Latest Articles by Alison Green

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  Ask a Manager: 7 Qs and 7 Answers

  I'm trying something new -- seven short answers to seven short questions, all in the same post: Company Won't Hire Former Employees of Competitor I applied for a job at a staffing agency and was told the particular company who was hiring wouldn't accept applicants who worked previously for their competitor even though I no longer work for them. Is that ... More



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  When an Employee Won't Stop Asking for a Raise

  A reader writes: I have an employee who has been with us since 2008 in our small municipality (read: no money) who is constantly dissatisfied with his salary. He has gone to his manager (who is now on maternity leave), his acting manager, and the manager of HR (behind his manager's back) several times about a raise. I'm the HR assistant ... More



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  Cover Letter Sounds Like an Infomercial

  A reader writes: I really appreciate your blog and your candor, and I have used your advice many times during my job search. In fact, the interview chapter from your e-book made a huge difference on my last interview and I really felt like I was on equal footing with my interviewer. It resulted in winning a contract for a project ... More



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  Should You Work for Free?

  Should you work for free? I want to know what you think. But wait, it's not that simple. Here are six separate scenarios. Would you work for free in any of these situations? Why or why not? 1. Doing some work for free, for a limited time period, in order to get experience in a field you want to move into ... More



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  Accepting a Job You May Leave in a Few Months?

  A reader writes: I have recently been offered a job with a company locally and have accepted it. However the hiring process a extensive background investigation is needed and will not be able to start this position until the January of 2011. I have more recently been offered a another job a couple of hours away. I would prefer to accept ... More



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  Why You Should Check References

  This post is for anyone who has ever said or secretly thought that reference-checking is a waste of time. Not long ago, I had a job candidate on the verge of being hired. He had wowed everyone in the interview and clearly had the skills to the do the job well. Something was strange about his reference list, though: The references ... More



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  Asking for a Raise Gone Wrong

  A reader writes: I'm in the media world. I'm emphasizing this because it seems that every attempt at getting advice use it seems that every attempt at getting advice for any work-related issue ends with "Hey, it's media, the rules don't apply." Maybe you can help me. My boss is a monster. Exceptionally inappropriate, emotionally abusive, manipulative, etc. I've dealt with ... More



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  Signs of a Nightmare Job?

  A reader writes: I applied for a position that looked great on paper - the organization, job duties, position, etc. I sent my cover letter and resume and within a week I had a call-back. I did a phone interview with one of my potential co-workers about my skills, salary expectations, and experience. Then, I was invited in to do a ... More



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  Angry and Insulted by Coworkers Doing My Job

  A reader writes: I was sent on a business trip overseas for 3 weeks, with 5 people from 5 different departments. Because of some business complications, the timeline for what we needed to do there was super tight. While I understand that and understand that everyone works together and does a bit of everyone's work where we can help, last weekend, ... More