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The right way to escalate things I think it's a somewhat common situation in the workplace but one I simply can't master. My boss tells me to turn to colleague A for some information. So I turn to colleague A and propose a meeting. Colleague A ignores me repeatedly although I contact them several times, using different methods (arranged meeting, email, spontaneous call) and trying to make it as easy as possible for them. I try to get the information from other people, but there's only one source of this info, colleague A. I don't think there's a solution apart from escalation to my boss. But how do you escalate without souring your relationship with A and with your boss who values self-reliance and subordinates who solve problems on their own? <Q> without souring your relationship with A <S> Which relationship? <S> You tried your best and were ignored... <S> so there is already a big issue with your relationship. <S> Most important in such situations: don‘t be the weepy colleague running for papa (your boss) to help you out. <S> Write something in the sense of The following in a mail: <S> Hi A, Boss C told me to do X and to get the needed information for this action from you. <S> Can you please give me the informationen via mail or make a suggestion for a meeting in the next days to tell me what I need to know? <S> Thank you in advance. <S> Me, myself and I. Make sure you carbon copy your boss. <S> Ccing somebody who gave you a task is a common thing to do, but it does two things: <S> It brings the ball into A‘s field and makes him aware that the boss knows this. <S> If he still ignores you there are two ways to go -depending on the urgency. <S> The first thing would be to send a reminder mail a few days later: <S> Hi A, <S> I am sorry to ask again, but I still did not get any response from you regarding my mail from 3 days ago. <S> Can you please consider to give me the information asap as I am stuck with my todo. <S> Best regards Me again <S> Of course again carbon copy your boss. <S> If A still does not react then You need to go to your boss. <S> But now you have your paper trail. <S> Tell him that you tried to call and make appointments as well and that nothing helped. <S> Then it is his responsibility to do whatever is needed. <S> The second way to go would be to omit the second mail and go directly to your boss. <S> As said: this depends on urgency and how important this thing is for your boss. <A> A less escalating strategy is to make your boss ask A's boss to grant A time to assist you. <S> but as a request (Can A help...). <S> This is a common flow if a person should do something important but is busy doing something else - which happens all the time. <S> Then bosses have to evaluate what is more important, or if the interrupt is short then at least they know about the interrupt. <S> Now either you get your information and A has a delay in their own task, or you do not get your information because A must not interrupt their work. <S> But both outcome is a result of your bosses' decision and neither A's nor your fault. <S> Apart from that A gets a new plan for their task, helping you is not an unwelcome interrupt but a new task. <A> The problem is solved by just cc'ing your boss, as other answer already expressed. <S> However, I'd like to give a comment about your handling of the information. <S> In your current situation, you are the only one who knows: that you asked A to do a meeting <S> that the meeting was boss' request. <S> So you are hiding to your boss that you did in fact contact A and to A that the contact is due to boss' request. <S> Keeping information aligned in a company is crucial. <S> How could you reach the goal of sharing information between all the involved actors? <A> First of all you should probably see if you can find the person in your office and try to do a direct confrontation. <S> In which case try to not make an assumptions(Saying "Why haven't you being answering my phone calls?") is a bad idea. <S> Try to see what is wrong(Sometimes suprising their battery died or their data got deleted. <S> You can be suprised at how often accidents can happen.
| Simple: you just cc your boss at the first contact. Do one more trial to get the information but be sure to have a paper trail: Not as a demand (A finally should...) or complaint (A never replies!) Finally if they still do not agree try to negotiate and see things from their perspective, if it feels like extra work it is probably not a good idea.
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Why do some companies use recruiting companies instead of publishing the vacancy themselves? Some jobs are advertised in job portals or linkedin ect.But sometimes I get contacted through a person who works for a recruiting company and she/he asks me if I would be interested for further information. But I cannot find the same job description on any other job portal. So I have feeling like sometimes the companies do not publish the job ad but only use the recuiter company. But why would they do that this hidden way? It will cost them more and they will be narrowing their candidate pool. What could be the idea behind such hiring method? <Q> It will cost them more <S> Maybe, maybe not. <S> Depends on how often your company hires for that particular skillset. <S> If you hire one developer a year on average, contracting it out to a specialty company (that has people who know how to interview developers) could easily be cheaper than the time spent of people figuring it out. <S> Cost is also not the most important factor. <S> The cheapest way to search for candidates would be with a poster on a lamp post. <S> That would not get good quality candidates though. <S> and they will be narrowing their candidate pool <S> You have to remember that not all applications are of equal quality. <S> I met a guy at a conference who put a job for an admin assistant on Indeed and Craigslist. <S> We spent the rest of the evening enjoying the terrible quality of the resumes and cover letters submitted. <S> We stayed up late reviewing them for funny stuff. <S> Most were absolutely horrible. <S> Some 20 people called one of their past jobs "clark" instead of "clerk. <S> " <S> Plenty were new grads with no experience whatsoever who were stuffing things like "3rd grade student of the month" on their resumes. <S> 1000+ resumes later, he did not find that many good candidates. <S> He ended up going to a recruiting company when I met up with him a year later. <S> The most desirable job applicants are those who are already employed. <S> They are also the candidates who are least likely to be searching for jobs. <S> A recruiting company will (theoretically) go to find them instead of relying on passive candidates. <S> It narrows things down to a few good candidates instead of a pile of crappy ones. <A> It will cost them more and they will be narrowing their candidate pool. <S> Quite the contrary. <S> Thus, in many cases, using a recruiter / recruiting agency is both easy and time/money saving option. <S> Also, at times, the recruiters can be highly persuasive, to get the candidates land into the interview, who are not "actively looking" for a change. <A> Companies hate to spend money. <S> For the last years, the companies I worked for offered around £2,000 for finding a software developer that gets hired and stays. <S> Lots cheaper than an agency. <S> But good agencies will find you decent developers without costing you time, just money. <S> It’s usually a good deal for the company. <S> Nobody can save you from having to do interviews, but you’ll have a few only. <S> (I think we have an average of three interviews per hiring, and very few totally unsuitable candidates. <A> It will cost them more <S> Maybe. <S> It depends if you think the cost of paying recruiters is more or less than the cost of having an internal recruitment team. <S> I don't think that's obvious either way. <S> they will be narrowing their candidate pool Not necessarily. <S> A good recruitment agency should be able to find candidates who don't look on the regular job sites. <S> Even given that, assuming that you're working with a good recruitment agency (and if you're not, find a good one), they'll also filter out inappropriate candidates, meaning that my team have to spend less time dealing with candidates who just aren't right for the job. <S> When I worked for a small company, we worked closely with one particular recruitment agency who knew a lot about us as a company and the sort of candidates we wanted to see - they were invaluable in helping us grow. <A> A company can delegate that spamming activity to recruitment agencies and let them absorb potential negativity. <S> Company name would be revealed for suitable candidates. <S> When a company looks for contractors, it may not post job spec on its website so recruitment agency would find required number of candidates and later would act as intermediary company for handling payments.
| Many a times, using a recruiting agency (over handling and managing the interview process in-house) is cheaper or of comparable cost, and some recruiters have amazing network / pool of appropriate candidates.
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Dealing with condescending arguments from colleagues How do you deal with condescending arguments when arguing with colleagues?I mean with arguments like: "In my N years experience ... you will learn when you get thatexperience ..." "Let me teach you what code reuse is ... [some commonfacts]" "We are all not very professional in [something], don't worry." Keeping your mouth shut, not doing the same thing, but for how long? Addressing the manager is not an option. We are talking about people with similar length of experience in the team. How do you address such condescending arguments? What is a good way to say "just stick to the code review, etc.". Edit: What are the close votes about? There are multiple answers and comments? <Q> The real question is what sort of context were these questions being asked in? <S> "In my N years experience ... you will learn when you get that experience ..." <S> This sounds like something where you made a mistake and the person is giving advice that you will eventually catch on before allowing said error to happen. <S> "Let me teach you what code reuse is ... <S> [some common facts]" <S> Sounds like you may have either questioned or not shown how to reuse some particular code. <S> That or you may have done something incorrectly. <S> Perhaps you could have taken the advice above and prior to this happening ask if you can do a code review and inquire about how to properly reuse the code block. <S> "We are all not very professional in [something], don't worry." <S> Sounds <S> like you may have had an outburst of some sort <S> and they are forgiving you for that. <S> In my opinion it sounds like they are letting you off the hook this one time. <S> My thought is that in each of these items, it sounds like you removed the situation and assumed something negative about the way they are speaking. <S> In the future I recommend listening to people's advice, and determine how it applies to your current situation, then if it doesn't just ignore it. <S> That's something you get with... <S> "N years experience and you'll learn when you get that experience..." <A> Firmly, politely, respectfully, correct your colleague when colleague condescends. <S> Don't back down, but don't be rude or aggressive. <S> "I appreciate your input, but they way you condescend to me is disrespectful. <S> I understand more than you credit me for." <S> "I appreciate your assistance, but it would go much further if you were less condescending. <S> It's disrespectful. <S> I know a lot more than you acknowledge. <S> " <S> "Stop. <S> Please show me more respect than that.... <S> " BTW, you/colleague/ <S> everyone could benefit from reading "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie. <A> But be aware that they may be right. <S> I don't think that referring to the experience is condescending. <S> I do that to cheer up my younger colleagues after they see my solution to some problem <S> and I realize that it the ease in which i write it down embarrasses them. <S> (Basically i am programming longer than these colleagues have been born, so yes, things which they need to think about I know by heart) <A> Based on my own experience, I'd recommend humour whenever possible. <S> Also ask some comically nonsense questions with a straight face and in a voice of exaggerated concern (I don't know... something utterly random like " <S> yeah, <S> I see what you mean, <S> but if I do refactor like that, is there a risk my shoes will fall off?"). <S> You may also like to recognise in the privacy of your own mind that your colleagues may have their own feelings of inadequacy and showing you "how to do things better" may be a way of dealing with those feelings for a while. <S> It may not seem it, but they may actually be slightly intimidated by you. <S> Be the one to big them up in meetings (eg. <S> in the daily Scrum if you do those) where it doesn't seem unnatural to do so, even if the actual help they've given you is minimal to none. <S> I've found that being genuinely grateful for their time not only makes you a more patient person, but in time, you may find they don't feel the need to keep "advising" you all the time.
| Silently bless them while they're sharing their view of the world with you. Demonstrate by your performance to everybody that they are wrong. Perhaps while they're talking you through something, throw in a few puns.
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How to respond to coworker who only gives vague criticism I'm an experienced web developer at a very small software development company. We are a startup with 4 months to deliver a prototype, and no project manager. My coworker is significantly older than me, with some web development work, but is not familiar with modern web development. As a result I have been required to teach this developer various web technologies (Typescript, React, etc). I am having difficulty utilizing feedback from this older developer who is less experienced in the specific work we are doing. The issue arises whenever I try to explain my code, or discuss new features. My coworker almost always manages to say some variation of the phrase: "I'm sure there's a library that can do that". I would be open to this, but their suggestions often don't make sense to me. I am not a very confident developer, and so the constant repetition that I am writing code wrong, without any real concrete guidance on what to change, is demotivating me and seriously slowing down my development speed. How can I productively respond to this criticism? <Q> I am not a very confident developer, and so the constant repetition that I am writing code wrong, without any real concrete guidance on what to change, is demotivating me and seriously slowing down my development speed <S> I think you are looking at this with a negative perspective. <S> Your coworker is merely stating that they suspect that a library already exists that could do X thing. <S> They are not saying you are writing code wrong , nor does stating or mentioning that such library may exist imply that your code is wrong. <S> Even more, you mention that at the end of the discussions they end up agreeing with your expertise, and that no 3rd party library has been added to the project (implying that the consensus was that your approach was better [and, on a personal note, the less external dependencies <S> the better :D]). <S> So, I think that maybe you are taking this too hard on you. <S> However, I am not dismissing that your older coworker may be a bit reluctant, or may be a bit uncomfortable with you, a "younger" coworker having to teach him. <S> Some senior coworkers may feel intimidated by newer recruits, specially when they have more knowledge and experience on certain topics. <S> This could be the case with your coworker, and perhaps why he is "dismissing" your suggestions (again, which they aren't as your suggestions are elected at the end) or suggesting that you don't reinvent the wheel (as in "ah, this youngling thinks they know it all, but I don't know enough to refute... <S> let's play <S> the 'I'm sure there is already a library for this' card"). <A> How can I productively respond to this criticism? <S> Given that you also say, I would be open to this, but their suggestions often don't make sense to me. <S> I would start there: <S> I would be open to using a 3rd party library to [accomplish task/solve problem]. <S> If you have a specific one in mind, we can discuss whether it's suited to the project. <S> In the meantime, I'm going to continue working on the solution I suggested. <S> This doesn't obligate you to use whatever they come up with but still only use this for things you're willing to have a discussion about. <S> For anything you think using a 3rd party at all is a bad idea you would say some version of: I think using a 3rd party library for this problem would [cause problem]/not be worth the effort because [reasons]. <S> For example, when they suggested using a grid layout to handle tabular data, you could have said, Grid is really meant for handling page layouts. <S> Given that this is tabular data, it's better semantically to place it in a table. <S> It's better for accessibility as well; screen readers will treat a table as tabular data when reading it to users. <S> 1 <S> Also, the text alignment can be applied to the n-th column of the table <S> so it's not like we have to apply the style to each cell. <S> 1 <S> Or however you planned to do that. <S> If, after conceding that you're the expert, they continue to grumble about how they're sure there's a library for that, feel free to ignore it. <A> I'm sure there's a library that can do that <S> For instance like this: I wish! <S> That's why I spent two days looking for one last fall <S> but I couldn't any. <S> Did you? <S> This accomplishes several things: it acknowledges his input <S> it shows them where you agree with it <S> (in this case, you agree on intent, but not the solution) <S> it shows that you have already considered this, and why you have rejected the idea ... and invites them to contribute (if they can contribute at that level) <S> but their suggestions often don't make sense to me <S> I'd clarify my "acceptance criteria" for a solution, and then ask them how their suggestion meets those requirements. <S> If they can answer that, you have found a good solution. <S> If they can not answer that, they'll now understand why the solution doesn't work, and be equipped to make better suggestions in the future.
| Until they come to you with a specific library with an explanation of how it'll help with the work, you don't have to keep treating it like a real suggestion.
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How to choose which awards go on my resume and what matters most with listing them? What is most important to explain about them to hiring managers? During university I consciously set out to win a ton of awards. 4 years later I have some 200ish awards like Top Whatever Under Whatever, Person of the Year, scholarships, fellowships, essay contests, design contests, innovation contests, public speaking awards, hackathons, etc.I have a ton of ribbons, medals, and certificates hanging on my wall. Now it is advised that the resume for a fresh graduate be only one page. I have had three internships during my time in university and I prioritized putting those. I stuffed some of the scholarships under "Education." All of that aside, I have about 10 extra lines which lets me list 5 awards None of these awards is a Nobel Prize or anything, so they need to be explained. Some fellow alumni might recognize some of the awards, but that it is it. Here are some samples and my question follows below: Here is my best award (I consider it the best because it was the most time consuming and the most competitive): Issuer: Large American Bank People beaten: ~600 Teams beaten: ~150 from around the world What I did: I built a prototype for their retail banking division that improves customer trust (I can't say a lot as winning causes it to fall under a non disclosure agreement). Standings: We came 3rd place What we won: $5000 along with guaranteed interviews (those are pending). Here is another award: Issuer: My University People beaten: ~100 (most people self selected out) What it was for: I was named one of the top 100 alumni, staff, and students of the past X years. What I did to win it: Truthfully, I wrote 6 nominations for myself and handed them out to friends to nominate me. But it is an award for general achievement and engagement with my university and I have some of that too. My name shows up alongside many people with Wikipedia pages. Standings: Top 100 people. They did not rank us. What I won: A glass tablet with the award name and a free dinner. If I weren't such a socially awkward and fearful person I would have had a job from that ceremony but oh well. Maybe ill ask another question about this later. Here is a third one: Issuer: A major hackathon People beaten: 600 Teams beaten: ~180ish? What it was for: 2nd place at a major hackathon for my hack. What I did to win it: Created a great hack. What I won: $800 bucks and a bunch of random hardware. What is it that matters most about an award? The number of teams beaten? The number of people beaten? The issuer? Is an award from NASA where I beat 50 people better than one from Dow Chemical where I beat 150? What I actually did to win the award? I have a great prize for a paper in the blockchain space I wrote with some classmates, but I only beat 11 other teams. I consider it some of my best work, but it is unknown whatever outside that niche. Is a more prestigious 3rd place better than a more mediocre 1st place? What if I came first in Dow Chemical and 3rd at NASA? Is more recent better? Should I choose ones from 2019/2020 or is going back to 2017 ok? Is relevancy the most important thing, even if the award is not particularly impressive otherwise? Is it better to show a variety of skills or proof of repeated success in one? Im a software engineer and that is what I study, but is an award for public speaking beneficial or does it detract? I mostly focus on using the awards as proof that I outperform others when set against them, but is that the correct strategy? I select for big names with lots of people defeated and usually do not have space for the prize amounts. I basically just want a framework for narrowing 200 down to 5 in any given circumstance. What matters most to hiring managers? I am mostly looking for software engineering positions just after graduating as my original offer got canned by the covid pandemic. Part of my conundrum is that most of the better awards are for doing software related things (so I delivered a prototype as part of them), but rarely did they ever judge the code, just the final product. I have some coding related achievements, but they are things like programming contests from first year. <Q> Your goal with a resume is to get people interested in interviewing you. <S> More specifically your goal is to get people more interested in talking to you than the other people who have submitted resumes . <S> Employers aren't going to be interested in the prize you won, how many people you beat, or even necessarily who issued the award unless it's particularly prestigious and/or relevant (other than the fact <S> it's likely to be part of the title, or if you're applying for a job at the organisation that awarded it). <S> They're going to care about why it makes you someone they might want to employ for the role they want to fill. <S> Describe (briefly) <S> your role in the team (if you were in a team), and summarise what you did that lead you to be awarded it, highlighting the bits of what you did that are most relevant to the role. <S> If you can't find a way to do that that's relevant to the role you're applying for, then leave it off. <S> may go well in your education section if you leave out the specifics of how you got it. <S> It's not going to be as impressive as the next level of degree, but it may be enough to tip the scales in favour of interviewing you over someone with an equivalent degree and similar experience. <S> And finally, as soon as you get some real industry experience, I'd suggest leaving them off altogether (unless you are awarded other, relevant, awards during your tenures with your future employers). <S> These are assets you have that may make you stand out from other graduates, but they're unlikely to make you stand out from other experienced professionals, unless they're extremely prestigious. <A> I don't see a need to go into details, especially people beaten and things that come across as boastful. <S> The University one has some weight because it's an inhouse achievement. <S> The bank one is mostly useful for the bank concerned. <S> Others <S> I suggest you pick any that seem at all relevant to the job you're interviewing for and put a few others in just to fluff the resume out a bit. <S> This is quite a useful bunch of achievements because most people at your stage have very little to put in their resume at all. <A> In the CV you add the information which is relevant. <S> It can be either information directly related to the job, or information indirectly related to the job. <S> Information indirectly related to to the job is any information which proves that you can learn, that you can achieve, that you can manage... <S> However, an award for distributing fliers (your "another award") is useful only if you target a job as a fliers distributor. <S> Other than that, this kind of award could actually be detrimental - <S> it tells the recruiter / company that you are not able to understand what is important to present to them and what not. <A> All those competitions and hackathons you completed contributed to your employable skills and that is how you want to put them on your CV, in a section like Misc. <S> (or whatnot, choose your own title): <S> "Throughout my study years, participated in numerous code competitions and hackathons that have taught me, and improved my skills in, coding (in languages such-and-such), project, and time management, and teamwork". <S> This way you: 1. show immediate value to a potential employer by listing all the actionable skills you claim you have that are useful to the employer, 2. <S> don't come off as the cocky, self-absorbed, think he's god's gift to humanity person <S> your OP makes you sound like. <A> From experience, on both sides (an applicant with more awards that can fit into a resume, and a hiring manager seeking outstanding people), I'd suggest some guidelines: <S> Only list awards that are relevant to the role . <S> Both in function and in seniority (leadership awards for mgmt, skill awards for developer). <S> Don't be proud of your awards. <S> If you do list awards, list them near the bottom, list at least two, and be brief about them. <S> Downplay them, as if they were par for the course. <S> And more than three awards is probably too many. <S> Be as specific as possible about what exactly you did to get the award. <S> In a hackathon, describe what you built, not how many people you beat or what you won. <S> If possible, fold the awards into something else. <S> Say, "Built X system that delivered Y impact; awarded Z by organization W". <S> As overused as humblebragging has become these days, it remains the best way to go about awards in your resume. <S> You want to mention them, but you want to draw as little attention to them as possible. <S> Your skills and achievements are what matters, awards are just to show that someone other than yourself has seen them as such.
| Awards can make a lot of difference in hiring, if the hiring manager is convinced that they matter. In terms of the achievements themselves most people wouldn't care about the details unless it's in an area of particular interest to them, in which case they may ask some questions. I'd also suggest you list them where they're most relevant on your CV - things like your "Top 100 Alumni" award
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No response after interview request I submitted a job application (FYI, very large company) and 5 days later, I received a phone interview request via email from the recruiter. I responded within an hour, telling the recruiter my available time, which was basically any day anytime. But it's been six days and I got no reply at all. The recruiter told me that it was going to be an interview conducted by him and he was asking available time for this week (it's already Wednesday now) so I am starting to think that recruiter is super busy and still trying to figure out the schedule, which I hope, or he just simply forgot. Should I send him a follow-up email to kindly ask him again about the interview or should I just wait? I never had this experience before regarding the interview so I am sort of panicking. p.s) for anyone who might see this thread, I sent an email to the recruiter that I am also available for the week after, and after about one week, a recruiter approached me again for a phone interview, which I was able to do it this time. <Q> Should I send him a follow-up email to kindly ask him again about theinterview <S> or should I just wait? <S> If you are expecting an interview this week, and by Wednesday haven't yet received any confirmation, then call the recruiter now. <S> Ask when you should expect the interview to occur. <S> Phone first. <S> Always. <S> Then email. <A> Schedules and things are pretty chaotic right now. <S> Some positions or companies are changing their hiring freeze decisions by the day so its possible that there may be a pause on the position. <S> During the coronavirus pandemic you should be following up with companies to stay top of mind. <S> You may be hesitant to do so because you don't want to come off as insensitive or desperate. <S> However, following up shows that you are passionate and are highly interested in the role and the company. <S> While your competition freezes, unsure what to do next, you should continue showing interest in the company in a respectful way to increase your chances of landing the job. <S> When to Follow Up • <S> If they tell you a date when they will get back to you, follow up the dayafter that date • <S> If they say let’s talk in “a few weeks” or “a couples of weeks,” follow upin 2 weeks <S> • <S> If they give you no time frame follow up every 5 to 8 business days <S> The Approach <S> The strategy is to follow up in a way that does not require a response if they are not ready to email back. <S> This shows a level of understanding and confidence that will leave the best impression on the company. <S> First Follow Up Email: <S> Hi [Name],Given the uncertainty of everything going on I completely understand any delays or hesitations your team may haveduring the interview process. <S> I am wishing you and your families health and wellnessduring this time. <S> Do let me know if you need anything else additional fromme as you determine next steps. <S> I continue to beenthusiastic about potentially joining your team. <S> All the best,[Name] <A> I recently had the same thing happen to me, but I suspect the call was bogus, because at the end of the call he mentioned a consultancy he wanted me to be referred to if I didn't get a job with them. <S> I suspect this was his side hustle, forwarding on resumes to agencies for referral fees
| Leave a message if you don't get through to the recruiter, and follow up with an email.
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How to tell my manager that it was me who solved the task I am a junior dev in a big tech company. I joined last year and since then, I've been learning. We have a senior dev who used to help me a lot in the beginning. I was assigned an important task, I finished it all, except one thing, that I needed help with. I asked my senior colleague to help me, I did that many times, but she's busy, she didn't help me. The manager asked me to have that task done soon, and asked me to ask the senior again for help. I did ask the senior but she didn't help me. I spent the whole weekend and I figured out the issue and fixed it myself. How can I tell my manager that I solved it on my own, without assistance from the senior dev without being perceived as childish, and without putting the senior down? I am asking because it is important to me that the manager knows I am improving. <Q> Don't involve the senior dev in the discussion in any way. <S> Just take it to your boss, and say something like " <S> Well, I spent all weekend on it, and I figured it out, and I fixed it." <S> As a junior programmer, making it clear to the boss that you totally buckled down and fixed a hard problem on your own (and might like some approval now) is normal and non-problematic, especially if it involved putting in lots of extra work and so forth. <S> Calling out a senior dev for not helping you is... potentially dicey. <S> There's a lot of risk there, and not a lot of gain, unless said senior dev is being actively harmful to your work experience or actively bad for the company or whatever. <S> "Kept being too busy to help me this one time" doesn't qualify. <S> Still, the story of figuring it out and fixing it on your own time by dint of significant effort stands by itself just fine. <A> If this is the first time you have performed beyond what would normally be expected for your relatively junior position, it will seem very important to you. <S> I still remember mine, and it was about 50 years ago. <S> In the bigger picture, what matters is that you have the skills, talent, and determination to succeed at solving difficult problems. <S> Congratulations! <S> That will soon become apparent to your managers without you having to do anything special to call attention, regardless of whether they notice this particular case. <S> Mention it if relevant in any normal status discussion. <S> Anything unusual you try to do beyond that to call attention to it is likely to do more harm than good. <A> "If you really feel that you need to," go ahead and toot your own horn a little – "hey, I fixed it!" <S> (You have no idea what's on that senior-developer's plate ...! <S> And, you can safely presume that "s/he is not slighting you.") <S> And – take it from someone who's been one – "bosses see more than you think!"
| You should, of course, tell the person who wanted the problem solved that it is done. Don't say anything negative about anyone else – not to your boss and not to anyone else.
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Temporarily working abroad while in normal circumstances being based in the UK I currently work for an American company but I am based in the UK. Due to covid-19, my job is now fully remote, and I am working from my family home. A few friends in the same industry as mine, are looking to get an AirBnB in another country (in a similar timezone to the UK's), and are planning on working there for up to a month. Logistically, how easy is this to do? (Notwithstanding epidemic concerns, I am only looking for answers concerning how the company I work for would view this). I have had many colleagues who are European and have simply traveled back to their family home in continental Europe and continued working for the company. Is this a legal thing to do? Should I not bother telling the company I work for, and fly under the radar? I wouldn't see an issue moving to the other side of the UK at all, but for some reason, I am cautious about moving to another country. From a tax perspective, due to the small amount of time spent abroad, it seems fine: https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=851&langId=en&fbclid=IwAR0oLhKYFlOUTPW80a9tj_0XJXxpFS9m7bIeieyRyRGR_CGMtSUJM21HHV8 <Q> I am only looking for answers concerning how the company I work for would view this The obvious way to get a definitive answer to that would be to ask them - but there are things worth considering before you ask them which is how would they view you asking them if this was okay? <S> While I can't presume to answer for them I have to say if I were your manager I'd be wary of this scenario for a couple of reasons: <S> First the friends you mention are in the same industry but <S> not necessarily the same employer - and depending on the type ofwork you do <S> I think they may be uncomfortable with you working in the same environment as staff from what could be considered a competitor. <S> Secondly - "me and some mates are going to get an AirBnB in Europe for a month, during the summer, but I'm totally going to be working" risks coming off as a bit like you're going for a holiday with your mates <S> and you want to do it on the company's time. <S> While I don't doubt you personally I can see why someone might have concerns. <S> So I think if you want to ask your company if they are okay with you doing this it would make sense to think about how you might address these concerns before <S> you have that conversation e.g <S> This wouldn't be a holiday - <S> I'm fully intent on working at the same level as I am currently. <S> While I will be staying with friends they are also going to be working during the day and the idea is that we can relax once we all "clock off" <S> Should I not bother telling the company I work for, and fly under the radar? <S> I wouldn't risk this personally - if you ever slip up and get "caught" it's going to look bad - and look as though you had something to hide, possibly one of the uglier interpretations of the concerns I outlined above. <A> Speak to your line manager and say you are planning to spend a month working in country X. Lesson your manager concerns (if there are any) by perhaps suggesting you will do an initial 1 week trial period. <S> Ensure you find out the basics, <S> What is internet reliability/speed <S> Is it a quiet location. <S> Does it have aircon if needed? <A> Aside from anything else there could be tax implications if it ends up being more than just short term. <S> That will cause issues for the company in some cases but it's very hard to know without being familiar with both US and whatever European country's tax law is applicable.
| When looking for a place abroad speak to the owners (and maybe negotiate a better price) stating that you are looking for a suitable workplace.
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How do you handle being asked to work on too many things? Currently I work at a company that used to have a sizeable number of developers. Different teams were responsible for their own specific domains. There was a database team, a systems team, networking, multiple frontend teams, backend, analytics, security, etc. Over the years, mostly due to attrition there's been a massive consolidation of responsibilities. Teams that were 40 people 4 years ago are now 5 total people. All with an increase of actual responsibilities with 4 years of growth (new tech, new projects, new ways, etc). We manage so much that there's no time for anything to stick. Each day I could be working on projects written in many different languages. While it's easy enough to move between them. Being able to actually remember any given one to lets say do a whiteboard coding interview is nearly impossible. There's never much time to focus on any one thing. How does one manage this other than leaving, unless that's the only option? <Q> You prioritize. <S> And, when you manager says “I want X” you do it <S> but they have to understand that Y no longer gets done. <S> It’s a difficult concept for some managers that the time, or work, available is a finite amount. <S> We had this once where there were 4 jobs needing completion by Friday. <S> Went to our manager and told him one would have to be postponed to Monday... <S> Not accepted, so we told him we would contact one “client” (they were all internal) and tell them it would be delayed. <S> (We chose the client with the biggest ego / temper :) ) <S> The manager said quickly “no, I will contact X as he is easier”. <S> X was actually happy and all sorted. <S> So you have to prioritize... if you keep covering then they avoid having to replace staff... <A> Normally, you make a list of tasks, estimate the effort to complete the tasks, and then you prioritize with the agreement of a manager. <S> However, you say: Teams that were 40 people 4 years ago are now 5 total people. <S> which means that workload increased pretty much 8 times per person. <S> Even though prioritization can be still done, it is highly unlikely that all the work can be done, and one of the results of the prioritization will be to decide which tasks shall be canceled or postponed indefinitely. <S> That is, unless the total time increases by about 8 times, or more. <S> Combine this with the fact that 35 people left for a reason, and you have your best solution: update your CV and find another job at another company. <S> You cannot fix alone what all the managers cannot fix. <S> You have to choose between your impossible job and your health. <A> Obviously communication is key here, like the other answers already point out. <S> To add to the other answers I would suggest putting together a workbook, A day in the life of... Show all tasks that you work on daily, weekly and monthly. <S> How long they take, who they go out to, requested by, criticality... <S> Include some capacity charts figures etc that show what free time you have for non routine tasks. <S> Then list everything else <S> ad-hoc going on, expected time & resource required. <S> With your manager simply plan in these jobs into your free time, allowing spare time for any emergency jobs that will no doubt come up too. <S> I have done this with many managers, and often they will be surprised at all the jobs and tasks I have accumulated, we set an agreement, and this gives a clear plan of what is expected, usually for me this is good for a round 6 month, then I will pull my manager back in to a 1-1 and repeat. <A> Compartmentalize and prioritize are what you are looking for. <S> I work in a similar context, we are struggling because of the amount of work and the lack of workers. <S> After a brainstorming, we have come this way: every job has a priority <S> every priority has an amount of time <S> we take our top priorities <S> and we dedicate it <S> the amount of time we have assigned to it, and no more time during the day avoid to burnout ourselves <S> actually IS a priority, so we have assigned ourselves an amount of spare time during the day and we use it every day Example: I have six tasks. <S> I work 8 hours. <S> Task 1 has top priority, so I will work at it 4 hours a day until finished. <S> Task 2 has lower priority, but it needs to get done in a few days, so I work at it 2 hours a day. <S> Task 3 to 6 has lower priority <S> so I work on 3 and 4 one hour per day until finished <S> , then I switch that time to Task 5 and 6. <S> Every time the task list changes we reschedule the whole day. <S> The matter is that we know how much time we have for every task, and all tasks are going forward at different velocity. <S> Of course you need to involve your manager while rescheduling. <S> Meanwhile we are looking for people to re-populate our team. <A> How does one manage this other than leaving, unless that's the only option? <S> Assuming that the understaffing is the root problem here, it depends on the reason for it. <S> If it's forced by economics, then yes you're probably stuck with this situation unless you leave. <S> And being plain, if there is more work than can be done yet still not enough resources to hire, it sounds like the decision might be made for you before long anyway. <S> Looking around might be a good move either way. <S> If it's not, and is a deliberate strategic choice by management, your main recourse is to convince them <S> it's suboptimal <S> and they're leaving money on the table by not hiring. <S> This is difficult of course, and without knowing specifics there isn't much scope for concrete suggestions, but a general opener for the conversation is describing specific situations where more people would mean more/better/faster work, leading to better business outcomes. <S> Importantly this doesn't merely cover shorter term outcomes like boosted revenue but also longer term ones like, in your case, staff retention! <A> To be honest, in my experience, in order to be able to successfully negotiate in situations like, you first need to be in a position where you can tell them, "Go to hell," I'm not saying that is what you do or where you start your talk <S> but you need to have your own back. <S> You may never have to use it. <S> Having it will carry you a long way but it needs to be there. <S> Have an offer of another job, get a fork lift truck ticket, sit your Heavy Goods Vehicle licence, an offer to labour on a building site for your brother-in-law but have something that you can stand up to them against.
| You need to discuss with your manager, and prioritize.
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Greeting someone in their native language I recently received a large amount of help from someone in our Canadian office. I want to send him a quick thank-you email and am wondering whether or not I should greet him in French, I'm far from fluent in it but can hold a written conversation with some light googling for vocab. My thinking is it might be a nice gesture to make the effort but I'm worried it may come across as patronizing. Some relevant info: French is his native language. English is my native language. The help he provided was in English and he is fluent but has some clearly non-native idiosyncrasies to the way he writes. To clarify, it's merely the greeting I plan on writing in french and perhaps the salutation at the end, not the whole email. <Q> It's a nice touch to greet people or sign off in their native language. <S> I wouldn't think it would come across as patronising. <S> If anything I'd imagine it would be perceived as a positive, friendly gesture. <S> Because English is such a common second language across the world, people who speak English natively (of which I am one) are very fortunate we rarely need to learn (or try to communicate in) a second language. <S> Over the years I have worked with people in Argentina, China, Germany, France, India, Brazil, Romania, Sweden etc. <S> etc. <S> We have always communicated in English - partly because my French/German/etc. <S> was limited (or non-existant) but also because their English was excellent. <S> While compromise normally means meeting somewhere in the middle, When somebody converses with me in their second language they are coming completely over to my side. <S> If I can greet them and ask how they are in their language, it's me attempting to at least take a step or two in their direction. <S> I think people would appreciate that. <A> A greeting should be fine. <S> Issues tend to arise when you switch to French for the entire conversation as it might be interpreted as you getting frustrated with their English ability. <A> It is best to have this discussion in the language that is the most comfortable for both of you - which seems to be English. <S> If you try to use a language you do not master, you run the risk to say something wrong, and the effect on the other person will be less than you expect - or even opposite. <S> In similar situations in the past, I did the same thing, I used English, and expressed my feelings so they understand exactly what I want to say.
| However, it is OK to say the words "Thank you" (or something similar) in their native language, if you know for sure that you can say them correctly enough - and there is no risk that you will say some similar, but bad word.
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Did I mess up by bringing up other interview process during a job interview? Had an interview the other day. While we were talking about the recruitment process, I just mentioned in passing that I was involved in one other recruitment process as well. I was just making conversation and trying to be genuine, since the timing of the two processes is of relevance to both me and the two companies. However, I dunno if I'm overthinking things, but I thing I noticed some ... I dunno, nervous or odd inquiry into this other job posting? The two guys I was being interviewed by starting asking questions like "is the job similar to ours?, "which one would you rather want"? . I wasn't prepared for these questions at all, I thought their response would just be "well, yeah that makes sense" , and then we'd carry on. Did I mess up? I really was just making conversation and speaking from the heart, but in hindsight, I think I should've kept my mouth shut, for two reasons: Firstly, it may sound like me saying "you better hurry up and hire me, otherwise somebody else might take me". That's not what I was saying at all , I was just trying to make conversation because I'm a blabbermouth. It might suggest that their job isn't my first/only priority since I'm looking elsewhere. Which is silly, since of course I'm not betting my future on landing only their job ... if I don't get it, my job search might be postponed by weeks/months, so of course I'm searching for multiple postings ... but some companies might take this as a sign that I'm not invested enough in them. Am I overthinking things, or did I mess up? <Q> You were being a little naive in not expecting the follow up questions - <S> Fortunately the questions aren't particularly difficult to prepare for: "is the job similar to ours? <S> It's simple - and there's no gotcha element here really <S> , you can just answer in what ways if any <S> it's similar. <S> "which one would you rather want"? <S> There's nothing wrong with answering this with a "I'm not sure", obviously if you do have a preference for their opportunity it can be good to say that, if you preference goes <S> the other way however I'd stick with the "I'm not sure" <S> - there's honesty <S> and then there's a bit too much honesty, and while straight up saying you have a preference for the other opportunity <S> can be a bold negotiating move if you know you're in high demand most of the time it's going to go against you. <A> Short answer: <S> no, you did not mess up. <S> It is true that you were not really prepared for the interview, but it might actually work in your favor (they will see your answers as honest), if you did not give them too much information. <S> Normally, you should not mention anything which is not related to the current interview. <S> However, it can happen that in the last stages of the interview you need to tell the companies that you have several recruitment processes started, and you need some "thinking" time. <S> That is actually also a test for these companies, because it enables you to see how they treat you, how confident they are that they are making a good offer to you etc. <S> If a company starts to freak out if you tell them that you are interviewing for other jobs also, you need to start being circumspect. <S> That might be a red flag for the company, or it may be that the recruiter is inexperienced. <S> The two guys I was being interviewed by starting asking questions like "is the job similar to ours? , "which one would you rather want" ? <S> Those questions make sense, and provide them the shortest answer possible, with the minimum of information. <S> Examples: <S> or I did not make any judgment yet about which offer is more attractive. <S> I think that it is too early to make that judgment, because I still do not have enough information. <S> I do not want to make rushed bad decisions. <S> If you choose to say: I would rather not answer these questions then they will start having doubts about what you need to hide so much, and as a result you lower your chances with that company. <A> They already know you're interviewing for jobs - you're at a job interview after all. <S> I'd be more interested in how they reacted after they learned something they should have already known - are they looking for someone desperate enough to take a bad job? <S> Are they so myopic that they believe it's bad to be considering options other than them? <S> Are they professionals who can acknowledge that you're a professional too? <A> Am I overthinking things, or did I mess up? <S> Yes, at least a little. <S> Interviewing somewhere else is perfectly fine and expected. <S> However you brought it up somewhat poorly <S> and then you weren't ready to talk about it in an intelligent and confident way. <S> So you made a small boo-boo and weren't able to easily recover. <S> That's a ding to your communication skills, although only a minor one. <S> Make sure you don't do this again and make sure you can easily talk about it during your next interaction. <S> If they ask, make sure you have a well prepared and rehearsed answer ready to go. <S> Don't lie, don't brag, don't undersell, just stick with the facts. <S> And reassuring them that you are indeed very interested in their position is good too! <A> You didn't mess up anything. <S> They are likely just fishing for information, more on competitors than on yourself. <S> It's very valuable to know what competitors offer, which aspects of their jobs is more appealing to applicants and so on. <S> Say that you replied something like: " <S> well, the other company's job is pretty similar. <S> However, they offer free training for this cool stuff <S> and you are also supposed to travel once in while... <S> ". <S> Think about how great would be for them knowing this stuff, regardless your status. <S> Whether you mention concomitant applications is a strategic decision and something you should always decide in advance. <S> In general, if you earned an offer somewhere else, mentioning it might make your position stronger. <S> But there are also downsides: a company might think that they are not your first option. <S> Always define your goals. <S> You want more time, money, power? <S> Is mentioning a competitor's offer useful to reach it? <S> Then decide.
| Don't bring it up yourself, unless there is a specific reason to bring it up (e.g. you are in the offer stages and timing is important). No, you didn't mess up. there's generally no issue with mentioning that you're going through other recruitment processes, after all it's pretty much to be expected where you're in a position that you are actively searching for a job (as opposed to being headhunted for example). Yes, the jobs are relatively similar.
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Reasonable OKR for software developer contractor? I work as a software developer at a company that is in the business of lending developers to other companies. Internally there's a yearly performance evaluation process where we (as employees) are supposed to set a few OKR (objective and key results) for the next year. My problem is - what OKR shall I set? Due to the nature of the business I can't really set anything software project-related (e.g. "increase test coverage to 75%") because at the moment I'm waiting for my next assignment, so I don't know what kind of project I'll be working on next month (if I'll be working on anything at all). "Personal improvement" OKRs ("read two books on software development") don't seem to be neither objective nor key. <Q> Welcome to a very unsolved problem in software development. <S> As an industry, we have never figured out a reasonable set of OKRs. <S> Everything from lines of code to tickets completed to number of points completed to bugs fixed to lack of bugs has been used. <S> I would choose something my organization values <S> The lack of an industry consensus on OKRs for developers makes them a matter of business values and therefore highly political. <S> In one company, increasing test coverage to 75% would be a worthy goal. <S> In my organization, management would shrug at that and while it would be considered a good achievement, it would not be considered an important one. <S> In a startup a friend of mine works for, he would receive a lower performance review for focusing on that instead of focusing on new features. <S> Increasing unit test coverage would be considered wasteful. <S> Only you can answer what matters to your boss. <S> Is it client revenue? <S> Is it client satisfaction (be careful here though)? <S> Is it speed? <S> Here is what I would choose based on what matters to my organization: <S> Successful completion of a minimum of 20 points per sprint with an average of 25 points per sprint over the long term. <A> Here's what I understand about OKRs: the setting of them should be a collaboration between you and your manager. <S> The manager sets the objective and you come up with they key results to show you're meeting the objective. <S> In addition, the objective should be linked to objectives set at a higher level in the business as well. <S> The setting of OKRs in isolation isn't really providing value, so if I were you I'd be going back to my boss to see if they will work together on it, and find out what the higher level objectives of the company are so that yours are aligned <A> The use of annual goals when the time on a project is much shorter than that doesn't make a lot of sense. <S> I know many companies that keep to the annual cycle, even when their own documents say that when you switch projects/teams you should be evaluated and then new goals added based on the new position. <S> Trying to write goals that aren't linked to your daily activities limits your ability to write specific relevant goals. <S> Depending on the project I was assigned to the goals could be linked to improving a metric, fixing a specific problem or completing a new feature. <S> Writing a goal related to points in a sprint wouldn't make sense if the project doesn't use that method. <S> Multiple evaluations during the year seems daunting, but it is the only way to get specific goals that are linked to your projects. <S> Sure there can still be non-project related goals such as training, or getting a certification, but to get ones that show that you are helping the customer you need ones linked to the customer.
| The goal should be based on what the customer wants and what the company wants. There is no consensus on any development OKRs and plenty argue that nearly any implementation of numerical OKRs is going to cause unwanted behavior.
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How do I impress a senior developer? I’m a relatively new developer. I’ve been doing development for four years. I think I’m competent at what I’m doing for my level. I’m a fast learner of new technologies and code bases. I’m also good at following the coding standards. I’m assigned to work with a senior developer soon. He is very good at programming and he is also a big picture/architecture person (which I’m not). He sometimes challenges the existing architecture of the codebases; most of the time, he makes very good decisions for architecture and design. He is also very particular on how he wants something to be designed. I want to have a good work relationship with him and make good impression. I will work hard and I’m confident that my work will speak for itself. But how do I make good impression quickly? I’m not as experienced as him so I cannot articulate as well as him on the high level stuff. <Q> Treat him as your mentor. <S> Listen carefully to his perspectives and politely ask questions – specifically including "dumb questions." <S> Show that you are seeking to find the answers yourself, that you are trying to pull your own weight, but that you realize that you need his wisdom and experience. <S> Be humble, though not subservient. <S> Almost everyone, at some point or another in their journey, had a mentor. <S> I have had several. <A> What has impressed me about junior developers in the past <S> Ask well thought-out questions that you have attempted to answer yourself Remember or write down the answers to the questions; don't ask the same question multiple times Listen to the answer and ask questions if still confused, or if I didn't answer what you asking Don't take abuse, but accept constructive criticism with an open mind <S> Do what you say you will do <A> Imho the best thing you can do is just play to your strengths , and in particular development-wise NOT try to do things a certain way just because you want to impress the Senior. <S> It's a bad basis for good decisions. <S> If I notice people implement over-complicated stuff that does not fit the problem well - perhaps just to show off - I'm not impressed, on the contrary. <S> If people try to be in the center of everything, without having to say something that speaks against them,too. <S> Try to suggest doing tasks that you are good at or that interest you (in that order). <S> This will both present your good sides in doing the tasks and also show that you can judge your own abilities on top . <S> The same holds with your behaviour : play your strengths first and work on improving your weaknesses later . <S> If you are rather implementing stuff on your own in your quiet corner, don't try pair programming as the first thing etc. <S> If you notice the senior prefers some ways to operate that aren't matching your way, try to slowly adapt if that works for you, otherwise discuss what you need to adopt and what he does not care about. <S> Don't just assume.
| Especially at the beginning, don't take the most difficult task just to impress (unless you know you can likely do it, with perhaps minor help), first establish your base strengths, then go up for more difficult tasks that might need a bit more assistance. If you are rather quiet, don't try to suddenly be the most talkative person (unless it comes totally natural when working with the new guy for some reason).
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Why recruiters ask a resume in doc format? I have sent several applications over these months for different companies and contractors. Usually I sent the resume in PDF format. I'm curious and at some point also a little bit upset when recruiters request my resume in doc format. If a change is needed I can do it myself and send it back. But to send the resume in doc format I felt at some point like weak/vulnerable. Is there really a foundation in such feelings or is just my mad brain thinking to much on it? My point is they can be submitting my information as signed by me but modified by someone else. And finally sounds like you are not being treated directly by the person interested. Sounds like there's a chain of contractors before You arrive to the direct client. And that's a terrible deal. The recruiters that I have asked said me is a requirement for the submission. I would try to avoid this practice , I think next time someone request my resume.doc I will think it twice before submit. <Q> Recruiters will remove your contact info (not name) from the top and put their own. <S> This removing the ability for the company to circumvent them and paying them their headhunting fee. <A> A friend just had a recruiter add skills he lacked <S> I have a contractor friend who is looking for his next position and just spoke with a recruiter a week ago for an interview yesterday. <S> The recruiter added skills he did not have to get the resume past screening and my friend got blindsided in the interview. <S> They added all sorts of DevOps stuff that he did not know. <S> It’s the first time that he knows of it happening, but it does happen. <A> I have sent several applications over these months for differentcompanies and contractors. <S> Usually I sent the resume in PDF format. <S> I'm curious and at some point also a little bit upset when recruitersrequest my resume in doc format. <S> If a change is needed I can do itmyself and send it back. <S> But to send the resume in doc format I feltat some point like weak/vulnerable. <S> Is there really a foundation insuch feelings or is just my mad brain thinking to much on it? <S> Getting a resume in .doc <S> format probably makes things a bit easier for a recruiter. <S> Likely, your information goes into their database and can be more automatically inputted in .doc format. <S> Additionally, many recruiters remove your contact information so that clients will not try to bypass them. <S> Finally, some recruiters will modify/fix your resume to clean up any typos or poor wording. <S> Note that PDF format (or any format for that matter) won't stop any of this from happening. <S> PDFs can be scanned and reconstituted as .doc <S> files easily. <S> Even a piece of paper can easily be turned into a .doc file if desired. <S> Providing the .doc file initially, just makes their life easier, it doesn't add any weakness/vulnerability to your situation at all. <S> Whenever I work with an agency or recruiter, I'm happy to help them out when I can. <S> However I always insist that I see any and all resumes sent to a company on my behalf be sent to me first for my approval. <S> My resume represents me, and my professional image. <S> I'm okay with them removing my contact information. <S> I'm not okay with them making changes that I wouldn't otherwise make. <S> If they would balk at my requirements, I stop working with them. <S> If for some reason you still prefer not to provide your resume in the format they choose for any reason, then just decline to work with them and move on to other job openings. <S> There are plenty of other recruiters and jobs. <A> Or they may even just be using the review tools in Word itself when evaluating resumes. <S> Now, I did work with a 3rd party recruiter once <S> (he didn’t work for the organization I was applying to) who did want to make changes to my resume before submitting it to them. <S> (Their formatting was bad enough that I had to explain the recruiter insisted on it in the interview.) <S> But I’ve only had that happen once. <A> Why recruiters ask a resume in doc format? <S> Because they are either lazy, incompetent or manipulative. <S> Is there really a foundation in such feelings or is just my mad brain thinking to much on it? <S> Your feelings are entirely correct. <S> There is no good reason to not accept a PDF resume. <S> You can certainly edit the heck out of a PDF as well, but it's more work and requires a minimum level of skill & effort. <S> The small group of unethical recruiters are unlikely to do that. <S> The recruiters that I have asked said me is a requirement for the submission. <S> That's a non-nonsensical and evasive answer. <S> If there is an actual reason why a PDF isn't good enough, the recruiter should be able to articulate what that reason actually is. <S> I would try to avoid this practice , I think next time someone request <S> my resume.doc <S> I will think it twice before submit. <S> Yes. <S> A recruiter/company that doesn't accept a PDF resume without a really good reason are a waste of time and potentially harmful
| Some companies request a doc format because it’s a requirement for whatever software they’re using to scan the resumes.
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Inappropriate to ask why job was cancelled? I recently applied to an internship job posting at a start-up. I received an interview that in my opinion went very well. A few days later on the day that I was to hear back regarding my status I receive no update. After 2 emails asking for that update I am told that the position was cancelled and I will be kept in mind for future openings. Is it inappropriate to ask the company why the position was cancelled? Do I have any right to be given some sort of justification or just avoid being ghosted? <Q> It is not inappropriate, but mostly pointless <S> I wouldn't see a problem with asking as it can let you know whether you could be applying for other positions within the company or whether there is an overall hiring freeze, making any applications futile. <S> But I would not expect a reliable answer. <S> Beyond learning that, what do you have to achieve other than satisfying your curiosity? <A> Is it inappropriate to ask the company why the position was cancelled? <S> There could be any number of reasons. <S> Knowing the reason isn't going to change anything. <S> Do I have any right to be given some sort of justification or justavoid being ghosted? <S> The company doesn't owe you anything and you, likewise, don't owe them anything. <S> They haven't ghosted you. <S> They've told you that the position has been cancelled. <S> That's a perfectly acceptable answer. <A> I would reply back with something like, Interviewer, thank you for taking the time to reply. <S> It is disappointing to hear that the position was cancelled. <S> I was really interested in the position and look forward to any future position you may have open. <S> Attached is my updated resume and links to any online resume I may have. <S> Looking forward to hearing from you in the future. <S> Thank you.
| It's not inappropriate, but it would likely be pointless.
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How selective are companies in the US, about the institute the student graduated from? Are companies in the US very selective about the institute/University the student graduated from? Or will they give the job to the student, if he has the right skills but is from a 2nd/3rd tier college.(I mean, not ivy league) If this is not the right stack exchange site, please mention <Q> I have also run into many employees who only have a degree from a community college, or a for-profit college. <S> That means that they also can find jobs. <S> While it is possible that an Ivy league degree gets you an interview in those first few years after college, you still have to get past the interview process. <S> There are some positions and companies that believe that an ivy league school is the minimum threshold, but those make up only a small number of positions. <A> A few points: <S> The older your degree, the less relevant it is. <S> Once you are 3+ years into your career, your recent work experience and achievements far outweigh the academics by a wide margin <S> It can be advantage for new grads. <S> There isn't a whole of useful data in a resume that early in your career and all other things being equal the people sorting the resumes will probably bias well known colleges (or colleges that the hiring manager prefers) higher on the stack. <S> That doesn't necessarily mean Ivy League but colleges that have very good programs in the specific field <S> In 100s of interviews and hiring decisions I was involved in, it never impacted the actual hiring decisions. <S> It may help you get the interview, but what you do and say in the interview is way more important. <S> One of the worst performers in an engineering department that I ran was an MIT graduate. <S> Actually it's a bit on the contrary: <S> The quality of engineering candidates from US colleges (reputable or not) has dropped significantly (to put it mildly) over the last 10-15 years, so it can actually be a downside <A> I'm assuming you mean "well known" schools as oppose to top level Ivy leagues like Harvard, Yale, etc. <S> Certain industries do care about it. <S> I think Blue Collar workers are more susceptible to the whole degree thing. <S> For example, at this car parts manufacturer my family works at, having a BS degree from a well known university will get you bumped up to management levels pretty quickly. <S> However, I think white collar level <S> , I see a lot of folks having associates degree and making it pretty far in their field. <S> I also think it depends on where you get a job. <S> At a company or something big like a job at a huge research department, NASA, or something like that? <S> I think in those cases your degree may be under scrutiny than compared to something like some web company.
| The fact that in my career I have run into only a handful of people who have a degree from an Ivy, I assume that people without a degree from an IVY league school have no problems finding jobs. Hiring has become very global these days and so there is less focus on US university degrees.
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New job is different than described during the interview I'm a software developer with close to 6 years of experience. I switched jobs because the previous one (big corporation) had become unchallenging, stale, and the manager was unable (or not really willing) to work out any satisfying solution. My new job seemed very good on paper and the interview was one of the most pleasant I've ever participated in. A few days before I started I was asked whether I would be keen to work in a technology (not permanently or in full capacity) that is completely unrelated to my main experience as they're looking to strengthen one of the teams. Since that technology was something I'm not really interested in working, especially in the long-run, and that technology was not even mentioned in the job offer, I answered that I'm open to it, but on the condition that it's not full capacity and only temporary . It seems they took that as a solid yes. Right of the bat it turned out to be full-time and it's obvious it is not meant to be temporary. I was put in the team with 2 other very senior devs who seem to be happy with the situation. Everyone seem satisfied with my performance, expect me - I don't feel challenged (to be honest the job is boring) and I never wanted (nor agreed) to be put in this kind of project. On one hand, I feel cheated and I'd like to be moved to a different team that does the kind of work I actually interviewed for and am interested in. On the other hand, I was put there only because I agreed so they think it's OK - especially because I quickly caught up and seem engaged (my manager's words). The problem is that the management knows that nobody would agree to do this full-time if asked openly because they did (internally) and every single developer refused and they're happy I didn't. But I didn't, I just vaguely said I'm open to it and on conditions. I'm still on my probation. How do I communicate I don't like the situation and would like to be moved to different team? Even though I know the slots (for teams in my city) are all already filled so there's not really any place to go to and the team I'd leave would be severely under-manned? Should I wait till after probation? I'm starting to feel like everyone is starting to notice I'm not really content with the situation. <Q> It is understandable why you agreed, you want to be a team player but unfortunately your company took advantage of this. <S> I would suggest you have a meeting with your manager immediately and put together an action plan, it could look something like: Remind your manager of your area of expertise and that it is not this current technology and that you only agreed to this assignment temporarily <S> In writing (email or otherwise) get confirmation that once those tasks/milestones are met that you will transfer to the appropriate team <S> Unfortunately your manager likely knew what they were doing when they pulled this bait and switch. <S> If they agree to a timeline, hold them to it. <S> If after the milestones are met, you aren't transferred to the correct team and projects you may be in a situation where you need to look for another position outside of the company. <S> If you do decide to leave for another opportunity, you may want to ask about the specific team you will be working on and what projects you will be contributing to. <A> I will echo what other say <S> but I suspect this was the idea all along. <S> As you've said the other developers refused so what I think happened is that they first asked everyone who would be able to do the job and they all refused. <S> Then they hired externally (you) and bait and switched you to do this job. <S> This is what they wanted all along. <S> So setting goals about how you can be moved to other teams or anything else like <S> that is going to be futile. <S> I've been in this exact situation several times with companies that promised certain things during the interview but then totally ignored them when I was hired. <S> Nothing I said or did ever changed their attitude. <S> So your choices I see are to stick it out or to unfortunately look for another job. <S> I know it sucks <S> but that's the situation <S> and I've been in the same boat <S> so I can sympathize. <A> Here's my comment to similar questions <S> How can I avoid having an interviewer lie to me about what the job will entail? <S> and Employer changes working hours <S> You are on probation. <S> Remember that the company is on probation with you too. <S> Straight out of the gate they changed two things: a) <S> what you're supposed to do b) for how long. <S> And as @Spotted_Flamingo advices are, generally, good. <S> I would not give them the chance to do 2 and 3. <S> Why? <S> Because they can set unrealistic milestones. <S> They can move the goals (they already did it even before you came on board). <S> It's not your job to make the team stable. <S> I would ask for clarification and dates. <S> Why I am in this team doing this <S> I don't know <S> Why this if full-time and look like permanent when we discussed otherwise When (a final set date) it would be considered for me to be finished with this. <S> Remember that you said OK under impression that it would be part-time and temporary. <S> If they say "but you said OK", repeat, like a mantra " <S> But on the condition that it's not full capacity and only temporary". <S> It's their job to hire right people to do right things, if they fail then they see high retention and dissatisfaction in workers. <S> There is a difference beetwen doing things that you know that are boring and not challenging BUT agreeing to do them and not knowing that and being pushed to do them anyway.
| Ask your manager for a definitive list of objectives, projects, and /or milestones that would need to be completed in order for the team to be considered stable
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New job is not challenging, what to do? I resigned/quit 3 days ago from a company, after having worked there for 6 months, as it was firing people and about to shut down. I got a new job but now I feel as though the new job is not challenging but the company is stable. What are some things I should consider when deciding whether to stay or leave? My last company was mentally abusive and threw me into a depression. The new company is fine, but the work is not challenging. The work at my last company wasn't challenging either. <Q> You've been there for three days. <S> Three. <S> Days. <S> That's not enough time to get a complete picture of how the work is going to be - <S> in the mean time there's lots to be positive about, the company is stable and if your coming into it on the back of an unpleasant and stressful environment then maybe a bit of an easier time is just what you need. <A> In most jobs you'll spend most of your first week settling in, going through training and other slightly tedious things - you're rarely going to be stretched too far. <S> Give it a few weeks (at least) and see if you're still feeling the same way. <S> If you are, talk, to your manager and explain that you're not feeling very challenged. <A> You can rephrase your question to: "The work I've been given to do is not challenging". <S> That is very different. <S> If it isn't challenging then do you have spare time, or are you bogged down with huge piles of meaninglessness? <S> If it's the former, start making yourself invaluable. <S> I certainly wouldn't give a new hire something critical to do until I know how well they are doing and what their skills are, so don't expect to be CEO in three days. <S> However, there are probably projects going on that you can start learning about and making an impact in. <S> If it's just piles of work that really are boring, two things: first, you chose the job, so evaluate that. <S> You said that the previous job wasn't challenging either. <S> Maybe it's you? <S> What are your standards for a "challenging" job? <S> Why didn't you find one? <S> Second, boring work is screaming for efficiencies. <S> As before, make yourself invaluable by focusing on streamlining processes. <S> Can you automate parts of it to free up time? <S> Can you improve on what is done and when? <S> Can you allocate resources more efficiently? <S> Three days is not long enough to decide if you like the job and should stay, but it is long enough to start thinking about how to take ownership and excel at the position.
| Also if you were to leave your new place soon then it runs the risk of starting to look like job-hopping, a couple of relatively short stints back to back is going to set a lot of alarm bells ringing for some hiring managers.
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As a Front-End Developer, How to Pivot into Back-end Development? I'm a mobile application developer with 7 years of experience, currently unemployed, aspiring to pivot into a back-end development position. I do fiddle and experiment with some back-end development stacks on the side, but I believe the lack of professional experience might turn away most recruiters. Given the situation, Do you have an advice on how I should prepare myself to suit the position? Do you think I have to resort to restart my career from an entry-level position? <Q> Do you think I have to resort to restart my career from an entry-level position? <S> That actually the most important question. <S> We cannot answer that for you, because we do not know in detail what you know. <S> However, consider this extreme example: you are the greatest guru in mobile applications. <S> And you are sick of using computers, and you decide to become a shoes-maker. <S> What chances will you have to perform as the greatest guru in shoes-making, from day one? <S> Bottom line: <S> you might need to accept a lower "rank" for a while, until you get up-to-speed with your new job. <S> Good luck. <S> And until you get that dream job, keep improving your skills, so you can sell yourself better during the interviews. <S> The company might accept to give you a high rank for your psychological comfort, but they might be ready to pay you only according to your skills - which is expected. <A> Do you have an advice on how I should prepare myself to suit the position? <S> Pick a back-end language and database and start learning from tutorials and blogs. <S> Find some open source projects to contribute to. <S> Not sure what language you've done, but some back-end technologied may be easier to pick up depending - for example, <S> experience with javascript would lend itself to working with node. <S> Other language experience may point to PHP - if you do this, maybe pickup Symfony or Laravel as a framework - they're both in strong demand and pay well. <S> Do you think I have to resort to restart my career from an entry-level position? <S> Probably not a complete restart, especially if you can create or contribute to a couple of projects. <S> You've already got some developer experience and skills. <S> But you might have to take a short step back, first. <S> A back-end developer who has some experience in the front-end is highly desirable for employers, even if you're going into a role that is 100% back-end. <A> IMHO, it wold be a smoother transition for you to move to full-stack developer <S> Look <S> this post up: <S> Don`t know if link posting is allowed, if not remove it please https://blog.udacity.com/2014/12/front-end-vs-back-end-vs-full-stack-web-developers.html <S> There is so much information on-line these days to learn your chosen path. <S> Getting certified in that chosen tool wold help your transitionLack of experience may be offset by the certification in the areas where you feel less comfortable
| Choose the back-end tool/ framework and get acquainted with it. It's not a great time right now, but if you can get to meetups and start networking, you might have an easier time than applying for positions.
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How soon do I need to tell my future employer that I won't be able to work for them? A few months ago, I accepted a position at a company in another state. I've been preparing for the trip to that state for months now, but due to circumstances preventing me from finding an apartment there, from having any sort of help in moving down there, and mounting unexpected expenses and problems with COVID-19 restrictions, I've come to the heart-wrenching realization that I simply cannot start this position like I wanted to months ago. Now, I am in the process of making plans for my immediate future - but this leaves me with the task of telling my once-future employer that I cannot take the job offer I had previously accepted. At this point, the job start date is almost a full month away (it would have been July 22nd), and I'm not sure what the etiquette or legal requirements are for informing my to-be employer that I cannot start this job. How soon should I inform this employer that I cannot begin working for them? Is there any etiquette or legal guideline I should follow? Adding some context: Note that the option to work remotely is not available - I would have to travel down to the site to receive a work computer in person, and would also be expected to begin working on-site two weeks later. I should also mention that part of my hesitance is in realizing the obstacles in my way could prevent me from effectively performing my job - and the fear that the job may not be as stable as I had hoped, since I already have a job where I am. <Q> I suggest that instead of telling them you can't take the job <S> you tell them the problems you're facing. <S> Ideally, you would have some proposed solutions as well. <S> For example, are their people all working remotely? <S> Perhaps you could start remotely also and move there when things settle down. <S> Is your biggest issue finding an apartment? <S> Perhaps they have some resources to help you with that search. <S> And so on. <S> If you want to work for them, and they want you to work for them, then starting a conversation (when it's not too late) and working together to find a way for this to work even in "these unprecedented times" could work out wonderfully. <S> And, if they can't or won't help and you can't move there, telling them <S> so will arise rather organically as part of the process of trying to solve these problems. <S> Don't lead with that, but understand that you may end up there in the end. <S> As for how soon you need to tell them, there's no legal requirement as far as I know. <S> The more unexpected and serious your reason, the more ok it is to give short notice. <S> If you emailed on your start date with something like "now that I think about it <S> I don't think I want to live in your city <S> " then you will be seen in a poor light. <S> If you told them 2 months before your start date that you have to stop working indefinitely to care for a very ill family member, and that when this person dies you'll be in touch, you'll probably be forgiven (though the job probably won't be held for you.) <S> In this case where you alert them a month in advance that there are problems, and demonstrate your willingness to figure out a way to solve them, I think it should be possible, even if you decline the job in the end, for them to think well of you, for what that's worth. <A> How soon should I inform this employer that I cannot begin working forthem? <S> Is there any etiquette or legal guideline I should follow? <S> The proper etiquette when your situation has changed is to inform the employer as soon as possible, so that they can make other plans. <S> There is no advantage to waiting. <A> How could the answer be anything other than "As soon as possible"?You have made an agreement with this company, on the basis of which they are allocating resources and making plans. <S> The longer you leave it; <S> the worse situation they are going to be in. <S> If this isn't obvious to you on reflection, then I think the company dodged a bullet. <S> Etiquette or legal guidelines don't need to factor here: I would call it basic common decency. <A> Your contract with the employer should usually mention a notice period. <S> However, essentially it is a decision for you. <S> If you handed in your resignation and ignored this notice period it may affect relationships with your employer and you will be considered in breach of contract. <S> Despite this, big employers tend not to sue for breach of contract because likely they can hire someone else quite quickly and won't have a significant loss from one employee leaving. <S> It is more of a moral question than a legal question and is really down to you.
| In your case, the right thing to do is to tell them today.
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Saying I'm done for the day when leaving office I just got a new job two weeks ago, the workplace is very formal. Before leaving for home, almost everyone asks the boss:"Can I leave?"or"Can I close?" which I find very awkward because it seems they're being held against their will. So far I just do the work I'm assigned and each day before leaving I tell them what was completed and what is remaining. After that I just say, "I'm done for the day." And that's it. Should I also ask like others or is their any other formal way of asking before calling it a day and heading home? <Q> Disclaimer: <S> I don't know much about Indian culture/societal expectations, so please take this with a grain of salt. <S> Maybe one person started doing this of their own volition and everyone else just followed suit. <S> If your boss does ask you to change your behaviour, then you agree to do as he requests, apologize for any misunderstanding and carry on. <S> If you decide at that time that you aren't willing to do what was asked on a regular basis, it's probably time to consider leaving. <S> The reason you could give anyone who inquires is that the company culture isn't a "good fit" for you. <A> If it is less, then it is a courtesy to inform the manager that one is leaving. <S> If it is an MNC where shuttles arrive on time, then everyone leaves at the designated time and it would be a simple bye if one bumps into the manager. <S> If it is any other setting, then what you are doing is good enough. <S> Since you are already in that flow, continue it. <S> If this breaks, we can never guess the behaviour of the manager. <S> There was one company I worked for, where everyone addressed the manager as sir. <S> I was not comfortable with that, and I informed him during the initial days itself they I would address him by his name. <S> He pretty much laughed it off and have a thumbs up. <S> There was never any problem with him. <S> I chose to address this issue in the beginning itself. <S> But, since you are already in that trend, I would suggest you to continue. <A> It really depends. <S> If you boss wants you to do something else, it would make sense that the application/interface be up and running. <S> So it may make sense to ask if the boss has anything further to do prior to closing this application. <S> With that said, I have no idea <S> what it is you do. <S> Your boss may accept your statement but I would think you run into a couple of risks here. <S> First if you boss accepts it but does not accept it from someone else, someone who might change their statement, then your boss might get called out by HR for discriminating allowing one person to use a statement but not others. <S> Second, it really depends on your relationship with your boss. <S> I imagine your boss is expecting the same sort of questions from everyone, so just saying, "I'm done. <S> See you tomorrow." <S> He might raise an eyebrow and may take it as a good or bad thing. <S> Overall though I say go with your guts. <S> Nobody ever been a good captain in calm waters. <S> Me personally I wouldn't even say anything at all. <S> I would just leave and come back the next day unless something came up. <S> I don't think I ever said good bye to the boss in my entire career in multiple companies. <S> Perhaps if I met him in the elevator or something.
| Just go with your guts but at the same time if you have to ask, I would say it's best to just follow everyone else. If you weren't given explicit instructions about this when you started, I would say just do what you feel comfortable with, until and unless your boss asks you to do something different. Depends totally in the size of the company. It sounds to me like you have to close down or otherwise exit out of something prior to leaving that takes a long while to start back up.
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I've been receiving a lot of overly positive reviews recently. Should I be suspicious? So I've been working full-time for the past year and a half approximately as a software engineer. And I was working part-time for them about a year and a half before that, including some full-time as summer internship. Now this seems like a silly question to me, but I've only had maybe one review out of 4 or 5 that I believe was fair and that was the first one I received as an intern, which was a satisfactory. All others have been overly generous to the point of wondering if my company is blind, basically at excellent performer level. More recently however, my reviews have even been more overly positive and included a promotion that increased my salary by around 10% or so. Even going so far to say that according to other managers, I'm close to the top employee in my level, which I clearly think is bullshit. Should I be suspicious about anything? Now for some context on me, for the past year my work has DEFINITELY not been the best, in fact probably some of the worst and I would've fired me. I've been slacking off more due to lack of motivation and trying to find a new job. My worst offenses include leaving early fairly regularly, falling asleep at work for 1-4 hours at a time fairly regularly, and browsing the internet for the majority of the remaining time of my work day. Sometimes even filling out job applications, while at work. This has been going on for over a year, yet I'm still receiving a surprising amount of glowing praise. None of this has ever been directly seen by one of my managers, but it has to have had a noticeable affect on my performance that would be able to be seen instantly because I don't work at an insane pace. Now for some context on my workplace, things do move slowly here for sure in a lot of ways. For example and one of the major reasons my work ethic is so screwed right now, for my first year plus here and even for about 3 months last year I had nothing assigned to me about 80% of the time due to most work being classified and needing to wait on clearance. Due to being in a classified environment, documentation is thin where available and code may be documented poorly to prevent classifying it and adding additional red tape to keeping it. This place also happens to have a relatively high turnover, like during the past month we had at least 3 early - mid-level employees leave during everything going on. Out of all the interns that I came in with, which was about 7-10 people, only me and one other still remain and even most of the full-time employees I was around at the time are gone too. <Q> I wouldn't suggest being "suspicious" in that there isn't a nefarious reason for this that makes sense. <S> In an environment where there is high turnover of skilled positions, continuing to show up everyday may be enough to "exceed expectations". <A> I think your behaviour doesn't sound good... <S> but in the current organisation, if other people are not even turning up at the office - then sleeping for 4hours is certainly better than that. <S> If you've outlasted all those people, you definitely know more about the work, and the documentation. <S> I think you've got what qualifies as a "cushy job" - professionally boring, but plenty of time for "hobbies" and living life. <S> If you're at the top of your level, I'd be angling for a promotion and pay rise. <S> Maybe even 2 levels. <S> I mean let's look at the facts <S> , you know more than anyone, you should have minions reporting to you <S> (cue megalomaniac laughing ) <A> point of wondering if my company is blind They often look at things narrowly. <S> All that matters is what your managers/reviewers see. <S> My managers interact with me directly maybe 20 minutes a week directly now that we are remote. <S> There are weeks where I don’t speak to either of them at all. <S> I then sit in on a 4 hour sprint meeting with everyone where I barely speak, but they see the tickets I have done in sprint. <S> That’s it. <S> I am mostly evaluated based on that ticket board and those two minimal meetings. <S> I can’t see how anything else factors into how I am judged as nobody is around to know how I spend that time. <S> Is there a similar narrow window for you? <A> This is normally just to some degree influenced by your performance. <S> Mostly this has to do with the "chemistry" between you. <S> If they like you, you can slack off and be a jerk to others and you will still get excellent reviews and progress in your career. <S> If they don't, you can be the most productive, diligent employee and be still bullied by them and let go. <S> It's not fair <S> but it's true. <S> There are rational factors that could have influenced your perf. <S> reviews but the intangible ones shouldn't be neglected. <A> Should I be suspicious about anything? <S> I don't see anything in you <S> post to be suspicious about sounds like a standard government job. <S> There is a problem here though. <S> Eventually (maybe even now) you'll be paid a handsome wage for doing virtually no work and when you look at other jobs you'll have to take a pay cut to do more work. <S> There will be the odd job that pops up that will pay more but if you continue to fall asleep and do little to no work your skill set will be left behind. <S> This will trap you in your current job which is sounds like you hate <S> so I would be careful. <S> What often happens is that time rolls by and you just fall into this comfort trap until. <S> You dept will be made redundant. <S> Someone somewhere is keeping you all around and justifying the little amount of work you do but that will not last forever. <S> Maybe that person will leave or maybe the government will change and whatever it is you do will get replaced <S> but I guarantee that time will come. <S> If you do nothing you'll find yourself out a job and needing to re-train to be hire-able. <S> There are ways around this: <S> Given that you aren't doing anything for days on end you can up-skill yourself. <S> Learn that new framework, programming language ...etc and post publicly about it <S> Try to get more involved in other departments in your org and get yourself noticed by another department and move <S> My advice is you have to do something you can't let this continue on.
| Get another job but that is more 'normal' i.e. that you have to do real work and get things done on time Work on your skills in your spare time. Others may be right, but from my experience what matters most in the workplace is whether your bosses simply like you on a personal level. The simplest explanation to me is there is a misalignment in level of expectations between yourself and the company.
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How do I interact with a person who only sees me in a bad light? There is this one coworker at work who is responsible for the end stage of a certain process. In other words if you have questions that documentation does not answer, you have to go to her to get the answer. At the same time, said coworker and I end up causing friction with one another. She used to be my manager and I moved to another team in large part because her team shrunk the moment I joined it and she treated questions as "focus on your work" as opposed to "hey he hit the edge of his knowledge, maybe he needs my help". So I took the full brunt of the team work as the new guy coming in barely learning something with a manager who saw ramping me up to the team as an obstruction. Regardless, here is the scenario. I once had to follow a certain process on the wiki. There were subtle details that I screwed up that the wiki was not explicitly clear on. So I ask her a question about said ambiguity (note: In the question I didn't originally state whether I read her wiki or not, didn't think it was needed). She then responds with "Did you read the wiki?". I, upon further realization saw what the difference was and corrected it in the wiki, in addition to another detail that I knew was wrong. I responded to her stating as much. She then responds with Mr. Last name Please do not touch the WIKI. Our team controls the PROCESS. Follow the other email sent by teammate. The email sent by teammate was sent after I already did said action that teammate proposed. Luckily I had a two week PTO vacation the next day, so a teammate took on the task of finishing up the process while I was out. But I will likely have to ask said person a question again since she is responsible for this process. I really, really want to avoid interaction with her because I feel like I will get needless hostility, but it may be necessary should I stumble upon an ambiguity again. Question How do I interact with a coworker that is necessary to talk to, yet responds with hostility. <Q> Be polite. <S> Be respectful. <S> Be professional. <S> Make sure you read the Wiki or whatever other documentation <S> you're expected to use and read. <S> Then explain "I read the Wiki <S> but it seems ambiguous on this point. <S> " or "I read the Wiki <S> but it doesn't address this point. <S> " or whatever the case may be. <S> Your career is going to be full of talking to and dealing with people you don't necessarily care for or get along with. <S> Get used to it and find your method for talking to and dealing with those people in a polite, respectful, and professional manner. <S> Regardless of what some people may say, and regardless of how this person treats you, nothing positive has ever been gained by being a jerk. <A> said coworker <S> and I end up causing friction with one another. <S> This happens usually when things are not explicitly clarified and not properly solved. <S> How do I interact with a coworker that is necessary to talk to, yet responds with hostility. <S> First of all, what you perceive as hostility might be only imperfect human nature. <S> Maybe bad health. <S> Or nay other reason. <S> The solution <S> Remember that at all times you need to be respectful and non-aggressive. <S> Also control the tone of your voice. <S> Remember to breath deeply and remain calm, no-matter what. <S> Express your thoughts and your feelings ABOUT THE SITUATION. <S> Do NOT make statements about the other person. <S> E.g., instead of: You are always hostile to me use: <S> I think that our communication is not OK, since we cannot easily reach agreements. <S> Let her present her point of view. <S> Ask questions for clarifications. <S> Assume that everything she says is true - because from her point of view is most like true. <S> When your opinions do not match, explain your point of view, and ask how you two can find a common understanding. <S> She then responds with "Did you read the wiki?". <S> And you should calmly answer something like: <S> Yes I did. <S> It gave me this info and this info , but it does not explain these details and these details . <S> Are they explained somewhere else? <S> Is is possible to have these details added to the Wiki, so other colleagues in the future do not have the same problem? <S> Is there anything I can do to help? <S> BTW, "Did you read the Wiki?" does not sound aggressive at all. <S> To be aggressive, it should have been asked like "Why did you not read the f&^$ Wiki before coming to me?". <S> From a scientific point of view, you need to study and train more in the following fields: giving and receiving feedback; conflict avoidance; conflict management; conflict resolution; communication. <A> You will surely meet a lot of people like this and by no choice you will be interacting with them. <S> Even how much unprofessional they will treat you, don't follow the same trend. <S> Be professional. <S> If you need to converse with them, still be polite and respectful. <S> If these kind of people will see you treating them the same as before(not being rude) not matter how much they were rude to you <S> , they probably will come to see you in another light. <S> Since I believe that bad impressions doesn't last long. <S> Although I quit the company when it first happened to me <S> but I learned my lesson well. <S> Points: <S> but rather you want to make the work flow smooth. <S> It works most of the case. <S> Saying sorry although you are not wrong, doesn't mean you are below, it means you are sensible enough not to make it as major issue (and choose the right time when to say it) <S> Hold your grounds when it comes on what you believe but also try understand on they believe in to. <S> Try to meet halfway, as much as you can. <S> If everything fails, at least you can say to yourself you have done what you can <S> so you won't have those kind of heavy feelings when you move forward. <A> Also: "this is what Upper-Level Management™ is for!" <S> Anytime that you perceive that you are having any sort of "conflict" with any other co-worker, and/or <S> that such co-worker is having a "conflict" with you, then there is one <S> "HR approved" way to handle it: "escalate it." <S> Present the issue upward, as level-handedly as you can manage. <S> And then, expect a resolution to thereafter be handed "downward," which (both of) you must be prepared to "professionally accept. <S> " <S> Both of you must be fully prepared to be judged to be "in the wrong." <S> ("Suck it up, buttercup." <S> Or, maybe not ... <S> Anyway, life goes on.)
| During years of experience, I found out that the best way to deal with these kinds of issues is to invite the person to a face-2-face meeting, and openly discuss what is gong on. Interacting with them with polite way doesn't mean you want to be friends with them In time, you will learn to understand each other more, and to trust each other more, and you may end up liking to work with that person.
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Is career development more prevalent or expected in smaller companies for software development? I know in bigger companies which I am in today expects career development within few years and they expect developers take additional responsibilities which falls close to product management. Also, it is due to the fact that managers have to follow a mandate to invest in their team's career development. Given this fact, is career development is more prevalent or expected in smaller companies compared to bigger companies? I have no interest whatsoever about career development and fulfilled with the current work I am doing(which is development only and I am a master at it). Should I spend more time to gain more development experience at work and look for a job elsewhere possibly in a smaller company to avoid this expectation? <Q> I have no interest whatsoever about career development and fulfilled with the current work I am doing <S> You're actually in demand in many places. <S> Turnover is high with devs as many want to progress their careers or other reasons. <S> Many govt and large corporations are quite happy to have someone quietly sit in the same role for a decade and churn out work. <S> Just turn down advancement to other roles. <S> I'm an engineer, not a dev, but I have done so in the past. <S> Just said I want to progress as an engineer, it's what I'm qualified and growing in. <S> I've never had an issue. <S> If you're as good a dev as you think you are, no one should have an issue either, you're valuable where you are. <A> I think the concept are the same with smaller companies. <S> If they see you that you are master with your field, they tend to force you take the management position. <S> Let me explain it just a bit. <S> These are my experience in small company. <S> Manpower is not enough, so you will become an all around guy. <S> I worked before in a really small gaming company where I was a manager/programmer/tester/sales rep/app publisher and even sometimes a blogger and designer. <S> As I said, since manpower is not enough, so there are times you will get ask to do somethings that you don't know <S> but you just need to do it since they asked you to do. <S> Like, when I was in an small outsourcing company before, and the devops suddenly quit, so I was assigned to those devops task since we are short in manpower. <S> As I said slashes in your title. <S> For bigger companies, I don't have much since I like working in smaller ones. <S> I was assigned in automation tester at first, then they told me after 6 months I should develop my career in automating performance testing(since <S> they need it), where I only have vague knowledge. <S> After six months, when they saw that I was knowledgeable enough, they put me as team leader of this team but that not what I wanted my career path should be. <S> I want to code more. <S> Even though I told them, they will just tell me to wait until someone takes my place <S> but it never happened, so I ended up resigning and found a job as programmer instead. <S> My point is that, if you are not ready to hold a management position, you should try saying it to them, that it is not the career path you want to yourself although you appreciates it. <S> If they don't listen, then it's a decision time for yourself whether to stay or not. <A> If your current company is pushing for career development then you'll need to make it clear to your manager that's not what you want. <S> There are many places that will be fine with you just staying at your current level. <S> If you are an intermediate (e.g. non-senior) developer then expect that they will like for you to eventually become a senior <S> but again you can stay where you are as long as you communicate this. <S> It's hard to give an objective answer on career development in large vs small orgs <S> but I suspect there is little difference if you want to stay <S> were you are any org will oblige. <S> I would point out that if you speak with the company about your intentions about staying at your current level then that is an invitation for the company to give you lousy pay rises. <S> So I would expect that you'll only get cost of living pay rises because you're just doing the same thing as you were last year. <S> I know quite a few devs in my current job and previous that are/were in this exact same situation. <S> The pay was fine and the just wanted to do their jobs and not advance at all <S> so it's not unusual in any way. <A> Less likely, as there are fewer places to develop into. <S> a lot of the traditional career progression is constrained by the fact that there is no "up" in many smaller companies. <S> A friend of mine works for a 5 person startup. <S> There is one person above him, the founding CTO/CEO. <S> In my 300ish person company with just a small software development team, there is one level above me in terms of career development. <S> You can get raises, but there isn't more responsibility to be had or greater challenges to be earned. <S> In either case, any career development in terms of title requires a significant departure from the company. <S> Either the person currently in the job has to leave and someone can move up or the person who wants the new title leaves. <A> It seems to me, that you're identifying career development with raising to management. <S> But it doesn't have to be. <S> Career development is not always vertical (managing people) , it may also be horizontal ("individual contributor") or a mixture of those. <S> Since you want to avoid becoming a manager, you should consider following the path of an individual contributor . <S> Your career development might then lead you to gain more responsibility in terms of larger or more complex projects/tasks , rather than leading people. <S> You could then find out, whether this would match your goals and check with your manager, how this path can be followed (or look for some place, where this is possible) as a side note: <S> Forcing employees into a solely vertical career path can lead to: people raising into management positions they're not fit for (see Peter Principle ) <S> people getting unhappy and (due to the lack of other possibilities) to quit people underperforming to stay in their current career spot
| It does depend on what you mean by "smaller" but
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Ethics of freelance work when expenses are already covered I currently work a 9-5, salaried office job. I also, on evenings and weekends, do freelance work in another field unrelated to my primary job, which is dominated primarily by freelance practitioners billing hourly rates. My two jobs don't conflict for my time or skills as they are during totally different times of day and require different skillsets. I have an advantage over most freelancers in that my primary job pays me enough to live on--I don't have to make any income from my side gig if I don't want to. This means that I can offer much lower rates than other freelancers. A lot of times, I'll work for small organizations or artists that are truly unable to pay a livable rate and just wouldn't hire anyone otherwise, but sometimes I'll work for companies who do have the budget to pay the market rate, but choose to work with me because I'm slightly cheaper. What are the ethics of offering a lower rate (or even working for free) because your expenses are covered by another job? Do I have an obligation to other freelancers to help keep the market rate at a livable level? <Q> While it's not unethical to others to underbid them, I would advise you not to. <S> Oh, for the nonprofits and the good causes and the starving artists, go ahead and charge just a nominal rate. <S> But for the clients who can afford the going rate, charge the going rate. <S> For your own sake. <S> Now to be clear: I don't advise this because you will be happier getting more money. <S> I advise this because you will have better clients, and be treated better by the clients you have, when you charge what others charge. <S> When you don't charge much, some people act like your time's not worth much. <S> They change their mind, cancel meetings, jerk you around, argue over petty things, and much more. <S> Charging a little more means that certain kinds of clients won't engage you, and that's a feature . <S> In the most extreme case, when you offer your services free, you may find yourself treated abysmally when you were expecting gratitude. <S> Charge what you're worth. <S> If you don't need the money, and are mostly doing it for fun, then give the money away. <S> Or use it to buy some works from the up and coming artist that may be worth a lot some day. <S> Or save it in a fund earmarked for your early retirement. <A> You set your rates based on your needs. <S> In retail this is done all the time. <S> If a company can lower their margin, thus reducing cost to the buyer, then they might attract more buyers. <S> My only caution to you is that reducing your rate too far before market begins to undervalue your time, and eventually customers will come to expect it. <S> Make sure you're very deliberate when you set your rate. <A> Do I have an obligation to other freelancers to help keep the market rate at a livable level? <S> No you don't, but it will give you a bad reputation with some. <S> There are plenty of freelancers like you at the bottom of the food chain. <S> The really experienced and competent guys don't care, they charge and get premium rates and have no interest in the sort of clients you attract. <S> The rest in the rat race may, but it's not your problem. <A> What are the ethics of offering a lower rate (or even working forfree) because your expenses are covered by another job? <S> Do I have anobligation to other freelancers to help keep the market rate at alivable level? <S> There are no ethical issues in offering your services at whatever rate you choose, no matter what the reason. <S> There may be business reasons for not underpricing yourself, and you might find yourself being lumped in with online freelancer sites that feature folks who compete based on extremely low prices. <S> But that is solely your choice to make - it's not an ethical choice. <S> You owe nothing to other freelancers. <S> Nor do they owe anything to you. <A> There is no ethical issue. <S> This is free market capitalism. <S> The fact that you have benefits that other freelancers may not have has no bearing.
| You're free to charge whatever rates you like for whatever reasons you like. If you can lower your rates to attract more customers, then by all means do so. There is absolutely nothing unethical about it.
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I think I observed racial harassment/threats. What do I do? I'm very often one of the last people to leave the office in the evening. As I was leaving on Friday, I noticed that a sticky note had been attached to a co-worker's cubicle next to their name card which said: DEPORTADO The cubicle is typically occupied by a worker who is Puerto Rican. I know a little Spanish, but even without that I felt most people could make an educated guess at what that might mean. Based on what Google suggests to me, it says 'DEPORTED' OR 'EXILED'. To my knowledge, my co-worker has not seen this note as he has been working from home through the pandemic. Regardless, this appears like a threat towards him with a strong anti-immigrant slant which I consider wholly unacceptable. Most everyone in the office has notes they've written to themselves on their desk. As I was one of the last ones in the office, I went through most everyone's office and reviewed their handwriting and have a strong suspicion for who the guilty party might be. Unfortunately, the person I suspect is also someone who I have been arguing with about the need for the Black Lives Matter protests. I have two questions: Is there any way that I could have misconstrued what was posted on my coworker's cubicle? I am not fluent in Spanish and I don't know if there's a cultural reference in play that might suggest this as a light-hearted thing. I believe this is a threat that has been made towards an employee by another and I wish to report it to management. In the interests of avoiding being accused in a retaliatory manner, I want to be as anonymous as possible on the matter as I don't want the person that I suspect to know that I am the one reporting this lest they try and suggest that I did it to frame them. Should I report the matter completely anonymously or have a discussion with my manager and request my name be withheld as the reporting party? <Q> Yes, this is likely racist harassment. <S> (Source: <S> Live in Texas with Hispanic relatives). <S> Joking about someone being deported is right square in the set of “inappropriate activity in the workplace.” <S> People turning a blind eye to it is why it persists in professional workplaces, and I commend you for your concern. <S> It's "your business" and your place to report as much as seeing any other kind of HR or safety violation. <S> So yes, I would certainly report this specific incident, but with just the facts not your guesses/“investigation” of who and how. <S> That’s HR’s job not yours. <S> Trying to be completely anonymous is probably not a great idea, since it puts you a risk of being investigated as the person who did it! <S> Consider whether anyone has seen you nosing around a lot recently as you’ve been “checking handwriting” and such, you’re probably top of the suspicious-characters list in the office right now yourself. <S> Best to simply stand behind your concern. <S> I’d take a picture of the note and take it to your manager, explaining your concern and asking him to take it to HR because you’re not sure if it’s a problem or who did it <S> but it seems sketchy to you. <S> If he declines, you can decide whether to take it to them yourself. <S> Them being bullied into not complaining is not a material improvement from anyone's perspective. <S> Obviously doing the morally correct thing can have drawbacks, as others are more than willing to tell you; you have to decide whether possible blowback is worth knowing you’re helping to create a workplace that doesn’t tolerate harassment or not. <S> Because when bullies see that other people will get involved, they tend to scuttle off and at least keep their racism to their private time. <A> If you want to make a stand, stand tall, standing halfway up is called squatting and bears do it in the woods. <S> It shows a lack of confidence and commitment and should be avoided. <S> Someone putting a sneaky postit note and someone tattling on incomplete evidence while wanting to remain anonymous are not much different. <S> Especially since it's against someone you have been arguing with. <A> You discovered a piece of paper with the word DEPORTADO written on it and attached to a coworkers cubicle. <S> You don't know the context of why it was written and attached to this persons cubicle. <S> You snooped through everyone's offices and cubicles and you think that you've identified the person who wrote it. <S> Can you prove that? <S> Can you prove that they not only wrote it but attached it to the cubicle? <S> How will you explain your snooping? <S> While we should all be vigilant in our fight against racism and discrimination, you have a very weak case here.
| If it were me, I'd move on and not proceed with any actions regarding this. I would not involve the person whose cube it was - for one, they could probably use less racist actions in their life, and for two, it's not relevant whether they want to complain or not, this is about creating a discrimination-free workplace.
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Why do headhunters try to get the resume or cv by all means? Sometimes, headhunters make me scratch my head with their behaviors. Here, I write one instance I had with a headhunter. I hope someone can explain what's going on with them. One headhunter contacted me around 2 months asking my cv. I was not looking for a new job and was very busy with my work so I couldn't find time to update my cv. Also, I didn't want to send my cv when I didn't look for a job and I was not pleased with his contact. But he repeatedly messaged me through Linkedin and eventually, I wrote one for him. And as soon as I sent him my cv, I couldn't reach him anymore. I asked him what's going on but no answer. He didn't introduce any opportunity either. I guessed that he might need only my cv and nothing else. Why does headhunter need cv? Can they make money only with applicants' cv? <Q> Many recruiters are playing a numbers game. <S> They are going for quantity over quality. <S> Collect as many resumes as possible, send them to as many companies as possible, and collect the commission when one bites. <S> Recruiters who operate that way often use a lot of automation to safe time. <S> They automatically skim platforms like Linkedin or Stackoverflow Jobs, automatically write emails to people who match certain criteria and automatically write followups if they didn't respond within X days. <S> They don't manually interact with individual applicants after they got their resume, because that's not an efficient use of their time. <S> Should you use such a recruiter? <S> Well, if your job search strategy would be basically the same - send the same application to any company you can find and sort through those which reply - then why not. <S> You can just as well outsource that process. <S> But if you prefer to thoroughly look for companies and apply to those you really want to work at by hand-tailoring your application for every company (yes, they can tell the difference), then such a recruiter is not a good fit for you. <A> In my experiences 99.9% of "recruiters" that reach out to you for CV with no position in mind a low level / starting employees that have to show work for their bosses, result is NOT their goal, all they want is your name with file in their weekly / monthly report Do not get hammered in to doing anything you do not want / need to do. <A> Possibly had a good lead for which you were a match which then dried up, or went to another candidate or agency. <S> Alternative Scenarios: <S> Multiply this (CV gathering) by 1000 (or some large number) and the headhunter company can boast about having 1000 qualified candidates available to their clients. <S> The fact you are not actively looking is a minor consideration. <S> Worst case ( <S> and I have seen and experienced this) is they take a good CV and change the contact and name details to that of a candidate they need to place.
| They are not trying to achieve a high success rate , they are trying to achieve a high success frequency through sheer volume.
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How to trust a freelancer and stop him from stealing my idea? I am a computer graduate but the idea on which I want to start my startup is mechanical based. I have found a potential candidate but he live in a different country. He is completely new to me but inorder to start my company I need his help. Is there any way by which the freelancer could not leak my idea in case he tends to cheats on me . <Q> That gives you the basis to take legal action against him if he does disclose your ideas. <S> But an NDA is only useful if you can enforce it. <S> That means hiring lawyers. <S> And if he is in a different country, that would be lawyers in the country where he lives. <S> If you aren't in a position to do that, you have no way to keep your ideas safe. <A> The safest thing to do is give freelancers only part of a project. <S> There is no need to give them the whole idea at all. <S> Most won't ask questions, just build to specification. <S> I'm an engineer, my primary interest is finishing my work professionally and getting paid. <A> You are focused on the wrong issue. <S> With every new invention, the most important thing is not employee / contractor theft. <S> The most important factor is "what needs to be in version 2? <S> " When you attempt to sell your new invention, the customers will tell you what features they really need. <S> You will either redesign the invention or go out of business. <S> When I started out, I was worried about customers ripping off my software inventions and spent a bunch of time and effort trying to put in some kind of copy protection. <S> That was a total waste of time and effort. <S> What was more important was adding the features that customers really needed and were willing to pay for. <S> So, plan on redesigning it at least twice. <S> A lot of inventions need 5-10 times redesigning. <S> Redo, redo, and redo again until people want to buy it.
| One thing you definitely need is a properly drawn up non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
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trying to do an internal transfer, but getting resistance from the upper managers I work at a Dow 30 company and I'm not too happy with my current role. I applied to a role (in another business unit) in my company and the hiring manager is highly interested. I will have the last round of interview next week. My boss was originally supportive and said good words about me. Once I got to the final round of interview, boss's boss is not happy that I might leave and wants me to stay another 6 month to finish a project (one that I barely started). I feel 6 month is way too long to be unhappy, and is honestly unnecessarily long for a transition period. It's not like they won't survive without me. My boss asked the hiring manager if the last round of interview (panel) should still take place given that I'm not going anywhere for 6 month. The hiring manager said to let the pipeline continue and "we'll see". I'd be happy to stick it out another 2 month, but no way 6 month. I feel my management is trying to take me out of consideration for the internal role by specifying such a long transition time. FYI, I've been at my current role for 2+ years. Advice? thanks <Q> It is quite clear that you do not want to continue being in the current team for another 6 months, so I will not brainstorm on this alternative. <S> Then you have two alternatives: <S> You move to the other team. <S> You move to another company. <S> You might want to go the following route, which I consider to be the safest: <S> You go job hunting, no joke; <S> once you have a good deal, you go to your current boss and tell him that he can choose: he lets you go to the other department, or you go to the other company; win-win for you; talk to the hiring manager; see if he is willing to match (or exceed) <S> the salary you would get from the other company; <S> based on all the info you have now, make your decision. <A> Although there are a lot of missing details, it seems like there are two relevant facts: <S> the hiring manager in the other business unit has a need that you can fill, your boss (and his boss) in your current business unit has a need that you can fill. <S> Staying for 6 months implies that your current business unit's needs are more important than the other's. <S> But here's the thing: <S> that's not your decision. <S> Nor is it your boss's, or his boss's (unless he heads both units). <S> Instead that's something for the leaders of the two business units to resolve between themselves. <S> And from experience, that other business unit will have very little sympathy for your current unit when it comes to an employee who wants to transfer. <S> So I'd recommend a quiet chat with the hiring manager, and let him know that you're really excited to move to the new unit and you want to do so as soon as possible. <S> With the other business unit fighting for you, it's quite likely that your current boss (and his boss) won't be in a position to do much about it. <A> that I might leave and wants me to stay another 6 month to finish aproject (one that I barely started). <S> Given that you've barely started this project, the 6 months deadline is probably going to end up being 12 months or 24 months instead. <S> Since there is little you can do to control the internal political system of your company, you must plan for the worst. <A> I have been in your situation a few times. <S> The ability to move internally is blocked by your current management. <S> In some cases it is their attempt to stop somebody from leaving. <S> They know that if you look externally they can't stop you, so they stop you the only way they can. <S> When current management is consulted while evaluating internal candidates for jobs, there is always the risk that the current management will either block the transfer or downplay your skills to make sure you don't get offered the new position. <S> The companies that I know handle this <S> well don't allow the current manager to even know you have applied. <S> The hiring team can see your employee file and your annual reviews without needed to contact them. <S> That eliminates the temptation of interfering. <S> The first time they know about it is when you give them the notice your are changing projects. <S> To eliminate too much job hopping they block internal transfers for 6 months to a year after making a switch. <S> In a company I worked for that handled this poorly the only option for good employees to switch is when higher management forced the issue, or when a current contract was about to end. <S> If the delays lasted long enough people just left the company. <S> I would let the current situation play out, it is possible that the new project will decide to pick you and wait for the deadline. <S> In the mean time I would look outside the company. <S> That way if the deadline is extended and then you get a good external offer, you can then leave. <S> In this case both managers will be upset, and the company might eventually see the problem.
| Start interviewing with external employers as well.
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Should I actually go to this "last interview"? I've been "found" by a company that needs a web developer, I was not looking for a job and my CV was not available anywhere as far as I know. This company is a SUPER opportunity for my career development because I will be able to use bleeding-edge technology and my "future boss" is a super prepared person in all the tech aspects, he's a beast to be honest. I've had several successful interviews already, and I've been invited to meet with the CEO, but this is the 3rd attempt to set up that meeting, previous attempts were via Zoom and were cancelled. Now they want me to attend in person. I feel like they bailed me on those 2 previous meetings. I seriously can't imagine their workload because they're kind of starting as a company in the financial world: probably they had clients to attend to, setting up my salary budget, talking about the future of the company, COVID-19 shortages, etc. Am I just trying to justify their acts or is it that I have such high hopes for this position that I might be falling in a trap? I currently have a job, and they know that, I've been advised by several people to be patient because of the huge opportunity it might be for me. I really want this job but not at least sending an email of "Hey we're sorry we couldn't make it to the meeting because of X and Y, we'll reschedule it if that's fine for you." pisses me off so much that I really consider answering this "Hey come meet in person the CEO" with a "Fade off" but that's so immature to be honest and I don't want to be unprofessional. Please advise me. <Q> Basically it comes down to this: Do you think the company is scamming you? <S> Like, it's someone who is not really a company <S> but they say they are in order to run some scam like getting money from you or something. <S> Given that you have already had 3 interviews with this company, do you feel they are legit? <S> Rescheduling an interview twice when the interviewer is the CEO is not particularly uncommon. <S> Is it a red flag? <S> Yes, because it means you are not their top priority. <S> Is it a big red flag? <S> That depends on how reasonable you think the requests to reschedule are. <S> Like, did the requests come just out of the blue, or did they give you some notice time to reschedule <S> so you didn't have to take time off your regular job? <S> Did they give a satisfactory explanation of the reason they needed to reschedule, or just say "we need to reschedule"? <S> As was said in the comments though, if you have any kind of expense to go to the interview, like taxi or expensive train or whatever, make sure to ask them to get reimbursed for it <S> (I wouldn't ask them for reimbursement for like a local subway or something because that sounds kind of cheap). <S> If they cancel on you a third time though, then I would definitely write them off as probably a scammer or something. <S> In life as in baseball: Three strikes, you're out! <A> It looks like there is not much you're losing by going to the in-person interview. <S> In my experience, there is not much carrier advancement, being a "outsource" from placement company, you are always a resource. <S> In your current state - no offer / contract - you are not losing anything, same job and some potential job if the company, that headhunted you is checked out as a actual one, why not giving it a chance? <A> Never be weak <S> Your instinct is 100000% correct . <S> If the other party is dicking you around, in any way, you have to stand up for yourself. <S> If you don't: you're always on the back foot in every future negotiation. <S> Salary negotiations will go against you. <S> Be reasonable <S> At the same time, you've said that, in fact ... you pretty much really want the job in question. <S> Unfortunately then, they "have you over a barrel." <S> What's the language solution? <S> Don't do this: <S> "Sure, any time, no problems at all, reschedule as often as you want, just let me know <S> and I'll be there!" <S> Don't do this: <S> "That's pretty unprofessional. <S> Can you please find a time we can stick to?" <S> What about this: "Understood. <S> I can't make 3 but would 4 be possible? <S> " <S> Again be polite, professional, and brief. <S> The feeling is that you are politely "putting up with their nonsense" because you are the "bigger professional". <S> Happy hunting! <A> This would be my response to this 3rd attempt: <S> That sounds fine, but please text me one hour beforehand to confirm that your CEO will still be available for that one-on-one meeting with me. <S> This way, if I don't hear from you. <S> I'll assume that your CEO is busy <S> and I'll know not to go. <S> Also, please note that I'll be on my lunch break and that I'll have to leave your meeting at 2 PM because I have another meeting afterward. <S> I hope that one hour will be enough. <S> If you don't say this or something similar, mark my words, their CEO will flake on you again. <S> And by flaking, I mean that either he won't be there <S> or he'll be 15 to 30 minutes late.
| If you think this company is good and you will enjoy your time more there, then I say go for it. You have to respond in a way that is polite but has an edge ; it has to be clear you are "putting up with them" - while still being polite .
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What benefits to give to my first employee? I am hiring my first employee (a developer) for my startup and I am planning out the benefits. So far I’ve figured out the health insurance aspect. As a self-funded entity, I can’t afford much (about $60-72k for a frontend engineer — I’m a backend / cloud engineer), so I want to offer other meaningful benefits to compensate. I am wondering what kind of benefits to offer. I thought about stock options to give, if that’s a good idea. I want to build a great team eventually and I want them to feel that they truly belong here. How many shares / percent should I give? What would the vesting schedule look like? I also thought about PTO, 401k, continued education etc but I don’t know if I can afford all of this. I can probably offer 2 weeks of PTO, but not sure about the others. What other benefits should I give my first employee / team member, under the constraint of a limited budget, as I want to build a nurturing, growth-oriented environment but I’m limited right now in what I can offer? Apart from a great vision, what would make you want to work at a startup? <Q> Buy pizza often and say that we are family, we gonna pick that low hanging fruit and will change the world 5% discount card for gas for going extra mile <S> Give sound title like VP of UX, make feel important Involve in making decisions, strategy, hiring Give freedom of self expression, choose tools and technologies, set standards Incremental vesting plan <S> , more equity with every year stayed in the company <S> Let work from anywhere. <S> Consider remote company style, your salary range could be more attractive in other countries If not remote, dedicate separate room with solid chair (massage), table and enough privacy Create company culture and story - you need to target specific personality types, like-minded individuals who would be motivated and suitable for the company <A> If you took the difference between the market rate for what you want and what you would pay (salary + tangible benefits) that's essentially what you're asking them to invest in your business. <S> What would you give to a VC who would invest that every year? <S> I'm not saying that's what you're going to offer. <S> It's a negotiation, and tbh start-up employees can be a lot more naïve than VC people. <S> And it's pretty obvious that while VCs are after only equity, an employee may accept something like leadership experience, relevant mentoring etc as part of their compensation. <S> But I think the best place to start is by at least knowing what the investment they're making would be worth to you if you had to get it via some other channel. <S> Once I knew that, I'd start looking at what I could offer and try to estimate what that would be worth to people. <S> 401k, base salary, culture, time off etc. <S> But I'd encourage you to also think of something you're in a uniquely competitive position to offer. <S> I'll share one I've thought of: <S> you're in a unique position to mentor a future entrepreneur someone though the process of starting a software business. <A> Paid time off is the easiest to offer, as it costs you nothing above the budgeted annual salary. <S> You're obviously in the USA. <S> In the UK 28 days (5.6 weeks) is the minimum legal holiday entitlement for a full time employee. <A> As the saying goes, "you get what you pay for": If your salary/benefits/equity offered is only enough to retain a low-quality developer who just needs "any job", then that's what you will get. <S> If your package is enough to only hire a junior developer, that's what you will get. <S> So basically, you need to be competitive with the market. <S> Without a location tag or location description in the post, it's hard to know what is "competitive" in your locale. <S> If you are in North America, my guess is $60-72 <S> K is not enough, and 2 weeks PTO is not enough. <S> If you want an idea of what is "enough" (market data might not be helpful because if you're in SF you probably can't afford $200K to compete with Google), here's a rough guideline: <S> Take the median rent for an apartment in your area for someone in the age/experience bracket <S> you're targeting (e.g. for a junior dev, then a single apartment is probably fine; for a senior dev then maybe a 2LDK, for a principal, then maybe a house). <S> Multiply that number by 3, because the rule of thumb is you shouldn't pay more than 1/3 of your income on rent. <S> Multiply that number by the tax rate your employee will pay. <S> You'll have to reverse-engineer the tax rate from the net income. <S> That number you get is the minimum amount you should pay your employee, not including other benefits and equity. <S> Start there, and see if you can even afford to hire an employee. <S> If you can't, then maybe you need to get some sales or VC before you think of expanding.
| The bottom line is you need to offer whatever it takes to retain talent.
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Is there any value in listing your high school on your CV? I'm an university graduate. On my CV, I just have my university listed. I attended high school in the US, but am currently residing in the UK. I'm wondering if I should include my high school, along with my grades when applying for my first job. What is customary and/or expected here? Is there any value in listing my secondary education on my resume? <Q> Rarely, but it is sometimes useful. <S> The only value to putting your high school would be if the person you are targeting also attended your high school and your high school is the kind of high school where that stuff matters to alumni. <S> If you attended that kind of high school, you know. <S> Otherwise it doesn’t really matter. <S> A university degree indicates that you graduated high school (or if you didn’t, that you could). <S> Pretty much anything else is more helpful. <A> It is up to you whether or not to name the school. <S> Reasons to include high school qualifications <S> : In the UK we do not 'graduate' from high school. <S> There is no singlepass or fail qualification. <S> UK bachelors' degrees tend to be more specialised than the USA. <S> Ifyou have any foreign languages or other useful subjects, these wouldbe shown at high school level, not as minor subjects studied as partof your degree. <S> UK school qualifications at 18 tend to be more advanced than the USA.They are regarded as useful - depending on where you are applying,and what for, having A Level or equivalent in sciences or languagescould be viewed favourably by a recruiter, compared to someone elsewith the same degree but different A Level subjects. <S> Therefore, UKrecruiters expect to see these qualifications listed. <S> Some school qualifications are considered mandatory for some jobs,which demand GCSE pass in English or Maths regardless of your degreesubject. <S> Therefore, you should include these (equivalent)qualifications. <S> You should usually omit fail grades. <S> Reasons to omit the name of the school <S> If the name of the school indicates (or could be taken to indicate)an affiliation with a particular religious community <S> An example of a standard recent-graduate Curriculum Vitae is at https://www.careers.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Resource-Traditional-CV-Example.pdf <A> I added high-school to my CV for a very practical reason. <S> That was the only place where I studied programming in an organized way. <S> Adding that information brings some good weight to my CV - it shows that I studied programming languages in a specialized school under supervised professional guidance - instead of learning some coding by myself. <S> Is there any value in listing your high school on your CV? <S> In my case, I would say that the value is huge - especially that I worked in software-related jobs. <S> The value of the information might have decreased slightly over time, since I proved times and again that I master the field in a professional way, not only academically.
| If you are a recent graduate, you should include your high school qualifications.
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Company refuses to give written offer letter I had one in-person interview yesterday at a small law firm. An hour after the interview, they called to tell me that I got the job. After I negotiated my salary, they told me that I should start working the next day. They did not give me my salary or benefits in writing. I was not worried because of the abbreviated schedule. I thought they would give it to me in person the next day. Today I showed up for my first day. They did not have my written offer letter ready, so I asked for it. They then reprimanded me and told me that I did not need it. They refuse to give it to me. Is this common? And if it is not common, are there any ways I can protect myself. Given the economy right now, I cannot afford to lose this job. Further info: I confirmed on the state Bar website that these lawyers are licensed. So far I have filled out a W-4, I-9, arbitration agreement, and direct deposit information. I haven't filled out any paperwork on benefits or sick days. This is for an entry level position. <Q> As a compromise between working a pay period and seeing what happens and refusing to work until you have a written offer, consider the following: Write up your understanding of pay rate, benefits, etc., <S> all the terms you would expect in an offer letter. <S> E-mail to your boss, saying "This is my understanding of the terms, please correct anything you disagree with.". <S> Send a copy of the e-mail to your personal address, in addition to any work address you have been given. <A> Do it yourself. <S> Ask lots of questions. <S> Figure out your pay, probation period, vacation time, benefits, ask if they have an employee manual, etc. <S> Then, email them, state that you've already started working for them, summarize what they've told you, throw in a couple of assumptions about paid vacation time/sick leave, the starting dates of your benefits, etc. <S> And ask them to confirm your summary. <S> Either they'll confirm it, or they won't. <S> But either option will be better than you just waiting on them to see what they give you. <A> I don't know about law specifically, but this is most definitely not normal . <S> I've never had or been offered a job without an offer letter in hand, in writing. <S> I've had verbal offers that I have had to accept before receiving a formal offer letter, and then signing it was more of a formality, that has happened, but I've never not had the offer letter before my first working day. <S> Do you know your salary, and do you know when payday is? <S> If you are serious about working at this place despite how illegal that work may or may not be, my recommendation would be to work until payday and see what happens. <S> On payday, see if they pay you. <S> If they pay you, then great; you should still get the letter in writing but <S> at least you know they're not scamming you. <S> If they don't pay you, then quit on the spot; you said "I cannot afford to lose this job", but if the job is not paying you then you most certainly can afford to lose it <S> and you should find a job that is going to pay you. <S> In addition to getting your paycheque on payday, you should also ask for a pay slip. <S> Without a formal contract, you don't know what your employment status is, e.g. if they've classified you as a contractor or part-timer or something else in order to e.g. not pay payroll taxes on your salary. <S> So you should ask for your pay slip <S> so you know what deductions have been made, e.g. with respect to local income taxes, pensions, and so on, to make sure you don't get a nasty surprise on your next tax return. <S> Of course, in general, my suggestion would be "don't work without a contract, just quit now and save yourself the hassle". <S> But if that is not an option for you, then work for a single pay period and see if the company is legit; the worst that can happen is you work for free for 2 weeks before you quit (and also report them to the BAR or other legal oversight organization if you can!), which in the grand scheme of things there are worse things that can happen in life. <A> Is this common? <S> And if it is not common, are there any ways I can protect myself. <S> Given the economy right now, I cannot afford to lose this job. <S> It is not common at all. <S> The way to protect yourself is to refuse to do any work without a written agreement. <S> Any work that you perform is essentially for free <S> and there is no legally binding agreement for you to be paid for your work. <A> As you confirmed in the comments that this company is legitimate, we can move to the meat of it (honestly I expected it to be a scam). <S> Today I showed up for my first day. <S> They did not have my written offerletter ready, so I asked for it. <S> They then reprimanded me and told methat I did not need it. <S> They refuse to give it to me. <S> Is this common? <S> And if it is not common, are there any ways I canprotect myself. <S> Given the economy right now, I cannot afford to losethis job. <S> This is weird and alarming, but apparently not unhear of in the US where you can be employed without a written contract. <S> In many countries that is unacceptable, but in some states of USA that is apparently a valid way to do employment at will . <S> What you need to do to protect yourself is to collect all the proof you may have about what you've agreed to; copy of the original job advert, take your own notes of how the call went, the interview, anything that relates - put it down together as text and email it to yourself which will give you quite reliable way to date when the notes were written down. <S> Literally try to make the notes as specific as you can recall, but also do not embellish - if you do not remember something - note that down too. <S> Ideally you will have relatively close transcript of all your exchanges. <S> This may not sound like much but having those notes taken down and properly dated <S> goes a long way if there is a dispute down the line regarding the employment and estabilishing what was, and wasn't agreed to. <S> Besides that, as you say, you cannot risk the job, so you just have to keep working and hope for the best. <S> Maybe keep looking for another job if you can find the time, just in case.
| Without a written agreement, there is no job for you to lose as you have not been formally hired.
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What exactly is an honours degree? For your info, I am a 17yr high school student currently live in Australia. As the applications for university entry is just around the corner, I am searching for an appropriate degree that suits my interest. I frequently come across these various "honours" degree and not "straight forward" degree. For instance, I want to do civil engineering, I see: "Bachelors of Engineering (Honours)" and not "Bachelor of Civil Engineering" or "Bachelor of computer science" SO What exactly is an honours degree? I would normally ask these questions to the career guidance and career fest at my local school, but due to the current situation, I hardly get the opportunity to ask any questions about universities and whatnot. So I apologise if this question is too basic or inappropriate for this site. Thanks. Here is the site I am looking at: https://future-students.uq.edu.au/study/programs/bachelor-engineering-honours-2342 <Q> Caveat that this is not a definitive answer, and probably could be considered a long comment, but it's the best I could do. <S> After some research I discovered a description of Bachelor of Engineering (BE) at UQ (from 2015), which has this note: <S> Please refer to: BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING (HONOURS) <S> The Bachelor ofEngineering is no longer available. <S> This is the equivalent Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (BE(Hons)) from 2021. <S> Note that both course requirements include 64 units. <S> So for some reason UQ has dropped the non-Honours degree, but I don't know how this would work. <S> For example, from Monash (of which I am very familiar) <S> they state : <S> In Engineering we award our bachelor degrees with honours formeritorious performance. <S> An additional honours year is not required. <S> And I expected that UQ would have been the same given that the the course load for both honours and non-honours was the same. <S> I can't explain how they can just hand out an honours degree. <S> Please note that on the UQ pages they have a direct contact number for enquiries. <S> I'd highly recommend that given you can't speak to your local guidance people that you call the university directly: Enquiries for Australian students <S> Manager, Academic Administration, Faculty of Engineering, Architectureand Information Technology <S> Email: <S> enquiries@eait.uq.edu.au Phone: <S> 073365 <S> 4777 <S> Finally, in the Australian way of things you get a degree in Engineering with the speciality in parenthesis. <S> EG "Bachelor of Engineering (Civil)" and not "Bachelor of Civil Engineering" <A> A honors degree might involve a combination of the following: <S> Attain a certain GPA or average (e.g. an average of 85% or greater) <S> More advanced topics in the discipline <S> Steeper requirements in terms of prerequisites (e.g. GPA/Average, knowledge) Taking more courses <S> Here is the description of honors degrees provided by my university: Honours . <S> This option usually involves intense specialization in a single field. <S> Honours candidates are required to follow the course of study as set out in the Calendar, to pass all courses completed, and to maintain a minimum overall 68% average in each academic session (higher in some disciplines). <S> Candidates for honours must meet the credit requirements below both before entering honours and while in honours. <S> Honours specializations that have corresponding majors specializations normally admit qualified students upon promotion to third year (see Course and Specialization Approval). <A> The reason is they found it was hard to get students jobs without the additional honours degree component. <S> It's just an extra year of study with an internship component.the internship component is the actual reason it's an honours, as they cannot cram everything into 3 years, and a bachelor's full time is not meant to be 4 years. <S> Yes, they add a thesis and some extra subjects, but it is really about the internship. <S> Better advice is to do a double degree - it adds an extra year into your time there, but it broadens your knowledge, makes you more versatile and gives you a better idea of what you want to do.
| An honours B.Sc. requires maintenance of a high academic standing and may involve preparation of a graduating thesis.
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Is a weekly one on one leading to performance management? The situation: I've read a few other similar topics here, but mine appears to be fairly unique. I've been at this company for 9 months, we've had the last 3 months working from home during COVID-19 times, and my line manager booked me in for a 'weekly one on one'. We used to have a monthly one on one, but haven't for the last 3 (possibly 4) months. During the first one (this week) she has verbally expressed my performance was not up to scratch, and has asked me to provide an 'action plan' to increase productivity. This came pretty much out of the blue; to be honest I don't think my performance there has been great for a few reasons: It's not an industry sector I have worked in before, so new terms and workflows need to be learned by myself It's not exactly a direct match for my skillset, whilst I have been doing web development with PHP/MySQL/jQuery this role is in support for Python/Django/AWS The role is very varied and no two problems can be the same, from diagnosing and fixing the AWS database, to diagnosing and fixing the code for an errant XML file transversing through our system The pace is very fast, and I must admit there is no time to document what has happened, let alone absorb and contemplate what has happened and why. (their Wiki is in a poor state, old documentation, badly organized) When they asked me how I thought I was doing, I replied I thought I was doing "ok", not great, not too bad, but their opnion was vastly different, citing some examples which were never mentioned along the way. When I initially started this role, I had a 3 month probtion, which I passed but with no formal review, nor have I received a letter stating I've passed probation, I think I had 2 monthly "one on one's" after that time, but with no glaring negative reviews (there were some areas for improvement, but nothing that was repeated during the first weekly one on one). This role is doing support for a small company (~30 employees) which works for a larger company, and I often work long hours, which seems to be expected, as the other support guy is constantly on Slack and we do an after hours support night each third day (with one of the developers). Sometimes these support nights go right through the night, and we are expected to put in a full day after that. Being on call also takes away from my family time, and often leaves me grumpy with the wife and kids, nor do I get time to play guitar (my main/only hobby). Overall the pay is good, but the hours and expectations seem to weigh far in their favour (as my wife is constantly reminding me I'm working too much), and the change in architecture was a bigger jump than I expected, especially at the fast pace where I don't have time to absorb the information. Overall, the money is good, but my heart is not in it, however I can't afford (as the only breadwinner) to be unemployed, as I've recently been working in contracting, which has good money, but also had some periods of inactivity between the contracts. The question: Is a weekly 'one on one' and being requested to produce an action plan leading down the path to performance management and loss of employment (in Australia)? I'm kinda distraught at this prospect as I've worked for a long time, but never previously been in this situation. Edit1 Thanks for the feedback, just to clarify some of the points: You don’t tell us why you took this position with the unfamiliar techstack I had been out of work for a month or two, the contracts I had been working on had finished (although one keeps asking me to go back for short periods of time) and the lure was FTE over contracting. During my previous FT stints, they required us to take decent breaks and any extra time was noted and bosses would suggest to take time out ... based on what you’ve told us about the history, it’s likely that youwill bear most of the responsibility. That statement turned out to be correct, we discussed 4 key points fir this week, which I've made inroads into. Weekly one on ones: not an issue in itself. I regard weekly, or atworst fortnightly, one on ones as an essential part of goodmanagement. As I stated, I've had 2 reviews in 9 months, both times I asked whether there was feedback and there was nothing noted, which is why it came as a bit of a surprise. Both those reviews were pre-Covid times (March 2020, for us in Australia), then nothing prior to these. whether your employer's mind is made up and they're just going throughthe motions of an action plan I think I know the answer to that, but I might just be being paranoid. For the sake of your family, I'd suggest starting to look around for anew position I'm already working on that part. I read back what I wrote, and tried to view it as a 3rd party. I'm not happy and struggling, and tomorrow I'll be starting at 3am, finishing no earlier that 2pm, and being on-call from 5pm. That I am not looking forward to. Thank you for the answers and some clarity. Edit2 Adding some online references I found: https://www.business.gov.au/people/ending-employment https://www.fairwork.gov.au/employee-entitlements/managing-performance-and-warnings https://www.fairwork.gov.au/how-we-will-help/templates-and-guides/fact-sheets/minimum-workplace-entitlements/ending-employment https://www.perthnow.com.au/business/workplace-matters/job-insecurity-and-anxiety-leading-some-bosses-to-create-cult-like-culture-to-exploit-fearful-employees-ng-b881603625z Edit3 For anyone following this, I am no longer employed at the organization as of Friday just gone (28th Aug). They gave me a two weeks notice, just over two weeks ago, and I finished (officially) on Friday. Due to the fact that I had around 35 hours owed from time-in-lieu, I took off the majority of the Thursday and all of the Friday. <Q> Is a weekly 'one on one' and being requested to produce an action plan leading down the path to performance management and loss of employment (in Australia)? <S> Weekly one on ones: not an issue in itself. <S> Being requested to produce an action plan: absolutely, definitely, completely the first step towards loss of employment. <S> Nobody does that unless there are serious issues which need to be resolved. <S> What we can't tell you though is whether this is a genuine attempt to bring your performance up to scratch, or whether your employer's mind is made up <S> and they're just going through the motions of an action plan to ensure that HR are happy / they can't be sued. <A> A weekly one on one is just good management practise, especially while everyone is working remotely. <S> The fact that you had so little contact with your manager up to this point is pretty poor, tbh. <S> The fact that you are being told your performance is poor, and asked for an action plan, is a step towards formal performance review. <S> You need to identify the key areas holding you back, and identify ways that they can help you improve. <S> This should certainly be a collaboration, but based on what you’ve told us about the history, it’s likely that you will bear most of the responsibility. <S> You don’t tell us why you took this position with the unfamiliar tech stack, or whether it was discussed that you would need assistance getting up to speed. <S> I think that is probably on you, and that you should have been more proactive in asking for help early on. <S> It also sounds like the company is under staffed, and that there are wider issues beyond your performance. <S> It’s probably worth looking for something more suitable. <A> You are definitely in the danger-zone. <S> However I think the fact that your manager is going to spend some of her precious time with/on you on a weekly basis means she hasn't given hope on you yet. <S> I think she genuinely wants you to improve.
| I regard weekly, or at worst fortnightly, one on ones as an essential part of good management.
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What is the best way to include a GitHub page in my resume? I'm a rising sophomore looking for opportunities for my Major and career. I've been told over and over to include my GitHub page in my resume as it's a way for potential employers to gauge my skill and past projects. However, most of my projects are private and can't be made public. How can I still showcase my works on GitHub/showcase my GitHub profile on my resume? <Q> I've been told over and over to include my Github page in my resume asit's a way for potential employers to gauge my skill and past projects <S> That's usually a very good idea to get through the CV screening. <S> However, most of my projects are private and can't be made public. <S> Howcan I still showcase my works on Github <S> /showcase my Github profile onmy resume? <S> So far you have nothing that you can showcase, as all your work cannot be shared with the public. <S> The only way to go around that is to actually do some open source work, it can be in the form of contribution to existing projects, or something you built on your own. <S> Whether that's worth the effort you have to figure out for yourself. <S> A general guideline would be that if you have a thin CV experience wise, or simply struggling to get past the CV <S> reading stage then this will help with both items. <S> But if you have decades of experience then some minor open source contributions won't matter much. <S> Although that greatly varies from company to company, I know some who outright require for every candidate to have opensource contributions as that's part of their philosophy, and then even a few hours worth of them can make the difference between bin and an invitation. <A> While there is little you can do to make your projects public by default (due to NDAs, school anti-plagiarism rules, etc.), there are a few possible alternative solutions: Place a link to your GitHub profile besides your contact information. <S> You would have your phone number, address/location, and then your GitHub profile. <S> This would only be beneficial if you had projects that you could show and could make public. <S> If you made a video for a certain project (e.g. a product demo video), upload the video to YouTube. <S> Place the link to the YouTube video besides the project on your resume. <S> If you are allowed show your code to other people (even if the repositories are private), you could potentially show it during interviews if the opportunity arose. <S> Example for item 2 (where the link would be the specific video): “Project Title” Project Sept – Dec 2019 <S> Course Code : <S> Course Title | YouTube <A> I stuff it in the top along with my other contact information, such as my LinkedIn and DevPost. <S> I make them both nice clickable hyperlinks as well as easy to just type into the web browser. <S> Like this: <A> In the top section of my Resume I am adding link to my Github Profile preceeded with Github logo. <S> When it comes to marking invidual links to repositories in the Resume I am adding small clickable icon at the end of name of each project in order to get to the repository. <S> I think it's very good way to do it as it is not super intrusive and takes very little space to add links to your repositories. <S> Less technical people will ignore it and it will not take priceless vertical space.
| You will usually want to include this as a few lines somewhere in your experience, together with a link they can follow to see the code you've written (or other contributions you've done, contributing to documentation/project management are as if not more valuable).
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Can you use the academical Post-nominal letters without finishing the course? A student taken her Master's degree but eventually didn't complete her study. She only finished 36 units out of prescribed 42 units. Can she use her Post-nominal degree even she didn't complete her 42 units although she currently enrolled in the remaining 6 units? <Q> She doesn't have a masters degree; she should not pretend that she has. <S> So no - she cannot use her post-graduate degree as part of her title until she's completed the remaining six units. <S> If in doubt, she can check with her college. <A> Can you use the academical Post-nominal letters without finishing thecourse? <S> No. <S> Universities formally award degrees - usually upon completion of the required course of study. <S> Doing so would be the equivalent of lying. <A> You get the right to use the post-nominal letters when and only when the relevant degree is granted/conferred , which will usually be either at some kind of graduation ceremony, or "in absentia" where you aren't physically present when it's granted, but there is still a formal process. <S> Occasionally in individual cases there can be a process where a degree is granted where the person had fulfilled all the requirements except the last, and then couldn't complete due to ill-health (in the UK I know this as aegrotat <S> but there may be other names for it elsewhere). <S> However it doesn't seem like that applies here since the person is currently enrolled in the final 6 units. <S> Using those letters is equivalent to saying "I have a Master's degree" (or whatever the letters relate to) and as such it follows the same rules, you wouldn't state that you have a Master's degree when you are actually just finishing up the last few requirements, so you wouldn't use those letters either. <S> To give you/her the benefit of the doubt about motivation for asking this: the letters don't indicate "currently on track to receive a Master's degree" but rather, "I have been granted the Master's degree already". <S> So the short answer is no.
| Until the degree is actually awarded, you should not use the degree indication (letters).
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What do you do if you don't understand the source code? Suppose, someone got a job in a software firm, and he is assigned into a 2-person team where he has to maintain source code which doesn't have any documentation and is haphazardly coded by many different staff members over the course of around 5 years. His senior team-member is also relatively new, and he is assigned in this team because some people left the company. How should someone cope with this situation? <Q> That's a tough situation. <S> Clearly, the company needs a developer who is better than the code :-) <S> Since this is workplace and not software development: What you need to do is clarify everyone's expectations. <S> With bad quality source code that you don't know, you can either muddle through as best as you can, or you can start improving things. <S> The latter is better in the long term. <S> So clarify with your manager whether the software has a "long term". <S> If the software will be thrown out in a year's time, muddling through is not very efficient, but it's the most efficient that you can do. <S> If the software will be used for another ten years, agree with your manager that it is currently in an unmaintainable state, and start improving it. <S> But the most important thing is that you talk to your manager, agree with them on the path you are going to take, and notify them that small changes and bug fixes will take disproportionately long time due to the nature of the software. <A> <A> Accept that things will take a lot longer than you would like, and make sure that management knows that too. <S> Understanding a big rambling software project takes time. <S> Don't try to master the entire codebase in one go. <S> That may take months or even years. <S> Tackle each problem as it comes. <S> When a problem is identified, try to work out where in the code that problem lies, and only work to understand that bit of code, and the code around it (including what it calls and what calls it).
| inform your boss that making the code clean will take some time and money if boss approves hire consultants with experience in refactoring define automatically running tests define a quality metrics slowly refactor the mess into something readable when the parts are refactored enough to have isolated modules, think about replacing single modules using appropriate patterns
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Should I give a feedback to this hiring process? What feedback should I give? T.L.D.R. : I have been excluded after a second programming exercise where i was asked to provide a correct, efficient solution without using compilers or documentation, and without having the chance to actually discuss the solution given. I want to give a feedback on how unfair I think this process is, should I? what should I say? LONG VERSION : I have just been through a recruiting process, unsuccessfully. The process has started with an automated programming test, where from start I was given several hours to complete a quite challenging exercise, with two chances to submit a solution that was evaluated on the fly. All in all a quite satisfactory exercise, which I successfully executed. I could compile, read standard documentation and not much else, but it was a positive experience. After the exercise I had been set an "interview" about a week later. In this "interview", I had been called using a video-conference application, asked to share my screen and given one more smaller programming exercise, this time I was asked to submit a solution via email without any chance to compile it or check any documentation. After submitting the solution (twice, because after the first time it was asked to me to improve it in a way), I have been dismissed saying that I would be contacted again the day after with the following steps. But I never got the the following steps, since apparently my solutions were not considered good enough, or so they said in the following email. No chance to discuss my reasoning or anything about those solutions has been given to me. Now, I am obviously upset about the outcome, but what I am more upset about is the process itself. I am not particularly fond of programming questions, but with the right tools (the same I would use every day on the job, nothing more, probably something less), I can successfully complete them. But being evaluated on a programming question open-loop, without any chance to verify independently my solution and with the correctness and efficiency of the solution, and not the reasoning behind it, as main evaluation points, I think it is unfair, and useless. Is there anything wrong in this? The subsequent email mentions the possibility to provide feedback, and I would like to provide one. Should I do it? What should I say to provide a useful feedback without looking like just an upset excluded candidate? <Q> should I? <S> what should I say? <S> No, there is no point to providing feedback. <S> Best to just move forwards and focus on where you're heading, not the minor setbacks on the way. <A> It's not worth it. <S> The recruitment process, as you've described, appears ill-conceived. <S> If your application was successful you would presumably not be expected to work without a compiler or IDE. <S> To assess your suitability for the role based on these artificial parameters (and without further discussion of the exercise) is absurd. <S> They risk letting excellent candidates slip through the net. <S> Their recruitment process is going to help select the people who will be working with them every day. <S> If they don't care sufficiently to ensure it is capable of identifying the best candidates (and not incorrectly eliminating strong candidates), why would you expect them to take your suggestions on board? <S> I'd add 2 quick things to this: <S> All of the above is working on the assumption that they didn't see something while watching you work that made them feel you weren't a suitable candidate. <S> I know when I ask people to code in interviews, I'm often more interested in their thought process, the approach they take and how they write/structure <S> * their code than the result. <S> (*If somebody takes care writing well structured code, using suitable design patterns, adhering to the SOLID principles and adding comments when they know the file will be deleted in 30 mins, that suggests somebody who takes pride in their work and is passionate about good code). <S> This will help them understand how you think and also the options your have considered (and dismissed) before deciding upon your chosen course of action. <S> In addition, if you have misunderstood their requirement, this will become clear to them and allow them the opportunity to correct you (it would be a real shame if you missed the cut because they thought your solution was poor when, in actual fact, the problem was that they hadn't communicated it effectively in the first instance). <S> Finally, if the problem is difficult or complex, seeing somebody looking at a laptop screen for a long time without typing anything can give the impression the candidate is lost or stumped - if they hear you considering your options, mulling over the boundaries imposed by the requirements etc. <S> they know you are giving the problem due consideration instead of just diving in. <A> The last thing any company wants is feedback from someone they rejected, pointing out the flaws in their process. <S> The only thing you would achieve is being blacklisted at that company, and at any company people from the original company move on to. <S> It's petty, unprofessional, and possibly fattening. <S> Seriously, we had someone do something like that once, and they have been the subject of stories for years. <S> You don't want to be the subject of stories that start with: <S> "Hey, one time we had this guy who actually....." Don't do it. <S> They don't want you, and you wouldn't be happy with a company who ran things that way. <S> Move on and find a good fit. <A> What's happening here? <S> You're upset. <S> What do you want to do about it? <S> Write a feedback. <S> Who needs this feedback, the company or you? <S> It's a part of your coping process, you're the one who needs it. <S> Solution <S> : Talk about your feedback with someone, eg. <S> publish it on a dedicated site (like Glassdoor). <S> In fact, by posting here you're already doing it, just wrong site : ) Don't send your feedback to them.
| If asked to do a coding exercise in front of somebody, ALWAYS verbalise your thought process.
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My boss wants me to inform him if I'm going to resign My boss expects me to let him know if I plan to quit. He told me some time ago. So, the company that I work for is a small buisness and my workforce is not easy to replace.The hiring process could take significantly longer than I have a notice period. And now I'm actually thinking about applying away. If I tell him, I have no advantage. Maybe that will give me more stress at work and will force me to do a worse job, which I don't really want. If I don't say it, he'll ask me why I wouldn't have mentioned it before and he'll put pressure on me for the rest of the time. What is the best way to deal with the situation? <Q> What is the best way to deal with the situation? <S> You hand in your resignation only after you have signed a written offer from a new company. <S> You do not tell your boss at any point prior that you are planning on leaving the company. <S> It is your boss's responsibility to find a replacement either externally or internally within the standard notice period of the company. <S> If he is upset that you did not give him prior warning, he should only be upset with himself for not properly planning for the loss of an employee. <A> First of all, your notice period is stated in your local labor laws and your work contract. <S> You are under no obligation to tell your boss about your resignation a second earlier. <S> Should you still be open about telling your boss anyway? <S> Reasons for yes: <S> When your boss asks you to tell him before you take a job somewhere else, then that implies that he is willing to negotiate and provide a counter offer or address the problems you have with your current job. <S> So if there is a chance you might consider one, then this would be a reason to tell him. <S> Announcing your plans to leave early as a courtesy allows the business to plan for your absence. <S> This is not your problem, it's theirs. <S> But if there is a chance that you might return to the same company in the future or if you are working in a small and tightly knit industry where word of mouth gets around quickly, then it might be unwise to leave on bad terms. <S> Reasons for no: <S> When your boss is a manipulative person, he might try to convince you to stay. <S> But not with a good counter-offer, but by using psychological tricks. <S> He might use techniques like: Emotional blackmail ("But your colleagues will all suffer terribly when you are gone! <S> How can you be so mean to all these nice people? <S> Sure, they would all do the same, but aren't you a better person than them?") <S> Fear, uncertainty and doubt ("You know, I heard some very terrible rumors about your new employer. <S> My sources say everything you hate about your job is 100 times worse there. <S> Are you sure you want to go there?"). <S> False promises ("When you stay a year longer I promise that I will give you a raise. <S> I can't do it now or give that to you in writing because... reasons... <S> but I will really, really consider it! <S> Far more than the last three times I said I would."). <S> When you are susceptible to such underhanded techniques, don't give them the chance. <S> When your boss is a vengeful person, they might retaliate by trying to make your last days as unpleasant as possible or respond with a termination from their side so you are out of work for a while. <S> Or they might try to sabotage your transfer by badmouthing you to your new employer. <A> Consider that your boss is trying to get something for free: If he really needs to know earlier than your standard notice period, he could have offered you a contract with a longer notice period combined with an incentive to keep it - for example, a salary raise/special bonus for giving early notice. <S> That would cost him some money, and could be a fair deal for you. <S> If he is not willing to pay for his benefit, you have no obligation to give it for free.
| By telling your boss early, you only put yourself at a disadvantage and risk being terminated prior to securing a new job.
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Is Fantasy Imagery NSFW? I'm a software developer, with over 10 years of experience in data munching. During those strange times of isolation at home, I found unable to work as I usually do at my regular workplace. This created the situation where I now found myself with loads of free time, and thus I decided to pick up some freelance work to complement my income while it is possible to do so. I recently finished a new feature for one of my clients, and went to deploy it on production. Things went smoothly, the software worked fine, the client was satisfied. Training was scheduled for the next day. Comes the training, and we open up the video conference. I present the training, solve any doubts that pop up, and all is good. Except that, later that day, I got an e-mail saying that my payment wouldn't be given because of my "satanist tendencies", and this client wouldn't be doing business with me anymore. I pressed a contact I have over the client's business, and it seems that the artwork present on my office was deeply offensive to some people, which generated complaints. Thing is, said artwork on my office is from fantasy themes - elves, mermaids, dragons, and so on. Every piece is, at least to me, "SFW", and there isn't anything that could be remotely considered nudity (unless the exposed upper back of a mermaid somehow counts as nudity). The most "outrageous" piece of artwork there is a rather large oil painting showing a 20-sided die being cradled by a fairy-like woman. For context, the space I use as my office was originally a room I set aside for hosting RPG nights, and the decoration is the result of artwork produced by my players or myself over the years. It is currently the quietest, most comfortable place in my home, and thus it seemed like a natural pick for working for extended periods of time. The idea that the decoration could be an issue with someone never crossed my mind. I'm well aware that the client has no right to dock my pay based on that. I'll try to talk things out and, failing that, I'll take legal action. That's not my concern right now. What I'm curious about is the idea that someone could get offended by generic fantasy imagery. I'm not talking about big tittied, titillating elves or lustful dragons sharing smooches with cat girls - Just regular, generic, "fantasy" imagery - I'm talking about the type of thing that shows up when you type "Fantasy Artwork" on Google Images with SafeSearch on. So, to the question: Is generic, non-adult fantasy imagery NSFW for the generic workplace? Some additional relevant info: I live and work on Brazil. I tend to clients all over the world when doing freelance stuff - this specific client is based in NY, USA. This wasn't the first job I did for them. Other feature releases got me flying over to their place to give training. For obvious reasons, this wasn't possible this time. This client sells Health Insurance. They got their system from me a couple years back. I trained their IT team to give maintenance on the software and add new features themselves, if they need, but every now and them they ask me to do a new feature myself if it is particularly troublesome for their team for some reason. I'm not aware of the reason they called me for this feature. I never had a problem with this type of thing before. On my regular (non-freelance) workplace, the CEO actively incentives us to decorate our offices with whatever we like. Her very own office is lined with books, artwork, and figurines from sci-fi themes, mostly Warhammer 40k. I'm aware that small IT companies aren't a parameter for anything, however. Update: After some legal movements, I was able to get my money from the client. Seems like they weren't only bailing the pay on me, but on other contractors too. On another note, I moved my workstation to another place of my home, where there is just a shelf with books behind me. I wasn't able to find a place with a "blank wall", so this will have to do for now. For everyone that chipped in - you have my tanks! <Q> First, your client is trying to stiff you for your work. <S> Hopefully you have a good scope of work agreement, signed by them. <S> You need to involve an attorney right away. <S> The whole "D&D is satanic" trope went out with popped collars in the '90's, and it doesn't hold water for a moment. <S> Your client is just trying to stiff you. <S> Treat them as you would any deadbeat. <S> I also hope you withheld final code delivery until you received payment. <A> As you've asked specifically to ignore the payment issue, I'll do just that and focus on the meat of your question: <S> Is generic, non-adult fantasy imagery NSFW for the generic workplace? <S> It can be. <S> What is safe for work for one person may be not so for another depending on their culture, upbringing, religion and so on, it's a highly subjective matter, but what I know that having an art-rich meeting background is almost never to benefit you while it certainly can harm you. <S> By similar fashion my office, among many things, includes military replicas, including replica firearms, uniforms, tactical kit. <S> There is nothing NSFW about those images on their own, and yet I do not use that office as background for calls with clients simple because it may make some of them uncomfortable, even though most of them will probably not be bothered by it at all (again, it's cultural). <S> Same logic follows for the fairies (which I imagine are at least a bit scantily clad, can't find other fairy pictures after quick google), which is probably fine for you and won't bother most people, but some will be offended. <S> Which leads us to the unasked question: What should I do with my not most professionally looking office. <S> There are many solution, one of them is to simply take the meetings in another room. <S> Another one would be to take the meetings with your webcam off while in the office. <S> Yet another one is to use one of the video editing tools that allow you to dynamically replace webcam background with something generic. <S> This can also be achieved manually by pointing your webcam at empty side of the wall and sitting in front of it. <S> But of course you can also decide to do nothing about it, and accept that this may cause you some problems in the future. <S> Or because you think that this brings you more good than bad (although I would keep in mind that most people who may be uncomfortable with it may not say so, instead quietly move on with someone else, so this can be hard to gauge). <S> Either way it's yours decision to make, but the safest option is to hold your meetings in a bland and boring environment, unless you know the client well and that they will be receptive to your possibly risky backgrounds. <A> The world is full of volatile people Given that this person saw no devil horns and no angels being burned (I assume), they basically just skimmed what they saw on your wall, made an assumption, and it started a chain reaction in their mind that lead to this. <S> To not provoke some kind of outrage somewhere, you need to be a very generic person. <S> The world is also full of scammers <S> This could just be an excuse to not pay you. <A> In general no. <S> However these things are highly subjective and what is and is not offensive can vary greatly from person to person based on a near infinite number of reasons. <S> If this is a one off incident I would just chalk it up to an unreasonable (and possibly very shady) client and move on. <A> Serve the client legal notice to pay you. <S> Involve an attorney if you have to. <S> But you said you're not concerned with that. <S> The problem is, for anything that exists, there exists a person who is offended by it. <S> You happen to have found the person who is offended by fantasy imagery. <S> There are general standards of what is/is not SFW, things like nudity, sexuality, swearing, depictions of violence, and so on. <S> Without seeing the images for myself it's hard to say if your images contain any of that material, but on your word I'll agree they don't. <S> Failing that, you seem to have just found "that guy"; sue them for payment for your work and be done with them. <A> Focus on getting your payment for your work. <S> You will gain nothing from trying to figure out the thought process of your client. <S> For all you know the '6' on the die with the fairy was next to '6' freckles on mermaids upper back, and there were '6' paintings total, which made '666'. <A> Sorry this happened to you. <S> Is generic, non-adult fantasy imagery NSFW for the generic workplace? <S> I don't think so <S> but then I've worked at mainstream advertising companies where the materials being advertised were more explicit than what you described. <S> Now you didn't ask <S> but: I have 10+ years experience doing consulting. <S> When you do work without payment you are extending credit. <S> For super tiny projects that only take you a few minutes it might be okay to do that but for larger projects the risk just isn't worth it. <S> If a client is unwilling to do a downpayment on mid size or larger projects then they're going to waste your time anyhow. <S> They're either scamming or don't trust you and are unreliable clients/partners in my experience. <S> And trust in this context means they can't trust because they aren't qualified to judge your experience.
| However if a sizable percentage of your clients are the type of people who might be deeply offended by such images for religious, cultural, etc reasons then I would consider altering your workspace so that such clients don't see those images. Most people (at least in my experience) wouldn't consider such imagery inappropriate or NSFW unless it was overtly violent, sexual or contained obvious depictions of things such as drug use.
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Should you let your manager know before taking vacation time? Personally, I have always let my manager know when I plan to take vacation. Whether it's a single day off or a two week summer vacation, I have always run it by them before officially putting in my PTO. It felt like the courteous thing to do. When I moved into management, I noticed this isn't necessarily standard practice for everyone. It's not a huge deal because I am an advocate of flexible schedules and encourage everyone to take the time off that they need. But admittedly, I was sort of surprised that my direct reports didn't let me know in advance. Which practice is more common? Letting your manager know or not? Additional notes: this is US based company we have a system where employees must log their vacation time. This system does send the manager a notice it appears their peers (team members they work closely with on projects) are given notice so no one on a particular project is left in the dark <Q> I think at least one of the following is happening here: <S> Your direct reports are fairly new to the workplace and not yet accustomed to office norms. <S> Your direct reports aren't used to having a formal system for requesting time off and assumed this replaced talking to you directly about it. <S> In advocating people take time off <S> when needed, you inadvertently gave the impression that it wasn't important to run it by you first. <S> Someone told them they didn't need to do both. <S> They've had a manager prior to you explicitly tell them they didn't need/want a separate message about taking time off <S> and they think this is the norm. <S> Since it sounds like none of your direct reports are letting you know first <S> , it wouldn't hurt to ask a couple of other managers how they handle PTO requests. <S> But I don't think you're going to get much push back on this if you just ask them to do it. <A> It depends on the culture of your workplace and how their taking time off affects you. <S> For instance, where I work, I'm mostly responsible for finding and prioritizing my own work, and all my work is delivered to people besides my manager. <S> I always tell the people involved in my projects when I'm taking time off, but I don't always tell my manager if it's just a day or two. <S> It doesn't affect him, no action is required by him, it's unlikely he'd even know I was gone until he sees my timesheet, so why bother him with it? <S> I've also worked at another place where everything was done through the computer, and I'd only talk to a manager about PTO requests if they didn't approve it promptly or if I thought I might need to convince them to approve it. <S> They knew to check for requests and deal with them, so personally telling them about it often came across as pestering. <S> I never had a manager say anything about how I requested PTO at either of those places, so presumably none of them minded. <S> So yes, it can be reasonable and normal behavior to not personally tell a manager about PTO requests. <S> I absolutely wouldn't take it as a sign of disrespect, if that's your concern. <A> Your company may have formal HR policies about notice for longer periods of time off; that is to say, even if your DRs give a day or two notice for time off, if they are gone for a week, that might be too short of notice for you to reassign tasks or set expectations on deliverable timelines. <S> At the end of the day, though, it's all about common courtesy and trust. <S> I'm not a manager, but because the nature of my work does mean that my absence would be noticed or questioned, it's important that I inform my teammates and my manager that I'm going to be out. <S> This way, everyone is in the know and everyone can either set expectations on deliverables, or we're not waiting for them to dial into the call for the first ten minutes of a meeting. <S> I should note that there is automation in place at my place of work to let my manager know when I'm taking time off. <S> But, that doesn't make it unreasonable to communicate that out. <A> I believe vacation schedules are in the control of management. <S> There may be specific labour laws. <S> The manager is mostly in control of when the employee can take vacation and the manager can decide to pay out the employee for the vacation time instead. <S> In Saskatchewan, if the employee and manager cannot reach an agreeable vacation schedule, the manager can give 30 days notice to the employee to take week long vacations. <S> I believe you're allowed to put a stop to employees' unannounced vacation. <A> If there is a system in place where your manager should have been told about your vacancy, it's obviously possible that they missed it. <S> So it would be polite to tell them before you are gone, even though they should know. <S> When? <S> If you take Wednesday off, you can tell them on Tuesday afternoon "remember I took Wednesday off". <S> Just enough time <S> so if the manager wanted to talk to you about something on Wednesday, they have a chance to do it now. <S> If it's a longer holiday, give a bit more notice. <S> But that is just politeness. <S> And if you have a manager who is 100% on top of things and would never be surprised by your holiday, then it won't be necessary at all.
| Since you're the manager in the scenario, I would say that it'd be common courtesy for them to tell you when they're planning on taking time off.
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Changing software engineer job with a lower title for migrating to another country? I am currently at the "Software Engineer 3" level in my current company in India and accepted an offer having the "Software Engineer 2" level in Ireland because I wanted to migrate to Ireland and of course the salary is way higher because of currency differences.Can this going to the lower title backfire in my career in the long run? Or It shouldn't matter as long as I build a good resume doing good projects and confident enough to clear interviews for higher levels later when I want to change the job again in Ireland or coming back to India? <Q> Or It shouldn't matter as long as I build a good resume doing good projects and confident enough to clear interviews for higher levels later when I want to change the job again in Ireland or coming back to India? <S> Correct. <S> Rarely does it map to how another company does their titles. <A> Everybody cares about what you actually did and what you can do. <S> I tell you honestly, <S> I have no idea what job title I had at one of my previous jobs - and I worked there for more than 3 years. <S> Nobody ever cared about this "missing" information. <S> At my current job I have the most generic title possible: "project manager". <S> It does not stop the company's management to consider me one of the most valuable employees - currently leading one of the most important projects they have. <S> Titles in companies vary so much, that they are at many times meaningless. <S> What means something in one company, might mean (almost) the opposite in the next. <S> What is consider "expert" or "senior" in one company can be considered "entry-level" in another. <S> Bottom line : stop worrying about titles. <S> After you have worked X years in Ireland (or other 1st world country) and you return back to India, the title you had would be probably the least of your problems. <A> I can confirm: Job titles are very company specific. <S> I have progressed within a single company from: Operator/Analyst, Intermediate Designer, Senior Designer, and finally Systems Consultant. <S> Moving to another company I am "just" a Senior Developer. <S> Many companies have numberic/alphabetic grades attached to the job titles to allow internal people to understand the "hierarchy"/experience of a person without having to memorize the dozens of job titles. <S> The first company above I moved from G, J, I, and M. <S> The second company <S> I was a P4, and the third doesn't seem to have any additional ranking/categorizations. <S> In your case when switching companies the first question any prospective employer would ask (should they bother to care; see @virolino) is "2 < 3 or 2 > 3". <S> It is reasonable for "1" to be the highest and the lowest ranking depending on how well thought out the rankings are. <S> So simply repeating @virolino: <S> Don't worry about titles, they are meaningless and in some cases "awarded" as replacement for salary!
| Pretty much nobody cares about the title that you had. Software engineering titles typically only map to an experience level and pay structure within the company.
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Which kind of motivation software companies expects from applicant? Some time ago I got a refusal after an interview because the company was looking for somebody who can "better express their motivation to work for Companyname". At this point I don't understand how this works at all. Probably this is the polite form of refusing me because of some other reason? How it looks for me: I am not looking actively for a new job, I am just open for opportunities that offer improvement for me as developer and relocation from ex ussr to Europe. I was found by a recruiter that offered me the interview with the company that I never heard of before (as usual). The Recruiter provided me with some marketing information and news about the company. The Interviewer said "we good, we ambitious, we growing, we got funding". With such amount of information this company just looks better than an arbitrary outsourcing company. Which kind of motivation do they expect? I get invitations for interviews once a month on average, in most cases it is product companies and for me they look almost most the same. None of them I heard of before another recruiter contacted me. In most cases they said that they require some other experience. But this is the first time I got refused because of my motivation. <Q> I am just open for ... <S> relocation from ex ussr to Europe. <S> mainly translates to: <S> I do not care who I work for, as long as I get out of ex-USSR <S> which, extra-simplified, translates to: <S> I do not care about the company that will hire me <S> Well, companies want you to care about them. <S> In that way, you are likely to stay with them for a longer time, which means that they will not have to start the recruiting process very soon again. <S> Even if you did not hear about the company before, you can still find interesting things about them - which you can deliver back to them as "motivation". <S> My own experience <S> Several years ago I was contacted by a small no-name company for a job. <S> Of course, pretty much nobody heard about them, not only me. <S> So during the interview, I asked the guy to explain me about the company and about their work. <S> And he did. <S> I told him that I did not have any expertize in many of the areas required, but I had other expertize to compensate. <S> I made it clear which parts of their business were attractive and why they were attractive. <S> As a result, the guy understood that I am not the best technical fit, but I was a very promising future employee. <S> He was happy. <S> The end was not so happy - life organized things differently, and we did not do business together. <S> But one can always show interest in anyone / anything - if they are interested. <S> You just need to find what is interesting, and actually show it. <A> What I'm looking for as an interviewer is that you actually want to work for my company - because that means that you're likely to stay around and not run off to another company as soon as you get another offer. <S> You don't sound like you actually want to work for this company as opposed to any other product company in Europe, <S> so why should I take the chance on hiring you, getting you up to speed on the company just to watch you leave in a year? <A> Some companies assume that you research them before the interview. <S> These companies will look for signs that you "did your work", know about their products and show enthusiasm to work for them in particular. <S> Other companies however don't care. <S> I for one will get suspicious if someone talks too much about how he wants to work especially for the company I'm working <S> /hiring for and how he loves the company. <S> I'll likely think they are bullshitting me because they assume I want them to show enthusiasm for the company. <S> That makes me wonder in what other areas they are trying to bullshit me <S> and I'll be much more careful in assessing them, rather leaning on the negative than the positive side when interpreting answers that are not so clear. <S> Bottom line <S> : You may want to do some research about companies you apply to, so you at least know a bit about the company. <S> That already shows some "interest". <S> It also costs some time, which means effort on your end - and exactly this effort spent indicates to interviewers that you take this interview particularly serious <S> and it's not one in a million (obviously, they might underestimate how quickly one can google a few base facts...). <S> I'd be careful though with claiming more emotions than there are to work specifically for a company, it often shows or appears awkward. <S> Either way you risk not being considered a good fit - for being too emotional and potentially bullshitty about it or for appearing too unenthusiastic. <S> So in the end, it's up to you whether you want to be rejected for who you are or <S> for who you are role-playing to be. <S> However, if you run into a lot of rejections for going at it one way, maybe a strategy to success is to lean a bit into the other direction. <A> That's part of the human experience. <S> Recruiting is a lot like mating. <S> Each side smells the other side, and wants to be seduced. <S> Took me 1 full year to get my first job. <S> Feedback was universally "not enough motivation". <S> One day, I filled myself with excitants (Guarana & Masala Tea, nothing illegal), screamed in my head "banzai" for the whole train time. <S> The lady told me while arriving, "uou'll have 2 interviews today. <S> If everything goes right, we'll call you next week for a third appointment". <S> The same evening, she called me to say me the contract was already sent. <S> There is no obvious reason, besides "human beings want to be desired". <S> A company is made of human beings. <S> It has a part of irrational, but people doing the recruitment will feel more confident if you make them feel desired. <S> By cheating with myself, by changing my pre-interview routine, I did push myself into a mood that was more convincing the recruiters that I was motivated. <S> It's just a matter of how the human brain works, ultimately.
| They prefer candidates that know as much details of the company as possible and think that you will only stay if you are enthusiastic about what they do, while you may just want a job that pays or are more focused on how they do your particular part, which is not knowledge publicly available, so you might not bother to try and look it up.
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How to proceed with a client not paying? I was working as a freelancer during my free time for a client overseas, I was programming in a framework that isn't very popular, so there aren't many programmers doing freelance for this particular framework. I did a few jobs for him and his company over the past two years and I hade never had a problem with him paying me. The last work i did for them was in November of 2019. I made an invoice and send it to him, due January of 2020. I waited two months and received no answer. Then COVID hit Europe. A month and a half ago he asked me for a new invoice in order to make the payment, I sent the invoice but he has stopped responding to my messages. I submitted two invoices so far and have received no payment. I am sure that he and his company continue to work because they post regularly in the forum of this framework. How can I proceed? <Q> Considering you have had an existing relationship that previously worked, and that your client asked for a new invoice, it seems he has an honest intention to pay, but it is currently difficult for one or multiple reasons. <S> Submit another invoice with a late fee included, and a schedule for additional late fees. <S> At this point, submitting invoices with the same amount ad infinitum <S> tells your client there is no penalty for neglecting to pay you, and he will kick the can as long as he faces something more pressing. <S> Adding late fees makes ignoring you cost something; he will likely address it sooner than later. <A> Find out what legal jurisdiction this falls under, your country or their country, and then send a Demand for Payment letter to the client based on whatever jurisdiction this falls under. <S> If you're so inclined you can engage an attorney to advise you. <S> In most cases, at least in the US, your only legal recourse is to sue them. <A> IN THE FUTURE, <S> When working for overseas/out of country clients: NEVER deliver source code until the final payment has been delivered Always have a "kill switch" in your code that you can activate in the event of non-payment. <S> (time stamp, value set at a URL that you control, et cet) Always have a contract Be familiar with the laws of that country <S> Do not remove the kill switch until you have final payment <S> Know where to go to file a complaint in that country <S> Price <S> the possibility of getting stiffed into your bill, then lower rates for clients who establish a reliable record of payment with you. <S> Even when they establish a reliable record of payment, don't forget steps 1 through 6 <A> I think a lawyer will get very pricey because it is international. <S> Chances are you're going to need a lawyer in the country that it happened, rather than a lawyer in your current country. <S> I assume when you say "overseas" and you speak of Europe that you are actually in the USA. <S> In the USA, a little different state-to-state but generally the same process is that when you default on a contract with non-payment, the law office would put it in with their collections department. <S> First they ask the party to pay the cost with a demanding letter, then if they don't respond after a time, they get sent to the court for a judgement. <S> It usually takes 60-90 days pre-COVID, but today with the courts backed up, it might take even longer. <S> Now internationally it might be the same process in other countries, but across nations generally you talk to a lawyer from the country where the person default. <S> They would find that person, ask them to pay then <S> if they don't, I imagine the process is similar to USA. <S> However, since it is international, you're talking about a pretty high sum value here. <S> You pay conversion charges, etc. <S> So a simple $200 fee might turn into $500 or more when you do conversions and all that good stuff. <S> Keep in mind lawyers might consult for free but generally speaking it might cost $250 an hour just to talk about something. <S> Some places are really nasty about it and insist you pay up front before even talking to the lawyer. <S> So shop around.
| At this point, all you can do is resubmitting the invoices, and stop coding for them until you receive payment. My thought is try to talk to a lawyer in the USA.
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How should I respond to a potential employer thanking me for my application and telling me they'll be in contact? I sent my application to a Professor for a PhD position. His secretary replied: Dear Mr Singh, Many thanks for your application. We will be in contact with you in due course. Yours sincerely, XXX XXX What reply should I give to the secretary? <Q> Don't send any reply. <S> They told you they received your application and will contact you when they're ready. <S> Unless you have something of substance to say or a question you need answered, don't send them anything. <A> Don't send anything. <S> They have explicitly told you that they will contact you. <S> They are not expecting an acknowledgement. <S> They do not need an acknowledgement. <S> If you didn't get their email, they would expect you to follow up, so the assumption is you received it, until you prove otherwise with a follow up email. <S> Some may say that it's always a good idea to acknowledge communication. <S> It's true where there may be concern from the sender that the message has not been received, or an acknowledgement has been asked for. <S> It is almost completely inconsequential if you didn't receive their email, but the consequences of them not receiving your email are far far greater. <S> Which is why it was acknowledged by them. <A> File it away - either in your trash can or, if you are closely tracking the status of all your job applications, in a relevant folder. <A> If the "thank you for your application" message was the first e-mail they sent you, it is worth replying to confirm round-trip communication. <S> If you have already established that the secretary is sending to the right e-mail address do not clutter their mailbox with a message that adds nothing to their information. <A> You are not mandated to send any response, however, a thank-you response does not harm. <S> You can reply with something like Dear XXX, Thanks for the acknowledgement. <S> I will wait to hear back from you. <S> Meanwhile, if you need any further information, I'd be happy toprovide the same. <S> Regards, Rishab. <A> It is important to note that in most cases these days "thanks for your application" messages are automated emails generated by the company's online hiring portal. <S> That email is just to confirm that the hiring portal worked as intended and that the company is now able to review your application when they get to it. <S> Not only do you not need to respond to it, but there is a good chance that if you do respond that your message will go to an unmonitored email address and never be read. <S> If you need to follow up with the employer, make sure not to rely on that email's reply address to establish a point of contact. <S> Instead see the job listing itself for if it contains contact info.
| There's nothing for you to say, and any email you send with a non-message will just clutter their inbox and waste their time. It can be a very simple quote of their message with "Thank you" added.
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Has anyone had any success in re-creating the office experience/environment remotely? I'm interested to learn more about any software/platforms/tools that people have been using while remote working to try and re-create the office experience eg. using platforms for a virtual replication of the office ‘space’ or ways to make people feel less 'alone' when WFH? Perhaps some way to help those spontaneous chats or 'watercooler' conversations to happen more easily by keeping video calls open in the background? Has anyone had any successes in this area? I'd be interested to understand how you've used them and the benefits/drawbacks etc? Thanks <Q> To answer in part, one suggestion: run a bi-weekly/occasional virtual "coffee/tea break" for say, 20 minutes. <S> It can be optional and drop in/drop out, with no specific agenda or topic, but generally just to chat. <S> This could be run using any video conferencing software (e.g. zoom, skype, webex etc). <S> I've found these mimic the coffee break type discussions quite well. <S> For some, this may be the only time they hear other people's voices that day; some people may really benefit from listening/having the discussion in the background, rather than chatting themselves. <S> I've seen this be successful for a team of around 20 invited, with a varying group of 5 or 6 people joining a couple of times a week. <A> I am not sure how much of recreating it is <S> but as several people are back in the office and I am working from home <S> It seems as I am in the room with other people, the mic and speakers of the person in the office is quite good as I am able to hear a person from other side <S> and I am also heard clearly. <S> I am not able to go to the kitchen and chat by the cooler <S> but it actually really helps me not feel totally on my own and almost as if I am in the office with them. <S> When most of us where working from home we make 3-4 person calls and it also worked even without muting the mic. <A> The difference between being in office and being remote, as pertinent to your question, is accessibility . <S> In the office you can walk over/lean over/shout out to a coworker to get their attention/talk to them/distract them, in a virtual setting you have to schedule a meeting via email or an instant messenger. <S> The strategies I've seen used and used myself revolve around producing more frequent interactions to replace the absence of natural interactions that occur in an office setting: <S> More meetings in general. <S> Since we only talk to each other in meetings, we need more meetings to compensate for the ad hoc interactions we no longer have. <S> More idle chat in meetings when waiting for people to join etc. <S> This happens in regular in office setting as well, but in the current environment this is actually a welcome thing I would say. <S> More frequent team/company-wide meetings. <S> More time dedicated to workplace-appropriate personal questions like "what did you do last weekend" in our scheduled meetings. <S> More frequent surveys on the general state of things, equipment needs, etc. <S> I personally try to provide positive feedback whenever I can to everyone I work with, both to lift everyone's spirits and <S> because there is less of an opportunity to hear someone say "that's great" at their desk.
| Virtual lunches where people basically chat for an hour about any topic they want. I am using google meet to call 1 person from my room and basically are on the call for full 8h of work.
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Is this considered me going behind my manager's back? Before him going out on vacation, I negotiated with my manager on the specs of my new laptop (as well as the budget) and we settled on a model and specs. Today, out of curiosity, I asked our head purchasing (who also manages budgets) to ask our hardware provider whether future hard drive swaps void warranty. The logic behind that question is me thinking what happens if a large SSD turns out to be a necessity in the future.Her response was, we should just change the order to the same laptop with a large SSD as she doesn't want to have to deal with incremental upgrades. If I say yes to the head of purchasing, is this me considered me going behind my managers back while he is on a vacation? side note : it is not about costs (as it doesn't cost that much), it is more about the principle of the situation as I could have asked my manager for the SSD at first instead of some other maxed out specs (less RAM probably). <Q> How your manager chooses to interpret this action is up to him <S> and there's no way we can know for sure. <S> However, in my experience, people managers are mostly concerned with making sure their team has the tools they need to deliver quality work in a timely manner. <S> If it were me and I felt that the SSD would help me deliver work faster, I would go ahead and say yes. <S> Of course, it's important to take into account the type of relationship you have with your manager and how they've reacted to these types of things in the past. <A> You MUST ask your manager, not because you want to have the approval, but more because you are changing an already-agreed decision. <S> If you negotiated and agreed on spec, it should fit well as per your requirement. <S> Don't just change it because "it does not cost that much". <S> There's no limit for upgrade, as per that analogy. <S> That said, food for thought: local storage is always risky, use the organization's cloud storage facility, of available. <S> Saves the whole drama. <A> Why not just ask your manager? <S> Hi Manager. <S> I've been discussing my laptop purchase with HeadOfPurchasing <S> and we think it would be a good idea to go for the larger SSD. <S> The cost here is pretty minimal ($ notVeryMuch ) - would you be alright with me going for that? <S> Thanks, itopsguy
| If the head of purchasing has agreed to the SSD upgrade, I don't think it's likely that your manager will care all that much.
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Employees expressing job dissatisfaction in work chat, how to proceed? In the chat messages of my employees to each other, I found a lot of dissatisfaction by most of the employees. There was also lots of #notmyjob and comments about just letting things slide. What can I do to both address the issues being raised, and discourage this in chat in the future, as I fear is being bad for morale and loyalty to the team? <Q> Frustrated employees say "#notmyjob" I spent some time in Innovation at a bank and learned to have a lot of sympathy for the "not my job" types. <S> Part of my job was going around and figuring out areas of improvement. <S> Lazy employees don't care about work, so they tend not to deal with it beyond what is required. <S> They are looking at cat videos on Reddit when not working, not complaining about their positions. <S> They don't get involved in the complaining. <S> Disengaged employees are on LinkedIn instead. <S> You have frustrated employees. <S> You have employees who have found something stupid and can't be bothered to fix it for the umpteenth time. <S> You have employees who are frustrated with a tool that won't work or doesn't do what the actual job is. <S> Employees who never cared don't bother to point out that a problem exists as they truly do not care. <S> Speaking about it is wasted effort to them. <S> Employees who repeatedly complain about a problem want to care, but are exhausted by doing so. <S> Go figure out what is wrong before condemning them. <S> You have better employees than you think. <A> First of all, there is a reasonable expectation of privacy if the chats are not public to everyone in the company. <S> In the office, people have these conversations face-to-face in private. <S> You wouldn't put a hidden microphone in the break room to record them when they're not working from home. <S> There's a difference between what is legal and what is right. <S> Second, people complaining is not a cause of low morale, it's a symptom. <S> Finally, complaining to each other in private is probably the healthiest outlet. <S> It keeps people from blowing up in more important, public situations. <S> It sometimes even spurs innovation that helps address the problem. <S> Without an outlet, people will become disgruntled, then leave. <A> What a strange story, suddenly there was nothing useful for you to do and out of the blue you decided to kill a few hours by going through the chat logs of your employees? <S> Are you even allowed to do that according to your company policies or even the law of your locale? <S> Surely there must be something that triggered this? <S> However you don't give us any reason why you decided to do this. <S> If there is a reason why you decided to go snooping <S> I think you should include it in your question. <S> Based on the probably incomplete information in your question my advice is to try to forget everything you read in those chats and have a conversation with your employees based on their behavior that decided you to go snooping. <A> There is no generic answer to the the question "why are my employees demotivated?", to solve it you're going to have to listen to them, just instructing employees not to be demotivated isn't going to achieve the goal you are hoping for. <S> You asked 'what can I do to <S> ... address the issues being raised?', your first step is to find out what the issues are! <S> The good news is this can be achieved with relatively little effort, get to know them as humans, listen to their thoughts/ideas/concerns. <S> You'll find out pretty quickly what motivates them and what they care about <S> and you can act on that accordingly. <S> To comment on the subtext hinted at in your question, were these public or private chats? <S> As someone in a position of responsibility you really shouldn't be going through private chat logs. <S> If you have, that can't be undone now, but I would take no further specific action and try to keep these comments out of your mind. <S> You absolutely should not make specific reference to them, nor should you single out people who have made comments you don't approve of as you risk destroying their trust.
| If you want it to stop, focus on addressing the problems they are complaining about.
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Among the first ones to be laid off temporarily due to lack of projects. Should I ask my manager for explanation? Is it time to find another job? I was laid off temporarily (3 months) due to lack of projects in our department. However, what is concerning for me is that only 4 out of 45 people were laid off in our department and I was one of them.The only official explanation I was given was that the layoffs are only due to reduction in work caused by the coronavirus pandemic. But if there is less work, there is less work for everyone. It's not like a specific project was delayed or cancelled and we usually transfer from one project to another frequently. Just before being laid off, I was working on two different projects (though both of them were in their finishing stage).What I want to ask my manager is on what basis was the decision made. Was it solely due to the lack of work, or was my performance also a factor. It is important to me, because if there are performance issues, then I need to know so that I can make an effort to improve them. Up until now I have not been told of any performance issues. Do you think it is a good idea to talk to my manager and ask for an explanation? Or I should just take the clue and start looking for other jobs? <Q> Update your resume and look for another job. <S> No matter the reason, you've been put in the bottom 10% of employees, and deemed to be expendable. <S> If it's not by department, not by project, or anything else you can point to, then the reason is you. <S> WHY the reason is you is irrelevant. <S> If you ask for an explanation, you will just get some managerial nonsense and HR friendly explanation. <S> Anything else, and your manager opens himself and the company up to a lawsuit. <S> They won't do that, no matter how much they like you personally. <S> There is no guarantee that you'll be back after 3 months, either. <S> Don't turn down a good offer, even if your company calls you back. <S> They've demonstrated that they have no faith in you or loyalty towards you. <S> Respond in kind. <A> I agree with Old_Lamplighter that, justified or not, you have been categorized as the expendable bottom 10 percent and you should start looking for another job immediately. <S> However I think you have nothing to lose by asking your manager for some honest feedback. <S> Sure, he/ <S> she might just give you "managerial nonsense" and a "HR friendly explanation". <S> On the other hand, if you are lucky, he/she might give you some useful tips for improvement. <A> It is entirely feasible you were let go because your projects were finishing up-- you can be left behind with no disruptions to other projects. <S> That makes you expendable, almost regardless of performance. <S> Still, it is a good idea to talk to your manager. <S> The worst that can happen, and the most likely, is that the manager will give you little to no information. <S> Also ask what the likelihood of you coming back in three months is, how you can best use the remaining time to improve yourself, <S> etc.-- anything else that would put you at ease. <S> It can only help. <A> At least in the UK we have government help for furlough, which applies up to a limit. <S> Therefore it makes sense to furlough some employees rather than reducing the salaries of all - it's better to spend someone else's money than your own. <S> All other things being equal, the employees to furlough are the ones with the highest salary below the cut-off, as that's the most benefit for the company's cash flow. <S> We also are aware of which employees were feeling more stressed about the pandemic or have caring responsibilities, and tended to furlough them rather than those who were better able to work from home. <S> Also within my team we have certain specialisations so needed to keep some people with those specialisations. <S> For example, the company's continuous integration guru left, so we brought back my team's developer in test to cover until we got a replacement, as he had CI experience. <S> So don't just assume being furloughed <S> is only a matter of performance, there are numerous factors as to why particular individuals are or are not furloughed. <A> There's definitely no reason for you to remain idle, "hoping" that they will call you back. <S> Dust off the ol' resume and get shopping for a new job. <S> Pronto. <A> I was one of the first people to get laid off. <S> So I quickly found myself another job. <S> Subsequently, more people got laid off, and they had much more trouble finding work because the available jobs had been filled by people in the first wave of layoffs. <S> Consider yourself fortunate. <S> Get off your ass and start looking for work now, while the looking is good. <A> One thing you can ask is how the company will manage without your particular skillset. <S> Pethaps your skillset is expendable because they can do without by taxing others who possess a similar skills and are otherwise not easy to replace. <S> There might be many reasons for letting you go that are not performance based but rather otherwise strategic.
| You are better off looking for another job, if for no other reasons than to cover your bases.
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Should I tell my manager how unhappy I am when I want to quit anyway? I work in this company for over 15 years as a software developer. During the last years employees have left the company again and again and I have taken over their work.This includes work like administration and helpdesk. These jobs are deeply repugnant to me. I do not like them and I am neither qualified nor trained for them.My colleagues know how unhappy I am but my direct manager doesn't seem to notice. Or he ignores it. He gives me more of that kind of work. I'm already looking for a new job. Should I still tell him how unhappy I am or is it better to accept it in silence until I quit? <Q> That typically involves Current State: What's are you currently doing, what are your good/bad at, what do you like/don't like Desired state: <S> where do you want to be in a few years, <S> Alignment: Your manager agrees with your future state <S> The plan: agree on specific steps, actions and metrics to getthere execute plan: keep do the actions, track the metrics Stick to this script. <S> If your manager doesn't want to engage or does not agree or commit to goals and specific actions & metrics, then you have your answer <S> : It's not going to get better, so you should start looking. <S> If there is a credible plan, then it's worth giving it a shot. <S> Track metrics and progress regularly and discuss with your manager. <S> If it's going well, you get what you want, if it's fizzling out, start looking. <S> A good manager will know and a bad manager is not worth dealing with. <S> You DON'T need to tell your manager that you are unhappy although you can. <S> That should emerge naturally from the conversation. <S> If your "current state" is very different from your "desired state", there is clearly a disconnect, which will be obvious to a good manager. <A> You don't know with any certainty that your manager realises how unhappy you are. <S> Maybe you are the last person he'd want to see leave. <S> Perhaps he would be willing do everything in his power to prevent it. <S> If he doesn't know, he can't change anything for you. <S> You should definitely discuss your current role and responsibilities with him. <S> Explain the aspects of the job you like and dislike. <S> While you're at it, discuss your career goals and find out how he sees your position in the company evolving over the next 1, 2 or 5 years. <S> Perhaps he has a plan for you in that he hasn't communicated yet. <S> While it's good to talk, don't tell him you are planning to leave. <S> If you're going to stick around you want to foster a good working relationship between you. <S> The last thing you need is any suggestion that you tried to threaten or strong arm over it. <A> Nothing wrong having a discussion with your manager, ideally it should be part of your catch-up meeting or more formal 1-to-1. <S> Just state the facts in what is causing you to be unhappy in your current position. <S> Any manager worth their salt should be willing to hear you out. <S> And if you have valid points look to make some changes. <S> After all, it is easier to make changes for a current employee than to start a search for a new one! <A> If you're already looking for a new job, just focus on that. <S> There is nothing that can be said to undo what your experiences have been, and even if they correct course, you're still going to have resentment, and will end up looking in a few months anyway. <S> It sounds like they're on the way to making you redundant anyway. <S> Expressing anything to your manager at this point would just be telegraphing your move, and giving them time to replace you, or even push you out the door before you are ready. <S> Even the best case scenario, at this point, is that they throw you something to appease you for now, and then later, things creep back to where they are now. <S> Now, once you get the job offer, don't accept any counter-offer from your current employer. <S> That almost never turns out well, and it's not worth the risk that you'd be the exception. <S> This bridge has already been burned, leave before it collapses.
| You DON'T tell your manager that you are considering leaving as it comes across as a threat. It's always okay to have a career development discussion with your manager. Focus on your job hunt, make sure it's something you will enjoy, and will appreciate your talents and skills.
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How do I deal with a team member who regularly makes breaking changes? I'm a senior developer in a mid-sized business. We are split into multiple sub-teams with specific roles for each. My allocated team's responsibility is for the day to day running of services and bug fixing issues that arise from our product. I have recently had a bad case of burnout related to the current COVID situation. Amongst the several concerns that I have are that of an individual team member. This team member has a habit of making breaking changes, without much thought or consideration given to others in the team, let alone across sub-teams. It is almost the bane of my life, multiple system outages have been caused by this person, but they continue at an astonishing pace of development. This is obviously viewed by management as a "positive" thing as they're getting the work done. The catch here is that each time there is an outage, the investigation follows. This involves multiple meetings, bug fixing (my team) and slowdown in our work while we put out the inevitable fires that have been started. Worst of all, it is really hard to get them to own up to their mistakes. Talking with them, it's never "their" code that's at fault. The individual even tried to blame the hardware ECC memory for memory corruption that originated from this individual's code. I am all for people learning from mistakes, but we barely get to put out the last fire before the next one is started. Most recently, and while I have been under a lot of pressure to deliver, I went to get the final task of the day done. Lo and behold, they are at it again and a code commit broke my work. I quite publicly flipped out on our team channels about it because I was pretty fed-up with the direct approach. This has got management attention, in that their manager got involved. After talking with management time and again, little seems to have changed with this individual. How do I raise this to management’s attention, get them to act and, more importantly, help prevent this from continuing? <Q> If you don't have the authority to make and enforce such a rule, then you must convince the party who does have that authority. <S> Document completely the actual costs of breaking the build. <S> Until this rule is in place, act as if it were. <S> When the build is broken, revert to the last good build. <S> Demonstrate that the only difference between project software that works and project software that does not work is that one commit. <S> You should be making a lot of noise about this, to everyone from your colleagues to upper management. <A> With respect to getting management to act it's helpful to quantify the problem in relevant terms (money is best, time is also acceptable). <S> For example: Change 123 broke the system, resulting in X hours of downtime and costingus $Y in lost revenue. <S> Change 456 created bugs that upset Big Customer (costing them $ etc.).Big Customer is now reconsidering their relationship with our company. <S> Change 789 caused an outage which required Z hours of developmenttime to fix. <S> That time came from Important Project X. Important Project X isnow delayed Z hours. <S> The idea is to frame the issue as one impacting the business. <S> As such it's equally important when writing such a list to ignore things that aren't impacting the business (directly). <S> It doesn't matter how fed-up you are (sorry) <S> , it doesn't really matter that you're having to work a lot (again, sorry). <S> It also doesn't matter if this particular individual hasn't responded to your previous attempts at getting them in line. <S> None of these are really business problems. <S> As to what your managers ought to do (and you should be ready with suggestions) it depends on what your company already has in place. <S> If there are supposed to be code reviews prior to commit for example, but they're not happening, or they're not being done effectively, that could be addressed. <S> If you don't have code reviews you could suggest starting them (of course they cost time/resources too so that has to be balanced). <S> You could implement various testing regimens, or you could actually use the ones you do have (if you have some) etc etc. <A> It's their manager's responsibility to deal with all "personnel issues." <S> You should be fully prepared, of course, for them to also want to speak to you, and you, too, are obliged to do your part (as they see it) to achieve resolution. <A> Perform retrospectives and iterate your process to be resilient in the face of one person's error. <S> Performing blameless incident retrospectives and regular development team retrospectives where you focus on the issues, all learn about your system, and devise ways to make your system resistant to errors <S> is the best first step. <S> Identify the issues, figure out frequency and cost metrics around them, and figure out how to make it better. <S> Does there need to be more testing and higher code coverage? <S> Do people need to be committing more frequently so the PRs are smaller? <S> Do more people need to be on a PR? <S> Are build failure notifications being sent in actionable ways (in chat, in email, etc.) <S> to the right party? <S> A developer should be free to make mistakes. <S> There should be a framework in place that helps all the devs find errors, quickly, before passing them down the line. <S> Maybe there still needs to be personnel action - maybe. <S> Some folks believe "everything" is the system's issue. <S> In reality there are some people who are slackers or screwups and no reasonable amount of development guardrails will correct that. <S> However, that's rarer than people think. <S> If you have a very prolific developer that creates 5x more code than their colleagues, then if they create 5x the bugs/incidents of their colleagues that's normal, and I would prefer that employee to other employees because I'm getting 5x the output. <S> It's only if they are causing 10x <S> the problems that calculus starts to cross back over the line. <S> Even if you need to take this to their manager, be focused on solutions. <S> "Talking to" the manager and their manager "talking to" <S> them hasn't worked and usually doesn't. <S> "How can flaws in your team's work not affect ours? <S> What agreements or technical safeguards can we put in place to make this best for everyone? <S> " <S> Keep in mind YOU should not be doing this, but your manager should be talking with the other team's manager. <A> I agree with others who've advocated using a CI system and tests. <S> In my startup, we run tests against each pull request, and only those that pass can be merged. <S> After the merge, tests must pass again before the latest merge is deployed to production. <S> And if a pull request breaks production, it is immediately reverted. <S> Then it's up to the developer to clean it up, get it through code review again (usually with new tests to demonstrate that the problem is fixed), and ensure it passes tests. <S> We still have problems that take down production, but only for a matter of minutes at most. <S> If in doubt, we revert first and ask questions later.
| You must make an ironclad rule that if a person commits code that breaks the build, the commit is instantly reverted and that person's work is not completed . You should speak to your manager, describing the situation, so that (s)he can speak to the other manager. Be prepared to be told -- and, to accept -- that you may be completely or partially wrong. "Be professional." Engage him in fixing the problem.
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Coworker bringing personal issues to work I am part of a small business of myself, the business owner, and a recently new employee. For all intents and purposes, it is just myself and the new employee are the ones running the business - the business owner is only attending monthly meetings to see how the business is progressing. We have reached a point where we have identified how we work together well, with only one issue; they are bringing their personal issues to work. I have no issues with this in general, I sometimes have bad days, or lose control to my own personal issues, but it is not something that I bring up. At most, I might need to apologize for my behavior due to my "personal situations"; but I leave it at that. They, on the other hand, bring it up as part of the morning meetings, and in detail. They give updates on how things are progressing, or regressing as the case may be. Again, I have no issue with them dealing with these situations, but I feel that this is not really something that we should be addressing in such detail in the workplace. From an interpersonal perspective, I could approach them outside of work hours and address it there, but I do not feel comfortable with that at this point in time; partially because we do not really communicate on a level I am comfortable with outside of work hours, and partially because I cannot really support them in this either - I feel like my simple remarks of "I can understand things are tough" appears as a brush off. So how should I be handling this, in a professional sense? For clarification, the "issues" I have mentioned are along the lines of PTSD and anxiety. I have spoken to him about some of issues before, but only in so far as how they affect work. For example, he is always keen to argue in the favor of the client, regardless of whether or not it is a good business idea - not only making me look bad for denying the client their request(s) but also having to take him away to discuss where he actually sits in the deal. This particular issue has been resolved, but he still brings up others that are far more personal; generally focusing on their origin in his childhood. Quite simply; in a work environment I do not feel that these are things that should be brought up at any time, and I personally do not feel comfortable being included in the sharing. <Q> There is a lot of good advice about situations like this at Ask A Manager . <S> This one <S> I found is for someone who has several people chit-chatting about personal issues (not just one), but some of the advice is still sound: <S> Be busy - be so busy with work that you don't have time to listen and chat <S> Perhaps talk to them about the bigger issue <S> And this quote is especially good: <S> Perhaps most important, reframe your thinking a bit. <S> I suspect you feel an obligation to listen to your co-workers and be a supportive presence for them (and that's how this all started), so keep in the forefront of your mind that you have a higher obligation to your employer to focus on your job. <S> Unless your employer has specifically hired you to play office therapist, continuing to do it is shortchanging them. <S> I've seen the advice often - listen just a bit, acknowledge them, and then change the subject back to work. <S> Something like "Yeah, that sounds tough. <S> Now, about those TPS reports..." It's not rude to want to do the work you are being paid to do, nor to remind your co-worker that is why you are there. <S> And it will probably take time - <S> some people are so used to complaining that they won't easily give it up, even when there is no positive and some negative reinforcement. <A> You aren't obligated to be this person's friend or therapist. <S> Yes, people can have those relationships at work <S> but it's based on some mutual compatibility & acceptance. <S> Not imposed by one person. <S> And a work meeting is almost never the right place for personal stuff. <S> Observe closely how much time the work portion of the meeting takes. <S> Shorten work meeting lengths to be closer to the time you observed. <S> Whenever you reach the end time leave the meeting and start doing something else. <S> If they try to insist on talking about anything (business or personal) at the end of the scheduled meeting time you say, "I have a hard stop now" or "I have a hard stop at 10AM". <S> This isn't unusual for busy people to do. <S> From an interpersonal perspective, I could approach them outside of work hours and address it there, but I do not feel comfortable with that at this point in time; partially because we do not really communicate on a level I am comfortable with outside of work hours <S> If they try and push you for why you no longer listen to their personal issues, just say: "I'm sorry <S> but I'm not good dealing with this kind of thing. <S> I just want to focus on work right now." <A> Usually this would be something for your supervisor to bring up, and usually you could verify it's not just yourself over-reacting by checking with other members of the team. <S> With just two people however it's a very different dynamic, so this doesn't work so well, and it's easy to cause offence if you're not careful. <S> I'd start by saying something very neutral / soft / non-confrontational, such as: <S> Hi <S> Alice, I've noticed we both drift a bit off-piste in these morning meetings and as such they're starting to eat into our days more than they should! <S> Do you mind if we keep them strictly to work matters, and aim for no more than (appropriate length of time)? <S> If Alice still brings these matters up in the morning meetings, you can get a bit more direct: <S> Alice, I realise this is a really tough situation, but I'd really like to keep these morning meetings on track. <S> ... <S> and then if it's really unbearable, you can of course talk to the founder and tell him to have a word. <S> Going above Alice's head is always going to leave a bit of a bad taste though rather than talking to her directly, so I'd leave that as a last resort. <A> There are two sides to this, your colleague may be suffering and needing the support of someone, and because they trust you is able to open up. <S> The other side, this is frustrating for you.
| Say that you want to talk about work issues at the start of every meeting. I would suggest that during your next morning meeting you mention that how the meetings are not sticking to topic, however you are happy to discuss other matters outside of this meeting and make time during break, this way the person wont feel rejected for opening up and you will be able to progress the morning meetings. It's also shortchanging yourself -- you're putting yourself in a position where you're not going to be as productive as you otherwise would be, and that will have very real ramifications on future raises, project assignments, promotions, and your reputation. Always warn in advance of the meeting what the time constraint is.
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Manager is hiring a new software engineer but wont let me help in hiring I'm a sr. Software engineer on a small team. I have a great boss (not micro manager), but he is a non technical manager which is completely fine. We are really short on developers and after great struggle got recs approved for them. He posted the jobs and has been interviewing software engineering candidates. I requested many times to keep me in the loop and I would like to help to find a good candidate. But he has been ignoring me and the rest of the team and is doing interviews by himself. I just don't know what he is asking these candidates and how he is determining technical skills. I'm afraid that he is going to hire someone who is not a good fit for the type of work we do. How can I convince him to let me take a basic technical interview before he makes such a big decision. Is he concerned that me interviewing a candidate threatens his position? What is the issue? I'm confused hiring new candidates is a big deal right? He gave an update today saying that he is moving forward with one of the candidates. So clearly he doesn’t plan on looping us in. <Q> Given that you are short on developers it could mean that to save your time your manager is doing the first round of interviews to decide cultural fit. <S> If candidates are selected they could do a second round with one of the developers. <S> Since you added to the question that he is planning to go forward and actually hire someone, please take a look at some of the other answers. <A> Drop the issue. <S> You have asked and your manager has said no. <S> It is reasonable to be concerned about the situation but ultimately it is your managers responsibility, and not yours. <S> There are a few reasons your manager might not want you in the loop: <S> He doesn't need technical advice. <S> Presumably he has hired people before and, rightly or wrongly, feels capable of hiring a good developer without needing external input (did he hire you?). <S> He wants to put the new candidate on a level playing field with the rest of the team. <S> Letting team members into the hiring process can sometimes create the false impression of seniority. <S> Maybe he has had a bad experience with this in the past. <S> He wants you to spend more time on software development. <S> You also need to think about the way you approached the situation. <S> You effectively told your boss "I don't trust your competence". <S> A more mature approach would have been to ask to be included in interviews as a career development opportunity. <A> Your manager will learn in time. <S> My boss did that once, hiring someone against actual objections from his engineers (before I started) and it turned out to be a complete disaster. <S> They still talk about him, and the boss has learnt. <A> If your goal is to ensure that the new hire is technically up to scratch, ask your manager if you can provide a technical test, or setup a test online via 3rd party supplier. <A> But he has been ignoring me and the rest of the team and is doing interviews by himself. <S> I just don't know what he is asking these candidates and how he is determining technical skills. <S> I would ask more openly about what the full hiring and interview process is. <S> If the hiring manager is indeed doing all of the interview himself, talk to him about how you could help. <S> Approach it from the point of view that you believe the whole team should have say in evaluating the new team member instead of from the point of view that your new manager isn't technical enough to evaluate the candidate.
| If you're concerned I'd suggest talking to your manager 1 on 1 to ask what the plan is and how you can help to make sure the best candidate is selected.
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Why might my manager repeatedly ask me about my workload? "How do you feel about your workload?" I get asked this probably once-twice per week. She's big on leadership books, so I imagine this might be a question she picked up from there. It started when we began working from home (COVID-19), but we're slowly returning to the office. It's not particularly bothersome, but I wonder, is she concerned that I am being under-productive or worrying about me feeling overwhelmed? Is this a common management question? I'm a Report Developer for a Performance Improvement team -- We operate mostly independently, with weekly meetings on how our projects are going. We have the classic struggle of communicating technical hurdles. (Can we add X to this report? It seems so easy!) <Q> My manager has been managing a remote team (everyone works in a different office) for years (the team has existed for 3+ years now). <S> And she originally got the job partially because she had experience managing remote teams (and mostly because she is really good at handling her people). <S> And one of her first questions she has for me <S> everytime <S> we have <S> a one-on-one meeting is "what is your workload like". <S> Our work is assigned by her, but also by other parts of the company we are assigned to support so she's not always fully aware of what work we are doing on a daily basis. <S> And with the COVID-19 working environment, she's basically able to keep working the same as before because we are all remote from her (whether we are in another office or our own homes). <S> So she's not checking to see if i am being productive or not <S> - she's generally interested to make sure I have enough work to do. <S> She frequently assigns new (and often interesting) tasks to people she knows have bandwidth to handle extra work. <S> So when she asks the question, she is legitimately curious about how much I have on my plate <S> and if I can handle extra work. <A> “It's not particularly bothersome, but I wonder, is she concerned that I am being under-productive or worrying about me feeling overwhelmed?” <S> Either of those are possibilities. <S> It’s also possible <S> she’s not assuming either one and simply wants to know how you feel about your workload. <S> Is it too much work? <S> Not enough work? <S> Just the right amount of work? <S> Part of her job as a manager is makIng sure the team is busy but not overwhelmed and from her perspective, it can be hard to get an accurate picture as she’s not in the trenches with you every day. <S> This is especially true in the age of Covid when coworkers are unable to have face to face interactions and many of us are grappling with personal issues that could interfere with our regular workload. <S> Unless you have good reason to suspect an ulterior motive, take the question at face value and answer honestly. <A> She's big on leadership books, so I imagine this might be a question she picked up from there. <S> I have read about doing this in several books and articles, so it is plausible. <S> she concerned that I am being under-productive or worrying about me feeling overwhelmed? <S> If you have to wonder, you need to assume that she is concerned about your productivity. <S> It depends on what your organization is like though. <S> The correct answer to this question depends on the political nature of your company. <S> My answer to this is usually: "Reasonably busy, but what can I do for you?" <S> If there is an opportunity, I do not discourage them from sharing it and seem eager and willing to take on new things. <S> If they are just gauging my workload, it isn't the "slammed" that others will give, but with the right tone, it just seems modest. <S> Either way, my question usually gets a motivation for asking (not always the real motivation, but still useful), which is helpful for you going forward. <A> With Covid19 and many people working remotely, it is natural that a manager to ask how things are going. <S> People experience remote working differently, some positive others less so. <S> Depending on your circumstance, you had to balance homeschooling your children with your normal workload. <S> Others find it lonely, and the relentless series of Zoom (others are available) calls draining. <S> Or chaotic if you are in a house-share <S> and you don't have much space, ending up spending long periods in your bedroom. <S> I think she is just being a good caring manager. <S> If she had an issue with your productivity she would have told you so.
| Sometimes i can take a lot of extra work, sometimes I can't, but answering truthfully helps me get extra fun tasks when my other work is slow and keeps her from bothering me when work is very busy.
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Resumes: How to discuss "growing out of incompetence" in a positive light? Some background I'm currently entering my second year at university and I'm a computer science major. I did 4 years of FIRST Robotics FRC in high school, where I learned how to program robots using a visual based language called LabVIEW. Through my university classes, I've had about 9 months education/experience with C++ and 5 or so months with UNIX and shell scripting concepts. In February or so I was invited by a fellow classmate to join a research project he was a part of, and I've taught myself some basic electrical stuff (working within the Raspberry Pi ecosystem) and also have been teaching myself python through online courses to be able to program electronics and a desktop GUI for the project. In the future I will also teach myself mobile programming and the relevant "communications w/ a Raspberry Pi" stuff for that. My concerns I'm wanting to write a resume, not necessarily for a specific job coming up but just since that's something that's nice to create and continue updating so you have it when the need arises. I want to add these research experiences to my resume, but I don't know how to word it positively. Obviously it reflects well that I took and continue to take initiative to learn things (especially in the field of programming), but a lot of times in the research project I feel like "I don't know what I'm doing, but I can probably figure it out if you give me some time" and I feel like that is concerning for an employer to hear. Like, wouldn't it reflect poorly for me to emphasize that I am/was unqualified for certain things, even if I'm usually able to google until I sort it out? Is it concerning that all my python and electronics knowledge is "self-taught," meaning it might not be of some standardized quality? How do I emphasize my growth out of incompetence without coming off as still incompetent? Am I worried about something that's a non-issue? <Q> No one expects you to know everything as a new student. <S> That's what school is for. <S> To gain skills. <S> However, phrasing things in a positive light is a great skill, especially when discussing your talents. <S> A few phrases you can consider: <S> Self-taught [skill] Self-motivated learner Quick learner <S> These are basic statements. <S> You should come up with your own, descriptive phrasing. <A> It's all about what you've done. <S> If you have worked on a Raspberry Pi project, then you have done it. <S> Nobody cares whether you learned it in school or online or yourself. <S> Everyone has "grown out of incompetence" - the first stuff on their resume is being an untutored bozo, and then they have maybe some school, and then they have maybe some jobs or projects, and now they are where they are. <S> So you're overthinking it. <S> What you want is to show accomplishments. <S> Projects you can list are good, ones you can point to on github or whatnot are better, but that's the deal. <S> If you have a lot of those per unit time people will see you're a fast learner. <A> You want to demonstrate on your resume that your a problem solver and self-motived learner. <S> When you start out it is worthwhile to mention all related experience that can demonstrate above. <S> So, by all means, say I learned python. <S> If you can back it up with the completion certifications, or at least a link to the course. <S> Or a GitHub (others are available) link to your project demonstrating your skills Mention how you used your problem-solving skills. <S> Think of becoming active in online communities and use that as a reference. <S> Or volunteering, especially Rasberry PI in teaching others. <A> That is subject matter for the interview. <S> Most employers or recruiters have to screen many CVs and many will discard one if they get bored while reading it <S> or it doesn't meet the job <S> spec - bulking it out won't help. <S> A common interview question is 'what sort of things do you work on in your free time?'. <S> You've got a list of good answers in your question. <A> "I don't know what I'm doing, but I can probably figure it out if you give me some time" <S> That's EXACTLY what many employers are looking for. <S> Sure, you are going to learn some technical skills at your university and you are expected to be able to use these proficiently, but technical skills get stale quickly and the field moves fast. <S> The ability to learn efficiently and adapt quickly is quite valuable. <S> The more you progress in your career the more you will be faced new challenges that will become larger and larger and the less you can rely on existing knowledge. <S> Many CEOs today are face with <S> "How do I make my company survive in a global pandemic". <S> There is no playback or existing literature: the one's that can learn and adapt quickly <S> will be the companies to survive.
| For projects that you have worked on, keep to the facts about what you did and what you accomplished.
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Not passing the PIP - still will be eligible for UI? I recently took a position and started this new job and the only reason I left my previous employer was because this was supposed to be the promotional opportunity that I was searching for. Unfortunately, things have not gone well at all and within 3 weeks into this company, my boss began saying that "it's feeling like this is not a good fit". 7 weeks in, and they put me on a PIP that claims "Within 1 week, I need to see continued steady improvements on..." and realistically the bullet points are so high-level and not measurable, I feel like they just want to get me out of there because it's been a definite mismatch of what their expectations of the role were and my experience and my expectations of the position were for. From the many different people I spoke to, everybody has told me they have never heard of a PIP being evaluated within 1 week, it sounds like they have already made their decision of letting me go. Regardless, I am just continuing to working to my best of knowledge and experience, but have accepted the reality that they are going to terminate me for not passing this 1-week PIP. If that happens, I just want to know that I will still be eligible for receiving unemployment if I have not been able to get through this PIP while I continue my job search? <Q> In Illinois, you can apply for and collect unemployment after being fired for performance reasons (assuming you meet all the other criteria ). <S> You can only be denied benefits if fired for misconduct . <A> Having gone through this myself two years ago, yes, should you not pass your PIP and are dismissed, you will still receive UI benefits if you tried your best to improve and you couldn't. <S> Items that would disqualify you from UI <S> (this is from Massachusetts, but other states will vary) Quitting <S> If you voluntarily quit or you abandon your job (e.g. no call, no show for two consecutive days), you are considered ineligible for UI. <S> Gross Misconduct <S> Some items that constitute gross misconduct are Theft (including personal theft and embezzlement from the company) Being under the influence of drugs or alcohol Fighting/threats of bodily harm Breach of confidentiality Damage to company property <S> Most of the time, a PIP is over several weeks, even months, as a way to get people to improve their performance before they are dismissed (and is often coupled with warnings). <S> In cases where a job is not a good fit, this is not gross misconduct and <S> your state UI would agree as much. <S> Just to keep yourself safe, I would document everything (names, dates, incidents) in case your company contests your UI claim and/or state UI agency denies it, especially if think it was a constructive dismissal <S> (i.e. your employers made your working conditions so miserable that you had no choice but to quit). <S> You do, of course, have the opportunity to appeal any decisions, so the more backup you have, the better it will be. <A> A PIP is usually nothing more than establishing a paper trail for firing someone for cause. <S> In some companies, it's a defensive move, for others, it's in preparation for fighting an unemployment claim. <S> The good news is that unemployment is becoming aware of this. <S> Your unemployment shouldn't get denied, but if it does, you can probably fight it, have all the documentation possible, including the fact that you were getting the vague feedback of "not a good fit", and that you were only given a week. <S> Unfortunately, UI is overwhelmed right now, and the claim may take a while to process regardless.
| If you are terminated for gross misconduct, you are considered ineligible for UI.
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Is my boss required to inform me if one of our coworkers has coronavirus? I work in a supermarket, about 800 employees between two stores. We are an "essential business" and have been open through the entire coronavirus pandemic....A newspaper article came out saying that 14 employees caught the coronavirus at our sister store. Employees found out through the newspaper article that some of our coworkers got sick (they did not find out through management until after the article came out). A day or two after the news paper article came out, some coworkers and I were debating over whether employees have a right to privacy around health concerns or if a "pandemic sickness" would override that. Does management have to hide who and who does not have coronavirus? --In addition, It is my opinion that management does not intend to do the wrong thing, it is possible they were to relaxed going into the pandemic, but employees have been fully masked and plexi-glassed and social distancing since the start. Here is a full article about my store: https://www.berkeleyside.com/2020/07/17/rumors-fear-miscommunication-berkeley-bowl-workers-react-to-covid-19-outbreak <Q> Unfortunately no and unfortunately I don't think you'd have a solid lawsuit against them. <S> You might have a class action suite against them but they will win. <S> In most cases they'd just settle to avoid costly lawyer and court fees though. <S> There are several incidences over the years where companies knowingly used or allowed their employees to use unsafe practices. <S> Take for example the glow in the dark watches. <S> Companies knew for a long time that the stuff was toxic and extremely damaging to bodies yet they used these group of women that regularly licks the paintbrushes so they can apply it to a small watch handle. <S> Coronavirus is really no different from anything else a company might know about. <S> And they can even argue that you do not have to come to work and you are free to go elsewhere if you feel unsafe. <S> Generally this will hold up in courts unless they somehow put a sick person into work. <S> Heck, recently talcum powder was linked to cancer and the company knew about it for decades but continued to supply it to their customers. <S> The worst thing that happened is they set aside a high interest account with a set amount of money to just give people as lawsuits come in. <S> Once the money is gone, chances are no one can sue them ever again about it <S> and they get away free and clear despite having killed numerous people. <A> The grocery store I work at (in canada mind you) has said they will inform us if a confirmed case is in the store (customer or staff). <S> I'm not sure if this is a legal requirement <S> but I think it is just a decision our store has made to tell staff and customers if there has been a case in the store. <S> They obviously can't disclose personal information but personally I would want managment to tell us if the virus was found to be in the store. <A> This is more of a legal question. <S> They have a duty of care to you. <S> They also have a duty of care to those that are sick to not share medical information. <S> Management are almost certainly under no obligation to share private medical data of their employees. <S> You say people got sick at the sister store. <S> So it sounds like there is no risk to people at your own store? <S> If people are moving between stores, that is a different story.
| A company does not need to disclose it to their employees as they can argue people would already know it is dangerous and contagious.
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Should I include marijuana retail on my resume? My boyfriend and I live in Washington state. He has been trying to get a new job, but is unsure if he should include his most recent job on his resume. He worked part time at a Marijuana retail shop while working at Lowe’s full time. Should he leave the shop off his resume even though it is entirely legal in our state, or put it on? <Q> I think the risks outweigh the benefits <S> There is no unemployment gap to fill. <S> There is a full-time position at Lowes covering the same time period. <S> Employers often take a dim view of moonlighting. <S> Some companies outright prohibit it. <S> Others require you report it. <S> Some are worried about sharing with competitors and others with problems scheduling you for shifts. <S> Others are just worried about the employee being tired. <S> Obviously retail is a lot less strict about this, but I am sure that scheduling conflicts are on the minds of those hiring. <S> It being legal gets rid of the idea that he is a criminal. <S> It does not get rid of the idea that he is a pothead. <S> It may be completely unfair, but that is what many imagine when they think of someone who works at a weed store. <S> During periods of high unemployment, companies tend to get a lot more picky and are willing to exclude people based on smaller things. <A> This is a difficult question to answer because it is opinion-based and the reception/reaction to it being on a resume will vary widely. <S> OR Not including it would cause a significant gap in his employment history. <A> Yes , I would include it as it is relevant retail sales experience. <S> I would also add a note on the application or resume that it is indeed legal just to be 100% clear to people who are viewing it. <S> If he is applying for jobs in the same state chances are that employers are aware of its legality, so you may or may not include the " 100% legal " statement in this case. <A> Depends on the type of new job he is applying to. <S> Leaving it out would not result in any gaps in his working history, as you said he was working fulltime. <S> The plus point about leaving it in would be showing that he worked 2 jobs. <S> And because it is legal it would make an interesting talking point when he does get an interview.
| For what it's worth, I would not include it unless: It is relevant to the position that he is applying for. You could just leave it out, as some people would (incorrectly!) making a character judgement call.
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How to answer "why should we promote you"? When talking with your manager about a promotion to a more senior position, how do you answer "why should we promote you?" What's in it for the company? I could say "promoting me shows all employees that this company offers career growth possibilities, and that hard work & taking ownership is rewarded" - but maybe that's a bit cheesy? I don't want to go "if you don't, I'll have to change companies", that sounds too threatening. What other interesting reasons could there be? <Q> Others have noted my positive contributions I have gone above and beyond by doing (cite examples) <S> I am ready for more responsibilities <S> Because you want to reward success (if you're bold enough to pull this one off) <S> The key is to quantify your answer. <S> I did X therefore <S> Y where Y is that you should be promoted. <A> There are three areas to stress when discussing promotion. <S> Things you've done that benefitted the company (rewarding for past performance). <S> Worth mentioning, but actually the weakest value proposition. <S> You are currently contributing at a higher level <S> (fit to job descriptions). <S> Many places have job level descriptions with defined expectations for each level, and showing that you are meeting the criteria for the higher level is the way you get promoted in those orgs. <S> There are specific things you can do to benefit the company in that new role (what's in it for them). <S> This is super specific to the situation, but leveraging your past accomplishments to say what you can achieve in that new role is a lot stronger than saying "give it to me because I deserve it for past things" - jobs and titles and salaries aren't rewards. <S> They are a reflection of the benefit the company believes it will derive in the future from you. <A> My view is that the best way to get promoted is to already be operating at that level. <S> This makes it a no-brainer for the company. <S> Rather than asking "Should we give Konerak a chance in a more senior role" you want them saying "Konerak is already effectively functioning as a senior [whatever], we should make if official". <S> So, your answer, if asked "why we should promote you",should be along those lines. <S> For example: "Well I've already been doing [this] and [that] for the past 6 months <S> and I think I've shown that [the other] in that time". <S> What's in it for them? <S> Seeing internal promotion will energise and motivate other staff to earn promotions, their team will improve and they will hold on to their best people. <S> Plus , by hiring internally they get somebody who already knows the organisation and market space and doesn't need time to ramp up on both. <A> One reason not mentioned so far is market value. <S> If people at other companies doing similar jobs get paid more then you are underpaid and that is reason to give you a raise, since it will be less disruptive for the company to retain you and the company-specific knowledge you have acquired than to recruit and someone else and wait for them to get up to speed. <S> Of course you have to be careful how you phrase it. <S> I wouldn't lead with it, but along with other points about your contributions and the benefits the company has received from your labour you could also add a single sentence about your research suggesting that your pay is below market rate. <A> Mention seniority. <S> Something none of the other answers have mentioned is seniority. <S> In some places, “I have spent X years working in this role” is a valid reason for promotion, and might in fact be mandated by local laws or union agreements. <S> For instance, in Australia, the minimum wage is determined by an Award system that considers both the type of job and the amount of experience you possess; as a result, you would be entirely justified to go to your boss and say “I’ve been working here for 3 years, and that puts me into the next Award”. <A> It seems to me that, as in a hiring interview, you should focus on the business case to the company. <S> How will their business benefit/improve with you in the more senior position? <S> "I will be able to bring my management and scheduling expertise, as proven in projects A, B, and C, to benefit larger projects and more employees. <S> " <S> "I'm looking forward to focusing on areas P, Q, and R to bring qualitative improvements to our processes." <S> "I expect that I'll be able to share my domain-specific expertise and training with a larger swath of people, improving performance of juniors and new hires in particular." <S> Something like that.
| Exactly what you've said - they want to reward good work and show that it's possible to build a career there. Good answers to this question are: I have proven myself with (cite examples)
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How to prove that I have worked on complex product design in the past? I'm lucky enough to find myself among the several million brand new job hunters in the market. I'm still on good terms with my old employer (and wish to keep it that way of course). I was involved with designing electronic products (PCBs, enclosures, software etc) and that is the kind of work I wish to continue in a new job. Therefore I feel like it would be very useful to be able to show potential new employers a few non-confidential photographs of some of the equipment that I have created in the past. Work that I am very proud of. Obviously it would be grossly unethical to do so without my old company's express permission. A set of images could be printed out on paper (that is important, so they would never be shown in a digital format) showing both the design process and the finished product working on a bench. The photos are not so detailed that one could reverse engineer any part of the product (that precaution was taken when the pictures were captured). I would keep the pictures after the interview. EDIT (clarification)... I do not yet have copies of the images, the company does and I'd have to ask if I can borrow them. The images were intended to be used for marketing purposes (trade show stands, newsletters etc) and are entirely innocuous and sterile from an IP point of view. Some of them are even openly on the website. I'm not planning on working for any of my old company's business rivals. If my boss said it was OK, I'd still have to make it abundantly clear to a potential new employer that I went out of my way to get old boss's permission to show them these pictures. I'd be happy to show them written permission, although getting that is another question entirely. Why do I need these pictures? It would be a lot easier for me to discuss the details of product design if I can have a set of visual cues for me to discuss and for the interviewers to look at and ask questions about. Also having evidence of an advanced, finished product, shown to be working is a huge reassurance to them that I know what I'm doing in this line of work. I'm not a natural verbal communicator (typical engineer) and find it hard to talk freestyle about something that is not visible to me or the audience at the time. <Q> At the interview you should be using previous projects to provide examples of how you solved problems or used your knowledge and skill. <S> The fact that you can confidently and clearly explain those things, with a true narrative showing the process, is all the proof you require. <S> Of course if they do offer you the job they can contact your references to get confirmation that you worked on the projects you say you did. <S> Make sure your references are aware of your contributions. <S> If the interviewer demands more proof than that you can only explain that copyright makes it impossible, and then realize you dodged a bullet anyway because you don't want to work for a boss who doubts your efforts. <A> It all depends on the person interviewing you. <S> But you must remember that businesses know that information is confidential, so they will not require you to break confidentiality. <S> How will the new (potential) employer that you do not lie about the work done? <S> It is simple - you only need to talk about it, describe some of the aspects which matter, without being secret. <S> Depending on the way you talk, it will be (relatively) clear what kind of job you did. <S> Example: how will anyone believe you that you did some great job, if you do not know the initials P.C.B come from. <S> Or why are there small holes in that green / red / brown / whatever-color board. <S> Therefore I feel like it would be very useful to be able to show potential new employers <S> a few photographs of some of the equipment that I have created in the past. <S> Merely taking confidential information outside of the company's premises is already very dangerous , if you do not have the proper written approval to do so. <S> Showing the said info to third parties, especially other companies, only adds to the danger. <S> I work in international corporations for about 20 years, I changed jobs several times. <S> I never showed anything during interviews (except the CV). <S> I explained everything that was asked, without giving away confidential information. <S> I never needed to look much for a new job. <S> Alternative (what I do) <S> Occasionally, I wanted to show pictures related to what I worked in the past. <S> And I did, safely. <S> I do this usually for the products which are not know to the wide public. <S> I just use the information already made public by the company. <S> Or, I tell the people the names of the products for which I worked (if the products are known to the people). <S> Usually I disclose that information only after the products were released, or at least presented in some shows. <S> After that, anyone can search any information they want. <A> I assume that your work eventually turned up in some product that I could buy in a store For little money or that my company might buy for an awful lot of money. <S> So if it is not a secret that your company produced parts of these products, you could say that You developed parts of products A, B, and C. <S> If product X was secret, you add “and one other product that is under NDA”. <S> You can ask your company if you are allowed to send photos of the hardware. <S> Most likely I could get the hardware itself by buying the product and taking it apart, so your company may not mind. <S> Or if they have brochures that anyone would receive from them, you could ask for them and mark what you specifically designed. <S> Do you need proof that you are designer? <S> If I received this material, I’d say “he is either really good, or a blatant liar”. <S> Anything in a CV could be made up, we all know that, so it’s no problem. <S> You’d most likely get the interview. <S> PS. <S> Anything that I as a random person could view on your company’s website you can obviously mention. <S> Include a link on your CV. <A> If you are planning to use the photos as a conversation starter in your interview. <S> See it as a crutch to set you at ease and to initiate a conversation about your work history. <S> As you say yourself you are not planning to work for a competitor or in the same sector. <S> You can explicitly mention that it is early high-level designs or prototype and not the final product perhaps. <S> As an aside ensure you describe these designs in detail on your resume/c.v <S> as it showcases your written communication skills. <S> A good communicator is a skill employers will be looking for, especially if you want to progress to a more senior position.
| The only proof you need is that you can talk in detail about the design and the issues that you encountered with it. I just go to the official site of the company and search there the products that I worked on.
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Is it appropriate to mute others in a video call Due to COVID-19, my company has gone completely remote and all of our meetings are conducted over voice-call software (e.g. Skype, Zoom, Teams - usually without using video) that allows any invitee to mute themselves and others. Usually, my colleagues will mute when they are not speaking. However, I have experienced some cases where someone's mic is making feedback, or someone has background noise, but has not muted. Typically, the call organizer will remind others to mute, but this doesn't always happen. I think there are a couple of things to consider when answering this: If I am the call organizer or not How many people are in the call Is it appropriate to mute others in a call if the noise they are making is disruptive? <Q> As the meeting organizer, it would certainly be within your scope to mute the offending party, and you should send them a private message notifying them of that so that they don't attempt to speak and are thus excluded from the meeting. <S> It's not great etiquette, but the meeting must continue without disruption. <S> The technique we use in our company is to pause the meeting, announce everyone needs to mute, and then if they continue unmuted they are called out by name and instructed to mute. <S> We have yet to go beyond that level of attention on it. <S> Most people are generally willing to mute, and the ones that don't are usually under the impression they are muted (though aren't). <S> My personal preference is the second one for two reasons. <S> The first is that it signals the intention that the meeting is a serious event and should be paid appropriate attention. <S> The second is that it establishes an order and respect to the group at large that will lead to a better meeting experience. <S> When people see a leader taking the event seriously, they will be more inclined to participate in a serious and engaged manner. <A> Absolutely appropriate if you are the call organizer to mute someone in this situation. <S> I think it would also be polite to inform them on the call or via chat so that they are aware that they have been muted and perhaps why. <S> In my opinion, the number of people on the call is irrelevant; if noise is disturbing the call then there is nothing wrong with muting them. <A> Note that at least Zoom lets you (as the organizer) select that everyone starts muted by default when they join the meeting. <S> That is in my experience the least controversial approach, because it teaches people that being muted is the norm, not a punishment for background noise. <S> There's no need to interrupt the meeting to call people out and ask them to mute themselves or to risk offending someone by force-muting them. <S> People tend to learn very quickly that they need to unmute themselves whenever they want to speak. <S> Muting yourself once you are done speaking then also comes naturally. <S> Essentially, everyone just adapts to a "push-to-talk" mode. <A> Yes. <S> Speaking as a participant, I think it is useful in your scenario. <S> I once adjusted my webcam in an open discussion forgetting to mute myself and my boss muted me. <S> I found it totally okay <S> and was sorry for not muting myself. <S> I could unmute myself afterward. <S> It is another case when you mute someone, because he should not speak. <S> Then there is a conflict about who was about to speak that usually should be resolved by the persons "oh, you were talking" and may need some clarification on team call etiquette when the problem happens more often. <S> When muting because of technical issues like mic feedback loops, you should probably send a short chat message describing what you heard, so the person can try to solve the technical problem on their side (e.g. switching from speakers to headphone). <A> That depends why they were unmuted. <S> Are they actively participating at the time, or did they just forget to go on mute when they were done speaking? <S> In fact, if I forgot to mute, I'd personally prefer it if someone else muted me; if I had something going on in the background, I don't necessarily want all of my colleagues to hear it. <S> On the other hand, if they were actively participating at the time, it would most likely be rude because it could imply that you didn't want to hear what they had to say.
| As long as the participant you muted wasn't actively speaking at the time (i.e. they just forgot to mute), I don't think that there's any problem with it.
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What should I do when in a work environment that confuses security with control actually slows down my workflow? So I am working as a temp basically for a banking institution that has me restricted from downloading Git, it creates a Bitbucket repo for me but I am denied access to the repo that was created on my behalf because apparently I cannot create my own repo. I am starting to get really frustrated that I cannot do the same job I have done for years in many other organizations simply because this banking institution confuses security with total control. I mean it becomes unreasonable when you are blocking me from the tools I need to do my job and then asking myself and my team member how fast can you get this stuff done. Um, well you guys don't even have a versioning tool that we have permission to upload to and stay organized. What can I do about this? How do I address this? I am really getting frustrated here. Another quick example, I have to go fill out a form to request npm only to have that npm and Node that was installed not allow me access to the npm repository, now why in the world would you go ahead and install these things on my machine for me and then disable their ability to pull from npm repo? Anyway, any words of wisdom out there? Like do I address this to the temp agency? Do I address the supervisor whom is a permanent employee and I am sure he is totally aware of how his employer works? <Q> First and foremost your title is misleading and a bit melodramatic. <S> You are working in an environment that requires a high level of security and has both legal and compliance requirements that they must meet. <S> This includes controlling both applications and network/internet access; it looks to me as if they are applying an adequate level of security and control considering the environment. <S> While heightened and stringent security policies often do slow down the process of installing new software and opening network/internet access, the policies and procedures are the standards in most businesses that have these types of requirements. <S> Most IT/security departments have a process for both requesting software and specific network/internet access that is required to perform a task. <S> But keep in mind following the process is typically only a request that will be reviewed by the person/team responsible for the security and compliance. <S> why, be through in your requirements such as including specific network ports, protocols, and external access. <S> The manager should be familiar with the internal process and be able to guide you through it. <S> Don't be surprised if the security/compliance team questions your request, <S> that is part of their job description. <S> So be prepared to justify your need and be willing to accept alternative solutions that they may provide. <S> If this is delaying your deliverables then by all means you should communicate this clearly to both your on-site manager and the agency manager so that there are no surprises. <A> Speak to your supervisor and demonstrate to them what restrictions are in place that are preventing you from doing your work. <S> It could be a case of the IT department not having given you the proper access to do your work. <S> Of course, you need to make sure that whatever restrictions are in place are actually preventing you from doing your work rather than slowing you down or inconveniencing you. <S> If your case is the latter, I would instead explain to your supervisor how you would be more productive without the restrictions. <S> Keep in mind, that your supervisor may have no control over these policies so you may be forced to continue working as you have been. <A> They have numerous regulatory requirements, and potentially large penalties if things go wrong. <S> If a temp comes in and demands that they install a whole bunch of software that they are unfamiliar with, then IT are unlikely to be helpful. <S> That's especially true if you want do do things "in the cloud". <S> Find out what tools they do support, and learn to use them instead.
| Communicate with your onsite manager and clearly state what is needed and Stop trying to force them to do things your way, and instead learn how they do things.
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Should I contact a company whose interview offer I ignored to apologize? More than a year ago I was looking for a job and after accepting an offer, I received an invitation to interview with another company (1st round of a typically two rounds process). It was my first contact with them after sending my application. This came at a time when I was quite busy sorting the move, finding a flat, furnishing it, etc, and I completely forgot to politely decline the invitation. It was not a priority, but regardless I consider the polite thing to do do would be reply declining the offer. In effect I forgot / ignored them. Shall I contact the company to apologize for my oversight? What are the odds that they keep track of former applications? I only noticed their un-replied email this week while looking for an unrelated email in my email box. I would normally brush it off, but: the sector I work in is quite small, and it is possible that in future, medium term, I might apply again. it's a small sector, and even though I am not a household name, people know people. The interview (skype) would be at a very high level with the CEO, CSO and head of division. (It's a small company) <Q> It's old fashioned to imagine an employer (or his secretary) writing out a letter by hand, to a candidate they might realistically foresee retaining in a job for life, and holding a grudge for non-response. <S> Everyone knows emails today are flying around like a blizzard, and it would be extremely petty for the employer to have inferred (and also recorded, and recalled at the time of your later application) anything adverse from non-response to one interview request, months or years prior. <A> I think you've answered this yourself because you've listed only positive reasons to contact them. <S> Try something short, pleasant, and light on excuses: "Hi. <S> Sorry I missed your email while I was preparing for employment at another company. <S> I hope you found a great candidate." <A> I once did this (one of the top-5 embarrassing things I've done in my life). <S> I actually ghosted a job offer many years ago because I felt uncomfortable about it. <S> A few years later, my company at the time actually merged with the company I ghosted. <S> He basically just shrugged, didn't care/remember. <S> In light of my experience, I recommend that you not bother contacting the company to apologize for the oversight. <A> With my experience in hiring, at a medium-sized company. <S> Interviews were covered by so many people and we read/sent out follow-ups to so many people we would never have remembered one not answered. <S> The only thing that would remember is our hiring software that remembered people by email address.
| If it was essentially your oversight and a whole year has passed, I think I would just let sleeping dogs lie and hope they've forgotten your name by now. I took the opportunity to apologize in person to the manager in question.
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How to handle a peer that thinks he is my boss? My company recently completed a big re-org and I've been placed on new a team project at work. This is a cross organisational team of about 15 people. We've divided into smaller, more manageable working groups of 3-4 people. I asked to be assigned to a specific working group because I have industry experience on this topic at a different company. My work group consists of myself, a senior developer who shares the same manager as me, and Bob. Bob is from a different team and has lots of academic experience on this topic. Bob has been in the company 1 year, 6 months for me and 3 years for senior developer. What is frustrating is that Bob has tried to take charge of our working group as if he is an undesignated team lead. For example, he makes unilateral decisions about the direction of the work even after I voice concerns. He also tries to assign tasks to both myself and senior developer. He also makes corrections on my work. There is already some friction between us and at one point he point blank offered for me to join a different working group. I believe senior developer is also irritated by Bob, but he does not let much show. It may be because senior developer can hide his emotions well or because senior developer spends only part of his time on this project and doesn't have as much vested as I do. Since I am so new to the company, my top goal here is to make the project successful, but it is also important for me to make a valuable contribution on the project that is recognized by the project managers. I see two approaches to take: Go along with most of Bob's decisions and only speak out when it makes a big difference to the success of the project. Document my contributions and use this to show my contribution. Directly speak with Bob and mention my concerns. Tell him that I immensely respect his skill level and academic knowledge but remind him that the direction we take needs to be a team decision. I'm leaning toward option 1 because it is a safer approach. But it also would require a lot of patience and I risk Bob trying to cut my work out of the final deliverable. Option 2 seems a bit too confrontational given my status in the company. I would prefer a reputation as someone who is easy to get along with. But according to how I am supposed to answer interview questions, option 2 would be the 'correct' approach. Is there a third option? What to do? <Q> I also think option 2 would be best. <S> Level setting with Bob now will decrease the chances of animosity and tension from building. <S> I would frame the issue as being a disconnect between your vision of the team's decision making process and his vision of the team's decision making process. <S> This shifts any blame off of him and puts it on the situation at hand. <S> He may not even realize some of the decisions he's making if they seem like the only logical option. <S> Finally, just tell him you are not feeling included. <S> He cannot deny what you feel, and a rational person should realize that 33% of the team being dissatisfied is a problem the whole team needs to address. <S> Best of luck to you : ) <A> Yes I agree with 2. <S> Talk to Bob about your concerns and try to talk it out and come to a fair conclusion. <S> If he does not agree, try to have a meeting with Bob and your direct supervisor/manager and voice your concerns. <S> I have seen cases where the person did not talk it out and went directly to HR and the whole situation became awkward. <S> I do not recommend it. <S> I hope everything works out! <A> It's hard to say for sure, but part of the problem might simply be finding a cooperation strategy that works for both you and Bob. <S> I wouldn't go to him with an ultimatum; when you talk to Bob about this, you don't have more power than him, so your purpose should be to negotiate for a situation both of you can live with. <S> It seems like we're heading for disaster, and I don't want us to fail. <S> (list specific problems with your communication, not with the project.) <S> How can we work together better, and ensure a successful project? <S> " <S> If you're overruled by Bob and your manager, then you should document every time you voiced a concern which was not addressed by the team, along with the date. <S> That way, if the project fails because you were ignored, you will not be blamed. <A> In fact, I would recommend this in the early phases of any job that you begin. <S> It is critical to know your chain of command. <S> Next, let your manager know about Bob's behaviors and get your manager's feedback. <S> Unfortunately, I have worked in offices with very manipulative staff, who would immediately tell new hires that they were in charge of certain areas, that they were not authorized to be in charge of. <S> Then it was a piece of work to get the team back to an understanding of correct roles/responsibilities. <S> Basically, if Bob is behaving out of line, the manager needs to know <S> so that s/ <S> he can call Bob on it. <S> If Bob is obnoxious enough, feel free to ignore him. <A> It's nothing personal - if the idea and direction bob is pulling the project towards is sound, go along with it. <S> If it's not voice it and give reasons as to why it isn't sound then let the project manager decide. <S> On him correcting your work, if it's warranted and can be verified as an improvement by senior devs you need to swallow your pride. <S> If it's bs waffle to pull wool over management's eyes to show how good he is and put you down without any objective need for correction - point it out. <S> Cause if you don't it'll become a habit. <S> I've worked with many tech scammers who thrive because manager is non technical. <S> They spend half their day writing long winded jargon filled bs emails to convince management everyone's doing it wrong and how they're saving the company. <S> I don't know what the dynamics are <S> but I suspect you're just annoyed with his attitude and bossiness. <S> Also don't carry that persona of wanting to be the guy that's "easy to get along with" - nice guys finish last.
| If you can't negotiate a bearable arrangement with Bob, and one that leaves you feeling comfortable about the success of the project, then you could re-negotiate, or reach out to your mutual supervisor for support. I would start with, "This project is important to me, and I want to make sure we are working together effectively. I would talk to your manager and ask directly who your supervisor is, and what your chain of command is.
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Sharing personal/social information with recruiter or company? Given the current situation, pandemic, sacking, less job recruitment etc as inhibitors to landing a job, I would like to understand the recruitment mindset of companies. For quite some time now, I have been searching for a job. I have observed a recruitment pattern, wherein, smaller companies would offer a certain technical question to complete as a pre-assessment exercise. While established companies, would rather collect candidates demographic information including their social data like parents name and contact number, friends contact number in case the candidate is not reachable. What I fail to understand is the reason to collect such specific information from the candidate? So my question is, Should I share such sensitive information with a company right at the beginning of the recruitment process or not? Please explain the reason. What is/could be the underlying reason to collect such specific information? I have already seen a similar Q asked but can't find my answer there. <Q> Should I share such sensitive information with a company right at the beginning of the recruitment process or not? <S> Absolutely not. <S> What is/could be the underlying reason to collect such specific information? <S> By far the most likely explanation here is that the "recruiter" is a scam. <A> This answer is meant as complement to others rather than standalone. <S> Assuming you appply to tech <S> I strongly suggest to ommit your graduation year, any "era-specific", obsolete skills such as adobe flash, silverlight, vba and etc. <S> Try to not include skills/positions older than decade, unless you are sure that employer is not superficial, values skill and won't judge you as overqualified. <A> I think it's unlikely <S> these established companies are are hiring based on demographic information. <S> However, large companies often have whole departments dedicated to social responsibility. <S> Under this banner they will have environmental initiatives (e.g. drive to be carbon neutral) or charitable goals (e.g. fundraising for a chosen charity or setting days aside to volunteer in the local community). <S> They are also likely to have socially conscious objectives. <S> These include things like aiming to have women make up at least X% of management at all levels or hiring people with disabilities, from socially disadvantaged communities or from ethnic minorities. <S> This departments will have goals and KPIs <S> they want to track against. <S> If the company has a reasonably public profile they may want to collate the data for PR and media purposes. <S> That might explain why they ask when your live, your education levels, ethnicity etc. <S> I don't, however, think this should allow them to request contact numbers of friends and family until you are an official employee when they would need next of kin information. <S> (Unless they were going to call your mom to ask for a reference!). <S> I'd be inclined to politely refuse that information on the basis that you don't have the explicit permission of the friend/family member to give their number to anybody. <A> It indeed seems preminilary and a bit prying to ask for contact information of your intimates and other demographic information before you even work at a company. <S> However is there a likely scenario where this information can/will be abused? <S> Especially if it are big and well known companies with a reputation to uphold? <S> Most of this information can probably be gathered from your Facebook profile anyway. <S> I guess it's best to consider these untimely questions just as a quirk that comes with the bureaucracy in large companies. <S> For situations as these, the saying "Pick your battles" was invented. <S> So summarized, don't let a good opportunity pass because of these questions.
| The only reason a company needs your personal details is to know who to contact in case of emergency; until you're actually an employee, they're not going to do that.
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All Day Meeting Voice Call? I work on with a fairly small development team (4), and we normally do daily standups and check-ins at days end. Recently we have started a required all day voice call meeting in teams with all the developers, QA, Manager, and Product Strategist and sometimes others that are optional. During this time random conversations (about important topics that do not involve everyone) spark all day that often can be distracting while trying to work. I would just mute everyone but then you never know when they might ask you a question. How does it make sense to have this all day call, how can I explain that using Teams and direct message is a more effective approach? thoughts? <Q> How does it make sense to have this all day call <S> It doesn't make any sense. <S> If this is a new experiment, you can just let it fail naturally, as everyone learns how ridiculous it is. <S> If this is an ingrained and entrenched practice, you'll have to learn to live with it. <S> If it were me, I'd mute the sound when I actually wanted to get something done, or at least turn the volume way down. <A> All day voice team meetings, where you are forced to listen for hours to conversations which are irrelevant to you, really? <S> How do people come up with these ideas? <S> It's obvious to even a child that this is a drain on productivity. <S> The only reason I can think for it, is that your manager is a controlfreak and wants to be able to check on you every moment if you are paying attention/working. <S> If this is indeed (partly) the reason behind this, then maybe you can stop this madness by addressing his/her (irrational) fear of you and your colleagues slacking off in some other way. <A> Yikes, this all day phone call sounds like a terrible idea. <S> I see four strategies you can pursue, in combination or separately: <S> Remove yourself from the call. <S> Don't ask for permission. <S> Do show empathy. <S> For example, "I'm quite worried I won't be able to contribute to these conversations while I'm focusing on coding, which as you all understand requires a lot of attention, so I'll have to mute/leave the call. <S> I would hate for someone to ask a question of me on the call and for it to go ignored or unanswered. <S> So that I can better communicate with the team, I'll be available on chat and for scheduled meetings, but alas I cannot listen with half an ear all day while coding. <S> It would simply not give you all the communication that you deserve. <S> " The goal of this strategy is to show that the call organizer's need for communication won't be served by the call because either you'll only be half-listening or you won't be on the call at all. <S> Address and eliminate the underlying need for the call <S> The call organizer will be more susceptible to persuasion if you address the reason they wanted the call in the first place. <S> It probably has something to do with convenience in reaching the people on the call. <S> Do those people have a tendency to skip meetings or ignore emails? <S> How can you all meet the needs of the call's organizer while also meeting your need for focus? <S> Present evidence the call is bad . <S> There is plenty of evidence that context switching is damaging for productivity. <S> Present these arguments in terms of the call organizer's needs--i.e. <S> your team will deliver less over time. <S> (I know you said everyone's getting work done, but I'm skeptical that they are as productive as they could be without the call.) <S> Here's a starter kit of relevant research: <S> https://www.apa.org/research/action/multitask <S> Note that non-coders may need extra persuasion since they are often more comfortable with interruptions. <S> Presumably, the call's organizers value productivity in addition to convenient communication. <S> Get strength in numbers. <S> Some people need coaxing to do anything even vaguely insubordinate or contrarian, so use your best empathic listening to persuade others that this all day phone call is not in anybody's interest and they should join you in leaving and objecting to the call. <A> This is a management issue to sort out. <S> Tell your boss you can either attend the call or code but not both for the reasons others have stated and let them decide what you should do. <A> As most of the other answers have stated, this is definitely a train wreck; however, the communal audio stream can be bent into something productive. <S> Many people listen to music while working. <S> If you’re going to have to listen to an all day call, have someone put music on in the background. <S> Have the “DJ” rotate across the members. <S> This (hopefully) minimizes the amount of talk on the channel and has the added benefit of allowing people to share their musical tastes with others on the team, promoting team chemistry. <S> Ideally this could transition the focus (and ideally the means) of the chat to simply a music sharing mechanism. <S> The ideal endgame of this is that the all day voice call transitions into a shared music playlist on eg Spotify. <A> All day call looks like "work from home" solution to people working on open-space or same office. <S> And just like in those places you put headphones on to cut outside nose here <S> you mute everyone. <S> Now, how other people get your attention? <S> They use some communicator (slack, teams, zoom) or just come to you. <S> For me this all-day call is missing the point. <S> I understand that person A want to talk to person B and person C, D and F can hear and drop their input. <S> But in the office you're not dealing with "at home" distractions. <S> So I would advice to talk that you need to do the job so you will mute the call. <S> Advice that if anyone need to talk they can drop the message <S> then you will make the call, maybe invite other participants. <S> Make people aware that in the office you ALL have same/similar distractions. <S> If you add "always be aware there is all-day call <S> " it will have terrible effect on your output. <S> Search for any training/research on turning "disruptors" off while working.
| Persuade your colleagues to leave the call too.
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How do I handle roadblocks at work better? Should I complain to the boss, soldier through or wait for the problems to be resolved? For example, I am a frontend developer. I build the client-facing web application in my company. However for a lot of things I build, I need the data from the backend to come to me correctly. If it does not, I usually ping the backend developer and let him know that the server is broken or something. The backend developer does his magic, unclogs the app, lets the data to flow so that I can get on with my work. But sometimes, this backend support is not available and I'm forced to work in the dark. Now technically, I can continue with the work if I mock the data, add scaffolds in my code base or do some other trickery. But doing all this is usually more work than the effort it takes to complete the actual task. Consequently, every time I hit a blocker at work, I find myself in between a rock and a hard place. Should I ping the backend guy to fix his thing or should I build the mocks and scaffolds? What if I get started with these mocks/scaffolds and by the time I'm done, the backend guy fixes his stuff on his end? In that case wouldn't the effort put in to build these mocks/scaffolds be wasted? Another example would be in the military. You are a foot-soldier who needs an airlift to get to the other side of the mountain. But for some reason, the pilot isn't available. Maybe he is sleeping. Maybe he has diarrhea. In that case, what should I do? Should I wait for the next pilot to be available or just suck it up, climb the cliff and get to the other side? What if this sort of "unavailability" keeps happening repeatedly? Should I complain to the boss, suck it up and keep doing my job or reprimand the pilot? <Q> The only real way to affect change for yourself is to have the process modified. <A> The simplest answer to all examples is the same. <S> Proceed as long as you can safely do so <S> Notify all concerned (including both superiors, as well as colleges Where their work is dependent on your work) <S> Have other tasks/projects to work on when you are blocked completely. <S> Communication, preparedness, and improvisation are the holy trinity of dealing with work blockages. <A> I have found that when you're not given enough resources to do the job or there are massive obstacles to completion with no explanation given, that usually means you're expected to come up with a plan to resolve these deficiencies. <S> You should see this as an opportunity. <S> From the point of view of your boss, they don't want to have to orchestrate and setup every detail for each of their reports so that they can just "do their specific job". <S> From your point of view it may look like you're being hanged out to dry. <S> But what it really means you have some amount of latitude to deal with the problems in front of you even if they're "not your job". <S> So, yes, go reach out to those backend folks and tell them what you need and why. <S> Get yourself into the meetings of other groups so you can join forces with them and collaborate, communicate with other people's bosses if you need to. <S> If you go too far, someone will alert you and you can just tell them that you're proactively trying to unblock some problem. <S> This will be seen in a very positive light in most places even if sometimes they need to rein you in. <S> This is the kind of behavior that gets called "being a self-starter", you can remember these incidents and recall them during a behavioral interview as an example. <S> This is perhaps one of the most desirable traits in professional employees. <S> It means you'll need to deal with some conflict <S> but that's part of the job.
| You should indicate your intention to continue getting your job done, and then you should advocate for a different process (or potentially a data set) that frees you from being dependent on this ask and frees them from being interrupted with your requests. You should take the situation to your manager.
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Declined a recruiter yesterday. Got informed today that we are getting laid off. Can I go back to the recruiter? I'm just two years into my career so I am not really sure how recruiters work. I got a message from one yesterday for a job that was interesting, but probably not worth switching companies to have. We had a Zoom chat and I told him that it wasn't right for me at the present time. Well, we got told that we are getting laid off today. I am now interested in pursuing the job. Are recruiters generally willing to take you back as a candidate if you change your mind on it relatively quickly? Is it worth telling the recruiter that I got laid off just in case he has other jobs available? <Q> You should reach out. <S> Worst case scenario you will not get a job offer from that recruiter, which is the same result if you do not reach out. <A> Recruiters get paid to place people. <S> You're a potential placement. <S> They're not going to turn away from that. <S> Recruiters regularly get turned down by candidates. <S> That's the nature of their business. <S> They'll come back to you many times and they'll gladly work with you when your job situation changes. <S> You represent a potential payment for them. <S> Reach back out to the recruiter and let them know that your situation has changed and that you're available and looking. <S> That's information they can leverage in their favor, and not yours <S> , to get you placed into a position at a lower pay rate (because they know you need a job and will likely accept a low-ball offer), which will probably garner them a larger commission. <S> You don't need to give them any reason for why you changed your mind. <S> It's none of their business. <S> Simply tell them that you're interested in hearing about opportunities that might fit your skill set and experience. <A> Absolutely. <S> You can even make light of it a little. <S> "We live in a very different world than we did just a couple of hours ago." <S> Recruiters want your business. <S> As long as you weren't rude to them <S> they'll take your call and get you in the next queue. <S> Good luck to you. <S> As for the second question, I recommend you always be honest with the recruiter on why you're looking (whatever the reason). <S> They'll help you frame it during interview time. <A> We had a Zoom chat <S> and I told him that it wasnt right for me at the present time. <S> You were completely truthful yesterday telling the recruiter that it wasn't a good time for you to change jobs. <S> Today you got laid off, the circumstances changed, and it's now a good time to look for other opportunities. <S> Good luck! <A> Expedite. <S> No delay! <S> Yes, contact him back immediately . <S> All you need to say is that you slept on it and reconsidered. <S> Don't even pause to ruminate over it. <S> To the recruiter, this is just business. <S> The recruiter is handsomely paid to place an employee or contractor, so has a lot of reason to want to work with you. <A> Are recruiters generally willing to take you back as a candidate if you change your mind on it relatively quickly? <S> Yip! <S> I've never had a recruiter have any problem with you changing your mind if you suddenly want to take up their job. <S> The other way not so much if you leave half way through the process or after a job offer <S> a recruiter will get mightily annoyed and may even blacklist you. <S> Is it worth telling the recruiter that I got laid off just in case <S> he has other jobs available? <S> Tricky, most good recruiters (there are a few) will not tell this to their client as it gives leverage to the client to low ball you as they know you are now desperate for a job. <S> Why would a recruiter not say this to the client ? <S> Well they get paid a commission based on your salary which is why it's in their interest to get the highest salary for you. <S> Not all recruitment companies work off this type of commission some are on fixed fees which will mean they say to the company to low ball you and <S> then the company gets a bargain and uses the recruiter again. <S> I would leave this out and say you've had a change of heart and can really see how this new job will be a benefit to your career. <A> Just say to them that, having taken time to think about it, you have rethought their offer and would like to take them up on the opportunity. <S> That way, it comes off that you've taken patient consideration, and avoids sounding desperate or sounding too apologetic. <S> You might want to avoid mentioning you've been laid off, as you may run the risk of being given a lowball offer which the recruiter or company knows you're not necessarily in a place to refuse. <A> 2nd question. <S> Is it worth telling the recruiter that I got laid offjust in case <S> he has other jobs available? <S> I would tell them this, and give them the first day you can start work at a new company. <S> This can open additional opportunities, because sometimes a client of theirs has an immediate need. <S> If most candidates have to work a notice period that will last weeks or months, then they can't help a company who wants to start a new employee on Monday. <S> I once part of a group that was given 3 months notice that we were going to be laid off. <S> The company only required that we not leave during the first two weeks, so they could have us document what we were doing. <S> After that we only had to give a single days notice. <S> Some people jumped after a few weeks, others went all the way to the end. <S> It was nice that we could leave at any time. <S> It opened up more possibilities. <S> Are recruiters generally willing to take you back as a candidate ifyou change your mind on it relatively quickly? <S> A quick change of status is fine. <S> That means that the position is probably still available. <S> If you waited weeks or months it is likely the job is gone, but they still might have others you could qualify for.
| By all means, get back to the recruiter, they do expect people to reach out when their job situation changes and they're looking for work. I personally wouldn't tell the recruiter that I got laid off.
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Having to train someone 'by the back door' as a contractor I'm a contractor (UK) who's been with a client a couple of year. I'm the only, and very experienced, software developer on a particular high profile project. The client has hired someone new to software development for the project. Their only experience is a 3 month course. So I'm onboarding them to the project and assigning them things to do, but inevitably I'm training them in how to dev in a certain technology they've never done before - I'm the only one here who knows it. (And also teaching them about development in general.) My contract doesn't say anything about training but here I am, effectively training someone, because inevitably even simple work needs lots of to-ing and fro-ing, I have to tell them how to do something, etc. I'm not very happy about this. And I'm the only person who can give them feedback about how they're doing at development in a wider scope, but I'm not the person to do that (I can't do anything like line-management; not in my contract, and see 'part and parcel', IR35 etc.) If training someone were part of the contract, and negotiated as such, that would be a different matter. What are my options at this point? My contract is up for renewal in not too long. Obviously I can't demand this guy is not on the project, but leaving the project doesn't feel great either. Re-negotiating any new contract sounds like a good way forewards. <Q> If there's a measurable impact to delivery schedules, you can take that to your manager and let them know that there's a situation that needs to be addressed. <S> They can look at assigning work more appropriately, or maybe finding someone to help out with the training aspect. <S> It sounds like you don't enjoy having to teach/coach, which is totally fine - but you've also said that there's nobody else available to give feedback on their learning. <S> That would lead me to think that the higher-ups either assumed that you'd be up for taking on a mentor role, or they assumed the new starter knew more than they actually do. <S> That's also a discussion with your manager - <S> what are their expectations of you in this situation? <S> If they state specifically that they're expecting you to train the new starter (whether that's to eventually replace you, or just to get another dev on the team), that gives you a base to renegotiate your contract from. <S> If they're firm on needing you to be a teacher <S> but you'd prefer not to, either ask for more money/perks to 'make up for it', or consider whether you're really interested in working there. <A> Do you get paid the same for training this person as you do for any other work for this client? <S> IMO, this is more an issue of personal wants/needs then it is about your contract. <S> My contracts with my clients state that I perform work on their behalf and at their behest. <S> They hired me for my 20+ years of IT experience. <S> If they ask me to perform other duties, that's their prerogative. <S> It's their money. <S> They're paying me the same rate no matter what they ask me to do. <S> Sometimes they need me to deliver computer equipment to a customer because nobody else is available to do it. <S> Is that the best way for them to spend the money they're paying me? <S> It isn't, but it's their choice. <S> If they want to pay me to drive in my car to deliver a printer to a customer then I'm happy to do it. <S> They're saying "This is what we need from you right now", and my job is to serve their needs, not my own. <S> So, is this really an issue about what's in the contract or is this an issue of you just not wanting to train other people as part of your daily duties? <S> If you don't want to train other people, that's fine <S> , you get to choose what it is you do for a living. <S> The client is telling you "This is what we need from you right now". <S> It's up to you whether or not you want to do that. <S> If you don't want to do it then simply tell the client that. <S> You'll risk losing them if they feel the need to replace you with someone who will serve their needs, but that risk is yours to take and the decision is yours to make. <A> Fixes IR35 problems, <S> and I think you can save £2,000 on NI payments.
| The first thing I'd do is look at whether having to essentially teach software development to this new starter is measurably impacting the completion of your actual assigned work. If you have a limited company, consider hiring him, paying his salary, and charging the company for it.
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How to deal with an abusive boss Our department has a very high turnover rate from people leaving after being repeatedly yelled at and demeaned by our boss. This is causing more strain on the remaining members due to unfinished projects, losing people, etc. Besides the obvious 'change your job', is there any way to alleviate this situation? I want the boss to realise that he's harming his own team and change, but he either doesn't care or doesn't know. If for example HR was an option, how would that be approached? If I was to go talk to him, what can I say. <Q> "A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still" If your boss doesn't care, then no amount of begging, pleading, or cajoling will get anywhere with him, and even if you could force a change, it wouldn't turn out well for you, as you'd create a scheming bad boss, instead of just a bad boss. <S> Your best bet would be to quantify the cost of his behavior, and then lead him down the right path with the Socratic method of teaching. <S> Wow <S> Boss, we lost 5 people so far this year. <S> How much do you think it will cost to bring new people up to speed? <S> Hey Bosss, this turnover is costing us X in lost productivity. <S> What do you think is causing this? <S> Hey Boss, If morale is so low that we are losing people, should we do something to correct course? <S> Hey Boss, do you think there is anything you can do to boost morale? <S> Not those words, of course, but the idea is to plant the seeds of change in his head, and let him come to his own conclusions, and change course himself. <S> If he cares at all, he will, if he does not, you have not directly confronted him. <S> This approach is most likely to work because any ideas for positive change that come will come from his own mind, which he will not push back against. <S> What should we do tends to get better results than <S> You should do this <S> Another approach that works is to simply ask for help. <S> Hey Boss, can I get your help on something? <S> We keep losing people, and it is hurting our productivity. <S> Can you help me figure out ways to retain them? <S> You cannot beat a confrontational person by being confrontational. <S> They have far more practice. <S> This is a kind of verbal jujitsu, taking his energy and redirecting it towards a positive goal. <S> Try it, at the very worst, you will be no worse off than you are now. <A> Alison, at Ask A Manager always has good advice, such as this one: Bosses who yell . <S> While considering what she has written (don't take it personally; others recognize it is happening; talking to the boss; escalating it), I recommend two additional strategies as part of that. <S> Document it when he yells and the negative consequences. <S> That will be useful when talking to HR. <S> Stop caring so much. <S> This is a bit dangerous, because you don't want to become a bad worker who doesn't care. <S> But if things are late because there aren't people to do the work, don't work extra - let the boss feel the pain of having too few people. <S> Don't work harder when he yells. <S> Do a good job at what you do, but don't do any more than that. <S> Save your emotional energy for looking for another job. <S> One way to do the second is to pretend you're a scientist looking at a odd new life form that yells. <S> Look at him in curiosity, but don't take the yelling to heart. <S> That protects you from being dragged down. <A> Support the rest of your team <S> You can do this by: helping others to complete projects when they are facing upcoming deadlines or pressure from management complimenting on the work they do <S> well expressing empathy for difficult situations they face, both in and outside of the workplace <S> This behavior is contagious; those team members will reciprocate and perpetuate to the rest of your team. <S> When the team is supportive, it can completely mitigate the derogatory interaction with your boss. <S> And who knows, it may make your boss change his tune, too. <A> Simply put, his behaviour is causing damage to the business through increased turnover, as well potentially exposing the business to hostile workplace lawsuits. <S> Both of these are things that can be monetarily quantified; hiring new employees costs money, and so does training them. <S> The risk of a lawsuit can be calculated by multiplying the probability that one might occur with the costs of hiring lawyers to defend yourselves in court. <S> As a result, I would recommend documenting these occurrences (focusing purely on what happened, and leaving emotions or assumptions out of it), calculating the business costs of your boss’s poor behaviour, and then going to someone empowered to make a change. <S> This might be your union representative, your boss’s boss, or even your company’s HR department. <A> How to deal with an abusive boss The best way is to leave the company, but if you would like to stick it out then there are some things that you can try. <S> First off, let them know that they are being abusive. <S> If the boss starts yelling at you, you need to immediately tell him something like: <S> Please speak to me in a normal tone of voice, your yelling is not necessary and not appreciated. <S> If your boss is demeaning, you need to immediately let them know that their behavior is unprofessional and ask them to stop speaking to you in such a manner <S> These responses may make him more upset, but if you ( and your colleagues ) don't speak up then the boss will never even think that something may be wrong with their behavior. <S> Just be prepared for the boss to retaliate in some way and understand that despite your best efforts the boss may never change. <S> If you would like to go the route of speaking to HR, then you and your colleagues should document all incidents for a period of time and all of you should approach HR together to make your collective case. <S> Once again, this is something that will ultimately come back to the boss and he may end up behaving worse than previously.
| Document his behaviour, quantify the costs to the business, and go to someone with power to to make a change. When he yells at you, be willing to just walk away and say you'll come back when he's in a better mood.
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How to ask boss for revenue share for new project I'm proposing? I have an idea for a new project that I think the company I work for might be interested in. I came up with it independently and before I started working for the company, in fact, the non-compete I signed specifically excludes this idea as my property. (I'm a full time employee) This project would solve a current problem we are having and I believe could also be sold as a stand-alone product. I would like to ask the CEO of our small company for a share of the revenue made from sales of this product if we use it, then run it by the technical team and make sure they think it's a good idea too. How should I approach this? Do you think it could back-fire? Edit: What I shared was that I had a solution to this problem.. without getting into how the solution actually works. And no clause that says anything I develop while employed belongs to them. We had a conversation upfront about my entrepreneurial ventures vs employment. Thanks everyone. <Q> How should I approach this? <S> Do you think it could back-fire? <S> Yes. <S> If the company concludes that you are more interested in your idea than in your real work, it could backfire. <S> Don't act in a way that would let them think that of you. <A> Just remember: For the purposes of this conversation, you are not an employee. <S> You are a businessman with a business proposal you are pitching to the company. <S> And you need to approach that conversation accordingly. <A> Interesting issue, I think the first thing to double check your contract to ensure there is no over lap with a third party (if possible). <S> The best advice I got with regards to dealing with contracts and legal issues is get advice up front, as trying to solve issues retrospectively (on the back foot per say) takes more effort and resources (think time and money). <S> Consider the potential value of your idea before investing money into it, but if it does have value, then do invest in it! <S> So firstly seek some professional legal advice (from a known contact, family/friends or previous professional acquaintances). <S> They may refer you to someone who deals more in the specifics you are looking at and that would be sound advice. <S> The next step would be approaching your boss. <S> Keep it light on details, just mentioning that you have had a business idea you would like to discuss with them at some point. <S> Mention the problem it would look to solve, nothing about the solution. <S> They may not seem interested at all, in which case I would look to pursue the idea externally and take the opportunity in your current role to observe and learn as much about how business works in that sector, to then grow the idea in your own time. <S> If they do seem interested then suggest a formal meeting to discuss it, preferably out side of your official hours, it gives you the best leverage to get a slice of the potential pie. <S> When in the meeting get them to sign a NDA (non disclosure agreement) to ensure the idea remains your IP (intellectual property) until actual contracts stating profit/revenue share or licensing for the potential product. <S> Again the previous advice from the professionals will be golden with regard to the NDA (although there are generic ones out there that can be useful). <S> Remember if the idea solves a problem for your current company, it is likely other face the same issue. <S> Good luck! <A> I'll start with how it could backfire. <S> Your idea could be stolen <S> You could be frozen out of the process <S> You could be vastly under-compensated <S> Your current employment could be in jeopardy if they think you are developing on company time or stealing company secrets. <S> You could be asked to sign a non-compete clause, exclusivity clause. <S> Some companies have clauses where ALL development during your employment is company property <S> No, how to approach it: The BEST way is to first, make sure you don't have a clause in your contract that makes anything developed during your employment their property. <S> Provided <S> that is the case <S> , develop it 100% on your time on your equipment on your property. <S> Make it 100% yours alone. <S> THEN, when it is developed, approach the boss, and tell him that you have developed a tool on your own time. <S> Be sure to emphasize it was on your own time. <S> Tell him that it would benefit the company, and that you would be willing to LICENSE it to the company. <S> Then if he agrees, get a lawyer to write up a standard non disclosure agreement, have the owner sign, and then demo your product. <A> I assume you don't have an actual patent on it, but If I understand your post correctly, you already disclosed your idea at time of hire as your own IP, i.e. it's your property and not governed by your current contract (which is good!) <S> At this point, that mainly just means that the company can't claim it as their own IP. <S> I suggest you carefully read your agreement an/or talk to an IP lawyer that knows the detailed rules in your neck of the woods. <S> Could be that the company is still entitled to use it (just not claim it), could be that the company has first right of refusal, could be that the company needs to compensate your if they want to use it. <S> Your next step depends largely on the outcome of the legal analysis. <S> If the company is free to use it and you already have disclosed it in the contract, you have very little leverage other than just bringing it up. <S> If the company needs your permission, then you can approach this as you would with any other company: it's a business deal between two independent entities. <S> The fact that you are an employee is not particularly relevant to the deal other than that you have more options to structure the compensation (e.g. lead role, career opportunity)
| Without disclosing any details of your idea, ask the CEO if they would consider providing revenue sharing in return for granting the company full rights to an idea, assuming they conclude the idea is worthwhile. Before you talk about ANYTHING make sure you fully understand the legal situation, which can be complicated. This depends a bit how "protectable" the idea is.
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What are some good questions to ask in a job interview to determine if potential employees have IT skills? I conduct job interviews a lot. I do this for a company that, among other things, requires a certain amount of IT knowledge. They're not looking for "computer experts" but they do look for "computer intuition" - people who know their way around a Windows PC computer generally, i.e what a URL does, how to move and minimise windows, how to use Windows File Explorer, how to identify if an email might be a phishing attempt - basic stuff like that, nothing that any 13 year old today doesn't know how to do. I'm running into two problems when trying to determine which staff should be hired: Often people who have a long list of computer aptitudes and software packages on their resume still don't have raw "computer know-how". If a previous employer has babysat then through every step of using the 10% of MS Office that they needed for their old role, then having "MS Office proficiency" on their resume, although true, doesn't really indicate anything. People occasionally lie. "Do you have IT skills?" "Yes." And then they sit down in front of a computer and need help dragging a window. My idea to solve this issue is to format part of the job interview like a quiz. What I'm looking for is some good questions that I can ask people during an interview, that will confirm their level of "general" IT knowledge. Something like "what is a URL?" might be one, but there may be other/better ones. Some things that don't sound silly to ask, that someone with good computer common-sense will instantly be able to answer, but someone who has been babysat through their whole life when it comes to computers, will struggle with. <Q> Rather than asking questions, why not just sit them down in front of a computer 1 and ask them to do some of these basic tasks? <S> You'll very rapidly get an idea as to their skill level. <S> 1. <S> In this COVID age, substitute "watch them on a screen share". <A> Seeing as you've already ruled out putting them in front of a computer to test their skills.... <S> One thing I used to do was to conduct a mock phone support issue. <S> You can play the part of a user who needs help and have your interviewee play the part of the support person. <S> You can let them use whatever they need to get the job done, but the only thing they can do is just talk to you. <S> Not only don't you need sign off from your boss, but in a COVID age, it's remote-interview friendly as well <A> The main question in your case shouldn't be how you determine candidates' IT skills. <S> "IT skills" is a huge area. <S> Personally, I'm very good in some IT areas, including programming skills. <S> But if my laptop stops recognizing headsets I run to the helpdesk. <S> Yes, I could try solving that myself, but it would be inefficient and I don't have time for that. <S> Similarly with setting up printers in the office. <S> Why should I waste my time for that <S> , time I could spend creating value for my organization with my main skills? <S> My hour of work is much, much more expensive than 30 minutes of work of our helpdesk. <S> The ability to do something is one thing, the willingness to do it another. <S> So it's really important that you define what you are precisely looking for and talk about it openly with the candidate. <S> If you have bad processes for workplace infrastructure which make users run into problems constantly - I once worked at such an employer - then it's important for the candidates to know it, since it can diminish job satisfaction quite a bit. <S> If you already know what you need, checking it is easy. <S> Ask "what would you do" questions and ask candidates to be more specific if they are giving you generic answers. <S> Then you see whether the answers are more "I would first check the settings and then google it if needed" or more of <S> "I would ask helpdesk" in type. <S> But it's important for you to know why you need it. <S> Also, you have to know that some of your "basic competencies" aren't basic at all. <S> At my company the fail rate of a phishing test is currently at around 30% despite all the courses, memos, warnings. <S> So, according to you, one third of our office employees, 90% of which have tertiary education, don't have the skills of "any 13 year old today". <A> You are basically looking for troubleshooting skill/and/or tech savvy. <S> "Computer know-how" is basically just the ability to figure out a fairly complex system with many ways to the end goal. <S> Either that or the curiosity to Google it as well as the skill to phrase it correctly. <S> I’m a software engineer, so I hope I meet your standard of technical. <S> I couldn’t tell you off hand how to set up a printer. <S> I could do one of two things: <S> Use the proper terminology for the task. <S> I would know to start with the “installation wizard.” <S> If that did not work, I would know to do a Google search with the “model number” of the printer. <S> I would know that an IP address mismatch might cause a printer to appear offline. <S> It may not be a useful explanation of how to install a printer, but it would be abundantly clear that I have installed one before. <S> You could simply start the question sequence with “pretend I am a printer that needs to be installed. <S> What do you do? <S> What questions would you ask me?” <S> I assume you know enough about printers to pretend to be one to some standard. <S> Either approach should get you people who are at least reasonably skilled with technology. <S> I would support a practical test too, but you already stated you cannot do that. <A> Given that you can't put them in front of an actual computer for a practical test, perhaps you could create a few screenshots of situations that might come up in your job that would require this little bit of IT-skill, and present them to your interviewee and ask them what they would do. <S> This doesn't require the technology, but might still help. <S> Present a screenshot from a browser with some kind of issue, and then ask the interviewee "What's wrong in this image?" <S> and if they identify the problem, ask them "What would you do in this situation?" might give you a lot of insight. <S> A very simple example might be a browser showing a 404 with a url visible that clearly has a typo in it. <S> Likewise, a program complaining about not having an internet connection, or a network screen with no other visible computers, while having the "ethernet cable unplugged" icon visible in the status bar.
| The main question here should be what IT skills exactly you need and why. Demonstrate enough curiosity that if you were a printer generating error messages, I would be able to ask detailed questions about why you are not working.
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Motivation has dropped partly due to pessimistic views on work in general - burned out? I've been in my current role for about three years, after graduating from University. I haven't really been impacted by COVID work-wise because I'm a software developer so I can WFH. Lately I've been losing motivation at my job, partly because it's not interesting and I have some frustrations with how the company operates which doesn't look like it's changing any time soon. But moreso I'm starting to get worried that I'll never really enjoy a job again, because throughout my time here I've experienced the following things, and from what I hear from others, it's similar elsewhere: You don't get rewarded for hard work or even being good at your job. The people making decisions about who gets promoted are typically high-level managers who don't really know you or understand your work. Getting promoted is all about appearances and playing office politics, which I dislike. Companies typically don't have loyalty. Ultimately, you're a disposable resource to them, to be used and thrown away when it's convenient or necessary. It sucks knowing that, despite all the hard work I put in, I can easily lose my job like so many others. Following on from that; when I first started I naively thought that if I worked hard and put in a lot of effort, I'd get rewarded. What I actually found was that when I gave more, they took more, and that was it. No reward, not even an acknowledgement, just a new expectation that I will work more than what's in my contract for no extra reward. I have raised my concerns about these things and others with my manager, who is sympathetic but ultimately can't really do anything about it, so nothing changes as a result. I used to be enthusiastic about working and learning new skills, but now it's at a point where I'm fed up and burned out. I'm still doing my work (albeit no more than I have to), but it's not enjoyable, and all the while I'm thinking "What's the point?" I know that this mindset can apply to any job, not just my current one. By and large I do enjoy software development; I have some side programming projects on the go which I enjoy vastly more than my day job. I actually look forward to working on them, whereas I only do my day job because I "have to," and I know I'm producing sub-par work (by my standards) because of that. I know this is a negative, unhelpful mindset, but it's how I feel right now. How can I get back to being able to enjoy work? I've been thinking about switching to a career that's more focused on the bits and fields of software development I enjoy. Or is this just how it is, and something I'll have to accept? If I talk to friends or family about this, I usually hear "Well, that's life," in which case I'll find a way to make peace with it, but I would like to get the feeling back of enjoying my work. Edit Thanks for all the answers; they each made good and different points which I'll consolidate here (at least, what I got from them). There is no one objectively correct answer to this. This is mainly for my own benefit so I can refer back to it when necessary. Don't let your job consume the whole of your life. In some cases, you might be extremely lucky and have a job you love 100% of the time, but more realistically, jobs are fickle; they come and go, and sometimes they go well, other times badly. If you let this translate into your life going well or badly, you're bound to suffer as it's something you don't really control. Tend to other areas of your life; always have room to do things you enjoy. For me personally, I know I have a tendency to overwork and get stressed and burned out. When this happens, I have no time or energy left for side projects, which then makes me feel guilty about neglecting them, creating a downward spiral. It's easy to sink into this mindset and keep digging a deeper hole. The problem is you get diminishing returns; over time you become less effective, meaning you have to work more just to keep up with what you did before, leading to more stress, etc. So it really is important to take some time out and cultivate social relationships, go outside, exercise, and work on enjoyable things. There's nothing wrong with taking a break to refresh yourself if you're getting burned out, because even if you stress about the time you "should" be spending on work, that time is likely to be mostly spent in a mental funk not really getting anywhere. Don't underestimate the importance of looking after your mental health, and don't expect others to look after it for you. Most people may actually be suffering in their own ways and tied up with their own problems, so the best we can do is to support one another as best we can and not add to their problems. Accept that reality doesn't always align with your expectations. If the way to get recognised or promoted is to play office politics or exaggerate your accomplishments while downplaying those of others, ask yourself: Do I really want to be that kind of person? If not, then the only way to be happy is to simply accept that this is the way things are, and take whatever pride you can in the job that you do. At the very least, you'll still be growing and developing as a professional, and such experience is always a useful thing to have. Don't let yourself be exploited or coerced by an employer. Ultimately, you are employed to do what's in your contract; anything else you do for your employer is a bonus. Whether or not you choose to do that is always up to you, not your employer. Remember why you're working in the first place. For me, it's not for money. There will always be ways to earn money, and a multitude of jobs to be done. What's important is to remember what led you here to begin with, and if you're finding yourself in a position where that no longer holds and is unlikely to change with effort, then there's nothing wrong with looking elsewhere. <Q> I want to add my experience, as a software engineer with three years of work experience right after of university, just like OP. <S> All workplaces have flaws, they are all made of people and people have flaws. <S> But it is a mistake to generalise. <S> All workplaces have flaws, but not all have the same flaws. <S> A perfect workplace is not the one without problem, but the one with the problems you can tolerate the most. <S> How I see it, how I coped with COVID (and the rough year I have before for personal reasons): Take pride in what you do, regardless of the amount. <S> You can work the bare minimum because you think your environment doesn't deserve\appreciate the extra effort, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try and do your best in what you are asked to do. <S> Focus on why you have chosen this career in first place . <S> You are out of motivation <S> but you had some, try to look back and see why you have chosen software in first place. <S> Having side projects (something which I don't, so you're already ahead of me) helps with that. <S> For me, I see software as a powerful tool. <S> Whatever you build, it will end up helping someone, and that is what inspired me at the start, helping people. <S> The grass isn't greener on the other side of the fence, but maybe you like that shade more . <S> In the end each workplace has its problems, you just need to find one where the advantages you perceive outweigh the problems. <S> You have been enough time where you are, if your mental health is getting a hit, looking for a change is nothing to be ashamed of. <S> You owe to the company as much loyalty as they give to you. <A> First, seek PROFESSIONAL HELP <S> COVID restrictions have taken a terrible toll on mental health in general. <S> So much so, that by April, calls to <S> The National suicide hotline are up nearly 1000%, and it's only gotten worse. <S> Sort that out first <S> Then, take the steps to move towards projects you enjoy. <S> You may want to consider doing more freelance, and side projects, and perhaps becoming a full-time consultant and hired gun. <S> You don't have to worry about loyalty when it's your operation. <S> Also, pick up a book on closing sales, and perhaps "Brag, how to toot your own horn without blowing it" to learn how to promote yourself. <S> Also, socialize more, build up your network of friends and associates. <S> Break the isolation as best as you can. <S> BY ALL MEANS, CHANGE FOCUS <S> Talk to people already doing what you want to do. <S> Pick up a copy of "What color is your parachute?" and use that for inspiration. <S> Good luck. <A> One of the first things (my) psychiatrists advocate is to try to have interest centers and activities that are work unrelated. <S> Bonus point if that's sport. <S> There is a saying, don't put all your eggs in the same basket. <S> Otherwise, when things fluctuate badly in that area you have nothing left. <S> It could take time before you get something you enjoy, but start thinking now. <S> This could be various projects from do-it-yourself, cooking, searching for a significant other, art, or anything you find meaningful really. <S> You have learned the hard way a company isn't here to make fair deals but to win money thanks to its workforce. <S> This may be difficult to accept, but it truly is what it is: rewards must be negotiated and aren't given ever. <S> You are right to stop giving freebies from now on. <S> So, I would stop side projects and all extra hour, get some rest, try to avoid boredom (games or movies <S> can be good fillers there), and I would avoid taking radical decisions while being in a bad mindset. <S> I would like to get the feeling back of enjoying my work. <S> You eventually will, but it may take a bit of time. <S> Mood fluctuations are part of life, and they can be dramatic if you lack a good balance. <S> If that becomes too difficult to bear, professional help will be there. <A> I think a lot of us have gone through similar things. <S> Going above and beyond and not getting any benefit or even recognition from it. <S> Management was more impressed/promoted guy who ran a "Clean Code" Book club and organized team events. <S> Since then I've tried to balance getting my work done vs what management thinks is important. <S> Really changed the way I looked at things.
| If you are not enjoying the TYPE of work, explore other options. What helped me a lot was my friend saying hard work and getting things done is the most important to you. You could be suffering from burnout, depression, isolation, or all of the three. COVID isolation has hit everybody, look for help in people that love you and that you love, look for professional help if you feel like you need.
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How to react when client explains "it will be used for illegal activities"? Scenario: Freelancer (from Norway if that's relevant) is approached by Mr. X (from unknown origin, if that's relevant) about creating SoftwareX, they agree on the scope and price. Mr. X does a small prepayment, and shortly after development starts, Mr. X casually explains that SoftwareX will be used for illegal activities. How should the freelancer react to that? Just ignore it and continue development? Cancel the whole deal (if so, how?)? Something else? <Q> You can potentially try to keep some pre-payment for hours already worked, but it's much safer and more ethical to just return it and keep your nose clean. <A> I see three possible cases here. <S> MrX is a stupid petty criminal who needs qualified help to enact his sordid schemes but who will never pay Freelancer more than some token amounts to keep him working. <S> MrX is a member of a well-organized crime syndicate who will recruit Freelancer deeper and deeper into aiding and abetting until he doesn't dare try to break away. <S> MrX is a government agent who will gather a little more evidence and then throw Freelancer into jail. <S> None of these cases involves a sustainable contract. <S> The only safe thing for Freelancer to do in any case is to cease work immediately, suspend all correspondence with MrX, and report everything to the highest police authority that will listen to him. <S> I don't know who you'd report to in Norway. <S> Here in the U.S.A. I would talk to the FBI. <A> I suggest to do the most obvious thing: <S> Ask the client which laws they intend to break. <S> Then go forward from this, asking the following questions yourself (which you should also ask if the client does not do anything illegal): (a) <S> What do my ethics say about the client's activity? <S> That something is illegal <S> does not mean it is "bad". <S> Indeed, there are eg dictatorships with laws prohibiting free speech, denying women's rights etc. <S> You may have a different opinion than the law about drugs, pirating songs etc. <S> Note the fact that something is legal might also not imoly that you are okay with the activity. <S> Cheating in exams may be legal, but maybe you would not feel okay in creating a "cheating-abing application". <S> Some illegal activities are "bad, but not that bad". <S> Yesterday, I was longer (voluntarily) at work, my boss saw it but did not say "go home now!". <S> This was illegal for the boss, but no so bad that I would call the FBI.. <S> Facebook collects data illegaly but nobody would call it a "criminal organisation". <S> (b) <S> What happens to me if I do the activity and get caught? <S> I dont know the laws in Norway <S> but I would hope "helping someone to murder" gets punished, but "helping someone to jaywalk" does not get punished. <S> Also, it might be that in your jurisdiction the activity is not a crime (probably no set of two countries has exactly the same laws.. <S> ).Conversely, it could be that the activity is legal but you could get reprimanded if you do it (bad reputation).Consult a lawyer, if necessary! <S> (c) Is the client trustworthy? <S> If the criminal activity involves directly money, it could be that you don't trust the client to pay you. <S> Of course, this could also hold for "legal clients": if they have a repuation of going fully lawyer and thus avoid payments, you could also decide that you don't trust them. <S> Note that I am not a subscriber of the theory presented in the comments <S> "the client could kill you". <S> I dom't believe that "being capable of doing any crime" implies "being capable of doing all crimes". <S> Nevertheless, of course, depending on your answer to the three questions, you should not only determine if you want to work with the client, but also if you want to report them.
| You walk away as quickly as possible and alert the authorities if it's bad stuff.
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Escaping the retail industry as an 18-year-old with only retail experience For over two years now I have worked as a grocery store cashier. This is the only work environment I have ever known. This year has taken a toll on a lot of people's mental health, my own included. Specifically, cloth masks are 'mandatory' in my hometown, and my choice not to wear one on medical grounds has been met with vicious backlash from customers and some coworkers. Many customers have demanded that another staff member call out management to punish me in some way. It's a good thing I spoke to management in advance (who took my side on the issue, as they had no real say in the matter anyway). In general, I'm sick of being harassed and insulted by morbidly obese alcoholics and barely mobile 90-year-old women who treat shopping as a social event. I'm fed up with all my dedication and effort consistently going unrecognized. I need to try something completely new. I think I need to escape the retail industry altogether. The problem is, I'm fresh out of high school and just beginning to pursue my five-year degree in Computer Science. I am taking this program because I am not "good with my hands", nor do I have any practical skill in what some would call "the trades", and therefore I am essentially doomed to work an office job for the rest of my life. Or am I? I also consider myself (as I'm sure is the unspoken consensus among those who have met me) a little slow on the uptake. Probably closer to autistic. For these reasons, I am afraid to make a change despite my unhealthy situation. What kind of jobs should I look for? How do I change it up and escape retail for good? <Q> Here are some things you might try: Warehouse work. <S> No pesky customers, not a lot of skill required, and no learning curve. <S> Depending on where you are, it might be abundantly available right now. <S> Delivery work. <S> There are customers, but not as much interaction with them and there is no particular skill required or a learning curve. <S> Security Guard. <S> While there are customers who are annoying, you have a bit more authority than as a cashier. <S> People do not expect the guard to cater to their whims. <S> More selective retail. <S> A grocery store is probably the most likely place to attract crappy people as even grumpy people who would rather hide in their bedrooms like hibernating bears need groceries. <S> A Lululemon might have kinder clients, if simply because the kind of people who shop there are more likely to have shame. <S> Freelance writing. <S> Not recommended if you need reliable or steady income, but it can compete with minimum wage jobs on average in annual income ( <S> emphasis on the "on average", as it is a cash management nightmare). <A> I am autistic as well, and I have done what you are trying to do. <S> The easiest way to jump ship is to gain experience in the area you want to move to. <S> The easiest way to get that experience is to do volunteer work. <S> I had a stroke at age 40 which left me unable to work for nearly five years. <S> As we all know, that's a lifetime in IT. <S> I started getting back in by doing volunteer support work for a hospital. <S> By doing volunteer work, you are not just building your experience, volunteer work also creates connections and networks to other people who may know where there are jobs for people with your talents. <S> You gain experience and contacts, as well as building your resume. <S> Volunteer work always looks good on a resume, and if you want to change careers, you need every advantage you can get. <S> Also, if you can, do some freelance work on the side. <S> Help friends and family with things they need, again to get experience and to gain good will. <S> Also, the book "What color is your parachute" is always good for inspiration. <S> Good luck <A> I did this part time whilst studying for my Electronic Engineering degree - not too dissimilar to your Computer Science degree <S> you are about to study. <S> I worked mainly in hardware which meant that I was in an environment that mainly consisted of co-workers but occasionally had the odd customer meaning less chance of a conflict over your mask wearing choices. <S> There was also an option to progress on to an IT Support type role which would then allow you to perhaps work remotely, depending on the company, further reducing your physical contact with customers. <S> Doing this work instead of a retail job definitely helped with some aspects of my degree and the two complimented each other well <S> and I imagine they will for you too. <S> Your previous customer service skills are transferable here as sometimes you will have to deal with tricky customers - make sure you emphasise this if you get invited to an interview. <S> Another bonus of this is that you may even get offered a job to work for the company once you have completed your degree. <S> The company I worked for had a software team which took on Computer Science students. <A> First thing, you certainly don't appear a little slow on the uptake , even if that is your own opinion of yourself. <S> For a start, you articulate very well. <S> I'm fresh out of high school and just beginning to pursue my five-yeardegree <S> I am assuming you are a full-or-part-time student who needs an income. <S> I understand you are already committed to this degree, but there are qualifications to get into IT which only take a few weeks or months of study, which may allow a career change sooner than 5 years. <S> therefore I am essentially doomed to work an office job for the restof my life <S> This is not an absolute. <S> No one knows their future career. <S> I am afraid to make a change despite my unhealthy situation <S> This is understandable, given the reasons you have stated. <S> Universally, change is uncomfortable and for that reason it can be scary. <S> Recognise that change will be uncomfortable. <S> Accepting that may make things easier. <S> It sounds like you really need out of your current job, as it sounds borderline abusive. <S> What kind of jobs should I look for? <S> You are a student who needs an income while studying for a qualification. <S> It doesn't really matter what industry you work in at the moment. <S> How much notice do you need to give? <S> If you gave notice, it would certainly put some pressure on you to start looking for alternatives. <S> This may not be possible depending on your financial situation. <S> How do I change it up and escape retail for good? <S> It sounds like you only need to escape "front of house" retail. <S> You could target other jobs in the retail sector, as you already have 2 years of relevant experience.
| You could try and get an entry-level IT job - these usually have low entry requirements. I would say: Any job where you will not be singled out and victimised, and which pays enough for you to subsist on.
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Is a cover letter ever too formal in some scenarios? Sometimes there are scenarios where I am in communication with a business contact for a while that eventually leads to a work opportunity to apply for. This has happened a number of times to me, and in each instance I wonder... ....if a cover letter is appropriate or if it will be perceived as overly-formal. To me it seems jarring to go from casual conversation into an email complete with a cover letter. For one, I've already been introduced to the contact, but also, they are possibly (not always) already familiar with my goals and skills. In some of these instances I have asked while the application was the subject of the conversation, which I highly recommend. From there it can go either way. But what if you forget and don't want to contact again in order to ask? I should add that my idea of a cover letter is a PDF as an attachment, as opposed to just an email. I don't think everyone does that, and it may be part of my perception of it being overly-formal. In my current instance, it seems like my email should include some professional speak and some marketing of myself, but trying not to over do it. The current instance is also a contract, non-permanent opportunity, which may be another consideration. So if I don't provide a cover letter, will I seem like I'm falling short of expectations. And if I do provide one, will I seem like I'm trying too hard? I know this question is similar to a more general question about whether or not a cover letter is generally necessary (in formal applications). I know it's a common question among those new to job applications. I already know that in regards to formal applications, a cover letter is always recommended. In this instance I am talking only about casual conversation that leads to an application. Because it's never felt quite right to plop a cover letter on someone I've already be introduced to. Edit: I have specified why this question is not a duplicate, and I think the reasoning is very clear. <Q> My personal opinion is that unless you are securing the position purely through your personal connection (i.e a friend, ex co-worker who has HIRING POWER) it would never be a bad idea to include a cover letter. <S> Including a personalized, professional cover letter shows that you are seriously interested in the position. <S> In that case they will have to discuss your hire with a superior and chances are <S> the superior doesn't know you <S> well <S> so they might want to look at your cover letter. <A> I'd include a cover letter regardless - your application is likely to be reviewed by more people than your contact, and the cover letter is your introduction to them, not just your contact. <S> However, if you're already on such good terms with your contact, you can always ask them what their expectation is. <A> The letter states intent, what you're looking for, why them, etc. <S> It can give context to someone who is looking at your resume for the first time, but hasn't been in contact with you. <S> Signal V. Noise talks about the cover letter being one of the most important tools at Basecamp, and is always key to their decision making process for who gets past that first gate. <A> I will do a casual/funny cover letter when I am being referred. <S> When I was applying for jobs, a former co-worker referred me to her company. <S> I was going to get an interview either way, but it was also going to be my first impression on several people. <S> For example, if they want knowledge of git, I will do something like: <S> I am hoping you git cherry-pick m4tth3wg41s3r over to [company]. <S> Or if they want someone who can build scalable software, I might write: <S> • Don’t have nested for loops? <S> It reinforces that I actually do have skills while seeming less dry and keeping the conversation and the interaction as a whole quite casual.
| Even if all they do is rip it off and look at the resume , it's a good idea to have a cover letter. Also, the person you have been talking to may not have direct hiring power.
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How do I recognize bad recruiters who only want my data? Not a week goes by without me being contacted by recruiters on linkedin or other networks. The first time I was still very enthusiastic. Talked to the woman for almost an hour, sent her my CV and then never heard from her again. From the comments I have read here in the last weeks this is apparently not unusual. Some people just want a full database, but don't help much. How do you recognise these people? Are there any questions I can ask to discover their true intentions? I feel that if I talk to everyone, it would just be a waste of time. <Q> How do you recognize these people? <S> Do they have a pulse? <S> If so, they're one of those people. <S> They care not one iota about you. <S> If you aren't, then don't. <S> I personally don't spend any time engaging with recruiters that cold call me. <S> If I receive an email about a position that I think I may be interested in <S> I ask them what the hourly rate or salary is. <S> If it's not within my acceptable range I tell them so and tell them I'm not interested. <S> If it is, then I'll go further in having a conversation with them. <S> Not engaging with them is not going to hurt your prospects in the slightest. <S> They have 100 other people to cold call. <S> Next month they'll go back to the beginning and start all over again. <A> If they ask for your birthday <S> If they ask for any Personally identifiable information if they ask for your social security number <S> If they ask for your skype ID If they are particularly aggressive <S> If they don't have a specific job in mind for you. <A> Ask the recruiter about the opportunities they have for you , and ask them early in the conversation. <S> If they have one or more positions to talk about, then great. <S> If they don't then you can end the call.
| If you're actually looking for a job then engage with them.
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Hiding current low academia salary from potential employer I am working in academia as a Post-doc which always pays low as compared to my market value. A potential employer from an industrial position, before even taking my interview, asked my current salary and expected salary via email. I have an idea about the expected salary; however if I reveal my current salary, I am sure the employer may low-ball the salary later on. I would like to be careful at this stage as I haven't even been called for the interview. Is it professional or too risky to mention about my situation that I am from academia and I am mentioning my expected salary based on my experience/education in combination with market trends? <Q> Is it professional or too risky to mention about my situation that I am from academia <S> and I am mentioning my expected salary based on my experience/education in combination with market trends? <S> Give them your current salary and give them what you expect to make. <S> If they low-ball you, then politely thank them for their time and move one. <S> Any competent hiring manager would know that there is a discrepancy between academia salaries and private businesses. <S> If they low-ball you <S> it means they either don't know the market or they are cheap. <S> Either of those cases is a company probably not worth working for. <S> The only other thing to add is to make sure that you research well your expected salary and make sure that it is in line with your actual market value. <A> What sf02 said, with one difference: Tell them your current salary, tell them that academia pays peanuts, and tell them very confidently a salary range that you are looking for. <S> If this is done confidently enough, then the hiring manager will know: Offering a salary below that range will be a waste of time. <S> Offering a salary at the high end of the salary range will make you accept the offer immediately. <S> Your offer will be accordingly, or no offer will be given. <A> asked my current salary <S> That's none of their business and in may cases confidential information. <S> If not you can "prefer not to disclose" "typical in academia for post docs of this field" or something like this. <S> The main reason for this question is to determine if their is a major disconnect between your current pay and their budget. <S> Nobody is actively looking for a pay cut <S> so it's typically a lower bound. <S> If the budget is less, it's a non-starter. <S> That's obviously not the case for you, so that should be ok. <S> and expected salary via email. <S> Give them a range that you already have in mind. <S> Again, at the early stage it's mainly used to figure out whether your expectation and the budget are in the same ballpark. <S> If not, everybody is just wasting time going forward. <S> I am sure the employer may low-ball the salary later on <S> Why are sure about this ? <S> I have never low-balled a candidate since it's just not good practice. <S> Hiring and on-boarding takes a lot of time and money <S> , why would I run the risk of wasting all that effort over a few bucks a year. <S> If I thought your skill/contribution would fit somewhere between Alice and Bob, that your offer will be somewhere in the range of what Alice and Bob are currently making.
| What's mostly the determining factor is compensation fairness. Offering a salary at the low end of the salary range means you will not immediately reject the offer, but you will continue to look for something better, and only accept if you find nothing better. If it's actually confidential (check your current contract) then just say so.
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Writing a negative annual review (with negative comments about the reviewer) I love the company that I work at; however, since the integration of colleagues from a business that we bought (around a year ago) the working conditions have really taken a turn for the worse. I have principally 2 problems: I have serious doubts about the competence of one of the guysbrought in (he is my n+2 manager, and will be conducting part ofmy annual review ). He has negatively impacted a lot of things since his arrival, and to my knowlege, the company is (increasingly) aware of this. There's open conflict in the team (I am sometimes dragged into this),rude email exchanges (I'm aware of this, but not participating) andgenerally a terrible, combative ambiance when certain members of the team are inmeetings. My manager is present, but he himself is part of the conflict. I have to write up a document for my annual review about my satisfaction with the company, and I feel that i should talk about the negative aspects mentioned above. My questions are thus: Should I be honest? If so should I try to add a positive light? How? In the case that I'm honest, how I limit the negative impact to my position (and future progression) in the company? Any additional comments to how to approach this situation are very welcome. Notes: HR are aware of my concerns. I'm not alone in how I feel, at least 2 of my colleagues share my concerns. I don't plan to leave the company <Q> Since HR is aware of the issues, including your personnal behaviour and feelings about those issues, you can write them in a formal review. <S> However, you need to be sure of two things: <S> First, only HR have access to this review: not your n+2 nor any of your colleagues <S> Second, you don't say in the post that it affects your work: so <S> don't say it in the review either, be clear on that. <S> If it does affect your work however, you need to speak of it to your manager <S> You can add positive light on what you like in the company. <S> I don't know how you review is organized, but since you stay in the company, don't forget to emphasize what works well, is nice there. <A> What you have written here is what you should put in the review, it's OK to say all of those things together, that you are unsure how you should tackle this because you want to stay <S> and you like the company but some very awkward situations exist and you don't know the best way to put a positive spin on it. <S> Personally myself I wouldn't bother, as there is a tendency for these things to work themselves out over time <S> and I like to concentrate on adding value for the company I work for and that takes up all of my energy. <S> Maybe you can write that as well as a foreword for yourself before you delve into the negative <A> Whenever you deal with HR, you should know of one thing: they are only concerned about the company. <S> With that in mind, they won't be on your side, they will be on the company's side. <S> So if you write this negative review, and only HR will see it, then you can be sure you'll be under heavy scrutiny than normal. <S> They will read over your review but if the review is mostly about your personal grievances with working with others, then chances are you'll be transferred, fired, or laid off. <A> In such a review, you could differentiate between giving your opinion and giving your perspective. <S> This is the kind of thing that can limit your career opportunities. <S> Use objective language to describe the aspects that affect you negatively, making sure you note what the impact is. <S> Try to stay away from all judgmental language and don't speak for anyone other than yourself where possible. <S> An example of giving your opinion can be found in the OP: <S> There's open conflict in the team (I am sometimes dragged into this), rude email exchanges (I'm aware of this, but not participating) and generally a terrible, combative ambiance when certain members of the team are in meetings. <S> My manager is present, but he himself is part of the conflict. <S> An example of making this more about objectively giving your perspective might be along these lines: <S> Team members regularly have heated conflicts during meetings. <S> These conflicts make it harder for me to contribute to achieving the stated goal of these meetings. <S> I feel like these conflicts often don't get adequately resolved, leading to what I perceive to be recurring friction between the members involved. <S> This detracts from my generally positive job satisfaction. <S> In a review, it's not your job to solve all the issues the company has. <S> All you can do is provide your perspective, after that it's the company's task to collect the feedback from these reviews and take whatever actions they deem appropriate. <S> In my experience, in cases like this management is well aware of the issues is collecting information and ammunition to use to base their decisions on. <S> By giving them objective information about the facts, you're helping them. <S> If you add your own personal feelings to the mix, you may become part of the problem in their eyes, leading to potential problems.
| If you just give your opinion, you risk making the situation worse: you'll add your feelings to the 'pile' and people who read your review and don't agree might have a response. What you can do is to provide your perspective.
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Is it normal to be given tasks verbally? Maybe it is my lack of comprehension with the spoken words in general, and my lack of ease with the native language spoken at my company especially, but I wanted to ask, is it normal to be given or explained software tasks verbally. Most of the time, I am given tasks where someone explains to me verbally what needs to be done. The information is usually pretty specific, like: From which process you need to expose what variablesand from what task you can then access these variables but you have tobe careful about conditions x, y and z. And then when you have donethis, this information can be passed on wards to the GUI using this pointer from there and then you cast it back and from the context of the original task you can call ... and on and on it goes. And as I hear all of this trying to hold all the bits in my head, I usually end up missing some important bits inevitably (like those two variables that were mentioned by the task-giver, I thought he has introduced them in the code already, while in fact, I was supposed to add them for him). And so instead of landing in India, we end up on Hispaniola. Next thing I hear as feedback, is, Maybe this [work/task] is too difficult for you. Maybe this is way above your head. (Just to be clear, it is not a question of comprehension. I often interrupt and repeat what the task assignee has said to me, in my own words back to him, with the interjection that "I hope I understood that correctly then.", and he says, yes, that is what/how he wants it to be done. If I had the opportunity I would jot down some notes, but still, is this the state-of-the-art industry practice for assigning tasks?) Why do we have redmine then for example, if nobody ever bothers to use it? (Even if I come back to my seat and write the issue myself (as well as I can recall), no one bothers to look into it. No time. Too busy. Too much bla bla on redmine, they say.) Or maybe this is totally normal behavior at other companies also, that tasks are explained like little verbal puzzles with the half the things done by someone else and the missing bits need to be filled in by me, using those verbal clues provided? Also how healthy [and common] is it really to have a codebase where everyone has their fingers in every module? I have had experience working at other places before, where I was the sole owner of a module. We agreed on some interface which the other developers would expect from me. We had static code checkers for quality control. We had code reviews [for quality control]. But what happened within that module was my choice. While the architect/integrator took care of overall balance. Was that an exception? I have been tolerating the situation for a while now, but I think a parting of ways is inevitable. <Q> I've frequently experienced this, where tasks are assigned by an offhand comment in an unrelated meeting, or a manager or team lead just walking by and saying, "Hey Meg, do when you have the bandwidth." <S> This even happens when working on a team where issue tracking software (Jira/redmine/boards) is used for the majority of work. <S> After several missed tasks due to my getting distracted/bad memory/too many details to keep in my head, I realized the expectation is that I would immediately translate the information into a reasonable Jira issue, then complete it. <S> Sometimes (often) that does mean puzzling out all the information that would be in a proper issue, talking to the people doing the other parts, research to understand parts of the code I am not familiar with, etc. <S> I've also gotten in the habit of carrying paper around with me and taking notes, and ending a meeting with my boss by reading back any work <S> I think I've been assigned and asking if I missed any tasks/actions. <S> Then I turn my notes into tickets. <S> This mostly works because the team overall is expecting work to be entered in Jira. <S> If everyone but you is largely ignoring that issue tracking even exists, it's still helpful in making sure you don't miss anything in your own work, and perhaps useful to you later if you want to go back and see what you were thinking/working from when you made some change 8 months ago, but overall you do lose a lot of the utility of the tracking product if it's being used so inconsistently. <S> I guess the answer is kind of <S> yes <S> and no : <S> It's very common in my experience for at least some tasks to be conveyed verbally, but uncommon to see such a lax use of issue tracking overall. <S> Single module owners (and the associated 'bus factor' vs expertise trade-off) varies widely by organization, with some places I've worked keeping strictly to owners, some completely ignoring the concept so all devs worked on all modules equally, and some taking a position somewhere between the two, with small sub-teams of devs jointly responsible for several modules. <A> This is quite common, however if you're having trouble understanding, you could either ask the person assigning the task to you to send it to you in an email, especially if it's complex. <S> (A friendly, "Could you put all that in an email just so I can keep track of it?" or something) <S> Always have a pen and notepad to hand and write it down as they are speaking - if it's not obvious, tell them that you're just going to write it down so that they can pause where appropriate. <S> If I had the opportunity I would jot down some notes <S> What is denying you this opportunity? <A> At the majority of jobs I've had, it was pretty common for people to give me tasks verbally at least some of the time. <S> Nowadays, whenever someone starts giving me a task verbally, I interrupt them to let them know that I need to write down what they're saying <S> or else I'll forget it. <S> Then I write the task down as they describe it, and if they're speaking more quickly than I can type or write, I tell them to pause for a moment while I'm writing. <S> After they've finished describing the task, if I'm not 100% clear on what I've been asked to do, then I ask questions (and write down the answers) until it is 100% clear. <S> You might feel like you're being rude or wasting their time by interrupting them or asking them lots of questions. <S> But keep in mind that since they're speaking to you, that means they want to spend some of their own time in order to make it so that you have this information. <S> It's much better to make sure you have everything written down to begin with than it is to have to go back and ask them to repeat themselves later. <S> If your workplace has a "general routine" of not writing stuff down, then break the routine. <S> It's your least-worst option. <S> If I'm in a situation where, for some reason, I'm unable to write down what I'm being told to do, then I let the other person know that I'm going to need written instructions or else <S> I'm going to forget them.
| While it's common practice to assign tasks verbally, it's also very common to make notes of those kinds of tasks!
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How to obtain reference letters when moving to a competitor company? I applied for a position in a competitor company. They are now interested in me and wish to conduct an interview. As part of the "standard" process, I'm asked to provide reference letters and an authorization for the hiring company to check my employment history. My question is how to handle this nicely so I maintain good relationship with both companies. I have good relationships with my current manager; they like my work. Resigning would probably be a surprise. Moving to a competitor is an option, not a necessity. I intend to announce me resigning only after I have secured a better offer. If the interviews go badly (or I don't like the new offer for whatever reason), things should turn out like nothing has happened. Do people usually ask for reference letters from their managers at the beginning of a job search? Or only after they have received a (maybe "conditional") offer? <Q> Do people usually ask for reference letters from their managers at the beginning of a job search? <S> Or only after they have received a (maybe "conditional") offer? <S> Most hiring managers/recruiters understand that obtaining references from your current employer is problematic at best. <S> If the employer insists on such a reference (which could jeopardize your current job), that's a red flag, and probably an opportunity not worth following up on. <S> I'm asked to provide reference letters <S> Reference letters can be from peers, leads, former managers, or others who have worked with you from a position of authority. <S> It's to provide some objectivity regarding what you say you have done and what you are like as a person and potential employee. <S> and an authorization for the hiring company to check my employment history. <S> The hiring company will likely only confirm your employment at your current place of work, by contacting HR, rather than your manager(s) directly. <S> This is common practice for other services, such as a financial institution who needs verification of employment/income. <S> As you say, the most important thing is to wait until you have a signed offer letter in hand before giving notice. <S> That way, if you don't find something new, you can continue on in your current role in the same status as before. <A> Put your notice in due time. <S> Keep doing your job as good as always till the end. <S> It's your choice and only yours unless there is a non concurrence clause in your contract. <S> Good. <S> You can ask reference letters from previous employers/managers, as in prior to you current job. <S> If your prospective employer ask for a reference from your current employer, respectfully decline, saying that you haven't put your notice in yet and prefer to wait until you secure an offer letter. <A> Normally you only provide references after you accept a position and hand in your notice. <S> Before then you can tell them that you have references available. <S> They should normally check your employment history after you accept an offer as well. <S> The offer will be conditional on your references and employment history checking out. <S> That way if you don't accept or don't get the role no harm is done to your current employment.
| In my experience, employers do not ask for or expect reference letters from current managers.
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How does overtime work for hourly contractors? As an hourly contractor how does overtime typically work? I have been keeping under the 8hrs/day, but due to university commitments will be shifting a significant portion of my hours onto the weekends and intend to charge those hours into overtime on Monday. There is an entry on my timesheet for overtime, but I've never touched this before; I'm intending to work a 9 hour day in the near future just to see if the payroll people bring it up. I realize this is quite ambiguous; ultimately I'm completely clueless on overtime procedures and reading company policy wasn't much help. I'd like to see what I could garner online before bringing it up with my employer. Thanks in advance. <Q> It will depend on your jurisdiction, and your contract. <S> In most true "contractor" contracts, overtime is called out specifically, must be authorized by the contracting company, and tracked separately. <A> When people say they are a contractor they mean one of two things: <S> They are an employee of company A but support a contract their employer has with company B or government agency C. <S> They are not an employee of a company or they are their own company. <S> In the first case what your employer can charge for your hours depends on the contract terms they negotiated. <S> What your company pays you for overtime, weekend work, or night shift depends on the national and local labor laws. <S> It is possible that your company may give you a shift differential even though they can't charge the contract a higher rate for those non-standard hours. <S> In those cases expect company management to want to approve non-standard hours. <S> Even in the case where they can charge for weekend work, sometimes the client wants to approve it in advance. <S> Your company manager should know the rules. <S> In the situation described in the second case you generally aren't covered by labor laws related to shift differentials and overtime. <S> You are the company so your decision to put in extra hours is your choice alone. <S> What you can charge is dictated by the terms of the contract. <S> This could include shift-premium, rush jobs, overtime, on-call... <A> When I was a contractor (in the UK and Germany), I was expected to work x hours per week (35 or 37 or whatever, I don't remember). <S> Anything above this had be authorised in advance by my supervisor, and was paid at the same rate as normal hours unless a higher rate was specifically authorised for that particular instance. <S> Unpaid overtime was definitely not expected from me. <S> Details may vary from place to place; the important thing is to have them in writing.
| Check local labour laws for how you're classified, and check your contract for overtime specifications.
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How to praise other people's work without sounding patronizing or insincere? I recently started working with someone who throws around a lot of light praise to others, such as "good job on that!" "nice work" or "keep it up". He seems sincere but it struck me as a drop funny because he'll say it to anyone regardless of the levels/relationship. For example, he'll say this to junior peers, senior peers, external consultants (staff aug type of consultants), and even to the lead developer on the team (who has 10 more years of experience than this fellow). On one hand, it can easily be viewed as patronizing or insincere, but everyone also likes to know that their work is appreciated/recognized. From an objective perspective, what's the best way to praise other people's work without sounding patronizing or insincere?Is there such a thing as "too much" praise, or levels/relationships where praise is inappropriate (like to the lead developer)? <Q> There is such a thing as "too much" and there is also such a thing as "the wrong time". <S> Praise is a funny thing because it really can be used to do the exact opposite, and abusing it reduces its value tremendously. <S> Some thoughts on how I handle praise <S> Keep it simple and direct. <S> Keep it targeted at the right audience. <S> Don't praise in public if it makes them uncomfortable. <S> If it's possible, praise in front of peers. <S> Don't use the same phrases of praise every time. <S> Reference <S> the exact behavior you're praising. <S> If your praise is to a person, say their name. <S> If your praise is to a group, focus on the group. <S> Praise directed at a group for the behavior of an individual dilutes it. <S> Never allow insincere or mocking praise to enter your behaviors. <S> Instead of direct praise, try a "thank you". <S> Praise is one of the easiest ways to establish trust with peers and direct reports. <S> My praise towards managers is never actually praising, it's thanking. <S> Praise toward a manager or leader can make you look like sycophant. <S> "Thanks" is the simplest and most straightforward form of appreciation, and it is very difficult to overuse. <A> The best way to avoid sounding insincere is, well, to be sincere. <S> Praise things that you honestly find praiseworthy. <S> Understand the company culture with respect to how praise happens-- some companies are very "rah rah" and encourage people to praise each other loudly and publicly, others are much more reserved. <S> As for patronizing, what you praise ought to depend on the person you're praising. <S> It may be perfectly appropriate to praise the intern for deploying a change that fixed a typo on a page because getting a change all the way through the deployment pipeline is a thing that interns are not going to have a huge amount of experience doing. <S> It is almost certainly not appropriate to praise the lead developer for doing the same thing since the lead developer ought to be quite accustomed to getting changes deployed. <S> If you thought the CEO did a really awesome job at the product launch yesterday and you happen to be riding in the elevator with her the next day, there is no reason not to say "awesome job". <A> If the praise is sincere, it'll probably be appreciated, even if the person doing the praising is much more or less senior than the person they're praising. <S> Most everyone enjoys being genuinely appreciated for something they did well. <S> However, what you're describing is empty flattery, and it absolutely can come across as patronizing. <S> I used to be a cashier many years ago, at a company with a well-deserved reputation for treating their employees poorly. <S> One day, a manager who was pretty new came over to me and said I was doing a great job. <S> Now I knew <S> I hadn't done anything noteworthy, so I skeptically replied, "really? <S> I'm just doing what I'm supposed to do. <S> " <S> The manager got flustered then admitted he was just trying to raise morale. <S> That's a noble goal, yet it did the opposite. <S> He couldn't actually point to anything specific <S> I did <S> , so his words were meaningless, not genuine appreciation of something I'd done well, and I felt it. <S> So how do you made sure sincere praise is interpreted as such? <S> Be specific. <S> Instead of "nice job" say "nice job presenting. <S> It's difficult to make foobars interesting, but you nailed it, everyone seemed really engaged. <S> " Most anyone would feel good about hearing that, regardless of rank (barring something in the praise being obviously false, of course). <A> And, hey ... <S> "maybe he is sincere!" <S> As many people have said: "be very generous with praise." <S> (As long as you really mean it. <S> And, quite possibly, he really does.) <A> Adding to Joel Etherton's answer : <S> Avoid using deprecating humor (where others are the subject, self-deprecating humor is ok) <S> Avoid speaking of positions-- high or low-- in a derogatory manner, even if the context is 3rd party. <S> This has a lot of problems. <S> I think whoever made this must have been a junior. <S> Avoid abstracting praise P1: <S> Susan did a great job on the project. <S> P2: <S> Yeah, the whole team did great. <S> These situation make people believe there is something behind what you are saying. <S> Any praise offered will be shortly dismissed.
| I don't see any reason that you ought not praise someone simply because of their place in the hierarchy. There's a difference between sincere praise and empty flattery. Say what you mean exactly.
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How to be more strict about working hours in a free working hours environment? TL;DR: I work in an academic-like environment with free working hours. Everyone including my boss have a hectic seclude for work hours; and her plans for meeting me often clash with my plans for leaving time. This is my first job and I have no experience regarding time management. How could I manage this better? Details: I'm a recent graduate in my first workplace , where I started 3 months ago. This is a highly scientific physics research institution, where workers are academics - many being among the bests in their fields. Correspondingly, the whole environment is somewhere between academia and industry - the workers are given maximal possible freedom, and the results are more important than actual working hours. In practice, this means that everyone, including me, has totally free working hours . These working hours are usually pretty hectic and unpredictable also. The contract only specifies that on average, 40 hours per week should be spent working; when this happens is up to the employee. Now, this sounds amazingly convenient at first, but I struggle with keeping up my work-life balance and limiting my worktime . Often I plan to start early - sometimes as early as 6am - and spend 8, even 9 hours with working, to be free by 3pm. Or I work 12 hours one day, so the next day theoretically would need only about 4h work, maybe between 8-12. The work is purely computer-based, so I can do the remaining tasks at home also if needed. The problem is that my working hours often clash with my boss-supervisor's planned discussion times for that day, which she usually tells me in the morning. Often at the morning, when she arrives (e.g. 6am), she wants to meet me after my planned end time, say, 4pm-6pm - not being aware that I've been working since 7am, and would finish already by 4. Of course, occasionally we can discuss this and postpone the meeting, but that's to something to do often. And though we're on excellent terms and she's very friendly, as a fresh worker I'm very reluctant to refuse a meeting time. This results in that my plans for working hours rarely work , and I end up spending in office much more than 40h per week . At the same time, due to the special nature of the working environment, this isn't something that's against company rule or even law - I'm responsible for managing working hours, not the institution. How could I manage to take full advantage of the free working hours without hurting my reputation, reliability, and relationship with my superior? To what extent should I keep up regularity? Things to consider: The working hours of my boss are as hectic as mine . Sometimes she arrives at 7am, sometimes at 11am or even 2pm only. Sometimes she leaves at 2pm, sometimes at 9pm. She even skips some days 1-2 times per month and fills her duties (== researching) from home - this is accepted. (Even more since the company had a 3-months home office period due to COVID-19). This can be told about my "teammates" as well... ... but actually there's no "team" as is . We are more like a group of PhD/postdoc researchers with a common supervisor (my boss and her husband, who is a higher-ranking leader of a different division than her), working on their semi-independent project fitting in the big scheme of research done by the group. Occasionally they help me of course, but our work does not depend on each other . I discussed with colleagues of different divisions, and my working hour plans don't seem to be out of line. Some even work on Saturday in exchange for shorter working hours during the week. (OTOH, Some PhD guys spend 12 hours in the office regularly.) The unpredictableness is also typical. I would prefer to arrive and leave early. I'm in a long-distance relationship with my SO being 6 hours ahead of me . If I would work normal working hours (say, 8-17, with 1h lunch break included), the first time we would be able to meet at my home would be her midnight. And this is assuming my workday actually ends at 17. Actually, we are already having a hard time keeping up the balance between work and my relationship. (Her working hours are fixed and end at my 2pm.) I do realize that up to working hours work should be prioritized over love, but at the same time, some balancing is needed to maintain a healthy and happy relationship. My relationship with my boss is very friendly . She even invited me for lunch with her family and friends. Before I started working here, I was already collaborating with her husband, and we often met at their place, lunch occasionally included, and had long and friendly talks. Even so, professionalism regarding work is kept between us. I do have some stress about the new work and my performance , contributing to enlengthened working hours, and I would like to sort this out as well. My worst day was 6am-10pm... The institution is in EU, but my team, including my boss, is fully Indian (somewhat surprisingly). I'm the only one native to my country. The whole institution is very inter- and multinational; more than 2/3 of the scientific divisions are foreigners. As such, the default communication is English. I'm fluent in it, but it does impose some limits on the clarity of my communication skills. <Q> You could ask your boss if they would be able to gives more than a days notice for meetings - which would be good etiquette from them anyway, especially if they're as long as you say. <S> If meetings are scheduled in through a calendar, just block out your time you're planning on not being at work as unavailable If these meetings are setup verbally, just say that you've already been in since 6am and had planned to be away at 3pm. <A> I suggest you create a set time when you meet with your boss on a recurring schedule (e.g. Thursdays at 10am). <S> You'd only have to negotiate the scheduling once, rather than each time that you are to meet. <S> Knowing what time you need to keep free well in advance means you don't have the hassle of trying to find time or move things around to accommodate each other's schedules. <S> Try to set it for when your boss comes in first thing. <S> Fewer distractions, less likelihood of cancelling/rescheduling, and it allows you to leave when you see fit. <A> From what you have said, it sounds like you have a good and well-established relationship with your boss. <S> In this case, you should respond to their invitations to meet outside your schedule simply by saying something like I don't plan on being at work at that time. <S> Would 1:30 work instead? <S> If your relationship with your boss weren't as great, I would recommend asking them to give more notice for scheduled meetings. <A> Stop doing the extra hours. <S> The meetings are a distraction/excuse/strawman. <S> The problem is not that you start at 7am then get roped into working until 7pm... <S> the problem is that you don't take those hours back the next day (or a few days after). <S> The meetings might be a problem for other reasons. <S> e.g. maybe they clash with social arrangements you've made? <S> If this is the case then you need to book any important social arrangements into your work calendar and defend them if people try to book over them. <S> But don't try to "fix" the meetings if they aren't a big issue. <S> Focus on solving on the real problem.
| Ask if they wouldn't mind meeting earlier or even postpone to tomorrow so you can plan your day better around the meeting. Start recording the hours and making a clear plan to take them back.
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How to effectively transition from one career path in which you are highly qualified to another in which you are not? Context: From the moment I was born, my family pushed me to pursue a career in the IT industry. My education was dramatically accelerated, and I managed to pick up extensive work experience, highly-sought-after qualifications, and accolades in programming competitions. Seeing as the ball on my career got rolling so early, it accelerated and snowballed and it's now got to the point where I get a generous job offer every week on LinkedIn. For a couple of years, Google recruiters kept on contacting me trying to headhunt me. The problem is, I hate working in the Technology industry . My real passion is in the humanities: Specifically Ministry, Missionary Work, Comparative Religion, Academia, Comparative Theology, World Philosophy and Languages. Now, while I do have lots of skills and experience in both Technology and these aforementioned Humanities subjects, unfortunately my Resume has nothing but Technology related stuff on it. I'm hyper-qualified and have concrete experience in Tech, but when it comes to humanities my experience is entirely made up of my hobbies and my relevant skills are not backed up with any formal qualifications. How does one go about changing their career trajectory in such circumstances? I am 27 years old and on my resume 15 of those years are entirely Tech-related. I know I'm still (relatively) young and a career change is possible, but at the same time it's daunting because I'm basically turning my back on everything that my life has been building towards so far and rolling the dice by trying to move into a field where I've got next to nothing in the way of formal qualifications and experience (despite the fact that I do have the relevant skills. For example I can read Latin, Ancient Greek, Sanskrit, Classical Chinese etc fairly well, and have been reading Philosophy and Theology books relentlessly on the side during my IT career) It's rough going from getting a ludicrously lucrative job offer every week in IT, to not even knowing how to begin to break-in in the Humanities. I've spent the past 3 years back at uni refining the relevant skills, and so do have some basic formal experience, but I haven't yet graduated with any significant qualifications which I can put on my resume. It would be nice if I could get some paid experience while I complete my MA (eg, as a research assistant, or perhaps as a paid member of a ministry or missionary team). Just wondering how to navigate this. (Important note, I fully understand that I am taking a massive cut to my income by doing this, but this doesn't phase me. No amount of zeros appended to the salary figure can compensate for a lifetime wasted working on a career which I hate) <Q> The easiest way to transition is to start working SPECIFICALLY for one of those groups, like a university or a charity that does the kind of work you want to do, and then start to transition over by taking on work of the kind you want to do. <S> Be aware, that as long as you are there and they KNOW you do IT, you will be summoned during tough times. <S> But, build up experience doing a hybrid job like that, and you may be able to do a full internal transfer. <S> Failing that, apply to another organization once you have the experience, and then omit or downplay any IT experience when applying for the next job. <S> Also, you can do volunteer work on the side to get experience. <S> The book "What color is your parachute" can help with ideas. <A> Build up enough money, then try volunteering. <S> "Ministry, Missionary Work, Comparative Religion, Academia, Comparative Theology, World Philosophy and Languages" covers a pretty broad area. <S> It's basically a spectrum across of "stuff about religion", "stuff about foreign countries" and "academia". <S> Going into academia professionally is hard road, with a lot of competition. <S> The intersection of "religion" and "foreign countries", though, is pretty much straight-up missionary work. <S> A stint of a year or two, volunteering as a missionary in a foreign country will teach you a lot of things about the field, and will look good on the resume of almost anywhere you'd want to apply to. <S> It's volunteering, so you won't be getting paid, but <S> right now you have a job that pays extraordinarily well compared to the standard of living that you're targeting anyway. <S> Grit your teeth and bear it long enough to build up a nest egg that will see you through your volunteer experience, and then see you through some distance further down the path, to give you flexibility about what you do afterwards. <S> I'd suggest that you try not to burn your bridges as you go, though. <S> While I absolutely respect your desire to get away from tech, the fact is that the ability to fall back on a highly lucrative job that you hate when you absolutely have to is useful . <S> Emergency backup plans are often unpleasant. <A> You need to spend less time studying theology and more time networking within your church. <S> All major denominations have pathways to what you are looking for. <S> There is a lot of logistics involved and it's a broad industry. <S> Theological colleges are also easy to find. <S> None of it is difficult once you start interacting with the right people. <S> You won't find these people in a book, but you will find them using a search engine. <S> So get involved with your church. <S> If you want to be a missionary but don't actually have a church or preference.... then you're missing the point. <S> It's a calling, not a lifestyle choice. <A> Leaving tech at your age is extremely smart move. <S> As most age discrimination starts in late 20s, when age starts to show. <S> It is pretty humbling (in bad way), speaking from personal experience. <S> You have experience in desired field so start seeking dream job, use IT as financial stepping stone, accept lurcative offers if they pay more but don't over rely on it. <S> Tech is brutal and constantly shifting ground, espacially for someone approaching 30 (age when you desire spiritual growth over material an gravitate towards wisdom). <S> As to would-be downvoters, please don't shoot the messenger.
| Since you want to break into the humanities, you could do volunteer work for charities who would LOVE to have the help, and then once you get known, and build connections with that charity, apply for a paying position.
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Still getting paid after leaving the company? Do I have to give the money back? My girlfriend left a job on good terms to work for a different company. Apparently the payroll manager (one person department, it’s a company of <100 employees) forgot to take her off the payroll because she’s still getting paid her old salary. Does she have a legal obligation to pay the money back or inform them of the error in any way? Before you go calling her an awful person, the company stopped paying her bonuses without notice and for no declared reason, and she tried to ask about them and they blew her off. In the end she was “owed” about $3k (depending on how you qualify “owed” in terms of monthly and quarterly bonuses). As of today they’ve paid her about $4k extra. Anyone have any legal expertise in this matter? If they put money in her account because of an employee’s incompetence, is that her responsibility? The company is in Missouri if that makes a difference. <Q> I would suggest checking the pay stubs or whatever system tracks work hours. <S> If she doesn't have access to any of that, contact the company for clarification of the situation. <S> Communicating through email may be helpful to get their answer in writing in case things escalate to the point of needing a lawyer. <S> If the payments are cashing out accrued vacation time this may actually be the correct payout from the company. <S> If the payments are for work weeks after she left then there may be a problem/mistake. <S> Whatever you do, do not spend the money until you know it's properly accounted for and not an accident. <S> If the money was paid through direct deposit, it is possible the company will reverse accidental payments through direct deposit as well. <S> You do not want a shock from a sudden massive withdrawal. <A> Her employer has a legal right to reclaim the overpayment; see for example this Nolo article . <S> Since she's no longer employed there <S> it's probably a bit harder for them to actually take that money back <S> (though if it was direct deposit, in some states they can simply pull it back directly from her account, so be careful!) <A> This is no-brainer. <S> Tell them. <S> It is not your gf's money so she needs to return it. <S> Her integrity is much more important than some unearned money. <S> I was in the same situation after a group of people got laid off. <S> I told the company that they had mistakenly paid me. <S> I wrote something like this: It appears you paid me for a full term of my pay check rather than my termination date. <S> I will be happy to cooperate with you on getting this corrected. <S> They thanked me for the email and never contacted me about getting the money back. <S> My situation was similar in that I felt ripped off because they were not going to pay for my unused vacation time. <S> They were within their legal rights to not pay for the vacation time even tho any normal person would think it was "not right". <A> Your girlfriend should contact a local lawyer about this. <S> It may be that the company has paid this intentionally and not communicated well. <S> It may also be that the company has done this by accident and is prepared to spare no expense in making someone else be responsible for their mistake. <S> A local lawyer will be able to tell her what the likely expectations and outcomes are once the former employer realises their mistake (which they eventually will), and can help her steer the situation to the best outcome for her. <A> Similar situation happened in my friends case, he was payed a salary a month after he left. <S> The company ended up communicating with the bank and a ticket was issued with the bank. <S> The bank then called him for authorization to reverse the payment (in some states the banks dont need authorization). <S> I would advice that in your girlfriends case, wait to see if similar process happens. <S> Remember, in either way if bank will reverse the payment, then she has no choice or if the bank require her authorization then she could challenge it with the claims that the company owes her unpaid bonuses <S> (she would need to have a written proof, a contract or otherwise) that explicitly states the bonuses and the transition history showing the bonuses hasn't been paid to even consider challenging the reversal.
| Given that they likely have years to reclaim the payment, even if you don't care about the morality of not reporting it, you're best off reporting it simply so that you don't end up with them taking back $4k or whatever in a year or two when you perhaps don't have it available and end up in money trouble because of it.
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Excluded from extra work activities Currently I am working in a small team of six developers.Colleagues are often having short talks and flashbacks related to extra work activity ( work related decisions they made while not at work ), which involves partying, clubbing and bar crawling. For example, they decided to replace/remove a large part of the codebase because it had problem that I fixed (they didn't know that I worked on the code all, and were surprised, we don't use version control but that's separate issue), and indirectly excluded me from the decision making process. They usually go together after the end of the work day, and on Friday even earlier if boss gives permission. I have a feeling that I am excluded and miss out team bonding and project related decision making process, and also suspect that age gap is the reason I'm not invited. I am 28 years old while second oldest team member is 22. Overall problem is that I feel excluded from work process in very age specific way: colleagues are going to places with an age ceiling and conducting decision making there is the most obvious example. Colleagues also do not use social media I know of (Facebook, Slack, WhatsApp, LinkedIn) or mail for work stuff. They are explicitly greenlit by management, and they indeed are more productive this way. Problem is that I am left out, and I can't change job easily, I have been consistently sending CVs around but at my age it is incredibly hard to find work in the software industry. The fact that I can't speak local language further decreases my prospect pool. How can I handle this situation professionally? <Q> I have a feeling that I am excluded and miss out team bonding and project related decision making process <S> It's not really any of your business what they choose to do after work. <S> If you just want to get involved in their merrymaking then take the initiative and invite them out for drinks. <S> If it goes well it will probably be reciprocated. <S> But like most things if you want something, be proactive. <S> Use your head and take them somewhere where there is something to do <S> and you know they'll enjoy themselves. <S> Most people enjoy a few games of pool or something like that and it saves having to keep conversation flowing. <S> Age isn't a huge issue and your gap isn't extreme. <S> I rarely drink and I'm ancient, but when I do one of my main drinking buddies is a ex-colleague in his early 20's and we usually end up drinking with a wide range of acquaintances of all ages as we do the rounds. <A> OP is experiencing what a lot of new employees who aren't social/haven't gotten in with the social vibe at a workplace experience. <S> Decisions being made "on the golf course", so to speak. <S> tl;dr OP needs to get over it, join in, or watch as decisions pass them by. <S> Total misplacement of "blame" in this post. <S> Going to address a few things here <S> You're not being excluded in an age specific way. <S> You're self-excluding because they're doing things that you don't want to do . <S> These aren't "team bonding" experiences, they're colleagues going out to party. <S> Because they're colleagues, and people spend most of their lives at work, they talk about work. <S> For a lot of people, this is a sign of passion for their jobs. <S> They're giving up personal time to talk about work. <S> Not sure what jurisdiction you're in, but not speaking the local language is your problem. <S> You've identified it as something that is holding you back, and it's clear what you need to do to resolve it. <S> I'd suggest reexamining your CV for reasons why you might not be getting a lot of positive responses. <S> Combined with COVID, it's tough, but there are a lot of employers looking for people. <S> Mozilla's recent layoffs have helped fill positions though. <A> You are in a bad, ugly situation that is not so unusual, especially in startups and small game studios, most comments here further reniforce this by being unreasonably ageist and/or sexist. <S> Your teammates do not have valid justification to cut you off, and most comments especially if they are engaging project related planning. <S> Unfortunately there is nothing you can do, especially if this behavior is encouraged by management, earlier you start seeking new job, better off you end up in long term. <A> Try to ignore it. <S> When they leave early, continue your work and stop at the regular hour, not later. <S> If they have a lick of decency, they should invite you, but then they would have already. <S> If they don't, then I wouldn't want to be part of such a group. <S> If the manager allows them to make decisions without involving you, nothing much you can do, but on the other hand you can't be held responsible for things you're not aware of. <A> Excluded from extra work activities <S> Do not let it get under your skin. <S> This type of thing happens at my work all the time. <S> It usually involves the those best like by management, but not always the best workers. <S> Many people have more outgoing personalities. <S> Who cares. <S> Carry on working as best you can and try to be positive as best you can. <S> Being left out of many invites, means social distancing is never a problem. <S> The last “party” everyone had to self isolate! <S> Wonder why? <S> Karma can be a bitch that sometime bites you in the rear.
| Getting drunk with colleagues isn't always that great an idea, and is not necessary to team bonding or making decisions on projects. Try to do the work you've been assigned to the best of your capabilities. There isn't a lot of age-ism at 28 years old.
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How to tell an employer that gave a job offer that I want to get the job but start next year? I applied with them months before I had a job. They just got back to me now and I never thought they would actually give me a job offer. Thing is I've already have a job for 3 weeks and I dont want to quit yet. But I'm interested in working for them maybe next year when the pandemic is over. Cause I don't want to keep this job I'm on when it's not work from home anymore. How do I tell them that I can't accept their job offer for now, but I'd love to do it in the future? <Q> Be straightforward. <S> Everyone has their reasons. <S> Reply thanking for the offer, and mention that you cannot accept the offer right now due to personal reasons. <S> However, you'll be interested in working with them in future. <S> Do not mention anything like "never thought they would actually give me a job offer" or "it was a trial" - that'll most likely put you on their blocklist for future. <S> And next time, please go job hunting only when you mean it. <S> Do not waste time (and effort) of others. <S> %%----- <S> After the edit -----%% If they got back to you late and in the meantime you had to accept another offer, that's perfectly OK. <S> Respond to them saying something like Good to hear back from you. <S> I'm sorry to inform that in the meantime I have opted for another offer and continuing with that. <S> In present circumstances, it's not possible for me to accept you offer, but in future if I change my mind, I'll get in touch. <S> Then, think twice next time before applying: What if that delay was not the one occurrence and what happens if you join? <S> The point that you did not have an ETA for response (and lack of follow up) shows two things <S> There's no commitment Lack of proper communication either of which can be a red flag to either organisation or for you. <S> Make you decision wisely. <A> How do I tell them ... <S> That is very simple. <S> Just write an e-mail and tell them whatever you need to tell. <S> Just be polite and respectful. <S> WARNING: <S> this will not at all guarantee that they will wait 6 months for you to make a decision. <S> You probably wanted to ask something like: <S> How do I negotiate to start a job not now, but after 6 months? <S> That is already another thing. <S> You do not ask a question, but you need to start a negotiation. <S> Be ready to have answers and arguments for everything that you say and for everything that you might be asked. <S> However, 6 months delay without a very strong argument is unlikely to happen. <S> Be ready to tell them when they should contact you again for another job in their company. <S> Dear Company, Thank you for the job you offer me. <S> Unfortunately, I already accepted another job at another company. <S> For personal reasons, I want to keep the current job for at least 6 months. <S> I will contact you when I will decide to move ahead. <S> You may also contact me for another job, after at least 6 months. <S> Thank you for your kind understanding. <S> (Obviously, you need to replace the "6 months" with whatever suits you; I only provided a guiding example.) <A> From reading between the lines I get the idea that the job you are offered now is far better (financial, stability, growth-possibilities etc) than the one you currently have. <S> So why not just take it ? <S> It's good to have some loyalty to your (current) employer and not change on a whim. <S> However you can't be expected to let a chance on a good career/future slip away out of loyalty for your (dead-end) current job, which you plan on quitting soon anyway. <A> They won't be impressed that you don't want to work for them because you have a better work-from-home offer. <S> They will expect that if you applied and said your notice was 1 month then you can start in 1 month. <S> If you really want to try delaying you can tell them that due to personal circumstances you can't start until next year, but it's unlikely they will be willing to wait that long unless you are exceptional. <A> Well, you can say: I can't accept your job offer for now, but I'd love to do it in the future. <S> But don't expect them to hold a place open for you unless there's a very good reason. <S> Honestly it's pretty transparent that you're window-shopping ( <S> no pun intended) <S> so this employer may not look on that favourably.
| Considering that you accepted another job while this company was still deciding, you might just tell them that you need to turn down their offer because of the new job, but you really want to work for them in the future.
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How should one handle getting asked to be an expert in an unfamiliar technology? I have been working for an IT company for five years. Four of those years were I worked with the same technology but for reasons that changed and I was moved to another project but I moved out for not being an expert in a technology I had ever touched (I asked for it because the work environment was unbearable). So I have moved to another one again with new technology--the same story and so on. So again I was in a new project where I starting from nothing (by the way I got lied about in what I am gonna work so I had a month to study on my own about new think for nothing) and I got feeling that the same thing is gonna happen again. The thing is here once you spend three or more years in the company you are expected to know absolutely everything. For that reason, in my opinion, people move out or just go higher into a manager position. There are not many who spend more than three years in the company and aren't in a manager position. What is the best way to handle this situation? <Q> It's not impossible to be an expert in a technology you've never touched. <S> Remember the old proverb: in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. <S> As long as they understand this, you should be fine. <S> I imagine the practice to be something like this: A user comes to you with a problem. <S> You ask them questions to fully understand the problem (to the best of your ability) and once you feel you have a decent grasp, you start researching the problem and come up with a solution. <S> You then present this solution to the user. <S> Obviously this takes you longer than it would take someone who is already experienced in using the technology, hence why it is so important that your employer is aware of what they are asking. <S> Nobody reasonably expects you to suddenly become an expert at a new technology out of thin air. <S> It's just simpler to have a single point of contact who is responsible for spending the time and effort to solve issues and become more familiar with a particular technology, even when it would be preferable if this position is filled by someone who already has some expertise with it. <A> The situation you describe is quite extreme, but not necessary to be feared much - at least, if it remains within some boundaries. <S> I saw something similar happening to me and my colleagues, in more than one company - actually in all of the companies where I worked. <S> To nominate an expert, the following assertions / decisions are made: if more than one person knows about the subject, usually the most knowledgeable becomes the expert; alternatively, the most experienced in general might become the expert, even if the person is not really the most knowledgeable in that field; if only one person has to work in that field, and there is no one else around with the respective knowledge, then that person becomes the expert - eventually after "passing" a training period - which can even be a training-on-the-job. <S> Usually the managers support the "expert" from situation 2, and do not "kill him much" for a while, until he gets a chance to learn. <S> However, officially that person is always presented as the "expert on topic X". <S> Good or bad? <S> Well, it depends. <S> If the managers do not expect miracles, and the person really wants to learn, then the situation is a very good opportunity to learn a new skill. <S> If the managers expect that a simple nomination transforms an illiterate into a genius, then the person should probably find new managers, most likely in a new company. <A> As long as management is clear about your current level of expertise and it is something you are interested in, take the assignment as an opportunity to acquire skills on company time. <S> If you don't want to learn the skill and you still have the assignment, find another job.
| When such a role is requested of you, make sure that your employer is fully aware that you are not currently an expert in the technology they're asking you to be 'responsible' for.
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How can I handle 'no promotion this year' in a performance review? I had a meeting with my manager regarding my career and promotion. I discussed my achievements which include product delivery, quality, and cost. I also nailed every single item on my KPI that he and I set together last year. My manager agreed that I made huge impacts on a few products and he would talk to his boss about my promotion. I am currently a mid-level manager leading three teams. Each team has a manager or a team lead helping me. I am essentially already doing the work of the job I expect to be promoted to. I will have a follow up meeting with him soon. While I hope for the best, I would like to prepare for the worst. My plan is to insist him on my performance and delivery then ask him to share his reasons. What is the best way to handle the meeting if his feedback is "no promotion this year"? <Q> What is the best way to handle the meeting if his feedback is 'no promotion this year'? <S> Listen to what your boss has to say. <S> Listen to any areas where he thinks you need improvement and then do the necessary work to improve. <S> Don't start any arguments. <S> The fact that he is going to speak with his boss about your promotion indicates that he is likely not opposed to promoting you and maybe cannot unilaterally make the decision. <S> Ultimately, it could be his boss's decision whether or not you are promoted. <S> Sometimes your performance is not even a factor in whether or not you are promoted. <S> There could be budgetary reasons for no promotion. <S> You need to be prepared for this as well. <A> With COVID a lot of companies are looking to avoid increases and promotions this year and will use it as an excuse. <S> You should be reasonably understanding that with the uncertainty it is hard to make long term decisions. <S> Make it clear you are disappointed and ask for written confirmation that were it not for other factors you would have received a promotion. <S> You could also ask for a review in say January, rather than waiting a whole year. <S> Another option is to ask for alternative perks, at least until the promotion is forthcoming, such as extra holiday. <A> What is the best way to handle the meeting if his feedback is 'no promotion this year'? <S> Unfortunately it's so common that it's impossible to say what is a good course of action. <S> The best way is to figure out what sort of ways you can get the promotion and whether you qualify. <S> I think your best way to handle this is to figure out if they're really serious or if there is a way you can promote. <S> My guess is that you're more than qualified for the position but chances are they don't see it that for reason of your pay. <S> They probably don't want to pay you more, but want you to do everything you're qualified to do. <S> If that is the case, then you need to consider leaving as conditions probably won't get better for you. <S> There are three things you can do: <S> Continue working as is. <S> Find a new job with offer in hand and turn in your two weeks. <S> Figure out how to get a promotion and whether you qualify. <S> This requires you to sit in front of your boss, tell him/her that you absolutely want to promote and want to know how. <S> If they say no, then look at #1 and #2 above. <S> Otherwise, if they say you qualify but they really don't have an opening right now, then ask how soon will they know. <S> Put your foot down and say you really want the promotion and you need an answer on how soon they can promote you. <S> If they keep pushing it around, then I would look at #1 or #2 above. <A> What is the best way to handle the meeting if his feedback is "no promotion this year"? <S> No means no. <S> It means you will not get more money, a company car or comparable benefits. <S> Let me explain: he would talk to his boss about my promotion <S> This makes it clear that your boss can't make the decision. <S> This is important, as it means that neither you nor your boss can change the decision during the meeting, and very probably it won't be overturned no matter how much dissatisfaction you voice and how understanding your boss is. <S> ask him to share his reasons. <S> Do not be confused. <S> This meeting will not be a discourse with an open end. <S> Your boss will relay the decision of "upper management", which might or might not have been influenced by his meeting with his superiors. <S> Ultimately, in your upcoming meeting, you will have to live with what they give you. <S> Your boss will probably tell you reasons why they 'are unable' – they never say 'do not want to' – give you a raise. <S> You will have to judge for yourself whether you believe the reasons and how likely they are to change. <S> Then, you will have to treat this just as any other situation where your company denies you a salary incease despite you personally performing well. <S> Your course of action then should simply be dictated by the age-old question of whether the grass is greener elsewhere.
| You might ask to be promoted with a delayed salary increase if money is the issue, securing the role and a future increase when things settle down.
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How to collaborate with collagues who consistently break the rules? I work in a big, fast growing organisations. We have a lot of structure and processes and rules to follow.One of the team we work with is more or less permanently "plotting" to get ahead, to get more resources, to go beyond the limits we normally have, to get cover for emergencies created because they promised customers something they could not deliver, and now it's everybody's problem. We are meant to collaborare in observance of the rules, but this team goes for a "me first" approach, eventually retroactively justifying everything they do because of money. If we all copied their example, it would be open warfare among the teams in the organisation.Instead, we have one team constantly pulling the blanket in their direction, and the others paying extra attention to avoid ripping the blanket.As the "spoiled team" brings more money, they get away with a lot. On the other hand, other teams are not getting the resources they need, and their growth suffers. How to work with a team which is constantly breaking the rules to get ahead? <Q> As the "spoiled team" brings more money, they get away with a lot. <S> There's a hint in there, somewhere. <S> We all need to learn and understand how things really work at our company, what is rewarded, and what is punished. <S> Apparently this "spoiled team" has learned something that the other teams have not. <S> Perhaps other teams should figure out how to "bring more money", too. <A> Money is important, and at the end of the day, if the other teams are NOT bringing in the money, guess who wins. <S> The obvious solution is to bring the money through ethical means, and also block unethical actions. <S> If they make messes, let them clean them up <S> The reason they are making the money is because others are covering for them. <S> STOP COVERING FOR THEM <S> The messes they are making are actually COSTING the company money in productivity and morale, until that becomes evident, things will not change <A> I can think of a few options but those are only theorical and may not apply. <S> Their results can only be guesswork even if were familiar with your organisation. <S> Satus quo: Hubris might make them let them do a mistake so monumental that the actual strategy wont work. <S> Or it might never happen if they become too critical and everyone has to help no matter what. <S> Non-compliance <S> : Find a way to not participate when they need to be bailed out. <S> This might help motivate people to enforce said rules/code. <S> Mirroring <S> : Begin pulling more and act similarely. <S> Though this can have adverse effect as there can only be one favorite. <S> Mass-mimicry: <S> If everyone sees that their way work in the eyes of the administration, try to have everyone gradually behave the same. <S> One group might get away with it, the whole organisation might not. <S> Make a case: Gather evidence, try to prove that their ways have an worst outcome than perceived due to the fact that even more ressources need to be mobilised to bail them out and it negatively impact the organisation. <S> This is a shot in the dark without needing any changes in behaviour. <S> Could be related to Status Quo. <S> These are the options that I can think of. <S> Hope this helps.
| Sometimes you need to let the balls drop, and let the ones who make the messes, clean them up.
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Can you make half the money working half the time? This may be the wrong place to ask this, but I have a software dev/engineer lifestyle question. If this indeed the wrong place, please redirect me elsewhere before marking this as spam. Is it possible to make half the avg soft eng salary working half of the time? For example, if I wanted to spend the vast majority of my time working on a different project, but still needed some income to support a minimalist lifestyle, would it be plausible to make 40k a year working 20-30 hours a week as opposed to making 80k a year working 40-60 hours a week? Are there other tech fields that I can transfer to outside of software development in order to make this more likely? <Q> Yes, it's possible . <S> For about two years I worked three days a week as a developer, paid pro-rata, to pay my bills, while trying (and failing) to become a professional author in the rest of my week. <S> You just need to find an employer who will agree to such an arrangement - not all will. <S> In my case, I arranged it with my existing employer, who decided they would rather have 60% of my skills and knowledge than none of it (if I quit completely). <S> It may be more difficult to arrange something like that with a new employer, who will probably have a full-time role in mind when they start hiring. <S> One way or another, you'll need to convince your employer to make it work, but it's possible. <A> Is it possible to make half the avg soft eng salary working half ofthe time? <S> You only have to convince one or more potential employers to hire you on those terms. <S> Many folks do that by being a contractor or consultant. <A> One of them has a farm which requires a good amount of time to operate. <S> When I was younger I worked for startups that permitted unconventional schedules, so that I could travel for weekend activities frequently (this was when remote working was less common than it is today). <S> I see no reason why you can't work half the hours for half the pay, in principle. <S> You may need to be a contractor rather than a full-time employee which means you'll be paying for your own health insurance, etc. <S> And since you are asking about a relatively less common arrangement you'll have to do more work to find a suitable company. <S> Companies still value in-person presence, and dedication of their employees, so in general if you are not a full-time employee you'll have less career growth. <A> I'm a huge fan of the book, "What color is your parachute", and it talks about this very subject. <S> There are numerous ways you could approach this, either as a freelancer, or working part time for a smaller business, or taking on project work. <S> Some charities will hire on part-time staff if they cannot afford full time, and corporations will do the same for specialized work. <S> Network with people, and brainstorm for more ideas, but it is certainly possible. <A> One option for doing this is to find small businesses that want development work done but can't afford/don't have the demand for a full time developer, and work for them as a contractor. <S> Depending on your part of the world, you might need to run your own company and do it through that. <S> This approach obviously comes with different risks and demands than being employed by an established company, but comes with the benefit of being more flexible in managing your hours. <S> You'll also become responsible for all benefits that a company would normally provide (which is a bigger deal in some parts of the world than others). <S> You should account for this in your hourly rate.
| My company has contractors that have a lifestyle similar to the one you seem to desire where they prioritize other activities higher than full-time employment. Of course it's possible. One potential approach if you are fairly senior might be to apply for a junior role, explaining in your application that you'd want to take the junior salary and work reduced hours (then watch out for them expecting you to work unpaid overtime!).
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On exit interview was told not to say name of company/client I worked for I was contacted by someone offering me paid work. Call him Bob. Bob has a sole proprietorship, call it X. His only client who he works full time for as a contractor is Y. Y gave him a budget to hire someone to help with his work load. That someone is me. In the contract I signed with Bob, it refereed to me as a consultant, "Bob doing business as X" as Agent and Y as Client. On my last day Bob wanted to have an exit interview with me. He "reminded" me of my continuing obligations to confidentiality, which included not saying I worked for Y (the/his client). First off, I never recall any discussion of the client's name being confidential and upon double checking my contract, it's not (not that I hired a lawyer to review it). Y is a large company and I thought it would be better to put it's name on LinkedIn and my resumes, instead of X which no one's heard of.* I realize this isn't a particularly strong reason so I removed the references to Y upon request. My questions are Is it normal or common for a client's name to be considered confidential? Does it make a difference if you're working for them directly, through a third-party or if you got the job through an agent/agency? This is all assuming it was never expressly agreed on that the client's name was confidential e.g. in a contract. Though Bob was my de-facto "boss" I worked closely with other members of the team who were employees of Y and other people often told me what to do/how to do it. Is this strange? If someone's a subcontractor, wouldn't the client only talk to the contractor and the contractor would have complete management over the subcontractor? Assuming confidentiality isn't an issue, do people usually say the name of who they did work for, or the agent/agency who connected them with the work? Does it depend on the level of involvement the agent/agency has? Why would Bob or Y care? Would it be professional for me to ask Bob? *LinkedIn has so many people on it claiming to be a contractor for Y, it can't possibly be a corporate policy not to do this. <Q> I wouldn't say normal or common, but not necessarily unheard of. <S> It makes a big difference whether you're an employee, from anagency, or working for a 3rd party contractor. <S> The company that paysyour salary is who you work for. <S> In your case, it sounds like you'renot an employee of Y. You're an employee of X, who happens to bedoing some work for Y. Chain of command (both theoretical and in practice) can vary wildlybetween and within companies. <S> Your situation is not unusual. <S> I can't speak from experience, but I imagine it depends on therelative importance of the contractor vs the client. <S> You canprobably go with either (as long as you specify you were acontractor) depending on the situation. <S> You can always ask, and I would recommend doing so. <S> Anything elseI could say would just be speculation. <S> If it's not in a contract or an NDA, you probably don't have to keep it confidential. <S> But if you've been asked, you probably should (at least on public forums). <S> You can always talk about the company and what you did for them without mentioning their name. <A> I agree with Kaz's answer but thought it was worth pointing out that for your 2nd question it doesn't have to be either/ <S> or. <S> You should definitely list Bob's company as your employer but you could still mention the client when describing what you did during your tenure like this: <S> Did X for client Company Y <A> I think you have two rules to make your decision: <S> Did you sign anything about never mentioning the name of Y? <S> Contracts, NDA's, additional forms... <S> If none of the signed documents mentions confidentiality, then you are free to talk about Y (except the obviously confident information - please use common sense). <S> You say that Y is a company mostly anonymous. <S> Since you do net get the benefit of associating yourself with a well-known prestigious company, why bother mentioning their name? <S> At a previous job, I worked for a pretty-much no-name customer. <S> In my CV <S> I mentioned the work I did (as overview, of course), without mentioning the name of that company. <S> Currently, I do not even remember their name, and I do not feel any loss about it. <A> There are two contracts in force here. <S> The one between you and X, and the one between X and Y. <S> The latter would contain the confidentiality agreement, and would apply to you as an employee or contractor of X. <S> It's unusual that you wouldn't know about it until the exit interview. <S> We had a similar agreement with a large corporation once and we used a code word for that company in all our internal communication to continually remind us of that fact.
| In cases where the client is confidential you could say: Did X for large confidential client company in the Z industry.
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How do I explain/apologize to recruiter for unprofessional email name due to prank made by younger silbling I passed my initial coding test last Sunday and got my first phone interview invitation with one of the company on Monday. I replied to the phone interview invitation on Tuesday through email. Right after I sent out the reply, I noticed that my email name was "Potatoe Brother" and I was very confused. And I checked my Google profile and noticed that my Gmail name had been changed from my real name to "Potatoe Brother". I immediately changed it back to my real name and was wondering who changed it. I asked my sister, who is an 8-year-old, who admitted that she did it "for fun". Now this is a very unprofessional part of me to have such name and I have not heard back from the recruiter since then (it has been a day). Even though I am not sure if she actually saw my email, I am afraid that I may have lost the interview opporunity due to this. I am going to send out a follow-up email and want to explain this in the follow-up email. What is the best way to explain that? A little bit more information: I just recently graduated and have been using my college's email for 99% of the time before graduation. Because I will lose my access to my college email, I decided to use my personal email for job hunting. So I was not aware of the fact that the name was changed. What I need help with: This is really one of those "my dog ate my homework" type of case. Unfortunately, it happened. I am afraid that the recruiter would simply not believe what I said because it is just hard to believe on their part. <Q> I've seen many worse email names than Potatoe Brother. <S> I wouldn't worry about it - if it's going to lose you an interview, then would you want to work with someone who has such a lack of humor anyway? <S> Change the email name back. <S> If the recruiter contacts you for a further interview, then feel free to drop it into the conversation. <S> Otherwise, move on. <S> And change your password so an 8yo can't log into your computer. <A> It might be worth reaching out, not because the display name is particularly outrageous <S> (Letter #3), <S> but because it's different than the name you used before. <S> My concern isn't that they'll be offended, it's that they may assume it's not from you at all, that it might just get ignored since they don't recognize the name. <S> Reply again to the invite and explain that you had already replied Tuesday but under a different name <S> : I wanted to make sure you saw my reply to this email. <S> The reply I sent Tuesday was sent under a different name. <S> Be sure to also include whatever information was in the first email in case it got deleted or lost. <A> I think it would be perfectly safe to say nothing. <S> If you feel the need to relieve your own embarrassment with an explanation, a very short message such as: "to follow up on my previous email confirming my interview booking, my screen name on that email may have appeared to you as garbled. <S> I was unfortunately the victim of a prank by a younger family member, much to their amusement, but this has now been rectified and I trust no confusion has resulted in the meantime!". <S> And leave it at that. <S> Don't labour the point or panhandle for forgiveness - just strike a tone of wry humour. <S> Any sensible person understands harmless childish mischief. <S> And by avoiding specifying the offending words and instead referring to "garbling", you avoid drawing any further unwanted attention to the matter (or disclosing the words for the first time, if they were not in fact sent or seen). <A> I am in agreement with the comment by @C Bauer , quote ... send a followup email saying "Sorry if there is any confusionfrom <S> my previous email <S> ; my little sister thought it would be funny tochange my name from {name} to Potato Brother. <S> She has a great sense ofhumor. <S> " The recruiter will probably be amused. <S> I'll just add that the main concern is a practical one. <S> Did the email end up under Junk Mail in the recruiter's inbox? <S> Did the recruiter delete it without reading it because it seemed frivolous and not from anyone they knew? <A> How do I explain/apologize to recruiter for unprofessional email name due to prank made by younger sibling? <S> My feeling is Don't! <S> Assuming that "Potatoe Brother" is a mipselled euphemism and not the actual name so that it won't show up in internet searches, leave it alone. <S> Many employers will not want to have someone who leaves their devices and email applications open and unsupervised so freely that someone can surreptitiously access it and do mischief. <S> In this day and age loss of intellectual property and security intrusions are such serious issues for a company that (depending on the type of job) they might see you as sloppy and not take the chances of having someone with poor electronic hygiene enter their company, and a careful recruiter might present you with fewer options. <S> I don't see any way that you can explain this while simultaneously demonstrating that you have good workplace behavior. <S> And whatever you do, don't advertise that you leave your devices and email applications laying around open and unsupervised on a Q&A site on the internet where it is potentially googlable forever! <S> Your prospective employer may see this as a liability, and though unlikely, it could be used against you in the future, depending on the type of job you might have in the future. <S> Recommendation Secure a new email address that you will use for personal correspondence related to employment that contains your name, and take the time to move everybody that you are currently working with over to it. <S> While it takes some time, this has several advantages: <S> It demonstrates swift action even for a matter that might seem small at the moment. <S> If this ever comes up again (which is unlikely but not out of the question, depending on your future career) <S> you've establish that you recognized and corrected even a small issue quickly and decisively. <S> You can be much more careful with <S> this particular email account, logging in only long enough to read and write correspondence in a single sitting. <A> You really seem to worry about this, so you might actually do something about it, but what I'm missing in the already given answers is the fact that you can simply call that person and explain him or her in a live conversation what went wrong. <S> Most probably that person won't mind and (s)he might even have a good laugh about the prank <S> (I know I would :-) ), but by picking up the phone and speaking about it in person, you really show that you find solving errors important, which is always a good thing.
| Send an email to yourself to make sure the change has gone through and your name shows up correctly. It's perfectly valid to resend the original message together with a light-hearted note such as suggested by @C Bauer - The main purpose is to make sure the message is received and read rather than to apologise. I don't think this really requires an apology unless you want to apologize for the confusion. I couldn't imagine a recruiter taking umbrage or marking you down for a screen name that is merely odd (but not offensive or outrageous).
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How to stay motivated after changing field for one I'm less keen on? A year ago, I had my first job as a mobile developer. Now that the project is finished, I'll be taking on web projects with my team of course. The issue is, I am not passionate about web. I don't hate it, it's just that mobile is my forte. I am always excited learning something new and advancing my tech skills in mobile. I also love learning new things outside mobile to broaden my skills but not as excited when in mobile though. I realize that I am losing my motivation. I don't know, I feel like I care less about the project compared to when I was doing mobile. I am being practical, so I just don't want to leave my job. It's my first programming job. I think my take here is how do you keep your self motivated if you are not as passionate on what you do? Now I know some will advice to leave and find a job, but I am on a small city and considering what's going on around the world being laid off, leaving my job is not an option and I am very thankful having a job. I just want to get some advice staying motivated on their job even though it is not their passion. Anyone? <Q> how do you keep your self motivated if you are not as passionate onwhat you do? <S> That should provide sufficient motivation. <S> There were difficult times when I looked at my wife and children and understood why I continued to work hard. <A> Now You've already recognized that your options are limited at the moment. <S> As Joe says, you may want to just focus on your paycheck until other options open up. <S> It might also help to think about your current work in another way. <S> Web dev has a lot of common points with mobile dev, so you could think of your current project as building your fundamentals. <S> A lot of web dev projects often spin off into mobile (or at least mobile support) projects as well! <S> Moving forward <S> If it's possible, mention to your boss <S> that web dev is not a direction that you would like to continue moving forward in. <S> I would suggest doing this towards the end of your current project--and that you finish at least one project! <S> The worst case scenario is that your current company can't help you and you will have to change in the future. <S> Hopefully the world situation will be better at that point. <S> In short, be patient, but proactive. <S> You're probably not wasting your time and there are steps you can take for the future, so keep your eyes open. <A> It simply is too hard and unlikely to land a dream job, otherwise we would see bulk of the worlds population working as actors, astronauts, musicians, jet pilots, models, athletes and what not. <S> I never liked management and always considered it bureaucratic gimmick, but now I am actively trying to make a jump from CS/academia to management despite that former is the closest one to my dream job. <S> Sometimes we all just set our sentiments aside and look where stability and better prospect lies, especially when we reach certain point and start trading ambition and vigor for wisdom and safe future. <S> This is the simple, down to earth truth.
| If you can't just muster passion for doing a good, professional job in whatever is assigned to you, then concentrate on the paycheck you receive.
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Small remote office not following Covid guidelines I work for a small company and work in a remote office for my department. When I was requested to return to the office, I was assured that we were following Covid guidelines, by the site manger/supervisor and I had read the email from HR with the company guidelines. I go into work a realize no one is following the company guidelines and are conducting business as if it was pre-Covid. Do I have any recourse? I felt political pressure, office politics, to return to the office so it wasn't really a choice in my opinion. I am in Minneapolis Minnesota which has a state regulation saying to wear mask indoors at all times. The event that pushed me over the edge was a full staff meeting in a small room where we were packed in even for pre-Covid and I was the only one with a mask on. <Q> Alternatively, you could speak with the senior manager in the office and discuss your concerns directly. <S> Ultimately you are in a difficult position, either course of action could result in repercussions and only you can determine what risks are acceptable to you. <A> To add to the other answer ; If you can pin-point to the unsafe activite that they do you could talk to the HR/manager and propose a possible solution. <S> Like; can they allow to join the meeting by video (jabber, zoom, etc..) or by phone. <S> Such way to bring the problem show them you are open to find a solution other than just staying at home. <S> In the end if they participate in a unsafe gathering of people into a small room you could contact the regulator in such case too, but for that I would expect major repercusion(s). <S> To ask questions or report violations of this Executive Order thatrelate to worker health and safety: Contact the Department of Laborand Industry by email at osha.compliance@state.mn.us or by phone at651-284-5050 or 1-877-470-6742 <A> You have two concerns: Health Career <S> You need to keep all options in mind, including leaving the company. <S> I'll explain why below. <S> If you are high risk, then you have cause to go to HR and ask for accommodation, such as work from home or remote meetings. <S> That would be the least disruptive route. <S> All of the rest of the options put your future employment with that company at risk, so only do the following if you are ready to move on to another company. <S> Escalate to management and ask about enforcement. <S> This may ruffle a few feathers, but if you want the guidelines enforced, this is the place to start Escalate to HR. <S> This will DEFINITELY ruffle feathers, so if you do this, be prepared for backlash. <S> While reprisals are illegal, I've found that companies can be very clever in pushing you out the door if they're done with you. <S> Escalate to government. <S> This is the nuclear option. <S> The end results of which could be your company getting fined, or even shut down. <S> Since you were the only one to wear a mask at your last meeting, it wouldn't take a genius to figure out who dropped a dime on your company. <S> Either way, your career with the company would be over, and if word got out in your industry that you did it, you could find it hard to get work. <S> The ultimate decision is of course, yours. <S> Just be very mindful of any consequences, and prepare accordingly.
| If you have an HR department that has published COVID guidelines and find that your office isn't following them then your first step should be to reach out to the HR department and inform them of the problem.
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Can/should I omit "Senior" from title my resume I currently have a "Senior" title with a company I am currently furloughed from and am looking for new opportunities as it is unlikely that I will be recalled with my company. While I have certain qualifications that let to me being offered a Senior title when being hired, they are not the typical expected qualifications for a Senior in my industry. I have a long history of freelance entertainment design work, a short but accomplished history in large-scale, full-time entertainment design for a major company, and an educational background+entry-level experience in architectural design. As jobs in my specific sector are not available, I am looking for jobs in a parallel sector (entertainment vs architecture) that I do have a background in, just not Senior level and most people with my background are working as either Associate/Junior or Non-titled level. I feel like these missing qualifications and experience would be an issue if I were hired for another Senior position in a parallel industry. Can/should I remove Senior from my resume and LinkedIn in this situation? Or do I leave it? <Q> Question is too broad. <S> But on the other hand it really depends on job, field and which one of your aspects you want to emphasise. <S> If you are applying for academia/legal/banking job it does not make sense to omit senior part. <S> If you are sending CV for tech job however, "senior" can be huge setback for obvious reasons, unless you are going for narrower niche, e.g embedded or db management. <S> Include senior in title <S> if position calls for experience, otherwise omit it because it may signify that one was working in same field too long. <A> Senior title can leave you in big disadvantage (assuming you are in IT). <S> Tech is rapidly evolving, what was relevant say, 3 years ago may not be relevant today, and "senior" title usually implies that you spent significant amount of your work life doing same thing. <S> I am speaking from my own anegdotal experience, temprorarily worked few months in hiring/interviewing staff, when company ran out of cadres, and we had to reject big percentage of employees who didn't have diverse skillset and work experience. <S> "Senior <S> C developer with 10 years of experience" is sentence you really do not want in cv when job hunting these days. <A> Can/should I remove Senior from my resume and LinkedIn in this situation? <S> Or do I leave it? <S> There should be no issues removing it. <S> "Senior" can have very different meanings across different companies. <S> Just keep in mind that most employers are looking primarily at your experience and skills rather than your previous title. <A> Several other questions specifically mention IT, which is not relevant to you since you are not in IT. <S> I am similarly in an industry where we have a fairly regular set of titles ("associate", "senior", "principal", et.). <S> However, like you I also regularly apply to positions outside my current industry where those titles may be less easy to interpret. <S> My experience has been that two things matter here: <S> Your job title should clearly convey your skills and experience to the reader . <S> If your title is "Senior Lighting Specialist" in your own company, are you prepared to gamble on someone in another company or industry understanding what makes a "senior" different from an "associate"? <S> I wouldn't. <S> It's better to use a description that makes more sense. <S> Your job history claims should be defensible, because someone may check with prior employers. <S> If your job title was, "Lighting Specialist III" but you describe yourself as "Lighting Supervisor" - will that claim stand up when someone checks your references? <S> Your employer will probably provide a more exact title, but it should be clear that you are attempting to honestly describe what you do. <S> For example, you worked for a theatre company where you spent 2 years as an "Associate Lighting Specialist", then were promoted and spent 3 years as a "Lighting Specialist". <S> In this case, the duties and accomplishments on your resume serve to differentiate the different roles. <A> If you want to avoid unnecessary friction when searching for job in tech then yes. <S> Senior in your title is huge red flag from employers perspective as it tells about your inflexibility and preference for stability over taking risks ant thinking out of the box.
| If you feel that having a senior title on your resume is limiting your potential employment opportunities then it would probably be best to omit it. One nuance to consider is when your job titles show a clear sense of progression.
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How to mention accreditation in progress on a Resume? If you're currently studying for an Accredited Professional title and also actively job seeking, can/should you put on your resume Accredited Professional (In Progress), if you expect to take/pass the test in the couple of weeks but don't want to wait to send your resume out? <Q> As a rule of thumb you should tailor your resume for each job you are applying, in order to maximize your chances. <S> If this job you are applying is related to the accreditation you are coursing, then include it , as it will surely be beneficial (if it's not <S> I suggest you focus on including/mentioning other aspects more related). <S> As you are currently coursing it <S> yes you should mention that in the resume. <S> I think that "(In progress)" is OK. <S> An alternative I suggest is to mention the expected date of completion as well, for example: <S> Accredited Professional on DevOps <S> (expected completion: Sept. 15, 2020) <A> If accreditation directly related to the jobs you are applying for, you should mention it on the resume you send out <A> if you are in a program that has a high likelihood of ending in Accreditation and a known accreditation date - I think you could say something like: Pending Accreditation XYZ - expected MM/DD/YYYY date <S> I'm not sure I'd do that for things that are 99% about passing a test, as credentials with tests that have a high failure rate are a lot less certain. <S> I've never, for example, seen folks list "Pending CISSP" - a security credential with a fairly serious fail rate. <S> Some folks study for a year to take it with formal bootcamps, some just give a shot based on professional experience - outcomes vary. <S> But since prep can average in the 6 months range, it seems a bit much to put a pending credential in that case. <S> But in stuff like college degrees, you often see pending graduation - as with several years of school complete, there's a pretty good likelihood that you'll make it through.
| I'd say it somewhat depends on the title and how close to finishing you are...
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Can an employer dismiss an employee for saying they are considering leaving and might have a formal offer soon? My wife has been offered a role within the NHS and as part of the process, they wish to contact her current employer for a reference prior to making an unconditional offer, sending the contract, and confirming the start date. She is nervous to resign from her current position until the contract is signed so has this dilemma of needing to tell her manager that they will be contacted for a reference but without actually resigning. Her manager is also the owner of the business and there are no back-office functions such as HR so wanted to check opinion on where she stands if her manager asks her to leave once she's given this news. <Q> Since she's been there more than two years she has a reasonable amount of protection - he can't fire her just because there was a reference request. <S> I mean he can go down the redundancy route - <S> but again she's more protected having been there that length of time and <S> if she can demonstrate the close temporal proximity of having been put "at risk of redundancy" or similar to this request she'd have some pretty decent grounds to go to an Employment Tribunal. <S> Ultimately though there is still a risk here - even a successful tribunal is likely to result in a payout rather than a job. <S> And of course the there is the possibility that even if the employer doesn't seek to get rid of her (and the NHS opportunity doesn't pan out) it might be an uncomfortable working relationship to say the least. <S> Ideally she would go back to the NHS and ask if they would accept an alternative reference, but I concede that public bodies like this can be a bit.. rigid in their requirements and processes. <S> I think the risk is relatively minor unless the current employer has demonstrated that they are the vindictive sort, but it's still there. <A> They can of course fire you. <S> It may be illegal, in which case it will be costly for them if you fight it in court. <S> Most likely it will be illegal, but if it happens, it's still might inconvenient for you. <S> So the best is to avoid the situation. <S> Insisting on a reference from the current employer, especially in August 2020, is very bad behaviour. <S> If they insist, she should ask them if they are aware that there is a virus around and millions unemployed. <S> If they don't change their mind, she should ask them to talk to their supervisor. <S> The alternatives are a reference from a person in your company that you trust personally, or a reference from a previous company. <A> Disclaimer: I am not sure of the legal position in the UK <S> but if someone wants to get rid of an employee they will most likely find a way <S> Yes they can. <S> There are even jobs where you are escorted out of the building and put on immediate "gardening leave" to not give you an opportunity to steal customers or have a deep insight into the most recent deals. <S> Financial/Insurance sector for example. <S> It is always best not to discuss leaving with your employer until you are ready to hand in your notice. <S> I do, sometimes, when I switch roles or get a changed responsibility, ask for a short letter of recommendation - just for keeping in my files to document my development. <S> Other than that it is customary and expected that you can´t give a reference for your most recent job if you are hired out of an existing engagement. <S> So TLDR : <S> Depending on the job and the character of the boss, they may try to get rid of you asap, make an counteroffer and try to keep you or react in grace and hope you give a clean handover in return.
| If an employee shows they want to part with their current employer, that impacts on the trusted relationship between the two.
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