MOST RECENT ARTICLES BY:

Alison Green

Columnist, the Cut.
askaboss@nymag.com

  1. ask a boss
    ‘How Am I Supposed to Network in a Pandemic?’Be specific, show you’ll use the other person’s time well, and be appreciative
  2. ask a boss
    ‘My Co-Worker Keeps Pressuring Me to Get Pregnant’She’s forcing your hand: She’s so over the line that you don’t really have a choice but to be extremely direct.
  3. ask a boss
    ‘My Boss Wants to Be My BFF, and It’s Making Me Uncomfortable’It’s hard to receive critical feedback from someone who you got drinks with the night before (it’s hard to give it in that situation too.)
  4. ask a boss
    ‘Should I Tell My Boss About My Slacker Co-Worker?’When something impacts your team’s work, there can be an argument for having a onetime, discreet conversation with your manager.
  5. ask a boss
    ‘How Can I Make a Good Impression in Phone Interviews?’Phone interviews can level the playing field a bit, and that’s a good thing, even if it’s different from the interview set-ups you’re used to.
  6. ask a boss
    ‘I’m Worried My Boss Will Flip Out When I Quit’Keep in mind that once you’re on your way out, you have a lot more power.
  7. ask a boss
    ‘I Deeply Dislike My Try-Hard Co-Worker’Your frustrations are not misplaced, but your response is actually hurting you.
  8. ask a boss
    How to Write a Cover Letter That Will Get You a JobI’ve read thousands of cover letters in my career. Here are all the elements of an actually good one.
  9. ask a boss
    ‘Should I Give Up on My Dysfunctional Workplace?’It’ll be hard to convince your bosses to fix your work culture. That’s because they’re the ones who need to change.
  10. ask a boss
    Is It Okay to Lie Just a Little Bit on My Résumé?This is a terrible idea, and could easily torpedo a job offer.
  11. ask a boss
    ‘My Stressful Job Is Giving Me Panic Attacks, But I Feel Guilty Leaving’If you wait for an easy time to go, you could be waiting years.
  12. ask a boss
    ‘My Manager’s Venting Is Stressing Me Out’He is asking for emotional labor from you that he doesn’t have the right to expect.
  13. ask a boss
    ‘My Boss Knows I’m Trying to Leave and Won’t Stop Asking About It’He didn’t need to know you were job searching at all!
  14. ask a boss
    ‘My Boss Won’t Give Me Any Direction’You’re stuck guessing, and then you’re both frustrated when your guess turns out to be wrong.
  15. ask a boss
    ‘My Company’s Reopening Plan Is a Complete Disaster’Unionize. Seriously.
  16. ask a boss
    Should I Wear a Mask During My Job Interview?Err on the side of caution, and be wary of any employer that penalizes you for taking your health seriously.
  17. ask a boss
     8 Ways to Nail Your Virtual InterviewStep one: Pants. Wear them.
  18. ask a boss
    ‘My Boss Keeps Pressuring Me to Stop Working from Home’Some managers assume that their trustworthy employees will suddenly transform into slackers if no one’s watching them. It’s insulting.
  19. ask a boss
    ‘My Boss Wants to Cut My Hours But Keep My Workload’Do what you can. It isn’t your responsibility to get everything done.
  20. ask a boss
    ‘My Boss Is Smothering the Hell Out of Me’Ma’am — I am sheltering in place. Please stop asking if I did anything fun last night.
  21. ask a boss
    ‘Should I Ask an Employee to Dress Better for Video Calls?’ Truly, who cares?
  22. ask a boss
    ‘I Feel So Guilty About Laying Off My Staff’You can ensure they are handled with empathy and compassion rather than soullessly.
  23. ask a boss
    ‘I’m So Lonely — But Is Talking About It Annoying My Co-workers?’People might not have the emotional bandwidth for this right now.
  24. ask a boss
    ‘Is It Okay to Fire Someone in the Midst of a Pandemic?’You shouldn’t take away someone’s livelihood right now if you can avoid it.
  25. ask a boss
    How Am I Supposed to Focus on Work Right Now?Remember, these aren’t normal times.
  26. ask a boss
    How the Hell Are We Supposed to Work Now?I’m hearing from people who are concerned about all the ways coronavirus and social distancing will impact their jobs.
  27. ask a boss
    ‘My Manager Expects Me to Babysit Her Rambunctious Kid at Work’She’s abusing her power, whether she intends to or not. You weren’t hired for this.
  28. ask a boss
    Job Interview Tips: How to Survive 10 Awkward SituationsWhat should you say when you don’t know the answer to a question? How do you explain you were fired?
  29. ask a boss
    ‘My Boss Keeps Trying to Hang Out With Me’Few people want to receive critical feedback on their work from the person they had drinks with last night.
  30. ask a boss
    How to Write a Perfect Resignation LetterTo leave on good terms, you should have a face-to-face conversation first.
  31. ask a boss
    ‘How Can I Stop Being So Nervous in Job Interviews?’Often you can change that dynamic in your head by deciding that you’re there to interview them.
  32. ask a boss
    How to Make a Résumé Interviewers Actually Want to ReadHiring managers spend about 20 seconds scanning a résumé. Here’s how to get their attention.
  33. ask a boss
    ‘Apparently, I Am the Smelly Co-worker’You shower daily, wear deodorant, and keep your laundry clean. The more you can see this as a weird thing rather than a personal failing, the better.
  34. ask a boss
    ‘I’m Stuck in Endless Interviews With a Company That Can’t Make Up Its Mind’They’re showing you that these managers have an inability to make decisions, disregard people’s time, and perhaps a worrisome comfort with chaos.
  35. ask a boss
    ‘My Employee Has an Attitude Problem’If you haven’t been crystal clear in the past about what needs to change and how critical the problem is, make sure it’s unmistakable now.
  36. ask a boss
    10 Impressive Questions to Ask in a Job InterviewTo show employers you’re exceptional, and find out if it’s the right job for you.
  37. ask a boss
    ‘My Rich Boss Won’t Pay Me Back for Lunch’Let him know he owes you money, and assume that if he’s not a monster, that will take care of it.
  38. ask a boss
    How to Survive the Office Holiday PartyFirst of all, do you really have to go?
  39. ask a boss
    ‘Do I Have to Get Gifts for My Co-workers?’All your questions about holiday gift-giving at work, answered.
  40. ask a boss
    35 Gifts for Every Type of EmployeeWhen you’re the boss giving gifts to your team, you can find thoughtful things for each person without playing favorites.
  41. ask a boss
    ‘My Boss Keeps Blowing Off Our Meetings!’What’s important is that you get what you need, not that you never get bumped.
  42. terrible bosses
    ‘My Boss’s Incompetence Fills Me With Rage!’How to avoid freaking out and getting fired.
  43. terrible bosses
    ‘My Boss and His Girlfriend Bullied Me!’It’s really common for companies with drinking-heavy cultures to have dysfunction like this.
  44. terrible bosses
    ‘My Boss Texts Pictures of Strippers to My Co-workers’What to do when your boss is treating the office like a frat house.
  45. terrible bosses
    ‘My Evangelical Boss Tried to Convert Me!’The power dynamics can make you feel trapped.
  46. terrible bosses
    ‘My Boss Is Always Making Racist Jokes!’One of the problems with working for start-ups is that they often don’t have HR.
  47. ask a boss
    ‘My Co-worker Hates Me!’If she’s badmouthing you to your coworkers, that’s concerning.
  48. ask a boss
    ‘I Have to Work With the Woman My Husband Had an Affair With!’It’s not unreasonable to find this upsetting.
  49. ask a boss
    ‘How Can I Make Sure I Don’t End Up in Another Horrible Job?’The key is not to rely so heavily on what your employers tell you about themselves.
  50. ask a boss
    ‘I’m So Nervous at Work, and It’s Holding Me Back!’It’s normal to make some mistakes, especially when you’re new.
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