Discussion: March 23, 2010 Ask The Headhunter Newsletter A reader’s challenge: My company is going to lay off some people. If I’m in the group, I’d like to ask for severance pay. How should I say it? Okay, folks — how would you ask for money on your way out the door? But let’s make this [...]
Discussion: March 16, 2010 Ask The Headhunter Newsletter In today’s newsletter a reader says: I work as a design engineer in an industry where projects are typically confidential. However, prospective employers frequently ask to see a portfolio. I am comfortable showing one in person, where I can control its dissemination, but do not want to e-mail or [...]
Discussion: March 9, 2010 Ask The Headhunter Newsletter In today’s newsletter a reader says: I have a medical condition (since birth) that has no effect on my work: my hands tremble a little or moderately. It’s called “benign essential tremor.” It is not Parkinson’s or anything like it. I worry that it scares off employers when I [...]
Discussion: March 2, 2010 Ask The Headhunter Newsletter In today’s newsletter a reader throws down a challenge: I love this classic question from interviewers, as if they’re in a bar looking for a date rather than in an office hiring an employee: “Tell me about yourself.” I can answer that, but what’s the best way to say [...]
Discussion: February 23, 2010 Ask The Headhunter Newsletter In today’s newsletter a reader takes an interview with a company that wants to “meet and talk in general,” with no indication there’s a specific opportunity on deck. No problem, I say to the reader. It’s good to meet new people. But when the company brings you back for [...]
Discussion: February 9, 2010 Ask The Headhunter Newsletter In today’s edition a reader says, “My degree beats your certification!” Why are firms so ignorant of one’s university degrees and instead treat certifications like CPA with much more respect? To complete a degree takes quite a bit of effort. (Try to take MBA school in four exams [...]
Discussion: February 2, 2010 Ask The Headhunter Newsletter In today’s edition a reader asks how to deal with a job offer that has a three-month starting delay. The candidate is interested in the job but cannot start work immediately. But there are risks in accepting the offer today — what if a better deal comes up [...]
Discussion: January 26, 2010 Ask The Headhunter Newsletter A reader’s query: In today’s newsletter, a “less than qualified” job applicant wonders how to shake the interview up. Is it ever proper to tell the interviewer that looking for “exact skills” will result in hiring someone who is likely to get bored easily and move on [...]
Discussion: January 19, 2010 Ask The Headhunter Newsletter A reader’s query: My company has announced a layoff, and it includes me. There has been no mention of severance pay, just “Goodbye and good luck!” Many of us have been here a long time. I want to approach management to ask for some kind of severance [...]
Discussion: January 12, 2010 Ask The Headhunter Newsletter In today’s newsletter: A reader without a college degree wonders how to win a job where a degree is required. I have ten years of work experience, but I do not have a degree. What is the best way to answer when an interviewer asks why I do [...]
