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By Nick Corcodilos Syndicated columnist Q: My sister interviewed for a good job and was told she was perfect for it. Then they asked her to sign a form granting permission to run a credit check. Her credit report...
By Nick Corcodilos Syndicated columnist Take Our Poll(surveys) Q: Employers often ask you to take a technical test prior to a job interview. Sometimes the tests are easy, and sometimes they are tricky. You are concerned that in the...
By Nick Corcodilos Syndicated columnist Q: I accepted what seemed to be a great job. Nine weeks later, the smoke and mirrors are gone, and I see that I'm working for a CEO who won't trust people enough to...
polls - Take Our Poll Q: You have been at your company for three years. New management has taken over and they are trying to make everyone sign a non-compete agreement (NCA). There is no existing NCA in place....
polls - Take Our Poll Q: A company makes you a pretty good job offer. They want a decision as soon as possible. What if you have other interviews scheduled within days after receiving the offer? What's an acceptable...
By Nick Corcodilos Syndicated columnist Q: I've learned that your advice isn't easy to implement, but it works: "Good jobs come from good personal contacts." A job hunter should take the lead and let others play their parts. Based...
polls - Take Our Poll Q: You've got a great job opportunity -- in a distant city. You don't know whether they pay for relocation, but you can't afford to pay your own way. What's the best way --...
By Nick Corcodilos Syndicated columnist Q: I'm being downsized at the end of the month. (Let's just say it: I'm losing my job.) I have an exit interview scheduled. Any recommendations on what to say and what not to...
By Nick Corcodilos Syndicated columnist Q: I work in a field where it's no problem to ask my boss for a recommendation letter. She asked me to write one myself, which she will sign. Can you suggest a book...
surveys - Take Our Poll Q: Many job candidates send a letter to an employer after they are interviewed. It reconfirms their interest in the job and, if written well, helps keep them toward the top of the list....
Candice Choi The Associated Press Social-networking sites | Personal information, photos can turn into accidental résumé if seen by recruiters, employers NEW YORK — Someone is trying to sabotage your career. It's your online persona. With smaller budgets and...
surveys - Take Our Poll Q: You have a great job, but you just received a great offer from another company. It's an increase in pay and it even comes with a grant of stock. The jobs are about...
By Nick Corcodilos Syndicated columnist Q: Company 1 just threw a good offer in my direction. The manager asked me for a decision within a few days. I'd like more time to examine this opportunity to see if it...
By Lily Garcia Special to The Washington Post Q: We have two administrators in our department. Each year, I buy each a holiday gift. I really don't expect anything in return, but they usually go in together on a...
By Nick Corcodilos Syndicated columnist Q: I am confused. I was contacted by a headhunter who was very upbeat after meeting me in person. He said to get ready for an interview because his client was very interested in...
By Daneen Skube / Syndicated Columnist Q: Does your advice change if the co-worker bugging you (and other people) is someone you supervise? One of my employees eavesdrops, then comments about it, passes gas (loudly) and has lots of...
surveys - Take Our Poll Q: A female engineer says she dresses for work in slacks with no makeup. When she goes on interviews, she dresses up in a suit, and wears her contacts and light makeup "to look...
By Nick Corcodilos Syndicated columnist Q: I'm in a real quandary. I started a new job two weeks ago, and I just got a call from another company to which I had sent my résumé about a job I...
By Daneen Skube, syndicated Columnist Q: I'm wondering if my co-workers are stupid or self-destructive. It's obvious to me that the way they behave will create problems, but they continue to make bad choices. How can they not see...
By Daneen Skube, syndicated Columnist Q: I've been told by co-workers that I need to be more patient. The problem is I'm an impatient, goal-oriented guy. I don't want to change who I am just to get along with...
You've got an offer, but do you want the job? ( surveys) Q: You finally got the offer. It's a good one, and you're happy with the terms. The problem is, you're suddenly wondering, do I really want to...
By Nick Corcodilos Syndicated columnist Q: I'm looking at a great job with a great company. However, I'm in the early stages of pregnancy, and I'm concerned about how to handle it. I know it's illegal to discriminate against...
By Daneen Skube, syndicated Columnist Q: I value maturity in others but often notice I'm the one who's immature in the workplace. I try not to get upset, but sooner or later I get annoyed, offended or nervous, then...
By Nick Corcodilos Syndicated columnist Q: Nine months ago I accepted a job that required a move from another state. I signed an agreement saying that if I were to leave before one year is up, I would reimburse...
surveys - Take Our Poll Q: You're a manager and you just interviewed five job candidates. Two are good enough to consider for the position, and you're going to bring them back for more discussions. What should you do...
More applicants are popping off quick and casual text-message thank-you notes - which can lead to instant rejection.
Should I worry about the non-compete agreement I signed? ( surveys) Q: You're on the job hunt after several successful years at your company. But now you recall that you signed a non-compete agreement that restricts what companies you...
By Nick Corcodilos Syndicated columnist Q: Shouldn't a job hunter do whatever is necessary to win an offer? In an earlier column, you advised against divulging past salary in an interview because it might prejudice an employer's offer. I...
By Nick Corcodilos Syndicated columnist Q: How can I protect myself when being recruited by contract shops? I just accepted a job through a contracting company. I got the contract in the mail, and the terms are pretty bad....
By Megan K. Scott The Associated Press AP Photo / Stace Maude Smashing someone else's lunch in the refrigerator to make way for your own. Draining the last of the coffee in the pot and not refilling it. Leaving...
People routinely send thank-you notes to a company after they attend a job interview. But some question how effective these notes really are. How have you used thank-you notes, if at all?
ORLANDO, Fla. – In the early days, the social-networking site Facebook had the feel of an exclusive club. You needed a college e-mail address to join, so for its young users, there wasn't much chance of a parent or boss crashing the party.
Tapping out an e-mail on your BlackBerry under the conference-room table. Resetting your ringtone to your favorite song. Keeping your Bluetooth in your ear at a business lunch. Think no one noticed those technological faux pas? Wrong – and many find it rude.
Jennifer Winston excused herself and walked out to her car before allowing her tears to flow. She was working in the hotel industry, and a confrontational co-worker had left her upset. "I felt like crying, but I wouldn't do it in front of people," says Winston. "I think in the workplace it shows weakness, and it makes everyone uncomfortable."
We love our mobile devices for the services they provide -- e-mail, phone, Internet browsing, text messaging, calendars, camera functions, games. The reassuring glow of keypads and displays signal that we are connected, not alone. That we are needed. But when is it time to disconnect?
Sometimes just the word "communal" is enough to set co-workers on edge. Add "fridge," and they start spewing stories. That time Matt from marketing brought fish and stunk up the breakroom for a month. That lady Sofia, who tosses everyone's leftovers after less than a week. That guy who hogs a whole shelf with his grocery bags. That woman who borrows salad dressing and peanut butter. Whoever is taking bites from sandwiches and swiping Cokes, V8 and Vitamin Water. What is it about the office fridge that tempts its users to behave so badly?
Certainly, clever career gal, you know better than to waltz into the office in a tank top. Unless, of course, you're a yoga instructor. Or a lingerie model. Otherwise, though, you probably put a bit more thought into meshing your wardrobe with your workplace.
Last year Justin Miloro had to wear long sleeves to conceal the Buddha curling around his left forearm and the yellow-orange sun rays on his right. Pants covered the depiction of Earth on one leg and wings on the other. The sun spreading across his back was under wraps. The plugs in his earlobes were obscured by bandages.
The pros and cons of using e-mail in your professional and personal life. E-mail is now used both formally and informally, with no clear rules – and that can cost you your job.
Did the inventors of cellphone message alerts and ringtones really anticipate that an entire generation of cubicle workers would be forced to endure shoddy versions of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Ludacris throughout the workday?
Have you ever pondered a purchase and told yourself, "Sure, these shoes (skirt, pants, jacket) are expensive, but they're an investment." Clothes are a kick, but are they really a factor in getting that next promotion or that better job?
Think you're ready for that big lunch interview? Then go on with your bad self. Just don't stick your knife in the communal mustard jar, slather your bread and then lick both sides of the knife before putting it back in.
With a slow economic recovery, Seattle's job market is full of smart, talented, skilled professionals still looking for work, right? Sonny Shrivastava figured as much when he began interviewing candidates for his startup, an advertising agency called Studio Seattle.
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