After the interview, the real work begins.
For me the hardest part is always checking references.  Employers today understand the game we all play with references.  Because of legal threats and issues, employers often only admit that the applicant worked at their company and for a specified period of time.  It is very hard to get [...]

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Candidate 3
I once had an interview with a candidate for an Administrative Assistant. The conversation was almost over when, reaching for one last pertinent question, I asked if there were something else about her that I should know that she was particularly proud of being able to do.
She replied, “yes, there is one thing. [...]

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Candidate 2
This applicant was very highly regarded and did well during the entire interview. I was close to recommending that she advance to the next round of interviews when she made a comment that cemented the deal.
What’s more,she said, “I will never ask for a raise.”
This comment obviously took me by surprise, so I asked [...]

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As I look back on my career, I have interviewed lots of candidates and applicants for jobs. I was thinking back on what any of them had said that stood out. I think there are about ten applicants that answered a question in such a way that even now, years later, I can [...]

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Good and bad? Highly paid and not so highly paid? A job you hate and a job you love?
Increasingly I have come to believe that the last one is the best lens through which to view your job. This is why Richard Bolles counsels people to find their true passion in life and find [...]

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I am sure there are some jobs that are so boring and mundane that one could read on the job and still not have their work suffer too much. No – wait a minute. Actually, I can’t think of a single job where that is the case.
Just because you haven’t been told what to [...]

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I graduated from college and I don’t know what I want to do.
Who cares? Just get started. Pick an area you think you might enjoy and just start chasing that down. Talk to people who work in areas you think you might like. Read books. Get on the web. Do anything and everything [...]

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Can my employer tell me not to use Instant Messaging at work?
You’re kidding, right? Sure they can and more of them are becoming more watchful of this type of use of the internet. There are massive security issues, plus it’s a gigantic time waster, typically. My own feeling is that if a [...]

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I hate to be criticized at work. Any ideas on how to cope with it?
I assume you mean by a manager or your boss and not a co-worker. Some of your problem might be historical conditioning. How have you been challenged in the past? Have you been able to adapt to [...]

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I am thinking about leaving my current job but I have been here less than a year and someone told me it looks bad if I don’t stay at a job for at least two years. What should I do?
Years ago that was true. If a candidate jumped around from job to job, it [...]

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