommendations don't change based on whether you touch type. <S> If you do not want to learn to touch type then <S> at least don't rest your wrists on the keyboard. <S> That will mess you up in the long run! <S> (In layman's terms cocking your writs tightens the tendons and makes them "wear out faster". <S> Feel free to comment with the correct medical terms.) <S> Learning to touch type is simple (not saying it is easy) <S> Keep your left hand on ASDF <S> and your right on JKL; Often your index finger keys ("A" and "J") will have a little bump on them to let you know you are in the correct position. <S> Do your best. <S> Glance down when you need to find a letter. <S> Learn the letters and the semi-colon first. <S> That's as far as I've gotten... <S> I still can't touch type numbers/ <S> dashes/ brackets/braces / etc. <S> ;-)
| The posture should be the same regardless of typing method Not slouching in your chair and ensuring your wrists are not bent have nothing to do with typing method.
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How can I ask my senior to keep his phone on silent? We are a team of 4 people sitting in a shared room. I joined the team seven months ago and worked the first four as an intern. Everybody's phone remains silent but one person, my senior, never turns his phone on silent. It keeps ringing all day as he has to deal with a number of people. I have tried giving uncomfortable expressions when his phone rings, but I think he does not get it. How can I ask him to turn his phone silent ? <Q> How can I ask him to turn his phone silent ? <S> You can either politely ask him "Would you mind putting your phone on vibrate? <S> Every time it rings I jump out of my skin." <S> ( something along these lines ) <S> OR you can get headphones and ignore him. <S> It may be best to avoid this possible unpleasant situation by using headphones. <A> It really depends. <S> I have to keep my phone on me at all times and it is expected I will answer all notifications in a timely manner. <S> Because of that, I do not put my phone on silent or vibrate. <S> I do have it on the lowest volume setting (and also vibrate). <S> That being said, if someone were to ask me to turn my ringer off, I would politely explain that to them. <S> You can ask him to turn it down/off <S> but my guess it is probably work related. <S> Just be polite, worst case is he tells he cannot <S> and you get headphones. <A> If he's in a senior role and his job entails responding to work-related calls <S> (which is what it sounds like in your OP) then you probably can't. <S> Headphones if possible would be best course of action. <A> Ask other colleagues from your office how they view this. <S> Maybe you would find that the ringing phone is a nuisance to everybody what then can give you all different position in bringing it forward. <S> Also, politely explain your problem to senior, ask him to turn the phone on silent because of frequently distracting ringtone. <S> If your senior says the main reason of keeping the phone on sound alert is that he cannot hear vibrating well under some conditions and there is a risk that a call will be missed <S> , there is a solution: bluetooth hands-free earpiece paired with that mobile phone. <S> This way he will hear the phone on larger distance (typically up to 2 rooms away) without distracting everyone else. <S> This can also accelerate productivity of the senior, because how can he/she currently work effectively with keyboard and mouse while on the phone without a handsfree (or does he/she currently use headphones for calls)? <S> Or this can be solved using a smart watch which indicate the phone ringing. <S> It does not need to be the latest model, model like A1S sold for about $18 does the job perfectly. <S> Your company should be able to afford that. <S> It is not the case that the senior has the right to set up everything based on their needs. <S> Hearing "We are the champions" 20 times a day (while always interrupted in different time of play) would not let me stay cool. <S> Also, if you have some official corporate values like teamwork or innovation, they can become your arguments should the senior resist the change. <S> But it needs to be done wisely. <S> tl;dr <S> Even if the ringing is work-related, in today's era it is easy and cheap to overcome this problem and simple 'no' from senior is not a solution , seniority puts expectations on finding a solution for team. <S> Consider going to your boss if there will be simple 'no' without any further effort shown.
| Also, if the ringtone should be a necessity, but it is too fancy (for example, a catchy melody), perhaps senior could at least change it to typical phone sound, which is less obtrusive. Part of seniority is supporting the team in productivity , so true senior should address this concern and seek solution acceptable for everyone. Depending on his personality he may or may not respond well to the request.
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Unresponsive hiring manager and HR following no show interview I am really irritated right now, my application was accepted and I had a scheduled phone interview with a large corporate brand. First the hiring manager rescheduled the interview time, then on the day did not bother to show up. I proceeded to contact HR after 15 minutes of waiting via email, heard nothing. I then phoned and left a voice mail asking whether the interview was still on, heard nothing. Next day (Today), heard nothing from HR. My questions are the following: Should I chase HR up or withdraw my application? I am in two minds now about this opportunity. On one hand it is a global brand, and for that reason alone I want to pursue it but than on the other hand, I am so extremely irritated that if I took the brand name away in any other circumstances I would withdraw my application. I have other options, job offers etc. Why have HR suddenly gone cold, it is striking me as extremely unprofessional and disorganised? Has anyone on here experienced something similar? If I complain, and do get an interview, are my chances blown? Is it better to wait and let them come back to me. Current circumstance: I accepted a job offer elsewere, serving my notice period, so cannot wait forever for these guys to make a decision. <Q> You've followed up and for whatever reason they haven't gotten back to you. <S> There can be lots of reasons for this and, short of finding a good mind reader, I doubt you'll ever truly know why. <S> Things definitely move a lot slower in the hiring process than you expect but to be honest given their unprofessional behavior <S> I'd suggest you've dodged a bullet there. <S> I definitely wouldn't bother complaining - <S> I doubt it would achieve anything and even if they then interview you and offer you the job. <S> Do you really want to start off your working relationship with them on a complaint ? <S> You've got another offer elsewhere which you have accepted <S> so I'd move on and focus on the new job (congratulations by the way!). <A> Should I chase HR up or withdraw my application? <S> Neither. <S> Focus on the offer you have already accepted. <S> Leave your application open and wait until this company gets back to you. <S> If they don't reply, just cross them off your list. <S> Current circumstance: accepted a job offer elseware, serving my notice period, so cannot wait forever for these guys to make a decision. <S> Very strange. <S> You accepted an offer elsewhere, but are continuing to chase an interview at this new company? <A> Usually when HR goes cold like this, it means they have made a decision and are not wasting time on candidates they have rejected. <S> However that usually does not involve not showing up for a scheduled interview without cancelling it. <S> What may have happened is that someone had a family emergency and forgot to cancel. <S> It may be the tone of your contact concerning the cancellation that caused them not to respond to you further or they may just be busy with higher priorities than that particular job. <S> Sometimes it means that the person who was handling it has left the company and no one else is even seeing your emails. <S> Things get dropped through the cracks sometimes in large corporations. <S> Sometimes they stop all hiring for budget reasons or because of upcoming problems such as a layoff in the planning stage. <S> Yes, they should have contacted you to tell you the interview was cancelled, but as I said, sometimes things get dropped through the cracks. <S> Assuming an honest mistake is always more productive than getting mad. <S> In any event, you have contacted them as you should have done, but no one can force an answer. <S> If you have a second contact name, I would try that but make sure your tone is not negative. <S> You are perplexed at what has happened and perhaps the email got mislaid, not mad at the whole thing. <S> Attitude in an email like this is critical. <S> Since you have another job offer, I personally would just move on.
| Perhaps they got wind of the fact that you already committed to a different job and don't want to pursue someone who changes their mind so quickly.
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How much above my education, skills and experience should I attempt to push while applying? So I am a graduate student (MS in Comp Sci with ML as my area of focus) who will graduate in May 2018. (Non-Ivy below average University ) My main query is that not all jobs are specifically mentioned that they are allowed for freshers right off the bat. Many require experience. I understand applying for any job that requires 4+ years of experience would be madness because I literally don't have the skill or the experience to even get through basic Resume check! But is it ok to go for something that says 2+ years of experience? I understand that this conundrum has no definite answer but any viewpoint would be much appreciated! Also, is academic time spent on Masters something that gets added as work experience ? P.S: I know this question is probably asked a million times. But since in the Similar Questions that SE suggested I couldn't find something. I am going ahead with posting this. <Q> But is it ok to go for something that says 2+ years of experience? <S> It's okay to apply for any job you wish. <S> Your chances of successfully getting the job depend entirely on you, the job market, and the needs of the hiring company. <S> Academic time is absolutely not the same as work experience. <S> In many companies you'll have to "unlearn" some of what you were taught in school. <S> In most companies/job there's "what you were taught" and "how the job is actually performed" and they aren't at all the same. <S> Some companies may consider accepting an advanced degree in lieu of some work experience - which they would clearly spell out in the job listing. <S> Some companies will consider an internship as almost like work - not really work experience, but certainly better than no experience. <S> In general, if they require 2+ years of experience and you have none, you'll have little chance. <S> But you never know <S> and it's still okay to try - <S> the worst that happens is a rejection and a little bit of wasted time. <A> I want to respond to the part of your question that asks whether academic time can be added as work experience. <S> In April, my firm hired some junior engineers; at the time they were all graduate students who would be receiving their degrees in a few months time. <S> The nature of my industry is that we win new work by selling the experience of our current staff and how that experience will benefit a new client. <S> One of my responsibilities is to create resumes for new employees that we can present to potential new clients. <S> Although I couldn't call their academic experience work experience, what I was able to do was to think about which skills they developed through their academic work that could be of benefit to a potential new client, and then highlight those skills in their resume. <S> So, since they didn't really have much work experience to include, I included their university time in a similar format to an actual job, and then called out what skills they developed during that period. <S> So for example, I might include bullet points that said: Managed team of four other students during development of an application to tie new energy management systems into existing management system (Masters Thesis project) <S> Four years of intensive experience creating process diagrams using Yangdoodle software package and SQL reporting <S> At least this way, you are providing potential employers with a reason to consider your application, even if you don't meet their exact hiring requirements. <A> While a Masters is a fine achievement (disclaimer: I have one <S> so I might be a little bit biased) and it does count for something <S> when it comes to the job search it isn't even close to counting as 2 years of "work experience", it gives you perhaps a 6 month jump on equivalent non-masters qualified graduates and most of that comes from the fact that you're a bit older as a result. <S> Academic qualifications are great and I absolutely think they are a good foundation for an IT career - they just don't translate into the same thing as experience . <S> Generally if employers are asking for X years experience you might get away with a bit less than that if your CV and skills are impressive or if experienced candidates are thin on the ground. <S> Still as the saying goes "you don't ask, you don't get" so you haven't really got anything to lose by applying, and occasionally the experience requirements are just job posting boiler plate! <A> But is it ok to go for something that says 2+ years of experience? <S> There is nothing preventing you from applying to these jobs, it is ok if you try. <S> It is up to you to see if they seem appealing to you, and to make your best at the recruiting process so you increase your chances of being selected. <S> However, there is also nothing preventing the recruiter from seeing you may not have the required experience for that job, and therefore decline your application or select a more appropriate candidate. <S> Just don't let this dissuade you from applying, as experience is not the only thing recruiters are seeking. <S> Also, is academic time spent on Masters something that gets added as work experience? <S> You mention in comments that you have done an internship, that can indeed be considered work experience.
| You may try apply for jobs that require lots of experience, but be aware that it is more likely you will not be selected. Nothing will stop you from applying to a job you find interesting even when you don't meet the stated requirements. Definitely no , as you say it is academic experience.
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How do I resign on short notice from a low-skill job where I was on good terms? For the past half a year or so, I've had an entry-level part-time position outside my field of choice. Despite the nature of the position, the lack of benefits, and the menial work, I've more or less enjoyed my time there, and I've always been on good terms with my boss and coworkers. Recently, I discovered a training program in my desired field that sounded perfect. I applied, with full intention of resigning my current position if I was accepted, but never mentioned it for fear of being rejected from there (for the longest time, they held me at conditionally accepted) and replaced from the job that I had. Today, I received a confirmation email from the training program saying I'm officially in. The problem is that it has a fixed starting date, conflicts irreconcilably with my current work schedule, and gives me only enough time for a one-week notice rather than the usual two-week notice. How should I resign from my current position? What should I tell my boss? Should I specifically apologize for the lack of notice? I've always felt very replaceable and I doubt they'd have any trouble at all finding someone else, but I'm on good terms and I'd like to leave on good terms. <Q> If your supervisor is reasonable, this should be quick and easy as long as you're forthcoming, act quickly, and be honest . <S> In addition, I don't know what you do or your situation, but maybe you can offer to help out with an hour or two of training another person in your current place of employment or an evening of helping out after you are done with your training program. <S> See if you can fit in a little extra time, even if it's from home, to help for the following week or two. <S> I had this same situation recently. <S> After being a professional overseas, I moved back to the states without employment. <S> While looking casually for a job, I had taken up a position as a grocery store manager just for almost minimum wage and something to do. <S> I really enjoyed it and got along just fine with my supervisor. <S> When a professional job arose, and they needed me 'right now,' I explained to my supervisor the situation. <S> He happily said, "duh. <S> go." <S> (his words) and thanked me for forthright. <S> I ended up keeping up a couple weekend and evening shifts just to fill the slots until they had me replaced. <S> It was just four hours here, four hours there <S> and sure my dogs were killing me, but it was the right thing to do. <A> If your boss is an understanding person (my boss is), he will work with you and not against you. <A> We just had an employee have pretty much the same situation happen to them. <S> Any reasonable employer realizes line-level staff, and especially entry-level, are looking for their "next step." <S> We couldn't be upset, as you can't expect someone to stay in a menial job when they are offered the chance for advancement, especially if you don't have that opportunity available in your organization. <S> It might be a little annoying to cover your shift, but if they're reasonable, they'll understand the circumstances. <S> If they don't, it's likely there wasn't a good way to part, anyway. <S> Just tell the truth. <S> You'll likely be surprised. <S> I doubt you're the first who left for a better role. <S> I'm certain you won't be the last. <S> A good manager will not only understand, but will be genuinely happy for you.
| I was in this situation recently, the way I approached it was by setting up a 1-1 meeting with boss and just telling him about the offer and reasons for why I am leaving where the notice period is shorter.
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How should I address my work on projects the company I am applying to has strong policies against? I am applying for a planning firm that I just found out has a staunch policy against something, as referenced oddly from their website. I have years of work with that policy. It has been suggested over a casual conversation that I'd be a top candidate for the position, but by a person who only knew of my other work. I'm toying with just omitting it from my resume, but is that ethically okay to do, in general? What's a professional way to say: I know you hate hte things I've worked with and the people who work to further it, but please don't hate me. <Q> Short answer: Just include your experience and leave it at that. <S> You won't be able to hide forever what you did during those years. <S> It will come up in either casual conversation or directly in the interview unless you plan to flat out lie about it. <S> You may find that the organisation understands the work you did was with peaceful nuclear systems and will not be holding you responsible for working in the field. <S> In the end, if they really did have an issue with your previous work and will give you grief <S> when they find out, is this a place you truly want to work in? <S> A work relationship cuts both ways. <A> You can omit anything you want from your resume but be prepared to explain any gaps and make sure the application requirements don't specifically require all employment be listed . <S> From there... <S> Put it this way, if you include the nuclear work and they... <S> -Reject you. <S> Accept <S> you're not a good fit. <S> -Accept you. <S> They are accepting your previous work and you don't have to hide anything . <S> If you omit the nuclear work and they... <S> -Reject you. <S> You'll wonder if they would have been willing to over look the specific nuclear aspect. <S> -Accept you. <S> You'll potentially have a secret <S> this is either exploitable or may cause distrust if ever learned. <A> I agree with the other answers that tell you to include this experience in your resume, but I would suggest that you take it even further. <S> At the interview, I suggest that you actually bring it up, and tell in researching their firm before the interview <S> you noticed the anti-nuclear items and were concerned that your past work in that industry might be a detriment. <S> You can even tell them that you considered leaving that experience off of your resume and decided against taking this approach. <S> Making these statement accomplishes three things: It shows that you are interested enough in working with their firm that you did your homework and did some research about the firm, and began thinking about how you might fit with them. <S> It also shows them that you make ethical choices even when they might not be in your best interest. <S> It provides an opportunity for them to glimpse a little bit of the person behind the potential employee-you acknowledge that changing companies can be a bit nerve-racking and that you (like all of us) worry about what other people think of you. <S> It even has the potential to get the interviewer working to make you feel more comfortable, and selling you on the fact that the company would welcome you anyway... <S> it's always good when the interviewer begins to focus on convincing you to join their firm. <S> In addition, I suggest that you try to prepare some talking points regarding what you learned from that experience working in the nuclear industry, and how you will be able to use those lessons to benefit your new employer. <S> This is a good way to demonstrate that you can apply your skills flexibly, even in situations where they may not seem applicable. <S> I faced a similar situation; I was fired from a job <S> and I had to figure out how I was going to address this situation in interviews with potential employers. <S> When I actually received the offer from my next employer, they told me the fact that I was willing to acknowledge the situation and had thought through how I could learn from it was one of the reasons that they hired me. <A> When reviewing someone's resume, gaps always require an explanations. <S> I for instance have a 5 year gap in mine due to burnout, so I had to be prepared to explain it, and everyone asked. <S> But, a gap, when you actually did do professionally related work, might raise even more eyebrows than just a break from the field as a reviewer may feel that is an attempt to hide or cover up. <S> In your case, it is, though not for the more usual reasons like a position you do not want them investigation because of the ground you left under. <S> Personally, no, I would not leave the position off. <S> There are however ways you can handle it, such as addressing it in a cover letter or submitting more of a CV or more modern formatted resume rather than a classical chronological one. <S> This would allow you to address the situation head on and preemptively, Something along the lines of in a cover letter stating, I was in industry X for a these years, but became convinced it was not the direction I wanted either for myself or society <S> so have chosen to pursue other avenues with my skills...
| I chose to address the issue head-on, explaining the mistake that I had made that led to my dismissal, and how I planned to keep from making the same mistake again.
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Should I write annual performance appraisal reports in front of the employee being reviewed? I have to write annual performance appraisal report for my subordinates. This appraisal report further goes to my senior for approval and then after a few months will reach to the reviewed person. As a step toward transparency and honest feedback, I was thinking of calling my direct subordinates to me and writing their appraisal report in front of them discussing each and every point with them. This meeting will be 1 on 1, so the discussions will remain private between us. Now my question is - Should I do it? From where I see it, the following pros and cons come to my mind- Pros- He will get a direct reason and explanation behind each feedback point. He will get an opportunity to explain his position. This will improve trust and transparency between us. I will get to know how much he values the appraisal report. Cons- It will be a much more time taking and rigorous process. However, I am ready to take the pain if it improves the team morale. He will negotiate and try to coerce the appraisal report. What will happen if I have to give very poor rating to someone due to his very poor work? PS: There are no strict guidelines regarding this in my organization. The appraisal method is not forced ranking method. <Q> You can actually create much more hate and discontent this way. <S> In many companies, the initial input is not the final review. <S> People often have their reviews downgraded because only so many people can get the highest level of review for budgetary reasons. <S> How would you feel if your boss told you that you were getting an outstanding review and when the official word comes down it is not at that level? <S> I've had it happen to me <S> and it made me much angrier than I would have been at getting the exceeds expectations level of performance review without the expectation of something better. <S> What is a better choice is to often informally (outside the review process) discuss performance concerning specifics of what is happening at that time. <S> So tell people when they did something good and, more importantly, discuss improving performance when people fail or do poorly at the time it happens. <S> Another thing you can do is learn to make sure your people are the ones who retain that outstanding if you rate them that way. <S> Part of doing this is making sure senior managers hear about your employees' achievements. <S> If you are a VP in a meeting to decide which of 12 people will get the three Outstanding ratings available, are you going to choose the ones you never heard of before that meeting? <S> Being a boss who is politically connected and working to make sure his people's accomplishments are know is critical to getting them the rewards they deserve. <S> This is far more critical than writing the review. <A> I was thinking of calling my direct subordinates to me and writing their appraisal report in front of them discussing each and every point with them. <S> My goodness - no! <S> That's not at all how performance appraisals should be done. <S> You are basically proposing a method that would Be conducted in a few minutes in an ad-hoc manner Be conducted without much thought behind it Become a negotiation, rather than a thoughtful appraisal <S> This meeting will be 1 on 1, so the discussions will remain private between us. <S> Performance appraisals should be a thoughtful, in-depth analysis of the performance of the employee for the entire year. <S> Hopefully, you have kept notes about performance throughout the year. <S> And hopefully, you have conducted regular 1-on-1 meetings throughout the year - in which case, the appraisal should have no surprises in it. <S> Writing such appraisals takes a lot of time and thought. <S> I typically write an appraisal in draft form, let it sit a few days, then go back and revise it several times before I am satisfied. <S> I use my year-long notes from all 1-on-1 meetings as input, along with any metrics and project notes, as wells as notes from the prior year's goal-setting sessions. <S> It's a time-consuming process. <S> It makes complete sense to discuss the almost-completed appraisal in depth with the employee so that they understand your assessment, and understand what they have done well, <S> what they haven't done as well, how they can strengthen their already strong points and work on the weak points. <S> Their feedback can be included in the appraisal in many shops. <S> You may wish to ask your boss about that. <S> But it should never be a "let's craft an annual performance appraisal" meeting. <A> This is normally how it happens when I have my appraisals with my team lead. <S> He'll go through my comments during a one-to-one meeting and then write up his appraisal while I'm there with him. <S> This saves time as I have to read and sign off his side of the appraisal to show that I've read and understood it. <S> This also gives us scope to talk about anything that could be improved upon and feed this into the process for next year. <S> The amount of effort you go through of course depends on the standards expected by your company. <S> For me, it's just a 30 minute chat about things and some typing up. <S> It's always a positive experience. <A> If there is no specific company policy against it, go for it. <S> In my experience what could speed up the process is that you formulate the performance appraisals and then discuss the contents in private meetings. <S> Of course in this case it is advisable to accept the suggestions from your people to change the content, and also is possible that during the discussion you realize that further adjustments are necessary. <S> If you do these changes in front of them, then I believe it has the same effect (builds trust and enforces open communication) <S> but with less time necessary. <A> I would not write the performance review while the employee is in the room, much less in front of you. <S> By allowing the employee to be present subjects the writer of the performance review to be swayed by explanations, apologies, and promises of curing past issues in the future. <A> I like your approach <S> and I think that it can help strengthen the trust with you team. <S> But there is one key point. <S> This can only work well, only if you have regular one on ones with them <S> so there are no surprises. <S> If you don't have regular one on ones and suddenly you call them and show them the review and are surprised and shocked, <S> yes the process won't go well <S> , they will be trying to change it and will be time consuming. <S> What is important is not so much if you end up writing something that appears negative and showing them but that they were already given a heads up about your perception and didn't do anything about it. <S> So if you are doing regular one on ones with the team then
| In some shops, it is required to discuss the appraisal with your manager, in order to include their feedback before completion and/or before discussing it with the employee. yes I think you could try it.
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Should I extend my time in office to learn new things? My boss does not encourage learning new technologies and cares only about deliverables and deadlines. They do not provide any extra learning time, but they do reward when we go and do something better. They say, "if you want to contribute to new things, do your regular work and extend your time in office." Is it reasonable to ask employees to extend their time in office to learn new things? <Q> My IT corporation considers learning new things as crucial part of their competitiveness. <S> So out of 8 hours of daily working time, we are expected to work 7 hours on projects and have 1 hour for other activities, especially learning new things preparing for certifications (what is learning things, too) <S> administrative tasks <S> Employees determine what they want to learn by themselves, but of these things, some are always consulted with the manager and officially recorded as commitment to individual's career development path, which is tracked and evaluated. <S> We are also encouraged to hold one hour per week as meeting for the whole team (where presence is expected, but not mandatory) on teaching others new things we learned. <S> So in the summary, 5 out of 40 weekly hours are available and paid for this. <S> If I don't have time to follow this for longer period (project work is going 40 hrs/week) <S> , I am raising this with my boss as an alert, because development goals are going to be missed. <S> You can check with your manager and maybe give them the above as counterexample how some companies in industry do this. <S> It is in company's own interest to provide time for learning. <S> Your manager's reaction is one of results of the test whether your employer is worth you, because if you imagine staying there and losing the opportunities (when compared to other possible jobs in the industry which you could work at) it can be a deal-breaker. <S> Of course, alternatively you can try a 'partisanship', learning things on your own, gaining advantage against your colleagues who are not. <S> Maybe this can accelerate your career in your current company, maybe not (if they are not valuing these skills enough). <S> Anyhow, sooner or later you will see whether to stay or go. <A> (In my opinion) <S> To better yourself you will need to learn new things, be it for your current job, or the next. <S> So you will either do that in the office (outside of work hours) or out of the office. <S> If you can be seen to be putting in the time "in the office" then that may influence next review time. <S> If two people are being put forward for a promotion, and one spends an extra hour every day in the office bettering themselves, then that person is more valuable to the company. <A> It is unfortunate when your manager is not at all a leader, but it seems like that is the case. <S> Developing competence is a crucial part of high performance deliveries, both in present and future. <S> If employees are not learning, they are gradually becoming worse than the average competitors employees. <S> Bad for motivation, bad for business - Hard to see as a part of a successful strategy working for an "industrialized world" company. <S> (However, if your wage is lower than average world wage, tough luck...) <S> To your point, it is not reasonable to ask it - but it is certainly reasonable to do it in any case (spend time, possibly your own, on learning new things). <S> To my eye, a boss that doesn't care about competence more than randomly rewarding it is not doing very well at his position... <A> It's reasonable for an employer to push you to be better without going overboard.
| Learn as much as you can on the job and consider learning new skills that are relevant to your industry.
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Is it appropriate for your wealthy boss to host a customer at their mansion? I work for a small startup (< 10 people). We're all "white-collar" folks that live in apartments or "normal" sized homes in a city with a population of about 70K. My co-workers and I have typical salaries for our area (we're not paid 6 figures). Our CEO, however, is very wealthy (from other startups) and owns a mansion. I have been to our CEO's house and it is very lavish (e.g. a room dedicated to their collection of 100s of pairs of shoes). Recently, we found out that our CEO and a sales person on our team are hosting one of our existing customers at the CEO's house for the day. We only found out about it because our sales team let us know that they'd be unable to take sales calls. A co-worker and I agreed that this feels "weird" as it doesn't accurately represent our whole company. I personally think it's flaunting of their wealth to make us seem larger than we actually are (or even worse to boast). I think to myself: why couldn't they host the day at a different location? Is hosting a customer at our CEO's mansion appropriate/ethical? How can I properly evaluate if my CEO is doing so is appropriate or if I have a valid concern that I should take to our Board of Directors? <Q> One of the reasons people like this have those lavish houses is to impress clients and potential clients and investors. <S> That is why they host things there. <S> It is also why they host the same sort of people on their boats. <S> Showing actual wealth gives clients and investors a feeling that this is a successful CEO and his businesses aren't fly-by-night and thus are less risky to do business with. <S> Since he is legitimately wealthy from start-ups, that speaks to his track record to the customers or potential investors. <S> Sales is all about making the client feel comfortable about doing business with you. <A> Is hosting a customer at our CEO's mansion appropriate/ethical? <S> Should I do anything about this or are my feelings unwarranted? <S> Yes it is appropriate. <S> If the CEO has a nice place, which is not unusual, why not use it to host a prospective client or current customers and save the company some money? <S> I have been with multiple companies where a C level executive have hosted potential client sales meetings, current customer appreciation events, and company (employee only) events at their homes. <S> As a matter of fact, I have been to at least 2 such events hosted by a C level executive of fortune 500 company. <S> If there were any ethical or legal issues I assure you these folks are not stupid enough to put themselves at risk . <S> Your CEO probably has a successful track record , which would be backed up by his nice home (display of wealth). <S> I think this would make customers feel more comfortable betting on your start up ( and your CEO ). <A> If I get you right, you feel this is unethical because the location doesn't represent your company, so implicitly this is could be considered a lie about the state of the company. <S> While I can understand where you're coming from, this is ethics in ignorance of reality. <S> Did anyone currently working at your company dress up when they interviewed with the company? <S> Made sure not to eat garlic for lunch even though they love garlic? <S> Clean their shoes on the day of the interview when normally they only do so once a week? <S> Get a haircut 3 days before the interview? <S> Maybe even wear a suit the first time in 5 years? <S> Even in grade school, students who dress better get better grades on average. <S> Salesmanship is to a large part exploiting this effect - dress yourself, your company, and your product to look attractive. <S> If your salespeople and executives don't do this, your company will make fewer sales, your company files for bankruptcy, and you lose your job. <A> It will likely be done to impress clients rather than deceive them. <S> I wouldn't say it's unethical. <S> The fanciness of your house and the size of your company / companies are not necessarily related. <S> If you overhear the CEO saying things like "this is all thanks to my 300 employees at my latest start-up... <S> ", then you should be worried. <S> It could be very easy for the client to fact-check this and land the company and CEO (not you specifically) in trouble!
| Depending on the nature of the business, it may be commonplace that the CEO invites clients to his house. There is nothing at all unethical or even unusual about this.
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Haven't received my last check from my job I recently left, how to go about getting it? I left my last development job about a month ago. I sent the company my last invoice around that same time. Since then I haven't received the check, the place of business is very close to my house so I know it wouldn't take long to get here by mail. I emailed my boss twice about it but he hasn't responded to either of my emails. I hate to keep pestering him about it so how can I go about getting my last check from them? I don't want to just show up to the business unannounced as I feel like that would be unprofessional but it seems like my emails are just being ignored. Is there a good way to handle this situation that results in me getting my last check? EDIT: I am a freelance contractor in the state of Illinois. <Q> Since you're not an employee, your recourse is much more limited and different than trying to get paycheck would be. <S> Here's your problem. <S> They just haven't done it yet . <S> And they can delay a long time if they want to <S> and there's very little you can do except for the standard things any business does when they would collect. <S> You need to treat it like any other business and call them to collect. <S> Talk to them and ask when you can stop by to pick up the check. <S> Do that first before calling your boss. <S> Accounting is how businesses pay bills. <S> That will at least give you some information as far as whether they've lost your invoice or if there is a reason it's being delayed. <S> If you get the run around, then you go to the boss. <S> Since you've already emailed him, call him on the phone and ask him if he can help you with it. <S> Keep doing 1-2 until you get satisfaction or you can't stand it anymore. <S> At that point, you take them to court. <S> Depending on the amount, you may be able to just take them to small claims court. <S> I'm sure you can prove that the work's been done <S> so it really should be a simple matter. <S> Give them warning though. <S> "If I don't have a check by _____ <S> then I'm filing in small claims court (or pursuing legal action if it's a large amount) and then do it. <S> Just give them plenty of time. <S> Realistically, they can get away with 90 days before you would sue them. <S> Just pester them a lot by phone . <S> Don't be afraid to stop by to "chat" with your boss if you don't get any satisfaction over the phone. <S> Just keep the pressure on and if they intend to pay you, this is how you can get paid. <S> If they don't, then unless they're going to file bankruptcy, you'll have to go to court. <S> Good luck! <A> I don't want to just show up to the business unannounced as I feel like <S> that would be unprofessional <S> but it seems like my emails are just being ignored. <S> Seems that they are also being unprofessional by not giving you your check, besides I see no problem with you showing up to their office asking for your payment. <S> I would first try to call your boss and try to solve it that way. <S> If the problems persist you would be better consulting a lawyer if you would like to continue trying to get your payment. <A> Don't assume the worst without solid evidence. <S> For all you know, your boss may have been on vacation and hasn't read your mail. <S> If you do not have the boss' number, you could contact the company's reception. <S> They should (hopefully) connect you to the boss. <S> If not and you haven't burned bridges, you can set up an appointment to visit the company to discuss the issue. <S> Absolutely do not take legal route without hearing what the other party has to say. <S> If it turns out that your paycheck was delayed due to some genuine reason, you will not only feel embarrassed but also burn bridges. <A> Next step: Calling the accounts payable. <S> Why? <S> they oversee the liabilities of the company from their origin to end <S> and they have an archive <S> they have the best status information on the payment, typically like <S> "this is still pending director's approval, but I think I can remind him here" " <S> this has been approved, it is waiting for next payment run on __/__/ <S> ____ <S> " "we already sent that payment on __/__/ <S> ____ <S> to account __________________ , just call us back if it won't be on your account on ______ <S> " "I am sorry, my information shows the payment was held, could you please contact your former manager?" <S> this call typically keeps the temper down, avoiding initially involving persons who can take the inquiry more personally (your managers or directors – sometimes they do) <S> this is proven business process . <S> When a payment is not coming, companies do not find it adequate to call the management of the other company immediately <S> (management are not adequate persons to handle daily payment matters). <S> The first call always goes between accounts payable employees/departments. <S> anecdotal evidence: <S> I saw few times, when a manager or director was called regarding missing payment, they simply said "let me ask our accounts payable and call you back" ▶ <S> do not contact the manager before checking with accounts payable first, it is not very practical nor typical nor professional
| Just call your boss and ask. Call and speak to accounts payable. Legally, there's not a whole lot you can do, because it's not like they're refusing to pay you.
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How to deal with manager at internship not giving me or discussing tasks So last week I started a new internship at a pretty larger company. I was assigned to a department of maybe 15ish people for which there is one manager. I was also assigned a mentor, who apparently didn't know I was coming until my my first day. During my first week I expected to do some reading/learning about what they do and then go over my first task with somebody, and I got some reading and a first task assigned to me but nobody really sat down and talked to me about the task. My mentor briefly told me what the tasks goal was and that i would be working on it. He doesnt really know too much about the task otherwise. On my second day I had read through everything I was given and started looking at the documents for the task I was given. I then asked my manager a general question about the direction I should go with the task. His response was brief and general list of things to do. Then he said he thinks it may be a little too deep for me and I should continue to read (at this point though I was re reading pretty random things I was given to read when I finished my initial reading). This 5 minutes conversation is also the most my manager has talked to me so far. No one has talked to me about the task the rest of the week. I dont think anybody else knows what I should be doing either. Should I start working on the task? <Q> Welcome to the real world. <S> I cannot stress enough that you must have patience. <S> It's very possible that, right now, no one has time to get you started. <S> That will change. <S> The last thing you want is for anyone there to think of you as a pest. <S> So, proceed as best you can following the instructions as they have been given to you. <S> They may ask you what you are doing and you should feel free to tell them. <S> You may very well find someone who wants to put you to work right away <S> and you might find yourself working on something else. <S> But, be sure to check with your manager if something else surfaces. <S> Work is a social thing. <S> Above all else, be polite and don't say anything about your manager to anyone. <S> Also, 15 people is a lot for one manager to supervise. <S> He is likely very busy. <A> There is some responsibility on your end too to get things going. <S> As an intern, I was routinely given instruction at the beginning of each shift. <S> If I finished my work early or needed further guidance, I talked with the program coordinators about it. <A> Your manager is probably figuring out how you cope with tasks and how much you can handle. <S> They also might not have a lot of time for you (right now, or in general) <S> and maybe they just want to keep you busy your first days. <S> See your first tasks as an opportunity to get to know the organisation and your colleagues! <S> What you should do: <S> Go and get all the information you need on the topic, that's also a good way to meet new people in the organisation. <S> Ask around and socialize a bit. <S> Ask for expectations. <S> Report briefly to your manager what you found out and how you plan to execute the task. <S> Most important, find out why the task needs to be executed and what the goal is. <S> Ask your manager for his expectations. <S> Execute your task & get more workload. <S> Now when you complete your task succesfully, ask for more work. <S> This should also be easier since you've come to know more people. <S> Concerning your mentor, I'd ask him for a mentoring-plan (e.g. what you'd have to learn and achieve). <S> If he can't help you with this, I'd find out who can help you with your 'career plan' within the company. <S> It doesn't seem like your mentor is committed to his role as a coach. <S> If they don't put effort in guiding you, be pro-active and get what you need from them to get/execute work.
| Try to go out to lunch with other employees and see if they would share anything about what they do. Listen to your managers' advice and dive deeper into the topic and you task.
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Should I state that I do not do unpaid coding challenges in the cover letter? I used to firmly believe in coding challenges because I thought, if I demonstrate to them that I know how to do it, that speaks for itself that I am the correct candidate. Unfortunately, I have begun seeing a pattern that I need to break. I have employers who give me a coding challenge and they just go away to never be heard from again OR they tell me I need to work on it ASAP OR after I complete it they say I passed, then still go with another candidate. That was hours of unpaid time that I do not have to offer for free. For one thing, I do have a small part-time business that keeps me busy enough, but not enough to live off yet and that is why it is a part-time business. I am conflicted as to whether I should state in my cover letter that I do not do unpaid coding challenges or not. I am looking for a senior developer to assist me with this answer when it comes to navigating such murky waters as dealing with employers of all kinds. <Q> Since you are looking for a senior developer, I feel qualified to try to help. <S> A cover letter is meant to tell the employer how your previous work experiences and skills qualify you for the job. <S> It is not the place to put in your interview expectations and other irrelevant information. <S> I understand that you are frustrated with the "unpaid coding challenges" from the past, but do not give up your professionalism just because someone else was unprofessional (or you perceive them as such). <S> Avoid projecting bad past experiences on to future actions. <S> Your next job application is completely independent of all your previous ones. <S> The people reading it do not know of your past experiences, and neither should they care. <S> A line like this in the cover letter would make them wonder, "What does he mean by that? <S> Is he implying that we put our interview candidates to work for free? <S> " Even a company that does not have a coding challenge will not have a positive impression. <S> Coming to your actual goal of avoiding these unpaid coding challenges, you can back off from them professionally when you are presented with one. <S> That way, you still leave the door open to companies that don't have coding challenges, as well to unpaid coding challenges that you might be willing to take. <S> It is almost always a good idea to keep your cards close to your chest. <A> I am conflicted as to whether I should state in my cover letter that I do not do unpaid coding challenges Don't be conflicted. <S> This is easily solved. <S> Do not put such a statement in a cover letter. <S> It won't come across well to many prospective employers, and may seem arrogant. <S> You may come across some attractive jobs where you would be willing to spend a few hours of your time coding. <S> Or you may decide that the particular job isn't worth your time. <S> The key is to avoid announcing it to the world and turning potential employers off. <S> Announce it to the hiring company only when the time is right. <A> You're obviously perfectly entitled to say "sorry, I won't do coding challenges", and if the "challenge" looked like it was doing a piece of production code that they'd actually then use, I'd agree 100%. <S> Equally, they're perfectly entitled to say "sorry <S> but this is our hiring process <S> and we won't hire people who don't complete it". <S> It's your choice based on how much you need that job vs. where you think their test falls on the scale of what you think is reasonable, but you will be losing some job offers if you're dogmatic about this. <S> To follow up Joe's answer, I do agree you shouldn't state this in your cover letter. <S> It comes across as somewhat prima-donna. <A> Saying this in your cover letter will put some companies off that never had any intention of setting you a coding challenge. <S> So you will lose some job opportunities. <S> Better to wait until they request you to do unpaid work, and then you can still say "no". <S> And at that point you can make a better decision, based on how much you like the job opportunity, and how much work is involved. <A> The problem with stating this on the cover letter is twofold: <S> "I won't do X" on the cover letter looks quite unprofessional. <S> This is no different from stating "I won't wash dishes" on the cover letter. <S> No matter if the company asks you to do this or not, it's extremely unusual to state the things you won't do on a cover letter. <S> Language is tricky, written language is trickier. <S> "I won't do unpaid coding tests." probably means you've been burned before, but can be read as "Doing FizzBuzz is below me", or "I can't even do FizzBuzz, please don't test me". <S> The sentiment is ok. <S> If they ask you to do a coding assignment that takes multiple hours, that is the time to say, in person "Due to some unfortunate past experiences which I would not like to discuss, I no longer do such large amounts of development work free of charge as part of an interview. <S> I absolutely don't mind doing short tests no longer than X minutes, but for prolonged development work <S> my hourly rate is Y." <S> At that point you already had a chance o impress them, and more importantly it is an answer to a request rather than a preemptive refusal.
| I suggest not to write this in your cover letter. Instead, just decide on a case by case basis if you wish to accept an unpaid coding challenge or if you'd rather just drop out of the running at that point.
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Am I responding to emails too quickly? I am a freelance software developer and have three clients that I communicate with via email. I have mobile and desktop notifications set up for my several email accounts (work, personal, university). If I see an email notification, I will generally stop what I am doing in order to respond, even if the email is from a client that I am not currently doing work for (I stop/start my clock accordingly). My average response time is about 5 minutes if I am currently in a situation where I am able to respond to an email. I feel that I have given my employers the impression that I am always available. Should I be waiting an hour (or a few) in order to respond? <Q> A good practice that I read about a few years ago and now follow is to first turn off email notifications and then only check emails at specific times throughout the day (about once every two hours - adapting around meeting times and "flow"). <S> This does a number of things: <S> It lessens the impact of task switching - <S> you're no longer being interrupted from one task to pay attention to an email notification and respond, and won't have to spend time getting your brain back to the original task; You end up spending a little more time crafting your response because you don't feel the need to rush back to the interrupted task; You won't appear to be "immediately available" to other people as you are not instantly responding. <A> As a freelancer I try and respond asap if it's a paying client. <S> I won't halt work for a non paying one, I'll answer them later. <S> This has worked well for me. <A> Try to match about how long it takes each client to respond to you. <S> Each person has a different time gap. <S> You can always make it faster than each client takes to respond, but make it in a reasonable window. <S> If client 1 takes 4 days to respond on average and client 2 takes 4 hours to respond on average and client 3 takes 2 days to respond on average. <S> Respond to client 1 between 2-3 days and client 2 between 2-3 hours and client 3 after 24 hours. <S> Some people like quick responses, but some take the information slower. <S> Get a feel for how your client anticipates correspondences and respond appropriately.
| Sometimes it's fine to have a policy of responding within 24 to 48 hours which might help you treat all the clients the same, but be sure to wait before responding unless you are having an in the moment discussion via email.
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How to handle ex-client asking for free advice in social situations? I am a freelance computer programmer. I have a former client with whom I did a very successful project with a few years ago. We have mutual friends, I enjoy his company and his company does really interesting stuff, so I occasionally see him for a beer. However, his company hasn't given me work for a while. Instead when we meet this guy has started to ask for free advice. After some chat, he'll tell me what he's working on, then say something like: "what product would you use for that task? Would you use. ElasticSearch? How about Redis?" - and so on. I suspect he's taking my advice, and either using my recommendations to do the work himself, or with cheaper, less experienced programmers. What should I say next time this happens? I feel like I'm possibly doing myself out of work by sharing my expertise, and I have to say I feel slightly used. (It's usually a bit unclear whether there's any work on the table or not - I think he's exploiting that a bit to get free advice, too.) Here are some options I've considered: That project sounds really interesting! I can't give you a proper answer here though. I'd be happy to look at it as a freelance project though, if you want to email the details? He's a persistent guy, so what do I do if he says something blunt like "There's no budget! Could you just give me an answer? It only takes you a second". I think perhaps I need to be a little tougher about thinking of him as a client rather than a friend, and say: I'm really sorry, but acquiring that kind of knowledge is a lot of work, and I can't share it for free - even for someone I respect as much as you. I have mild Asperger's, so I have a hard time knowing what to say in social situations. (If it was a purely client situation, it would be much easier - I'd just be polite and super-clear about the boundaries.) In fairness to the guy, he may not know that that kind of market knowledge takes years to acquire. Of course, I do sometimes give free advice, but I just prefer to do it on my own terms. It's just awkward to suddenly say "no, I can't give you advice on that" over a beer. Maybe I should just stop seeing the guy socially, but I'd like to find a better solution if possible. <Q> Lots of friends bounce ideas off of each other. <S> If you feel you're being exploited, the best response would be to keep things somewhat ambivalent. <S> Friend: <S> What would you use? <S> ElasticSearch? <S> You: <S> Sure, ElasticSearch could work. <S> Friend: Or redis? <S> Your: <S> Yeah, redis could work there, too. <S> There are lots of options on the table. <S> They can all work. <S> I don't know enough about what you're doing to tell you which option is best. <S> Do you want to bring me in for a day or two to do some consulting and figure it out with you? <S> This lets him know that you take your work and your recommendations seriously, and it's a reminder that you get what you pay for. <A> I have encounterd this many times. <S> Sometime I am fortunate enough to be in an evironment outside my profeission. <S> For example, I was at a social gathering of medical professionals, doctors mostly. <S> When they found out what I did, I immediately got bombarded with questions about how to solve this problem or the other. <S> My response was simply: <S> Thats a great question, but before we get there, I just have really quick question I wanted to ask you. <S> When I bend my arm like this it hurts me over here..... <S> They got the message pretty quickly. <S> I would then tell them I would love to help them out with their needs, but let's schedule something for such-and-such a date while firing up my Calendar app. <S> In situations with my peer groups, I don't have that luxury, so it requires a bit more tact. <S> In the case, like yours, I am told that "it only takes a second or a minute" <S> I usually respond with something <S> I can see that you appreciate my hard work makes things look easy, but it does take a considerable amount of effort. <S> Like you, I enjoy stepping away from my work to enjoy social engagement with others. <S> Tell you what, let's set up a time to meet so we can go over the specifics of the project and scope out your work.... <S> Again, I fire up my Calendar App and start asking for time slots making it look like a formal engagement. <S> If they persist, I usually have to remind them just once that we are not in a contract/engagement, but you are happy to draw one up. <S> When push comes to shove, I responded with <S> You wouldn't want me to give away the product that puts food on my table for my family, would you? <S> I would never expect that of you. <S> Smile and let the silence become uncomfortable; the message will get through. <A> Every time he asks you this type of question he is literally asking you to pitch your solution to him. <S> This is your opportunity to impress him with your solution and land some more business. <S> There's no budget! <S> Could you just give me an answer? <S> It only takes you a second. <S> The answer to this is: I could <S> but it would not be fully analysed or well thought out. <S> But X does look interesting. <S> If you decide you want a full analysis send me an Email with the details of what you are trying to accomplish. <S> If he is just making small talk <S> that's all it really is. <S> You don't even have to believe in your response. <S> But this opens up the channel for a new project. <S> If he probes further just say "I don't have enough information right now. <S> I know I make it look easy <S> but there really is a lot of research and thought that goes into a project analysis. <S> That's why you pay me so much money for what I do." <S> If he keeps pushing just say "Tell you what I have some free time {MTWRF} in the {Morning/Afternoon <S> } how about I come to your office and we can talk about the specifics. <S> That will give me a bit of time to do some research and we can discuss the specifics of the project. <S> " <S> Your goal here should always be pushing for the official business meeting where you can hopefully land some work.
| If the friend persists in trying to get your professional opinion, and you think there is some work to be done there, you can respond in a very friendly way...
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Is it acceptable to ask for additional compensation when being asked to postpone leaving? I already have a contract signed for a permanent position with another firm, have announced my resignation and gave my standard two-weeks notice to my current employer. The day after my resignation, my current employer asked for me to stay longer as my leaving puts them in a rough situation with a new client. Following this, I was able to make arrangements with my new employer to postpone my arrival for 3 weeks. A friend, who also happens to be a manager at my current firm, mentioned that I should have negotiated money from my boss (who's also the local CEO) given that they need me and that they would probably be willing to pay for this service. Is this a common practice? In some ways it feels like extortion but it can easily be justified by using simple supply-demand economics. How can I come up with a fair compensation? Do note I have no intention of burning bridges, but I do not like leaving money on the table. <Q> Is this a common practice? <S> You could say yes, but it depends on your negotiation skills and also on what terms you are leaving the company (if you burned bridges they most probably won't be happy to compensate your extra work). <S> Experienced professionals could easily recognize such opportunities and negotiate good compensation, turning the "puts us in a tough situation" to their benefit. <S> This ability mostly comes with time, as you face new job experiences (like this one). <S> What are some benchmarks that can be used to come up with a fair compensation? <S> Assuming that your new job has a better salary, you could use the difference to increase your current compensation, so your income does not decrease during that time (as mentioned in comments). <S> It could also be the case that postponing your start date at the other company would represent some expenses on your or the new company's behalf, such as <S> (these are the ones I could think of): <S> legal expenses required to postpone contract no health coverage or other benefits during that period other salary compensations delayed (retirement or lay-off bonuses) <S> deductions from your salary by the new company because of other measures they took <S> Now that you have a better idea of how much you could ask for compensation, I can think of two ways you could negotiate to obtain them: <S> Charge them on a weekly basis, dividing that amount between the extra weeks Negotiate an upfront payment of the total amount that covers the expenses. <S> Remember to add any extra compensation you decide should be mentioned when proposing this. <S> All this being said, it was not clear to me if you already agreed on a price for those 3 weeks. <S> If you have not , it would be worth attempting to get better compensation. <S> If you already accepted an offer, however, it would be unprofessional to go back on your agreement. <S> In that case, let it be a lesson for future salary negotiations of this sort you may encounter. <S> Hope this helps. <A> Is this a common practice? <S> I've never done this in my career. <S> Nor has anyone who left my team. <S> Perhaps it's common elsewhere, but in my part of the world I don't see it. <S> My feeling was always that I was delaying my departure as a favor, not as a money-making opportunity. <S> If I didn't want to do my boss or former employer such a favor I would simply decline. <S> I don't expect compensation for favors, other than goodwill and perhaps a nicer reference somewhere down the road. <S> In one case where I did not delay my departure, I helped out my former company after hours for a few weeks. <S> I didn't charge them for my help. <S> I wasn't doing it for the money. <S> How can I come up with a fair compensation? <S> I suppose it depends on how much your delay is worth to your employer, how much it is worth to you, how nice you want to be, and how badly you want to get out of there. <S> Ask for megabucks if you don't really want to do it, or if you have your employer over a barrel and want to stick it to them. <S> Ask for very little if you want to be compensated something, but don't want to leave a bad impression. <S> Perhaps the difference between your current salary and your salary in your new company would be appropriate. <A> I've had this come up once, and I agreed to stay for longer (in my case, 2 months, so longer than you) if the company would match the salary of the new company for that extra period. <S> While I'm perfectly okay with helping out my former company (they were nice folks <S> and I didn't leave on bad terms) <S> I'm essentially taking a (considerable) pay cut if I keep working on the old salary when I should be getting the new one. <S> My company thought this was completely reasonable. <S> My goal was not to make extra money off of their hardship, but it was also not my desire to lose out on a fair sum of my own income. <S> This way, both parties could get pretty much what they wanted. <S> (The only party that didn't really get what they want, was the new employer because I had to move back my starting date. <S> But given the very unusual and unpredictable reason that my employer needed me to stay longer, they could understand the choice.) <A> This isn't really that uncommon. <S> It's difficult to fill a position in two weeks, so companies often find themselves in this type of situation. <S> If you are able to help them out, you are no longer a regular employee, but are acting as a contractor. <S> Contracting rates are usually significantly higher than employee rates for very qualified people (which you would seem to be) because of the lack of benefits, etc. <S> You may be able to find out what a contracting rate for that type of work is and could use that. <S> As a rule of thumb though, 1.5X your previous pay on a 1099 is about right.
| It also depends if it is worth asking for more money, given the amount of extra time you will work, so you don't come across as too greedy.
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Should I reply on mails ending with 'reply/call me if you're....'? Last week I received a mail from a recruiter on LinkedIn with "an opportunity". In the end of her mail, she asked me to give me a call if I'm free and interested. Since I wasn't searching for a job (and the job description didn't really fit my CV), I ignored the mail as I wasn't interested . Today I received a new mail of her asking if I had seen her previous mail and telling me the job was still available. I replied by thanking her for the mail and telling her I wasn't searching for anything right now. Did I do wrong by ignoring the mail or should I answer all mails ending on 'reply if you're...' even if they don't apply to me? A side question: what if a manager from my company or a customer sends his/her mail that way? <Q> I would always take such a line at face value. <S> It seems to be pretty standard in recruiter e-mails that I've seen <S> and I've never had a problem with not replying, about the only times I would reply in this case <S> would be if I had something specific to say such as if I know someone who might be. <S> Honestly I think this recruiter is just struggling to fill this vacancy and figured it was worth a shot to re-email their contact list in the event that someone who would be interested had missed the original e-mail. <S> but I certainly don't think there is any obligation or expectation for you to do so. <A> Did I do wrong by ignoring the mail or should I answer all mails ending on 'reply if you're...' <S> even if they don't apply to me? <S> There's never a need to reply to a cold call (or email) from a recruiter. <S> It's common (and perhaps even expected?) <S> that most people just ignore the call/mail if they aren't interested. <S> If you wish to "keep your name in their file", you can respond as you have done - indicating that you aren't looking "right now". <S> This hints that maybe you will be interested at some point in the future, and that they should continue to ping you with potential jobs. <S> You didn't do wrong, depending on your intent. <A> How you respond to a cold call/email from a sales person/recruiter is far different than your obligations related to customer/co-worker/manager. <S> That recruiter is most likely reaching out to hundreds of people <S> whose CV/resume/profile are hitting a few of their key words. <S> They are hoping that some percentage of people they email/private message will respond, and that some of those can be turned into interviews and later jobs which is how they earn their pay/commission. <S> They are likely to followup once or twice, but those may actually be part of an automated system so they aren't spending much effort in those followups. <S> On the other hand that customer and manager or co-worker already has an existing relationship to you. <S> How you respond is dictated by that relationship and the subject of the email. <S> Not acknowledging the email may leave them wondering if you got the message, or that you might not have read it. <S> And since you want to keep that relationship your obligation to respond is higher. <S> Going back to the recruiter. <S> When you are interested they won't hold a grudge if you didn't respond to their initial message x years ago.
| For the side question I would generally treat it the same, if I had a reasonable rapport with the person sending the mail I might drop a quick reply back in the negative
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Asking for the budget is considered rude? I'm a web developer and I'm about to start my web design agency with a couple of friends, I've asked for advice on how to get started and also looked online on how to start a business. I've seen this question a couple of times in different tutorials or guides in which you ask your client: "What is your budget for this project?". Is it me, or this might come off a little sketchy? Is this a normal question to ask my new clients? Or could this potentially ruin the deal for me? I've been asked this before when looking for services/products and it always seems to me like wanting to know your budget just makes you vulnerable to higher prices. And certainly I wouldn't want my clients to feel that way. <Q> If a client comes to you asking for an undefined project I would ask the budget. <S> If they want some thing specific like a logo, I would say: "I can do that logo for x €". <S> In any case asking for budget is not rude for business. <A> It's something people frequently do ask, but don't be surprised if they are averse to answering, because it's dumb to answer it from the client point of view. <S> When a supplier asks me "what your budget is" I just ask them "what is your best offer for the work we're talking about?" <S> Because strangely, if I say our budget is $100k, somehow I magically always get a proposal for $100k, which means they're either possibly trimming stuff I need to hit that number or just overcharging me <S> and there's no way to know which. <S> That may be effective <S> for e.g. US government that has use-it-or-lose-it budget, but not for normal companies. <S> So yes, asking is a standard sales tactic that I consider mildly rude, but not enough to lose a deal over <S> (many salespeople use a variety of pushy and rude tactics, you have to put up with a modest amount of it). <S> Now, continuously insisting you need that number can put you on my bad side, but once just gets you a briefly furrowed brow and a redirection to you deciding on a fair price for your work. <A> You gain a lot of important information by knowing the financial perspective of the customer. <S> If your rates are variable <S> it's something you need to know as early as possible. <S> Not only for financial reasons, but level of knowledge of the customer. <S> If they are asking for work that is normally worth 100K but in their mind they expect to spend 20K <S> you know there are potential issues. <S> The risk with how you come off is in how you ask. <S> "How much can you spend?", can sound a little suspicious. <S> I prefer to start with, "Do you have a budget"? <S> Not too intrusive, but it breaks the money subject. <S> With an experienced customer you probably don't even need to ask - they will often give you their budget when they tell what they want.
| Asking for your budget is just like asking how much money you want to make in an interview.
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How can I deal with a team member who I personally cannot stand I'm currently a project manager. I've been promoted this year, however I've been working as one for the last year. Usually I try to keep a close relation with the team members. We go for lunch together and spend time doing stuff. I think this keeps the team closer and makes it easier to bond. The problem I have is that there is a guy in my team who I can't stand. He is a good developer, hard working and a team player. Professionally I have no complaints at all. But from the personal side, he is quite sexist. He always says awkward things that make people uncomfortable and he generally breaks the good rhythm of the conversation. What am I expected to do? Talking with him about this is rude and unprofessional as it is a personal issue. But not doing anything makes the team socially uncomfortable. UPDATE Thanks all for the info and the different points of view. I’ll update some info based on your inputs. Answering to @Joe Strazzere, I’m his boss. Teams are stable and the project leader is the direct responsible for the members. As you say, if this affected a meeting I’d say it straight away. The problems come more with the social situations we are having (lunch, after work drinks, etc). I’m afraid this may move from a “we are a team of friends” to “we are a team of people working together”. The point @2rs2ts is doing is quite correct. He is the kind of person that make some commentary that make people uncomfortable generating awkward silences and not realizing that he made it. Actually is a kind of situation I’ve faced in other environments and I’ve never found a way to deal with. The difference is that now it's related to work. Also about the sexist thing, is more an attitude than anything he say. It’s more about personality than acts. If the offense was clear I would have a clear action to do and I wouldn’t need this post :) . Answering to @Christopher Estep, I appreciate the input, but I’m not sure that it’s beneficial saying that a junior PM should quit a career path because he is having troubles with a specific social situation in his team. I’m quite sure you were excellent from the beginning in your job, but some of us need some time to get to it ;). From the way I understand leading, it’s impossible to leave the feelings completely aside. We are humans and I sincerely think that friendship between team members can increase the productivity and results. We were having a great team community and I’m concerned about how this situation may affect it. Based on all the inputs, what I’ll do is taking a bit of a step back and leaving the team itself lead the social events. I’ve seen quite a lot of managers giving more space to the team members so they can socialize in a more relaxed way. This may help them give clearer indications to the guy about what they like and what they don’t. I’m expecting that the environment will put him in the rest of the teams direction. At the same time, I’ve encouraged him to go with other people from the company as well so he can get a better sense of the company way for interacting. <Q> What I'm expected to do? <S> Talking with him about this is rude and unprofessional as it is a personal issue. <S> But not doing anything <S> make's the team socially uncomfortable. <S> If you are just a project manager and not this individual's boss, then you are expected to manage the project, not deal with social comfort. <S> If a project meeting gets disrupted by someone, then correct that. <S> But leave the personal issues to this individual's boss. <S> That's not your role. <S> You and your project team members don't have to like each other personally. <S> You do need to all find a way to work together effectively, and you need to lead the way. <A> What I'm expected to do? <S> Not at all. <S> From your team's perspective your job description in a nutshell is this: Ensuring that the team enjoys a productive and harmonious environment that enables it to thrive and get work done. <S> If you let a bad apple poison the barrel, your team will gradually lose morale and start sending job applications. <S> You don't want that, because you're going to get evaluated - among other things - on your ability to retain your team's members. <A> If he reports to you and his attitude is causing problems within the team, you are well within your rights to raise the issue with him e.g. during a 1:1, as was suggested by Denis. <S> Don't forget also to refer to his positive professional qualities <S> : He is a good developer, hard working and team player. <S> Professionally I have no complains at all.
| Talking with him about this is rude and unprofessional as it is a personal issue. Expect professional work and hold everyone on the team accountable. During your next 1:1 with the team member, invite him to tone down his sexist remarks, explaining that it makes other team members and yourself uncomfortable.
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How to apply for multiple job positions in a company, in a professional manner? I am currently working as a postdoctoral researcher in a biotechnology research centre. I'm starting my last year, so I have started to take a look around in the job market. I'll have few options for my job applications. My top choice is a biotechnology startup company which works in my field. It was founded in 2015, with several millions of dollars of venture capital, and it's the top leader in the world in its field. They work both on consultancy and on discovering new science, publishing top papers in top scientific journals. They have two open positions for which I can been a fit: junior scientist and senior scientist .The only additional requirement for the senior scientist candidates is to have experience in supervising projects by students . I have supervised two students in my career, which might not be enough to be considered for the senior position. My point is: I would like to let them know that I'm applying for a senior scientist position, but I would be happy to be considered also a junior scientist position , or any researcher position they can provide, in case they don't think I can run for a senior scientist position. However, there is the risk that this statement of mine could seem like I think I'm not skilled enough for the senior scientist position, or that I want to apply for "whatever" position , which can seem unprofessional. How can I communicate my intentions clearly without damaging my application? EDIT : Thanks for all the replies, very useful. The application is on the Lever.co website, and they also ask to include a cover letter (as usual). Perhaps I should mention something in the cover letter? <Q> I have supervised two students in my career, which might not be enough to be considered for the senior position. <S> The only way to know for sure is by applying to it so they can consider your experience in the matter. <S> For this consider tailoring your resume to include those two students, and also mentioning your experience during any interview that might follow. <S> How can I communicate my intentions clearly without damaging my application? <S> This depends on the way and channel the application process takes place. <S> If it is via email , you can specify your intentions in the body of the message, along with your attached application material. <S> Explain you are mostly interested in the senior position, as you have had previous experience with student projects, and that you are open to consider any offer they seem fit for you. <S> However, if the application is via some online form per job position things are quite different. <S> I suggest in that case you consider filling both forms (junior and senior) <S> so you are considered as a candidate for those two positions (or any other form available you want to apply). <S> Anyways, if the process continues and you get interviewed, be sure to mention again your intentions and your experience with student projects. <S> In any case, if they do not see you fit for the senior role is really likely they will make you a counter offer with other position, given you were more fit for it. <A> The two positions may actually be on different teams or departments. <S> If so then applying for both may actually damage your chances of getting either. <S> Employers are looking for people who want the job they are offering. <S> So pick the job you want and go for that. <S> If they like you but can not offer you that position they may offer you the other, or encourage you to apply for the other. <A> The best way is to apply for both positions. <S> You have no idea which position they will try and fill first. <S> If they pick the one you didn't apply for, but it the one they would have picked you for, then you will have missed your opportunity. <S> I have seen postings go from open to closed to filled in days, while a similar one takes months. <S> In some companies applying the first time is painful because of all the steps involved; but the second one takes no time because they only ask for a new cover letter. <S> In some cases this is a problem because they expect you to use the same resume, but for you that is perfect. <S> If they decide to make an offer they will ask you to remove your name for consideration for the other positions in the company, but by that time you would have mentioned your interest in either position.
| If you apply to two different jobs with the attitude I don't care which I get I just want a job; they are liable to choose someone else that actually wants THE job they are offering rather than just A job.
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Too scared to give resignation I recently joined an organisation, and after a month I decided to quit gracefully, as I feel it's not a good fit for me. I have been a very genuine person and have never done this before, hence I have some fear discussing these things with my manager. Since my immediate manager is on leave, I gathered some courage to talk to his manager (i.e. very senior manager), but as we started our discussion I started choking. I told him what I feel about this workplace and had to leave my previous organisation because of the same reason. He listened to me carefully, gave some advice, and told me to discuss things with my immediate manager who would return next week. The main thing is I know that things are never going to change, but I didn't have the courage to say I want to quit before his face as it felt rude to me. The issue is I can't wait until Monday for discussion as I want to serve proper notice period and time is a constraint for me, because I have another offer which has been waiting for me for month. I will try to push them for another month but fear they won't and then I would have hardly 15 days to join them. So, coming to my question: should I send a formal mail without waiting for my manager? Is that a rude behaviour? Did I do the right thing by not resigning in the first meeting? <Q> If you don't particularly care about this job or your manager, and don't intend to list it on your resume, you're free to give notice by email and simply walk away (assuming you have no specific additional contractual obligations). <S> If you do want to list this job on your resume, and ask your manager for a reference, the best thing to do would be to resign in person. <S> If the worst thing is you have to wait a few more days to give notice, that doesn't seem to be much of a burden. <A> It all depends what you have signed. <S> Read your contract terms and aski HR if in doubt. <S> If there is no such formal obligation just quit regardless of when your immediate manager is back. <A> First of all I personally feel any job which gives us dissatisfaction we should move on. <S> This is a strong reason which I feel your manager will understand. <S> As I feel if a person is doing his job just for the sake of doing he will never give the productivity which company wants. <S> Moreover you can also express him why you are dissatisfaction and which cannot be improved in here. <S> Secondly, as you said you are already having an offer where you can proceed just make sure new company you are looking ahead is worth your satisfaction.
| If you don't like the place and have an offer, unless you have signed that you need to resign specifically to your immediate manager then just submit your resignation.
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How to decline giving a job referral in my company to someone I don't want to work with? I know someone who performed poorly as an e-board member in our university club. I keep receiving his emails and messages (on LinkedIn, Whatsapp and Facebook) requesting for referral to a job in my company. Given a choice, I don't want to work with this person. I have already blocked him on Whatsapp and Facebook. What is the best way to avoid him, and say no to his requests? <Q> To an extent how you answer depends on whether he's looking to use you as a reference, which would be strange, or if he just wants you to get his CV or application to someone in which case he's considered a "referral". <S> The latter doesn't typically include you vouching for him. <S> I'm sorry <S> but since we never really worked together in an office setting I don't think I should serve as a reference. <S> You can apply for [the position] through the usual channels and I wish you the best of luck. <S> If you want to make it clearer that his past performance is the real issue <S> you could say something like: <S> Unfortunately given your poor track record as an e-board member <S> I [couldn't give you a positive reference <S> / don't think you'd be the right fit for the job]. <S> Point to specific issues if you can but be prepared for a very annoying argument to follow. <S> This guy displayed a lack of professionalism in his previous work and in spamming you so he's not likely to react very well to this message. <S> Most people wouldn't bother taking on such a potential hassle and would simply respond neutrally and ignore him. <S> If you are sure that his past behaviour will be indicative of his performance in a "real" job then you should speak to whoever the hiring manager is for the position he wants to apply for and give him your feedback. <S> But I would hesitate to make that call if all you're basing this on is a university club as most people shape up once they enter the workforce. <S> If he continues spamming you then you should say something though as that's another data point that a hiring manager would want to have. <A> Well it sounds like he is not going to take a hint (I think ignoring several messages and blocking him on other sites should have been enough, but...) <S> , so I would be blunt. <S> Write back to him and say "based on my previous experience working with you, I do not feel that I can provide a positive referral for you. <S> Good luck in your job search". <A> I have been pestered with similar job referral requests by an annoying interesting college acquaintance whom I didn't want to work with. <S> I eventually figured out that the trick was not to respond with either no 1 or yes, but to give an ambiguous reply to procrastinate the response forever , like this: I will contact you in case <S> I think I can refer you to a suitable job opening. <S> He still hounded me a couple of times more, but I was determined to stand my ground, and responded with: As I said before, I will contact you if I think I can refer you to a suitable job opening. <S> I think we have talked about this a couple of times, I will contact you if I think I can refer you to a suitable job opening. <S> If I do not contact you, you can assume that there are none. <S> You don't need to ask me every week. <S> At this point, he either believed me (because I said it politely with a smile) or he "got" the idea, and did not bother me again. <S> You might be wondering if my response was dishonest, but it was not. <S> I said I would contact him in case <S> "I think <S> I <S> can refer him to a suitable job opening", which was a blatant lie metaphorically true . <S> The common language interpretation of that statement is that I would look for job openings in my company, shortlist any suitable ones that I can refer him to, and contact him then. <S> However, because I didn't want to work with him, I didn't think I could refer him to any suitable job openings. <S> :) <S> 1 <S> This particular acquaintance, however, was a special snowflake, and only changed the form of pestering. <S> He started annoying me with requests like, "No, you don't recognize my potential.", "Let's meet this weekend so that you can better appreciate what I bring to the table.", "Please give me feedback on what you think is missing.", etc.
| I usually respond to unwanted job referral requests with some variant of the "no, sorry" suggested in Lilienthal's answer and that is usually the end of it.
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Should I tell friend about bad manager for potential position within company I recently referred a friend and school mate to a job within my department at work. At the time I thought she would be a great fit, and I still do. Our office has this matrix management style where the manager of your team may not be your manager in paper. The managers all work together but your paper manager is still the one who has final say about performance reviews and development within the team and department. When I referred my friend the job opening was under my own manager who is great, but he just hired someone to fill the slot. They are still interviewing her but now, even though she would work on the same team, she would have a different manager. And I would have never referred her had I known the job was under him. He is the manager in the saying "people join companies and quit managers". The worst of office politics. A former developer who moved up but still tries to write code and then passes it off to others to finish. His nicknames include Mr. 80% and Mr. It works on my machine. This year alone he has had 3 of the 8 people under him leave. I don't know if I should tell my friend to just not interview anymore because of it. I would not wish him as a manager on anybody. But she also wants to move back to town to be closer to family and she recently got payed off when her last job got bought out and everybody was laid off. And I still think she would be an asset to the team. Any advice, anecdotes? <Q> Your friend is counting on you. <S> You are involved in this because you referred them based on a set of information about them and the position. <S> Both the company and your friend moved on this with some level of reliance on you. <S> That original information is no longer accurate and there is nothing (e.g., legal) that prevents you from sharing what you know about the new situation. <S> I would say ethically, you should want to share the new information with your friend. <S> What you don't want to do is make a decision for them. <S> No, you do not want to "tell my friend not to interview anymore". <S> Why don't you just email them a link to this post? <S> It pretty well states the situation. <A> If you tell her she might decide to look for something else; or put up with the situation (assuming she gets an offer) for a few weeks or months, in order to move back to town with some revenue secured, while continuing to explore other options. <S> Whether you tell her or not, she might also change team or her manager might get the boot shortly after she gets the job. <S> There's probably no right or wrong answer on whether to let her know. <S> But another could just as validly offer that she can make up her own mind and judge for herself. <A> A former developer who moved up but still tries to write code and then passes it off to others to finish. <S> Sounds like one of my ex-bosses. <S> Guess what, one day I was fed up <S> , so I shoved him out the office and talked to him, to the tune of, "You're my boss now. <S> You put me there to manage the guys who write the code. <S> Stop <S> *** micromanaging. <S> What I want from you is interface with the higher-ups, act as a buffer, if some idiot on top of the company comes back from their ski weekend with a stupid feature that you know is useless, your job is not to tell me about it." <S> After this, everything went smoothly. <S> Once he told me " <S> Yeah, <S> but I kinda miss coding." <S> "You were in the train three days last week," I replied, "international contracts and shit." <S> " <S> Yeah. <S> But I still miss the coding." <S> "Want me to hire you back as a developer?" <S> I asked. <S> "The pay would kinda suck." <S> His nicknames include Mr. 80% and Mr. <S> It works on my machine. <S> I used the above anecdote to point out t a fact: most developers will feel a sense of loss when leveling up into management. <S> Some will deal with it, and grow into excellent managers. <S> Some will not, and grow into micromanagers. <S> A micromanager thinks you're his compiler, basically. <S> Run. <S> I don't know if I should tell my friend to just not interview anymore because of it. <S> You say she is your FRIEND. <S> So, yes, you should tell.
| Personally I'd likely let her in on how the context changed, because I believe friends don't let friends get lured into bad jobs.
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Agreement with person now fired, can I still call on it? For the past two years I have been allowed to bring my dog to work for 2 weeks a year. This agreement was made with my manager and the HR manager. Unfortunately, one has switched jobs and the other was fired today. I will need to bring the dog with me tomorrow and the coming 2 weeks. What is the best wat to approach this?Just take him, and mention the agreement if the new manager complains? Is it still valid?Ask again? I can't really handle no for an answer at the moment as everything is already arranged and there are no doggy daycares or kennels in the area. The only thing I could propose is me working from home for the period of 2 weeks, which is certainly possible but not usually wished for. Last times went very well, he just sleeps the whole day and doesn't bother anyone. No allergies as far as I know but I can easily change desks if that's the case. <Q> This somewhat depends on the rules and customs in your company, but usually the general rule is: <S> The decisions of a manager are not automatically invalidated if the manager is fired. <S> Think about it: Otherwise the new manager would have to re-write or re-confirm every single decision and regulation the old manager set up, even ones from years ago - that just would not be practical. <S> Of course there are exceptions - for example, if a manager was fired for a specific infraction, decisions linked to that infraction will likely be overturned. <S> For example, hypothetically speaking, if the old manager messed up the assignment of employees to projects, the new manager will probably re-assign various employees. <S> But as long as an old decisions does not cause problems, there is generally no reason to change it. <S> If you are uncertain, you could of course ask your new manager about it once someone has been appointed. <S> In the mean time, you could cover your back by asking your colleagues whether they see any problem with you bringing your dog - if they all agree it's fine <S> it seems unlikely your manager would object. <A> Obviously, your co-workers will continue to be ok with you doing this. <A> Bring the dog along like normal tomorrow. <S> In case the manager raises an eyebrow about it or asks questions, mention you had an agreement in place with his predecessor for the past 2 years (don't forget to explain why the dog can't simply stay home). <S> If your new boss isn't OK with continuing the former deal (very unlikely unless he or she's allergic), politely ask for a few hours or the day off so you can sort out the situation. <S> (If anything you're in luck, in the sense that the dog will arrive tomorrow rather than out of the blue in 6 months.)
| So, absent any special indications, you can probably assume that the permission your manager gave you is still valid. I assume you have some kind of email/note from your manager/HR indicating that your dog is acceptable to be in the office. Carry on as you did before and then deal with any issues as and when they arise.
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Should I keep a job on my LinkedIn profile if I left on good terms after three months? 3 months ago, I quit my job as a BA in my previous company, because the salary was not so good and there was some lack of leadership and opportunity for personal growth. I started working as a PO in the current company, but the timing of my employment was off. I wasn't doing much for two and a half months. They saw great potential in me, but due to holiday seasons and some paperwork, the project they had planned for me couldn't start. 2 months into this job, I received a call from my previous company. My manager wants me to come back and share his workload. They are offering a huge salary and a Product Manager position for a huge team and product. I accepted the offer. In my current company, they were understanding of the situation and took it very professionally. They told me they will always have an offer on the table for me if I ever change my mind. I have to admit, that was really cool. My question is: I was here for about 3 months, should I keep this job on my LinkedIn profile? <Q> Yes. <S> Your other option is to show a 3-month gap in your career, which is usually perceived a lot more negatively than a short 3-month job and also raises more questions in interviews. <S> If you then explain that you had hidden the short job, it will raise even more questions. <S> Why would you go through that trouble when you were employed and you left the job on good terms? <S> Moreover, you might burn a bridge with the current company if you hide the job. <S> When they later see that you have hidden your stint with them, they might wonder if you were unhappy with the job and just pretended to leave on good terms. <S> If you apply for a job with them in future, you may have some explanation to do. <A> Yes - It's not uncommon to have short stints in companies. <S> Consultant's have lots of short term contracts for months. <S> It's all experience which will benefit your profile. <S> I have been a consultant for over a decade, though I spent the majority of that time in a single client site. <S> Over the past few years I have been doing several smaller pieces of work for different clients so each are on my linked in. <A> Should I keep that on my LinkedIn profile, given the circumstances? <S> No. <S> Such short stays are red flags to any hiring manager and are often used to filter out the first batch of applications meaning that you'll be rejected before you even get a chance to explain. <S> But even if we ignore the negatives of including a three month stay on your resume (or LinkedIn), there are absolutely no positives anyway. <S> You will not have any useful accomplishments in such short stays that merit including such a job on your resume. <S> In your case it's even worse because it sounds like you didn't even really do anything in that time but wait for work. <S> That means that even if you explain that you left on good terms, a good hiring manager will then wonder why you bothered to include it at all considering it doesn't help you. <S> So don't list it. <S> LinkedIn is an extension of your resume which should be a document that markets your skills and experience. <S> Never list stuff that harms your profile.
| Don't list stuff that doesn't help build your profile. If there is nothing about the job that you don't want the world to find out, then you should put it on your profile.
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How should a junior dev handle critical decisions as a sole developer on a large project? I am a 2 year experienced web developer, I mainly worked on backend stuff (API,java logic , etc etc), and I work as a consultant. Since 2 months I was sent to a company to work on their front-end using some framework that I'm not a complete newbie at, but basically not an expert. Project is large, but I estimate my code is at 'junior' level. Here comes the problem, as long as I am the only front-end dev in this group, all critical decision on this project are deferred to me (choosing a pattern of code, instantiate new libraries or importing some code from external resource or so on). As I said before, code is not difficult, but I feel that these kind of decision are too important to be deferred to a junior of this framework, due to the software is very big and handle sensitive data of a big company. Note that I already talked to my boss, and he basically told me "just work as you want and as you wish, but the project must be ready at date XXX" My fear is that I can product code that works NOW, but TOMORROW will have bugs or so on due to my lack of experience, and as a consultant, I'll leave a bad reputation beside me. How do I handle this situation? What should I do? <Q> You're not a Junior any more - you're a Senior. <S> Congratulations on your promotion! <S> If it hasn't been already, chop the project tasks up into bite sized chunks of work. <S> Analyse each one and assess whether you understand enough to completely it, how long it'll take you. <S> Take those time estimates and add at least 50%. <S> If those estimates don't fit into the timescale requested, then you need to raise this as a risk - either you need help, or something needs to be dropped from the project. <S> You also need to raise a risk for every task that you're not sure about. <S> You'll get more points for forward thinking and being honest than hiding everything and failing at the end. <S> If you need help, then build a sound business reason and ask for that help. <S> Use this as a great learning experience, not many juniors get this opportunity. <A> As the only front-end developer, you may be the closest thing to an expert. <S> Expertise is relative, so even if you feel you don't know that much, you may need to own the solution. <S> Consultants are expected to be able to solve problems and this may be your opportunity to shine. <S> Do your best with the skills and knowledge you have. <S> Make sure you document your research and how you arrived at the decisions you needed to make. <S> Share this documentation with your technical and/or administrative supervisor so that they know what you have done and can manage the risk. <S> If after the research, you believe there is a schedule risk, let them know now before the situation gets worse. <S> Use the research you have done to provide a timeline you can make and leave it to them to then manage the project timelines at a higher level. <A> My fear is that I can [produce] code that works NOW, but TOMORROW will have bugs or so on due to my lack of experience[.] <S> Yes, you will write bugs. <S> You will fix the bugs you find. <S> I am sure you have experienced this already. <S> You can mitigate this risk by building an automated test suite. <S> It does not need to be a sophisticated 100%-coverage test suite. <S> It just needs to be able to catch the bugs you have already found, so that you know that you didn't slip up and make the same mistake again. <S> If it covers the standard happy paths as well, it will save you some embarrassment. <S> If you are comfortable with a UI-level test harness like Selenium or Microsoft's <S> Coded UI Tests , great. <S> But you can get decent test coverage one layer down in your system, by testing that your model produces reasonable outputs given the sorts of inputs that you expect the UI to feed it. <A> You will have to go through bad designs to achieve good ones. <S> This is a key point in this problem that you have to live with. <S> Now: Is "bad" code going to burn bridges? <S> Unlikely. <S> Never seen that happen ever. <S> Worse case, you'll be asked for the reason of doing this, and you can justify. <S> In the programming business, we all understand constraints and motives for some bad code. <S> One thing that you'll learn in the future is: <S> The perfect code doesn't exist. <S> Code loses quality over time, and history of programmers can be seen in the code, and keeps getting worse until the cost of maintaining a program becomes higher than writing a new one, which is when people do that. <S> How can you help make best decisions? <S> If you're really concerned to make your code the best (assuming that won't affect the time limits, which it will, but anyway). <S> The answer is simple. <S> Look at examples online and discussions about the issue... <S> LOTS of them! <S> Try to follow the consensus on many forums.
| Do some research about the framework and best practices for using it. If the framework is used much at all, there should be plenty of research you can do on the internet, either from the vendor, a working group or some site like StackOverflow.
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Send application email again to avoid being overlooked I am a second-year master's student. All of my courses are in the evenings, and I am looking for a part-time internship or job for me to do before I attend classes in the evening. There is an internship opportunity at a think tank that I think that I am well-qualified for, both in terms of research area and foreign language abilities. The deadline has not passed yet, and the application directions were to submit a CV, a cover letter, and a short writing sample via email. I already submitted these materials via email, but is there a possibility of my application being overlooked ? Should I send my email again , or would that look annoying? <Q> Should I send my email again, or would that look annoying? <S> If you already followed all the directions you were given to submit your application, then sending that redundant email could indeed most likely be seen as annoying or unprofessional. <S> To some degree, it can also make you look somewhat desperate, and that may be something you don't want to convey. <S> If they gave you those directions, then there is little chance your application got overlooked, as that seems to be the application process they expect. <A> Yes, this is incredibly annoying when you are the hiring manager. <S> (e.g. if we get 100 applications but only plan to interview 10 people, we want to try and ensure we're interviewing the 10 best applicants). <S> Some employers will evaluate applications as they're received and contact people they find interesting as soon as possible. <S> This is also valid (though less so for prestigious internships perhaps) but again the dynamic is that you follow their application process and they contact you if they wish. <S> Submitting your application multiple times shows that you're unaware of the normal hiring process and does not reflect you in a favorable light. <A> Here's an approach you can use. <S> The RPost registered e-mail service can indicate to you if your message has been received or opened. <S> You could sign up for RPost for free, and then re-send your e-mail through RPost. <S> Add <S> "Revised:" to the beginning of the subject line. <S> You don't have to actually revise anything, unless you really need to; the point is to make the second message you send trackable . <S> Your intentions will be far less obvious to the sender, and you'll know, by way of RPost's back-end, if the e-mail is overlooked. <S> I don't work for (or earn money from) RPost.
| Most employers have a process they follow for hiring, and for things like internships this might well include having a deadline to submit applications by and not doing anything with applications until the deadline is reached, so that all the applicants can be fairly evaluated side-by-side
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Should I tell my internship employer I am going to a university career fair? I am currently working at a paid internship prior to my final year in college. My university is holding a career fair soon, but it's in the middle of the work day and work week. Even if I am interested in working for this company after graduation, I'd still like to have as many options as possible. Should I tell my employer I would like to take time off for a career fair, or should I keep my reasons secret and just take a sick day? Both options would be unpaid. My initial reasoning for telling them outright is that it's likely there will be company representatives at this career fair who, though it is unlikely, may recognize me. <Q> I will be in the same situation next month and unless I said something would probably be asked to stand at the booth. <S> I plan to say something along the lines of "I know (company name) will be at the career fair at school, may I have time off to attend it myself? <S> " <S> They'll say yes, because its school and there is even a chance it will trigger a conversation about plans after graduation/intentions with the company :) <A> Should I tell my employer I would like to take time off for a career fair, or should I keep my reasons secret and just take a sick day? <S> Having been through this back when I was in college, you should tell your employer that you need to time off on the day of the career fair. <S> You don't have to out <S> -right tell them that it's for a career fair, but if they ask, then be honest. <S> Keep in mind that you obviously won't be paid for the time you take off. <S> You're currently doing an internship - everyone knows that you are looking for a job after graduation and that the internship isn't forever. <S> As a result, they essentially expect you to be proactive in looking for a job for after graduation. <S> Who knows, maybe this will be a wake-up call for them that they might soon lose you and get them to work on hiring you full-time after graduation. <A> In an internship, your employer should already assume that you're going to be doing things aimed toward finding a job when you graduate. <S> While you don't necessarily have to tell them that you're taking the time for a career fair, it <S> they ask you directly it <S> shouldn't be a big deal. <S> Just tell your employer that you need to take a few hours (or a morning/afternoon, or the day) off to take care of some personal business. <S> If they press for detail (which they should not), just maintain that it's personal business and not something that needs to be discussed in the office. <S> Don't take a fake sick day unless it's a last resort. <S> Do you have any paid time off with this internship? <S> You can use that for this. <A> You absolutely should be confident in asking for time off, as others have stated. <S> There's two scenarios: they want you full time and your attending the career fair will prompt them to lock you down, or, they do not need you after the internship and the career fair is in your best interest. <S> A good manager won't feel slighted by you acting in your best interest, assuming you don't have an offer from this company yet. <S> In the bizarre world where the hiring manager decides you attending the fair reverses their decision to hire you, you wouldn't want to work for them anyway. <S> Be confident here, and be respectful (as in all things).
| I don't see any reason NOT to tell them why you need time off.
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Potential employer bidding against themselves - should I be worried? I went in for an interview a short while ago and was made a provisional offer which I said I'd accept. A couple of days later I got a phone call saying they are increasing their offer - with no prompting from my end. This seems odd to me. Why would a company do such a thing and should I be concerned? <Q> I can see two possible reasons for this behaviour, none of them being a red flag : <S> They fear you'll be hired for more money by another company, now or soon. <S> They have a standard pay for standard profiles, and noticed they made a mistake upon their first offer. <S> reason 2 is the most likely, and is not a problem : you'll be at company standard. <S> Reason one is even better : it means your profile is hot. <S> Enjoy. <A> Happened to me some long time ago. <S> Or you might not have been so good after all, but they really need the position filled urgently. <A> No, you do not have to be concerned. <S> You might actually got lucky and found a company with a healthy grasp on the subject of "human capital". <S> The short-term money you save by underpaying somebody is nothing if weighted against the possible long term negative effects this could have on morale and loyalty.
| Maybe you did exceptionally well in the interview, and somebody decided that they should increase the offer to make it fair considering your qualities, or somebody decided you were so good that they really want you, and increased to offer to make sure you don't go elsewhere.
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How can I reapply to a company that I rejected once? A few months ago I had received several job offers, and decided to go with a 2 month contract role, while rejecting the other full-time/W2 roles. Now that the contract is ending, I noticed that one of the companies I had received an offer from is hiring again for the same role. What is the proper way to politely ask to be considered for the role? Should I reach out to the contact (manager who oversees the department/interviewed me) I have at the job or should I apply directly to the position online? If its the former, what would be a polite way to ask to be considered for the role? <Q> Should I reach out to the contact [...] <S> I have at the job or should I apply directly to the position online? <S> Just apply online or using the official means for that purpose. <S> Skipping the process and reaching out to the manager who interviewed you might be seen as you trying to use your contacts to land the job. <S> Let the hiring process go through its natural way, and if you are a good candidate (most surely, as you were already offered a job) <S> you might get the job. <S> However I would refrain from sending that email at all. <A> Why would you consider reaching out directly to that interviewer? <S> Did he ever say it is ok for you to reach out to him directly? <S> Why do you expect he will even remember you? <S> Do you know that he interviews very few people or did you solve for him some very important problem <S> and you stood out from all candidates by far? <S> Unless the answer to any of these questions is yes you should reapply. <S> Most organized companies keep records of previous candidates so your previous performance should be taken into consideration. <A> I think, If you are confident and have faith in employer, contact them and tell them what do you want. <S> If they will find you good enough,will offer you the position again without wasting time. <S> (Head hunting approach). <S> Otherwise, you should needs to reapply for advertised post and mentioned them in email about your previous experience( interview and rejection) and explain them why your are interested in advertised position now. <S> Prepared yourself this time better than before so that they will consider you as best candidate again.
| If you really feel it necessary, you can write an email to you contact after applying online, telling him that you applied again and are looking forward to the opportunity and any follow-up needed.
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Acceptable for new hire to bring up bad security practices, or "go with the flow"? I'm a new hire low-level engineer at a large company in the US. When signing up for my benefits/insurance package, I noticed that the password requirements included a 9 character maximum . Needless to say, I don't feel very comfortable committing personal information to such a lax requirement. [1] Due to my (low) status, is it acceptable to bring this concern to IT and/or HR, or would that rock the boat? [2] I brought it up colloquially with my direct managers (with whom I have good relationships), and while they acknowledged the bad practice, they didn't seem too bothered about doing anything about it. They are most likely used to it, having signed up years ago. I would very much not like to go with the flow and (a) not feel that my personal information is secure, and (b) let this practice go unnoticed or unreported. Of course, I feel silly thinking that the company would change a long-standing (and perhaps minor) policy just for me. But after all, every bad security practice is fine until it becomes very not fine very quickly. [1] Since this is workplace and not a security SE, please that assume this is bad security practice that should be avoided so that we can discuss the question at hand, not proper security policy. [2] In response to some feedback in the comments, please note that I am not suggesting going to the head of IT and screaming bloody murder about the massive security hole in their system . I had more of the following in mind: Hi [IT/HR person with whom I have a relationship], I noticed there was a 9 char password limit on [...], is that something that can easily be changed to allow more secure passwords? Thanks, Me. <Q> Due to my (low) status, is it acceptable to bring this concern to IT and/or HR, or would that rock the boat? <S> Short answer: <S> Go with the flow. <S> ( for now ) I would wait to bring this up until after you have been with the company awhile ( six months plus ). <S> They did not pick 9 characters ( right or wrong ) out of thin air, and whoever was involved with the development of the policy put in some time to create it. <S> As you establish yourself with the company, find out who wrote the policy and politely offer your suggestions, including reference material to support your suggestions. <A> So...I hate to bear bad news <S> but... <S> You're being too sensitive. <S> If someone wants to break into the employee records, someone's password is not the vector they would choose. <S> And if they do try, there is a near 100% chance someone's administrative password is far less 'secure' than anything you would choose. <S> If it's a 'large company', their internal security personnel, auditors and lawyers are probably aware of this and are ok with it. <S> A 'large company' is not going to change their policy over this, sorry :( <S> Finally, there's this: Man responsible for strong password requirements regrets his 2003 guidelines <A> You've really got two choices here: <S> Use the system and sign up for your benefits. <S> Use the strongest password you can come up with. <S> Don't use the system, and pay for your own benefits because it's likely that no one at work is going to do the on-boarding in your place. <S> Even in the case of #2 above, the whole system is only as strong as the weakest administrator password used. <S> You're probably too far down the pecking order to make much of a difference unless you, by some token, discover a factual breach in the authentication. <A> is it acceptable to bring this concern to IT and/or HR <S> Generally, no - at least not yet. <S> Not just because you're new to the organization, but also because you aren't IT. <S> To put it bluntly, the background of your question comes across to me as you "knowing better" than the professionals whose entire career is deciding these things, despite the fact that, by your own admission, you aren't an expert on the topic. <S> And I'm not the least bit invested in your company, so imagine how those in said roles in your company would react. <S> Once you get your feet on the ground, understand how the organization works, and get to know the people, then sure, if it still is a concern to you, carefully float the question to those who would be receptive. <S> But going out of your way to question security of systems that aren't part of you or your department's responsibility as a new, non-IT employee is a bad idea and a good way to get a reputation as a high-maintenance employee. <S> Lastly as a bit of an aside, most large organizations, assuming we're defining large as something on the order of 10,000+ employees (not 500 employees or the like), will have a robust risk management program. <S> At the highest level, security isn't just about "this is the best technical security configuration to make, therefore you must do it," but rather, it comes down to making executive decisions about balancing risks versus benefits. <S> So most likely, people know about it, and have decided that it is worth the risk to follow such password policy.
| Realistically, a large company isn't going to rush to make changes over something like you're describing.
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I helped a person at a company I'm interviewing with. He asked for the name of the recruiter I'm working with; is it prudent to avoid answering? I'm currently in interviews with a company and was looking around at their employees Linked-In profiles (very large firm). I noticed one of their senior internal recruiters (in a different business area) had a typo in the header at the top of his profile. I politely notified him via LinkedIn messaging and he made a joke about it and thanked me. I said it wasn't a problem, that I was just browsing employee profiles as I'm interviewing at the company, and wished him best of luck in his search for top talent. He replied by asking which recruiter (i.e. which co-worker of his) I was working with. What's the best way to respond to this (if I should respond at all)? <Q> There's no reason to avoid answering that question. <S> At one time, in the USA, I was a contingency-based recruiter. <S> If you are already in interviews with that company, through your recruiter, then any position they hire you for is going to generate a payment to the recruiter. <S> At the time you are submitted, and accepted as a candidate, they are agreeing that it was the recruiter who brought you to the attention of the company, and that they were unaware of you, as a candidate, before that. <S> This is usually good for any contact with you over the next six months to a year. <S> In this case, it seems like they are all internal recruiters. <S> This one probably liked the interaction they had with you. <S> Maybe they looked at your LinkedIn profile and saw that you might be qualified for positions they are in charge of filling. <S> And, yet, they did not already know of you, personally, even though others in the company obviously do, if you are interviewing. <S> Since you are already interviewing, that other recruiter has already done much of the preliminary work, and they probably can't initiate a process on their systems with a duplicate candidate. <S> The recruiter you exchanged messages with probably needs to make sure they aren't chasing someone who will already be hired for another position, or perhaps aren't pursuing someone who got red-flagged in that other interview process. <A> If he made a joke about it and thanked you <S> I´d say he liked the interaction. <S> sounds like he may very well recommend you to the other recruiter. <S> I would use that to my advantage and tell him right away. <S> Remember: You showed interest in the company you are interviewing with, you paid attention to the details, you managed to contact him on a potential embarrassing error in a polite and tactful manner. <S> Translate: <S> Takes interest in his Employer. <S> Will improve the company´s performance even outside of his normal tasks. <S> Can talk to strangers about difficult subjects in a polite manner. <S> That´s <S> a big plus in the soft-skill box, why would he let this info go to waste? <S> You did him a favor, now he can do one for you! <A> He replied by asking which recruiter I was working with Since your interviewing for the company, not replying may be viewed as 'rude', however he is in a different section of the company. <S> So it very unlikely that he will actually have some type of impact on your interview processes. <S> "I was contacted by X department" that way your still responding, yet not giving away really any crucial information.
| If you think that it will hurt your chances by not replying, I would recommend saying something somewhat vague In any case, the most logical reason for asking is because they probably have their own positions they might think you are a fit for.
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About to start a long course that's not for my current position. Should I tell my employer? From quite a long time, I've been advocating to do a technical change on one of our products. I've given pro's and con's of doing this, along with estimated times and costs. This would reward us with a better image for the customers, which tend to favor this technology over our current one. This has been turned down many times, with different reasons in mind (some of which are time and cost related). Now, in the meantime, I've been offered a position focused on this technology many times (at least 5 times a month). The last interview I had in place, the company basically said that "despite I look quite experienced, I can't take the position I was offered", suggesting I take a junior position (while currently being much higher in the "ladder"). Because of these issues, I'm planning to start a long course (a year) which should give me enough experience on the topic to get into a senior position straight away. The problem is that this course will require me to reschedule my working times. I'll need to leave 1 hour earlier to arrive to the course in time (which of course is compensated by coming to the office 1 our earlier). The company is fine with time changes, as long as they make sense (physical therapy, commutes, etc). However, a reason such as "A course that means a company/position switch" might not be well received. My boss already stated that this technology change I propose won't happen, and has in fact thought that I finally calmed down and saw nothing but negative points in steering the project's wheel. So, telling him that I'll start attending this course could mean he smells I want to switch to another job, rejecting my request to leave earlier, switching me to another project or even firing me (with a dark scenario in which I want to take an offer where I don't have enough experience/knowledge, or moving to a position of my area, with a similar outcome once I suggest to leave earlier. I've already seen this in the past. If he dislikes something but then he sees the good part by himself, he'll even push you to complete the course. If he sees all the bad things in a topic, and later on you still remind him about this, you're gonna have a bad time. So... With this in mind, and provided telling the truth is risky, should I tell him, lie to him or skip doing the course and looking for a less professional alternative (which wouldn't ensure me a good position after all)? <Q> With this in mind, and provided telling the truth is risky, should I tell him, lie to him or skip doing the course and looking for a less professional alternative (which wouldn't ensure me a good position after all)? <S> As you seem to already know, it would be foolish to tell your boss that you are taking a course in a technology that you have been repeatedly told will not be implemented at your shop, and about which the boss is already wary. <S> And lying is seldom a good idea. <S> Instead, just ask about rescheduling your hours so that you can take a continuing education course (assuming you actually need to give some reason at all). <S> If challenged, indicate that it's a "technology" course, but don't specify the technology. <S> If you conclude that this approach is still too risky, then take a course that you can attend without changing your schedule. <A> Comitting to a one year course is likely going to put you in a tough position IF you are let go. <S> I see your options as follows: <S> When asked say that you are attending a course related to a personal interest of yours. <S> Is this course every evening or only on specific days? <S> In the later case you're probably good as it could just as well be painting, cooking or martial arts. <S> Is this "come in earlier - leave earlier" possible within the normal working hours or does it require a special agreement with your boss? <S> In case of the former you literally don't have to say anything to your employer. <S> Negotiate with the other company to enter in a junior position with the agreement that you can attend the course and then automatically rise to the senior position. <S> Or better yet enter in the senior position under the condition that you pay for the course yourself and successfully complete it within a year. <S> Find a shorter course (or one that can be taken in modules of a few months at a time) that leaves you less "vunerable" financially if things go south with your employer. <S> Take the offer for the junior position and gain the necessary experience on the job. <A> Sounds like a classic dilemma. <S> Telling the truth sounds like problems. <S> While you have every right and reason to acquire knowledge that furthers your career in a direction that you prefer, the suspicion of you wanting to leave does lie at hand. <S> Being vague might also be a problem, because normally an employer takes great interest in the qualifications of their employees. <S> They might inquire - maybe with good intentions - to see if your education will be of future benefit to them. <S> It has a chance of catastrophic failure though, if they discover the lie. <S> Then they will know certainly that you want to leave - and as dishonest as you where to them <S> you are almost guaranteed immediate termination. <S> Some solution I can imagine is, have a honest conversation about your career goals with you superiors. <S> If you state that: You value your work and your employer, but you see your own future in this specific technology. <S> You won´t abandon them right away but want to start developing into that direction, by taking that course. <S> You will be informing them early when you have actual plans of leaving and will support a smooth hand-over. <S> Maybe sell it as: <S> Right now you only want to get a chance to play with that technology, and since you don´t have that at work you are considering that course. <S> It is possible <S> you´ll have their support and buy-in. <S> I´ve discovered that most superiors appreciate such honesty and won´t actually stand in your way developing your personal career. <S> It would also be fair to both parties, allowing them to prepare for loosing you. <S> Of course if this talk takes a bad turn you could still loose your job, so consider if you can afford to live on that junior-position for some time. <S> This may actually get you started in this technology much faster than any class can, so this is still something to consider doing in the first place.
| Most employers won't ask about the specifics - particularly if you have taken courses in the past or if taking courses is a typical thing in your office. Keep your current job and change your working times if your employer is cool with that. Lying outright - depending on your values, you could maybe justify that because it will protect you from unfair reactions from you employer.
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Is inappropriate to be informal in an office chat application? Our office, like many I suppose, use a office messaging application called Lync ( Skype for the office ). It is very useful for quick conversations with the team and most folks that use it too find it less disruptive than a phone call. Yesterday I reached out to a colleague who made a tongue in cheek remark about my lack of capitalization and complete sentences. This "quick chat style" I have seen used by many in various departments in or company. For example: " good morning sir " versus " Good morning sir. " The remark was tongue in cheek, and since I am not a sensitive snow flake, I thought it was funny. But it got me thinking a bit. Is it inappropriate to be informal in an office chat application? Should instant messages be treated similar to emails? <Q> Create a new 'GRAMMAR POLICE' group in Skype and put troublesome people in there. <S> Then you know whether they're going to whine about your lack of punctuation before you start speaking with them. <S> Seriously though, it does make sense to match or exceed your correspondent's writing style. <A> Should instant messages be treated similar to emails? <S> No, just as e-mail are not treated similar to conventional mail, every medium has its own form. <S> Depends on country and corporate culture also. <S> Is inappropriate to be informal in an office chat application? <S> Normally not, but it depends. <S> Is it a superior, be more formal. <S> Now you know, with this specific colleague, be a little bit more thorough. <A> This is a cultural issue. <S> Look at what your colleagues are doing and write in a similar fashion. <S> Make sure to check to see if they write differently when speaking up or down the organizational chain. <S> In many offices, anything sent in chat is also recorded (we have emails of all chats in our system). <S> Do not say anything in chat that you would have to defend in court or would not want to see on the front page of the local newspaper. <S> This is still business communication. <S> While you can generally be more informal, stay aware that this is still company communications and that things that get out of hand can come back to bite you. <S> And be especially careful what you say to anyone in HR even in chat!!! <A> Hi Dan, I'd like to leave early on Thursday to see the new Star Wars movie. <S> Thanks! <S> vs <S> hey <S> .. lunch today? <S> downstairs of across the street <S> I used to try to be correct, but, really, it's just not worth time. <A> You're equating perhaps unclear formatting and punctuation with informality. <S> Those are different concepts. <S> Word choice, capitalization, and punctuation matter to understanding your message. <S> If you're using your phone keyboard, then all lower case is common and expected, but if you're sitting at a full-size keyboard, it's a lot easier to read and your meaning is clearer if you use proper case and punctuation. <S> Let's eat, Grandma. <S> vs. <S> lets eat grandma Punctuation saves lives.
| Yes, chat tends to be must less formal then even email. Just as you would write a letter differently to you aunt and to your customer, look at the context. You should be as formal as you need to be based on your expectation of the interaction. So consider if what you are saying is harassment, racist, suggesting illegal activity or anything that could get the company in legal trouble.
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Submitting a resume easily parsed by applicant tracking systems (ATSs) or submiting a nicer one with which an ATS might have a bit of trouble parsing? Is it better to submit a simply structured, well-organized, very blocky, dull resume that a parser can easily extract information from when submitting a job application online; or is it better to submit a well-designed, more aesthetically pleasing resume that a parsing system might have a bit more trouble going through? I guess it comes down to whether or not a hiring manager or HR will look at the resume? I'm expecting everyone to say go with the dull, parsable resume, but follow up question: when should you use the aesthetically pleasing one if ever? <Q> Why not strive for a resume that accomplishes both? <S> I have a resume that is well- <S> designed(but could be better), aesthetically pleasing and (at a glance) highlights my most meaningful achievements. <S> I have a small grid section that details all the tech I use <S> (For ex: SQL, Java, .NET, etc). <S> Therefore, the ATS will pick up my skills and the HR will pick up my achievements. <A> I guess it comes down to whether or not a hiring manager or HR <S> will look at the resume? <S> This questions answer will vary to a degree by company, but I would always assume a human being will look at your resume and make it as easy to read and process for a human being as possible. <S> Most HR applications will allow for either the uploading of your resume through their own portal, via a linkedin quick apply, or they will allow for you to attach (upload) your resume. <S> Your resume is your first impression that is made on your first point of contact with a company. <S> Always assume a human will look at it, and the ATS will almost always parse it well enough. <S> As a side note, if you are able to upload your resume or email it to a recruiter <S> be certain it is in a format that can be read by the employer . <S> PDF is probably the most universal format. <A> I agree with the other answers already posted, but just wanted to suggest that you might want to create different resumes depending on their usage. <S> If you have a LinkedIn profile, and you upload a resume with that profile, I would make sure that that resume is optimized for ATS, so that if employers are generally searching for candidates with specific skills, your resume is likely to be found via that search. <S> If you are responding to a specific job opening, however, I always advise optimizing that resume for that job opening.
| If possible, use a hybrid resume that looks good and will work with the ATS, but always rework your resume to highlight those skills/positions that you think are most likely to resonate with the particular employer.
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Coworker continously forgets to lock the bathroom stall door When visiting the restroom, I've walked in on the same coworker sitting on the toilet three times now, from where he simply neglects to adequately lock the stall door. I definitely don't want to keep walking in on him, and, if I'm doing so, then perhaps others are also falling victim to his negligence. Since he already knows I've seen him [thrice], should I just confront him directly about the matter? Would it be wiser for me to contact the building manager, or the office admin? Obviously there is some kind of disconnect on his end.. I use that stall nearly every day and I've never had this issue myself, or with anyone else. <Q> should I just confront him directly about the matter? <S> How about <S> you just knock first and say something like " Is this occupied? ", and then proceed to open the door slowly ? <S> By doing this you are giving the person occupying the stall an opportunity ( ample I would say ) to respond appropriately. <S> The person should know better, but why take a chance on another awkward encounter when my suggestion makes that un-necessary? <A> If he isn't shutting the door when using the toilet, it is his problem, not yours. <S> No need to make a song and dance by contacting anyone. <S> It is only going to create an unnecessary scene, with some "authority" type people educating him. <S> You have nothing to gain by doing so. <A> If you are willing to talk about it with him: <S> Hey Bob, why don't you lock the door on the bathroom stall? <S> If you are not:if there is a gap under the door you can check if someone is in there, or perhaps knock or use a different bathroom. <A> In my former place of work I never closed the door in a particular bathroom, because the lock were malfunctioning and sometimes they stuck closed. <S> We had an habit to knock the door before opening it, and leaving the door open when not using the stall. <S> I think that you either knock the door before entering or follow the advice of Masked Man to say you thought the stall was free.
| Just say "Oh, I thought this stall was unoccupied.", step outside, shut the door and forget about it. No, definitely do not confront them.
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How do you stay motivated during the job search process? I've been starting up the job search again, and forgot how tiring it can be. If you consider the time it takes to think about what you are looking for, to research companies, prepare your resume/cover letter, and then actually reaching out to company representatives its overwhelming. Not to mention the fact that I currently have a full time job! I'm curious how people stay motivated during the job search process even when you feel like it's taking longer than it should and getting more rejections than you expected? <Q> I was unemployed for a year or more several times <S> so I understand how frustrating and depressing it can be. <S> Just remember that you will get a job. <S> You will. <S> It's inevitable. <S> Yes, it's tiring but so is working. <S> My father-in-law has a saying. <S> When you don't have a job, finding a job is your job. <S> And that's how I approach it. <S> I treat it like a job. <S> Get up early every morning and get dressed for work. <S> Make a list of tasks each day and do them, just like a paying job. <S> It takes discipline, but don't slack off just because you're at home. <S> If it helps to do some of your search at a library, do that. <S> Keep up on your work skills or learn new ones. <S> That will help you feel productive as well. <S> Exercise if you can and make sure you get outside at least once every day. <S> You need to avoid depression and these will help. <S> Network, Network, Network, physically if possible. <S> If there are Meetup groups where you can network, do that. <S> Just include networking in your job search activities so you can be around people. <S> That will help you stay positive. <S> Remember that not getting a positive response isn't a rejection but just you finding out another place that you don't want to work anyway because it obviously isn't a good fit. <S> They're not rejecting you , they're doing a favor and enabling you to find someplace that will appreciate you. <S> I wish you the best and remember what I said above. <S> You will get a job. <S> Something will come. <A> If a company rejects you, even when you're clearly qualified for the role, it can always say something about the company itself. <S> "You passed the technical test, are excellently qualified, seemed like a nice person, but we're going to go in another direction... <S> " <S> What!? <S> Of course it's important to acknowledge any personal shortcomings if an interview doesn't work out, but also look at what their feedback, or even lack thereof, can say about the company. <S> It may be a blessing in disguise. <S> (Yes I know they may just have had a slightly better candidate, but this can help with the fatigue that comes from too many interviews that didn't work out) <S> Primarily, I would suggest reaching out to some recruitment agencies, ideally ones that are specialists in your field and where you can have a direct line to the recruiter who reads your CV. <S> It's their job to find your strengths and get you a job suited to that. <S> Their own job and reputation depends on it! <S> They will have established connections and can work to make you stand out better. <S> They will help you find companies that don't openly advertise vacancies, and of course help identify your own best qualities. <S> As an added bonus, they can job hunt while you're stuck doing other things! <S> Remember <S> , it's a question of WHEN you get a job, not IF. <A> Specifically in response to your question about staying motivated: This answer is based upon my long-time thoughts about job interviews, but I think it can be expanded to the process of researching potential new employers as well. <S> Try to approach thinking about job searching as furthering your knowledge about the field you work in. <S> In every interview I have ever attended, the interviewer has asked me a question that made me think a little differently about what I am used to considering the standard responsibilities that go with my job description. <S> Maybe they asked me about supervising other staff members, and I have never been in the role of supervisor before-- <S> well, now I know that at some firms my job title includes supervisory responsibilities, and it is important for me to begin thinking about how I will learn/develop this skill. <S> They might ask you a question about how you would solve a problem that makes you realize that they use completely different processes than your current or previous employers. <S> Now you have a new skill that you can begin learning about that <S> will make you a stronger candidate for future opportunities. <S> Questions like that can give you a tremendous insight into the way different companies function--and could potentially spark ideas for ways you might improve the processes you use at your current job. <S> It's a little more difficult to tease this type of information out of a company website, but I still think that, as you review and research potential employers, you can try to think about how what you learn from their websites can enhance your understanding of your industry. <S> Maybe they offer services that your current firm does not offer--think about how those services might be related to or combine in productive ways with the services you expected.
| Literally treat it like a job. Job hunting is never a fun process--but for me, using it as an opportunity to increase my knowledge and understanding of my chosen industry gives me an extra boost of energy that helps me move past those feelings of disappointment that occur when what I think is the perfect company for me doesn't even respond to my cover letter and resume. The key is to not give up.
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Does leaving a new job because I'm moving look bad? I work a retail job in a general store. I'm a teenager. I'm going into my first year of college in a few weeks. When I started work, I thought I'd be able to stay and have my hours reduced for when I started classes. However, I realized that I'll have issues with both commuting and living with my family, so I want to move out. I found a place to stay near my university, and I'm all set on moving out because I think I'd do better in school that way. The problem is that I've only been working at the store for three weeks now. I have less than two weeks until I'm supposed to move in. As for work experience -- I've done internships, but this is my first true job. School is definitely my number one priority at the moment. If it will look bad on my resume, the only other option I can think of is transferring. I wouldn't want to work closing in the area because it's dangerously sketchy and I'd have to walk home. Is it understandable that I'm leaving after working for such a brief amount of time? Is it acceptable to list this on my resume? <Q> I work a retail job in a general store. <S> I'm a teenager. <S> I'm going into my first year of college in a few weeks. <S> A few things here which make it not a factor: <S> You are a teenager, your college experience is way more important than your high school jobs. <S> Having a job period is what is important there, not why you quit <S> You are going to college, most people expect that to be moved. <S> The job is also likely irrelevant to your post-college ambitions <S> If it will look bad on my resume Is it acceptable to list this on my resume? <S> I wouldn't even list it. <S> A ~5 week job is more than irrelevant anyways. <S> You do not have to list all jobs on your resume. <S> You might have to add this depending on how comprehensive of a job application you fill out but in general, I wouldn't worry about this at all. <S> I suspect your anxiety about having to let down people who just hired you is causing you to assume everyone reading a resume will care the same - which they won't (well, maybe if you apply to that company again... :-). <A> If you are still at school that is what goes into your CV. <S> Don´t even bother to list the retail job, unless you apply somewhere where you think your experince there is relevant. <A> You are a student and most employers will understand short term work for students. <S> People often work for a few months on their months off of school and then go back school full time when classes start back up and leave work. <S> Or in your case moving for school is also fine. <S> As long as your resume has stated your time frame for school most employers would understand the short work history.
| Young people, especially students have a bit more leeway on how long they have worked at jobs.
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Is it worth mentioning your advisors' qualifications in your CV? I'm presently an undergraduate at college, started my junior year, and have done some internships at various places (one remote as a software dev, two at college as an undergrad researcher, and one abroad as a research assistant). In my CV, I'm putting my internship advisors' name (and a hyperlink on that name which links to their current profiles) when I list my internships. Should I also write their qualifications, where applicable (Ph.D from XYZ university)? I was pondering this because some of the profs I have worked with are PhDs from prestigious places (Carnegie Mellon, KAIST etc), so perhaps along with saying that I having worked with them (and adding a hyperlink to their current profiles) for a sizeable duration, the qualification adds a slightly better emphasis. The qualification is also written on the links I added, but I'm not sure if somebody looking at my CV will go to those links and see, so I thought of just mentioning it separately. Is this recommended, or might this be redundant? <Q> I'm putting my internship advisors' name <S> Your resume should advertise who you are, not who your boss was. <S> Of course, this doesn't apply in special cases, for example, if you were the Personal Assistant to a movie star or a politician. <S> I have known that the culture in academia is different, and who you have worked with <S> is given a lot more importance there than on the business side. <S> If you are applying to jobs mainly in academia, this advice may not apply. <A> I would spin this in the experience/project sections where you're stating what you accomplished: <S> "Reporting to/Working under John Smith, Ph.D., I defined parts of the Curriculum Vitae where it would be appropriate to name drop." <S> If they're influential in the field, you'll (A) <S> know this, and <S> (B) benefit from the association in part. <S> Don't tell us everyone you've ever worked with, though, because name-dropping becomes tiring at a point and not every association will benefit you. <A> Generally no, unless your advisor is coming with you to your new job. <S> When I review resumes, I dont't really care about the achievements of your (soon-to-be) previous boss. <S> I'd focus on yours. <S> Though, I'm not in academia and other cultures may apply. <S> If you believe the customs in academia are different, ask a more experienced colleague.
| Generally speaking, you shouldn't put the names of your boss or advisor in your resume to begin with.
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Is it okay to Include my school achievements in Resume? Generally in India, typical style is followed in Education Section of most Resumes: Mention of HSC schooling School Name, High Secondary Certificate (HSC), Year of passing ...key points or achievements... Mention of SSC schooling School Name, Secondary School Certificate (SSC), Year of passing ...key points or achievements... Mention of Graduation college.. My school life was great, and I had participated in numerous regional, national, international competitions and have won many awards in the my schooling years other than HSC and SSC as well. I want to echo this in my resume because each of my achievement or accomplishment can potentially highlight and endorse my skill and my abilities more effectively. On searching up the Google, I bumped into links that states it foolish to add your schooling achievements on professional resume. Some claims, Resumes should advisably be shorter and precise - this limits the scope of adding more details including the early schooling achievements. This has ended me up to ask here whether is it appropriate to add schooling achievements in resume? Note I have 1.5 years of experience in I.T industry <Q> Generally, as you gain professional experience, you should be dropping your educational achievements off your resume. <S> You could include them in your cover letter, if, for example, you know the hiring manager went to the same school, and the academic achievements would be highly relevant to the job. <A> For 1.5 years in the IT industry you could add in only the most important of your high school achievements (only if they're good enough to be noted). <S> Let it be a point or two summarizing (not more than 2 lines a point) the most relevant achievements from your high school. <S> Your national level and international level participation are value additions and can be included. <S> But as @Herb has stated, as your professional experience increases, you will have more professional achievements that you can quite happily drop out the your high school achievements. <S> Also always keep in mind that your resume content should highlight achievements relevant to the job <S> /post you're applying for and in which country you're applying for <A> You should keep you résumé as short as possible. <S> Not everything you are proud of should end up to be put in the list of your achievements in your CV. <S> Put yourself into shoes of somebody who decides whether your résumé is good enough to move forward with your candidature. <S> Give yourself an honest answer - would your interest increase if you'll see someone mentioning his school achievements (especially if achievements are irrelevant to the job applied). <S> If you still think it worth it, think twice - and if you are still inclined to - well, and competent HR won't be bothered that much. <S> But I'd rather include school achievements only in extreme cases - like if you were some International Programming Olympiad winner.
| Don't make your high school achievements take up an entire section.
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Should I let someone know I broke the electric kettle? I needed hot milk, so I boiled it in the nearest electric kettle to me, but I think I broke it, as water won't boil any more. I know this, because I tried it myself. Should I tell someone in the office that it might be me who broke it and offer a replacement or should I not tell? While I was heating it up, there was department director next to me who was curious to see the white liquid and was checking, but I told her myself what it was and she said "oh, it's milk". <Q> You boiled milk in a kettle? <S> Yes, this will break it, or at least spoil the taste of the water for anyone else who uses the kettle going forwards. <S> If you've ever boiled milk in a saucepan, you'll know that it boils over pretty easily if you don't watch it. <S> This happening in a kettle will spew boiling milk out of the spout - which won't be a nice experience for anyone close by. <S> You'll need to report this to the operations department, or whoever controls the kitchen equipment. <S> Please only put water into kettles. <S> Use microwaves or a hob to heat milk. <A> I generally think that adults should take responsibility for their actions. <S> If you accidentally break something it's common courtesy to offer replacement, depending on the value you may have an insurance for that anyway (at least in Germany). <S> I'd consider it a poor character trait of you didn't report it. <S> If it comes out later it certainly wouldn't reflect well on you. <S> It would be another case if you didn't notice that you broke it, but you did. <A> Otherwise I'd talk to your manager about it, explain what happened, apologize and say that you won't be doing so again and offer to purchase a replacement. <A> Firstly, as others have already said, don't boil milk in a kettle. <S> But I guess you've learned that lesson pretty well at this point. <S> In most offices I've worked at, the kettle tends to be a pretty cheap piece of equipment and needs to be replaced fairly often. <S> It isn't going to be a problem for the company to get a new one, and they will be unlikely to make a fuss about it unless it was brand new or unusually expensive. <S> Possibly you'll be asked to pay for the replacement kettle. <S> There's also likely to be a bit of mockery from your colleagues. <S> If that happens, run with it: turn the banter around and laugh with them; this is a minor thing that is easily sorted out, so don't let it turn into a big deal or spoil your relationship with your colleagues. <S> One final note: People like their tea and coffee at the office. <S> They're probably already missing the kettle. <S> If there's no kettle for a long time, it may generate some resentment. <S> Go and talk to your manager or the office facilities manager as soon as possible. <S> The quicker you get this sorted out, the less of an issue it's going to be for everyone. <A> You should definitely tell you broke the kettle. <S> Not telling may anger the person in charge of the supplies and everybody using it will be punished if this person decide not to replace it. <S> By telling, you show this person the respect she deserves for this work and this makes you someone trustable. <S> You didn't broke it for fun, it was a mistake, no big deal if you tell and assume. <S> You can offer to replace it yourself to show some more respect, but you must say you broke it. <A> Kettles aren't for milk. <S> Others already mentioned that of course you should tell whoever may be responsible for this kind of office or employee supply. <S> But of course, if your asthma requires heating milk for whatever reason, it is your responsibility to make sure you have the equipment needed to do so. <S> Actually, a cup in a microwave will usually do fine. <S> Less efficient than a pot on the stove but requires much less space than the pot in the dishwasher, and the extra electricity will be cheaper for the company than the additional time you wait for the pot to heat up. <A> Kettles do not serve for ages anyway. <S> If you do not know who, ask for somebody like a secretary. <S> No need to rush to CEO with the burned kettle in your hand. <S> Simply tell that person you broke the kettle and suggest that you either buy and bring in a new one (unpacked, will all papers it may have) or simply pay for a replacement. <S> If the person cannot handle the process alone, needs some approvals, then more people will get involved but only as much as required. <S> I really do not understand which reason would be for everyone to know. <A> The main thing is don't leave the kitchen down a kettle . <S> So immediately research the model then dash out to the local shop and get another, preferably same make and model, or better if that one had annoyances. <S> As far as disclosure, it's really no big deal, <S> unless it's like a $300 magic kettle, these are Cheapie commodities that break all the time. <S> If you did not learn that lesson , then yes, you should come clean about the milk. <S> That way they will know who to talk to when they find egg yolk in the popcorn popper. <A> What would you do in your home country if you broke the thing you boil milk in? <S> If you don't have electric kettles (and it sounds like you don't), then you must use some sort of pan on a fire (or hob). <S> If you broke the pan, would you get a new one, or just leave it (or hide it)?
| It should be the person responsible for replacing the broken kettle if it would break without anyone's fault. Yes absolutely let them know, if you have someone who is in charge of office or kitchen supplies then they are the best person to speak to. If you have learned your lesson about only use shared appliances in the same way everyone else does , then I wouldn't go so far as to mentioning the milk. Saying "it broke when I used it" is nothing special, it could've been anyone and they'll say "don't worry about it". You will need to confess what happened and take responsibility for it.
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Internship is almost over, need to start hinting at being hired on permanently My current internship will be over in just a few months (December). At that time, it's quite possible that I'll be offered a permanent position. If offered the job, I will most likely take it. Because I do want to become a permanent employee, I feel like I should start putting forth specific efforts in order to best ensure that I get offered the job. My concern, however, is that I don't want to come off as if I'm demanding/requesting some kind of early assurance from my boss that he's going to hire me. My question is: Is there anything that I can do or say that would be most tactful when attempting to transition from intern to permanent employee? <Q> Is there anything that I can do or say that would be most tactful when attempting to transition from intern to permanent employee? <S> If you haven't asked your boss already and your nearing the end of the intership period ( like in this case ), there is nothing wrong with asking your boss. <S> Something along the lines of " Are there any plans to convert my internship into full time employment? " <S> As a matter of fact, the earlier you know the plan the better as this gives you more time to plan your next move if they do not intend on bringing you on as a FTE. <S> You have to get used to asking for what you want as you progress in your career. <S> If you don't ask, then typically the answer will be no. <A> Given that you say it is highly probable you are offered a job after your internship then I would recommend you waited for them to do the offer, to avoid as much as possible being taken as too demanding. <S> However there is nothing wrong in asking. <S> Seems that you are performing well at your position (evidenced by the high chance of being offered a job and your willingness to take it). <S> If you do ask, remember to convey your enthusiast and interest in the company and job, and that you have found it a great fit for you. <S> Also, do it when you see it is more convenient (i.e.: no incoming critical deadlines, or no stressful week), and again I would wait as much as possible before asking myself (maybe 3+ months is a bit earlier, try to wait at least 1 month before). <S> Nothing speaks better than actions when trying to convince someone. <S> If you have not, try giving "the extra mile" in your tasks now and then, so they can see you are indeed interested beyond just monetary compensation. <S> Also, remember to be polite and respectful to all your coworkers, and not only those you relate to or your immediate superiors; you should treat the janitor with the same respect you should give to anyone else. <S> That is an exemplary attitude and a sign of someone humble and willing to learn. <S> Just remember, be careful you are not doing this "just to land the job", and as soon as you get it stop being exemplary. <S> Any experienced manager will easily see that you are faking it just to get the job; your attitude should be genuine and that is the tough (rewarding) part of this. <S> However, this is easily achieved if you and the company/job are a good fit to each other, as things tend to flow naturally <S> plus you enjoy it. <S> I hope this is you case and that these words help you get the job, good luck. <A> When your company has an open job offering which applies to your skillset, you can just apply to that position in the same way you would apply to any other job. <S> Just that you would focus your cover letter on what you are already doing for the company. <S> When there is no job offering, you need to convince people to create one for you. <S> If you don't know already who makes hiring decisions in your company, find out who it is. <S> Then ask them for an appointment to discuss your future career at the company.
| Besides asking the best you can do to ensure that you will indeed be offered the job is to maintain an excellent performance and attitude .
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Should I ask for a lower salary during probation period after an unsuccessful interview? I recently went to a tech interview. Because I was nervous, I forgot everything.The interviewer said they need a week to take their decision. I know that I am a good programmer, and this is a company I would like to work for. Is it a good idea to write a letter now (before they make a decision) to suggest giving me a lower salary during my probation period? <Q> I really don't recommend this, mostly because it's rather unlikely to lead anywhere because unless the company is making it's hiring decisions purely on a race to the bottom on price why on earth would they hire someone who did poorly on a technical test over a candidate that didn't just to save a relatively small amount of money? <S> But also because working for any real length of time at reduced rate completely undermines any future negotiating power you have in terms of getting wage increases. <S> Realistically you need to accept that this one was not to be and move on - <S> the only circumstances I would suggest doing otherwise would be if they come back to you with specific feedback about your performance in the technical interview and they don't make it clear that they have hired another candidate. <S> In that case you haven't got a great deal to lose by explaining that you flubbed the test through nerves and asking if you could undertake an alternative interview or exercise to prove that you do in fact have the skills. <A> Asking for a lower salary almost always reflects poorly on you as a candidate. <S> Chances are that if they were going to hire you regardless of your test scores, they might decide to reject instead because of such a message. <S> It gives a vibe of desperation, which is not a good thing. <S> The company wants to make sure you are a good match for them; how much you want to work for them only factors into it a little bit. <S> How much they pay you, likewise, usually isn't the key deciding factor. <S> Offering to take a pay-cut before you even get an offer will make them think you are desperate to get the job and are begging them to take you. <S> You do <S> not want to start a job from a position of groveling; the company is looking for a professional, not a lackey. <A> Should I ask for a lower salary during probation period after an unsuccessful interview? <S> No. <S> If the hiring company believes you are not capable of handling the technical aspects of your job (which seems to be your assumption), then offering to accept less isn't going to change that. <S> Companies don't want to hire the cheapest programmer, they want to hire the best programmer that fits within the role and budget. <S> Take this as a learning experience. <S> Practice interviewing until you aren't so nervous. <S> Go to your next interview more confident and ace the interview. <A> If you're dead-set on trying to salvage the opportunity at this particular employer, you might call them by phone. <S> As for what you should say during this call, it would be something along these lines. <S> Hello <S> X. <S> During my interview <S> I don't feel that I was adequately able to convey my technical skills, I was wondering if you had any questions for me on this topic? <A> Even if you have enough knowlegde but due to some reasons you failed to express your knowlwdge, an interviewer has no options other than the answers/skills you have presented in your interview <S> OR how you express yourself. <S> Instead of asking for less salary, accept the fact and better start preparation on how to present the skills/knowledge that you have. <S> If you are 100% sure that you have really messed it up and you will fail to get selected and you could have done better, then One thing you can do is send a Thank <S> You email for the opportunity they had provided and express the reason why you messed up in very short and request for another chance. <S> Because Here you do not have anything to loose. <S> But if are lucky, You may get another chance. <S> But never ask for less salary.
| If your interview went badly, then lowering your asked salary is extremely unlikely to make them want to hire you anyway.
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Is it okay to ask a client about job security? I'm a freelance web developer and I've been working exclusively for one client for about 8 months now. They have a massive website that they wanted rebuilt from scratch and I've been hacking away at it. The main requirements are almost completed and I'm curious about my future. The client pays well, on-time and is generally great to work with. Having a long-term client like this has been a financial windfall for myself. I've socked away a decent amount of savings and I'm considering making some financial moves. The timing and extent of these financial moves would depend on the stability of my income. The client has additional requirements he'd like me to pursue after the new site is launched and has hinted that he has even more ideas that he'd like me to work on. I'm just not sure about how long-term he'd keep me on. Is it okay for me to ask the client about my job security? If so, how should I phrase it? <Q> Is it okay for me to ask the client about my job security? <S> Anything that isn't specifically codified in a contract you should consider as opinion, subject to change at any time . <S> For example "Well, we have plenty of work to do that could keep you busy for a long time. <S> " could all end quickly if a key account falls through, the economy changes, or management decides to bring the work in-house. <S> (I had a contract end abruptly 1 month early. <S> I have reason to believe that it was due to management wanting to make their numbers look good so that they could attain their annual bonus. <S> They dismissed all contractors.) <S> Part of the appeal of bringing in contractors/freelancers is that they can be easily dismissed as soon as conditions change. <S> If it were me, I'm not sure I'd bet my financial moves based on a single client. <S> If you had a stable of dependable clients, it might make more sense. <S> (It's not unlike holding stock in a single company, versus holding diversified index funds.) <A> I think you are in a good position but you may have slightly the wrong mindset. <S> You are not an employee and as such you don't have job security in the same way you would have (or not have) if you were employed. <S> You are a contractor who has a good relationship with a client. <S> You can and even should ask them about what work is in the pipeline. <S> A good relationship goes both ways so they will want to keep you on if they can. <S> However, this is not always possible as often external resources, like yourself, are not financially viable in the longer term. <S> What you can do is be proactive about the situation: Suggest features, <S> opportunities you have seen, ways that you can make their product better and provide good value for them. <S> They may have some things in the pipeline but you can always suggest more. <S> You are a domain expert <S> so can provide them with valuable insight. <S> Offer a set number of days a month that you can set aside for minor work and bug fixes. <S> While this will be less income for you it keeps a relationship going with the client and they will know they have someone to help with the product. <S> It will not preclude you from doing other jobs as well. <S> And it leaves the opportunity open for more major work with them in the future. <A> You can ask. <S> If you are working with decent people, then they will tell you correctly what will most likely happen, in their opinion. <S> They may be wrong. <S> As a contractor, your job can be gone tomorrow. <S> But asking is perfectly fine. <S> Take a sheet of paper, and write down what will happen if things go fine, what will happen if things go bad, and what will happen if things go really bad. <S> You should do things so that "things going really bad" will not be a disaster for you. <S> Bad, but not a disaster. <S> For example "things going really bad" could mean "the client will stop the contract and I won't find a new job for six months, so I have to cut down my expenses, going out for dinner is McDonalds once a month", that's not a disaster. <S> Doing something that would turn the six months without job from "bad" to "disaster" would be a bad idea. <S> That's what I would base my decision on.
| It is also possible that you could change your relationship with the client and join as a permanent employee, while this would likely see a drop in your income it could provide more security and give you a more reliable stream of income. You can always ask, but you need to interpret the response correctly. If it looks like new work on the site is not going to be possible suggest a maintenance contract.
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Extending holidays after bad news I need an advice. I've received the bad news that my father has lost his job while I was in Italy for holidays. He hasn't told me yet, I know as my step-mother told me so, knowing that he wouldn't tell me otherwise. I need to go back to the UK so that I can go back to work tomorrow, and I'm feeling so not ready to do so. The ticket change would cost a lot, but I don't care too much.Should I ask if I can extend my holidays for another three days to stay here a little while longer? I've been on holidays since yesterday. How can I go about asking that? Should I do it? I feel so bad either way, really confused not sure what to do. <Q> I'm sorry your father lost his job. <S> That sucks. <S> But... you're both adults. <S> You shouldn't spend your life running around after him when something bad happens - you need to live your life, and he needs to live his without either of you leaning on the other too much. <S> If there were some specific action that you could do that needed you to be in Italy, that may be a different situation, but it doesn't sound like that's the case here, so to borrow from your own comment: "No, that would be stupid, just go back to work and find another way to figure things out. <S> " You can still help from the UK. <A> I assume from your comment about not wanting to abandon him that your Father lives in Italy? <S> Sure, you could ask to extend a few days for a "family emergency" but with all due sympathies I'm not sure if most employers would consider this such an emergency (vs say serious illness, bereavement etc) <S> If you've got annual leave left <S> and you know your employer is fairly laid back about short-notice leave requests you could always contact them and ask <S> but I'd make it clear that you understand if it's not possible and be prepared for a "no" <A> Should I ask if I can extend my holidays for another three days to stay here a little while longer? <S> No, definitely do not do that. <S> Although it is a very human thing to do, and how you feel is understandable <S> I do not believe it will help. <S> Go back home, go back to work, and support your father as best you can via phone and Skype. <S> If your father needs a break before seeking new employment offer to him to come stay with you as a mini vacation/break <S> if this is possible ( if you have the room ).
| Do not add to his stress by extending your holiday to your fathers already crap situation.
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Asked to recruit/spam my LinkedIn contacts A recruiter at my company, one of the big SV software companies, has asked me to collect a list of contacts from LinkedIn to send recruitment emails to. I consider this really spammy, and an abuse of my out-of-work relationships, and I want to refuse to do this. I believe that I'm supposed to be enticed to do this by the prospect of a referral bonus if we actually hire any of them, but I value my relationships with these people, many of whom are my friends as well, much more than I do a small chance of receiving a few thousand dollars. Personally, if a friend or even worse, a contact I hadn't talked to in a while, sent me a generic recruiting message out of the blue, I'd definitely think less of them and consider it a breach of trust in our relationship (the software engineers I know really don't like recruiter spam). The company I work for has probably dug itself in a bit of a hole here by being one of the top-paying companies in the industry: I already make enough money to not really care about any incremental bonuses. Is this something that is common at these companies? I've only worked at startups before, really. How can I avoid it? <Q> No, its not a norm to spam employees linked-in contacts. <S> Feel free to refuse to share linked-in contacts if you are not comfortable doing so. <S> Its your linked-in, not your company's. <S> That is also if you feel like it. <S> Some people do tend to post vacancies on linked in to get referral bonus. <S> Also, you should consider if any of your friends might be looking for a job change. <S> If the place is a great place to work for and you would want to get some of your friends here, think about it. <S> Else just tell them that you don't feel like sharing your linked contacts. <S> They are your personal contacts for professional development. <S> Tell your recruitment team politely that they would be better off posting the vacancies on job portals. <S> A simple no would be far better than putting any excuse. <A> Absolutely do not spam people whose friendship or relationship in general you value. <S> That being said, why dont you constructively grace your company's request as well while doing so? <S> From the sounds of it you re in a well respected, top paying company. <S> I bet plenty of those people would actually appreciate knowing there are specific openings, you deem them a good fit for. <S> Get informed about the openings and selectively match a few, that you know are either actively looking for work or that could be enticed by what your company has to offer. <S> tl;dr <A> Is this something that is common at these companies? <S> I'm not sure if it's common or not. <S> Before there was LinkedIn, pretty much every small company I worked for <S> would ask folks to help them source candidates. <S> And as happened at your company, they usually offered a bonus as enticement. <S> Frankly, I often contacted my friends when I thought they were a good fit for a good job at a good company. <S> Without regard to any bonus, why wouldn't I want to work with these good people again? <S> I would never reach out to all my contacts in LinkedIn. <S> Many of them clearly wouldn't be interested. <S> And many of them wouldn't be an appropriate candidate no matter what positions were available. <S> How can I avoid it? <S> Just say no. <S> You cannot be compelled to do this task. <S> But consider reaching out individually to anyone you would want to come work at your company. <A> Is this something that is common at these companies? <S> That depends on how you define common. <S> It's certainly not unheard of and plenty of companies and employers who suck at hiring make these kinds of requests of their employees. <S> The fact that you're dealing with a captive audience and the request usually comes from someone up the chain of command makes it hard for many people to say no which is presumably why this is still a thing. <S> But make no mistake: it's a terrible practice and good employers won't do it. <S> Referral bonuses are a common incentive as are recruitment events, particularly in companies with high turnover like consultancies. <S> But even they typically trust their employees to reach out to their network only if they think they might have a suitable candidate. <S> A good referral is a win for all parties involved. <S> There's no real distinction between startups and "normal" companies in this regard, save for the fact that a lot of startups have people in management with little real corporate experience and who are by extension more likely to suck at hiring. <S> How can I avoid it? <S> Just decline politely. <S> There's no reason to make a big deal of it. <S> Reply with something like: Thanks for reaching out. <S> I'd rather not spam my contact list with a generic recruitment message <S> but if I think of anyone who would be a good fit for [company / team / project] <S> I'll be sure to reach out to them. <S> That should take care of it. <S> If they keep spamming you the best course of action will be either to ignore those mails and hope they go away, send a non-committal reply that you'll "reach out to your network" and then don't, or be much firmer in your reply to get them to stop. <S> But none of that should be necessary.
| Of course its wrong to spam people generic requests, but a timely discreet targeted and personalized message is fair play and will not only NOT be considered a nuisance but will actually be courteous of you. If you feel pressured, a simpler way would be to ask the recruiter to post the position on linked-in where you can like it, there by sending a notification to all your contacts. Don't do it if you don't want to.
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Is missing an initial interview request phone call considered bad form If you get a phone call from an interviewer about a position you have applied for, and you miss the initial call which regards them telling you that you have been shortlisted and are eligible for an interview, and then subsequently leave you a voice message to tell you; and you subsequently call them back later in the day, is that grounds for a black mark to your name? <Q> It´s <S> just information transmission and the requiter thought calling might be the fastest way. <S> If you call back, everything is fine! <A> It should not be a "black mark" to your name if the call was unscheduled. <S> Most people will expect you to have a life and not be waiting anxiously by your phone. <S> In a way, this is an opportunity to carefully listen to the message, review the materials you've been provided and refine your research before reaching back out to your caller. <S> In a small way, it can be used to give yourself a slight advantage over a shortlisted candidate who unreadily answered the phone call. <A> I'm going to answer both sides of this question - for both recruiters and candidates: Recruiters and interviewers work the same office hours as everyone, and should expect to get a voicemail instead of a real person when they make an unscheduled call (given that you possibly sent your application in days or even weeks before they call candidates <S> , there's no way you could know when they would be making the initial phone contact). <S> They also shouldn't expect to be able to ask more than a couple of questions in this first contact ("are you still interested/available?" and "would you be available for a phone screening or face-to-face on such dates?"). <S> Calling them back either later in the day, or early the next business day, is a reasonable response time. <S> For similar reasons to you not being able to answer at any given moment, you are likely not able to respond at any given moment. <S> I'd not leave it longer than the next business day though <S> - the interviewing process is an annoyingly fitful one from an applicant's viewpoint (open ads for weeks, then contact all potential candidates in one or two days, then wait for all of the interviews to be conducted, then contact the successful ones for further interviews, then wait for all those to be conducted, then "quick please make a decision on our offer"). <S> I'd also make sure that my voicemail sounds entirely professional (if you can override the network's default), and don't promise any response faster than "as soon as I am able". <A> The general rule I was always taught was to return a call/email from the morning in the afternoon, and a call or email in the afternoon the next morning. <S> Now, of course, if you get a call at 8:00 am, returning it by 11 or 12 is not going to make you seem desperate, the same thing goes for getting a call at 12:30 and returning it by 5. <S> As a general rule though, it's a good rule of thumb <S> It is not seen as unprofessional to do so because everyone is busy. <S> Answering too quickly may make you seem desperate or unprofessional. <S> I'd be asking myself why you had so much free time, for example. <S> As an aside : In general, don't be too concerned about losing "points" when job hunting. <S> If they want you, you'll have to do something a bit out of the ordinary for them to pass you up. <S> Job hunting is a stressful time, don't add to your own stress.
| Even if the recruiter/interviewer emails you following the initial phone call, I would still call them back as a courtesy (there's a good chance the email was just a blast from their job portal - and you calling back will stick in their head), as well as respond to the email. No, If you just get called without a previously agreed time, you can not be expected to be always ready to answer the call.
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How confident should one be when negotiating salary in the UK? I've read a few answers here advocating asking for more during the initial salary negotiation. The amounts I see leave me dumbfounded, and I suspect it's because these answers come from a US-centric point of view. For example in Just got an initial job offer. How do I ask for more without any real justification? we get this piece of advice: Always, always, always ask for more. It makes them respect you and you're likely to get it. which is fair enough. This question links to a Reddit thread where a commenter says I remember my first job out of college I was offered 45K and I was feeling confident that day and pulled a random number out of my ass for a counter offer. I told them 64K. They said 'sure' without even blinking!! Involuntarily, my jaw dropped and I got a big dumb smile on my face and said "REALY?! ... uh I mean.. uh... that sounds good..." The Question It is my feeling that negotiations in the US do lead to a higher salary compared to the UK, and I think that's because it's much easier to fire someone in the US. So, does the same rule of thumb apply? Should one be asking for 5-10k more? How much more conservative are UK companies during initial negotiation? How can I translate all the US-centric advice to UK norms? <Q> Be confident. <S> Generally, asking for more is fine as long as you're able to defend that request when asked. <S> It's taken as a positive that you're able to negotiate rationally rather than just stating an increased salary as a demand. <S> I'll usually take a look at the going rate and then add some. <S> The actual amount over the base salary really depends on the market and salary scale. <S> Don't forget that hiring managers will probably have a headcount budget, so asking for a salary that goes unacceptably above that level will likely leave you rejected (or the manager in a difficult position with the finances). <A> Should one be asking for 5-10k more? <S> You are worth what someone is willing to pay you. <S> There are many sources of salary info sorted by location, skill level, and experience . <S> You should be able to find and use this information easily. <S> How much more conservative are UK companies during initial negotiation? <S> I am not so sure they are, in a sense that most companies know what they are going to have to pay to get a particular skill set at a given efficiency level. <S> How can I translate all the US-centric advice to UK norms? <S> Again, I am not sure you can. <S> Just because your skill set is work 100K in the US, doesn't mean you will get any more or less than what your local market will bear. <A> Know the territory . <S> You have to know what levers of negotiations you do have : <S> What is the local norm for the job you are taking <S> What are the specific points taht you could lever on to get your own value over the norm(or under, if you've got weaknesses) Is the prospective employee in a hurry? <S> Does he have other candidates ready? <S> How good did you seduce? <S> All those points will help you establish for a clearer strategy. <S> My first job, well, I was not from the domain, they were hiring in big numbers, so there was no place for negociation at all. <S> I just had to take what they offered. <S> My second job, I was one amongst a few others. <S> I asked slightly over the norm, and nearly got what I asked - but only from one propsective employer. <S> The three other ones did decline my bet. <S> My current job, well, I'm a perfect fit, they had noone else available, and would have lost 6 important months <S> had they not recruited me. <S> I played dirty, and it payed above my own expectations. <S> Because circumstances were favorable. <S> I had the wind in my sails. <S> That's ultimately the thing to gauge : do you have wind in your sails? <S> If not, like for my first job, then shut up and accept whatever misery you are offered. <S> If yes, have fun and negotiate hard. <S> And there are plenty of intermediate positions between those. <S> The more wind you have, the bolder you can be.
| When negotiating salary, be confident in knowing that you have done the research and know what your skill set is worth in your local market .
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How to deal with co-workers that hate each other I am the sole R&D person in a pretty outdated company. I do a very broad set of engineering tasks in order to improve QC, from failure analysis to automatic systems development. In order to complete my work I have to talk with a diversified set of people: production director, people in the machine shop, operators, etc. I pretty quickly found out that there are a few hate-ridden relationship amongst them, to the point of completely ignoring each other, talking behind back, etc. I couldn't care less, but the thing is becoming problematic because X won`t collaborate with me because he have seen me talking with Y, Z "never has time" since has seen me reviewing my designs with T, etc etc etc. This is getting really annoying, the quality of my work is going down along with the morale. Sadly we have no HR ballsy enough to have a nice and long chat with them, still I do not want to spend my day with adults behaving to each other as stupid bullies, or at least try to avoid being caught in the crossfire. How to? Seems that X sees as a "personal offense" even an idle chat with Y... <Q> How to? <S> You don't, their manager does. <S> All you can do is factually point out where their bickering is causing your work to suffer. <S> You should try to focus on the work aspect of this situation and not the personal stuff, and by that I mean person X is responsible for task number one, and you cannot do you part until person <S> X does his. <S> Again, focus on the work , and the impact that their behavior has your ability to do your job. <S> Your manager may never fix or even talk about the personal aspect, but they will ( or should rather ) address issues related to you doing your job. <A> Concentrate on the work aspect of this. <S> If the relationship is obvious, then address it with them both: <S> Ok, I know you don't like John/Jane and can't work with him/her, but I have a job to do. <S> Part of that job is working with him/ <S> her <S> and there's nothing I can do about that. <S> I also have to work with you <S> Can you please concentrate on working with me and forget about him/her? <S> Or you can ask to leave the project - it's your choice. <A> It is clearly not your responsibility to resolve the personal issues of colleagues that do not report to you, but if I was your manager I would value your ability to work around these kinds of issues in order to achieve your goals. <S> Beyond escalating issues to their manager, you could try to work around the symptoms. <S> E.g. rather than trying to resolve the issues between X and Y, you could try approaching X to ask their advice on how you could get the input you need from Y. <S> It's hard to be petty or personal when someone is asking you how to go about doing something reasonable. <S> Or in the case of Z, perhaps approaching them to see whether T's review is sufficient or if they think a second pair of eyes would be valuable. <S> At least you can progress instead of waiting for a review that will never happen. <S> Being able to apply some degree of diplomacy is a valuable skill, as few workplaces are completely without any personal frictions.
| Remember stick to the measurable facts that impact your productivity and remove yourself from the personal stuff.
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How should I handle a job fair when my own company will have a booth? My university is hosting a career fair I'd like to attend. I want to take a couple of hours to go to this and learn about other companies, projects, and talk to representatives of some of the larger tech companies. Google will be there, for example. However my current employer will also have a booth there, and everyone in upper management is familiar with everyone else's face. There is no way I won't be seen. I am not an intern. I am pursuing my Masters. How could I approach my manager about this to avoid any subsequent awkwardness / career ending vibes at my current company the next day? Update: Thanks for the great suggestions. I ended up mentioning it to my manager the next day, and he even suggested I go so I might send a few more classmates his way. I also learned a lot about how other companies structure their internship programs, as well as what technologies their interns develop in, which I noted down for any future interns I mentor at my current company. <Q> Bring a friend along Go to the fair with your friend and visit your company's booth first under the guise that you are helping your friend research for new job opportunities (you being a natural guide as you are an experienced tech worker). <S> Then since you have arrived together at this event it is only natural that you tag along with them to the other booths as your friend continues "their" research. <S> You could even make a joke about "spying on the competition". <S> It is slightly Machiavellian but <S> this way you are able to attend the function without outwardly slighting your company. <S> Since you are a student I have no doubt you must have fellow classmates who are looking for jobs. <S> Giving one of them an "in" with your company (by introducing them to your coworkers) would probably be greatly appreciated so your cloak and dagger operation doesn't have to be entirely self-serving. <A> I would handle this by making my way around fair looking for my employer. <S> And then I would use the chance to network with the senior leadership of my company. <S> I would assume you do not have a great deal of opportunity to socialize with your upper management in your normal activities(at <S> least I never have and most people <S> I know do not) <S> so attending these type of events when they are handy is a great opportunity for networking and meeting people play an important role in your life, even if indirectly. <S> Even if you do have a chance to interact with them at work <S> this is an opportunity to do so with less of a focus on work tasks but in a less formal but still businesslike manner. <S> Being an introvert myself, it is often hard for me to remember that not everyone prefers to be left alone unless they need something. <S> Networking is an important part of career building. <S> Many people who stagnate in their career while trying to climb the ladder do so because they fail to network effectively . <S> Your upper management is there because they understand the value of networking and are in fact networking themselves . <S> They understand that meeting people who will be up and coming professionals is a good thing for them. <S> Even if those people move on to other companies, those relationships can be leveraged later on. <S> So when you find your company take the opportunity to chat with as many of your companies leaders as you can. <S> Be friendly <S> , let them know you like the company, and let them know you are there to network and meet people. <S> If you are there for class anyway it can be good to let them know that, but I would not feel obliged to make an excuse beyond taking advantage of the career fair to network. <S> They are tools you can use in the future. <S> Make contacts with people in other companies you might be able to leverage in the future, maybe even in your current role which would benefit your current company. <A> I think that is a sticky situation and you are justified in concern on how to handle it. <S> Despite you still being a student, I assume your current position is not an internship; or, if it is, you have been offered a full time position upon graduation. <S> If it is an internship, then your out is easy: I am looking for a full time position and considering any and all offers. <S> A key part of this is to why you are looking. <S> If you are not really working in your major, you also have an out: While I love working for you, I want to do more work aligned with my major. <S> One way to do this, that borders on dishonest, is to say it is part of a class assignment. <S> You were required to present resumes to engage and present resumes to several companies with the goal of having the mini-interviews that often occur at these events. <S> While I rarely advocate this kind of thing your employer's approach to loyalty may warrant this sort of behavior. <S> To make it less dishonest, you could solicit your professors to give you such an assignment. <S> Another approach is to not do anything. <S> Just go and give our resumes. <S> Say hello to your coworkers as you pass. <S> They may not notice, care, or remember. <S> Those events tend to be intensive and one tends to meet many more people than one is used to in a very short time. <S> Personally I would lean towards this one. <S> Another approach is to sit down with your manager and express your concerns. <S> I would first talk to coworkers to get a feel on how the company views loyalty. <S> And go slowly. <S> First bring up the job fair and ask him his thoughts on it. <S> His response to this is really a key and you need to be very fluid. <S> If he is too busy, then you can probably proceed without being noticed. <S> If he stares at you sideways and says "why do you ask"? <S> Then you need to drop it, you will be seen as un-loyal. <S> Good luck, this is a tough situation. <A> However my current employer will also have a booth there, and everyone in upper management is familiar with everyone else's face. <S> There is no way I won't be seen. <S> This isn't all that difficult. <S> Attend a job fair hosted by some other university. <S> If you don't care if you are seen, go. <S> You have to decide the risk to your current employment if you are detected looking for a job at a job fair, and if that's a risk you are willing to accept or not.
| While you are there talking with other companies take the opportunities to learn how those companies handle issues you are dealing with. If you don't wish to be seen, don't go.
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Coworker keeps taunting me to cut off my hair. How should I make him stop? I work in a metropolitan city. Most employees are permanent, protected by a strong union and hard to fire. I am a temporary employee, and I have been working in the same team for several years. A few months ago, an employee from another team that sits next to ours came up to me, and said that I should cut off my hair and give it to children with cancer. While I feel sorry for children suffering from cancer and their family, it doesn't mean women should have to cut off all their hair. At first, I tried joking it off because I was really taken aback by what he said. A few days ago, the same coworker came up to me and told me again to cut off my hair and give it to make wigs for children with cancer. Again, I tried to deflect the conversation and joke it off. I really don't want to file any complaints because: It's a waste of time. I enjoy my work and get value from the tasks. It seems the person making the complaint would get vilified somehow. The coworker may not realize his wrong behavior, and won't stop. How do I make this stop? Is there anything I can do proactively, or is it wait and watch? <Q> How do I make this stop? <S> This is a ridiculous request and doesn't even deserve an acknowledgement beyond the first. <S> Just keep saying "Sorry, I like my hair the way it is <S> and I'm not planning to cut it. <S> So let's stop asking, okay?" <S> until the requests stop coming. <A> It sounds like you haven't said "stop" yet. <S> You've laughed (because it's laughable and ridiculous) and you've deflected. <S> Now it's time to be straight-ahead. <S> I don't know what it is with you and my hair. <S> If these suggestions are based on something that we need to discuss, let's discuss it. <S> If not, I would appreciate it if you didn't make that suggestion again. <S> Or, if that sounds too educated and superior, Not going to happen. <S> Also, not something I need to hear again. <S> And should it happen again: Enough! <A> This seems to have a hint of gender-based harassment to it. <S> Unfortunately, if you're not going to escalate it (a strongly-worded letter from an attorney would change things real quick!) <S> He's probably enjoying the responses you're giving him, so if you stop responding, he may leave you alone. <A> Asking you to cut off your hair is absurd. <S> Your response should be absurd. <S> When he comes, take out your lipstick and tell him that he would look much nicer with a bit of lipstick on. <S> Tell him that you will donate $10 to children with cancer if he wears lipstick all day. <S> If he says "no", you can then tell everyone that he hates children with cancer. <S> If you think this is mean of you, donate $20 anyway without telling anyone. <A> No is the simple answer to such questions. <S> Normally people perceived and act accordingly but they never realized the other person's position and situation. <S> Your first response must be "Why?". <S> You haven't asked "why should I?", "why not you?". <S> But its OK now. <S> You need not to confront with anyone. <S> Just politely tell your colleague that you are not interested to do so and you love your hair so much. <S> you will pray for those children that Almighty Allah(God) will bless them with good health so that they will have their own original hair instead wearing some wigs. <S> Now Smile... <S> For future you must have to learn about how to give up shut-up call to someone regardless of your job circumstances. <A> " <S> He said another employee (who is contractor on H1B visa, has long hair like mine), has donated her hair." <S> https://workplace.stackexchange.com/revisions/99099/2 <S> This seems like a pretty important contextual detail why was it edited out? <S> I'm a little surprised that this hasn't been mentioned before, but donating your hair for this reason is a real thing. <S> http://www.locksoflove.org <S> I remember a number of girls, who I grew up with, growing out and then cutting off 10 inches of their hair for this purpose. <S> It was sort of like their "ice bucket challenge" <S> I can appreciate that you're not interested in cutting your hair, but this isn't necessarily gender based harassment or him picking on you. <S> He may just be trying to raise awareness for a charitable organization... <S> The easiest way to get him to stop is probably to just tell him something like: <S> It sounds like a great cause, but I'm not interested.
| then maybe the best thing you can do is to refuse to speak to the guy who's harassing you.
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Is it considered rude to get a drink of mocha at a meeting before your client arrives? Here is the situation: I have a meeting scheduled with a client/stakeholder/co-worker at 12pm, and I arrive at 11:50am and order myself a drink before they arrive. They end up arriving at a reasonably prompt time (12pm - 12:05pm) and I have already 80% finished my drink. Is this considered rude? <Q> [Experience: US consulting and academia] <S> In general I would say no, but it depends a little on the context. <S> Having a (mostly) empty drink in front of you can highlight the fact that you arrived first and indicate how early you arrived. <S> If the meeting is specifically to get drinks, then it could be considered rude by some people. <S> This is similar to how it's rude to begin eating before everyone is seated at a table. <S> If it's a meeting that happens to be at a bar <S> and there's no expectation of drinking as a group activity <S> , I would think it wouldn't be considered rude. <S> I would avoid having more than one glass in front of you though. <S> That can give off the impression that you've been waiting for a long time which can embarrass the person who has made you wait, even if they aren't officially "late". <A> Is this considered rude? <S> But I normally apologise with some empty platitude such as <S> "Sorry, I arrived really early <S> so I've already ordered myself something. <S> What would you like?" <S> If they've arrived in a reasonable time, then excuse it as your fault for arriving early. <A> Here in Finland everybody drinks kahvi (Finnish for coffee) <S> many times a day <S> and it is considered normal. <S> Most programmers only survive with the power of kahvi, so if there were no coffee during a meeting there would be no work done! <S> Therefore don't worry, be happy, and enjoy many kahvi! <A> Very rude, at least in our culture (Europe). <S> If the meeting is at e.g. 6 pm there is no point in arriving early and enjoying the place without the other person nor in not waiting for the other person to arrive. <S> Do not do this, going thru the menu together, waiting in line <S> etc <S> etc is a good causal moment to spend together, no point in eliminating it to get you coffee 5 minutes early. <A> If this is your client, and you invited them to a meeting at a place like Starbucks, yes. <S> If this is a nice sit down place where the waitress brings you your drinks, and food with the bill at the end <S> it is much less of a deal. <S> The standard expectation is that you will wait for them and cover tab. <S> Also it conveys an image that you may have chosen to come there for the drinks rather than the meeting. <S> Since this is your client your best impression is made by waiting for them to get anything. <S> I would say the exception to this would be water. <S> If you arrive and need a drink get a glass of water, then order your preferred drink when they arrive. <S> If this is just a standard update meeting that happens every week or 2, then its not really a big deal. <S> If your client is not happy and you are struggling to retain their business <S> this could be one of those things that tips them over the edge. <S> If this is a new client it is not something I would risk as different people have different ideas on what is proper and what is acceptable. <S> You only have one chance to make a first impression <S> , I would not want it to be that I value the drink more than my new client. <A> It depends on the setting of the meeting. <S> Since you said ordered a drink, I assume it is a neutral setting like a restaurant or a cafe. <S> If it were at your company or home, it would be rude if you did not offer them the same. <S> Otherwise, I don't see it as rude. <S> I am from the US for the record.
| That is dependent on the individual, but in general it's not rude. If this is a situation where it would be embarrassing for you to have arrived significantly before the other person, don't do it (also, in such circumstances, don't arrive early). It is never considered rude to drink coffee before, during, or after a meeting. How bad of a faux pas it is depends on your current relationship with the client.
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Can a foreign citizen working remotely be a CTO for a US company? I am 17 years old and working at a startup where I am co-founder and CTO. Soon I will reach my 18th birthday and then I want to register my work experience formally. Our company is based in the USA, but I am not a US resident. Despite this, can I be registered as CTO of that company when I have reached my 18th birthday? Please note that I currently work remotely, but I will go to the USA soon. I am wondering whether I can be registered ahead of my visit to the USA. NOTE: The startup is Non-commercial, there is no such thing like employees right now. <Q> Can foreign citizen be remote CTO in US company <S> Yes. <S> There are no residency requirements for executives of US companies. <A> You wrote that you will soon go to the USA, make sure that you have the proper visa and sponsorship to work in the US - regardless of your position or title. <A> As it applies to being CTO, there are no specific requirements. <S> However you may have a bigger problem, your visa status. <S> You are going to need a Visa to come to the US. <S> In one of the comments you mention applying to go to Stanford, which would require a student visa. <S> If you come here to work, it would be a different visa, possibly H-1B. <S> Currently, the burden for approval of a working visa is probably higher than a student visa, but if you took the easier path of a student visa and then worked for your start-up, you could have legal issues. <S> You may need to talk to an immigration lawyer in the US. <A> Although people have already replied to you stating (accurately) that you can be on the board of a company no problem, keep in mind that "being on the board" and "getting paid" are going to be vastly different things; the moment money is brought into the question there are a lot more problems. <S> For example, you say you're coming to the US soon, what does that mean? <S> I assume, since you mentioned Stanford, you'll be coming in as an F1 (student) visa. <S> The work restrictions placed on an F1 visa are very strict, in order to be gainfully employed you'll have to go either through CPT work allowance (which you can do while you're a student), or OPT work allowance (which can happen before and after you graduate). <S> Your company must be registered in the E-Verify program and be able to prove to the US government that your employment is directly related to your field of study. <S> You'll have to get paperwork emitted and signed by your school's DSO, your company, and potentially a faculty member or advisor. <S> Furthermore, all employment authorizations tied to an F1 visa are time-limited <S> , you'll have to convert to a different visa which allows you to live and work in the US after you graduate. <S> If you're an executive of the company, they may be able to bring you over under an L visa which you can convert to a green card down the line. <S> You can also go the H1B route, which is longer, more difficult, and has a much higher likelihood of failure (as it's a lottery). <S> All that being said, my main point is: you can be named any position you want in the company, but if you want physically live in the US and get paid to be in this position, you'll have to go through an extensive immigration process. <S> I highly recommend hiring an immigration attorney.
| You need to make sure you have your visa issues sorted out and are allowed to work in the US, then you can worry about being CTO. Yes you can be named "CTO" of a US company without physically being in the US.
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I returned from vacation to find my desk in a mess. How should I deal with this? I work in USA as a Software Developer. I took a week off as a vacation, and came back today to see my desk in a mess: my 3 screens were unplugged and stacked, and there were cigarette ashes everywhere. It turns out, last week all remote interns/employees were working in the office and my manager had to use my desk. The manager left the below note: Welcome back! Tasks: rearrange desk (sorry about that) this that I feel extremely upset with this situation. Is it professional to mess up someone's desk when they are on vacation? How should I deal with this? <Q> Don’t panic Clean your desk. <S> Optionally, complain to people in general about how messy people are. <S> Get it set up the way you like it. <S> Carry on working. <S> It's not terribly professional of your co-workers to leave your desk like this, but spending a few minutes giving it a clean and setting things up shouldn't be a huge task. <S> If the same thing happened to me, it would probably be a good excuse for me to give it a good clean. <S> I am assuming here that the ash isn't a health risk to you (as you're a smoker yourself, right?) <A> I'm going to steal @Erik's comment and say, yes, if you come back from vacation, and the first day of work makes you want to die, it's time to find a new job. <S> Also, your boss (or whoever) is a jerk for messing up your workstation, even if he's left a parenthesized note. <S> But really, who cares now that you're job hunting anyways, just consider it motivation. :-) <A> I disagree with the other commenters here. <S> Does the boss treat everyone's desk this way, or just yours? <S> If the former, then listen to the others here, and accept that your boss is a thoughtless, rude person and move on. <S> If the latter, then this person does not see you in the same way as other employees. <S> Why might that be the case? <S> My guess is that you are not upset about the mess per se, but about the lack of care from colleagues and your boss about your space (literal and otherwise) in the office, and whether or not it is reflective of how they think of you as a person/workmate. <S> It is incredibly thoughtless of your boss to do that, and it's not okay. <S> Reflect on how you are treated in this office versus how other people of the same level are treated, and whether there are discrepancies there. <S> If there are discrepancies to how you are treated relative to others, then you should look for a new job. <A> I'm going to come at this from a slightly different angle from the other answers I've seen. <S> This is largely an interpersonal/communication problem <S> If they're expecting you to clean up their mess, that's incredibly disrespectful, and I wouldn't consider it acceptable or professional. <S> And if your manager didn't inform you that there were going to be a bunch of interns invading your office space <S> and they were going to be using your desk <S> , that seems like a pretty major communication breakdown. <S> Your employer should have channels to file a complaint about this incident <S> If your manager refuses to clean up their own mess, then report the incident to someone who has the clout to tell them to get their act together (i.e. their boss and/or the HR department). <S> They shouldn't be allowed to just carry on as if that's an acceptable way to treat their employees. <S> If all else fails, clean up the mess yourself and get on with your life <S> I'm sure this isn't what you want to hear, but if your manager and the higher-ups aren't willing to listen, making a scene will probably just create more problems and possibly get you fired. <S> Be the bigger person, take care of what needs to be done, and then find a new job. <S> This one doesn't sound like a good place to stick around. <S> Is the lack of respect for your workspace (or self) <S> a recurring theme? <S> If there's an ongoing pattern of your manager (or others) not respecting you or your stuff, that sounds like an unhealthy work environment, and I'd agree with @KlaymenDK that it's time to kick your job search into high gear. <S> Get out of there before anything worse happens.
| The first thing I would do is politely tell your manager that you're upset and that this is interfering with your ability to do your job (whatever you do, don't blow up on them - that's bound to make things worse) and ask if they can spare a few minutes to get your desk back in shape. The least they could do is apologize in person and offer to help tidy up. This kind of thing can happen when you leave your desk for a while.
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Share a B2C quote with a competitor I'm founding a startup in Switzerland and we need insurance in case we break things. I asked for various quotations from various insurance companies in order to buy the best suited for me. I talked for ~ 5 minutes with each representative (what type of work do we do, what will our estimated income be, etc.). In the end, I received various quotations and the most expensive one was 70% more expensive than our cheapest one for the same services. The expensive company sent me an email and I replied saying that they were the most expensive. The representative replied wanting to know the cheapest company's quotation. Is it ethical to share it? To me, there nothing secret by the fact that everyone could've asked the same quotation. Furthermore I suppose it can only make the market more "fluid". <Q> Certainly where I am (UK) this wouldn't be an unusual request and there wouldn't be a problem with it ethically or legally unless there were specific mentions of confidentiality on the quote (and that would be exceptionally rare - especially in a B2C context) <A> Is it ethical to share it? <S> To me, there nothing secret by the fact that everyone could've asked the same quotation. <S> It's common practice in business to tell a potential vendor <S> "Company X has quoted Y. <S> Can you beat it?" and backing it up with supporting data. <S> And if this new vendor beats the prior quote, you might even go back to Company X and see if they can do better. <S> What is good for one is good for all. <A> Is it ethical to share it? <S> I don't see any problem in sharing that information. <S> They may be asking you this in order to give you a more competitive offer for their services. <S> There could be problems by sharing that information if you happened to sign some sort of agreement with the other insurance companies, but if that is not the case I would not worry about it. <S> Besides, most companies do these sorts of things often, by Benchmarking their competitors in order for them to set a reasonable price. <S> So it is up to you if you decide to share that information, in the best case you will get a better counter offer from them. <A> In any competitive bid process it is unethical to share bid information with others who are bidding. <S> In extreme cases it may be illegal. <S> The logic behind this is very simple. <S> If you let company A know what company B has bid, then company A can bid one dollar less and secure the contract. <S> B is then excluded, no matter how low their bid, which is unfair to them. <S> Company A has no need to make a low initial bid, because all they have to do is slightly underbid company B. You might be costing yourself money, since company A could have bid lower if they hadn't known what the lowest other bid was. <S> You are being massively unfair to the company that had the lowest initial bid, because you are denying them business by giving information to the other company that they don't have. <S> Let me emphasize this again: <S> People can and have been prosecuted for doing this with large government contracts. <S> With a small private sector bid like this illegality is not a problem. <S> The correct response to being asked for information on other bids is to tell that company to tell you the lowest they would bid for your business.
| Furthermore I suppose it can only make the market more "fluid" Unless something confidential was contained in the quote, and unless there was some language between you and the other party agreeing not to share the information, there is nothing unethical in doing so.
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In technology, what options does a jack of all trades have? Subject:A jack of all trades (and master of none), in a technology company (for this question) would be somebody who is familiar with most relevant technologies and keeps up to date with them without being the best expert around. Question: in a technology company (IT, software, biotech), what are the career paths for a "jack of all trades"?I am talking about traditional job roles where this background is a competitive advantage. Another way of phrasing it is: are there career paths where being a jack of all trades is desirable? <Q> Grow expertise in one area and become a T-shaped person. <S> You can read about it in the Valve Software's HANDBOOK FORNEW EMPLOYEES available here . <S> Here's a picture from this handbook: <S> You can also check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-shaped_skills <A> are there career paths where being a jack of all trades is desirable? <S> Most definitely! <S> One I can think of is HR. <S> However, in a tech environment, there is also a career path. <S> This known as being a " full-stack " developer. <S> This means you know a little bit of everything. <S> Full stack developers have an opportunity to be on the business side because they often times have to understand the business needs for an application - not the just technical. <A> Many rewarding paths. <S> Still, hard paths requiring creativity and ability to sell yourself, not just the working-harder-than-the-guy-next-desk-and-get-promotion kind of path. <S> And yes in the long run, the more you find your niche the more likely you`ll look like the already mentioned T-shape employee, nothing bad about that tho. <S> Entrepreneur : <S> This was my first job (somehow, I started off with a startup and with some luck there was a good idea behind it) <S> your skillset must include (or probably have its focus on...) <S> business stuff, but being able to envision a solution to a problem, put together a team able to make it real and sell it to companies in need is a satisfactions like few others. <S> Consultant : <S> The company calls you with a problem, you understand the problem in its various ramification and elaborate a solution. <S> The company provides you the resource you asked to solve the problem <S> and you fix it. <S> This was my previous job , requires mainly ability to persuade, to compromise and to be realistic and not idealistic in regards to technology. <S> System Integrator : mainly in a company, <S> this is what I do now . <S> You are the one that decides how the new production machine is going to communicate with the old-proprietary database your company is using and also builds the proposed solution. <S> You`ll also be asked to envision a way to improve quality control but from times to times you'll change the office printer cartridge or fix the kettle. <S> Technologist : TBH, I know only one. <S> A former college professor that seems to see the future of semiconductors, is paid around a million a year to travel the world at his will and tell them what the next hot thing is going to be. <S> A job for very experienced and absolutely our of the ordinary people. <S> Maybe one day....
| There are lots of career paths where someone can climb the corporate ladder by being a "generalist".
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How to Explain Picky Eating for Lunch Catered for Me? I recently got a new job and as part of the new hire process, they cater a lunch for me. In their introduction email, they asked about allergies or dietary restrictions. I don't have any allergies, but I am a very picky eater. My wife(accurately) describes my diet as similar to that of a five-year-old. I don't like eating multiple different things at once and like really plain food. I generally would just decline to eat in such a scenario, but that's not really an option since they're doing the lunch for me. Ideally, this lunch would just have grilled cheese sandwiches made on whole wheat bread with Kraft Singles. Nothing else I eat would be easy to have catered or would just be kind of weird. I also can't just suck it up and eat something, I feel ill at the thought of eating most foods that other people would consider normal. How can I best explain my diet without sounding silly? <Q> Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. <S> If you decline, then do so politely with a "No thanks" or "sorry, on a strict diet" but allow for the opportunity to join your coworkers for lunch as this would be an excellent bonding experience. <S> Hence the added expense of catering from the company's perspective. <A> If you get sick from food you don't like, you may actually have some dietary restrictions your body is trying to tell you about. <S> You could tell them that you hadn't realized a catered lunch was coming when you filled out the forms, but that you have dietary restrictions extreme enough that you always brown-bag. <S> Most professionals now-a-days know better than to ask too many questions about what a person decides to eat, and if someone does, you have every right to change the subject. <S> Now if you haven't spoken with a doctor about challenges with your nutritional choices, perhaps you should. <S> You may be a super-taster, or there may be something else going on if your body is reacting violently to different food. <S> Once you know for sure, you won't have to be nervous about coming off as 'picky'. <A> Unfortunately, you've opened yourself up for this by not stating any dietary requirements on the form. <S> It's not unknown for people to have Irritable Bowel Syndrome or other conditions that are helped by eating plainer, uncomplicated foodstuffs. <S> So writing: <S> I prefer plain food <S> Would possibly have resulted in a more acceptable menu for you (depending on the caterer's view of 'plain') <S> All you can really do is eat what you can from the menu provided and explain that you don't really like 'xyz' ingredients. <S> Fruit is likely to also be provided, so you could be fairly safe with that. <S> I'm guessing that you face the same kind of issues when you go out to eat or join relatives for meals - use the same avoidance techniques here if you've used them in the past. <A> If this lunch is meant to be for the whole team, and it's thrown in your honor, then you can just order a few things you like and tell them to fill in the rest with items everyone likes. <S> Nobody will expect you to try everything, they just want it to be a fun time for everyone and they want everyone to have a chance to get to know you. <S> Figure out a few things you do like <S> , tell them you're a picky eater <S> but that's no reason for other people not be able to enjoy a good lunch, and then just go and have a good time. <S> And if you can't find anything you enjoy, then you can always thank them for the opportunity, tell them you will bring some of your own food because of diet/pickyness/ <S> whatever excuse you're comfortable with and that they should order something the rest of the team will enjoy <S> and you'll gladly join in for the socializing. <S> At the end of the day, it's really meant to be a nice gesture and a chance to get to know your new team; food is just a common way for people to bond. <S> That doesn't mean it's for everyone, but that doesn't mean it won't work if you can't join in the eating.
| I don't think people would think it too weird that you've brought your own if everyone's eating in the same room.
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Is it appropriate to ask for an early-morning interview to be postponed or rescheduled? I applied to an international company and they asked for an interview at 5 pm in their timezone, which is 5 am here. In their e-mail they asked me if I would be available anyway during that time so I assume that's the only time they can spare for an interview. They did ask if I was abroad. Would it be appropriate to try asking them if I can postpone it for another hour? <Q> Are you expected to work in the company's time zone or its just a different office from where the interview is scheduled? <S> If your final work timing are going to align to their timezone, then you should definitely say yes. <S> If not , then consider the position you are applying for and the situation. <S> Is there a reason no one local can take your interview? <S> Can you offer an alternate time? <S> Assuming a 12 hour difference as highlighted by you, would you be comfortable attending an interview late at night, say between 9 pm to 11 pm? <S> You could reply by saying- <S> I was wondering if it would be possible to schedule something before 11 <S> am your time. <S> If its not, I will make it at 5 pm. <S> Usually companies are accommodating and will try to schedule as per your preferences. <S> If they cannot, they will suggest this is the only slot and you should make it. <A> They probably close office at 5.30/6pm and have already pushed the interview to the latest they possibly can to accommodate your timezone. <S> I would say consider their own time management and that they may have other applicants who are in the same time zone to them. <S> Taking the call at this time will also show your dedication and enthusiasm for the job. <A> You can ask, but don't expect that they will accommodate. <S> Coordinating the calendar of your interview board is a difficult task, if you aren't willing to meet at their convenience, they have X number of people to interview in lieu of you. <S> When you do ask, be reasonable and try to think of their perspective and needs. <S> I know that a later time for you would be a stretch, but would you please ask if the time can be at a later time? <S> Then list timeframe of which would be better for you. <S> I understand that ultimately the only viable time would be at 0500hrs <S> [Localtime] <S> I will do my best to accommodate this interview time. <S> End with the acceptance that you are the job seeker here and will be flexible. <A> Unless you have a very good reason not to do so, you should accept 5 AM. <S> It is early in the morning <S> but lot of people do start work (or getting ready to start) at that time. <S> So it is not completely unreasonable to expect to attend a phone call. <S> You can sure request for a later time but rather save this opportunity to request for something more important later on this process. <S> (Like your joining date, relocation, etc. <S> if you get hired). <A> Do you accept a 5 am interview when you're in a different timezone? <S> If I wanted the job badly enough, of course I would accept a 5 am interview. <S> But when that time was proposed, I would have asked if it was possible to talk a bit later. <S> If not, then I would accept. <S> It's quite possible that this was a "test" to see if you were willing to extend yourself. <S> Or, it might simply have been what was convenient for the interviewer. <S> You'll never know if you don't ask. <S> If you were planning to work remotely, you should certainly explore the expected work hours while interviewing.
| Not to say that you will always be this accommodating but for a one-off interview I think you should accept. If it was me and it was a job I wanted, I would take the 5am call. You'll need to decide the implications of the 12-hour time difference and see if it meets your needs.
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How to approach boss making me work a position completely different to the one I applied for? I applied for a job somewhere as a 'software engineering' apprentice. Having had previous experience in doing front-end development and knowing the fundamentals of programming from college, I was very optimistic to start since the job outlined I would be doing programming, adding functionality to a product and also working on bespoke functionality in the form of ASP web service development, with the use of C# and the .NET framework. HTML & CSS were in the list of things I would be taught but I am already very proficient in these. Despite this proficiency I've been sat plugging content into a layout and making it look pretty for 2 months... I've done no programming, haven't been taught any of the skills that were listed for me to be taught, haven't had the opportunity to learn or exercise those skills. I basically feel like I've been conned into a job I most certainly did not apply for, in the interviews I made it clear I already had experience in some areas and the job description outlined that I would be doing some sort of engineering, problem solving etc What I'm doing now is so demotivating and makes me hate the job. The problem is my boss has been very good to me, helping me relocate to the job, this is my first real job at 18. I'm unsure of how to discuss this with my boss to a satisfactory outcome without seeming ungrateful for the lengths they have gone for me to be working here. I get nervous talking to my boss or asking for things in general. <Q> The first few months at a new job can often be a bit disjointed from the "true" role <S> so it's not necessarily all stations panic just yet. <S> That said it would be perfectly reasonable for you to approach your boss about this <S> , I get the whole nervousness factor, talking to a new boss can be somewhat intimidating, especially when you are young <S> and it is your first job. <S> Just remember that while they are your boss they are also just a person, like you. <S> I would say something like: <S> Hi [Boss] <S> , I was wondering what you see my workload being like over the next few months as I'm keen to start learning skills <S> X , Y , and Z ? <S> Keep the tone light and non-confrontational as you want to reflect they fact that you are keen and enthusiastic rather than any negative connotations. <A> This is a bit of a speculative answer, but for what it's worth <S> I'll answer based off my own experience. <S> It sounds like perhaps they're trying to gently ease you in to the role. <S> It's not unusual for jobs to have a 'warming up' period of a few months before you take on your more typical responsibilities. <S> I'm in the middle of such a period right now. <S> I know it's not particularly fair, but it's also worth bearing in mind that more senior employees are sometimes reluctant to delegate their work new starters, especially a very young one. <S> Make it your goal to change this attitude by showing your competence. <S> To move things along, you could try scheduling a one-to-one 'catch up' meeting with your manager and gently explore whether there's any scope in the future for you to use the skills you've mentioned. <S> It should be apparent whether they have any plans for you. <S> Given their effort to hire you, they probably have at least a rough idea in mind of where they want you to be in, say, 6 months. <S> Unfortunately this is an area where you're going to have to use your own judgement. <S> As you point out, they have earned the benefit of the doubt (for now). <S> Ask them and play it by ear. <S> As an aside, don't feel bad about getting nervous when talking to management or asking for things, everyone does. <S> It's a bit of a practiced skill, but I can't think of a better situation to making it routine. <A> I basically feel like I've been conned into a job I most certainly did not apply for... <S> What I'm doing now is so demotivating and makes me hate the job. <S> The problem is my boss has been very good to me, helping me relocate to the job, this is my first real job at 18. <S> I'm unsure of how to discuss this with my boss to a satisfactory outcome without seeming ungrateful for the lengths they have gone for me to be working here. <S> I get nervous talking to my boss or asking for things in general. <S> You think your boss conned you, but don't want to seem ungrateful. <S> One of those two seems off - only you can decide what really happened. <S> If you want to stay in spite of being conned, then just talk to your boss. <S> Something like "Hey, boss. <S> I really appreciate getting the job here, but I feel like I can do lots more than I've been doing so far. <S> What do I need to do in order to do some real programming?" should work. <S> You can also ask about training. <S> "What's the best way for me to get up to speed in xxxx?" <S> If you want something, you'll have to get over your nervousness and ask. <S> With time, it will get easier.
| If they aren't able to identify anywhere for you to use those skills yet, emphasise that you'd really like to take on something more challenging or sketch an outline for some of the promised training. Before you allow yourself to feel 'conned', hear out what they have to say.
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How to hide the fact you very publicly messed up in your last job from potential employers? This is totally hypothetical based on the recent Ryanair debacle . In no way have I screwed up at work (today, at least), and I don't work for Ryanair. So I'm the HR manager who decided to switch our company's annual leave year from March-April to January-December. I'm sure I had a good reason to do this, and it should have somehow benefited the company, but I didn't do a proper CBA and now we're having to cancel flights all over the place because all our pilots now have a load of annual leave to take before the end of the year and I've been sacked for it. Any potential employer receiving my CV in the next 6-12 months will see my previous employer was Ryanair, assume I was somehow connected to the very public problem that has cost the company millions of pounds and made them a laughing stock and will put my application straight in the bin. How do I recover from this? Every job I've ever started, I've had to at least vaguely account for my time up until that point. A six or ten year gap would look very suspicious unless I lie and say I was a house husband for example. The problem with that is that I might want to list some valuable experience on my CV that I gained at Ryanair. Is it acceptable to list my previous employer as something like "undisclosed" or "prefer not to say"? Without outright lying, would you be able to spin it to sound like you were working under an NDA or for a secret government service or something? What do people in this situation do? <Q> Don't try to hide it at all. <S> Employers aren't interested in hiring people who try to hide their mistakes. <S> They are interested in hiring people who are experienced and professional - and one important way to gain experience is by messing up and then learning from it. <A> First don't assume everyone has heard of the debacle or cares about it. <S> You basically behave the same way everyone who has been fired behaves. <S> You put the job on your resume and you prepare to answer why you left the job by explaining that you were fired and what happened and how you personally have changed so that the problem doesn't come up in the new job. <S> If possible, bring up some good things you did before this mistake happened. <S> Then you face the fact that it will likely take longer to find a new job <S> and you might have to set your sights lower that you might have if you were leaving this job on good terms. <S> So you will have to apply to more companies and go on more interviews to get a new job. <A> An actual example: King 5 News: " <S> Former State Sentator Joe Fain named Bellevue Chamber of Commerce" notes, “ <S> Former State Senator Joe Fain has been named CEO of the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce. <S> Fain lost his re-election bid back in November after an allegation of rape was made against him. <S> Candace Faber alleges Fain attacked her in a hotel room more than 10 years ago. <S> Fain denies the allegation.” <S> Q13 Fox: "Ex-State-Sentator Joe Fain to lead Bellevue Chamber of Commerce" <S> notes, Fain served in the Legislature for eight years starting in 2010. <S> He lost his re-election bid in November 2018 as lawmakers agreed to launch an investigation into an allegation made by a woman who said Fain raped her in 2007. <S> So, this government official lost his job in an election, and yet he later got another prominent job. <S> The new organization released a statement, part of which said: <S> “In the absence of a conclusion from an official investigation, we did our due diligence via a thorough interview and reference process. <S> This included interviewing and seeking feedback from a large number of people who have known or worked with Joe over the years. <S> They consistently spoke to his track record as a very effective bipartisan leader, advocate, and problem solver – and to his character.” <S> So, what do you do? <S> How do you find such an organization? <S> The same way as you find any other job: hunt. <S> Search. <S> And in the face of something negative, you may need to strive harder (and, unfortunately, maybe even compromise more) in order to accomplish that goal. <S> But that's what a person needs to do.
| You don't need to be the one to bring it up in an interview, but if it does come up don't hide from it. Admit that you made a mistake and that you learned an important lesson as a result, and that moving forward you will be more careful about this sort of thing. You find an organization that will be sympathetic, or for whatever other motivation, won't entirely hold the past against you.
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Workplace offered to pay more than what we agreed I'm in a bit of a dilemma.Today I had a job interview and me and the employer agreed verbally on a salary. Later today he sent me an email with the actual contract, and the salary written there was higher than what we verbally agreed upon. Tomorrow I am calling him to negotiate something else about the contract (unrelated to the salary) - should I tell him about the salary? Is it possible this is some sort of test? Could have there been a mistake? And if there was - should I say it? Edit: The improved salary is not substantially higher. It's not one extra digit or anything like that. It's about $500 higher. <Q> I think you know the answer, the two of you verbally agreed on a number. <S> Now it is just the paperwork is incorrect. <S> Is you honor worth $X more than what you agreed on? <S> If you point it out and they correct it, then you will get points for being honorable, if they say it is accurate, then you get points and cash. <S> As for the unrelated-to-salary negotiation, mention it and renegotiate. <S> Is it possible <S> this is some sort of test? <S> Could have there been a mistake? <S> And if there was - should I say it? <S> Think of Occam's Razor, the simplest reason is more likely the most truthful one. <A> Maybe you got mixed up with another candidate or that is their regular salary for that position, maybe it is including tax, maybe vacation or xmas pay, maybe they really want you and increased it as a bonus, maybe something totally different. <S> Unless there is really a mistake, like one extra digit, I would just let it go, nitpicking on others mistakes, even if you mean well, might make you look pedantic. <S> Would be a little alerted by the mistake, it might also go another way next time, so watch out for more typos. <A> It is better to sign it, then possibly notify - if your conscience demands it. <S> It is not like it is in breach of some sort of trust, when accepting his verbal offer, you certainly also accepted any higher offers given the same terms - now the deal is in front of you. <S> It has changed, but to the better. <S> Sign it. <S> If this is some sort of startup company I'd reconsider - days worth of burn money has saved many startups. <S> If it is a solid company, I wouldn't hesitate to sign the improved offer. <A> So I would let them mention if they made a mistake. <S> Focus on the other issues with the contract and deal with this only if it is bought up. <S> Acknowledging they have any sort of leverage weakens your position, so don't even acknowledge it as an issue worth anything to the negotiation. <A> I once negotiated someone up to 25k (local currency), they told me "Let's make it 26k, since I like even numbers". <S> This was much more than $1000 USD difference. <S> But it worked out since they increase wages by even numbers every year. <S> It's up to both of you whether or not you accept/change <S> what's on the table. <S> I would just take it, but it might be nicer to remind them what you agreed upon if you don't want the money.
| This is a negotiation, anything beneficial to you is not your problem to fix.
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Timing resignation when the job offer is "contingent upon work permit" The golden rule is that you should never resign your current job without a signed job offer from the new employer. However, I believe my case is tougher than that: I've got a job offer that's "contingent upon obtaining the work permit" and a 3 months notice period. I know for fact that getting a work permit in that country is a complicated and lengthy process that can possibly take more than 3 months, however, waiting another 3 months after all the paperwork is done won't satisfy my new employer. How do I time my resignation properly? I'd appreciate it if somebody who were in a similar situation could share their experience. <Q> How do I time my resignation properly? <S> You simply cannot turn in your resignation until all terms of your new employment is met. <S> Once they are met turn in the appropriate amount of notice, whatever that may be. <S> If you do anything else you put yourself at risk of potentially being out of a job if for example you turn in your notice and your new potential employer runs into an issue. <A> If you are applying for something that requires a work permit, then you are probably looking to emigrate. <S> Emigrating is expensive and difficult with no long term guarantees of success in the country you emigrate to. <S> You also need to familiarize yourself with the immigration process for that country to understand if a work permit can even be secured for someone with a 3 month delay before they start. <S> There is absolutely no guarantee that an immigration process will be smooth or rational. <S> If you are serious about achieving this goal and your current place of employment has restrictions (e.g. 3 month notice period) that will complicate your chances of success, you may have better long term success finding a new local position with conditions more favorable towards your emigration goal. <S> In short, you should not put yourself in a position where you may be unemployed. <S> For the current opportunity, you should have an honest discussion with the prospective employer about the notice period and the work permit situation. <S> If you can't reach an agreement on how to proceed, I would encourage you to see if your best bet is to try again with another foreign company or to take steps locally to better your prospects of emigrating before trying again. <A> First, as noted by others, I too find it hard to believe you could get a work permit in any country without a signed contract with the employer. <S> However, it's not clear if the contingency blocks you from obtaining the contract, or if it is merely a clause in a the contract. <S> If it's just a clause, your worry may be a bit misplaced: <S> if you don't secure your permit, it doesn't matter one whit what the contract says, you won't be able to take the job. <S> It's not crazy for the employer to spell that out. <S> Second, and more importantly, what is the employer doing to support your application for the permit? <S> I emmigrated to Germany <S> and it's absolutely common advice and practice that the employer start the application process for the work permit, here, as they can get it done in a few weeks, as opposed to several months if the employee has to do it themselves. <S> As far as I know it cost my employer nothing but a bit of HR's time. <S> So what is your prospective employer doing/willing to do, to help secure your permit? <S> In most cases, the employer should feel some motivation to secure your permit as quickly as possible. <S> If they are not assisting you <S> I think this tells you A LOT about the quality of this employer and you may want to seriously rethink this. <S> However we still have no hint what country you might be moving to... <S> really, it's important to know that. <A> You have to weigh the risks and rewards. <S> If you resign before you've got a rock solid job offer including work permit then you risk ending up with no job. <S> Would your finances be able to cope with that? <S> Do you think you could easily find another job? <S> If you wait until all the paperwork is complete <S> then you risk losing the job offer that you have. <S> How much of a problem is that? <S> Do you need a job offer before you can apply for the permit? <S> If you plan to wait then discuss the situation with your new employer. <S> Can you reduce your notice period? <S> It's difficult to ask that directly before you've actually resigned, but if you avoid taking any holiday days unless absolutely essential then you may be able to build up a significant chunk to take at the end of your notice period. <S> You can then start at your new employer during this 'holiday' period.
| Stay pat until all the conditions of your hopefully soon to be new employer are met.
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Contract complete and client now asking for lots of personal info I friend of mine connected me with a job to create a computer program, given a set of specifications. My only point of contact was an anonymous email address (e.g. joeblow@example.com ). They never mentioned their name/the company's name. The pay was discussed before the work started, but no contract was signed. I learned from this mistake. The program is now complete and when I told them this, they asked for the following information. They say it's to prepare the "paper work" for me: My full name My telephone number My full address A scanned copy of my driver's license or passport Are all of these a normal request? I do not know any of this about the client, which gives me a bad gut feeling. My name and telephone number are reasonable, maybe even my address, but a copy of my id seems ridiculous, especially not knowing who they are.What risks are associated if I provide them with this information? If they don't pay me for the program, I actually wouldn't be that upset and would just make it open source and use it to showcase my work to potential employers. But of course I'd still like to get paid.What is the best way to respond to the email asking me for these things? I'm thinking of: Could you first provide me with your name, the company your represent, it's telephone number and mailing address so I can provide you an official invoice? Or Asking why they need my address and a copy of my id. Or Asking them to provide this information about themselves first. I’m in Canada and they said they consider me a "subcontractor". I don't know what country they are in. What information in specific should I get from them before proceeding? Even if I did find them to be a legit company, in contractor scenarios is it still normal to send a copy of your id by email? UPDATE: turned out the individual is not with a company and working for himself. He has agreed to sign a contract we are currently discussing. I'm still undecided about sending him a copy of my id. <Q> Most likely scenario is you have been scammed. <S> Legit companies even tiny ones will usually have at least have a company name and some sort of signature on their gmail account if nothing else. <A> Either this so-called friend of yours is no friend, or you're very inexperienced. <S> You cannot ever, ever, EVER take on work without knowing the following: For fixed-price work, the exact scope of the work, and the exact amount that the client has agreed to pay you (a) for the entire project or (b) for specific deliverables ("milestones") For work by-the-hour, the hourly rate at which the client has agreed to pay you BEFORE you start the work. <S> The name, address, country, and legal status (sole proprietorship, corporation, LLC, partnership) of the party that is contracting the work. <S> Get at least one name of a contact person, and a phone number. <S> The exact capacity in which you will be performing the work (bona fide employee, or contractor) <S> This is a bare minimum. <S> Now at this point, you might be dealing with a party that is working with good intentions, or you might be dealing with some bad-guys. <S> Before you turn over ANY of the requested information, find out who you're dealing with. <S> Get informed. <S> When you receive that information, do your best to VERIFY the information. <S> If it looks sketchy, STOP. <S> If the other party won't provide any concrete information, STOP WORKING and don't turn over anything you've created until that changes. <S> In the future, don't do any serious work without a written contract that includes the details I've shared above. <S> This will save you plenty of headaches. <A> You need to find out more information about the other party before you can give this information, especially the scan of your driving licence or passport. <S> Where are you based and where is the company based? <S> Why do they say they need this information? <S> It's possible <S> it's a scammer trying to steal your identity, although it seems a bit of an elaborate way of getting passport details. <S> It could also be someone working for a medium to large company who commissioned you on his own, but now you're ready to be paid he has had to get the finance department involved, and that's highlighted some documentation that needs to be completed. <S> For example in the UK it is standard practise for employers to photo copy their employees' passports as proof that the employee has a right to work in the UK. <A> I have to say this is one of the weirdest questions I've read, and the level of paranoia seems a bit high. <S> You don't know anything about this employer, but so far they also don't know anything about you (apparently). <S> If they were actually planning to "scam" you, I think they would have asked for your personal details at the start of your working arrangement, then disappeared. <S> I also don't understand why you think they aren't going to pay you for the work. <S> They are still responding to your emails, etc. <S> right? <S> This whole scenario just sounds like a bizarrely informal arrangement on both sides . <S> Anyway, I see no reason to NOT give them the information they requested. <S> I can't quite work out how they might pay you at all if they don't have your full name and address, at least. <S> I would probably use the driver's license for ID instead of the passport, and if you're extra paranoid, you could blank out the ID number on it. <S> I just don't see the danger sharing what is basically public information. <S> If you want to know more about the company, why not just ask them for their details? <S> I think you really should do that anyway, for your basic recordkeeping if nothing else. <A> This looks like an attempt at identity theft. <S> The combination of your Government ID + mailing address means they can start applying for loans, credit cards, and all sorts of things and intercept your mail physically, then activate them and proceed to screw you over. <A> This seems very unprofessional but what they're asking for could easily be within the realm of what the tax authorities there need--if they're going to send out a check they need a record of who it was sent to in case they are audited. <S> The request isn't compliant with the US rules--here they would need an IRS form that has name, business name if any, address and tax ID number. <S> Most of my former employers have a copy of my passport--while the usual is driver's license + social security card <S> a passport is also acceptable and has always been easier for me to locate.
| Since you don't know the other party and apparently don't have a written contract, your legal standing to collect any funds for the work you've done is questionable. You are in the process of being scammed. Ask them for their company details and who to send the invoice to before giving any more information about yourself, and see if your 'friend' knows anything about them.
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Notifying a co worker about an internal job opening you're both qualified for I have a co worker I work pretty closely with, we have some overlapping job functions but it has some of the same base qualifications that we cover for the business. About two years ago, a job opened up, we both applied and he got it. I was promoted a month later to something similar, but nothing changed as far as the work we were responsible for. So now there is another opening, almost the same as the first job he got the first time. Except this new opportunity is higher up in the company than where we are currently. Since it didn't open inside the facility I don't think he's aware of it. I got some back channel info from another friend in the department that it was coming and saw the posting go up on the website. but...I feel a bit of internal struggle by not telling my co worker about this opportunity. Maybe he doesn't even want it, but he's certainly qualified for it. That's my specific story, my question more generally revolves around etiquette, politics, and managing relationships in this scenario. There is a lot of prevailing wisdom out there about getting ahead sometimes means you put yourself first. However this feels disingenuous/shady. Just looking for some perspective, there does not seem to be a lot out there after some GoogleFu. <Q> The "right thing" is obvious. <S> Tell your buddy about it. <S> If he is better suited for it, it is better for him and better for the company. <S> The Powers That Preside WILL find out that you told him about it, and, assuming a non-pathological (i.e., non-PHB-dominated) employer <S> , you WILL eventually benefit from the good karma you pile up. <A> my question more generally revolves around etiquette, politics, and managing relationships in this scenario. <S> Unless you have some sort of "pact" with your coworker, you are not compelled to share internal job opening discoveries with anyone. <S> Certainly your coworker can view the same website that you did and choose to apply (or not). <S> If you feel that your relationship with this coworker is very valuable, and potentially worth sacrificing the "edge" <S> you may or may not have gained in getting this job, then tell your coworker. <S> Otherwise, keep it to yourself. <S> That's something only you can decide. <A> Don't think the workplace might be a right place for such a question but here is framing it in two different contexts, game-theory and interpersonal relations. <S> Game-Theory: With most if not all openings, it is an open competition of many players for one job. <S> Given the constraints, the more players, the more competition. <S> The agency or employer, would seek to find the best fit (in terms of behavior, experience, and skill set for the role). <S> If you want to increase your chances, ensuring that there are no other viable candidates would be in your interest. <S> Now this isn't an ethics call, but a numerical one. <S> This is of course, presuming that the two of you are equally skilled as a fit for the role. <S> If your coworker > you, then it definitely doesn't make sense. <S> Let's pivot and approach this from an interpersonal perspective. <S> In good team, and I use the word loosely, one celebrates another's accomplishments and seeks out opportunity to help the team accomplish its goals. <S> If an individual within the team accepts employment elsewhere, one views it as a forlorn good bye, not with anger or jealousy that they are leaving. <S> If you tell your coworker, and they are interested, and they get it, you will have lost out in terms of position and $. <S> The tradeoff is that you might've gained a plus in their book. <S> If they come across a open position in their new job, they will more likely return the favor. <S> If you tell your coworker, and they are interested, and you get it, you will gain in position and $. <S> The tradeoff is that you might've gained some "resentment and jealousy" (why you and not him/her?) <S> in a 'bad' team environment or "good for you, I'm happy for you" in a 'good' environment. <S> If you don't tell your coworker, and they are interested, and they find out you applied, it's a toss up. <S> But then again, it is not your job to look out for their interests. <S> At a certain point the number of permutations of this game gets convoluted and hard to map out through text. <S> A good question to ask yourself is whether or not you want the role and seek to maximize your chances of getting it or if you value your relationships at the workplace.
| Ultimately, it comes down to how much you value this potential job, how much you value your relationship with this coworker, and your prediction as to how this coworker would feel if you got a job that he didn't learn about. This is one of those "do the right thing" situations.
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How do I turn down a proposal from my Boss about a school project? I'm set to graduate in Computer Engineering this year. As part of the requirements to graduate: I have to develop, submit, and present a capstone project to the faculty. I'm allowed to choose whatever project I want as long as the faculty approves it. While I have a year and a half to finish it (and many students do take that long). My goal is to deliver it in time for the next graduation date available. At the same time, I've been working at a software company that has just closed a deal to develop a system that requires significant research in machine learning. Being aware of the capstone project requirement and that I'm still looking for a project, my boss strongly insisted that I should pick it up. He even offered to personally advise me (I get to name up to 2 advisers) and get me whatever resources I might need. Since I was curious about it, I asked him to send me some material to read and decide. However, while studying the material, I noticed 2 red flags: I'll need to spend hundreds of hours studying to learn new skills, on top of building, and then documenting it well enough for the final paper to be understandable and thorough, as it will be required by the faculty. It is nearly impossible for me to finish it within the year. The architecture points to a system that will require multiple people sharing the research and workload required to build it. When I asked him about it, he told me his plan was to fit my project into a much larger one. In fact, he is already assembling a team across multiple universities to tackle the challenge, including himself, who's joining a grad program next year and planning to work on it for the next 4 years. The issue I have with it is that my project was supposed to be a solo project and evaluated only by the faculty. Instead, the prospect is to have several grad students supervising, criticizing, and determining the overall direction of what I'll be doing. While I'm happy to put in the hours required to learn, design and build such a system, and also don't mind working on a team to achieve it, I don't want it to be my capstone project . It is far above what's expected from an undergrad student, it would significantly postpone my graduation, and I would have to relinquish control over my project. So, my questions are: As an employee, what are the potential consequences if I were to refuse his terms? How can I communicate that, despite appreciating the offer and willing to accept it as a work project, I want my capstone project to be something more personal and smaller in scope? Additional information My boss is aware of all capstone requirements since he is just a few years my senior. His proposal, as it currently stands, already fulfills all of them. By claiming it " is far above what's expected from an undergrad student ", I meant that significantly smaller projects are consistently approved by the faculty, some of them awarded with the maximum grade. Every capstone project has to be approved by a professor. However, it is extremely unlikely I find a professor that would reject this project unless they hold some personal grudge against him. In any case, he has already contacted a faculty member that approved it. As I mentioned previously, he is going to be a grad student at the same school I'm graduating from, and we would have the same adviser. We have not discussed yet any work schedules. It is not clear to me what his expectations are in terms of weekly hours. That being said, I don't expect to be paid overtime if I choose to accept his suggestion as my capstone since it is not a practice in this culture, even if that time would be spent at the office. In general, students who develop capstone projects within their companies just chalk it up to "study hours". <Q> Is this stance ethical? <S> As an employee, am I entitled to refuse his terms? <S> It is not a matter of ethics. <S> Your boss has a strong opinion about a given subject and is very interested in your participation. <S> Consider yourself lucky. <S> Most care less. <S> You have every right to say no and move on. <S> How can I communicate that, despite appreciating the offer and willing to accept it as a work project, I want my capstone project to be something more personal and smaller in scope? <S> You said it right there: the requirements for the capstone are to be individual projects and smaller in scope. <S> The project is too big. <S> Now as for finding a common ground, why couldn't the capstone project be a small component for the system? <S> Perhaps a data analysis algorithm, or coding the back-end architecture that will organize data from parallel sources? <S> Big projects have little projects within them that can be valid candidates for your capstone project. <S> The whole might not be a good fit, but perhaps a piece? <S> Everyone (in theory) should be happy, you, your adviser, and faculty. <S> I'm happy to put in the hours required to learn, design and build such a system, and also don't mind working on a team to achieve it <S> my boss strongly insisted that I should pick it up. <S> He even offered to personally advise me <S> (I get to name up to 2 advisers) and get me <S> whatever resources I might need. <A> As you mentioned in some of the comments, you think it's a cool project <S> but the scope of even a small part of it is larger than what you're comfortable with and <S> you're anxious to graduate and get out there in the 'real world' as a real engineer rather than your current 'part-timer/intern'. <S> kind of situation. <S> So say so! <S> Something like: <S> Hey boss, I wanted to get back to you about the project you proposed. <S> It sounds really cool <S> and I'd love to do something like that in the future, <S> but right now I just want to focus on gratuating sooner rather than later. <S> With all the research and the learning new skills and technologies, there's a good chance my graduation date would get postponed significantly and as much as I want to do the project, that's not currently a sacrifice I'm willing to make. <S> Shouldn't ruffle any feathers. <S> You want to make it clear that the project sounds interesting and you're not opposed to it in principle, but that it just doesn't match your current priorities. <S> You're refusing it for personal reasons, not because you think it's a bad idea. <S> It's important to remember that this is your capstone project. <S> Regardless of what other people think of it, firstly you need to think it's a good idea. <S> Finding support from your boss and your professor comes afterwards. <S> If you can't come up with anything, you can always ask them for suggestions but they don't have the power to force you into doing a project you don't want to do. <A> I suspect the project's limitations are fully in the professor's control. <S> Take the proposal to your professor and see if he can make special considerations. <S> The scope of this project and working with graduate colleagues will be a tremendous asset to both your professional and academic career. <S> Don't simply say no, but try to work with both parties. <S> Even the process of working through the two parties in this scenario will give you many essential skills for the workplace. <S> Not every rule are written in stone, and knowing how to work through them is very useful.
| Boiled down to its essence, there is no reason why you can't simply say 'no'. If you are seriously turned down by everything associated with it, your words will more than work: it is too large for a capstone project.
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Is it normal to have heavy work load during notice period? I am in a management role, where I have accepted a new role at a new company and serving my notice period. The work-load is very heavy which can be stressful and high-pressured. I am quite unsettled right now, changing roles etc and subsequently losing motivation. In my last role (non management - developer), this was not the case, the work load gradually decreased over the course of the notice period. Is piling on the work once someone is leaving normal practice? <Q> The load may be heavy because of project state. <S> However, unless a replacement is found, you will be expected to bear it. <S> Once your replacement comes in, then you may offload a part of work to him/her, however the responsibility still lies with you unless your replacement is trained. <S> You are being paid full salary on notice period. <S> Then organization should also get full output. <S> As long as you are on board the organization, you should give it your best, irrespective of if it's your first day or last day. <S> The world is a small place. <S> If you don't work well in your notice period, people will notice. <S> This can harm your chances of coming back to the organization in the future. <S> And who knows, someone senior or from HR from this organization may change to some other place where you are interviewing in the future. <S> A good reference can be lost by trying not to give 100% during notice period. <S> Since you have been promoted, sounds like you have spent sometime in the organization. <S> Would you like to give up all the good <S> will you have earned just because you have some extra work during notice period? <A> Is it normal to have heavy work load during notice period? <S> In my experience when someone is taking a new position and working their notice, it is not un-common for the current team to get as much productivity from the person as possible. <S> Since you are leaving the company, there is no reason for you to work yourself to death as you are moving on. <S> Do your best while you are there, but there is no need for you at this point to work extra hours or extra hard . <A> There is no definitive "right" answer - <S> it's totally dependent on the individual circumstances at the time. <S> I've known people that have had essentially nothing to do during their notice periods whereas my last three have all had me working flat out (and beyond) until almost the very end due to project state and the need to hand things over. <S> At my last perm role I was flat out until <30 mins before I was due to leave - I was even late to my own leaving presentation as a result! <S> As Rishi talks about in his answer there's plenty of good reasons to stay professional and keep on working away during a notice period and to be honest <S> it's not that onerous to do so. <A> Clearing the deck: A mad rush to get everything done to give themselves some space to get the next person in Wrapping things up: Make sure that everything you're involved in is finished Punative: <S> Some companies DO get offended and will make you work to the very last second: Business as usual <S> Some companies just continue on until you're replaced. <S> It could be any one, a combination of, or none of the above, but a heavy workload on the way out is not unheard of. <A> It is not so strange if you had an important role that the company wants to make sure they are ready to handle that you are not there when you have moved on. <S> Therefore try and interpret it as a compliment and not as a punishment.
| Not working/ expecting a light workload just because you are in notice period is, in my personal opinion, unprofessional. It's not uncommon, but the reasons vary.
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Adding company bonus when employer asked for current pay? I went for an interview and the employer asked for my current salary to which I replied X amount. However, I included in the amount the yearly bonus that we receive which essentially bumps up my monthly salary by a little bit (whether this is ethical or not is another discussion). However, to continue with the process of hiring, they asked for my payslip which doesn't reflect the bonus that I've received. This is also the first time I've been asked of my payslip during the hiring process. How do I answer to them if they ask me why my payslip amount is a little less than what I've mentioned? <Q> The whole thing of asking your previous salary as part of the negotiation is pretty rubbish <S> and I know that one US state (Massachusetts) has actually brought in a law to ban employers from asking for it. <S> There are some tactics for declining to provide the information but they aren't going to help you here as you've already disclosed the figure and refusing to provide the payslip <S> will probably just make them assume the worst. <S> There's nothing wrong with accounting for the bonus when asked for your pay - after all it formed part of your overall compensation package. <S> As for how to handle the discrepancy in amounts - if you have any documentation to substantiate the bonus amount, or even just the existence of the bonus itself then I would supply it along with the payslip. <S> If you don't then when you hand over the payslip (or email it in or whatever) just provide a matter of fact explanation like: <S> My total compensation was Z which was made up of my base salary X plus my bonus Y, this payslip will show my base salary of X and this e-mail shows my but doesn't include my bonus which was paid separately. <A> EDIT: <S> I have to specify here: I am talking about salary in the context of a job interview situation as a number to represent your value. <S> This is not meant as a word definition in the literal sense as salary vs. bonus vs. benefits etc. <S> for me. <S> bonus is part of the salary <S> so you where honest, in my view. <S> Not only this, but everything else like free lunch, extra holidays etc. has to be considered. <S> It is a money-equivalent compensation for the services delivered e.g. salary. <S> (if not specifically asked about monthly wage without bonus) <S> Normally it is advisable to not disclose your salary at all. <S> Your current salary has nothing to do with your future job. <S> This is just giving away information to give them leverage in salary-negotiation. <S> Asking for a payslip is highly unprofessional in any employment-situation <S> I know of, only ever encountered it when applying for a bank loan. <A> How do I answer to them if they ask me why my payslip amount is a little less than what I've mentioned? <S> Just be honest and indicate that you included your bonus when initially asked. <S> Next time try to remember to answer the questions as asked. <S> If they ask your salary, just indicate the salary. <S> Then if they ask your bonus, you can talk about that and under what conditions you'll get a bonus. <S> That way you won't risk coming across as slightly dishonest.
| If you still want to volunteer your payslip to them, just do it with the comment that there is additional compensation or look for one where that compensation is included.
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Everyone is talking about politics in the common lunches. Any better option than leaving? I live in a place where there's quite a lot of convulsion in terms of independency of the country. My ideas don't really care, but in the office there are both sides, and the verbal fights are close to punches. The thing is that last week we had a lunch with very few people, and the topic appeared. It came from the boss . He decided to unilaterally start talking about the topic, sharing his point of view, and when some people faced that point of view, he said "ok, one by one, for or against and why?". Even if it was a lunch, it was with company people. When it was my turn, I said "sorry, I don't feel comfortable talking about this". Somebody said something, but then the boss insisted, so I said "look, I'm not saying anything". The rest of the people were anyway sharing their position, and so the "fight" took about 2 hours. We only have 1 for lunch, so well, very unprofessional. Today, there was another lunch. This time the whole office joined, but a group of people was stuffed in a corner, and it happened to be me, the boss and some more people from the other day. The boss, out of nothing, told another person "Make sure they don't talk about independency", raising the topic again, this time with new blood joining the fight. I decided to leave and work. I assume this may be seen as antisocial, rude or anything, but I feel like this shouldn't be a topic to talk at work, especially if it's causing the conversation to turn into a fight of shouts. Anyway, for the next time, was leaving the best thing to do, or should I have stayed and done anything else? PS: I'm quite sure I can't complain to HR, because it was raised by the boss, and the HR joined the fight. <Q> was leaving the best thing to do, or should I have stayed and done anything else? <S> IMO, leaving was the best thing to do. <S> Like you, I try to stay away from office conflicts and politics. <S> I find it very distracting to the workplace and often times shines a different light on those who do participate in such a situation. <S> By leaving, you are not being rude, you just prefer to keep your personal opinions personal. <A> You handled the situation correctly, however it seems that your manager is promoting this kind of "toxic" conversation topics almost intentionally, and this behavior may result into problems later on. <S> Next time the conversation seems to switch to politics, try to discretely move out before it breaks into a fight. <S> Even refusing to speak might convince your manager that your ideas differ from his, so it would be better to stay out of this altogether. <A> The thing is that last week we had a lunch with very few people, and the topic appeared. <S> It came from the boss. <S> He decided to unilaterally start talking about the topic, sharing his point of view, and when some people faced that point of view, he said "ok, one by one, for or against and why?". <S> That was very unprofessional from your boss, and you did very well staying out of it, including leaving. <S> This way you keep your privacy and your health. <S> In my opinion your boss might be cultivating a toxic work environment with his behaviour, and if I'm right, I think you should at least update your cv and keep an eye on the job market. <S> Once talking about this very subject, an aquitance told me that he doesn't have an opinion about this issue, but that he respects mine. <S> With this I was more than satisfied, but this was also before 2010, when things wheren't as heated as now.
| There are a few delicate topics that are better left out of the office altogether, like politics, religion, gender issues, and more in general all things someone may ave a strong idea about. If you fail to divert the discussion to another topic, the best option is almost always leaving.
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Can I safely advertise an open position in my company through my LinkedIn account Recently, an analyst on our Information Security team working in the SOC quit for greener pasture at another company. I work in a different, but very related role as an IT Auditor. I interface with the members of the IT Security almost daily in completing my work. The IT Security team is looking for a replacement for the person that left. I participated in interviews of candidates for this open position, and the last handful that applied were unsuitable - inadequate technical skills, poor communication ability, behavioral red flags at interview etc. I have many personal friends in addition to past colleagues in my LinkedIn professional network working in the InfoSec profession that I feel would be great fit for this open position at my company. I would feel comfortable in recommending them. However, is it Ok for me to use my LinkedIn account, a personal account, to advertise this position on my behalf of my company? <Q> Short Answer: <S> Ask HR or the hiring manager of the IT Security team. <S> Or both. <S> In this case it's best not to act unilaterally. <S> If you outline to the hiring manager that you want to do this, then they can give you direction on whether or not this is a good idea. <S> It also may be worth running it by HR to ensure that there aren't any policies in place that you are not aware of and may fall foul of. <S> All we here can give you opinions, <S> the best way to ensure that you are doing the right thing in your organisation is to ask those who have the authority to answer. <A> In addition to Jane's answer, if they have posted the job on LinkedIn, or somewhere else that you can link to, then there should be no problem with you sharing it with your LinkedIn contacts. <A> Is it Ok for me to use my LinkedIn account, a personal account, to advertise this position on my behalf of my company? <S> If your company has already advertised the role then you can share this on LinkedIn or other social media, in much the same way as you can share anything else that has been published. <S> If your company is smart then they will love you doing this, as referrals are on of the most reliable ways of finding competent new staff. <S> On a side note, if a friend comes to interview then you should not be an interviewer both for professional reasons and so that you don't damage your friendship if they don't get the job.
| Also, if you know a contact who might be a good fit, you can always send them a message mentioning the position, and offer to pass their resume directly to the hiring manager, with your recommendation, a potential win for both of you.
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Does sitting cross-legged come across as unprofessional? Today I realised it's become my habit to sit cross-legged (ankle of one leg resting on knee of other leg) quite a lot of the time, including at work. I work at a desk-job (in the UK), so my legs are almost permanently out of sight, and I stop myself doing it in times it'd be notable, such as meetings. Whilst I appreciate it's unlikely to be an actual problem, I wanted to know if this would be commonly considered inappropriate etiquette within an office setting? <Q> Is it a little odd? <S> Sure. <S> Is it unprofessional? <S> I don't think it's that bad. <S> I think the approach you are taking is perfectly fine. <S> Go ahead and sit how you like in your day-to-day work, maybe even in some casual status meetings, but definitely sit "normally" during more formal meetings. <S> People who notice will just mark it down as a quirk, nothing serious. <A> It'll probably give you back problems in the long term. <A> The only thing to watch out for in the UK is desk based assessments, especially coupled with overzealous/paranoid HR people, as it is not correct seating position and they may be worried about getting into trouble if you have any issues in the future. <S> However this is a small issue and may easily go unnoticed or nobody will care about (I've worked in a place where people have commented on my habit of sitting on one leg tucked under, but most places really couldn't care less) <A> I wanted to know if this would be considered a very strange thing to do in an office setting? <S> It would be considered strange in every office where I have ever worked except for one. <S> In one startup where I worked, several folks discarded their shoes while in the office and walked around in bare feet. <S> Another brought her dog to work with her frequently. <S> My boss walked around with a yo-yo all the time. <S> In that office, sitting cross-legged would probably be considered on the formal end of the behavior range. <S> It was a fun place, but rather unusual. <S> In general, the answer depends on the kind of company and even more on the company culture. <S> Look around and see what others do - you'll quickly learn if this would be considered strange there or not.
| I agree with the other poster, don't do it for formal meetings but in general it will just be marked as a quirk. And yes, it looks pretty unprofessional (at least to this reporter's perspective). There's also the fact that you're at risk of wiping dirt from your shoes onto your chair, and from there onto your rump (or the rump of anyone else using the chair).
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Should I put that I am a Day Trader on my resume? I have been day trading for a few years now and have been quite profitable. I believe I have the skill set and knowledge to continue this indefinitely as a career however I recently found another calling in which I want to pursue instead despite the pay decrease :). Should I add day trading as work experience on my resume or should I just explain the gap when asked? I want to add my day trading experience on my resume to showcase my financial (majored in Finance), programming knowledge, and analytical skills that I heavily rely on to execute my trades but feel that the hiring manager may view this as more of a hobby than "work experience"? The organization I am applying for accepts a broad range of academic fields. The position I am inquiring about would not require financial or programming knowledge however it may help. I believe analytical skills are imperative in this position. <Q> TL;DR <S> If this was your primary source of income then I would not consider it as a simple hobby. <S> You must have been pretty good at it if it allowed you to take a few years hiatus from a 'typical' job. <S> I don't know what kind of job you've been searching for. <S> This sounds like it would be very relevant experience if you job hunt is more marketing / finance focused. <S> Outline what qualities you looked for in the companies you've invested in. <S> If you're applying as, for example, a software engineer, then don't include it on your resume (Unless you wrote special software to help you. <S> In which case, put that down). <A> You should consider including it in another section, such as "Other Experience" or something along those lines. <S> When you realized that the hiring manager may consider that to be more of a hobby than a job, you answered your question right there. <S> Why risk that? <S> A gap, at the very least, they can ask. <S> That said, the day trading, especially if you were particularly good and did make it your full-time occupation for a period of time, is perfect for (a) another section of the resume; (b) mentioning in the cover letter if it is relevant; and/or (c) talk about in the interview if it is relevant. <A> If it was your main source of income and you put enough hours in it to be deemed a full time occupation <S> I don't see whats wrong in including it to be honest. <S> Its not an illegal activity and shows many positive traits in you,as in analytical skills mentioned, if you had the prowess and intelligence to pull this through. <S> An explicit mention in your CV, perhaps mentioned in an "Others Section", as mentioned already, or just as your last work experience can get the employer to ask more about it and you make your case about it as intended. <A> The problem is the word "day". <S> Could it be that you were just a self employed Stock Trader? <S> Or even just an Investor? <S> Did you almost always zero out at the end of the day? <S> Write down what you did as a trader, without the word day. <S> If that is honest and looks good, what's the point of adding "day"? <S> Being successful in your chosen career for several years belongs prominently on your resume, especially if it is your current job. <S> Many people don't know what day trading is, they only think it is something fishy. <S> If someone asks, "Were you day trading? <S> ", you are already being considered (you made it to the interview). <S> Just saying "yes" should be less of an issue by that time.
| If it's not relevant, don't put it on your resume Don't lie about anything, but don't unnecessarily label something with a label you (and possibly others) don't like.
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Colleague passing off my work as his own on LinkedIn A little background: I joined this company (large company, 10,000+ employees, USA based) less than 6 months ago, and it is a small team of 7 people. My reporting manager (the person above me in the hierarchy) is someone with less than half my experience and he was promoted to this position (he has less than a year of experience) only because the team lead, who is a VP, has close relations with him, and therefore tends to favor and side with him. When I joined, a couple of other people were much more experienced and qualified to supervise me, but it did not happen. Anyway, even though he is my supervisor according to the team hierarchy, I have never worked with him because we work on separate projects. So in a way, his role is merely for the formalities and the necessary project related approvals. The problem: After a few weeks of joining, I noticed that he mentioned a project that I alone was working on, on his LinkedIn profile. At first, I thought since we had casually discussed something related to the project, so it would be alright if he wrote it. And then it kept getting bad from there. After that, there have been 2 more major projects (on which I worked solo), wherein he had absolutely no contribution whatsoever (not even any ideas/suggestions). On top of that, he writes things like: Leading all efforts on ...... Single handedly developed ..... How should I deal with this? I don't exactly know how this is going to affect me, but I think taking the credit from someone is in itself unethical. I thought of speaking about this with the team lead (he is a Vice President), but I was not sure if he would side with my colleague and consider this to be a trivial issue. Any suggestions would be welcome. Thank you. <Q> The upside is that he obviously rates your work otherwise he would not be wanting to take credit. <S> But in terms of your response, I'd suggest doing nothing. <S> Firstly, he seems to be buddies with the VP. <S> So anything you do or say will likely not work out well for you. <S> Even though you are 100% in the right not to like this, it would not look good for anyone if it was challenged, and even if you do get it changed it would mean life is more difficult for you in your job afterward. <S> Secondly, does it really matter? <S> Linkedin will only be important when looking for jobs. <S> This guy seems to be way over promoted due to nepotism, it is unlikely he will move. <S> It could possibly matter if both of you were applying for the same job and somebody queried but that does not seem likely. <S> So you don't actually gain anything by trying to change it. <S> My advice would be to ignore colleagues Linkedin profiles, you don't need to see them and gain nothing from doing so. <A> While it's certainly unethical and unprofessional of him to be doing this there probably isn't a lot you can do to stop him. <S> Assuming this is a personal LinkedIn site as opposed to one paid for by the company <S> then it's kind of up to him what he writes on there. <S> He's technically violating the LinkedIn Terms of Service by posting inaccurate information but I highly doubt that LinkedIn are going to get involved in any sort of he-said/ <S> she-said situation like this. <S> He's not really crossing into the sort of territory where he is defaming the company and unless there is something in his employment contract preventing him from posting this sort of information there isn't going to be much they can do to stop him either, while they might not like it from an honesty and integrity point of view <S> they may well view any complaint about it as being petty and reflecting poorly on you. <S> I'm not saying I would agree with them or that its' fair but neither is life in general. <S> Realistically if he's using these false claims of accomplishments to try and make himself look better <S> it's not going to end well for him. <S> Like lying on a CV he is professing skills and experience he doesn't have and that will sort of fall apart on him if an employer (either his current one or any in the future) expect him to be able to perform based on them <S> and he can't. <S> I'd just take what heart you can from that and let it go. <A> They are already lying on their public profile. <S> That is entirely their problem and might come back to bite them. <S> That said, you cannot now take full credit for the same work on the same site, because that might lead to conflict within your existing team. <S> What you can do is take credit for the work in your CV. <S> The problem with that is that now LinkedIn is no longer your complete profile, and you don't want recruiters to base their judgment on incomplete information. <S> In my experience LinkedIn is a useless time sink, and recruiters don't use anything other than the keywords in your profile to check if you're a good fit. <S> You're better off actively looking for a good job than waiting for it to come to you. <A> While you can't (and shouldn't) do much to stop this - after all, the burden of prove would be upon you, as well as the problem to deal with an angry manager afterwards - it is advisable to be very careful concerning this guy. <S> After all, if he is ready to blatantly lie on an online profile, he may also be able to blatantly lie about his (and thus, your) achievements in the company. <S> For me, this would be a severe warning signal, and I would recommend to try changing the team, maybe even the job. <S> Expect such sort of people to take advantage of you whenever they are able to. <S> And him being friends with the VP, you will always be in an inferior position should any sort of conflict arise. <A> It's not your business. <S> There's a tons of reason of why you shouldn't take care of others people way-to-work. <S> It's rarely good to get involved into business (that aren't yours) in a negative way. <S> Also, he lie on her resume and will pay it later. <S> Or not. <S> But he have more risk to pay it then to not.
| In this situation I would remove any project details (or possibly your whole profile) from LinkedIn and simply refer to your CV which is available on request.
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Informing colleagues about lavatory etiquette? This is a small company in India which has engineers, finance professionals, janitors and even interns from abroad, working there. The founders noticed that many employees aren't very familiar with lavatory etiquette and ensuring hygiene, and they wished to conduct a small training to inform employees about it. Since this is a slightly touchy issue, they aren't sure how to proceed. An online search showed some pages which had requisite info, but do not speak about how to proceed with educating employees about it. Would it be too in-your-face or insulting if a small training session was conducted about this where everyone is invited? Is there a better way to proceed with this? <Q> The most common method (actually the only one I have seen) is to post signs. <S> Either humorous picture ones or more bland ones from management just stating the expectations on hygiene and proper usage. <S> Or a combination of both. <S> If it was an ongoing issue the best recourse would be a blanket email, either to staff or managers from someone up the hierarchy. <S> Along the lines of "Your sections toilets are a disgusting mess, please make sure I don't see them in this condition again. <S> " more or less polite as suits the situation. <S> In the same way that they would reprimand staff who made a mess in the workspace. <A> Would it be too in-your-face or insulting if a small training session was conducted about this where everyone is invited? <S> No, it's just an information, and something the company wants to take care of. <S> Is there a better way to proceed with this? <S> The signs you put in the bathroom are commonly useless for the ones who know and already take care of their personal hygiene, and helpful (and not helpless , typo corrected thanks to @Brandin) for the ones who don't care and/or don't know. <S> In order to create awareness for the ones who don't know, it's always useful to show them the benefits of doing something. <S> As a simple search (that you already did) can give many information (e.g. diseases spread not washing hands , I think you could let people know what they face. <S> Before you set up a meeting, you can send an email, sharing data about the diseases than can be spread. <S> Or just say nothing, call for the meeting, and explain. <S> But it's important that people understand that the company does that not to bother them or to "educate" them, but to protect everyone's health , including the company ( less people calling off, better the rate of return, greater benefits for eveybody ). <S> Then, when everybody knows, put the signs. <S> As a nice reminder. <S> Don't put the blame on anyone, show them why it's good for them, AND everyone around them, and they will be more willing to listen to you. <S> Create awareness for the ones who don't know . <A> Would it be too in-your-face or insulting if a small training session was conducted about this where everyone is invited? <S> No, it would not be too in your face <S> , it everyone is required to attend. <S> Regardless of who you are, and what your position is, it is not unreasonable to expect when the time comes for the lavatory to be in a clean state. <S> Is there a better way to proceed with this? <S> Besides mandatory training for all, I am not sure what else can be done. <S> Signs <S> I think will be ignored for the most part, once the novelty wears off. <S> This article contains an email that was sent to everyone in the office. <S> I am not sure how well this will be received, as personalities differ, but I thought it may be of use to you. <S> From the article: Cleaning Up <S> Treat the public restroom even better than the one at your home. <S> In a public restroom, flushing every time is considerate. <S> If you make a mess, use every effort to clean it up. <S> The restroom should be left in as good as or better condition after your use than it was before you entered. <S> Always wash your hands with soap after conducting your business. <S> Entire article: software firm office wide bathroom etiquette email
| The manager could also bring it up in a staff meeting. It's not so much training or educating as reminding them to respect others and their workplace, most people already know that they're not supposed to pee/poo on the floor/seat/walls and don't do it at home.
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Applying for a job with my overall GPA or within my major? I started out at my school as an mechanical engineering major, but I didn't do well and quickly realized it wasn't for me. I switched majors to computer science/mathematics and have done quite well. My overall GPA is about 3.3 but if you discount all the bad grades I got from my old engineering major it goes up to a 3.6. I feel like reporting a 3.3 is selling myself a bit short as almost all of my bad grades are in an area of study I'm not even remotely involved in, but I also feel like putting the 3.6 down without comment seems very misleading. What should I do when applying to a job? <Q> You should use your overall GPA or qualify that you were using your major GPA, otherwise you will be perceived as having tried to deceive them. <S> A 3.6 is not so much better than a 3.3 that I would take the risk. <S> If you are proud of the 3.6 then you could include it also. <S> But it is unlikely that any job that 3.6 would qualify for, a 3.3 is not going to qualify for. <S> So to me I would not bother calling attention to it. <S> If your GPA is not exceptional(4.0) then it doesn't really matter its either good enough or its not. <A> I feel like reporting a 3.3 is selling myself a bit short as almost all of my bad grades are in an area of study <S> I'm not even remotely involved in, but I also feel like putting the 3.6 down without comment seems very misleading. <S> What should I do when applying to a job? <S> Since the application in question requires that you fill in the field with a single value, you must enter 3.3. <S> You can explain why 3.3 doesn't adequately convey your abilities in a cover letter and during your interviews. <S> In your resume you can put anything you like. <S> Some folks with less than stellar GPAs like to include only their "major GPA". <S> If you take that route, make sure it's properly labeled. <S> You could choose to include "GPA discounting all the bad grades you got from your old engineering major", but that would be rather awkward to explain in a resume and might come across as misleading. <S> If, as you have expressed, a potential employer will judge you strongly on your GPA, then you simply need to be prepared to explain your 3.3 and your college experiences as best you can. <S> Emphasize what you learned about yourself when you changed majors and how your later years showed vast improvement. <S> Most companies relying that much on GPA will want to look at your transcript and will understand what you are saying. <A> I would stick to your major GPA- Computer Science / Mathematics. <S> Most often, employers use GPA as one factor among several to evaluate your aptitude for the position. <S> A 3.30 GPA is actually decent and most employers should not have an issue. <A> I had this exact problem. <S> This is what I did on my resume: Cumulative GPA X Major 1: Y Major 2: Z Major 3: <S> A Major GPA was calculated based on degree requirements for the major alone.
| If you had a much lower GPA, it might be worth including the major GPA just to off set any negative impression that might have caused. Assuming you will be applying for technical jobs in CS, your major GPA would be most relevant to what you will be doing on the job, and better allow your prospective employer to evaluate your abilities.
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Asked to work on a crucial project in a different technical domain I am being asked to start working on a project that has a bad reputation, is already delayed, is for a client who is angry with the management and uses a technology stack which I am unfamiliar with. With the deadline already passed and my inexperience with this technology stack I feel that I won't be able to save this project. How do I communicate to my boss that I am reluctant to make any commitment on this project, without coming off as an unwilling employee? I really want to be a good resource for my employer. <Q> You can't perform magic. <S> That's something that you and your management need to agree on. <S> What you can do, however, is pick up this challenge, understand the risks, and run with it. <S> You first need to perform some gap analysis to identify the feasibility of project success - this would include (but not be limited to): <S> Where is the project now and where does it need to be What steps need to be taken in order to take the project from A (where it is now) to B (successful completion) <S> - this may already be in the project specification documents <S> Where do you fit within these steps <S> - what tasks are you to perform and what do you need to learn in order to achieve those objectives Who else in your team has these missing skillsets and can they be temporarily resourced to this project (at least for skills transfer purposes) <S> Taking some ownership of the responsibilities will reflect well on you, as will effectively communicating the gaps to your management for them to allocate the appropriate resources and manage the timescales. <A> Your role in the project is important. <S> If you are the project manager, it is different. <S> If they want you to do both...run? <S> It sounds like you are on the technical side, since you talk about the technology stack. <S> If so, I would look at this as almost a win-only case. <S> If your skills are sound, and you are motivated, you should be able to do something with the technologies. <S> To your advantage, the bar seems pretty low - failing slower is an improvement! <S> As long as you have been clear about you strengths with the technology, you have set the expectation that there is some learning involved. <S> At a minimum you should expect some time to improve your skills on your own, but you could also negotiate some training. <S> Accepting the position shows you are a team player. <S> Discussing your concerns in the process and proposing risk mitigation shows you are a smart team player. <S> If the project succeeds, you are part of a turn-around team and people will remember. <S> If you are successful and "save" the project, the rewards are even greater. <S> If the project continues to fail, and you are not adding to the problems, it will have a minimal negative effect on you. <A> I appreciate that this is easier said than done but you need to convey your concerns about the potential outcome of the project (and your ability to impact it) while avoiding any explicit or implicit mention that you won't do it. <S> If you can try and take a good look at where the project is currently and come up with some realistic goals you think can be achieveable, over what timescales and <S> if there are additional things your manager (or anyone else) can do to help. <S> Ideally write up something briefly documenting what you come up with. <S> Then have a sit down with your boss: <S> Hi [Boss] <S> , I've been looking over [Project X] and as I'm sure you know <S> it's in real trouble. <S> You know I will do my best but given it's existing issues and my relative lack of experience with the technologies they are using it is going to be very challenging. <S> I think I can probably achieve x,y, and z by a/b/c date . <S> If you can get me [Helpful resources P,Q & R] <S> then I might be able to achieve m,n & o as well. <S> If [Whoever liaises with the client] can handle managing their expectations then I can focus on getting the work done. <S> Do you think this sounds realistic?
| If you are a technical resource, it is not your job to "rescue the project". Tell them you would like them to bring in an expert for one day to give you some 1-on-1.
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Lunch meetings and time sheets So I work in an organization where we record our time spent at work in a program called "time management system", for the most part its pretty relaxed (it gets approved by your manager and what not). This is my first ever corporate job, I'm an entry level "software engineer". So I recently had a lunch meeting at a cafe. After finishing the food we continued to discuss work related topics on my colleagues iPad for an additional half hour. My question is, at what point does lunch become a regular meeting? Or is the whole lunch meeting just considered lunch? If we didn't have to record our time at work and time on breaks this wouldn't really be an issue but since we do I am unsure. <Q> Best to ask this internally, as every company has really it´s own take on this topic. <S> As your company seems to like to have a pretty tight control over these matters, probably best to get an "official" opinion about this. <S> If you don´t want to seem petty, you could just book it as break and ask your boss how such things should be handled in the future. <S> You could also just discuss with your colleagues how they handle such things, although they might not actually follow company policy there. <S> Last, I encourage you, whatever the answer is at your place, just follow it. <S> And when you are not nitpicking about every minute you worked, you can maybe get some flexibility where you really need it (important private phone call during the day etc.) <A> at what point does lunch become a regular meeting? <S> Or is the whole lunch meeting just considered lunch? <S> If we didn't have to record our time at work and time on breaks this wouldn't really be an issue but since we do I am unsure. <S> If neither you nor your colleague know how to categorize this time, ask someone who does - that might be your manager, or someone else responsible for timekeeping. <S> Some companies use this time to charge external clients for projects and have contractual rules surrounding time recording. <S> Some use this time to input into payroll. <S> Some companies do both. <S> In my most recent shop, it seldom mattered how your time was recorded, as long as it added up to 40 hours per week. <S> In other shops where I worked, time recorded against specific projects was very precious and they worried about every 30 minutes. <S> In most shops where I worked, lunch time would never be recorded, even if you talked about work or actually performed work. <S> Don't overthink things. <S> I'm not saying any of this makes sense, or that any of this will amount to a sensible ledger of time spent. <S> Just that every company defines their rules differently, and you will have to ask until you have learned them. <S> Every timekeeping system has ambiguities (what if you think about work while you are eating alone? <S> What if you spend only 10 minutes talking about work and the rest eating? <S> What if you talk about projects that don't have accounting codes assigned yet?). <S> You just need to learn how your management wants you to handle these situations. <S> I don't see a lot of commonality across companies. <A> First you are entitled to your lunch break, unless it was mandated that you have this meeting over lunch <S> then you did so because it convenient to you. <S> There is nothing wrong with that <S> but your employer is not responsible for that choice. <S> And if it is just one of those days and you need the time to decompress, it is acceptable to say that too. <S> So if you logging this lunch break as work time, will cost your company money(IE <S> they have to pay you for it) <S> then it is not appropriate unless you get permission from your manager. <S> If your company would bill those hours to someone else, it may be expected that you would enter it as billable hours, but you should confirm that with your manager, and not just take the word of some guy on the internet that drinks to much and claims to know things. <S> If this is completely internal tracking just to understand the cost of the project then entering it is really up to you. <S> I can see the argument from either side with this case, and am not sure there is a "Right" answer. <S> Because if that 45 minutes puts the project over the line, that project has other issue. <A> Your question seems to include the answer -- you had a "lunch meeting," not just a casual lunch with coworkers. <S> The time you spent in this meeting discussing unrelated, non-work topics could be considered normal small-talk or banter, which typically happens in official meetings between coworkers. <S> If you are in an environment where you count "billable" hours, I would try charging it against admin/overhead time. <S> Make sure you have some type of deliverable, relevant decision, or transfer of knowledge to justify this as being on-the-clock before submitting your timesheet. <S> If there are any issues with your supervisor or payroll department, I would try to avoid lunch meetings with these people in the future. <S> That should be your time to forget about work so you can focus again in the afternoon. <S> Source: <S> being a programmer/techie for the past 17 years
| In most workplace cultures it is perfectly acceptable to say something like, "I prefer not to discuss work during my meal break." Some timekeeping-practices seem a little bit unfair, but usually they are not worth making a big fuss about, as the impact on your life is probably minimal. Every company has different policies regarding what must be recorded and in which categories time is recorded.
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Email Etiquette: Carbon Copies and Blind Carbon Copies I am familiar with the concept of Carbon Copies (CC) and Blind Carbon Copies (BCC). CC's are used as a means to inform individuals and keep them in the loop on a given topic. Replying to team member regarding the status of a development server?CC your team lead to keep him/her in the loop. What I am not familiar is the latter's use within the workplace. I am knowledgeable in that it should be used when sending mass emails, i.e. newsletters, marketing material, etc. But cannot think of a situation within the workplace where the features it offers would offer a meaningful impact. <Q> It's used when you don't want the recipient to know that you've sent the email to someone else as well. <S> For example, you assign someone a task <S> and you BCC in your manager to prove what you've said. <S> Or you're emailing a third party and want to copy in someone else without exposing their email address to the third party (you don't want an external supplier to know your procurement officers email address, for example). <S> It can also be used to mass mailings when you don't want to share email addresses of recipients with each other (protecting each recipients privacy). <A> It is common if you get an e-mail with someone in cc <S> and you answer it <S> , you "answer all" so the cc´d person is kept in the loop while the topic progresses. <S> Now if you want to spare the copied person from receiving all the further communication, you can blind-copy them <S> so the original recipient won´t automatically include them in the "answer all" function. <S> I think @Snark Shark covered the rest. <A> In very large organizations there is a risk that someone might choose the reply all option when replying to a message that was CC'd to a company-wide distribution group. <S> Some other users might continue replying to the thread asking to remove them or, contradicting their own advice, telling everyone that they should stop clicking the reply all button. <S> Each message will be broadcasted across the whole company, eventually bringing the whole email system to a complete halt until IT administrators intervene and stop the propagation of the emails. <S> When using BCC the initial reply will go only to the original sender.
| Using BCC instead of CC prevents reply-all email storms.
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Political talk radio through speakers I work in a shared office space with a small group of coworkers. One of the more senior coworkers has made it a habit to play political talk radio through speakers for the entire room. It seems to create a very toxic environment of constant argument and raised tempers. Even though I try hard to not let it bother me, it ultimately seems to cause me a lot of stress. I've been tuning it out by putting my own headphones in, but the type of work requires regular communication with other coworkers, so having headphones in seems to impede my work. I've suggested we turn on something more pleasant, like music, or nothing at all, and that occasionally works, but sometimes I am denied and it always seems to wind up back on the political talk. What steps can I take to put an end to this situation? Or how could I convince my senior coworker to stop playing political talk out loud? I thought about asking my management to relocate me to a quieter environment, but I am worried that I will be viewed as not being a team player, or being high maintenance. We were grouped together in the area based on a common skill-set and the area contains the equipment we work with. It would probably be impractical for me to ask that all that be relocated. <Q> I suggest you first talk to your senior coworker , and kindly ask him to refrain from playing political talks out loud. <S> Explain to him (just like you did here with us) that this tends to create a tense environment, something that does not contribute to the wellbeing of the team and its productivity. <S> If he is not willing to do so, you can also suggest he uses headphones, so he can keep listening to those talks while not disturbing fellow workers. <S> If he has some common sense and respect he should refrain from playing those talks out loud. <S> Now... if he still does not want to cooperate then I am afraid the only option you have left is to tell your manager about this. <S> One should always try to solve problems with the ones actually involved, so try taking this to your manager as a last resort. <S> Finally, if this keeps going on, and you find that this work is no longer a good fit for you (given its disturbing atmosphere) <S> you probably would be better seeking a new job , where these sort of things don't happen (seems that the one who is not a team player is your senior coworker, but that is only my opinion). <S> Hope this helps you solve this situation. <A> This is something I would likely bring directly to HR. <S> It is not in the company's best interests to have people arguing politics on company time. <S> Most HR people would put a stop to this immediately as politics and religion have no place in the work world (unless you are a political or religious organization of course). <A> Since you did talk with your senior coworker <S> AND you're currently stressed. <S> it ultimately seems to cause me a lot of stress <S> It's time <S> (if you didn't yet) to talk with your manager ASAP. <S> I don't suggest you use headphones and <S> (act like you're not listening senior's radio show or whatever he plays) . <S> 1 <S> If he is causing so much stress, you should talk with your manager - maybe a relocation (if possible) . <S> 1 <S> Not good for your ears, head, etc.
| Another option could be to make him realize that not all of the teammates enjoy listening to that sort of talks during work (surely you are not the only one that finds it disturbing).
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Methods for keeping your workdesk clean due to skin condition I have a skin condition which causes the skin on my face to dry out and flake off. Sometimes I have good days and I have little issues, others I have bad ones and it can look like a blizzard has hit my desk and keyboard. I've been to the doctor about it and have had many treatments and creams thrown at me, but alas the condition prevails and I mostly deal with it the best I can. The biggest issue I have is that my keyboard and surrounding area can look quite bad, which can be embarrassing when an impromptu meeting occurs at my desk. I try to keep it clean, but some days that would require me cleaning my keyboard/desk every 5 minutes just to keep on top of it and it's not the most efficient use of my time. Generally I use a cloth and try to wipe the dust and dry skin particles away. Are there better ways to handle this? I'm in an open office environment, so using anything noisy wouldn't be the best solution. Minor note The reason I consider this a workplace issue, is because at home I honestly don't care about my keyboard/desk getting dirty and I can clean it once in a while in a deep spring clean. At work, that's not really possible as: I'm in a more public environment. Keeping up appearances can be important The equipment and surrounding area do not belong to me, I should be handing all equipment back to the office in a suitable condition Other people may also want to use my equipment, e.g. during code review, and giving them dirty stuff to use isn't exactly professional <Q> Also a light-colored Keyboard could help so the flakes won´t stand out so much. <A> There is a cleaning "slime" for lack of a better term that you can use on your keyboard. <S> you put it over your keyboard, then lift it up and all the dirt and particulate matter is picked up instantly. <S> Aside from that, restaurant paper that they cover tables with, or any other covering that you can take home daily for your desk would be a good idea. <S> If you have a meeting at your desk, quickly remove the paper or fold the covering, and use the jell. <S> an example of jell cleaners can be found here <A> This is more a lifehacks answer, but here we go... <S> Keyboard condoms. <S> This is what my dentist uses on her keyboard. <S> She will put her (gloved) fingers in the patient's mouth, obviously, then use the computer to browse x-rays and patient files... <S> this makes the keyboard a contamination risk. <S> Thus, "keyboard condoms" are a nice solution. <S> They can be disinfected, washed, changed between patients, etc. <S> In your case, this thing would prevent your skin dust from getting inside the keyboard, and you would just shake it on top of the trash bin at the end of your shift. <A> Membrane keyboards can be very hard to clean when things like crumbs or in your case skin falls into it, and removing the keycaps often can cause the clasps to snap. <S> You could look into getting a mechanical keyboard (you can get ones with switches as 'quiet' as normal membrane keyboards) where the keycaps are easily removable, exposing the bare PCB below it. <S> This can make for easy and effective cleaning. <S> Alternatively (or additionally) <S> you could look into purchasing a thin silicone cover like this one for removal when others need to use your equipment. <A> Some ideas: Put a thin plastic film on top of your desk, and when an impromptu meeting happens, you can remove it and all of the flakes on it quickly. <S> Discuss this problem with your doctor; maybe other people have come up with solutions. <S> Talk to your employer ( <S> and maybe your colleagues too) <S> and let them understand that you cannot be expected to keep the equipment clean due to your condition. <A> Are there better ways to handle this? <S> Besides using some gel cleaner like already suggested in other answer, you could try using an Electronic Duster of some kind. <S> These basically are compressed gas cans or devices, which you can use to blow the flakes or any other light things off from your desktop, keyboard etc. <S> They work really well <S> , I use them frequently (as I sometimes eat on my desk on critical days), and they are specifically designed to be used on electronic components (you could even use it on a raw circuit). <S> I prefer these over gel cleaners, as those cleaners have to be replaced quite often . <S> That or you will have to then clean the gel cleaner if you want to reuse it, as the particles are stuck to it. <S> Also, comparing prices of both seems to suggest that these dusters are cheaper in average . <S> Another thing is that those gel cleaners seem to generate more waste than Electronic Dusters or compressed gas (plastic envelope, the gel itself, etc.), whereas most Electronic dusters can be refilled (or worst case, they are cans, so easier to recycle). <S> Given the nature of my company, we happen to have an air compressor with us. <S> When I run out of Electronic Dusters I have used this as a successful alternative, so that could be another option you may consider. <A> If nothing else, you'll be more productive because you won't be constantly distracted keeping your workspace presentable.
| There are some static cleaning wipes, which should make it easier to dust off especially the keyboard. I would recommend seeking an arrangement with your employer that you can work from home when your condition surfaces in a particularly bad way.
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As a new staff member, would it be appropriate to correct a senior member of staff's capitalization and spacing of a commercial product's name? Background I am an employee of a large (50,000+ employees) consultancy firm. I work in a smaller team with approximately 10 other people. I started working for this company, as a graduate, around 9 months ago. As a graduate, I am almost at the bottom of the position hierarchy (above apprentices and trainees, etc.). Problem Recently, my team have been working on quite an important job, with a tight deadline. We have to issue a number of reports to our client over the course of three weeks e.g. four reports went out last week, eight are due to go out this week, and a final four next week. It has been my responsibility to produce the figures to be added into each report, using the ArcMap software, which I am more proficient at using than the rest of my team. The rest of my team have little to no experience with any of the software in the ArcGIS package. As I was adding a completed figure into one of the reports due this week; I noticed that ArcMap had been referred to as "ARC GIS" within the methodology. This particular report had been proofread by my manager, and then by their manager too; though had both overlooked this mistake, due to their unfamiliarity with the software. My dilemma is that I can either correct my manager/their manager and have inconsistency among the reports (four already submitted to client with incorrect spelling), or have consistency and incorrect spellings. Is it even my place to speak up about this? As a newer member of staff with less experience, would correcting this spelling come across in a condescending manner? Question Would it be appropriate for myself, a new member of staff, to correct a senior member of staff's spelling in this particular situation? <Q> Would it be appropriate for myself, a new member of staff, to correct a senior member of staff's spelling in this particular situation? <S> As a new employee, I would urge you not to do this, I would point it out to your supervisor. <S> Being new to the company, you want to be careful with the initial impression you make with your peers. <A> The ArcGIS/ARC GIS doesn't really cause any significant issues in terms of understanding the meaning of the report. <S> Everyone seems to know what the report is. <S> If there's something meaningful that would negatively impact the company, then yes you need to raise it. <S> I'm not sure this example is enough. <A> If you aren't actually involved in the document's editing process, then it's not your place. <S> You could offer to become part of the process and proofread the remaining reports, then you would be taking initiative to make things better (always a good thing for those low on the totem pole to be seen doing). <S> They may not want you to, but if they do, I'd correct "ARC GIS" to "ArcGIS" ( not "ArcMap") in the remaining reports. <S> I work with ArcGIS every day and have for years. <S> It is not a mistake to refer to ArcMap as ArcGIS. <S> ArcMap is one part of the suite. <S> They did mis-capitalize the name, and there shouldn't be a space between the two words, but the meaning is clear. <S> If the only relevance it has in the methodology is that you used it to produce some figures, it's not really important to differentiate between ArcMap and ArcGIS. <S> They also may have consciously chosen to refer to it as ARC GIS rather than ArcMap because the document's intended readers have some idea of what ArcGIS is, but wouldn't necessarily know that ArcMap is part of it and not a different piece of software. <A> You can always ask "This is probably a stupid question <S> , I see you refer to our software package as ARC GIS, but I have always seen it referred to as ArcGIS have I been referring to it wrong this whole time?" <S> but you really, really have to sell the <S> "I could be wrong" part of the question tone of voice and facial expression matter. <A> It's not a spelling issue. <S> It's not "ARK GIS" or "ARC GYS". <S> It's a generalization. <S> Does the content still make sense with using ArcGIS? <S> If you still feel strongly about it, you could ask your manager if specifying the exact package, for the sake of accuracy, is worth the effort. <S> I understand ArcMap is included in the ArcGIS suite. <S> The answer is likely to be <A> What is your job role? <S> Is it part of your job to proofread this as an SME? <S> For example if it were me (a QA) reading the document I would definitely question it as my job is literally to look for defects/issues. <S> Note the word question <S> - I think the best way to go about this would be to go to your team leader/manager (not the person who wrote it or your manager's manager), and say something along the lines of: "Hey, I noticed that we're referring to this like this here, but on this page... <S> etc etc... <S> is this worth raising as an issue or is it okay as it is? " <S> Asking as a question is important. <S> Get your manager to make the decision instead of you, and accept whatever answer they give you. <S> This along with using terms like 'we', take any sting or personal pride out of the equation. <S> Nobody feels like they're being criticized, and you look like you're being thorough and careful, which is great! <S> It's good that you spotted something like this because it shows you're paying attention, and if it does end up being changed it will likely reflect well on you. <A> Don't ask. <S> Show initiative: <S> Go ahead and make the correction to all documents. <S> It's a typo with virtually no importance, so <S> it's not worth taking your manager's time or even your own to ask. <S> It would slightly improve the document and won't cause any negative effect, so just go ahead and do it. <S> I doubt anyone will notice the change, or if they do notice they won't care. <S> Your senior will care about you pointing out that he made an error, especially when nobody cares about that error and you are then nothing more than an annoyance. <A> I once worked at a company called XYZ Software, and nobody had noticed that there was another company called XYZ Softwear which produced t-shirts and so on! <S> So if you referred in any document to XYZ Softwear that would be a fatal error that must be corrected. <S> If you referred to "Micro SOFT Word" in a document, you would expose your company to ridicule. <S> That needs to be fixed. <S> Every Mac software developer will positively hate you if you use the spelling "MAC", so that is something that you need to fix. <S> As far as workplace is concerned, you decide for yourself if it is something that needs fixing, and if you think it is, then you tell your manager about it. <S> Your manager can then decide to have someone fixing it, or to say that it's Ok, or to say that he doesn't care. <S> Consider that you might have been wrong, there might have been a reason for the spelling of Arc GIS, and your manager can tell you and then you know. <S> Show that you care about quality without interfering with everyone's job.
| If the typo is significant enough to mention, let your manager decide how to address it. No, it'll probably cause more problems that in solves and will probably end with you gaining a bad reputation for yourself. I wouldn't bother changing capitalization, no one really cares. No since it's already been through proof-reading.
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How to cope by accepting being disciplined by your big boss that threatens to fire you over baseless misconduct I am in a company who sells 10 minutes race for 6 people on formula 1 simulator.Each 15 minutes I have to take 6 new customers who will enjoy their race. So during these 15 minutes I have 5 minutes where I go to look for the next customers while the first ones are racing. And I am standing near a door with a big clock that says the time. It is very visible. When a customer is late and it is the time, as my contract said I have the right to go without looking too much for the missing customers as it will make all my session late afterwards and will ruin the experience for other customers. When a customer is late there are offers that can be made to him/her, give him back his money or wait for another session which is not full. Also when a customer buys a ticket for a race, when the ticket is delivered they get a firm notice by the customer service at the reception to be at the door 5 minutes earlier prior to their session to avoid that kind of problem. But one day, as people were late, I was looking for them calling 4pm session time! very clearly and loudly and several times. After not finding them I decided to go with the people who where there with their 4pm ticket and upon closing the door some people were calling me while walking slowly toward me, saying that it was their turn. They were 10 minutes late already and told me they were eating at the restaurant (the company has a restaurant too) As being someone who cares about customer service I accepted them as I was going anyway to launch the session and it would have been unfriendly and rude to just refuse them. I checked their ticket with the "4pm" visible and asked if they they were aware of the notice. After not receiving an answer I told them that the time on their ticket is the time they should be waiting at the door, as looking for them in the mass of people is quite difficult. As I told them that in a professional manner, reminding them what the receptionist told them they agreed without complaining and without apologising of being late. Several days after, my big boss called me while getting ready for duty.They placed me in a room without camera and a big table, my big boss sat in front of me, took a checkbook in front of him and proceeded to threaten to fire me if I didn't answer him correctly. He asked me why I was disrespectful to some customers, telling them harsh words and being not customer friendly, that I was like holding a submachine gun to their heads . As I didn't understand at first what was going on and being surprised to these allegations I asked him to remind me when did that situation occured. He proceeded to remind me of the day, and I told him that I never was disrespectful, that it didn't strike my mind as such since it wasn't a big deal, since events like these occur very often, clients are late several times in a day. And it was never reported that way. He then told me that he has proof with video cameras and I told him that if he had the audio of the camera to really hear what I have said. When I asked him about he audio he threatened me even more by saying I was insignificant and should hear him instead of talking, telling me that if "a poor guy or a minister walks in" he shall have the same quality of experience. I started to misunderstand completely his behavior and tried to explain myself, he kept saying that if I don't understand I can leave the uniform and leave the company and that if I want to go in court that there were 6 eye witnesses (the customers I took late) against me. He then reminded me that I was just a carpet employee, that I was nothing, that he could "fire my ass" any way he wants, when he wants. Upon seeing that I was not able to explain myself and defend myself I felt a bit of an injustice.After 40 minutes of threats my other boss came (the one under the big boss) and tried to tell me that I should accept what I have done. After seeing no issue I agreed that it was my fault and I dully accepted the discipline that was given to me. Here are the discipline measures I faced for taking customers that were late and didn't know that they were friends of big boss I received a blame on paper for not doing my job properly that follows me through job application I had an internal warning of any other misconduct that will get me fired And I had to apologise publicly to the customers I was "rude" to. (However this kind of apology was made several days later when these customers got back at the company, I was interrupted during my work by the boss to come on the floor in front of the restaurant and say "I'm sorry of my misconduct" in front of people and being told that I was rude and that I should learn to behave like a good employee.) And I went back to work with the misunderstanding and it was torturing me to an extent that I didn't understand at all what was happening and it got me sick at times. Several weeks later, I understood from my boss, that these particular customers were actually close friends of the big boss. And that because I treated them like any other customers, I was blamed. But nobody told me that before, that they were friends of big boss. What are the possibilities to get me better or help ? Thank you for your help. EDIT Hope this helps others being bullied by their boss. <Q> You have been victim of professional bullying. <S> As the other answers already mentioned it, there was nothing you could do to avoid this. <S> You cannot possibly know if a particular customer is friend with you big boss, and you can't ask customers if you're supposed to give them preferential treatment. <S> Basically, if one of those "special" customers shows up late again, you have no correct course of action, since giving them favorable treatment will most likely have negative consequences on regular customers (and they might complain), and treating them normally again will get you fired. <S> Should I accept that friends of bosses should have a special treatment when the big boss tells you that if a "poor guy or a minister" walks in with a ticket he shall have the same experience? <S> You now know this is bogus. <S> Your big boss doesn't actually care. <S> It doesn't seem like <S> this guy actually wants you to "improve" on anything. <S> He just scolded you because his friends probably complained to him directly, which would explain why he went above your boss for this. <S> He just got angry that his friends complained and lashed out on you because you're the lowest link in the chain. <S> You didn't do anything wrong, but that doesn't prevent the big boss from sanctioning you, because, well, he can. <S> Is there anything you can do about those situations? <S> No. <S> It will probably happen again sooner than later. <S> And you will probably suffer from it all the same. <S> Do you have to accept this? <S> No. <S> You can leave. <S> That's probably the only thing you can do, and the only correct decision you can make. <A> Was it right to be disciplined for treating a customer equal to any other customer? <S> No, because you had no way of knowing these people <S> weren't just any other customer. <S> Your boss should have told you beforehand that they knew these people and wanted them to be treated differently. <S> Should I accept that friends of bosses should have a special treatment? <S> Yeah, if the boss tells you to treat certain customers differently, you do that. <S> It is not your fault if nobody told you to treat them differently <S> and so you don't. <S> You had no way to know; you're not a mind reader. <S> Should I get to know my customers before accepting them in my session? <S> Ask your manager, but I doubt you have the time to do that given that the sessions are only 15 minutes and if you ask "Are you friends with the boss? <S> " a lot of people will say "yes", hoping for special treatment. <S> It's your boss' responsibility to tell you which customers to treat differently before you encounter them. <S> Should I accept this discipline as I was a bad employee and my boss is right? <S> You'll probably have to accept the discipline, given that you already signed it. <S> But nothing you mention sounds like you being a bad employee, it mostly points towards your boss being an ass. <A> Yes, your boss is treating you like trash, because he believes you have a trash job that he can get anyone else to do. <S> It's a power trip for him. <S> You're doing what you can to keep to the schedules and ensure that you get the requisite amount of people in each session and the requisite amount of sessions per working day. <S> The more people you have in those seats, the more the company earns. <S> Slowing things down affects this revenue. <S> However, it's a service industry and the customer is always right. <S> Even if they (the customer) screw things up, they take the reputation of your company away with them. <S> So if you treat them well, they tell other people. <S> But, you need to do your job. <S> You also need to find out how long you can hold a session up for these special guests. <S> Agree this delay time with your manager, he then can't hold you to account for bumping people who are late.
| Try to move forwards by learning up front who the preferred customers are (like a special symbol on the ticket for example) and be prepared to hold up the session a little longer to get these people in, even if they're late.
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Nationwide laws increased work load, should my field get a raise? I work in the medical field, focusing in the pharmaceutical department, getting scheduled drugs authorized. Due to the "opioid Epidemic" there is a major increase in the work load for Narcotic authorizations. The new laws have turned something that used to be 15 minutes per patient to 1-2 hours per patient and includes a whole new job descriptions. Do we have the right to ask for more money due to the nationwide epidemic resulting in increased duties at work? <Q> Do we have the right to ask for more money due to the nationwide epidemic resulting in increased duties at work? <S> In your contract should be specified how many hours you should be working every day. <S> If these new laws require you to work more hours than before <S> then I think your contract should be updated, along with a possible renegotiation of your salary. <S> Either that, or just adapt these longer processes to your working hours, in case your contract will not be renewed. <S> That most probably means that you will be attending less patients than you did before, when it took 15 min per each. <S> This, as you commented, seems to be something not quite possible to do, as your field handles critical situations. <S> In the bigger picture, this is your manager's problem. <S> It seems to be clear that he is going to be needing more workforce (to compensate for the longer times per patient) or compensate you for your extra time and work. <A> Since you are salaried you may have less room to move on the schedule issue. <S> If you are going to ask for more money, you need to be able to demonstrate how you are providing more value. <S> If you have to do more work to process a patient and therefore can process fewer patients in the same amount of time, I'm not sure your value has changed. <S> The nature of your contribution has changed but not in a way which provide more value. <S> Having to process more paperwork and phone calls are contributing to why it takes longer, but I'm not sure that makes the net of your work any more valuable <S> and that is what you need if you are going to ask for more money <A> It depends. <S> You are assalaried, it means you work to someone <S> and you are paid to work a moreless fixed number of hours/day <S> but this someone is probably paid in aper patient basis. <S> That means your company is in trouble, they will need to hire a lot of people and try to re negotiate contracts to keep the business afloat. <S> That being said it's better you first try to talk with people in the industry to see how that is affecting jobs and companies survivability. <S> You knows get the whole picture. <S> Now to address your immediate question <S> you must answer this: 1) <S> Are You working more hours/day? <S> 2) Is somewhat you work getting harder in the sense its getting more of your "juice"? <S> 3) <S> Your responsabilities increased? <S> Example: If you do something wrong that means DEA officers will storm your place? <S> Will your company get issued? <S> 4) <S> There some sort of bonus paid per patient/day? <S> Example you get a few bucks more if you process 200+ <S> patients/week. <S> Increases in: Workload , Work hours , <S> Responsabilities and Stress are all valid points to ask for a raise. <S> Also note this situation can be temporary or maybe someone will make a software automatizes a good portion of that paperwork and increases back yourproductivity. <S> In that case can you lower back your salary?
| Assuming you are not in a union contract, you can always ask for more pay or an adjustment in schedule.
|
Accidentally used a slur in a email to management - How to best recover I work in the IT Security profession as an IT auditor. In communicating to senior management via a late - day email about open findings soon to be due for a response, I accidentally wrote "N-----" instead of "Bigger". It was purely accidental due to typo and I had no intention to demean. In addition, one member of the audience is African - American. I have been praised by my manager in the past as someone who is diplomatic and poised, but also who can be effective/forceful when necessary. From the context of the sentence, it should be reasonable to infer this is a typo and not something malicious from me. If I apologize, I feel I may just draw unwanted attention to an already embarrassing mistake, and have the reverse effect I wanted. If do not respond in a follow up email, management may think I don't care. What approach should I take to apologize for my error? <Q> I know that you want to go into panic mode right now, but take a moment and... <S> Relax... <S> The typo, although derogatory and offensive, was a mistake. <S> Any reasonable person reading and understanding the context around the word (as well as glancing down at their keyboard) would be able to realize the mistake. <S> Now that you've realized it and are aware of its consequences, your next move would be to inform the recipients that you've made an error in your wording and wanted to clarify your intentions. <S> Send an email in short order detailing the change in wording and add a passage that your intent was to write "bigger" and the word that was written was a typo. <S> Hoping that no one would notice it would only make things worse, as the thought of racism would fester. <S> Address the problem quickly and concisely. <S> Reasonable and professional people would not hold you against it. <A> Wow, it's like that time I saw someone else end an email with "Re t ards" instead of "Re g ards". <S> While I've never done it, I admit I've sometimes thought about it, even prior to that case :) <S> More seriously though, as @GrayCygnus commented: B and N are wayy to close each other on Qwerty keyboards which is true and also applies to letters <S> g and t in my coworker's slip above. <S> I can say it was so obvious to me that it had been a typo, that I never even mentioned anything and never observed anyone even talking about it. <S> People around me were reasonable (and this is something I'll point out frequently). <S> In fact, I'm not sure he's aware of his typo to this day :) <S> Keep it short and simple. <S> What approach could I take to apologize for my typo? <S> My suggestion is: <S> Hi all, <S> I just realized I made a typo in my previous email and wanted to make a simple correction. <S> While context is clear, I meant to say that [insert whatever here] was Bigger. <S> Thanks, [your name] <S> Make sure you send it to the exact same audience. <S> Did I damage my professional image at my company? <S> I don't think so, if we can assume everyone is reasonable . <S> Much less so if you send a simple apology noting that it was an unintended typo. <S> Do not grow your simple typo into an incident of epic proportions. <A> Just ignore the error unless it's pointed out to you, in which case excuse it as a typo. <S> Mistakes happen, anyone who get's offended is looking for a reason to be offended rather than thinking you did it on purpose in that context. <S> English spellcheckers allow bad words through without any sort of flagging. <S> My own personal spellchecker and the one I made for schools in my own language flag them for attention. <S> So if it does worry you, make a short list of words you want flagged and insert or delete them into/from your spell checker. <S> Even free mail systems usually use hunspell or something similar which allows the addition and deletion of words. <S> So now any swear words show up as a spelling error <S> and I notice them straight away. <S> For MS Office products I made an autocorrect, any swear word will show up as asterixes and be easy to spot. <A> I lean towards apologizing instead of hoping no one notices. <S> There's two factors here that can affect the fallout. <S> One is the personality of those who read the message. <S> This can be witnessed by the fact some answers/comments on this question are understanding while something else I read stated your career is over. <S> Of course, I believe most people would be generally understanding of this typographical error. <S> 'B' is very close to 'N' on a QWERTY keyboard layout. <S> Your message contains context. <S> It's not divorced from any context that makes it clear. <S> The second factor is how you apologize. <S> Generally, owning a mistake and being very simplistic is the right answer here. <S> Paranoia, fear, exaggeration, excessive apology, or preemptive groveling are contagious and sort of lend themselves to bad results. <S> Consider certain aspects of the Streisand effect . <S> When a person is casual and brushes something off, other people tend to not care as much. <S> The answer given by code_dredd to me is a great apology. <S> For the future, I would consider adding spellchecker rules or features such as Office <S> 365 DLP to ensure bad language is not accidentally released. <S> If this situation escalates, this can be mentioned as a good-faith suggestion to show that you care about this.
| Apologize if you believe people's feelings were hurt, but at the end of the day, the intent of hate was not there, it was an honest mistake. That said, just send a simple email apologizing; noting that it was typo should be enough for reasonable people. For English language software that uses hunspell, I deleted all the swear words (didn't think to delete the word from the OP, but have just done so now because it's not a word I ever use anyway).
|
How to ask a male boss for a sanitary bin in the women's bathroom? I've recently started working in a small business (10-15 employees), and noticed that the women's bathroom lacks a sanitary bin. Since the team is mostly male, and the only two other female employees are both over 50, it was probably not a problem before. How should I ask my (male) boss for a sanitary bin in the women's bathroom in a professional and, ideally , non-awkward manner? <Q> I would like to ask for it as soon as possible, but don't know how to approach my new boss in a professional and non-awkward manner. <S> You are seriously overthinking this one. <S> Something like "Hey boss. <S> I noticed that the women's bathroom doesn't have a sanitary bin. <S> Could we get one?" would be fine. <S> If you would find that too embarrassing to suggest in person, make the suggestion via email. <S> You might even offer to pick one up and get reimbursed. <S> And as @Martijn suggests, you could even find one and order it online. <S> In small offices it wouldn't be unusual at all for folks to order things then get reimbursed. <S> It's understandable, but try not to be nervous about this sort of thing. <S> We've all gone through a "first job" experience. <S> It gets much easier with time and practice. <A> Just very casually. <S> "Hey, I noticed that the trash bin in the ladies room is gone. <S> Who do I need to see to replace it". <S> Don't borrow trouble, just go in assuming that it's a normal, everyday thing because it is. <S> Update due to edit <S> : Still make it "Hey, I noticed that we don't have a sanitary bin in the ladies room, who do I need to see to get one put in there? <S> I just don't want medical waste put in with the regular trash" <A> If you're uncomfortable talking about it face-to-face, email might be a better alternative. <S> You don't need to go into too much detail. <S> Something like this: Our ladies' room is missing a bin for sanitary products. <S> Can we order one? <S> Martijn made the excellent recommendation in his comment to do an internet search for one - you could include that in your email as well so that there is no confusion at all. <A> You may find they'll take care of the problem for you. <A> It is not stated what country you are in, but check if your company has a safety committee or health committee, or both. <S> In Ontario, Canada, employers of a certain size are required to have a "Joint Health and Safety Committee" (JHSC) with a mandate to identify health & safety issues, receive them from employees, and make recommendations to the company. <S> If you decide not to pursue this with your immediate supervisor, you may be able to report the missing bin to the JHSC or equivalent, and they'll be able to request that the company supply one. <A> It’s awkward to ask your boss for things like this. <S> So don’t. <S> Ask the person who cleans the restrooms at night. <S> The maintenance of the restrooms might not even be your company’s responsibility. <S> Suggested wording: “the ladies’ restroom needs a sanitary disposal bin; can you please take care of that? <S> Thanks!” <S> (Among other things, the person who will be dealing with the mess if a flushed pad blocks the plumbing is a lot less likely to be embarrassed by the request.)
| If you still feel too uncomfortable to ask directly, or you aren't familiar enough with the laws regarding sanitary bins in your region, consider enlisting the help of the older women in the office.
|
Should I list my 3-years PhD in 'Education' or 'Experience' on LinkedIn? I've been PhD candidate for the past 3 years, and recently (successfully) defended my thesis. I now want to apply to companies outside academia (and maybe not directly related to my field of study) in the US and/or western Europe. I am wondering where I should list the three years of PhD on my LinkedIn profile: In Experience , because it was a paid job, and I acted as an employee. Plus I gave lessons beside research; In Education , because it was for getting a diploma; In both, separating what refers to the job part (all professional skills developed) from what belongs to the diploma part (all learnings, and specialization field). <Q> I am wondering where I should list the three years of PhD on my LinkedIn profile Chose Option 3 <S> The third bullet <S> you provided <S> is the way to go, put it in both locations. <S> It looks like, and is work experience while at the same time you were able to obtain your PhD. <S> That is a fortunate set of circumstances you found yourself in, being able to accomplish both the PhD and obtaining work experience. <A> As the others have answered, I would put it in both. <S> Format it to be something like: Experience <S> Teaching Assistant - University of XYZ - 2014-2017 Responsible for supervising undergraduate students in their research Led recitation for 3 sections of underwater basket weaving courses <S> Saved the professors life from a deadly chemical explosion Secured funding from a private donor worth 50 bajillion dollars <S> Education <S> PhD, Swimming - University of XYZ - 2017 Thesis: " <S> The impact water Pokemon have had on the ancient aliens and their influence on underwater basket weaving in the 18th century" Note: <S> Please don't copy this verbatim. <S> It's meant to be humorous and serves only as a template. <A> The Education section is typically just a list of degrees and dates. <S> It states the official certifications that you have received and can prove with documentation. <S> This should include your field and maybe a focus area, but not much detail. <S> You might also include your dissertation and any other papers in a separate Publications section. <S> Work Experience lists all of the jobs and positions you had during that time. <S> This is where you explain in more detail your research, job responsibilities, and professional skills. <S> I would list your Work Experience higher than Education <S> if you are applying in industry. <S> Applying for jobs in academia is completely different than industry, and for that I would look for advice from Academia SE on how to properly organize a CV. <A> Normally, I'd expect to see this in the Education section, but also listed as a qualification. <S> In summary, state the fact you have it near the top, detail at the bottom.
| List it in both.
|
I was hired for one job profile, then assigned to another job profile which I don't want to continue with I was hired for a job profile the company needed and one that I love. But on joining, the passed me on to another type of job, which I had not learned before and had no plans of learning in the near future. Nonetheless, I started to work on the other job as I thought it is a good opportunity to learn something new. But now I am getting permanently migrated to this profile. I can develop skills but I do not want to. How should I tell them about the real problem, without getting into any trouble? Finally I have tried the direct approach to my direct manager and will get their decision soon as we were facing performance issue. Edit: I told them I got another better job opportunity as they are not able to keep their keep up their word Edit: I told my manager, HR and even Higher that I will not continue if they will force me on that profile. They told my I won't be assigned that task any longer but they got another project and again assigned me and therefore I ended up on new job. Thank you all for suggestions that prevented fraud like situation <Q> You need to discuss this with your manager. <S> If this is a company you love you can stay, prove yourself and move to a better role. <S> If you believe you will be pigeonholed to that role for good <S> then you need to vocalize your concern strongly and leave if you are ignored. <S> It's up to you actually. <S> You only know how much you need this job <S> and if you have to stay or not. <S> So it is not real trouble to speak out on your needs. <S> But you will have to make a choice in the end <A> My take is that if you were hired to do X, but you are then to do Y. <S> The key word here is hired. <S> You have a choice of continuing to do Y for $ or say "no thanks". <S> You are always free to give your preferences and inform your manager of your unhappiness, but at the same time, know that the needs of the organization will supersede your personal preferences when it comes to decision-time. <S> As for what you can say, Hello Boss, I know I was hired for X, but for the last few [time period] I was tasked with Y. <S> Although it was out of my comfort zone, I think I've learned quickly and done a good job. <S> I was wondering if it would be possible for me to be tasked with X now that Y is done. <S> Frame it as a win-win for both you and the organization, rather than complaining. <A> This is an important career move, review your options very carefully before you do anything at all as you could find yourself replaced by someone willing to do the work rather than moved to work you want. <S> So factors to consider range from how easy you are to replace versus how much experience and value you have to the company. <S> My take is you don't have a lot of leverage, but you'd know your situation best. <S> Your options are basically:- Speak to your manager, this is probably not going to work since he <S> /she would have been part of the decision behind your change of work. <S> But your manager is always your first recourse. <S> Escalate if you must and think it's worth the risk. <S> Put up with doing the work while you at least job hunt for something more suitable. <S> Quit or threaten to do so by complaining a lot or refusing to do the work. <S> Whenever a person complains there is always a percieved implicit threat of further action if their complaint is not dealt with to their satisfaction. <A> Some markets are too small to wear only one hat, and even so much less in small firms. <S> The problem may stem from communication problems, lack of skill managements from your superiors, or both. <S> Hiring time is normally the time to ask questions and clarify what the organization expects. <S> Ultimately, if you are not happy, it may be time to move on and start looking for a new position. <S> I pretty much doubt they can enterely accomodate for your wishes in a small/startup environment..
| This could be a case that they needed someone like you for that position until you can move to something you are interested in.
|
Boss who is doing an executive MBA handing over all assignments to a graduate trainee My friend's company offers an MBA degree to executives, the program is from one of the top business schools. Her boss is enrolled in the program. He gives her all his assignments and projects, including the group ones to carry out, she can't outright ask him to stop because he is in a significant position of power in the industry itself. She doesn't like doing this work because she has no prior experience in these projects and her workday is 10 hours excluding her boss' assignments. What course of action can she take to handle this situation effectively? <Q> Start by quietly asking around and see if this is normal practice for the other executives in the company. <S> If so, ask how they coped with the situation. <S> If this doesn't result in any feedback, ask whoever administers the MBA course for your company. <S> I'm guessing that there's someone at your company who arranges the courses for the executives <S> , so I'd raise this question with them: <S> My manager is enrolled in this MBA course and she's asking me to write these assignments, what should I do? <S> This can go one of two ways: <S> Your friend could just carry on doing the assignments and let her manager "earn" his degree <S> Although the second option is pretty demeaning (and unethical), there's the bonus that your friend will learn everything required for the degree course and be in a position to take the course his/herself and move on to a better job. <A> What course of action can she take to handle this situation effectively? <S> I would definitely not recommend to purposely do a bad/low quality job (as suggested by some comment), as this can have negative consequences for the OP, like a tarnished reputation, possible lay-off or maybe even lawsuits. <S> It seems like this situation is no good for your friend. <S> If you say she really doesn't like that work then she would probably be better finding a job where this does not happen. <S> She can also try speak to her boss, and explain him the situation, and that the additional assignments and projects given to her are taking a toll on her productivity and other tasks. <S> However, this can only end in two ways, and considering how you describe this boss <S> it seems that he would most surely ignore her request. <S> Still, it is worth a shot asking him, there is a chance he changes his mind. <S> She can also try escalate the situation, and go over her boss' head, but I am not sure if this will accomplish anything; procede at your own risk. <S> Anyways, it would probably be wiser to update her CV and start looking for a new job. <A> Speak to the university/business school that is doing the MBA and start the dicussion about plagiarism. <S> The boss is gaining credit off of someone else's work, that's plagiarism in a nut shell. <S> Your friend should contact the university and ask to put in an anomynous feedback that the work submitted by her boss is plagarised and provide evidence. <S> Then the university can handle the process and leave your friend in the clear. <S> This will not put your friend in the best books, as they could be considered a suspect, however proving such a thing would be difficult. <S> But your boss gaining a free education is a terrible thing and should not be allowed. <A> There are two potential things that your friend should look into in order to fix this. <S> First and most importantly, she needs to look up the school and local laws regarding plagiarism, because there is a chance that not only her boss is breaking the law by using someone else's work, there is also a chance that she herself is breaking the law by helping someone else cheat their way through an education. <S> If it's the first, it'd be nice of her to mention this to her boss, but if it's the latter that's a very clear reason for her to stop doing his assignments. <S> There's not an awful lot of arguing that can be done against "I'm not doing these assignments, that's illegal <S> and I could get in trouble". <S> (And most consequences would end in a lawsuit, which your friend would likely win) <S> If it isn't illegal for her to do it, and her boss still wants her to do it, then probably there isn't much she can do. <S> At this point, it becomes a question of priorities. <S> So she should ask "Which of my normal tasks does this replace? <S> I'll need about [x] hours a week to do your assignments, so please let me know which other tasks I can drop." <S> I'm assuming she has some kind of contract outlining how many hours a week she has to work, or that there is some kind of overtime comp, <S> so there should be no reason why being given more work <S> requires her to work longer days. <S> It's her boss' job to prioritize the work that needs to be done.
| Your friend could get fired for refusing to do the assignments (or for getting the manager into trouble)
|
What does the "Startup spirit" mention truly imply? The application is not for a startup, the company claims to have over 200 employees. A decent job offer in France I'm reading mentions "Startup spirit guaranteed" among the list of attractive reasons to apply for that job. It is not the first time I have seen this "pro" in a job offer. I think that it might mean that the company wants to have a young image, casual dress, people speaking informally, addressing each other with the familiar form (saying "tu" in French). Maybe I'm wrong... Now I'm concerned about the downsides of the "Startup spirit", especially if that could imply hidden illegal conditions (unpaid overtime work, unpaid home work...). Again, maybe I'm wrong... The way these words are sometimes written in a job offer seems to imply that it is a good point but it could mean anything (and nothing, too). So what do recruiters imply when they mention "Startup spirit"? <Q> Based on my experience in many US startups, I would expect: a small company a less formal work environment a far more horizontal hierarchy with far fewer levels of management less boring repetitive work, more challenges the opportunity to do many different things without being limited to what might be implied in your title far more possibilities for learning far more possibilities for promotion and growth far more ability to personally make an impact everyone focused on fewer products and projects people all pulling in the same direction far less office politics very fast pace longer work hours <S> lower pay (sometimes) stock options that are potentially very lucrative if things go well lack of direction (sometimes) potential to end abruptly <S> It may or may not be different in France. <S> For me, the best jobs I have ever held were in startups. <S> They didn't always end well, but it was almost always a great ride. <S> I far prefer working for startups. <S> I always worked hard, learned a lot, and felt appreciated. <S> For me it was personally very rewarding. <S> Also remember that not all startups are in the same "stage". <S> Very early stage startups have almost no funding. <S> Later stage startups might have a lot of money already thrown their way. <S> You'll want to learn this from the recruiter or during interviews. <A> Work endless hours, be paid with worthless shares instead of real money, and be thankful for your early whitening hair. <S> And don't expect any kind of organization whatsoever, you'd better bring it with you. <S> And as you mention France, it's not even a strong point on your CV, unless you want to work for another startup. <S> Boring banks are far more shining for most France's recruiters. <S> Wether it's a good thing or not, I'm not going to debate. <A> Startups often (not always) have heavy workloads, limited budgets and tight deadlines. <S> This could be their optimistic way of warning you in advance... <S> An alternative; With some larger companies, there may be little love lost if a single employee quits as they will continue going regardless. <S> With smaller companies, especially startups, it is likely that many (if not all) staff <S> already there will be well acquainted with each other. <S> This in turn could mean that they are more open with each other in voicing concerns and ideas, or that any new ideas you bring to the table will always be considered and appreciated. <S> Instead of reading too much into what "startup spirit guaranteed" means, should you secure an interview, you should ask about the company's prospects. <S> What has motivated them to hire additional hands? <S> What timescale do they have for their projects? <S> What are the backgrounds of others in the team? <S> How are time and resources managed? <S> Questions like these will give you a better idea of just how good a handle the company has on their resources and targets. <A> It can mean all sorts of things, so it is important that you get clarification from the company during the interview process rather expecting a definitive answer that will likely change over time. <S> You should be interviewing them just as much as they are vetting you. <S> Ask them to elaborate and give examples of being a startup. <S> Has anything ever occurred that may be contrary to this statement? <S> What are your major concerns? <S> Is there anything about startups that you don't like? <S> What are the company's financials like? <S> Can they be expected to run out of money? <S> If you want to start with a broad definition and then utilize it to help you go about getting the information necessary for an informed decision, that's up to you. <S> It wouldn't be a bad place to start.
| "Startup spirit guaranteed" reads like a euphemism for "challenging work conditions", which itself often really means "There's a lot to do, almost too much."
|
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