wee answer Wednesday ? 7 short answers to 7 short questions ...

It?s wee answer Wednesday ? seven short answers to seven short questions. Here we go?

1. I offered to let another applicant be interviewed before me

Today I had my second interview with a company and they were running behind. As I waited for my 2:30 appointment, the lady scheduled for 3:00 arrived. We spoke briefly and she told me that she was on her lunch break and worried because the interviews were running late. When they came out to get me, I offered to let her go first since I didn?t have any other obligations. Did I hurt my chances not going first?

Nope, interview order really doesn?t matter.

2. Highlighting news coverage of my work when applying for a job

I had a (small, local) news article written about my work at my last position that I feel is a great representation of what I can do. I link to it on my LinkedIn profile, but would it be appropriate to put it in my resume, cover letter, or body of an email to an employer?

Sure. Any of the three.

3. Can you stay at a job for too long?

I?m a 40-year-old woman, which I think is still consider fairly young. I have a graduate degree and am looking for a new job, really because I?m bored with my current position. I?ve worked for the same employer for 13 years, which I think is a good thing. I hear that ?job hopping? every couple of years is a bad thing, but I?m starting to think that staying put for 10+ years might not be seen as good thing either because I haven?t received any interviews that I?m 100% qualified for. Can you give me the perspective from a hiriing manager on candidates who have been with the same employer for 10+ years? Is there a way for me to market myself as a future long-term employee to a prospective employer?

While job-hopping is far worse, there?s also a point in many fields where staying too long at a job can raise questions about how you?ll adapt to new environments. I can?t pinpoint exactly when that is ? it?s somewhere more than 8 years but well before 20. It?s not necessarily a deal-breaker (depending on how you present yourself in general) and it doesn?t mean you must leave a job before that point, especially if you love it ? but you should be aware that it could be a potential concern for future employers, and balance it against other factors.

However, as for marketing yourself as a future long-term employee at a new job, you don?t really need to do anything special to do that ? the fact that you have such a long-term recent stay conveys that all on its own.

4. Removing a short-term job from my resume

I graduated college in June 2011, and for 3 months right before I graduated I took a job on campus just to make some money. It is completely unrelated to the type of jobs I am applying for. Do you think it is OK to remove it from my resume/Linkedin or should I leave it to explain the gap in unemployment? I have had some really great opportunities since then so I am not relying on it to help me. What are the general rules for short term jobs like that?

You can remove it since it was only for three months and unrelated to your field. The rules on short-term jobs are here.

And you don?t need to worry about a gap because you were in school at the time; it?s normal to have gaps during school, when your main job normally is your classes.

5. Writing interview thank-you notes when you already have an offer

Yesterday I had a great interview for a nursing position at a hospital. I went through four interviews ? one with the nurse manager, one with the nursing staff, another with the director of the hospital, and the last with the VP of nursing. I was in the middle of writing my follow-up notes this morning when I received a call from HR with a job offer for that position (yay!).

I?m now a bit uncertain on how to finish my letters ? prior to the call, I?d expanded on how I?d be a good fit for the job and finished with something along the lines of ?I look forward to hearing from you.? Now, though, it seems a bit obnoxious to write about how I would be a good candidate, since I?ve already been accepted. My sister (who hires for her department) added that it would also be presumptuous to mention anything about receiving the offer from HR. So now my letters (and my brain) are stuck at one or two sentences of ?thank you.? Do you have any suggestions on how one could finish off such a letter?

Your sister is wrong ? why would it be presumptuous to mention an offer you already have? If you?ve accepted the offer, I?d just say that you appreciated meeting with them and are looking forward to working with them. If you haven?t accepted it yet, wait to write until you do. If you end up turning it down, you can write and thank them for their time and explain that you ultimately decided X because of Y but hope to stay in touch, or whatever.

6. Can I get this job offer back?

I was offered a job in Saudi Arabia two months ago in a reputable company. Initially I had accepted the offer but I was told by the interviewer that I cannot take my family along. After I had received the offer letter and during the finalization process, due to my relatives? pressure, I had requested the HR manager to consider my request to bring my family with me to Saudi Arabia. This has upset the HR manage and he has rejected me. Later on, I realized my mistake and had apologized to the HR manager and also assured him that I do not require family status and asked him to consider me for the job. But the HR manager bluntly refused to give me one last opportunity to serve in his organization. Now I desperately need this job as it will give me an overseas experience and have monetary benefits too. I tried to convince the HR manager, but he is not heeding my request. I repent very much for my mistake. Can I get this job offer back?

Unfortunately, there?s probably not much else you can do at this point. You tried to change the HR manager?s mind, but he isn?t budging. It doesn?t sound like there?s much you can do other than moving on. I?m sorry!

7. Can my employer make me distribute leaflets off our premises?

Can my employer force me to go off the premises and ?leaflet drop? in a shopping center? I?m a visual merchandiser and today I got asked to hand out leaflets in a shopping center. I asked if I had a choice and my boss said it was non-negotiable and I was to do it! I explained that I felt uncomfortable in doing so and I was prepared to do other jobs in any part of the store and relieve another member of staff who felt comfortable ?leaflet dropping.? I was trying to compromise but no ? I didn?t have a choice in the matter. My boss did not seen concerned about how I felt and did not consider any of the compromises I came up with.

When taking the job, I was never told I?d be asked to leave the premises to leaflet drop, and I think there are a lot of health and safety issues in doing so: I would be on my own, what if I had an accident, and who would be liable if anything were to happen and i wasn?t in the correct building?

Yes, your employer can assign you any task they want, as long as they?re not asking you to do anything illegal and as long as you don?t have a binding contract to the contrary.

Workers comp covers you if you have an accident while you?re working, even if you?re not in your regular office. But is that really your concern? I wouldn?t focus on that since it sounds like a red herring; it seems like the real issue is that you just don?t want to do it. That?s the part that you need to work out with your manager ? but ultimately if she doesn?t bend, you?ll have it to decide if you?re willing to quit over it or risk getting fired if you refuse.

Source: http://www.askamanager.org/2012/11/wee-answer-wednesday-7-short-answers-to-7-short-questions-15.html

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