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[ { "answer_id": 16948, "author": "Codeman", "author_id": 1192, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/1192", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I've stopped including my email address in resumes I post publicly. There are people that just troll blogs looking for resumes to spam jobs to, and this prevents it from happening.</p>\n\n<p>I allow people to contact me through LinkedIn because it gives me more accountability and more control. If someone is spamming you, you can just report them and it gives a black mark on their record.</p>\n\n<p>To get the people currently spamming you to stop, just continue blocking their addresses. They'll get the idea eventually.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 16949, "author": "The Wandering Dev Manager", "author_id": 4937, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/4937", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Well you may have a couple of things I'd do differently:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>You have a real email address online in your CV, so you are effectively asking them to spam your real address. Modern email clients like GMail and Outlook.com allow you to set up realistic looking aliases that come to your normal email (but to a sub folder or label), you can then set up cleanup rules (you never know when these guys will appear with a real prospect), or if not you can mark them as spam and bin them automatically</li>\n<li>Don't reply if not interested, you just mark yourself out as a target. The spamming recruiters just run a query against their CV data store to match keywords, sometimes even the 3rd or 4th level matches if no one else bites, you have to remember it isn't aimed at you directly, you're just collateral damage.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Remember, these people are in the same league as estate agents (realtors), they have a hide like a rhino, they won't take it personal if you ignore them. The other thing is if you don't ignore them, at least tell them what you would be interested in, if they know what they can match you to (explicitly), you're more likely to get something useful from them, don't assume they'll work it out from your CV, that's how you got spammed in the first place.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 16950, "author": "Timothy Jones", "author_id": 751, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/751", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>When I respond with nothing but my resume -- so that he can look at it and see what I stated above about my location requirements --, he responds with:</p>\n<p>&quot;Thanks for responding; since you're interested, let's talk...&quot;</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I think this is probably where the miscommunication lies. The recruiter sees that you've sent your CV (and only your CV) and decides that you're potentially interested. Even if they've read the CV and seen that you're not keen to work in Keokuk, there must be <em>some</em> reason you've included your CV - it is, after all, your flier that you use when looking for work.</p>\n<p><strong>I probably wouldn't send my CV to the recruiter.</strong> Many ideal job requirements are negotiable, including location. Some people would be prepared to move to somewhere they don't like for that dream job. Sending your CV to the recruiter without explanation means that they have to take a guess as to how flexible you are - and of course, they're going to guess that you're interested.</p>\n<p>In your position, I think you'd be better to reply with &quot;I'm sorry, I'm only interested in jobs in counties X and Y. If you have any positions there, I would be happy to provide my CV&quot;. Or, don't reply at all if you're not interested.</p>\n<hr />\n<blockquote>\n<p>How can I stop recruiters from continually sending me emails about positions?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>If you're getting a lot of these emails (and don't want to get them), find out where they are coming from. Add &quot;By the way, where did you get my email address from?&quot; to the messages. Eventually someone will tell you. Was it your personal website? Add &quot;Please do not email me about job postings&quot; next to your email address. Was it a recruitment firm? Call them and ask them to take you off file. Etc, etc.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 16951, "author": "Sigal Shaharabani", "author_id": 4891, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/4891", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Recruiters are trying to do their job by sending emails to masses of people, I think we should try to be patient because when we're looking for a job these emails can become useful.</p>\n\n<p>Unless a specific person is bothering you with constant emails (block the address or something), just write a polite response stating you are not interested, it is your choice if you'd like to say why you're passing the offer.</p>\n\n<p>However, I suggest you rethink which details you'd like to share on the web and which you don't.\nI keep my Linkedin profile non-public, so people can't google me and see where I work (I also enjoy having a very difficult to spell sure name :-)), if you're not a Linkedin contact of mine you don't have my private email and I don't publish telephone numbers.</p>\n\n<p>I occasionally get a phone call, and I politely say thank you but I really like my current job. I do use these opportunities to share these job offerings between friends (I suspect this is why they're approaching me, but I'm happy to help my friends).</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 16952, "author": "Joe Strazzere", "author_id": 7777, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/7777", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>There should be some way of preventing this type of irritating\n time-wasting?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>There are ways.</p>\n\n<p>If you toss your resume out to the public and it contains contact information, it's not possible to stop people from responding in any way they choose. However, there are a few things you can do that might diminish the flood a bit.</p>\n\n<p>When you get an email with a completely off-base proposal, don't \"respond with nothing but [your] resume\". Sending your resume back to someone who already read your resume clearly isn't sending the message you desire. Next time, either send a note back saying \"I'm not interested, thanks.\", or \"I'm only interested in X, thanks anyway.\", or don't reply at all.</p>\n\n<p>I'm not in the habit of posting my resume online. If I did, I would include only a single email, specifically designed for responses to this resume, rather than using my personal email address. That way I could more easily filter the responses. I can respond or not respond, without filling up my personal inbox.</p>\n\n<p>If you get a response from a recruiter who you feel is sub-par due to not comprehending what you have written in your resume, you can simply block further emails from them.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 16958, "author": "もしもし", "author_id": 12436, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/12436", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>How can I stop recruiters from continually sending me emails about positions?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><strong>Unfortunately, you can't.</strong></p>\n\n<p>It's too late to save your current email and phone number. You will need to let that one go.</p>\n\n<p>Recruiters take your resume and enter it into their systems. It spreads until all sorts of spam is hitting you. </p>\n\n<p><strong>You can no more get recruiters to stop spamming you than you can get any other spammer to stop.</strong></p>\n\n<p>A separate email solely for job hunting and recruiter spam will allow you to turn off or ignore the recruitment spam.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/16947", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/12450/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 17212, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>List it under another section called: Volunteer Work, Other Projects, etc. This should remove any concerns that you made a mistake in your CV concerning the dates. HR isn't going to ask about salary, benefits and other questions they may want to know about your full-time employment.</p>\n\n<p>Depending on the type of companies you're applying for, this will help in drawing attention to the fact you volunteer.</p>\n\n<p>An alternative would be to mention this experience next to the appropriate item(s) in a skill section, if this does not over-lap your other work experience.</p>\n\n<p>The only other choice is to drastically change the format of your CV to be more of a functional CV and not chronological.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 17213, "author": "Meredith Poor", "author_id": 9517, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/9517", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>My rule on resumes is that the first line of text has to tell the most important story. Therefore, the first position listed should be the one most persuasive to the employer. If that happens to be work you've done five years ago and you've had two jobs since, the five year old role goes to the top.</p>\n\n<p>My normal first line runs something like this:</p>\n\n<p>\"Business System Design and Applications Development in C#, SQL Server, Winforms, ...\"</p>\n\n<p>The last time I did instrumentation work was in 1997. However, if I was applying for an instrumentation job, the first position would be:</p>\n\n<p>\"National Instruments LabView 5.0 for sounding rocket ion and electron sensors...\"</p>\n\n<p>You will need to customize your CV for each position you're applying for, ordering the responsibilities from most to least important for the role you wish to fill.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 17216, "author": "KevDog", "author_id": 12551, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/12551", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If both jobs are current, as you show here, I don't think you are violating any sort of chronological order by putting the one you want first. In either case, you have a continuous job history, which is what you want to demonstrate. </p>\n\n<p>If you have to do a little bit of explaining during an interview, that's a good thing. I have a similar overlap and talking about it gives me a chance to elaborate on what I was doing in a manner I choose. Since you know you are going to be asked, prepare a good response in advance. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 17226, "author": "ChuckHudgins", "author_id": 12666, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/12666", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Reading and evaluating dozens of resumes every day, I would suggest keeping everything in chronological order, and then just including the fact that the work is volunteer. Your goal should be to provide information that is accurate, clear and motivating (i.e., to select you for an interview). If you went with something like:</p>\n\n<pre><code>2011-Present (Part-time Volunteer) Widget Builder at Widgets4Kids.\n2009-Present Senior Widget Builder at Widget Ltd.\n2005-2009 Widget Builder at Widget Inc.\n2001-2005 Junior Builder Maker at Widget Co. \n</code></pre>\n\n<p>It is clear enough that</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>a) you did this on the side,</li>\n<li>b) you took the time to volunteer which always looks good, and</li>\n<li>c) you can add any additional technical experience you deem appropriate.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>I would however make the time commitment clear. The only question that could come up is whether you switched to a part-time status or contract work at Widget Ltd. after you started as a volunteer. A reviewer might not necessarily think that, but better to remove any doubt. The most important thing to avoid is having a hiring manager or HR person be in a situation where they have to \"fill in the blanks\" on their own because the resume doesn't provide enough detail. People have a tendency to make negative assumptions and look for reasons <em>not</em> to interview. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/17210", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/12714/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 17353, "author": "enderland", "author_id": 2322, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/2322", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<h2>Desk Setup</h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p>How does one work without a private workspace?</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>This is a great question and one I have been heavily considering recently, because I find myself in a similar position.</p>\n<p>I work in an environment which is <em>somewhat</em> open but have tons of distractions. I also have a walking path which means anyone walking by (of many) sees my monitors as well as causes distractions since we have barely 1/2 wall cubicles.</p>\n<p>This beautiful ASCII illustration shows my desk arrangement:</p>\n<pre><code> +----------+\n | |\n | |\n +----+--------------------| |\n | | | Additional\n | | | Path by |\n | | My desk | my desk |\n | | | |\n | +--------------------| |\n | | |\n | | |\n | Whiteboard sits here| |\n | | |\n | | |\n | +--------------------| |\n | | | |\n | | Colleagues desk | |\n | | | |\n | | | |\n +----+--------------------+----------+\n +------------------------------------------------------------------+\n | |\n | Main walking path with TONS of people walking daily |\n | |\n | |\n +------------------------------------------------------------------+\n</code></pre>\n<hr />\n<p>Now, I also really like having a whiteboard at my desk. I use this all the time and had an extra at home which I wasn't using so I brought it in and mounted it like so:</p>\n<p><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/6DoRn.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\" />\nThe net effect this has is twofold. First, I have a whiteboard at my desk which is great. But second, I actually block anyone walking behind me on the main walking path from seeing my monitors unless they are quite tall.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I'm not sure how the private cube mentality is &quot;perceived&quot; by others. Unfortunately perception is usually a determining factor for judgement.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>All my coworkers love my setup, because a whiteboard is so helpful. The facilities guy hates it because it looks... hokey, but, everyone else likes it and I've gotten compliments from others about it. Plus the facilities guy actually is trying to find a cost effective but more aesthetically pleasing version anyways.</p>\n<h2>Perception</h2>\n<p>To help with the perception element, I've spent time talking with nearly everyone around me about the &quot;needing to focus to be able to get work done as I'm an introvert&quot; discussion. This is the important thing to focus on - the things other people will relate to. Odds are most of your future cube-mates are going to go &quot;man I wish I was smart enough to think of that!&quot; or something like that. But only if you explain the <em>why</em>. My current boss knows this too.</p>\n<p>Most people generally can relate to the, &quot;distractions cause me problems working effectively&quot; question. Simply mentioning this, or asking coworkers, &quot;how do you deal with distractions?&quot; can make this a completely not awkward and easy conversation.</p>\n<hr />\n<h2>How to focus</h2>\n<p>Get yourself:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Earplugs (soft foam ones are most comfortable for long term use, learn how to <a href=\"http://www-esh.fnal.gov/CourseHandout_Mat/earplug.pdf\" rel=\"noreferrer\">put them in right</a> - I'm not joking, putting them in this way is 10x as effective as what most people do)</li>\n<li>Over ear headphones, I wear <a href=\"https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B001UE6I0G\" rel=\"noreferrer\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">these</a>, if you don't like music get yourself more &quot;noise muffling&quot; types</li>\n<li>Baseball cap (like below works)</li>\n</ul>\n<p><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/t7hdT.jpg\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></p>\n<p>You can adjust the hat down in such a way that you do not see much in your peripheral vision but still see your monitors fine. If you have a natural &quot;wall&quot; on your desk tilt the cap sideways slightly to block the aisle next to you. Combined with a good set of headphones and earplugs, you can block a <em>very</em> large percentage of distractions this way.</p>\n<p>Combined, these three items lets me block all noise distractions and after a while you learn how to position your hat in such a way to block a considerable number of visual ones.</p>\n<p>Last, this might be obvious, but close out of email/IM/SE completely and you will nearly completely remove distractions.</p>\n<p>When I'm working like this I am completely in my own world and actually feel bad when people need me because I'm completely and utterly oblivious.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 17361, "author": "Nobody", "author_id": 1193, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/1193", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I don't think using Internet without abusing it is a problem. In these days, almost everybody is doing the same. The worst perception you could get is like \"Oh, you are the same.\" or \"You are watching the same web site I just did.\"</p>\n\n<p>I do think <em>I usually do a 60 second meditation once and a while for my eyes.</em> will be a problem. In most companies, paricularly in America, sleeping on the job could cause you an HR action. I know, it's just a meditation. But, as you said, it's a perception issue. You need to consider quitting it. Or, go to somewhere else where nobody can see you and then do it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 17423, "author": "amar", "author_id": 12326, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/12326", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>First</p>\n\n<p>A cube gives you more personal space and gradually you develop your private zones based upon your surroundings for example people used to working in crowded places have smaller personal zone and farmers have a very large personal zone to the extent that they prefer distant \"hii\" from \"handshaking\" ref:- <strong>Allen Peas body language</strong>.\nSo you will face some issues be ready for it every thing will not be same or comfortable.So lets discuss them.</p>\n\n<p><strong>1.Personal space:-</strong> If the space between work station is pretty good and people can just see each other then it will be little easy.Other wise things like your co worker wearing wrong perfume or not wearing a perfume at all might bother you. At your end you can try to keep you smell signature low (food and chemicals i take hygiene for granted). Keep your sound signature low (it grinds my gears when people mobile vibrates on common desk sending little quake) summary be as much invisible as you can comfortably.</p>\n\n<p><strong>2.Scopophobia:-</strong> don't mind its my personal one.. i cant code if some one is casually watching my monitor.But over time i have learned to deal with it using proper font and monitor choice.People do tend to look at your screen when you are entering your password/appkeys yes they do. Don't do this to others.</p>\n\n<p><strong>3.Random personal Activities :-</strong> these can range from normal to annoying. a once in a while stretch goes unnoticed so does a occasional yawn but many things like eating a nonveg burger besides your vegetarian co worker can really be bothersome. Little consideration will go long way.</p>\n\n<p>Summary its not that bad and you will do great since you are a performer i guess you will be engrossed in your work most of the times. Be considerate to others and follow the golden rule <strong>\"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you\"</strong>\nand at times don't give a damn</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 17427, "author": "Onno", "author_id": 1975, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/1975", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>After reading your question, I get the feeling that you like your privacy, and this has given you a feeling of freedom, and rightly so I think.</p>\n\n<p>So there's two aspects to this question.</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>The perception of your working habits by colleagues.</li>\n<li>The problem of increased external stimuli providing increased distractions.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>As far as the perception of your productivity is concerned, I'd just keep doing what you were doing. There's no reason to change, as long as there are no productivity problems. If anyone raises the question because they notice you doing other stuff, say that you need to do this for mental relaxation, and point out that mental relaxation is a prerequisite for good coding. You can point out your results if they're really bugging you.</p>\n\n<p>If you're bothered by an increase in external stimuli interfering with your serenity, try to find ways to lock them out. Maybe listening to music that doesn't distract you can help to keep the outside world from interfering with you while you work? You could try to use noise cancelling headphones to keep it to a minimum.<br/>As for visual stimuli, those are harder to block, unless you're in a cubicle or some other semi-walled environment that hides the movements of people around you. If no cubicle is present, you could erect a wall of monitors in order to keep distractions from movements to a minimum. It kind of depends on the policies that apply to your office and the budget available. I sure like enderland's whiteboard set-up, but this might not always be practical in every office set-up. You might want to start a discussion that will improve your situation. Finding support with your co-workers in increasing the workability of that environment is certainly worth giving a try. (my guess is that there will be more people with similar needs at your office, and you can try to make a case for your needs if you band together)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 17428, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I think it's important to observe the company culture. This is not as easy as it sounds and may take longer than you think. Different groups may have different rules or behaviors are different when the \"boss\" is in the office.</p>\n\n<p>Things to lookout for:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Time of day - Some places have slow starters, so it's all right to chat while coffee is brewing. People say, \"Hello\" to everyone when they walk in or leave, but stop doing it throughout the day. There may be those that want to get their day in order, so the first thing in the morning they check email, calendars, etc. and prepare for the day. Some may save personal activities for lunch hour our some other acceptable break time. </li>\n<li>Location - In an open space, they may provide private places for phone calls. I worked at one place where people would only take breaks in the break room and never at their desk. You may have to resort to using a mobile device in the cases where it is more appropriate to do away from your desk.</li>\n<li>Who Cares? - It may not be a big deal at all, but some supervisors may be more likely to comment on it than others. I've seen some senior executives get wrapped up more than the direct supervisor on getting to work on time and other perceptions of slacking off. Some places are truly performance driven. Some companies preach work-life balance, so if people are spending more than a normal workday in the office, they're probably doing some personal things from time to time (otherwise the company as failed at this). Companies that have a lot of remote workers are probably more in tune with this practice.</li>\n<li>Be Open - Don't become the \"Master of Alt+Tab\" every time someone approaches your work area to hide what you're doing. It's just too obvious. Hopefully open space means open communication and not as a method to keep people from hiding. Talk about your interests to others. Let them know what your interests are. Offer to send a link to an article you're reading. Someone may find a way to enrich their learning or use that information to benefit the company. </li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Eventually you'll find out what works and what doesn't. It would be great if you could just ask your supervisor directly, but I don't think many people are really honest about how they feel about certain things. I've had managers say they didn't mind but their boss did, so keep it to yourself. Some coworkers are so use to former jobs that had a traditional corporate culture that they cannot break old habits. They can be so paranoid that they'll never admit to anyone that they ever take a break, search the web, relax their eyes for even one second on the job.</p>\n\n<p>The answer is it depends on where you work, but that doesn't mean there aren't ways to figure-out what is appropriate and what is not. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 17432, "author": "bethlakshmi", "author_id": 67, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/67", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>My initial thought is that there's precious little difference between browsing Stack Exchange (and other similar content) for a directly related work problem and for general insights and knowledge and shared best practices - from the <em>point of view of the observer</em>. As you say, it's slightly different when you are taking a break and changing your focus for a bit - from your perspective - but the real concern here is being perceived as goofing off vs. taking a much needed break, and I think with work related content, you're fine.</p>\n\n<p>My experience of shared work environments has been that there is a higher degree of connectedness in the teams that do this - they are more aware of each other's life patterns, like who gets coffee when. And they end up thrashing out some norms for interrupting each other or acceptable behavior. Mostly I see that along the lines of not bothering each other when someone's focusing on something. </p>\n\n<p>My bet would be that you are far more likely to get notified that you do something annoying that you were previously unaware of than you are to be prodded to avoid a refocusing behavior that is basically the same experience for all external observers. For example, you may get feedback about snapping gum, cracking knuckles or twitching while you think - mostly unconscious behaviors. But staring at a monitor and typing into a keyboard is so similar to regular work that it's unlikely it'll read as odd or different.</p>\n\n<p>Most people don't want to be micromanaged themselves so the desire to scrutinize and micromanage others is pretty low.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 17435, "author": "David Fleeman", "author_id": 12820, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/12820", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Q: How does one work without a private workspace?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>You set your mind to continue to work exactly like you did in your private workspace MINUS any behavior that is either distracting to other employees or not directly related to your job. In 2009 I transitioned from a private office to an open work-space where we did not even have cubicles. Worse my desk was next to the printer. The situation was distracting/difficult, but also a blessing. In the end, I was just as productive as before (perhaps even more), and my conduct at the workplace was more professional.</p>\n\n<p>While at your workspace, you engage in two types of behaviors: (1) behaviors that are job-related or directly impact your productivity, and (2) behaviors that make you comfortable or that you enjoy doing. Starting with the latter, here is a list of personal behaviors that have no bearing on productivity:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Slouching in chair</li>\n<li>Leaving desk cluttered</li>\n<li>Removing shoes</li>\n<li>Listening to music (even at low volume, but no headphones)</li>\n<li>Talking to yourself</li>\n<li>Snacks/beverages left out for easy access throughout day</li>\n<li>Dressing sloppily or too relaxed</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>And on and on and on. When in a private office/cube, you can get away with being a slob or even being a little distracting, but those behaviors do not lead to increased productivity. They are simply bad habits that people will consider negatively when they observe them in a more public workspace. These are all easily fixed: (1) sit up straight, (2) make it a habit to tidy your desk once a day, (3) keep your shoes on, (4) only listen to music with headphones on, (5) talk only when necessary - and personal phone calls should be taken away from your desk, (6) keep food in drawers and only take them out when you want to eat them, (7) make an effort to dress nicer. These behavior adjustments WILL have a positive impact on the way people perceive you, and often it takes working in a public workspace for people to make the adjustment. The result is that you will become more professional at work which could lead to better opportunities and even promotions.</p>\n\n<p>Now, your core question focused on behaviors that you claim improve your productivity:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Browing internet / time on stackoverflow</li>\n<li>60-second meditation window</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Neither of these two actions have EVER been frowned upon in my experience, especially for high performance employees. Most managers understand the programmers need to have brain-refresh periods, either by looking at something they enjoy or by taking a cat nap. If it improves your productivity, then all the better.</p>\n\n<p>To close this answer, based on your question you have nothing to worry about with the behaviors you referenced. However, if you have not worked in a public workspace, I hope you keep in mind that everything you do is observed by others and minor personal behavior improvements will go a long way to enhance your professionalism. This is why I said my transition to open workspaces was also a blessing as it does create an environment where you can enhance yourself professionally and give your image within the company a boost.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/17352", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/2300/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 17690, "author": "kevin cline", "author_id": 94, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/94", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In the US software industry, intra-company email is informal. I don't know anyone who pays attention to the salutation and closing. Some people omit one or both. But avoid chat shorthand, e.g. \"u\" for \"you\".</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 17695, "author": "Joe Strazzere", "author_id": 7777, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/7777", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>What should the email formality be towards one's boss?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I've worked in US software companies for many years. Most communication these days is very informal, and emails even more so.</p>\n\n<p>My emails to everyone are pretty much the same - short, informal, to-the-point. Whenever I write an email to my boss, I address it by her first name, and virtually always end it informally.</p>\n\n<p>Sometimes: </p>\n\n<p>\"Thanks,</p>\n\n<p>-- joe\"</p>\n\n<p>Sometimes just:</p>\n\n<p>\"-- joe\"</p>\n\n<p>Occasionally, I'll omit both the Thanks, and my name.</p>\n\n<p>(In our email system, we also have a boilerplate Signature line, so it's always obvious who sent the email)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 17698, "author": "Eric", "author_id": 10728, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/10728", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I think you need to display <em>situationally appropriate</em> formality. That is say that your ability to write at the correct formality level, and to determine what those levels are, is important. </p>\n\n<p>Consider dress code standards. Regardless of what the employee dress code says, you should know that if you're alone in your office on a weekend that shorts and a t shirt, or maybe jeans and a t shirt, are fine. Conversely you'd probably show up in your boss' office on Monday to discuss a sensitive topic looking a little bit different. </p>\n\n<p>As a mid-level executive I spend a lot of time looking for good candidates for management positions. You need to know when to be informal and have a beer with your colleagues, but you also need to know that how you interact with my boss (and others) reflects upon me as your mentor. </p>\n\n<p>I think the formality is fine and you should keep it up. It's not overly klunky, you're not saluting people in the hallways and snapping to attention, and when they need to pick someone to interact with higher-ups your value as someone with tact will be important. </p>\n\n<p>In short, there's a difference between what you should do and what you can get away with.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/17689", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/13034/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 17719, "author": "John Oglesby", "author_id": 5417, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/5417", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The rejection is a form letter. The Hiring Manager or Recruiter that has rejected your resume likely has a small set of form letters to select as a rejection letter. Once it's been decided that you are not a fit, no one is going to give your resume any personal attention, so one of the generic form letters is chosen. </p>\n\n<p>The job requirements are a guide. There is no way to determine exactly why you were not chosen for this job. If you have not already done so, try to get your resume and application critiqued by someone with experience reviewing resumes professionally - such as a recruiter or hiring manager. Correct any issues that are pointed out. If your resume is put together well and your application answers are done well, then shake it off and move forward. It could be as simple as they found one other person that was a good fit, so every other applicant received a rejection. </p>\n\n<p>The fact that you received a rejection at all is a courtesy and lets you know that there is no reason for you to hold out hope for that job. Focus on your next application/interview.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 17724, "author": "The Wandering Dev Manager", "author_id": 4937, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/4937", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>OK, a couple of things here. Firstly you were probably rejected by a program, so will likely never find out directly why.</p>\n\n<p>I would suggest that given you've had a couple of rejections, there is likely an issue in how the program matches you to their requirements, so it could be related to your CV/resume, but something else to think on:</p>\n\n<p>You've got the bullet points covered from what you say, but looking at the advert are you covering the following I picked up?</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Team lead experience (probably of the geographically distributed team)</li>\n<li>Agile/ RUP experience</li>\n<li>Architecture experience (at some level)</li>\n<li>Framework/product development experience</li>\n<li>Consultancy experience (probably the biggy as it's for the consultancy arm of the company)</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>You'll need to show all of these in your CV to get past the automated filter, if you have then I'd suggest you need to look at how its presented.</p>\n\n<p>It could be that going via the public website is not your best way. A recruiter who has experience with a client like this will often fit your CV into the format the hirer expects ( you know how people hate recruiters tinkering with CVs, sometimes its for a reason).</p>\n\n<p>Have a think about the message they expect and make sure you tick ALL the boxes (the important ones might not be so obvious).</p>\n\n<p>Big consultancy companies like this will usually give you some quick training before parachuting you straight into a client (remember your salary is paid by billing a client) so they'll look for someone who can hit the ground running, often the technical skills are the least of what they need.</p>\n\n<p>Again looking at the advert, you will likely be the main point of contact/desicison maker on projects for a client (on site sometimes) with most/all your team based offshore. You will need to lead the development and negotiate day to day issues plus ensure the team deliver a fit for purpose product, is this what your CV shows?</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 17729, "author": "bethlakshmi", "author_id": 67, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/67", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Companies use the form letter with a no reply email address largely to avoid what you are asking for. A company using this sort of response is trying to slim down the time it takes to reject individual candidates, largely because to do anything else would be cost prohibitive. The chances are good that a company like IBM is using this format largely because they get so many responses that the people working in recruitment <em>can't</em> spare the time to respond individually to your submission. </p>\n\n<p>If you're really curious about why a specific company rejected your resume, your best vector is to talk to people you know in the company, or people you know in similar or competitive businesses. Someone with a vested interest in having a relationship with you is far more likely to take the time to actually review your resume, and they may also know enough about your actual strengths and background to be able to point out areas that you could improve to make your resume more appealing. It's no guarantee, but this is a friend-to-friend favor I've done for tons of people, and had done in return for me.</p>\n\n<p>The challenge is often breaking into an area where you've got no friends and no background. Personal referrals still go a long way towards getting your foot in the door and will often get your resume around the auto-rejection process. </p>\n\n<p>The filtering of open ended resume submission by everyone and anyone is perhaps one of the most brutal ways of doing a job application - you're up against the equivalent of junk-mail hoping that a process that takes maybe 30 seconds to scan each resume will be able to make an enlightened decision about you and a your background.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 24744, "author": "xandi", "author_id": 19861, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/19861", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This has become such an unauthentic way of job hunting. Think about it. If all someone has to do is parrot the job description that's like defining a word with the word itself. I would be suspicious of someone who had all the perfect key words. I think when you genuinely explain something you don't mimic the job description. That is just as fake as you can get. I'm sure this is why turnover rates are so high. We have people romancing the technology, getting their resume read, getting hired only to he let go. I think keywords recruiting is ignorant and unevolved. We blame technology and large quantities applicants for the short comings. I think it is pure laziness and lack of creativity. If companies spent more time really talking to people and training people they would have awsome employees and low turnover. In the end.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 25748, "author": "Joe Strazzere", "author_id": 7777, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/7777", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>How can one determine the reasoning behind the rejection ? And how can\n one follow up and ask for feedback?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Basically, you cannot. That's the whole point of setting up a no-reply email address - they aren't interested in feedback.</p>\n\n<p>Accept that you cannot always ask \"why not\" in these situations.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>After receiving two such rejections, given a lot of jobs posted have\n similar requirements does the candidate assume he just generically\n doesnt seem employable to this organization and should stop applying\n to jobs with this organization?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>If both of the rejections came from the same organization and sub-group, then it's reasonable to assume that you just aren't a good fit for some reason. </p>\n\n<p>You could keep trying, but unless the next position is radically different from the prior two, or the next position is within a different sub-group, it seems unlikely that you will be successful.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 25751, "author": "keshlam", "author_id": 12989, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/12989", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Something to be aware of: The \"sorry\" letters are often sent by an automated time-out mechanism, rather than by an active decision.</p>\n\n<p>When I was hired by IBM, I first heard by phone that I'd been accepted. Then I got the rejection letter, because the acceptance hadn't reached the HR department in time for them to stop it. Then I got the acceptance letter. (I seriously considered framing the two, side by side, as an illustration of how standard processes can sometimes produce weird results.)</p>\n\n<p>As far as getting feedback goes... If a company isn't interested in you, I'm afraid they also aren't going to be very interested in spending more of their time (which means their money) explaining why they aren't interested. As others have said, the fact that you got an explicit note at all is more effort than many companies make, even if it was a nearly content-free form letter. </p>\n\n<p>Remember, meeting the written requirements is only a start. If others are submitting resumes with more experience, or with other skills that are relevant to the position, you may be filtered out before the application goes any farther.</p>\n\n<p>Don't get hung up on this. It's not personal, it's just the process. Send out the next round of applications.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 25752, "author": "Giacomo1968", "author_id": 14273, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/14273", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>How can one determine the reasoning behind the rejection? And how can\n one follow up and ask for feedback?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>If they are sending you an automated reply, it means you will never determine the reasoning nor will they drop what they are doing to follow up and provide feedback.</p>\n\n<p>That said, you should not take automated replies like this too personally. The reality is it could mean either they feel you are unqualified or:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>The automated scripts running the system just decided you are not fit for the position.</li>\n<li>While the automated response says one thing, the reality it could just be a canned response that someone in human resources did not change.</li>\n<li>Someone literally hit the wrong button.</li>\n<li>Someoene quickly went through applications &amp; just jumped the gun.</li>\n<li>Or any other myriad of mistakes.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>The reality is you should apply for other positions &amp; see how that goes. But in general these automated screening systems are a headache.</p>\n\n<p>The silver lining is often your resume is kept on file in the system. So there is a chance that perhaps sometime in the future someone will contact you. But honestly, these systems cause tons more headaches than they solve in my honest opinion.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/17718", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/7978/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 17886, "author": "Simon O'Doherty", "author_id": 3405, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/3405", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Most CVs are scanned and fed into a system that picks up on the keywords. So I would recommend to trigger as many references keywords related to the field you want to be in. </p>\n\n<p>From a reading perspective I would recommend to put the related skills against the block of work experience area (again just the keywords). This allows the person reading it to get a clearer picture of your experience relative to the current time. </p>\n\n<p>For example: </p>\n\n<pre><code>Job1: 'Title' - Company - Duration.\nSkills: Java, C++, etc\nDetails: \n</code></pre>\n\n<p>The details section can go into more in relation to your job. </p>\n\n<p>This helps because it gives a clearer picture to the interviewer to your skills. For example if you only put \"10 years Java experience\" and failed to mention you hadn't touched it in the last 3 years then you are going to get a negative response from the interviewer. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 30421, "author": "Jacki", "author_id": 22955, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/22955", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>We like the skills, like you've been listing them at the top. The details on how you used them should be detailed in the job section. It's important for hiring managers to know where you did what.</p>\n\n<p>Example. Networking. \"Installed and configured Microsoft servers, updated software and supported business unit users\" Is vastly different if you did this at a 10 person law firm vs. a 10,000 person technology company. That's why employment specific details are needed in the body of the résumé </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 30435, "author": "Ross Drew", "author_id": 12616, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/12616", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Well you want your CV to have as much information as possible but make it digestable in a very short space of time over a small area. That way anyone scanning can pick up everything they need to know quickly but re-read, study and reference to find out much more information once you've caught their eye.</p>\n\n<p>What I tend to do in order not to waste space with lists (as they take up valuable vertical space), is just describe my job and put the technologies or key points in bold so a scan of my CV says \"<em>Company X...2011-2014...Software Engineer...Java, Hibernate, XML, SQL</em>\", ok information digested in 20 seconds, I have their interest, a re-read then reads</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <h2>Company X - <em>2011-2014</em></h2>\n \n <p><em>Software Engineer</em></p>\n \n <p>Working on a fantastic system writen in <strong>Java</strong> that does magical\n things using <strong>Hibernate</strong> with some nifty <strong>XML</strong> and <strong>SQL</strong> tricks.\n Working to deadlines with huge customer bases. I enjoyed this part and\n this part but not so much this part.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This means you can also expand on how you used technologies which fit the narrative and are easily referable in interviews.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/17885", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 20345, "author": "csomakk", "author_id": 16981, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16981", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>of course. First of all, 0.3 years is not much difference. If it would be 2 years, I'd still recommend. Here's why: </p>\n\n<pre><code>Often, it's not an exact match they're looking for-it's the right skill set\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>more on this:\n<a href=\"http://lifehacker.com/5908557/why-you-should-still-apply-to-a-job-even-if-you-dont-meet-the-exact-job-requirements\">http://lifehacker.com/5908557/why-you-should-still-apply-to-a-job-even-if-you-dont-meet-the-exact-job-requirements</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 20346, "author": "Bradley Thomas", "author_id": 16806, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16806", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Well you can clearly still apply for interview. Whether or not the company considers 3 years to be a strict limit or not depends on the company. I'd be very surprised if it was that strict. HR departments quickly learn that if they have hard and fast rules in place for this, they end up tossing potentially excellent candidates.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 20347, "author": "James Adam", "author_id": 4846, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/4846", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>When applying for jobs, I tend to follow the \"80% match\" rule. As in, I only apply if I meet at least 80% of the criteria listed in the job posting. It can be hard to tell which of the long list of requirements (especially in tech) are \"must-haves\" vs. \"nice-to-haves\", and I almost never see a job listing for which I'm a 100% perfect match (unless it's one of those overly generic \"developer, software (10 ea.)\" job listings, which I wouldn't apply for anyway because they provide absolutely no information about the job itself).</p>\n\n<p>Anyway, my point is, if being slightly under the experience requirement is the only requirement you don't exactly meet, I would definitely apply.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 20350, "author": "bethlakshmi", "author_id": 67, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/67", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>When a company offers to take the time to interview you, you can figure that they've already taken the time to compare your resume or job application to the requirements for the job. That typically included required education and years of experience. If they haven't, that's not your problem.</p>\n\n<p>So if they don't have any concerns about your years of experience - why should you?</p>\n\n<p>In all honesty, for this specific question 2.7 vs. 3 years just isn't that big a difference. Mileage will always vary, but there really is no magical number that creates a level between \"acceptable\" and \"unacceptable\" - the difference is learning from experience and depth of understanding.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/20344", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16980/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 22804, "author": "Kate Gregory", "author_id": 102, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/102", "pm_score": 5, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Whenever someone asks you something (or says something that needs a reply) in a circumstance where you don't feel comfortable having a conversation (could be the bathroom, the first few minutes of a meeting before others have arrived, whatever) just say</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Can we talk about this shortly? This isn't really the time or place</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>In place of \"shortly\" you could say \"later this morning\" or \"in 5 minutes\" or \"after the meeting.\" A general \"later\" runs the risk of being interpreted as \"never\". For someone senior to you, if you think \"this isn't really the time or place\" might be seen as a rebuke, stop after just the first question. In that case, you might want to be more precise than \"shortly\", saying \"back at my desk\" or \"when I'm finished doing this\" or \"when I get to the sink\". </p>\n\n<p>You don't need to clarify why - it should be obvious. You don't need to tell them about the general rule or anything more than that you don't want to talk about this now. Short and to the point.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 22806, "author": "Basil", "author_id": 18825, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/18825", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It's normal like chewing with your mouth open. Half the people you meet don't see anything wrong with it, the other half are grinding their teeth but too polite to complain.</p>\n\n<p>I handle this by embracing the idea of talking in the bathroom but showing them why it's weird, all at once: \"Hey, isn't it weird how people just chat while holding their penis at a urinal? I never thought about it before. Is this weird?\"</p>\n\n<p>They won't forget that, and won't be able to talk in the john without thinking back to this conversation.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 22807, "author": "HopelessN00b", "author_id": 3188, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/3188", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The blunt and direct approach is the one I favor, and it works wonders for me.</p>\n\n<p>\"Uh... I'd really prefer to talk about this when I don't have a hand on my penis, if you don't mind.\"</p>\n\n<p>Usually it gets a chuckle, occasionally it gets an ~\"oh, of course,\" but it always ends the conversation, and no one's had a problem with it so far.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 22820, "author": "Mr Me", "author_id": 14462, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/14462", "pm_score": 6, "selected": true, "text": "<p>When Awkward-man attacks, use your super-humour powers!</p>\n\n<p>Just say something funny - as long as it is with a smile and you keep it cool.</p>\n\n<pre><code>One second, I need all my attention in this important business.\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>And once outside, <strong>be the one that reaches out</strong> and that will make sure that the person does not feel like you are avoiding him or her.</p>\n\n<pre><code>So, now that I no longer have anything extremely important in my hands, what did you say?\n</code></pre>\n" }, { "answer_id": 22860, "author": "bethlakshmi", "author_id": 67, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/67", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In some office cultures it <em>is</em> normal. At least in the women's room, conversation happens. I don't think it's why we're all in there so long - but waiting in line for 10 minutes will eventually prompt conversations.</p>\n\n<p>I get a sense from male friends that it is less OK in the men's room... but I bet that mileage varies.</p>\n\n<p>I would say that, for either gender, you're well within your rights to expect private time in these moments, and whether or the other person finds talking in the restroom to be weird, it's fine if you do, and it should be fine to express it as long as you do so in an inoffensive way. </p>\n\n<p>I've noticed that polite, clueful people will say \"mind if I ask you a question?\" or something similarly cautious - at which point, it's totally fine to say - \"give me a sec, wait for me outside\" or something similar.</p>\n\n<p>On the joking (funny as some of the jokes are) - I think you need to figure out what kind of expression works for you. If you are not naturally a person who cracks jokes, a false attempt to do so in the restroom will read as just as awkward and weird as talking in the first place. OTOH - if you are one those people who can be crude and yet make everyone in the room laugh with your infectious benevolent charm - go for it and steal one of the great jokes in this thread.</p>\n\n<p>If you don't think you can pull off peeing, joking and not being awkward - say as calmly as possible - \"can we take this outside?\" When you've gotten outside, make sure you ask what the question was, and <strong>say \"hey, I just find it weird to chat in the restroom... it's just awkward.\"</strong> That way the other person knows what's wrong and probably won't repeat it.</p>\n\n<p>The only thing I'd avoid is a super serious, much delayed conversation. Saying, randomly, in a 1 on 1 - \"hey, I wish you wouldn't ask me questions in the bathroom\" - is pretty difficult and off putting. Much better to catch the culprit in the act.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 23956, "author": "Xavier J", "author_id": 13470, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/13470", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Just say, in a firm but non-threatening voice:</p>\n\n<p>\"I'd like to talk to you, but let's chat outside when I'm done.\"</p>\n\n<p>That's all.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 89194, "author": "Lazor", "author_id": 66823, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/66823", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It is normal behavior for some people, but there is nothing wrong with being uncomfortable with it. As others here have suggested, it's okay to say, \"give me a moment, let's catch up outside\". However, I'd recommend against trying to make any jokes about the situation; you want to avoid comments that might seem tasteless, unprofessional, or possibly even risk being construed as sexual harassment.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 89257, "author": "Brian Topping", "author_id": 67063, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/67063", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I can quite assure gentle readers there are no actual rules about behavior around mens urinals. </p>\n\n<p>What doesn't work well is to expect that \"your rules\" are \"someone else's rules\" unless there is an expectation by authority that all parties have adopted them. I will laugh about this answer when I finally see such rules.</p>\n\n<p>Let's get philosophical: There's no reason to start a conversation if one is not comfortable doing so, ever. \"No means no\". If you aren't comfortable with conversation at a urinal, don't start one, no matter how many conversations you see. (I'd posit many urinal conversations are started by people that don't realize they have the freedom not to start one in the first place.)</p>\n\n<p>Now let's bisect those who believe that conversations at a urinal are okay into two groups: One is sensitive to others and the other has not yet been blessed with this trait. </p>\n\n<p>The folks that are sensitive will immediately notice someone who is uncomfortable having a conversation. It doesn't matter if it is at a urinal, a bar, passing on the street or on equipment at a gym. If you provide practical feedback that you are uncomfortable with a conversation in exactly the way you would in a situation that didn't involve genitals, a sensitive person will \"get the hint\" and not continue with the conversation in a graceful way. Similarly, if you dispel your inner awkwardness and continue the conversation out of a sense of duty, they have no way to know that you are not a fan. In that case, you have allowed the uncomfortable situation to manifest.</p>\n\n<p>In this world of gross generalities, the other group is insensitive folks. Insensitive folks are generally also very insecure. They may be having a conversation with you because they have such inner turmoil around urinals that they cannot avoid making you a part of their drama. They tend to do this everywhere, not just in the toilet. So now let's capture that insecure awkwardness but suddenly change the setting to the office kitchen. In this less meaty situation, most jump directly to pity for the insensitive soul who can't just leave the awkward passing at a smile and a nod.</p>\n\n<p>So what do you naturally do when you pity someone? </p>\n\n<p>Therein lies the answer to what your natural response should be when someone makes you feel awkward at a urinal. It's not the same for everyone. Pity is defined as \"the feeling of sorrow and compassion caused by the suffering and misfortunes of others\". We learn to sense pity of others, it is an alarm clock to personal improvement. When delivered with true compassion, change happens.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/22802", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16609/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 22804, "author": "Kate Gregory", "author_id": 102, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/102", "pm_score": 5, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Whenever someone asks you something (or says something that needs a reply) in a circumstance where you don't feel comfortable having a conversation (could be the bathroom, the first few minutes of a meeting before others have arrived, whatever) just say</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Can we talk about this shortly? This isn't really the time or place</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>In place of \"shortly\" you could say \"later this morning\" or \"in 5 minutes\" or \"after the meeting.\" A general \"later\" runs the risk of being interpreted as \"never\". For someone senior to you, if you think \"this isn't really the time or place\" might be seen as a rebuke, stop after just the first question. In that case, you might want to be more precise than \"shortly\", saying \"back at my desk\" or \"when I'm finished doing this\" or \"when I get to the sink\". </p>\n\n<p>You don't need to clarify why - it should be obvious. You don't need to tell them about the general rule or anything more than that you don't want to talk about this now. Short and to the point.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 22806, "author": "Basil", "author_id": 18825, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/18825", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It's normal like chewing with your mouth open. Half the people you meet don't see anything wrong with it, the other half are grinding their teeth but too polite to complain.</p>\n\n<p>I handle this by embracing the idea of talking in the bathroom but showing them why it's weird, all at once: \"Hey, isn't it weird how people just chat while holding their penis at a urinal? I never thought about it before. Is this weird?\"</p>\n\n<p>They won't forget that, and won't be able to talk in the john without thinking back to this conversation.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 22807, "author": "HopelessN00b", "author_id": 3188, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/3188", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The blunt and direct approach is the one I favor, and it works wonders for me.</p>\n\n<p>\"Uh... I'd really prefer to talk about this when I don't have a hand on my penis, if you don't mind.\"</p>\n\n<p>Usually it gets a chuckle, occasionally it gets an ~\"oh, of course,\" but it always ends the conversation, and no one's had a problem with it so far.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 22820, "author": "Mr Me", "author_id": 14462, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/14462", "pm_score": 6, "selected": true, "text": "<p>When Awkward-man attacks, use your super-humour powers!</p>\n\n<p>Just say something funny - as long as it is with a smile and you keep it cool.</p>\n\n<pre><code>One second, I need all my attention in this important business.\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>And once outside, <strong>be the one that reaches out</strong> and that will make sure that the person does not feel like you are avoiding him or her.</p>\n\n<pre><code>So, now that I no longer have anything extremely important in my hands, what did you say?\n</code></pre>\n" }, { "answer_id": 22860, "author": "bethlakshmi", "author_id": 67, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/67", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In some office cultures it <em>is</em> normal. At least in the women's room, conversation happens. I don't think it's why we're all in there so long - but waiting in line for 10 minutes will eventually prompt conversations.</p>\n\n<p>I get a sense from male friends that it is less OK in the men's room... but I bet that mileage varies.</p>\n\n<p>I would say that, for either gender, you're well within your rights to expect private time in these moments, and whether or the other person finds talking in the restroom to be weird, it's fine if you do, and it should be fine to express it as long as you do so in an inoffensive way. </p>\n\n<p>I've noticed that polite, clueful people will say \"mind if I ask you a question?\" or something similarly cautious - at which point, it's totally fine to say - \"give me a sec, wait for me outside\" or something similar.</p>\n\n<p>On the joking (funny as some of the jokes are) - I think you need to figure out what kind of expression works for you. If you are not naturally a person who cracks jokes, a false attempt to do so in the restroom will read as just as awkward and weird as talking in the first place. OTOH - if you are one those people who can be crude and yet make everyone in the room laugh with your infectious benevolent charm - go for it and steal one of the great jokes in this thread.</p>\n\n<p>If you don't think you can pull off peeing, joking and not being awkward - say as calmly as possible - \"can we take this outside?\" When you've gotten outside, make sure you ask what the question was, and <strong>say \"hey, I just find it weird to chat in the restroom... it's just awkward.\"</strong> That way the other person knows what's wrong and probably won't repeat it.</p>\n\n<p>The only thing I'd avoid is a super serious, much delayed conversation. Saying, randomly, in a 1 on 1 - \"hey, I wish you wouldn't ask me questions in the bathroom\" - is pretty difficult and off putting. Much better to catch the culprit in the act.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 23956, "author": "Xavier J", "author_id": 13470, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/13470", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Just say, in a firm but non-threatening voice:</p>\n\n<p>\"I'd like to talk to you, but let's chat outside when I'm done.\"</p>\n\n<p>That's all.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 89194, "author": "Lazor", "author_id": 66823, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/66823", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It is normal behavior for some people, but there is nothing wrong with being uncomfortable with it. As others here have suggested, it's okay to say, \"give me a moment, let's catch up outside\". However, I'd recommend against trying to make any jokes about the situation; you want to avoid comments that might seem tasteless, unprofessional, or possibly even risk being construed as sexual harassment.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 89257, "author": "Brian Topping", "author_id": 67063, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/67063", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I can quite assure gentle readers there are no actual rules about behavior around mens urinals. </p>\n\n<p>What doesn't work well is to expect that \"your rules\" are \"someone else's rules\" unless there is an expectation by authority that all parties have adopted them. I will laugh about this answer when I finally see such rules.</p>\n\n<p>Let's get philosophical: There's no reason to start a conversation if one is not comfortable doing so, ever. \"No means no\". If you aren't comfortable with conversation at a urinal, don't start one, no matter how many conversations you see. (I'd posit many urinal conversations are started by people that don't realize they have the freedom not to start one in the first place.)</p>\n\n<p>Now let's bisect those who believe that conversations at a urinal are okay into two groups: One is sensitive to others and the other has not yet been blessed with this trait. </p>\n\n<p>The folks that are sensitive will immediately notice someone who is uncomfortable having a conversation. It doesn't matter if it is at a urinal, a bar, passing on the street or on equipment at a gym. If you provide practical feedback that you are uncomfortable with a conversation in exactly the way you would in a situation that didn't involve genitals, a sensitive person will \"get the hint\" and not continue with the conversation in a graceful way. Similarly, if you dispel your inner awkwardness and continue the conversation out of a sense of duty, they have no way to know that you are not a fan. In that case, you have allowed the uncomfortable situation to manifest.</p>\n\n<p>In this world of gross generalities, the other group is insensitive folks. Insensitive folks are generally also very insecure. They may be having a conversation with you because they have such inner turmoil around urinals that they cannot avoid making you a part of their drama. They tend to do this everywhere, not just in the toilet. So now let's capture that insecure awkwardness but suddenly change the setting to the office kitchen. In this less meaty situation, most jump directly to pity for the insensitive soul who can't just leave the awkward passing at a smile and a nod.</p>\n\n<p>So what do you naturally do when you pity someone? </p>\n\n<p>Therein lies the answer to what your natural response should be when someone makes you feel awkward at a urinal. It's not the same for everyone. Pity is defined as \"the feeling of sorrow and compassion caused by the suffering and misfortunes of others\". We learn to sense pity of others, it is an alarm clock to personal improvement. When delivered with true compassion, change happens.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/22817", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/17187/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 24436, "author": "Telastyn", "author_id": 2196, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/2196", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In general, your company will realize that you are more awesome and start charging more for your (more awesome) time - though it's decidedly not guaranteed that <em>you</em> will actually see any of that. It's generally frowned upon to bill for more hours than you work. That can end up on an invoice to the client, who can be upset when things don't add up. And it can end up on your internal reports which leads to questions about how you're billing 30 hours in a day...</p>\n\n<p>But different companies have different standard practices. When in doubt, ask your boss.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 24437, "author": "Wesley Long", "author_id": 9264, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/9264", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>First, I am assuming you are an independent contractor. If you are not, then @JoeStrazzere's comment is the correct course - defer to your employer.</p>\n\n<p>When businesses hire contractors, they know that you are not \"tailored\" to their business. They hire you because you have most of the skills they need, and can develop the ones you are missing. As your skill base builds, so does your efficiency. Eventually your skills reach the point where an increase in your rate is warranted, because you can now do in 10 minutes what used to take 30 minutes.</p>\n\n<p>Also, don't worry about Bob. Put in your best efforts and bill for them. The client is the one to make the decision as to whether or not it's worth what you're charging.</p>\n\n<p>Again, if you're an employee, then all of this is moot and you should defer to your employer's instructions.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 24442, "author": "cdkMoose", "author_id": 3345, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/3345", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If the bill sent out by you (or your company) is based on hours worked, then it is at least unethical. IANAL, but I believe in some jurisdictions this is also illegal, deemed to be fraud. If your contract is to deliver a product or finished project and the tracking of hours is for internal use, that is a different situation and is an internal matter.</p>\n\n<p>Let's take your example, suppose you are so good that it takes you 30 minutes to what would take someone else 2 hours. So you take the extra 1.5 hours and do the same amount of work for 3 other clients. If you bill them all for 2 hours based on your theory, you will bill for 8 hours. If you extend that thought, you will bill for 160 hours that week. Interesting, since there are only 168 hours in a 7 day period. Hopefully, this will demonstrate why this practice should not happen. </p>\n\n<p>As your skillset and expertise grows, you or your company should adjust your billing rate to reflect that.</p>\n\n<p><strong>tl;dr</strong><br>\nPart of your question is asking us whether you should lie to your clients. Hopefully looking at it in that light will give you some direction.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/24432", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/19516/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 27281, "author": "Telastyn", "author_id": 2196, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/2196", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>What can I do?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><strong>Say no.</strong></p>\n\n<p>You don't <em>have to</em> do anything. Nobody is putting in the mind control devices, nobody is holding a gun to your head. </p>\n\n<p>Don't be a dick about it. Most of the time, the people who get the crap work isn't because of any better reason than nobody else wants to do it, and certain people don't complain - so they get the work. Usually all you need to do is complain a little bit and you'll get a more equitable arrangement.</p>\n\n<p>Beyond that, you hold a bit of leverage. If you don't deal with the bugs, there's nothing they can really do but do the bugs themselves (which is what you want) or fire you. Nobody likes firing people. It makes managers look bad, and is a whole lot of paperwork. It costs the company tons of money too. </p>\n\n<p>But it (probably) won't get to that point. Giving you credit for the bugfixes or some tasks in the cool new stuff is a small thing compared to doing the nasty work themselves. People are lazy. People largely avoid confrontation. Exploit that.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 27282, "author": "Joe Strazzere", "author_id": 7777, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/7777", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>What can I do?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>First get clear in your own mind what the problem is and about the outcome you desire (not doing any bug fixing, sharing the load with others, getting more credit, getting a raise for doing this work, whatever). </p>\n\n<p>Then talk to your boss about it.</p>\n\n<p>Whenever you have a question about what has been assigned to you, talk with the one who could potentially change the assignment. I'm assuming that's your boss here.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 27283, "author": "HLGEM", "author_id": 93, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/93", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Fixing the tough bugs is one of the best things you can have a reputation for. </p>\n\n<p>However, what you need to do is talk to your boss (not your coworkers) about how you can fix the things no one else can fix and that as a result you deserve a pay raise. In no way should you mention what other people get and in fact you don't know what they get unless you saw the actual payslips because people often lie when they mention their salaries. What other people get is irrelevent anyway. </p>\n\n<p>Next talk to him about the work you would like to be doing in addition to the bug fixes. </p>\n\n<p>But really you should get over this idea that it is somehow better to work on cool stuff. The real work isn't always or even often in the cool stuff, what you want is to be the person who <strong>contributes to the bottom line</strong> not the one who pursues only what is fun and cool. Now sometimes that is cool stuff but more often than not it is not. Right now as a superior troubleshooter, you are the more valuable asset, you just need to make your case to your boss. You are assuming you are doing scut work when you are not. You need to make your boss see that you can do what the others could not do and that makes you more valuable. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 27284, "author": "Joel Etherton", "author_id": 10553, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/10553", "pm_score": 7, "selected": true, "text": "<p>This answer isn't geared towards software development specifically, in fact it's a lesson I learned in the military from one of the most outstanding professionals I've ever met. </p>\n\n<p>Whenever I enter a new arena and I want to stand out, I ask for the dirtiest, least desired, most hated/reviled job or position I can do that doesn't conflict directly with my goals. Then I kick ass at it. I don't just do it well, I do it as well as it can possibly be done given my skills and the tools available to me. The reasoning is that anyone can build something new or keep something going that already works well. If you take the worst of the worst and you do it in a stellar fashion, people will take notice. </p>\n\n<p>As @VietnhiPhuvan mentioned, these \"cool things\" will be forgotten in a couple of months. Next year when they're adding features, refactoring or looking to upgrade what is already there, your code fixes will still be there. When there's a problem with the software that they can't figure out, they'll look to you. You can make a stellar career in software development as a direct result of your efforts in diagnostics and repair of existing software.</p>\n\n<p>None of us really likes the grunt maintenance work. We all want to do something cool and new. Maintenance is a fact of life though, and if you're being put on it, you can look at it as the opportunity to knock it out of the park. Yes, you'll shoehorn yourself in for a bit, but you'll establish yourself as a dependable, capable and competent coder. Once you've fixed some really hard issues effectively you'll be able to lobby for cooler projects and pay increases. </p>\n\n<p>That segues into my supplementary concept. No one is going to love you if you don't \"love yourself\". Your performance review is your chance to show just how awesome you are. If your company doesn't do performance reviews, then you need to do one for yourself. Keep track of everything you do. Keep track of the metrics that are involved.</p>\n\n<pre><code>Fixed \"X\" bug. Resulted in 95% reduction in null reference exceptions.\nFixed \"Y\" race condition. Resulted in 25% reduction in thread resource conflicts.\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Keep it in a file and keep it in a hard copy folder as well. As emails come in from various team leads, managers, business reps, sales, whatever, copy/print these into your file. The guy I mentioned before referred to this file as the \"I love me\" file. Do everything you can to make this sucker grow fat. Once you have some substance to it, it's trivial to go to your supervisor/manager and make a case for a raise, different position, alternate tasks. </p>\n\n<p>You are the only person who can lobby for better circumstances. Your supervisor or manager is the one who can seal the deal and make it happen. So take these tasks and kick ass at them. Don't worry about what other people are getting with respect to opportunities and projects. In time, you'll be in the forefront of consideration for these because of your demonstrated skill, product knowledge, and \"quirks\" knowledge.</p>\n\n<p>If you get to that point, and the company does not consider you worth the extra money you feel you deserve, then you'll have an excellent resume built up with your \"I love me\" file. Those are exactly the kind of metric bullet points that hiring managers want to see in new hires. I promise you if your current company won't consider the value, there's another company who can.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 27296, "author": "CaptainCodeman", "author_id": 19100, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/19100", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In addition to the other answers, I just wanted to add that yes, it often does happen that the reward for good work is more work. Sometimes the guy that gets promoted is the guy with the big mouth that can't do useful work, so they just promote him to manager. </p>\n\n<p>The dirty fact of life is that there is not always a direct positive correlation between how much work you do and how you get rewarded. I learned this lesson as a child when my parents would give me more housework than my older sister, because she was a rebel and would make a mess of things, whereas I was the well-behaved one that did everything perfectly without complaining. It is said that the reward for a job well done is more workload.</p>\n\n<p>Pay attention, understand that there is a game going on and if you're just \"doing your best\" and hoping good things will fall in your lap, you're not even aware of the game, leave alone having a chance to win.</p>\n\n<p>In your case, if you're really the only one that can handle the dirty bugs, why would they ever give you anything else to do? Ask yourself, do you like doing this? If yes, then fantastic, enjoy! If no, then stop doing it. Try to move toward other projects. If they don't give you anything else to do, it may be the case that you've already cast yourself as \"that guy\". Move to another company, and don't make the same mistakes again.</p>\n\n<p>Now go ahead, everybody thumbs me down, you know you wanna!</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 27305, "author": "andrew P", "author_id": 22254, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/22254", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Bear in mind that writing code is just getting ready to make money later. Fixing bugs and keeping your code and servers up and running day to day and supporting customers is the actual process of making money. Rest contented that you are saving your company!</p>\n\n<p>It is important to only fix the bugs that everyone agrees impact on your customers and must be fixed. Since fixed bugs easily get forgotten quickly (as people don't like them) keep a record of all the bugs that you fix, plus an estimate the value of fixing them to your company, which is ammunition for your pay review.</p>\n\n<p>Also try to get TDD, regression testing and unit-testing with good coverage to be an enforced part the development process. This will push the responsibility of making sure that cool things do not break other stuff or generate hard to find bugs.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 92865, "author": "dmm", "author_id": 71454, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/71454", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Actually, you are sitting in the catbird's seat. You just don't realize it. From now on, anytime someone asks you to fix a bug, require them to request it via email. That is Step 1, very basic. Then Step 2: You respond, \"I'm very busy with other important stuff. How important is this? How many customers are affected/complaining? How much money is involved?\" If they say it's only 1 customer out of 1000, then tell them it's not important enough for you to work on, since you are the company's top bug fixer. If they say it's really important -- and give numbers to justify their concern -- then you go to Step 3. Ask \"Can't Mr. X or Ms. Y fix it?\" Don't accept \"they're too busy\" as an excuse. That's not a reason; you're busy also. FORCE the requestor to admit, in writing, that Mr. X and Ms. Y and the requestor have all tried unsuccessfully to fix this important bug. (At the very least, you force them to admit that they can't be bothered to fix an important bug.) Only then do you agree to fix the bug, because now you have all the written info you need to prove your worth to the company.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 92875, "author": "Justas", "author_id": 71170, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/71170", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>New features, fancy user interfaces are the mostly visible and let's say tangible. Especially for non technical people. It may compared to football or basketball. Some players do hard work in defence and have huge impact for a team success but usually the most remembered and paid are top scorers. </p>\n\n<p>However, if you're constantly fixing the toughest bugs, it means that someone else didn't complete his work and you're assuring to function it properly. You should clearly present it. Keep track of bugs, they are hard to fix but easy to forget. Otherwise, show initiative to implement new features.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/27280", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/22134/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 27281, "author": "Telastyn", "author_id": 2196, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/2196", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>What can I do?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><strong>Say no.</strong></p>\n\n<p>You don't <em>have to</em> do anything. Nobody is putting in the mind control devices, nobody is holding a gun to your head. </p>\n\n<p>Don't be a dick about it. Most of the time, the people who get the crap work isn't because of any better reason than nobody else wants to do it, and certain people don't complain - so they get the work. Usually all you need to do is complain a little bit and you'll get a more equitable arrangement.</p>\n\n<p>Beyond that, you hold a bit of leverage. If you don't deal with the bugs, there's nothing they can really do but do the bugs themselves (which is what you want) or fire you. Nobody likes firing people. It makes managers look bad, and is a whole lot of paperwork. It costs the company tons of money too. </p>\n\n<p>But it (probably) won't get to that point. Giving you credit for the bugfixes or some tasks in the cool new stuff is a small thing compared to doing the nasty work themselves. People are lazy. People largely avoid confrontation. Exploit that.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 27282, "author": "Joe Strazzere", "author_id": 7777, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/7777", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>What can I do?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>First get clear in your own mind what the problem is and about the outcome you desire (not doing any bug fixing, sharing the load with others, getting more credit, getting a raise for doing this work, whatever). </p>\n\n<p>Then talk to your boss about it.</p>\n\n<p>Whenever you have a question about what has been assigned to you, talk with the one who could potentially change the assignment. I'm assuming that's your boss here.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 27283, "author": "HLGEM", "author_id": 93, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/93", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Fixing the tough bugs is one of the best things you can have a reputation for. </p>\n\n<p>However, what you need to do is talk to your boss (not your coworkers) about how you can fix the things no one else can fix and that as a result you deserve a pay raise. In no way should you mention what other people get and in fact you don't know what they get unless you saw the actual payslips because people often lie when they mention their salaries. What other people get is irrelevent anyway. </p>\n\n<p>Next talk to him about the work you would like to be doing in addition to the bug fixes. </p>\n\n<p>But really you should get over this idea that it is somehow better to work on cool stuff. The real work isn't always or even often in the cool stuff, what you want is to be the person who <strong>contributes to the bottom line</strong> not the one who pursues only what is fun and cool. Now sometimes that is cool stuff but more often than not it is not. Right now as a superior troubleshooter, you are the more valuable asset, you just need to make your case to your boss. You are assuming you are doing scut work when you are not. You need to make your boss see that you can do what the others could not do and that makes you more valuable. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 27284, "author": "Joel Etherton", "author_id": 10553, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/10553", "pm_score": 7, "selected": true, "text": "<p>This answer isn't geared towards software development specifically, in fact it's a lesson I learned in the military from one of the most outstanding professionals I've ever met. </p>\n\n<p>Whenever I enter a new arena and I want to stand out, I ask for the dirtiest, least desired, most hated/reviled job or position I can do that doesn't conflict directly with my goals. Then I kick ass at it. I don't just do it well, I do it as well as it can possibly be done given my skills and the tools available to me. The reasoning is that anyone can build something new or keep something going that already works well. If you take the worst of the worst and you do it in a stellar fashion, people will take notice. </p>\n\n<p>As @VietnhiPhuvan mentioned, these \"cool things\" will be forgotten in a couple of months. Next year when they're adding features, refactoring or looking to upgrade what is already there, your code fixes will still be there. When there's a problem with the software that they can't figure out, they'll look to you. You can make a stellar career in software development as a direct result of your efforts in diagnostics and repair of existing software.</p>\n\n<p>None of us really likes the grunt maintenance work. We all want to do something cool and new. Maintenance is a fact of life though, and if you're being put on it, you can look at it as the opportunity to knock it out of the park. Yes, you'll shoehorn yourself in for a bit, but you'll establish yourself as a dependable, capable and competent coder. Once you've fixed some really hard issues effectively you'll be able to lobby for cooler projects and pay increases. </p>\n\n<p>That segues into my supplementary concept. No one is going to love you if you don't \"love yourself\". Your performance review is your chance to show just how awesome you are. If your company doesn't do performance reviews, then you need to do one for yourself. Keep track of everything you do. Keep track of the metrics that are involved.</p>\n\n<pre><code>Fixed \"X\" bug. Resulted in 95% reduction in null reference exceptions.\nFixed \"Y\" race condition. Resulted in 25% reduction in thread resource conflicts.\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Keep it in a file and keep it in a hard copy folder as well. As emails come in from various team leads, managers, business reps, sales, whatever, copy/print these into your file. The guy I mentioned before referred to this file as the \"I love me\" file. Do everything you can to make this sucker grow fat. Once you have some substance to it, it's trivial to go to your supervisor/manager and make a case for a raise, different position, alternate tasks. </p>\n\n<p>You are the only person who can lobby for better circumstances. Your supervisor or manager is the one who can seal the deal and make it happen. So take these tasks and kick ass at them. Don't worry about what other people are getting with respect to opportunities and projects. In time, you'll be in the forefront of consideration for these because of your demonstrated skill, product knowledge, and \"quirks\" knowledge.</p>\n\n<p>If you get to that point, and the company does not consider you worth the extra money you feel you deserve, then you'll have an excellent resume built up with your \"I love me\" file. Those are exactly the kind of metric bullet points that hiring managers want to see in new hires. I promise you if your current company won't consider the value, there's another company who can.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 27296, "author": "CaptainCodeman", "author_id": 19100, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/19100", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In addition to the other answers, I just wanted to add that yes, it often does happen that the reward for good work is more work. Sometimes the guy that gets promoted is the guy with the big mouth that can't do useful work, so they just promote him to manager. </p>\n\n<p>The dirty fact of life is that there is not always a direct positive correlation between how much work you do and how you get rewarded. I learned this lesson as a child when my parents would give me more housework than my older sister, because she was a rebel and would make a mess of things, whereas I was the well-behaved one that did everything perfectly without complaining. It is said that the reward for a job well done is more workload.</p>\n\n<p>Pay attention, understand that there is a game going on and if you're just \"doing your best\" and hoping good things will fall in your lap, you're not even aware of the game, leave alone having a chance to win.</p>\n\n<p>In your case, if you're really the only one that can handle the dirty bugs, why would they ever give you anything else to do? Ask yourself, do you like doing this? If yes, then fantastic, enjoy! If no, then stop doing it. Try to move toward other projects. If they don't give you anything else to do, it may be the case that you've already cast yourself as \"that guy\". Move to another company, and don't make the same mistakes again.</p>\n\n<p>Now go ahead, everybody thumbs me down, you know you wanna!</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 27305, "author": "andrew P", "author_id": 22254, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/22254", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Bear in mind that writing code is just getting ready to make money later. Fixing bugs and keeping your code and servers up and running day to day and supporting customers is the actual process of making money. Rest contented that you are saving your company!</p>\n\n<p>It is important to only fix the bugs that everyone agrees impact on your customers and must be fixed. Since fixed bugs easily get forgotten quickly (as people don't like them) keep a record of all the bugs that you fix, plus an estimate the value of fixing them to your company, which is ammunition for your pay review.</p>\n\n<p>Also try to get TDD, regression testing and unit-testing with good coverage to be an enforced part the development process. This will push the responsibility of making sure that cool things do not break other stuff or generate hard to find bugs.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 92865, "author": "dmm", "author_id": 71454, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/71454", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Actually, you are sitting in the catbird's seat. You just don't realize it. From now on, anytime someone asks you to fix a bug, require them to request it via email. That is Step 1, very basic. Then Step 2: You respond, \"I'm very busy with other important stuff. How important is this? How many customers are affected/complaining? How much money is involved?\" If they say it's only 1 customer out of 1000, then tell them it's not important enough for you to work on, since you are the company's top bug fixer. If they say it's really important -- and give numbers to justify their concern -- then you go to Step 3. Ask \"Can't Mr. X or Ms. Y fix it?\" Don't accept \"they're too busy\" as an excuse. That's not a reason; you're busy also. FORCE the requestor to admit, in writing, that Mr. X and Ms. Y and the requestor have all tried unsuccessfully to fix this important bug. (At the very least, you force them to admit that they can't be bothered to fix an important bug.) Only then do you agree to fix the bug, because now you have all the written info you need to prove your worth to the company.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 92875, "author": "Justas", "author_id": 71170, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/71170", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>New features, fancy user interfaces are the mostly visible and let's say tangible. Especially for non technical people. It may compared to football or basketball. Some players do hard work in defence and have huge impact for a team success but usually the most remembered and paid are top scorers. </p>\n\n<p>However, if you're constantly fixing the toughest bugs, it means that someone else didn't complete his work and you're assuring to function it properly. You should clearly present it. Keep track of bugs, they are hard to fix but easy to forget. Otherwise, show initiative to implement new features.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/27290", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/22245/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 31333, "author": "NotVonKaiser", "author_id": 17355, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/17355", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I'm not privy to employer negotiations but I've worked as a subcontractor, and depending on the particular niche you're talking about, the main contractor simply may not have anyone available with the required skillset for the job. However, they may know a company who has supplied them with good people in the past and are willing in this case to take a smaller cut in exchange for getting the job done (in fact, often they might end up ahead of the game since they often don't have to take care of the subcontracted employee's benefits and the like).</p>\n\n<p>From the standpoint of the company, they just want someone who can do the job. It's not that they <em>require</em> the contractor to provide one of <em>their</em> people, it's that the fact that the employee is contracted out to that company represents one less hoop they have to jump through to determine whether or not the person is qualified or not. I'm not going to say that bad contractors never slip through the cracks here, and that in some part is what the interview process is for, but at least you are dealing with people who have presumably been vetted by someone else before you even begin talking to them.</p>\n\n<p>In the end, my experience with most companies is that even if they don't know that a person was hired via a subcontractor rather than being a direct employee, if the person hired can actually do their job that's all that matters. I should add a disclaimer that I work in IT, an industry where there can be a high variability in competence on the one hand but often a great need to move forward with a project quickly on the other. In many cases the cost of bringing on an incompetent employee long enough to \"ramp them up\" into competence or figure out that they can't cut it and then hiring someone else is not significantly greater than employing the tactic of interviewing person after person for several months until someone they can be assured is competent out of the gate (this assuming that we live in a world where you can discern competence from an interview or, really, anything but actually watching a person work for several weeks, which of course, we don't, but for the purposes of the argument...). Either way, what you primarily wasted was time. $100 an hour is a drop in the bucket compared to the costs of releasing a product 6 months late, and there is always the possibility that you'll find a good contractor using the first tactic.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 31344, "author": "Burhan Khalid", "author_id": 9080, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/9080", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I have some experience in this area being in both the contractor side and the client side.</p>\n\n<p>From the client's standpoint - we usually ask for a resource of a particular qualification. This is the basic minimum we need. In some industries there are some other specific requirements, which are based mainly on the job position.</p>\n\n<p>For example, in Oil &amp; Gas, field engineer resources should be:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Certified</li>\n<li>X years of experience</li>\n<li>Be paid at minimum X (this is actually what the company will offer, not what the supplier will pay the resource, more on this later)</li>\n<li>Be provided accommodation</li>\n<li>Be provided transportation suitable for field work</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>For all this a price is agreed per resource between the client and the master contractor (the supplier).</p>\n\n<p>From the contractor providing manpower, their job is to provide this resources - no matter where they acquire the actual resource. This is why it is often subcontracted out. Especially if the requirement is a large amount.</p>\n\n<p>I once was in a deal where they were recruiting 5000+ personnel for a hospital. It is unimaginable for any single provider to have all these resources, so they obviously sub-contracted out.</p>\n\n<p>In the end, the client receives the resource as per their requirements - this is what they are paying for. The other thing that they pay for is availability, it is the responsibility of the contractor to provide the resource. This means that sometimes even if the actual person is on leave, the supplier needs to fill in that position.</p>\n\n<p>Other things to keep in mind:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>For larger companies - there is a qualification process for vendors and suppliers, which is why they tend to have master agreements rather than deal with the headache of administering multiple agreements with multiple vendors. The US military is a good example of this.</p></li>\n<li><p>Contractors for large companies have to meet certain financial obligations - sometimes in the form of financial guarantees, sometimes in the form of payments to bid on contracts. In this case, only the larger suppliers can afford this and thus they win the contract, and then provide resources from other parties.</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Now, for the rates/charges. The company only has one agreement against which they will pay for a resource to their master contractor. There are generally two different revenue models:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>For permanent hires, the contractor gets a percentage of the salary of the resource as a fee.</p></li>\n<li><p>For contracted hires, the contractor get a fixed fee per resource; and are free to pay the resource whatever their own agreement is. This is typical in large manpower agreements where the company does not want the extra associated costs (insurance, liability, taxes, etc.) to on-board a large workforce. Especially if this is for a support or project contract.</p></li>\n</ol>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/31332", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16449/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 31374, "author": "Michael Lai", "author_id": 8197, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/8197", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Depends on if you want to place the emphasis on the title and/or the actual involvement that you have had in the project.</p>\n\n<p>If you are the key/lead engineer, then the title will suggest that you have a main role in the development of that project.</p>\n\n<p>If it is a team and different people had different roles, then you should specify your contribution under the responsibilities/achievements/outcomes of the project.</p>\n\n<p>Writing that you participated to a high degree as you proposed, will only like to draw the same questions that you can already answer by providing better details in the cv.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 31887, "author": "RecruiterDiva", "author_id": 25934, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/25934", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You could say \"Key contributor to the design, development, testing and implementation of .....\" then go on to specify exactly what tasks you were responsible for. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/31373", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/25656/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 32060, "author": "Alpar", "author_id": 25267, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/25267", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As Jan Doggen has said in the comments, fixing these issues in your own time is not a good approach. \nYou need to explain to your bosses what is at stake if security issues are not resolved.</p>\n\n<p>Firstly you have to impress on them just how many people out there are dedicating their time to breaching security for profit. Often people ignore security issues because they think that it is unlikely that this will ever affect them.</p>\n\n<p>Secondly you have to provide scenarios for each case for what could happen if you don't fix it and someone does get in. Consider the affect on the customers, the time it will take to remove any problems and as a result of these combined the potential losses to the company. People tend to sit up and take notice more when you bring monetary values into the discussion.</p>\n\n<p>If after this you can still not make them really care about the issue then you can either give up or find people who do. Many voices are heard more than just one.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Or am I just being paranoid here?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>It depends partly on the vulnerabilities you are trying to address. In the case of SQL if there's any risk of confidential data being accessed or databases being dropped it's obviously a fairly major concern. You also have to assess if your job is at risk if something does go wrong - how protected are you if you prove that the managers prevented you from fixing the offending security problem?</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 32061, "author": "utnapistim", "author_id": 5620, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/5620", "pm_score": 7, "selected": true, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>In the end I had to upgrade the server in my own time to make sure it got done.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>You made sure something that <em>was</em> an issue, became a non-issue as far as your managers were concerned. Next time it will be more difficult to convince them it is an issue (because \"it wasn't in the past\").</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>How can I impress the importance of security to my bosses?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>You can't. What you can (and definitely <em>shoud</em> do) is make a written risk assessment and make sure your bosses read it. In it, describe the security risks, what (reasonable/affordable) actions can be taken to mitigate each risk, and what is the cost of not taking said action.</p>\n\n<p>Example:</p>\n\n<pre><code>risk: server broken into, from the outside\nprobability: high (see statistics of compromized\n non-patched servers, at http://example.com)\ncost: client financial records compromised (along\n with company credibility and public image),\n **loss of sales**\nrecommended action: keep servers up to date\n (requires 1 man-hour every two days)\n\nrisk: fire into the server room\nprobability: low\ncost: loss of business and all backups\nrecommended action: update backup policy (requires 4 man-hours and the server offline)\n\nrisk: compromized company records\nprobability: ???\ncost: compromized employees financial records\nrecommended action: restrict database access to X, Y and system administrators\n (requires 1.5 hours, best done after work-hours)\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>This way, you have brought the issues to your manager's attention, and it is up to them to take a decision (or not).</p>\n\n<p>If you provide a written assessment, it is more difficult to ignore, and in case something happens, you are legally covered (your manager cannot say afterwards \"but you're the security expert - it was your job to make sure this didn't happen).</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 32074, "author": "Kai", "author_id": 17885, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/17885", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There may be two separate problems happening here: </p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>Convincing your boss that security is important </p></li>\n<li><p>Convincing your boss that putting time into some task addresses a security risk. </p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Most of the time bosses will agree with #1 in principle, but don't understand #2. If your boss does not agree with #1 even in principle, I would honestly be really concerned that you will not be able to convince him, but I would try to appeal to the fact that emergency fixes for security breeches will cost the company more money than just doing preventative work.</p>\n\n<p>Make sure you don't get too technical. For instance, one approach to #2 for your particular problem, point out to your boss how Windows tells you constantly that you need to update all the time, or else you'll have a security risk, and that servers are no different. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 32076, "author": "The Real Edward Cullen", "author_id": 26030, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/26030", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Sorry, not enough rep to add comments to the already excellent answers.</p>\n\n<p>Here's a few things that might help:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><em>Demonstrate</em> how easy it is to break.\n<ul>\n<li>Especially if you've got a version of something with a known vulnerability.</li>\n<li>Obviously, do this in a canned environment ;)</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li>Point out that the world is changing.\n<ul>\n<li>remember the Target and TK Maxx hacks over the past couple of years? Both of these companies got sued by world+dog (mainly the banks/credit-card companies) because they were shown to be negligent.</li>\n<li>Yes, failing to update your software which has known issues is considered negligence.</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li>When they say \"yeah, but it won't happen to us\", say:\n<ul>\n<li>If the lock on the office door was faulty, would you leave the office unlocked over the weekend?</li>\n<li>Security holes in software is like having a broken lock, except that instead of having to come into the building to steal our stuff, it can be stolen from <em>anywhere in the world</em>.</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li>When they say \"well, we'll just fix problems as they arise\", counter with:\n<ul>\n<li>Okay, but that's the expensive way of doing it.</li>\n<li>By being <em>reactive</em>, we'll be subjecting the business to <em>unpredictable</em> costs and disruption - it means that you're pulling people off their normal work to fix stuff as-and-when, which is going to threaten project schedules, or you may be forced to do a major upgrade or hire-in an expensive consultant to backport a patch for unsupported software.</li>\n<li>If we are <em>proactive</em>, we can make updating a day-to-day activity that minimises disruption, because it's all part of the plan, yes, we'd need to invest a little to change the way we work, but that can be planned into our work schedules in a predictable way.</li>\n<li>Reactive == costly + disruptive (i.e. doubly expensive)</li>\n<li>Proactive == costly</li>\n</ul></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Security is <em>expected</em> by customers and your suppliers, but more importantly, by the courts.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 32104, "author": "Peteris", "author_id": 14016, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/14016", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<h2>Mitigation instead of prevention</h2>\n\n<p>If security is explicitly and intentionally given a low resource priority (as evidenced by the response to your efforts), then you should target the level of risk reduction that you can achieve without spending much time or resources.</p>\n\n<p>The practical level of risk is not so much related to the technical security of the systems. The core concept is [sum over various risks](chance of bad stuff * damage caused by bad stuff). With limited resources you won't be able to reduce all of the risks, or even to investigate and acknowledge them; however, you can take steps to mitigate and limit the damage if/when a security breach occurs.</p>\n\n<p>Simple good practices will take you most of the way there. Ensure that you have multiple current backups (including offsite and offline) and a practical, periodically tested ability to quickly/cheaply restore data and systems. Ensure that your e-commerce system doesn't store any sensitive data that's not absolutely necessary - no credit card data (outsource it and the PCI DSS compliance to someone who can do it well), no unhashed passwords, no personally identifiable data on test systems, etc.</p>\n\n<p>If that's properly handled, then your example with test VPS server becomes trivial - will extra 2 hours of maintenance downtime save us 2+ hours of hacked-server downtime over the next year? You should have an estimate of downtime-per-incident from your backup procedures and an estimate of hacked-servers-per-year from history, assuming your security practices are mostly the same level. And yes, it does imply that if that particular system is semi-disposable (can be recovered by spending half a workday or less and no other damage) and your systems haven't been hacked in the last two years, then many time-consuming security activities would actually be overkill for that system.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/32057", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/17512/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 32109, "author": "Jenny D", "author_id": 9164, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/9164", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I'd guess that with common usage, it'd Company B:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Last employer = Company C.</li>\n<li>Second to last = Company B.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>But you could always ask them.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 32111, "author": "Vietnhi Phuvan", "author_id": 16993, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16993", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Since Company D asked the question, why don't you get the clarification from them? Since Company D's question is poorly phrased, there is a chance that whatever answer we give you is the wrong answer, because Company D meant to say something else.</p>\n\n<p>I'll take a guess. I am basing my guess on the guess that Company D wants to have documents from your last two employers - that would be B and C. You probably supplied to them the documents from C, so that's not an issue. Now, they want you to supply the documents from B, so that they can sit fat and happy.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/32108", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/11133/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 32524, "author": "Calvin", "author_id": 26007, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/26007", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This is a relatively new area as far as I'm aware - traditional introductions were largely incidental. I can't claim to know for certain how one is supposed to go about doing this, I can say what I'd do:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>Follow up in the original thread. Generally, the best way to make an introduction is to forward along the introductions request - after all, it should contain all the relevant information. This is a new capability afforded by introductions over e-mail and an excellent usage of the medium. You might want to check with your acquaintance in another thread to see if they feel this is appropriate or would like you to change anything about their request before passing it along.</p></li>\n<li><p>Provide a brief explanation for your involvement. Now, you don't have to pass along anything or make any introductions. Your willingness to do so is a de facto endorsement of both parties involved. I'd make sure to include how I know whoever I'm introducing, why I was willing or eager to help them make a new connection, and perhaps some brief anecdotal character and professional recommendation. You're not providing a reference, but don't leave your acquaintance with any reservations.</p></li>\n<li><p>Take ownership. Voice your approval of the introduction. Wish them the best. Promise to your support if they're having a hard time finding a time or place to meet up. You may want to take everyone to a lunch meeting. Follow up afterwards and make sure the introduction happened. Trade on your own personal reputation to help your acquaintances out. After all, you never know when you'll need a favor in return.</p></li>\n</ol>\n" }, { "answer_id": 32538, "author": "O. Jones", "author_id": 15811, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/15811", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I've done this many dozens of times. Keep it simple; keep it short.</p>\n\n<p>Write them both an email, with both of them on the To: line.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Hello, Kevin, meet Michael. Hello Michael, meet Kevin.</p>\n \n <p>Michael, Kevin asked me to introduce you to him because he is\n interested in your knowledge of fly-fishing in the western Arabian\n peninsula (or whatever). Kevin has fished everywhere else in the world\n and he wants to fish there.</p>\n \n <p>I am sure you two will have an interesting conversation.</p>\n \n <p>Best regards,</p>\n \n <p>Ollie</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Helping people connect with one another is one of the best things you can do for them.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/32521", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/26318/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 33136, "author": "Vietnhi Phuvan", "author_id": 16993, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16993", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Since your husband is looking for a research position, his CV should include a PUBLICATIONS section. This is my suggestion:</p>\n\n<p><strong>ACADEMIC AWARDS AND PUBLICATIONS</strong></p>\n\n<p>McNair Scholar (Summer 2014)</p>\n\n<p>[Title of published article], by [Authors including your husband]. Editor:[], Year:[], pp. [](*)</p>\n\n<p>(*) NB: this article was published in partial fulfillment of the requirements for successful completion of the McNair Scholars Program, offered by the University of Southern California's Summer Research Institute. </p>\n\n<p>Whatever other requirements that your husband fulfilled as part of his participation in the McNair Scholars program, he can cite them as part of his cover letters. Frankly, the only part of the Program that a prospective academic employer would be interested in is that your husband received hands-on training in independent research.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 33137, "author": "O. Jones", "author_id": 15811, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/15811", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes, this Research Institute is job experience.</p>\n\n<p>If you're writing an academic CV, you need to consult an academic adviser to determine the best way to describe this experience. </p>\n\n<p>If you're writing a commercial / industrial resume, you should write something like this</p>\n\n<pre><code>Summer 2014 McNair Scholarship Summer Research Institute. Under the\n supervision of Prof. Albert Einstein, I worked with a small \n team to confirm theoretical predictions of reality distortion\n field strengths when Steve Jobs and Bill Gates give keynote\n addresses at conferences.\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>or whatever is true.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/33135", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/373/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 33222, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I assume you are listing your internship at Y on your CV and you work for company X.</p>\n\n<pre><code>2012-current X Job descrip\n2014 Y Internship (unpaid leave from X)\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>or</p>\n\n<pre><code>2012-current X Job descrip\n2014 Y (unpaid leave from X) Internship\n</code></pre>\n" }, { "answer_id": 33223, "author": "Vietnhi Phuvan", "author_id": 16993, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16993", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<ol>\n<li><p>Create an INTERNSHIP section</p>\n\n<p><strong>INTERNSHIP</strong><br>\nName of Sponsor (Summer 2014)<br>\nJoined internship while on leave from my permanent position at ACME. As intern, developed ... [list your activities]...</p>\n\n<p>Write up your permanent position as if you never took a leave - Yes, you took a leave, but even as you were doing the internship, the permanent position was still yours i.e. you never quit your job.</p></li>\n<li><p>If you didn't learn or do anything worthwhile at your internship, you have the option of not mentioning that internship. In this case, you'll spill the beans about the internship only if somebody asks.</p></li>\n</ol>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/33220", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/26737/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 34722, "author": "Joe Strazzere", "author_id": 7777, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/7777", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>In general, is it bad to have an unachieved goal? Should I change it\n to something I know I will achieve in the next two months? I feel like\n that is cheating me out of being honest with my superior about what\n kind of work I would prefer to do.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Every company I have ever worked for has provided corporate guidelines for setting and modifying annual performance goals. And every company I have ever worked for has different \"rules\".</p>\n\n<p>You need to coordinate your actions with your manager, with your company guidelines and with the repercussions that may occur based on your actions.</p>\n\n<p>I'll try to answer the specifics in terms of my company's current rules, but remember - your mileage may vary. Talk to your Manager, Talk to your HR. Consult your own company guidelines first.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>In general, is it bad to have an unachieved goal?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>At my company this isn't great. The whole point of having goals is to provide motivation for achieving them. </p>\n\n<p>If it's an overall goal, it may not matter much. If it's an MBO goal, it may cost you a portion of your bonus money.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Should I change it to something I know I will achieve in the next two months?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>In my company, you wouldn't have that option. Goals are locked down within the system we use for tracking goals at a certain period. Two months before year end you wouldn't be able to change anything.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I feel like that is cheating me out of being honest with my superior about what\n kind of work I would prefer to do.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>In my company, goals aren't about what kind of work you would prefer to do. Instead, they are more about the kind of work you are being explicitly incented (financially) to do.</p>\n\n<p>In my company, you would work with your supervisor/manager when creating or modifying any goals, so no cheating could occur.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 34723, "author": "HLGEM", "author_id": 93, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/93", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes it is bad in most performance systems to have an unachieved goal. You have to understand how most of these systems work. </p>\n\n<p>They don't care what you did - only if you did what the system says you were going to do. When they start comparing notes (you did know that managers have to compare and people get downgraded if other managers don't agree with the supervisor's assessment, right?) to determine who among the peple marked highest will actually get the high rating, then it will be easier for your manager to get shot down in presenting you as a high acheiver if you have an unachieved goal even one that you were not given the opportunity to perform. So having an unachieved goal can lower your overall rating even if your boss thinks you are doing outstanding work. Because basically they only have the budget for so many outstandings and that counts as a failure to the other managers who are pushing their own people.</p>\n\n<p>At the lower rating levels, it can be the final excuse to get rid of you.</p>\n\n<p>Nothing about the goals has anything to do with the kind of work you would prefer to do. These automated systems are set up solely to provide metrics that be used to downgrade performance. If too many people meet all tehir goals, I guarantee the golas will be significantly more challenging the next year and everyone who met all his goals will still not get get an outstanding apprasisal because there is no maney in the budget for everyone who deserves an Outstanding to get one in 99.9% of all organizations (excluding some very small start-ups).</p>\n\n<p>If you have things you want to do professionally to grow that involve assignments given to you by your boss, then do not ever rely on the goals to get you there. You need to lobby for those assignments on a regular basis through the year. These goals are at best a bureaucratic process designed to give the illusion the company cares about your goals. They are not intended as work assignements. You need to keep track of what is upcoming that you would like to get assigned to and make sure to directly ask for the assignment and if they can't give it to you, then you need to make sure you get the next one. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/34724", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/5213/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 36566, "author": "Chris E", "author_id": 28939, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/28939", "pm_score": 7, "selected": true, "text": "<p>One way I've seen this situation handled is to put something in your signature on your company email. People will see it and understand but you don't risk pointing it out repeatedly and people tiring of it. You could do something like:</p>\n\n<pre><code>Kelli Smith \[email protected]\n(That's Kelli with an 'I', if you want your email to get to me)\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Or something more the flavor of what would be acceptable to you or in your company. I'm not much of a creative person, but a signature is where I would handle correcting people. They'll get used to it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 36567, "author": "Wesley Long", "author_id": 9264, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/9264", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You should always correct them, but subtly.</p>\n\n<p>One way is to be a little \"pushy\" with your business cards. </p>\n\n<p>Another way, \"Joe - hey, my first name has an unconventional spelling, and I don't want to miss any of your emails, so just thought I'd let you know.\"</p>\n\n<p>Go with the assumption that your audience is \"competent, but uninformed.\" Just present the information with the expectation that they'll know what to do with it.</p>\n\n<p>Short answer: If it's going to hinder communication, which in email it obviously will, it deserves attention. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 36568, "author": "Vietnhi Phuvan", "author_id": 16993, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16993", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You simply add a P.S. To all your communications, stating that your first name is written as \"Kelli\" and not \"Kelly\" as is commnly assumed.</p>\n\n<p>P.S.: I write my name as \"Kelli\" and not \"Kelly\", as you would reasonably assume :)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 36569, "author": "user29836", "author_id": 29836, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/29836", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>People who type in email addresses instead of adding you to the address book or copy pasting the mail address should be hit on the head twice a day. There are so many things you can type wrong and so many different versions of names.</p>\n\n<p>You could write in your signature something like:</p>\n\n<pre><code>Kelli \"with an I\" Lee\nDepartment XY\nCompany ABC\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>It will be confusing for a second, but people will remember it quickly and probably think of it each time they type in your email address. (assuming hitting them on the head did not help)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 36572, "author": "Olin Lathrop", "author_id": 19246, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/19246", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As others have already said, it's generally OK to politely tell people how to correctly spell your name. Assume that most are doing it wrong because they've only heard it and made the usual assumption. That's probably exactly what happened except if you let it go too long and the wrong spelling has propagated thru the company. Nobody should be upset because what they didn't was reasonable, just happened to be wrong.</p>\n\n<p>However the real purpose of this answer is to make a different suggestion. Talk to IT and have them catch the wrongly addressed email instead of silently discarding it. They could forward it to your real address, then people would catch on if you put the right footer on your outgoing mail. Or, they could bounce it with a message saying that [email protected] isn't a valid address, did you maybe mean [email protected]?</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 36603, "author": "Steve", "author_id": 4808, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/4808", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Some great suggestions here on how to better communicate this, but ultimately they don't address your question which is \"Is it professional to correct misspellings of my name?\"</p>\n\n<p>Bottom line, if you're not getting email or other important communications as a result of misspelling of your name then it is entirely un-professional of you to <strong>not</strong> correct it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 36634, "author": "D_Bester", "author_id": 18554, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/18554", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I too have had people butcher my name. Most often it was advertisements in the mail. My user name actually comes from one of those advertisements. But I've had worse than that. Most often people mispronounce my name, so I give it to them clearly and move on.</p>\n\n<p>It's OK (and professional) to correct misspellings of your name. How and when you do it is very important. How you do it determines whether it is professional.</p>\n\n<p>Others have given valuable suggestions. But let me focus on the feelings that are generated. You want others to end up with a good feeling about you. This (I think) is how to be professional and friendly.</p>\n\n<p>Think about it from the perspective of the person you are correcting. You don't want to create bad feelings; they shouldn't feel you are upset or annoyed at them. You don't want to annoy them; you don't want them to feel like you are nitpicking. You don't want them to feel like you are accusing or criticizing. Avoid focusing on yourself; don't seem proud. Avoid focusing on their mistake; don't seem critical.</p>\n\n<p>How can you create good feelings and avoid bad feelings. Have fun with it. Joke about it. Let them know you appreciate them. </p>\n\n<p>Be careful about fighting against a flood. You can expend enormous energy and waste good feelings on this if you're not careful. That would not be professional. </p>\n\n<p>From your question, you don't seem to think that others are demeaning you or otherwise have bad feelings against you. What about the saying \"If you can't beat'em, join'em\". It can be like a nickname. You can either fight it or embrace it. In my experience, it can be better to embrace it. Be Kelly.</p>\n\n<p>Ultimately the question is not whether it is professional, but how you can do it without spending too much time or energy(your boss's priorities); and at the same time creating good feelings. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 36651, "author": "mlk", "author_id": 2605, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/2605", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I would not have something like \"Kelli (with an I)\" in your signature. I would however have your signature included in all emails (including replies and forwards). Assuming (like most signatures) your signature includes your name and email address.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Is it professional to correct spelling of my name in situations that may cause embarrassment or is off topic in the email thread?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>No. Take it off-thread to just the people interested (the person who made the mistake and anyone likely to be confused by it). Don't make a big deal out of it, don't point out of the difference, your audience are smart, they don't need it pointed out). </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 72302, "author": "Anne Stauffer", "author_id": 54583, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/54583", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>My name is Anne. Self-explanatory. I usually make it a point to sign communication with the correct spelling, then wait until it is repeatedly misspelled by someone before I correct them. By then, I'm really pissed off and don't care if it bothers them to be corrected. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 129550, "author": "Julia", "author_id": 100106, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/100106", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>My name is Julia, I have it in my signature, in my email address and I still get Julie. ALL THE TIME. Even with people I ineract with in person, multiple times daily. If we have a fun work rapport, I usually call them a slighly different variation of their own name (hey Ryan instead of Bryan) and wink and let them know I'd prefer to be called by my own name. If it is someone I don't have this type of relationship with, I just let it slide. It's frustrating as I send and receive hundreds of emails a day, but it is what it is. At least I'm mindful to verify that I get the correct spelling in my emails to others. And that makes me feel good. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 185241, "author": "fectin", "author_id": 69434, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/69434", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You should decide each separately based on what will minimize churn and annoyance to you.</p>\n<p>Unfortunately, there isn't a cleaner answer that produces a good result. Your big issue is that people mis-naming you is mildly(?) irritating, and having to correct them is irritating. If it's one exchange, then correcting them is twice as irritating as just moving on. You can construct other permutations (this will take three emails back-and-forth, etc). They're all tiny little optimizations on how to avoid trivial annoyances, which <em>also</em> means you should spend a lot of time developing a systematic response.</p>\n<p>In all cases, I'm assuming that you are only mildly irritated or wasting a trivial amount of time. If you really hate being called &quot;Kelly&quot;, or emails are seriously getting lost, then the scale tips a very different way. But that's a personal preference</p>\n<p>For reference, I have a last name which isn't that exotic, but which many people inexplicably struggle to spell and pronounce. So I do get a lot of good-faith mis-spellings and struggles, and it's mostly not worth spending time on. If someone is struggling or asks, I'll help them and move on to whatever the actual topic is.</p>\n<p>I also strongly prefer a nickname, despite organizational policy on how our directory is structured. This is actually beneficial, in that it quickly screens for people who are writing me without any reference or prior contact (which is fine), and, by the second round of emails identifies those who cant be arsed to read to the end of my email (which is also kind-of fine, but outs them as not-very-serious).</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 185253, "author": "gnasher729", "author_id": 16101, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16101", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>What's the worst that can happen?</p>\n<p>Someone in HR in your company gets your name wrong. Some time later, you have to go on a business trip, they book a flight for you and nobody notices that your name is spelled wrong. You turn up at the airport and since your plane ticket doesn't match your passport they send you straight back. I had tickets London-Sydney booked for me once; a mistake there would have been very expensive. Or you need to visit a military or otherwise high security customer. And names don't match up, and the visit doesn't happen.</p>\n<p>Much of the time it is just an annoyance, and addressing someone with the wrong name is more unprofessional than correcting them, but it can have consequences.</p>\n<p>(And I worked at a not very large place once that employed two twin brothers, plus one other man with the same last name except for one letter. Here you would absolutely correct the spelling. )</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/36565", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/17097/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 36566, "author": "Chris E", "author_id": 28939, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/28939", "pm_score": 7, "selected": true, "text": "<p>One way I've seen this situation handled is to put something in your signature on your company email. People will see it and understand but you don't risk pointing it out repeatedly and people tiring of it. You could do something like:</p>\n\n<pre><code>Kelli Smith \[email protected]\n(That's Kelli with an 'I', if you want your email to get to me)\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Or something more the flavor of what would be acceptable to you or in your company. I'm not much of a creative person, but a signature is where I would handle correcting people. They'll get used to it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 36567, "author": "Wesley Long", "author_id": 9264, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/9264", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You should always correct them, but subtly.</p>\n\n<p>One way is to be a little \"pushy\" with your business cards. </p>\n\n<p>Another way, \"Joe - hey, my first name has an unconventional spelling, and I don't want to miss any of your emails, so just thought I'd let you know.\"</p>\n\n<p>Go with the assumption that your audience is \"competent, but uninformed.\" Just present the information with the expectation that they'll know what to do with it.</p>\n\n<p>Short answer: If it's going to hinder communication, which in email it obviously will, it deserves attention. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 36568, "author": "Vietnhi Phuvan", "author_id": 16993, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16993", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You simply add a P.S. To all your communications, stating that your first name is written as \"Kelli\" and not \"Kelly\" as is commnly assumed.</p>\n\n<p>P.S.: I write my name as \"Kelli\" and not \"Kelly\", as you would reasonably assume :)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 36569, "author": "user29836", "author_id": 29836, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/29836", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>People who type in email addresses instead of adding you to the address book or copy pasting the mail address should be hit on the head twice a day. There are so many things you can type wrong and so many different versions of names.</p>\n\n<p>You could write in your signature something like:</p>\n\n<pre><code>Kelli \"with an I\" Lee\nDepartment XY\nCompany ABC\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>It will be confusing for a second, but people will remember it quickly and probably think of it each time they type in your email address. (assuming hitting them on the head did not help)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 36572, "author": "Olin Lathrop", "author_id": 19246, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/19246", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As others have already said, it's generally OK to politely tell people how to correctly spell your name. Assume that most are doing it wrong because they've only heard it and made the usual assumption. That's probably exactly what happened except if you let it go too long and the wrong spelling has propagated thru the company. Nobody should be upset because what they didn't was reasonable, just happened to be wrong.</p>\n\n<p>However the real purpose of this answer is to make a different suggestion. Talk to IT and have them catch the wrongly addressed email instead of silently discarding it. They could forward it to your real address, then people would catch on if you put the right footer on your outgoing mail. Or, they could bounce it with a message saying that [email protected] isn't a valid address, did you maybe mean [email protected]?</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 36603, "author": "Steve", "author_id": 4808, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/4808", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Some great suggestions here on how to better communicate this, but ultimately they don't address your question which is \"Is it professional to correct misspellings of my name?\"</p>\n\n<p>Bottom line, if you're not getting email or other important communications as a result of misspelling of your name then it is entirely un-professional of you to <strong>not</strong> correct it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 36634, "author": "D_Bester", "author_id": 18554, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/18554", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I too have had people butcher my name. Most often it was advertisements in the mail. My user name actually comes from one of those advertisements. But I've had worse than that. Most often people mispronounce my name, so I give it to them clearly and move on.</p>\n\n<p>It's OK (and professional) to correct misspellings of your name. How and when you do it is very important. How you do it determines whether it is professional.</p>\n\n<p>Others have given valuable suggestions. But let me focus on the feelings that are generated. You want others to end up with a good feeling about you. This (I think) is how to be professional and friendly.</p>\n\n<p>Think about it from the perspective of the person you are correcting. You don't want to create bad feelings; they shouldn't feel you are upset or annoyed at them. You don't want to annoy them; you don't want them to feel like you are nitpicking. You don't want them to feel like you are accusing or criticizing. Avoid focusing on yourself; don't seem proud. Avoid focusing on their mistake; don't seem critical.</p>\n\n<p>How can you create good feelings and avoid bad feelings. Have fun with it. Joke about it. Let them know you appreciate them. </p>\n\n<p>Be careful about fighting against a flood. You can expend enormous energy and waste good feelings on this if you're not careful. That would not be professional. </p>\n\n<p>From your question, you don't seem to think that others are demeaning you or otherwise have bad feelings against you. What about the saying \"If you can't beat'em, join'em\". It can be like a nickname. You can either fight it or embrace it. In my experience, it can be better to embrace it. Be Kelly.</p>\n\n<p>Ultimately the question is not whether it is professional, but how you can do it without spending too much time or energy(your boss's priorities); and at the same time creating good feelings. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 36651, "author": "mlk", "author_id": 2605, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/2605", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I would not have something like \"Kelli (with an I)\" in your signature. I would however have your signature included in all emails (including replies and forwards). Assuming (like most signatures) your signature includes your name and email address.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Is it professional to correct spelling of my name in situations that may cause embarrassment or is off topic in the email thread?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>No. Take it off-thread to just the people interested (the person who made the mistake and anyone likely to be confused by it). Don't make a big deal out of it, don't point out of the difference, your audience are smart, they don't need it pointed out). </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 72302, "author": "Anne Stauffer", "author_id": 54583, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/54583", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>My name is Anne. Self-explanatory. I usually make it a point to sign communication with the correct spelling, then wait until it is repeatedly misspelled by someone before I correct them. By then, I'm really pissed off and don't care if it bothers them to be corrected. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 129550, "author": "Julia", "author_id": 100106, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/100106", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>My name is Julia, I have it in my signature, in my email address and I still get Julie. ALL THE TIME. Even with people I ineract with in person, multiple times daily. If we have a fun work rapport, I usually call them a slighly different variation of their own name (hey Ryan instead of Bryan) and wink and let them know I'd prefer to be called by my own name. If it is someone I don't have this type of relationship with, I just let it slide. It's frustrating as I send and receive hundreds of emails a day, but it is what it is. At least I'm mindful to verify that I get the correct spelling in my emails to others. And that makes me feel good. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 185241, "author": "fectin", "author_id": 69434, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/69434", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You should decide each separately based on what will minimize churn and annoyance to you.</p>\n<p>Unfortunately, there isn't a cleaner answer that produces a good result. Your big issue is that people mis-naming you is mildly(?) irritating, and having to correct them is irritating. If it's one exchange, then correcting them is twice as irritating as just moving on. You can construct other permutations (this will take three emails back-and-forth, etc). They're all tiny little optimizations on how to avoid trivial annoyances, which <em>also</em> means you should spend a lot of time developing a systematic response.</p>\n<p>In all cases, I'm assuming that you are only mildly irritated or wasting a trivial amount of time. If you really hate being called &quot;Kelly&quot;, or emails are seriously getting lost, then the scale tips a very different way. But that's a personal preference</p>\n<p>For reference, I have a last name which isn't that exotic, but which many people inexplicably struggle to spell and pronounce. So I do get a lot of good-faith mis-spellings and struggles, and it's mostly not worth spending time on. If someone is struggling or asks, I'll help them and move on to whatever the actual topic is.</p>\n<p>I also strongly prefer a nickname, despite organizational policy on how our directory is structured. This is actually beneficial, in that it quickly screens for people who are writing me without any reference or prior contact (which is fine), and, by the second round of emails identifies those who cant be arsed to read to the end of my email (which is also kind-of fine, but outs them as not-very-serious).</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 185253, "author": "gnasher729", "author_id": 16101, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16101", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>What's the worst that can happen?</p>\n<p>Someone in HR in your company gets your name wrong. Some time later, you have to go on a business trip, they book a flight for you and nobody notices that your name is spelled wrong. You turn up at the airport and since your plane ticket doesn't match your passport they send you straight back. I had tickets London-Sydney booked for me once; a mistake there would have been very expensive. Or you need to visit a military or otherwise high security customer. And names don't match up, and the visit doesn't happen.</p>\n<p>Much of the time it is just an annoyance, and addressing someone with the wrong name is more unprofessional than correcting them, but it can have consequences.</p>\n<p>(And I worked at a not very large place once that employed two twin brothers, plus one other man with the same last name except for one letter. Here you would absolutely correct the spelling. )</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/36570", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/19395/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 36813, "author": "Jonast92", "author_id": 22127, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/22127", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There is no right or wrong way to do this, to be honest I think this question is <em>too broad</em> for you to get a perfectly valid answer which fits for every situation.</p>\n\n<p>To me, however, it makes sense to order these from <em>newest</em> to <em>latest</em>, indicating which skills and education you gained first and how you've built on top of it.</p>\n\n<p>I assume you already do this with your previous jobs, your schools and so on, so it makes similar sense to post your certifications in a similar manner.</p>\n\n<p>However, an argument stating that certificates should be ordered like skills (from <em>strongest</em> to <em>weakest</em>) is perfectly equivalent aswell so you must understand there is no right or wrong way to do this.</p>\n\n<p>Do what feels right.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 36814, "author": "Jon Story", "author_id": 28766, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/28766", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If they're the same qualification with different tiers, I normally wouldn't even bother including the lower tiers - they're redundant information. If you've got the Expert certificate, I can quite happily assume you've either done the beginner one or are capable of it.</p>\n<p>In this case, it sounds like you've got some strange recruiters who don't understand the idea of tiering, so I'd group them tightly</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Vendor Certificate in Doors [Beginner, Advanced, Expert]</p>\n<p>Vendor Certificate in Windows [Beginner, Advanced]</p>\n<p>etc</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>That way it's clear to see, but without avoiding un-necessary repetition of basic information. You may even want to reverse it to read [Expert, Advanced, Beginner] so the higher priority one is first.</p>\n<p>Within the list, I'd put the most relevant skill or experience (in this case Doors, as it has the highest grade) at the top, and work my way to the least relevant. This typically means the most recent first, but don't take that to mean they must be in reverse chronological order... if you have a more relevant qualification from 5 years ago, that goes above a less relevant qualification from last week. Note also that if Doors was expert but you were applying for a job in Windows, you may want to put Windows first even though it's only Advanced grade.</p>\n<p>This applies for the rest of a CV/Resume too - put the most relevant first, which usually means the most recent. Tick all their &quot;Skills/qualifications&quot; boxes in the first few paragraphs and they're already thinking &quot;Oh, this is a good candidate&quot; and can use your less important/personal stuff to convince themselves that you're a well balanced, rounded individual. Anything beyond their minimum requirements will be seen as a bonus.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/36812", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/5425/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 36830, "author": "Hazel", "author_id": 30040, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/30040", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As with many things regarding resumes, it depends what impression you're trying to give. Particularly early in my career, I was looking to fill space on my resume, so broke various bits of my previous experience down and went in to all the different things I did as much as possible, to give examples of all the things I was willing to turn my hand to and how I was willing and able to pick up new things quickly. Now, I group it all together and explain it more concisely and in less detail.</p>\n\n<p>I think the \"coming across as a job hopper\" concern is valid, so I'd suggest grouping the roles together to make it clear that they're all for the same company (group them under \"Stack Exchange\" in this example), and try and tie them together in terms of the the skills acquired. But I think more important would be talking about it at interview, and being able to explain the various roles as some sort of natural progression, or willingness to pick up all sorts of necessary tasks across the business, and make it come across as a positive thing.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 36838, "author": "Jon Story", "author_id": 28766, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/28766", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If she has 5 years experience, 3 at this company, I'd certainly group them while keeping them distinct. She has at least two roles, and this one gives her a lot of variety to talk about, so I don't think she needs to split it to pad things - the risk of looking like a job hopper is more of a real risk to her than lack of variety/experience</p>\n\n<p>I'd format it as:</p>\n\n<pre><code>&gt; Overall consultancy position (current job)\n Responsibilities, description etc (high level), making it clear that it was \n a consultancy role which involved secondments within other companies\n\n + Secondment 3\n Quick description of project and achievements\n + Secondment 2\n Quick description of project and achievements\n + Secondment 1\n Quick description of project and achievements\n\n&gt; Previous Job\n Responsibilities, description etc\n + Projects worked on within company\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>This is a great way to make it clear that all of the three \"roles\" (which are excellent to talk about) were within one consistent employment. In short, she's got the best of both worlds - lots of real world experience and diversity for such a short career, along with a decent amount of loyalty/longeivity within the company: plus they clearly thought she was good enough to keep sending her on-site.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 62456, "author": "user47083", "author_id": 47083, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/47083", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I’ve been working on improving my CV, mostly applying information I’ve found on the Internet. The consensus seems to be that a CV should not exceed 2 pages. I have therefore tried to boil my 20+ year career down to a 2 page document.</p>\n\n<p>I have been a consultant for the last 10 years which means lots of clients and projects. It has proven impossible for me to boil this down to 2 pages when I list all clients and a short description of what the projects entailed. So now I have a 3 page document that I’m satisfied with.</p>\n\n<p>As an experiment, I created another version of my CV simply listing my employers and explaining my responsibilities and highlighting some achievements without even specifically mentioning customer names and specific projects. This did allow me to produce a 2 page CV but I don’t feel comfortable with it. It just appears there is too much information that is missing.</p>\n\n<p>The argument that my 3 page CV might look like that of a job hopper hadn’t yet occurred to me. However, I have this idea that future employers expect the CV of a consultant to look like a list of projects. I may be wrong of course.</p>\n\n<p>It’s very difficult to tell what would work best.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/36826", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/3163/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 37224, "author": "Wesley Long", "author_id": 9264, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/9264", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You don't.</p>\n\n<p>Resumes are summaries of what you've accomplished. You haven't accomplished this, yet.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 37225, "author": "Conor", "author_id": 12272, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/12272", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I would put it as: </p>\n\n<pre><code>University I am attending Expected graduation date: Month, year\n(planned) Master of Science in Subject Current GPA: 4.0\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Normally you don't put things you haven't earned on your resume. This is a notable exception because the job may not even consider you without you listing a degree in a specific field on your resume. Putting that may be enough to get you past HR who would otherwise ignore your application. </p>\n\n<p>Similarly, you may want to do this if you were looking for a job just before graduation. In that case you have pretty much already earned the credentials, but you cannot say that you have yet, so you use the above as a \"placeholder\" of sorts to get a hiring manager's attention.</p>\n\n<p>You should probably wait until you actually get into the program to do this. To an employer \"Part of the program, but not yet graduated\" may carry some value, but \"Haven't started the program but trying to get into it\" would likely seem pretty valueless.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 37274, "author": "Kelly Tessena Keck", "author_id": 3097, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/3097", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It's pretty common to list an expected degree on a resume. The usual way to do this is to put your expected graduation date in parentheses and use words like \"expected\" to convey that you haven't completed the degree yet. </p>\n\n<p>However, until you've at least taken a few useful and relevant classes, it may be too early to add it. You haven't really accomplished anything yet, so there's no merit to it from the potential employer's point of view. <em>Especially</em> before you've been accepted to the program. That could easily be viewed as exaggerating your qualifications.</p>\n\n<p>Once you've made some real progress in the master's program, you can list your expected degree, as well as your GPA if it's good and any classes that are specifically relevant to the job. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 60744, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You can indicate the program you're currently in if it is relevant to the jobs you're applying for, but don't assume because you're in a graduate program, everyone will think you can't work 9-6. Many CS Degrees are done online and at night to accommodate people still working in the field full-time. Address your availability in a cover letter.</p>\n\n<p>Many jobs post that they require a CS Degree, something close to it or experience. There are jobs that will be impressed with a Masters in CS, but don't expect that to be typical. It is all going to come to whether you know how to code or can demonstrate your ability to learn quickly. Make sure you don't give the impression that you can't take graduate classes and work full-time. Focus on needing some time flexibility until you graduate.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 174775, "author": "Vorac", "author_id": 1382, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/1382", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>My BS is in Industrial engineering</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Mine too! And I am a coder as well! And doing a MS as well!</p>\n<p>Now to answer the question. I would not list the MS on the CV. You have not completed yet any classes, so nothing to gain. But you can loose interview opportunities.</p>\n<ol>\n<li>List your skills (be generous here - even 1 semester course is a skill if you can defend it on an interview).</li>\n<li>List your open-source work.</li>\n<li>Apply to many companies.</li>\n<li>Let them contact you.</li>\n<li>Charm and impress them.</li>\n<li>THEN request flexibility or whatever you need. In my country you get 5 extra days of payed leave if you are a student.</li>\n</ol>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/37223", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/22211/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 37375, "author": "Dan Is Fiddling By Firelight", "author_id": 345, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/345", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Do you have any way to contact him outside of your job?</p>\n\n<p>Asking via phone, personal email, LinkedIn, etc after he's left his current job would be somewhat safer. As long as he's still employed he should still be acting in his (soon to be former) employers interest; which would include tipping them off that they should start preparing for your departure. Depending on paranoia levels this could go far as preemptively releasing you from your contract to avoid the risk that you'd steal their code/data on your way out the door.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 38422, "author": "Joe Strazzere", "author_id": 7777, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/7777", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Can I ask him for a recommendation letter before he leaves? Do you\n think I should ask him? If yes, how do you think I should say it?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>It's certainly reasonable for you to ask for a letter of recommendation, comments on your LinkedIn page, or for him to be a reference for you in the future. Personally, I'd tend toward the latter, but if you want a letter now, that's not unreasonable. I've done the same for interns that have worked for me in the past.</p>\n\n<p>You simply find a quiet time and ask \"Hey, boss - do you have a few minutes that we can chat?\"</p>\n\n<p>Then you just come out and nicely ask if he would write such a letter for you. </p>\n\n<p>If you are friendly with your boss and he's pleased with your work, he'd probably be happy to write the letter. You might have to give him an idea of the format and content you are looking for.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/37385", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/30062/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 38644, "author": "Eric J Fisher", "author_id": 18015, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/18015", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The key to not having all your work effectively stolen comes down to what you do before actually starting to get paid and what you provide the potential client.</p>\n\n<p><strong>How much before hand</strong></p>\n\n<p>Until you've got some kind of binding agreement don't invest huge amounts of your time for free. Simply put you'll get screwed as they can now take your planning and pass it off to cheap labor to follow it.</p>\n\n<p>Typically I'll get a rough estimate of what I expect and just give them that.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Create replacement interface</li>\n<li>Migrate Database to new system</li>\n<li>Setup reporting services\nrough estimate 56 hours.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Clearly this is an incomplete list that is probably off by 10 - 15% time wise. since you're taking a quick glance and not digging into the nitty gritty.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Negotiate the research process</strong></p>\n\n<p>You're detailed break down itself is worth a decent chunk of change. You've effectively finished hours of admin work for free. In the future you should provide a birds eye outline only (like I did above) if they want something of detail you need to be paid, in the event they make the offer for you to do the work you'll credit that cost against the total price.</p>\n\n<p>(IE if they take your outline to someone else you get paid your fee for the outline, if they hire you to do the work then you just eat the cost of the outline as a bargaining tool)</p>\n\n<p><strong>Fire clients</strong></p>\n\n<p>Even with all this sometimes you'll have the person who doesn't pay, bounces a check, or otherwise does something cringe worthy. Firing clients is both your right and necessary. If someone is unreasonable, takes advantage of you, etc. It's perfectly fair to professionally decline any future work from a client due to past issues. The last thing you want is someone who won't pay you to be eating up time you could use on a paying client.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 38655, "author": "NotMe", "author_id": 12635, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/12635", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>This is fairly common in a number of industries.</p>\n\n<p>In mine there are a limited number of established \"players\". We can usually tell which company was the initial (or even favored) contact with the potential client based on the RFP that is produced. Basically there are certain keywords that each of us use to differentiate our products and when those show up in the RFP itself then we know who wrote it.</p>\n\n<p>Is it ethical? No. It's even borderline illegal in certain markets - ours falls in that category. Is there anything that can actually be done about it? Not really. I mean we could certainly sue the potential clients (some of our competitors have) but that is really not beneficial in the long run.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>In your particular case I'd make sure I didn't give the implementation plan and design away for free. The requestor should provide a list of requirements that are good enough for you to give a non-binding ball park figure. The next step would be for you to have the client pay you a certain amount to spend time building the analysis, implementation plan and initial design. </p>\n\n<p>From that you give them the price for completion. At which point it's up to them to continue with you or to find someone else to implement your design. When I was doing contract programming there were many times where I did the initial engagement while a different company performed the actual implementation. Sometimes this was even understood before the initial engagement even started. </p>\n\n<p>If you come to terms that this will sometimes happen and properly plan for it then you'll be happier.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/38646", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/30194/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 39000, "author": "bharal", "author_id": 8146, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/8146", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>Depends.</strong></p>\n\n<p>Specifically, <em>It depends on what you're going to be doing in the next role.</em></p>\n\n<p>For example, if your next role is with a consulting company (or really, any company that \"sells\" you as a valued person to some client) then the name matters more. After all, wouldn't you rather have Sam from Google working on your next project, over say, Sam from SmallCompany?</p>\n\n<p>If your next role is on some niche areas (say, Web Marketing for Animal Preservation Holidays) then the work you did is going to be more important than name, assuming there is a strong overlap in skills.</p>\n\n<p>It also matters if you are changing role! If you were working at Goldman Sachs as an HR person, and now want to move into Sales, then while you have zero (\"real\") experience, you do have a great name behind you. That will help you create a convincing \"pitch\".</p>\n\n<p>Typically, if you are staying in the same general area, then having a good name in that field helps. If you are a banking IT person, having a list of strong banking IT names will help (as opposed to working in a small bank, or a startup in a vaguely-banking related field). </p>\n\n<p>However, if you worked in a startup in a vaguely banking related field, but some company absolutely needs someone who does niche-banking-thing, then, again, having that skill is more important than having a great name, but no experience in that niche field.</p>\n\n<p>For you specifically (assuming an average developer doing typical development work), <strong>a strong name helps more than the projects</strong>. Anybody can write up what projects they did, but a great name will look more impressive (believability factor). </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39001, "author": "mlk", "author_id": 2605, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/2605", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<pre><code>The projects I have undertaken / technology(s) I have worked upon.\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>This one. </p>\n\n<p>The name of a cool company might make your CV stand out a little bit, but if you can tell the prospective employer of the projects you have done and map the technologies you have used with the ones they require it will help a lot more.</p>\n\n<p>This is based on my past experience working with teams hiring people. The most something like \"Google\" on a CV has got is \"oh they have worked at Google\". If your skill set does not match the requirements of the role then the word Google would not help. If you do have the word \"Google\" on your CV and you match then you would get to the next stage of the process, same as is you don't have the word \"Google\" on your CV. </p>\n\n<p>Is this going to be the same everywhere? I don't know, but think about who you would like to work with going forward, people who hire based on skill and relevance to the role, or on \"cool\" previous employers and shape your CV around that. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 39002, "author": "Hilmar", "author_id": 5418, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/5418", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>They do different things. A highly visible company is likely to get you more calls and inquiries and help you to get better through the initial review screening. People from Apple are more likely to get interviews than people from Steve's Software Smithy. </p>\n\n<p>However, once you are in front of the hiring manager, the actual jobs, roles and experience will be more important.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/38999", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/30716/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 40082, "author": "JB King", "author_id": 233, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/233", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I'd second Dan's comment that this is the number of years of formal education. In Canada there are 12 grades of elementary and secondary school, which isn't counting pre-school and Kindergarten, then adding 4 years for a Bachelor's degree would give a total of 16 years of education. I'd suspect in the US there could be similar totals giving that number of years of total schooling.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 40087, "author": "NotMe", "author_id": 12635, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/12635", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>&#177; is going to mean \"about\" or \"approximately\" or even \"give or take a bit\". </p>\n\n<p>Essentially it's saying that the person spent about 16 years of their life in school.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/40080", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/22076/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42112, "author": "NobodySpecial", "author_id": 17480, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/17480", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It suggests that the company is getting desperate - leave now before the rush.</p>\n\n<p>My partner worked for a european company that was taken over by a large US competitor, the resulting drop in working conditions resulted in such a rush for the door that they introduced a new contract.</p>\n\n<p>1, 3 month notice period for all staff however junior.<br>\n2, No days off allowed during the notice period (so you can't attend interviews)<br>\n3, Staff were told that new agreement was confidential and couldn't be shown to union or legal advisers.</p>\n\n<p>There was a happy ending. Lots of babies were born as staff combined their maternity leave with their notice period. The company closed within a year.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42113, "author": "Joe Strazzere", "author_id": 7777, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/7777", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>How does one deal with this?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>While changing the rules like this is really bad form, employers are not required to give references at all.</p>\n\n<p>Thus, it appears that you need to decide how much you value this reference, and if you trust this employer to stand by their (newly revised) promise.</p>\n\n<p>You can choose to give a 30-day notice (or whatever happens to be \"required\" at that point in time), and let your next employer know. Most will wait that long for a good employee.</p>\n\n<p>Or you can choose to give a lesser notice, and either not depend on this reference, or get this reference some other way.</p>\n\n<p>In general, if you are in good standing with someone within the organization, you can often give a specific individual as a reference, without regard to the corporate \"undocumented policy\".</p>\n\n<p>Many folks I know will gladly give a good reference for a friend, without worrying about corporate policy. Your mileage may vary.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42114, "author": "akton", "author_id": 5629, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/5629", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Please note that I am not a lawyer. It may be worth consulting with a legal professional knowledgeable in your local state and country employment legislation.</p>\n\n<p>It would be interesting to ask why the change in resignation policy was made. It sounds like the company got burnt. For example, key staff member left without sufficient hand over time or the a company manager gave a reference that turned out to be so woefully inaccurate that the company was threatened with legal action.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>How does one deal with this?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>If no one is resigning, you need not do anything. Sometimes it may be best to let sleeping dogs lie.</p>\n\n<p>If you or someone you know is resigning, there are two issues here. First is the notice period. While 30 days may seem high, many countries require 4 weeks or so notice (e.g. Australia, some countries in Europe). They key is to work with your management and your management to work with you to ensure there is sufficient hand over time.</p>\n\n<p>Assuming no country or state laws apply, your employment contract trumps any company policy changes so, if your employment contract states two weeks notice, then there is nothing legally the company can do to force longer notice. However, unless this stops you from moving to a new position, I would just give the longer notice, work through the period then happily leave.</p>\n\n<p>If you must leave without the 30 days notice and get blacklisted (assuming the company actually carries this out), is the company a place you would consider going back to? It sounds like there are other issues there. </p>\n\n<p>The second issue about only HR giving references is, unfortunately, increasingly common in larger companies. Afraid of getting sued for giving favorable references, companies now give out a statement of employment, merely listing your employment start and end dates along with your final title. If you are afraid of getting a reference that states \"will not hire again\", ask for a statement of employment instead. However, if you build a good relationship with your manager, chances are he or she may be an informal referee (someone that can provide a verbal rather than written assessment). </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/42108", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/25850/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42406, "author": "The Wandering Dev Manager", "author_id": 4937, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/4937", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I think trying to represent all the different versions of the company is confusing and looks like you're moving when you aren't. The ownership of the company doesn't make too much of a difference to how you worked, so isn't really relevant. I'd just list it as ABC Standalone Company throughout (if the dynamic changed going from standalone to corporate, it's something you can point out at an appropriate point in the interview).</p>\n\n<p>By all means if you want to show the different roles/progression in this company then list them individually, but only if they are a real change from the last (if your job title changed due to the buyouts but was the same job, I wouldn't list it). </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42413, "author": "KMSTR", "author_id": 2920, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/2920", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I would go with the simplest approach, based always on the present, as that is the most relevant and easiest to research:</p>\n\n<pre><code>Current Company name and Division (formerly also Company name and Company Name)\n\nPositions held chronologically:\n - Starter \n - Mover-Upper\n - Position-Changer ...\n</code></pre>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/42404", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/33130/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 42663, "author": "Eric Lippert", "author_id": 360, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/360", "pm_score": 5, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Well, were I the hiring manager I would interpret your statements as \"instead of me paying for training to improve my own skills, tell you what, you guys pay me to take up the time of your employees who will mentor me, and in exchange I'll abandon you for my better-paying freelance work after I've learned what I can from you\". Maybe that's not what you intended to communicate, but that's what I'd hear.</p>\n\n<p>I've had interview candidates who told me straight up that they intended to use the position as a stepping stone to work outside my division or my company; I \"no hired\" those people. They might be great technical candidates, but if I'm just going to have to find their replacement in six months or a year, it's better to pass on them.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>What would be a better way to put it? All I can think of is leaving the salary remark out altogether.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Salary negotiation is tricky. All prices send a signal. \"I am taking a significant pay cut\" can signal a lot of things, and \"you are getting a bargain by hiring me\" is not necessarily one of them. Leaving aside the \"leave in six months\" aspect, this potentially sends signals like:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>My work isn't very good, but you're getting it cheap. Maybe it will get better in the future, and then you're really getting a bargain. </li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Well, if I wanted that, I'd hire someone straight out of college. I want my industry hires to justify their higher cost by being immediately productive.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>I don't need this job. You guys are lucky to get me.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Signaling that you're willing to walk away from a deal is a powerful negotiating position, but you've got to be willing to do it, and you've got to <em>convince</em> them that they really are lucky to get you.</p>\n\n<p>You know what good hiring managers want to hear? Only two things. <strong>Hiring me will make you hugely more revenue than my fee</strong>, and <strong>hiring me will lower your costs more than my fee</strong>. </p>\n\n<p>Now, I'm not saying to in any way be misleading about your motives. But if you're asked again \"why do you want to give up your lucrative freelance job to work for us?\" then emphasize something that looks more like a win-win. \"I want to concentrate on <em>writing great code</em> to solve (<em>business problem X</em>) without having to <em>waste my valuable time that I could be coding</em> drumming up clients, dealing with billing and all the other hassles of freelancing\" is way better than \"my code isn't maintainable, so I want to learn from your guys on the job\". </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 42664, "author": "Xav", "author_id": 3331, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/3331", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I Think I would have phrased it a little differently:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Whilst I've enjoyed the freedom and variety of working as a freelancer, I would value the opportunity to work on the kinds of larger, more complex projects such as those you've been describing.\n I'd like to spend a few years in a larger, more corporate environment, partly because of the additional security that comes with being an employee and partly because I believe that the opportunities available to me in this kind of an environment are a better match for my medium-to-long term aspirations than continuing with the freelance work I've been doing.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This gets a number of points across:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>You've thought about the differences between freelance and employment</li>\n<li>You're ready to stick with them for a number of years</li>\n<li>You're keen to enjoy corporate employee life and have had enough of freelancing for the time being.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>It also doesn't expose any of the weaknesses your own answer highlighted, doesn't make you come across as mercenary or needy and doesn't try to convey that you don't really give two hoots about whether you get this job.</p>\n\n<p>However true that last one is, it's the thing most likely to make me reject a candidate at interview. I'll always pick the candidate that shows me they want the job over the one that doesn't, all other points being equal, and in fact I'll knock points off a candidate that goes out of their way to explain how much they don't care about getting the job.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/42662", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44401, "author": "Jonast92", "author_id": 22127, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/22127", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<pre><code>Thanks, we will recontact you in case we need more info ...\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Generally this means that they have a list of candidates and if you'll get into the final group of candidates which can be hired then they'll contact you again for more information which will help them decide whether you're suitable or not, possibly by another interview. Right now they got everything they need.</p>\n\n<p>Of course, they might already have made a decision, but there's no point in being negative.</p>\n\n<p>Most employers will not contact you again anyway, just wait and see. If it's a job you really want then you can try to ask them about the status of the recruiting process after some time has passed.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44402, "author": "dh47", "author_id": 29483, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/29483", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>At present they got required information about you which is enough for\n them for now</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>We have 2 issues here</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <ul>\n <li>They have put your CV on hold because the position you have applied for is filled and you may listen from them if they need more<br>\n employees for that position.</li>\n <li>They put your CV in screening and will get back to you once they feel you are suitable for the position.</li>\n </ul>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>In most of the cases if a company is not satisfied or if they don't need to hire they reply as</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Thanks for your interest in us we will surely get back to you when\n needed or in some other similar way </p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>but in your case this may not be the issue.</p>\n\n<p>So be positive and hope for a positive response all the best.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/44393", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/34251/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44479, "author": "blankip", "author_id": 16609, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16609", "pm_score": 6, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I have a site like this. Just <strong>first name</strong> for main address. </p>\n\n<p>Having both names is kind of repetitive therefore pretentious (unless your name is really really long and you include your middle name - then it might be funny). Having admin/webmaster/postmaster makes people think they are emailing you about a problem on your website.</p>\n\n<p>[email protected] relays I am talking to John on John's website. It is easy for users to figure this out, nothing negative about it, and separates your email from admin type tasks. I would email [email protected] to tell him that his article was great, and [email protected] to tell him that the main menu isn't working right on tablets.</p>\n\n<p>Only if you are this weight lifter from Madagascar can you use your full name.</p>\n\n<p>harinelinanathaliarakotondramanana@harinelinanathaliarakotondramanana.xxx</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44613, "author": "Frank Martin", "author_id": 34423, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/34423", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I would like to make another suggestion: \"[email protected]\".</p>\n\n<p>Reason: Because of the meaning of the at symbol this e-mail address reads as \"mail at ...\" what sounds kind of natural to me.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44633, "author": "Rob P.", "author_id": 5007, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/5007", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Personally, I use [email protected]</p>\n\n<p>If I were to send a resume to Google, my email would be [email protected] - if I were to apply to Yahoo, it would be [email protected]</p>\n\n<p>Internally, it all goes to my primary mailbox; but this allows me to do all sorts of filtering and gives me more control over my mail. For example, when I start getting spam mail, I can quickly see where it originated from because every e-mail address has a one to one relationship with companies or websites.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 54685, "author": "Anonymous Coward", "author_id": 42205, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/42205", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Another choice would be your initials. <code>[email protected]</code> or if your middle name is Middle <code>[email protected]</code>.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 99522, "author": "Joe Strazzere", "author_id": 7777, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/7777", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>I would like to use my domain name... however, the \"basics\" like\n \"Hello@...\"; \"Me@...\" or \"Postmaster/Webmaster@...\" doesn't look very\n professional to me.</p>\n \n <p>Any advices on how to do it correctly ?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>The best ways I've seen it done would be to use your firstname or nickname.</p>\n\n<p>[email protected]</p>\n\n<p>or </p>\n\n<p>[email protected]</p>\n\n<p>Only do this if you have a reasonably typical nickname. (For example, I would use something [email protected] but probably not [email protected])</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/44482", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/34306/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44611, "author": "mcknz", "author_id": 4781, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/4781", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I'm in app dev and not infrastructure, but there's a similar question on developer resumes with listing IDEs, platforms, and operating systems. Instead of listing (for example) Visual Studio 2003/2008/2010/2012/2013/2015 or SQL Server 6/7/2000/2008/2012/2014, I prefer just \"recent versions of Visual Studio and SQL Server.\" </p>\n\n<p>By getting very specific your resume becomes noisy -- you also risk looking as though you don't have the most up-to-date skills. Plus, do you really want to get hired to work on old technology?</p>\n\n<p>Remember that your resume is an introduction to an employer. There's plenty of time during the interview process to discuss specifics.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44674, "author": "Zibbobz", "author_id": 16504, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16504", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Having experience with a number of different model routers is an interesting point, and you should mention it on your resume. </p>\n\n<p>As one item. </p>\n\n<p>Having a wide range of experience is a good thing when looking for a job where you'll be dealing with a lot of routers (and I assume you are, or else you <em>should not even mention this at all</em>), but this is only <em>one</em> fact about yourself, and trying to spread it out and name every router you've ever worked with makes it look like you're trying to pad your resume - which is not the impression you want to give. </p>\n\n<p>If you want to impress an employer more, you should mention specific <em>tasks</em> that you've accomplished - mention that you've connected routers, fixed routers, swapped out routers, set up wireless/wired networks, all the different tasks that you've accomplished in your career/education/spare time working with different routers, <em>those</em> are interesting points to put on your resume. </p>\n\n<p>What employers are interested in when reading a resume is not a mass of information, or the number of different objects you've worked with, but the skills that you have that they can use. </p>\n\n<p>It IS good that you know so many routers, so mention that you've worked with many different ones, but don't dwell on it - focus on what you can do in a practical manner, not the raw data of your experience. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/44609", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/26839/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 44857, "author": "fullerja", "author_id": 34603, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/34603", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I would list the work under both Titles, something like:</p>\n\n<pre><code>Job Title 2 (Dec 2013 - Present)\nJob Title 1 (Jan 2012 - Dec 2013) at Company XYZ\n - Work 1\n - Work 2\n</code></pre>\n" }, { "answer_id": 44864, "author": "Jane S", "author_id": 33698, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/33698", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I had something similar happen to me once where they switched a whole heap of job titles around in a restructure. I simply left the old title in place on my CV as I felt it was more indicative of the duties I performed. Even if someone were to check your references and ring your old employer to ask, \"Was Jane employed with you as an [ old title ]?\" then of course they would answer that was true. </p>\n\n<p>Most organisations are looking for <em>skills</em> not job titles. If you get as far as a referee check, they will be calling someone YOU nominated and they are already pretty sure they want to hire you. I never had an issue from it.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/44854", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/34600/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 47351, "author": "Mike", "author_id": 13234, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/13234", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If someone from your company challeneged or questioned you about your answers (assuming your answers were of the nature to require challenging), what is to stop you just saying \"No, that isn't me\"?</p>\n\n<p>If they go through all the trouble of mapping the information to your provided first degree relatives information, just say, \"That cannot be me, I did not answer with the real information, just a character sequence that I know I will re-use seeing as the purpose of that is not to identify me but to group future surveys to me\"</p>\n\n<p>As @MaskedMan mentioned in a comment, it may be that there is no malice in this</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 47352, "author": "SpaceDog", "author_id": 22763, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/22763", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Thanks for editing the extra info into the question. </p>\n\n<p>It was a 3rd party site, so the chances are all they'll see is 'rolled-up' data totals, not individual responses. It will depend on the site, how much they're paying for it and a few other things. It may be possible for them to dig deeper, I know the default is that you get a report and not generally individual responses. It's possible they're outsourcing everything to a third party in order to protect your anonymity. </p>\n\n<p>While it's always possible they're trying to weed out troublemakers this way (I've met people who think that way) it seems unlikely. </p>\n\n<p>This sounds like a genuine attempt to gauge employee morale -- something good companies do -- and then use that to prioritize their improvement efforts. Those questions are on the more extreme-end of a fairly standard set of questions. Did they also ask </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>\"Do you have a (best) friend in the office/company\" </p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>or </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>\"Did someone praise/acknowledge your work in the last X days\". </p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>If so they're drawing from a fairly standard set of 'employee morale' questions. If they're concentrating on company loyalty then they may be concerned about a recent raise in people leaving, or concerned that their benefits are sub-par (or perhaps too generous). </p>\n\n<p>The grandmothers name things means they want a unique identifier so that they can track changes in peoples responses. Again probably 'rolled up' into something like 'X people score went up and Y went down', something you can't quite tell with just raw results. That's a little <em>odd</em> for these surveys but as <strong>MaskedMan</strong> says in the comments -- it's probably just stupidity. I could see someone in a meeting thinking it's a great idea and never thinking it through. </p>\n\n<p>Also note it doesn't specify the <em>order</em> to put the letters in (i.e. which grandparent first), I don't know how many employees took the survey and I'm not going to crunch the numbers now but it may not be as unique an identifier as you think. </p>\n\n<p>So, what do you do? </p>\n\n<p>If you're really concerned then in the future, just make up letters for that last question or don't complete the survey at all it. If it's truly anonymous then they'll never know and if they approach you then you'll know they're matching results to people ... </p>\n\n<p>I would perhaps reach out to the people who set up the survey, explain that you've completed it but express confusion about the last question. Don't express concern, or accuse them of anything, just ask something for clarification about why it's there. Also ask if the overall results and action plan will be shared. </p>\n\n<p>Finally, examine why you jumped to the conclusion that this was a 'trolling' attempt. Do you really feel that way about your company, in that case there's a trust issue which you have to decide if that's valid or your paranoia. If your feelings are valid then my advice would be to start looking for a new job with a better company (in your opinion). </p>\n\n<p><strong>Edit</strong>: And if they do approach you then follow the advice in <strong>Mike</strong>'s answer. Plus you'll know what your company is like and can choose what to do then with that knowledge. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 47353, "author": "Joe Strazzere", "author_id": 7777, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/7777", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>How to react in future if they bring up these surveys in an effort to\n put pressure on me? </p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>In the extremely unlikely event that the company brings up your survey answers, just deny that they were yours.</p>\n\n<p>It cannot be proven that mapping characters this way produces unique results for everyone.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Can they really use or map these results although they explicitly\n expressed anonymity at the top of this survey ?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I suppose it's possible to map the results to individuals.\nAnd depending on the laws of your locale, and the written assurances of privacy on the survey, the company may or may not be legally permitted to do so.</p>\n\n<p>But, at least in my experience, it's extremely unlikely they would do so. There are easier ways for a company to gather such information quietly if they chose to do so. I suspect you are worrying unnecessarily.</p>\n\n<p>In the future, if you are suspicious of these anonymous surveys, you could simply choose not to participate. (Of course, if they were actually gathering clandestine answers, then they could also know that you didn't participate.)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 47636, "author": "Quando Sumus", "author_id": 36705, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/36705", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The best option may be to just ignore such survey requests unless it is part of your job description or contract. Employees are paid to do their job and answering survey questions is rarely part of the job. Also, it is usually people at a rather high level who will take decisions based on the survey results and people at lower levels have no control over whether these survey results are taken into account or if the decisions taken are agreeable. So there is absolutely no point in spending time on these surveys. It is not like the people asking for your responses are your friends or family so you have an interest in providing them the benefit of your experience and knowledge in such matters; they are merely managers or executives of a company where you happen to be working at present.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/47350", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/36516/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 47858, "author": "Philip Kendall", "author_id": 14388, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/14388", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Are you undertaking any work which needs the input of the CEO? If not, then don't waste their time.</p>\n\n<p>The people you want in your \"professional network\" are those people who are going to help you get your next job - that means your peers and the lower levels of the management hierarchy. Having the CEO of a big corp in there won't do you any favours unless they know who you are and what you're good at.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 47861, "author": "Joe Strazzere", "author_id": 7777, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/7777", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Here's an alternative dialog that might work at my company. It might work at yours, too:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>You: \"Hey Mr. CEO, How's it going?\"</p>\n \n <p>CEO: \"Good........... umm and you are?\"</p>\n \n <p>You: \"I'm zzz, and I'm a new intern here, in the X Department. I just wanted to say how much I appreciate the opportunity to work here at Y Corporation. I'm particularly interested in W, which I know is one of the key fields in which Y is involved. I was wondering if you have suggestions about who to talk with so that I could learn more?\"</p>\n \n <p>CEO: \"Welcome to Y Corporation! Shoot me an email, and I'll get right back to you with a few names of folks who might help. Also, talk to Ms. HR about our Internship Mentoring Program. If you are interested, it's a great way to connect with some of our Senior Leaders.\"</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>See the difference?</p>\n\n<p>You are showing your enthusiasm, an interest in the company, and are asking for something specific from Mr. CEO, rather than just generalities.</p>\n\n<p>Think about it, and give it a try.</p>\n\n<p>You could end up with a useful, ongoing conversation with Mr. CEO via email, and a great opening to talk about whenever you run into him again.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 47862, "author": "enderland", "author_id": 2322, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/2322", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Note: this answer is not as applicable for cultures with higher respect for authority, but more Western cultures (where hierarchy is less important to respect).</p>\n<h2>Is it a good idea? Or crazy?</h2>\n<p>I don't think it's difficult to network with higher level folks as an intern. In fact, I think that's perhaps the <em>best</em> time to do so. Everyone expects you are looking for career guidance/direction and it's 100% ok to do so overtly.</p>\n<p>When I was an intern, I actually did exactly this. I sent an email to the VP of the division I was working in - for a 50k+ company - and got together with him for some time to talk about career perspective, paths, etc. It was great, totally intimidating, but really worthwhile. Another intern went to the same school as our CEO and got together with him (all the other interns thought he was CRAZY for asking about that).</p>\n<p>Something to think about - what percentage of interns even try to do this? 1% maybe? Most non-interns won't, either. If all interns were doing this it might be harder but most are terrified of the idea.</p>\n<p>High level executives won't be someone to personally refer you, etc. But they can provide you great networking contacts and wisdom.</p>\n<h2>How to approach it</h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I imagine a conversation along the lines of:</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>... this isn't how most conversations like this go.</p>\n<p>A lot of folks in higher level management positions enjoy mentoring/coaching people in career perspective. People generally like to help others, too. My experience has been that people in higher level management positions are <em>more</em> willing to have these types of conversations, because even though they are super busy, they get nearly no requests for this and often like doing this sort of thing (connecting people, giving career guidance, etc).</p>\n<p>People love to give advice, especially when they think it will be useful.</p>\n<p>So what you need to do is make it clear that:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>You are an intern/junior employee</li>\n<li>The VP has something you would benefit from (experience, wisdom, etc)</li>\n<li>You would love to get their perspective and some of their time</li>\n</ul>\n<p>If you do reach out, email is a good way to do it, something like:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Hey Mr. VP,</p>\n<p>I am an intern here and would love to get perspective from you on my career. Would you be willing to get together? If so, I can setup some time on your calendar.</p>\n<p>Thanks!</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>But be very sure:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Come with a specific list of questions to ask. You don't need to do go through them (VPs often like to talk and can be good at guiding this convo, but make sure you are prepared)</li>\n<li>DO NOT WASTE THEIR TIME. This should be obvious, but if you are getting time with a VP don't waste their time.</li>\n<li>Send a followup, &quot;thanks for being willing to get together - I appreciated your guidance and it will be very helpful as I figure out my career!&quot; type of email. If you get people to connect with, consider sending another followup email a few weeks later like, &quot;I got together with X and it was really beneficial - thanks again for the advice!&quot; But make sure these emails are 1) very easy to read and 2) very obviously not a &quot;needs response&quot; type of email.</li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 47864, "author": "Rhonda", "author_id": 36848, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/36848", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Being an intern, I want to grow my professional network.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>That is good. The question you should ask yourself is, how do I improve myself so that others want to grow <em>their</em> professional network with you.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>When I see high-level executives walking around, and I get incredibly\n intimated and look away.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This person is also a human being and probably started out as an intern like you.</p>\n\n<p>Instead of looking away, just give a gentle smile with eye contact, and then carry about your business</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I have no idea how to approach them.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Approach them for what? A smile, a nod, perhaps \"Good Morning\" will do. </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I imagine a conversation along the lines of:</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>No need for conversation, let them come to you. </p>\n\n<p>Some people at the top actually like to talk to young interns, perhaps give them a tip or two, to give some positive advice that will help in career. Depends on the person. No need to get intimidated, they are human beings, not God.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/47857", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/36857/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 48729, "author": "nvoigt", "author_id": 10813, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/10813", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Generally speaking, <strong>No</strong>.</p>\n\n<p>Most companies see fluency in English as a plus, but fluency in German is implied and required. All meetings, emails and most documentation will be in German. While most developers do speak english, nobody will force their development team to communicate in a foreign language for just one single hire. The cost to be paid in bugs and misunderstandings would be too high.</p>\n\n<p>However, there are a few multi-national companies, for the most part those that exist in many european countries and don't originate from one, where the office language <em>is</em> English. They normally require English and at least one other language and you would probably fit right in. But those jobs are rare. If you can find one, that might be a good fit. But be prepared that there will be many candidates for one job and most will probably know even more languages.</p>\n\n<p>So that's a lot of \"maybe\"s and chances. You will only know if you try. try to find companies that hire people without German and try to find out what they are looking for. That will be different from company to company.</p>\n\n<p>In the meantime, if you really want to get to Germany, try to find a German course. The language is not easy, but we know that. You don't need to be perfect. Learn the basics and get here to practice it. We have a lot of good developers from non-German speaking countries. In some meetings, if I weren't the odd one out that does not speak the language in question, we'd be communicating in Russian or Spanish. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 48738, "author": "sleske", "author_id": 57, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/57", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p><em>To add to nvoigt's answer:</em></p>\n\n<p>Even if everyone in the company speaks English, and all internal documents are in English, consider that in many companies you will have to communicate with people outside the company - technology partners, contractors, suppliers, even (gasp) actual customers or users.</p>\n\n<p>There is an even higher likelyhood that some of these people do not (want to) speak English - and even if they do, you will probably have to work with documents they have written or provided (documentation, brochures, bug reports, meeting notes, official regulations), which will probably be in German.</p>\n\n<p>So - in general the answer is <strong>no.</strong></p>\n\n<p>The exception would be if a company has an official (and effective) policy of everything having to be in English (documents, meetings, communication with customers). This may be the case in a large, multinational company, but will be quite uncommon in smaller companies. There probably are such jobs out there, but it is not the rule.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/48726", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/37492/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 48898, "author": "Libereco", "author_id": 34493, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/34493", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As a rule, the title should always come first. \nAs en employer, what would you like to know first? What the prospective employee studied? Or where? </p>\n\n<p>It also shows what you are considering more important. What you learnt? Or which university you attended.</p>\n\n<p>Also. Try not to abbreviate anything.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 48902, "author": "ChrisL", "author_id": 37552, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/37552", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As a recruiter it really doesn't matter. BS in relation to a degree is a pretty well understood abbreviation. Saying you shouldn't abbreviate it is like saying you shouldn't abbreviate \"USA\" or \"Dr.\" Computer Science usually looks better spelled out though it's also common enough to be recognized by anyone who matters.</p>\n\n<p>If the university is well known there's really no need to list city and state (especially if the city or state are actually in the name of the school!) </p>\n\n<p>I would leave year of graduation off. It only invites age discrimination and adds nothing of real value. If a company really cares they find out when you graduated as part of your background check. </p>\n\n<p>Also if you have more than 5 years of experience put your education at the bottom of your resume. If you've been in the business for 5+ years you'd better have done something more impressive to catch my attention than simply graduate from school. Less than that putting it at the top is still acceptable. </p>\n\n<p>Finally, never include GPA. It's a completely useless number. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/48896", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/37590/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 49116, "author": "samarasa", "author_id": 8521, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/8521", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I would suggest to bear it for now. Try to help your co-workers as much as possible. However, as @Jane. S mentioned, if you choose to work for the same team for full-time, then you may think of handling the issue at that time. For now, continue the good work you have been doing. It would be good to be professional and as well as nice/kind with everyone in the team (even in the future). Good Luck.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 49122, "author": "Fredrik", "author_id": 105, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/105", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<p><em>\"Although not in my job description, I feel obligated to help them\"</em>. That <strong>is</strong> in your job description. It's just never written down, but it's one of those things that are always assumed when you are working in a team. \nAnother thing that is assumed is that you inform your manager if your work is taking longer than expected and let them make the decision regarding priorities. </p>\n\n<p>You mention that there is no deadline, so I would suggest:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Inform your manager that the feature will take longer than you anticipated since you are using your time to help and teach your co-workers; are they okay with that or do they suggest a different priority?</li>\n<li>Continue to teach your colleague and see this as an opportunity to leave an amazing impression of you as an intern, and get a great reference for future work. </li>\n</ol>\n" }, { "answer_id": 126998, "author": "Mirv - Matt", "author_id": 78991, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/78991", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Would like to add on here - despite the question being answered ... years ago.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Teaching is never a one way street. </p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>All of the smartest people in the world who give of their time agree that they learn from their students. The skills and lessons learned are different, but it's a valuable exchange - if someone is able to recognize what is being offered.</p>\n\n<p>The team wasn't just randomly tossed together. That particular 'skill~less` programmer brought something to the team other people didn't - the fact they had no consistency in your eyes should be a flag that they have a value the managers see &amp; you don't ... it's likely subject-matter expertise or business valuation that actually is the purpose of your program &amp; the reason for the company to exist.</p>\n\n<p>I liked the advice from others - just surprised no one else brought up the value of a programmer isn't their ability to code - its their ability to apply critical thinking to a business problem in a profitable manner or be part of a team which can do so ...</p>\n\n<p>EDIT: Just to be clear here - programming skills != real world business knowledge and without that knowledge &amp; both are 'critical' skills as well as 'critical' to the success of a business.</p>\n\n<p>Hope your internship was otherwise good &amp; your are doing well!</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 127000, "author": "gnasher729", "author_id": 16101, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16101", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I recommend that whatever you do to help that person, you make absolutely 100% sure that you are the more productive one and actually achieve things. If you spent 2 weeks helping them and achieving very little, you need to have another 2 weeks where you achieved a lot yourself and have visible evidence of that. </p>\n\n<p>Doing <em>your</em> work must always have priority to helping them out. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/49111", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/32832/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 49604, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Your nationality shouldn't matter, there are lots of great developers in the US from India and Pakistan and the regions nearby. Experience coding python is experience coding python, it's the just as useful anywhere in the world. </p>\n\n<p>Just lay your resume out how you normally would, ex. (obviously you want this relevant to your experience, this is just an example - look up 'Developer' or 'Software Engineer' resumes)</p>\n\n<pre><code>**Skills**\n Python (2 years), PHP (2 years), IDE (5 years)\n\n**Experience**\nSome Company Name, Lead Developer: July 2, 2014 - July 4, 2015\n - Created backend servers using Python...\n - Used some technology to do something...\n\nSome Company Name, Developer: July 2, 2013 - July 4, 2014\n - Created backend servers using Python...\n - Used some technology to do something...\n\n**Education**\nSome Schools Name: BSCS, Graduate 2010\n - Something worth mentioning (validvictorian, top of class, scholarships, etc...)\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>also you can contact recruiters, there are tons of them around and they get paid just to find you a job (and not out of your salary) they will help you setup a resume etc...</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 49628, "author": "ChrisL", "author_id": 37552, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/37552", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As a recruiter who recruits developers I can safely say people in this field are used to seeing resumes of people who have worked overseas and especially from Pakistan and India. Definitely included relevant experience from Pakistan. </p>\n\n<p>Now that said, the first question that will pop into the mind of any recruiter or hiring manager when they see your resume is \"Do they need a visa?\" As you know, getting an H1-B visa can be very difficult depending on the time of year. It's usually not the cost of the visa that puts off many companies so much as the uncertainty of being able to even obtain one should they be doled out via lottery as has been the case in recent years. There's also the issue of a delayed start date. Putting down that you have currently hold a H1-B visa will likely help your odds as transferring a visa is a fairly simple process.</p>\n\n<p>Of course if the hiring manager is from India you could encounter some bias...</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/49603", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/34316/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 51914, "author": "salad_bar_breath", "author_id": 38856, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/38856", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>It seems your question can be answered with the old cliche &quot;You can't make everyone happy&quot;.</p>\n<p>That's something that's very important to consider with personal branding. Are some people going to think you're an academic intellectual elitist with your large degree listings? Sure maybe...</p>\n<p>But at the same time aren't a lot of people going to find your degree set as something that designates you as a great contractor to give their engineering department (or whatever they need consulting on) the boost forward it really needs? Probably. I think you have two pretty good options here...</p>\n<ol>\n<li><p>You could experiment and collect metrics from your personal brand with different levels of degree suffixes, and see which one gains you the most customers and engagements with as much control of other variables as possible.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>(What I would do) Is you can kind of apply the &quot;have your cake and eat it too&quot; principle by drawing minimum attention to the degree principle, which seems to (in my opinion) say &quot;Hey I got all these awesome degrees but I'm totally not snooty about it&quot;. That best way to do that is to either put a more subtle color contrast on the suffix and/or make them smaller.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n<p>For example:</p>\n<p><a href=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/anMEM.png\" rel=\"noreferrer\"><img src=\"https://i.stack.imgur.com/anMEM.png\" alt=\"enter image description here\" /></a></p>\n<p>Hopefully that helped and to harp on that main point, you really can't please everyone, just make sure you're pleasing the most amount of people possible.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 51934, "author": "Hilmar", "author_id": 5418, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/5418", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Unfortunately this depends a bit on context, culture and the recipient. For a while I had actually two set of business cards, one with the PhD and one with PhD off. PhD is useful in Europe and when interacting with the press and public communication. PhD in day to day business in the US feels pretentious so it's better to leave it off. </p>\n\n<p>Business cards are cheap, so there is no problem in carrying two sets. </p>\n\n<p>I would leave the Master's off. The PhD already implies that you have a master (and a bachelor, and a high school degree etc.), so unless it's in a different field or major, it doesn't add any information.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 51947, "author": "Eric", "author_id": 29142, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/29142", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I'm assuming you are approaching this problem as an independent contractor trying to sell your services directly to potential customers.</p>\n\n<p>You are not selling your credentials. You are selling services or solutions. If your competition with fewer credentials is offering better and cheaper solutions to your potential customers, you have a problem that your credentials alone will not solve. Your crendentials may make you a more trustworthy supplier to new customers, but after the first job, trustworthiness will be defined purely on how well you have already delivered. If you get word-of-mouth recommendations from customers, you can be assured it is not because you have 4 acronyms after your name but rather because you provided a great solution or service.</p>\n\n<p>If you approach it from this angle, you will see that emphasizing your credentials is important, but it should not be the central focus of your message. You should mention your credentials clearly on your website in a section about your background. You should also place enough emphasis on your background and experience to be taken seriously in initial conversations. Your credentials are a small part of this. The main focus of your website and initial conversations, though, should be about how you will meet the potential customer's needs. You should focus on how great your solutions are, how you have provided similar solutions to other customers before, etc.</p>\n\n<p>Once you have a great initial conversation and a great website to entice potential customers, then you should find that your e-mail signature and your business cards become more of a reminder to people of who you are and how to contact you rather than a sales vehicle in their own right. In this context, it should not be necessary to include your credentials everywhere.</p>\n\n<p>If you simply can't resist putting credentials in your signature and on your business cards, try to limit yourself to <strong>one</strong> that best conveys how having that credential will ensure your solutions are top notch.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/51913", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 54876, "author": "Jane S", "author_id": 33698, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/33698", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Quite simply, just indicate it after the degree name.</p>\n\n<p>You could put:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Honors Bachelor of Science (incomplete)</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>or </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Honors Bachelor of Science (discontinued)</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>if you don't intend to go back to finish it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 54887, "author": "Keltari", "author_id": 9490, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/9490", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I was in your exact situation long ago. I can say from personal experience, that there is no need to clarify your situation.</p>\n\n<p>I attended a university, but didnt graduate, nor did I get a degree. On my resume, I listed my school, major, and my academic awards, all of which were factual. I made no claims I finished school or received a diploma.</p>\n\n<p>Early on in my career, a few interviewers asked me about my education and I answered honestly. As long as you dont make any false claims, you have nothing to worry about.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 54911, "author": "Pequod", "author_id": 37082, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/37082", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Another way would be to put the dates of which you did attend the university,</p>\n\n<p>June 2014 - March 2015 at least shows you didn't drop out after the first week.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 54918, "author": "user2989297", "author_id": 40406, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/40406", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n<p>University of MyUniversity City, Province</p>\n<p>Candidate, Honors Bachelor of Science</p>\n<p>Major: myMajor</p>\n<p><strong>Degree not attained</strong></p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Works for me.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 54920, "author": "GreenMatt", "author_id": 2317, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/2317", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>To my eye, at least, including \"Candidate, Honors Bachelor of Science\" implies that you are still pursuing your degree. Since it seems you are no longer pursuing that degree, I recommend deleting that statement from the resume. Similarly, including \"Major: myMajor\" implies completion of a degree in that major (assuming you aren't still in school), unless you make it explicit that you didn't finish.</p>\n\n<p>Usually if you complete a degree you only show the completion date, something like:</p>\n\n<pre><code>University of MyUniversity City, Province\nBachelor of Science, 2015\nMajor: myMajor\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>By listing dates without a degree it is implied that you didn't finish a degree. Thus the simplest thing to do would be to just list the school and the dates you attended:</p>\n\n<pre><code>University of MyUniversity City, Province\n2014-2015\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>This should be fine for situations in which your coursework wouldn't help you get the job, such as if you only got through general studies courses, or if your major wasn't relevant to the job you're trying to get. </p>\n\n<p>Of course, there can be times when showing your major could help get your targeted job. In a case such as that, I'd suggest showing it with a statement of how many credits you completed, something like:</p>\n\n<pre><code>University of MyUniversity City, Province\n2014-2015, 42 credits earned\nMajor: myMajor\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>If you want to show you completed specific courses, you could show them something like:</p>\n\n<pre><code>University of MyUniversity City, Province\n2014-2015, 42 credits earned\nRelated courses: Underwater Basketweaving, Navel Gazing, Advanced Navel Gazing\n</code></pre>\n" }, { "answer_id": 54972, "author": "Joe Strazzere", "author_id": 7777, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/7777", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>How do I make it clear to HR that I am no longer in the Canadian\n university but I also don't have my degree?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>The way I have seen it done is to indicate the University and major, and include the dates attended. Leave off the degree (since you didn't get one), the word \"Candidate\" (since you aren't one) and any mention of honors that you didn't attain.</p>\n\n<p>Thus:</p>\n\n<pre><code>University of MyUniversity City, Province \nMajor: myMajor \n20xx - 20yy\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>It's completely honest, and expresses what you <em>did</em> achieve without emphasizing what you <em>didn't</em>.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/54874", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/40408/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 56509, "author": "keshlam", "author_id": 12989, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/12989", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It's going to take more than a month to come up to speed on a new project and toolset. Everyone understands that, and they aren't expecting you to become their top developer overnight. You need to give yourself the same respect and the same chance to grow into the job.</p>\n\n<p>Meetings: talk to your boss about which ones you really need to attend and why. Some of them may be on the list because they'll give you useful background on the proect. Some may be things that will go away in another week or two. And many may be things you're welcome to attend when time permits but that are really optional. Understanding the priorities, what you can skip and what might be worth the time investment should make that less stressful. (My calendar has too many meetings on it, but most of them are things I can and should skip most of the time.)</p>\n\n<p>Talking to your boss about expectations may also be useful, to confirm that you really are being too hard on yourself.</p>\n\n<p>Deep breath. Let it out slowly. You can do this.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 56516, "author": "teego1967", "author_id": 7572, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/7572", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <ol>\n <li>too many meetings like 5 hrs a week are getting in the way of me doing much</li>\n </ol>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>5 hours a week is borderline \"a lot\" for a non-manager, but if you're new it is a good way to get oriented. Is this a deal-breaker in long term? Perhaps if you get up to speed you'll be able to opt-out of some of these.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <ol start=\"2\">\n <li>new to ReactJS and the concept of it</li>\n </ol>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>You knew this going in, right? Being new to something and being paid to work on it is a privilege. It means they have trust in your abilities. There are people who can only work with tools they've learned a long time ago. The fact that you put yourself in this job communicates that you're not one of them, but if you are, then you're in for a bad time.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <ol start=\"3\">\n <li>colleagues and boss didn't provide much guidance or anything about what is expected of me and where everything is.</li>\n </ol>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Because they want <em>you</em> to figure it out in your own way. And to support this they've also given you slack with time and expectations. This the way that a lot of people learn stuff and many also feel that others should learn the same way that they did.</p>\n\n<p>IMHO, the software developer profession is, in general, TERRIBLE (the worst) at teaching and mentorship. You gotta DIY it.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <ol start=\"4\">\n <li>the code base is a complete mess that requires a lot of re-factoring and I feel uncomfortable doing this/takes a long time as I am new to ReactJS</li>\n </ol>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Again, that's a privilege and they want YOU to make it work. That's why you're there and that's why you're paid.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <ol start=\"5\">\n <li>because my tasks take a while to do because I'm new to the job and no expectations for speed were communicated to me I feel very uncomfortable</li>\n </ol>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>You should be glad, for now, it is likely their way of allowing you to get up to speed. </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <ol start=\"6\">\n <li>the lead developer is kind of rude and curt sometimes</li>\n </ol>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>It could be worse, right? Give it time.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 56518, "author": "ZenInTheWorkplace", "author_id": 43273, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/43273", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Welcome to the world of software development in corporations. I have been working in that world for more than 25 years and I can assure you that the chances of improving any of the conditions you describe are almost zero. However, you can gradually change your attitude and expectations so that you experience less and less misery in it.</p>\n\n<p>I shall address your points in a different order from how you listed them to make the solutions easier to understand.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>the code base is a complete mess that requires a lot of re-factoring</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>The code bases of almost all software developed in corporations are a mess. This is because human thinking process is not crisp and clear as it is usually considered to be, but it is quite muddled most of the time. The clarity of the thought process is easily degraded by emotions and moods distinct from the thinking process itself. For example, the code developed by someone after an argument with the boss will invariably be worse than the code s/he develops when in a good mood. The attitude of management and therefore the environment in most corporations is such that it puts the people who have the actual skills to develop any product in a bad mood a lot of the time. Thus most code is developed when in a not so good mood and so it is messy. In fact, as a software developer you can expect yourself to be stuck neck deep in messy code most of your time. Being a software engineer is not very different from being a sanitation engineer.</p>\n\n<p>Do not start your day with the expectation of dealing with clean, sensible code. Repeat in your mind several times the following before you start your work day:</p>\n\n<pre><code>software engineer == sanitation engineer; I get paid for it.\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Learn the code base in small chunks, that is, do not expect to be able to understand the entire code base in a short time. Try to understand small parts of it, such as all the code for a few relatively simple features of the application. This can be made easier by working on bug investigation and fixing for the first few weeks in a large project rather than jumping into developing new code right away. You may want to talk to your team lead or manager about this.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>too many meetings like 5 hrs a week are getting in the way of me doing much.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This is a bad habit that is spread by management. Keep in mind that most managers do not have any skills needed to actually contribute to product development. However, they have the desire to maintain as much power and control over as many things as possible and also show to their own managers how crucial their contribution is. The brilliant solution that managers and executives have come up with is meetings. It is not really a solution, but in their minds it is and in corporations what a manager assumes, feels or thinks always overrides reality. After a few years, the meeting habit also spreads to developers. You can expect to waste a lot of time in meetings, especially when working in large corporations.</p>\n\n<p>You must regard meetings the same way as you would regard commute problems in the city you live in. It is just something you have to live with. Keep in mind that you get paid to waste time in meetings unlike in commute.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>the lead developer is kind of rude and curt sometimes</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Team leads in software development in corporations are invariably like that. Team leads tend to be relatively young and therefore have not had the time to mature in their roles. They tend to be caught between the manager(s) and the other team members, and combined with their own ambition, their stress levels are high. They are effectively new to their roles and are in a condition very similar to your own.</p>\n\n<p>Depend less on the team lead and approach the other developers in your team as much as possible for help.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>because my tasks take a while to do because I'm new to the job and no expectations for speed were communicated to me I feel very uncomfortable</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Set your own pace. Do not worry about not meeting the expectations of your manager or colleagues. Work at a pace where you do not feel stressed out but at the same time you do not slack and waste time. This is something that comes with practice. Do not be afraid that sometime in the future you may get a feedback that your pace of work does not live up to their expectations, which they have not bothered to communicate to you. If and when that happens, tell your manager that no expectation was communicated to you before that time, you need more help with locating code and any other help you need.</p>\n\n<p>Always follow the middle way between slacking off and stressing out when determining your pace of work. Following this middle way is much more important in the long run than any rewards you expect from working, such as praise, status, promotion, power or higher salary. Doing otherwise is like putting the cart in front of the horse; such a contraption will just become a problem for others on the road with their horses and carts in the right order.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>new to ReactJS and the concept of it</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>As you change your approach in the way described for the previous point and your stress levels become lower, it will become easier to learn new technologies. Look for online resources about ReactJS or purchase some good books. Spend some time every day just on learning ReactJS rather than working on the project. You can also try working through some free tutorials. However, do not overwork or stay too late in the office for this. Again, do not expect to become an expert in a short time. Learning is a gradual process.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/56508", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/33146/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 57091, "author": "Charmander", "author_id": 41872, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/41872", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The most common term to describe these skills is \"Front end developer\", although mentioning the particular set of technologies you use won't hurt.</p>\n\n<p>Reference: <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front_end_development\">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front_end_development</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 57092, "author": "Thomas Owens", "author_id": 3, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/3", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It depends on your purpose.</p>\n\n<p>If you are looking for a generic way to describe someone who uses these skills, then I would agree with <a href=\"https://workplace.stackexchange.com/a/57091/3\">Charmander's answer</a>. A person who uses HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and their associated frameworks (like Bootstrap or jQuery) would be called a <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front_end_development\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">front-end developer</a>. A broader term may be <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_development\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">web developer</a>, as these are typically technologies and tools used to build web sites. However, the term \"web developer\" may also be used to describe the skills used for back-end development or even include skills like graphic design, usability or user experience, and search engine optimization that you don't mention in your question. The term you use would probably be best picked based on your audience - a recruiter or technical person may understand \"front-end\" and \"back-end\", but someone off the street may not.</p>\n\n<p>If you are looking to capture skills on your resume, it may be better to be more explicit and enumerate them. This would be more likely to get through less informed people or automated screening mechanisms that may be used to rank or filter a resume or application. If you're writing a job description, it may be more useful to also list the specifics rather than a generic term to allow candidates to see what specific technologies you use. For example, you could identify JavaScript, but also particular JavaScript frameworks like jQuery and AngularJS. For similar reasons as resumes, this makes your job posting easier to find by people searching for jobs with a particular need.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 57093, "author": "Dan", "author_id": 40426, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/40426", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I would say Front End Developer as well but I think such term will result in a mixed understanding depending on who you're talking to. A very large company will likely have distinct rolls for Front/Back End developers but a smaller shop may include both tasks which encompasses the much broader term \"Web Developer.\" I would also say back end developers will have a play in making sure JavaScript code is correctly working.</p>\n\n<p>If you are solely a front end developer, I would put that under your objective like, \"Front End developer seeking role to develop interactive UI utilizing modern framework.\" However if you done front end development but consider yourself beyond that, I would make that clear in your objective.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 57103, "author": "CleverNode", "author_id": 37044, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/37044", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In my company, I'd pushed to extract the term \"front end developer\" to \"front end developer\" and \"UI Developer\". </p>\n\n<p>My logic was this:</p>\n\n<p>When we put out posting for front-end developers, we get people with javscript (Angularjs), css/html skills -- which is great, and we can always use talented front-end developers -- but as a UI/UX designer, I have a hard time working with these developers who can't tell one grey from another grey, and can't see something is 2 pixels off (or even 20 pixels off) -- which, by the way, has been 99% of the front end developer in the company. </p>\n\n<p>I advocate a UI developer title -- developer who cares about the UI aspect than functionality and has an eye for design. Someone who can turn a UI picture to pixel perfect html/css and javascript appearance (animation and other interaction).</p>\n\n<p>Of course, not every company has such distinction, and every company has different definition. So you can go to indeed.com or linkedin, type in UI developer, front-end developer, javascript developer, html5 developer... and see how many results show up and the job description for each. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/57089", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/20885/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 57287, "author": "Michael A", "author_id": 2251, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/2251", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<h1>General Rules</h1>\n<p>Typically the only cardinal rule I see with resumes is to list work experience or qualifications as the first two items in the order that represents you best. Be sure to list the periods worked as well as the year that you obtained your qualifications. Often major projects will be listed in the work experience area (i.e. if you worked on a big project at x, list it with x).</p>\n<h1>Formatting and Templates</h1>\n<p>Microsoft Word has some great templates in its gallery to get you started. There are also a number of great templates to be found online. Don't over think this too much - above all just be sure to keep it easy to read and professional looking.</p>\n<p>Also be sure to keep in mind that if you're going through a recruitment agency that they're likely to reformat your resume into their standard or system anyway. Make sure your key selling points for a position are quick and easy to find for this reason.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 57297, "author": "Nzall", "author_id": 16277, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16277", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>One important matter is to make sure your resume does not contain nested tables, for two reasons. The first is that nested tables make it harder for automated software to process the relevant data. The other is that nested tables are hard to get right, and even harder to edit, especially on mobile devices and online platforms, to the point that they often do not display properly. </p>\n\n<p>Another important caveat is, when you give someone your resume digitally, send it as PDF. PDF looks exactly the same on all computers, whether they're using OSX, Windows, a *nix product, iOS, Android,... It's basically a printed version of your resume, so you won't have any surprised like the user not having your special font or your tab stops being mangled.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 57300, "author": "The Wandering Dev Manager", "author_id": 4937, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/4937", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Here's some good tips on getting a resume/Cv that gets past ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems - automated screening):</p>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://biginterview.com/blog/2015/03/applicant-tracking-system.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">How to Get the Applicant Tracking System to Pick Your Resume</a></p>\n\n<p>And in answer to your question, always left justify (anything else looks odd, and confuses the automated systems).</p>\n\n<p>Another thing is to keep your layout as simple as you can. I've had for several years a CV that was based on one an employer did for me for pitching work to clients. Looked very nice, but used lots of invisible tables in Word to get the layout, and meant lists showing experience didn't actually match up to the ATS scrapping (as they were 2 different columns). </p>\n\n<p>Try taking your resume/CV in Word and saving as a text file and see what it looks like, this is what the automated system will actually see.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/57285", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/43760/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 57330, "author": "gnasher729", "author_id": 16101, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16101", "pm_score": 6, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I would tell your boss that based on the facts that they lied to the vendor, got access to information because of these lies, <em>and</em> signed an NDA, you would really, really prefer to only proceed if this has been run past a decent lawyer who says it is Ok. Even if a lawyer says it's legally Ok, that lawyer will also advise you how likely it is that you get sued, and what the expected cost of being sued is. And what is the likelihood of losing. Even if what the company wants you to do is legal, that doesn't mean they will win in court. </p>\n\n<p>There are obviously three possibilities what can happen after this. The boss tells you to go ahead, he checks with a lawyer, or he gives up the plan. In the first case, it's your decision. Looking for a different job would be a possibility. Obviously don't do anything that puts your current job at risk (until you have signed for a new one). </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 57342, "author": "Kilisi", "author_id": 40669, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/40669", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In as far as legality is concerned, it may or may not be legal. In terms of business ethics the same. However both the legal implications and the ethical considerations are your bosses problem and responsibility, not yours.</p>\n\n<p>It appears your boss has access to code and structures and he wants to take immediate advantage of it. That's the way a lot of businesses get ahead. I would go ahead and do what you're tasked with. You could well be second guessing your boss without knowing all the facts.</p>\n\n<p>If it was me, I'd ask the boss point blank \"Are you sure this is legal?\" and abide by his answer, if he said it wasn't, I wouldn't do it. Otherwise I would go ahead, business is a cut throat place, companies should be protecting their core data and infrastructure themselves and you may not be aware of all the facts in the case and lots of companies copy others methods and structures if they can work them out.</p>\n\n<p>My personal experience with being asked to duplicate software in such a way was as a consultant which because I owned my own business had different implications, and I refused. But there are occasions where I have been asked to look at a piece of software and make something similar, which is fine by my ethical standards. I don't need their db structures and source code etc,. to do that.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 57346, "author": "Jim", "author_id": 42908, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/42908", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You are truly faced with a moral dilemma. To be ethical about this, first it is important to understand your responsibility. Officers of corporations (and certain other, legally identified representatives) have a responsibility to understand the legal implications of the type of actions you are being asked to perform. It is a personal responsibility with personal legal implications. So, first and foremost, you need to understand if you are under a <em>personal</em> obligation to understand the legal ramifications of your actions.</p>\n\n<p>Also, if your boss has been this straightforward about his intent to copy their work, it is unlikely any conversation with him will be productive in convincing him of the immorality of the request. He is probably aware of this and, for reasons unknown to you, is not concerned. It could be because he is immoral, but also it could be that he has a legal basis for the actions that is not clear to you. And there are some cases where disclosing such information to non-officers or other people has other legal implications (especially if he has confidential knowledge of how this could impact negotiations or development of other products).</p>\n\n<p>If you are personally responsible, then it is important to have a clear conversation with your boss about how the company intends to protect you personally for these actions. While it may seem to you that you are doing something illegal, there is also a concept in both law and the real world of \"inspiration\" - many artistic and engineering ideas are inspired by the study of previous achievements and/or failures of others. To closely study an example in order to create your own version is legal and encouraged by law and society in general. To say that a musician \"inspired your work\" is giving credit to a new creation that another influenced without having legal claims on the new work.</p>\n\n<p>If you are not personally responsible for these actions, then you should likewise be aware that although the actions you are taking might sound like an attempt to \"copy\" an original work, it is not your responsibility to make that determination. It may sound like some kind of means of stealing another person's idea, however the ability to actually copy complex processes and systems accurately is difficult to begin with. Most software engineers are eager to be creative along the way, and therefore significantly deviate from the original work. Also, copying is very difficult to accomplish even when you have dedicated engineers. To make an analogy, there are very few artists that are capable of replicating important art works, even if given the proper incentives to do so. With abstract works, like a software process, this is even more difficult.</p>\n\n<p>So, even if you are asked to try to copy this product, you should make your boss aware that you (and/or your team) is unlikely to succeed to the extent that he is asking because it is a lot to ask of any team. Although, this also means that in your attempt to copy the work, you may actually improve upon it. However, even with blueprints, screenshots and other \"confidential\" materials available, you should at least warn him that they may still have proprietary knowledge that is not available to you, which may lead to your ultimate failure to \"copy\" it. This should simply be a fair warning, and not implied message that you are interested in sabotaging his request. You must be careful to communicate that his request is simply much more difficult than it sounds.</p>\n\n<p>Last, consider that you can defend yourself in another way - the more you try to deeply understand the inner workings of this system, the more it is possible the vendor will become suspicious of your motives. Additionally, it seems that it will be possible for them to have a mountain of evidence available to them of this breach of confidence, if your team is \"successful\" in copying their system. Emails that request information and/or verify their process can provide them sufficient evidence to mount a compelling legal case. Then you can rest easy knowing that if a breach of confidence occurred, the communications will allow for an appropriate legal decision. </p>\n\n<p>NOTE: This is not legal advice, and I'm not a lawyer. I just would hope to provide a perspective that will help you feel better about whatever course of action you take.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/57328", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/29057/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 57844, "author": "Telastyn", "author_id": 2196, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/2196", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Sure, to a point.</p>\n\n<p>Everyone to one degree or another has <em>stuff</em> that is going on outside of work that impacts work. Your employers need to be aware of that and accepting that stuff happens. </p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, that sort of stuff happens to everyone. If your performance is impacted way more than others', or if you're unable to improve the personal issues, then that becomes more of a problem.</p>\n\n<p>And one thing to remember is that outside of a few protected situations, it largely doesn't matter if your employer <em>should</em> take them into consideration or not. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 57847, "author": "randomblink", "author_id": 22718, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/22718", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>Note that this answer only applies to the United States.</strong></p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>Technically, this is what the FMLA covers and protects employees in dealing with their jobs.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>FMLA is intended to allow employees to balance their work and family\n life by taking reasonable unpaid leave for medical reasons, for the\n birth or adoption of a child, for the care of a child, spouse, or\n parent who has a serious health condition, for the care of a covered\n servicemember with a serious injury or illness, or because of a\n qualifying exigency arising out of the fact that the employee's\n spouse, son, daughter, or parent is a military member on covered\n active duty or call to covered active duty status. The Act is intended\n to balance the demands of the workplace with the needs of families, to\n promote the stability and economic security of families, and to\n promote national interests in preserving family integrity. It was\n intended that the Act accomplish these purposes in a manner that\n accommodates the legitimate interests of employers, and in a manner\n consistent with the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth\n Amendment in minimizing the potential for employment discrimination on\n the basis of sex, while promoting equal employment opportunity for men\n and women. - <a href=\"http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=6f798b7e4aeaf4119ddee59b4c0d4d6c&amp;mc=true&amp;node=pt29.3.825&amp;rgn=div5#se29.3.825_1101\" rel=\"nofollow\">Link To Article</a></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><a href=\"http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=6f798b7e4aeaf4119ddee59b4c0d4d6c&amp;mc=true&amp;node=pt29.3.825&amp;rgn=div5#se29.3.825_1101\" rel=\"nofollow\">FMLA</a> is most commonly known (amongst employees who have never needed it) as the 'new mother law' or the 'broken leg law' where it is used for an illness, or medical situation, that lasts for a fairly well-known period of time.</p>\n\n<p>What most people don't know is it can also be for covering <a href=\"http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=6f798b7e4aeaf4119ddee59b4c0d4d6c&amp;mc=true&amp;node=pt29.3.825&amp;rgn=div5#se29.3.825_1203\" rel=\"nofollow\">intermittent leave</a>. I have used it to cover medical needs of my spouse with a major medical health issue for years. Without going into too much personal information, I had a spouse with a major medical health issue. At any given moment during the day she could lose the ability to walk, talk, or even feed herself. Granted that was worst case scenario. But I was able to, thanks to an Intermittent FMLA coverage, leave whenever she \"needed me\" and my job was protected. For years.</p>\n\n<p>You can contact them via phone. </p>\n\n<pre><code>1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243)\nTTY: 1-877-889-5627\nMonday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.\n</code></pre>\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=6f798b7e4aeaf4119ddee59b4c0d4d6c&amp;mc=true&amp;node=pt29.3.825&amp;rgn=div5#se29.3.825_1702\" rel=\"nofollow\">Section 825.702.(a)</a></strong> : mid-paragraph quote</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The purpose of the FMLA is to make leave available to eligible\n employees and employers within its coverage, and not to limit already\n existing rights and protection.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>The FMLA doesn't appear to be coverage for sub-par work. However, keep in mind that if work is being churned out at a subpar level by an employee due to a medical condition and it could be remedied by taking some protected leave from work via FMLA, then FMLA is the way to go. If the employee: isn't best suited for a position; can't operate at the level necessary to keep the job; etc. Then I don't believe that FMLA can protect them nor does it appear to have been developed for that purpose.</p>\n\n<p>Can FMLA be used to protect employees who are gaming the system? Yes and No?</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.hrhero.com/hl/articles/2014/07/25/hr-takes-role-of-referee-when-employees-game-the-fmla-system/\" rel=\"nofollow\">HR Takes Role of Referee When Employees Game The FMLA System</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.fmlainsights.com/as-fmla-absences-hit-hard-the-sheriff-and-any-other-employers-must-lay-down-the-law/\" rel=\"nofollow\">As Absences Mount, Employers Must Lay Down The Law</a></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Again. Check with DOL by calling their toll-free number. Ask your questions to a professional that works for the organization that manages FMLA practices and investigates it as well.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 57851, "author": "HLGEM", "author_id": 93, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/93", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You have a couple of issues here that need to be dealt with separately. If you are in the US @randomblink is giving you some good advice about FMLA. However, the protection could be a problem if the business itself has less than 50 employees. Call them. </p>\n\n<p>If you are in another country, there must be an equivalent to the Department of Labor that manages labor laws in that country. Look them up and call them to inquire about your legal protections in such a case. </p>\n\n<p>But really the problem you need to address, especially in the US where most employment is at will, is your performance while you have these pressures. I know it is hard, I have been a caregiver, but you have to learn to leave everything at home when you come to work and perform to the best of your ability while you are there. You need to have things set up so that someone else can take over if you get called away for an emergency. It is stressful I know, so if you need to cry, take a break and go hide in the ladies room to cry.</p>\n\n<p>Since you say your husband is unemployed and depressed, your job is critical to your family and you need to prioritize doing it well when you are there. </p>\n\n<p>Even though he is depressed, can your husband take on being the contact point and only calling you in if there is such an emergency that you have to go right then? Can you delay going to the hospital until after work? This would help you out and might make him feel more useful. </p>\n\n<p>Try to make other arrangements to make up the time as well. Maybe you could go sometimes at lunch, take a slightly longer lunch and then stay later that night? Maybe you could make arrangements to work from home if there is physical care you need to do sometimes (or in order to make up the hours). Think about what kind of a plan you could make to help the work get done while you are off with the emergency. Perhaps you need to cross train some people. The office is going to be more lenient if you have a plan. </p>\n\n<p>When there is no emergency, make an effort to put in more effort than usual. The better you perform when there is no emergency, the more slack the office will give you when there is. Others are taking up the slack for you, when you can, try to return the favor which will make them more willing to help you out. </p>\n\n<p>But even then, I have seen good employees let go if it goes on too long especially at a smaller company that has less room for others to pick up the load. After all they have to get the work done and they can't replace you unless you are gone. So even though it will be difficult with your husband unemployed, you need to start creating a financial cushion it case this happens. Reduce your spending as much as possible. Put as much as you can into a savings account, you may well need it 2-3 months down the road. You may also need to look at reducing your 401K contributions. Yeah that is unfair, but losing your home because you were saving for retirement isn't really a great choice. </p>\n\n<p>Most people with depression work, so don't let that become an excuse to not try to find work. Once those antidepressants kick in (it can take up to a month unfortunately), it needs to become a priority. If he has a hobby like woodworking or is good at repair work, you might also consider if he can make some money while he is looking through a small home-based business. Anything he can do to reduce the burden you are under will help. </p>\n\n<p>And see if you can find a caregivers support group. You need someone you can unburden yourself to and they may have tips for how to manage working through this.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 57855, "author": "Kilisi", "author_id": 40669, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/40669", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>USA seems to be covered so I'll use the perspective of my country. This is an issue you need to deal with. Yes it will be difficult, but letting your personal life impact on your working one for an indefinite and prolonged period would eventually see you looking for a new job in some countries.</p>\n\n<p>You could address the issue in a couple of ways, firstly work offsite and make sure you're producing quality and quantity.</p>\n\n<p>Get a care provider of some sort for your mother.</p>\n\n<p>Quit and go on some sort of welfare which will support both you and your mother if available.</p>\n\n<p>Everyone has problems, most employers are happy enough to put up with them until it becomes a burden. They're businesses, not charities, the less they hear about personal problems the happier they are.</p>\n\n<p>I do an equation whenever a worker wants to take time off for his/her grandma's funeral. Is his/her productivity an asset to me, will I get back in goodwill what I lose in time for a while? If yes, then I don't care if their grandma seems to die and get buried every year (which actually seems to be the case with one chap). If not, then I'll start looking for a way to let them go with the least fuss and expense.</p>\n\n<p>One IMPORTANT thing when discussing with your employer is showing that you are at least TRYING to find a long term solution yourself, instead of expecting them to deal with their end.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 57867, "author": "Kevin", "author_id": 13302, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/13302", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This is an answer from personal experience. Recently my boss also told me I wasn't being the real me. My wife is pretty sick and that drained a lot of energy. I got my work done, but wasn't as sociable as I used to be. I also didn't initiate a lot of things on my own.</p>\n\n<p>What you have to remember is that there is a conflict of interest. Your top priority is taking care of your mother, your work's top priority is making sure you are making them money.</p>\n\n<p>What you could do is make an agreement with your boss/manager that doesn't cut one way, but both. Your employer shouldn't take all of the hits, but neither should you.</p>\n\n<p>Examples of solutions are: </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Working flexible from home (when needed by your mother you could make up the time later)</li>\n<li>Unpaid leave</li>\n<li>Paid leave</li>\n<li>Some sort of caretaker agreement, which differs from country to country. (zorgverlof in the Netherlands for example gives you the day off, but leaves you with just 70% of your salary for that day).</li>\n<li>Guaranteeing to work x out of n days in office.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>The most important part is to communicate with your boss. Let him understand that the situation is costing more energy than normal circumstances and that you would like to know how the both of you can help each other.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/57841", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/44086/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 58135, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I've advised several students on submitting applications to internships before, including students who are in the process of transferring. If you have already been admitted to this University then you should list it as the institution you are attending. Usually you put your most recent academic institution at the top. You are also free to not list the community college unless you want to (e.g. to demonstrate that you have received your AA). </p>\n\n<p>For example: </p>\n\n<p>Current University\nBA Political Science, <em>Expected May, 2016</em></p>\n\n<p>Community College \nAA June, 2015 </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 58247, "author": "TechnicalEmployee", "author_id": 44123, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/44123", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Only list colleges that will result in some sort of degree (AA/AS/BA/BS) or certification. List the college, list the degree, and list usually the month and year it was awarded or, like above, use the word 'expected' with a month and year to indicate a future degree.</p>\n\n<p>Do not list the year you started at the university unless you are trying to explain an employment gap. If you are fresh out of high school, that information is irrelevant.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/58134", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/44246/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 58346, "author": "Dan", "author_id": 40426, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/40426", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I think a lot of factors depend on it. Interoffice emails, especially informal ones between teams can probably start with the basic \"hi\" and no end statements. I think you should clarify who you are communicating with and if they are literally within shouting range.</p>\n\n<p>Some folks like to say ending statements when they first write the email then replies are just statements, not greetings and whatnot.</p>\n\n<p>If you are dealing with customers or vendors then it is always a good idea to use formal writing.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 58347, "author": "keshlam", "author_id": 12989, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/12989", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Either is acceptable. Email is usually informal communications; salutations and valedictions are often dropped in the interest of saving a few keystrokes, but you're free to use them if you prefer, ot if you want a more formal tone.</p>\n\n<p>Most mail tools will also let you sef a \"signature block which is added to the bottom of every outgoing message. The signature block will be preceeded by a line containin onlY two '-' characters, to indicate that it was appended automatically. (That's especially important if your signature contains a quip or quote; you don't usually want folks thinking it's a comment upon what precedes it or on themselves.)</p>\n\n<p>--</p>\n\n<p>\"I am about to -- or I am going to -- die: either expression is correct.\" ~~ reportedly the dying words of Dominique Bouhours, French grammarian</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 58350, "author": "ColleenV", "author_id": 26699, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/26699", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>What are people doing that you are thanking them for in every email? </p>\n\n<p>Personally I find a bare \"thanks\" when there's nothing you should be thanking me for a little off-putting. Of course not everyone shares my view.</p>\n\n<p>If you must add the fluff, Regards, Cheers, or something similar would be better in my opinion. I tend to leave greetings and closings off unless the email is very formal, and \"thanks\" is too casual in that context.</p>\n\n<p>It really does depend on the context though. If I'm asking someone to do something, I might close with \"Thanks in advance\". If they've already done something for me, I thank them in the body of my email. </p>\n\n<p>I came across an article that had an e-mail in it that summarized nicely why I find \"Thanks\" or \"Thank you\" as an e-mail closing when there's no reason to be thanking me off-putting: <a href=\"http://arstechnica.co.uk/business/2016/01/adblock-plus-blocked-from-attending-online-ad-industrys-big-annual-conference/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Adblock Plus blocked from attending online ad industry’s big annual conference</a></p>\n\n<p>It turns out that while some folks use it as a closing regardless of the tone of the e-mail they're writing, my experience is that \"Thank you\" or \"Thanks\" tends to be the go-to closing for folks who are writing e-mails to brush people off or terminate a conversation. I tend to read it as \"Thanks - you can show yourself out\" and I end up looking back over the e-mail for clues to decide if that's just the standard closing that person uses or if they're really being that dismissive. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 58354, "author": "ptfreak", "author_id": 33772, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/33772", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As has been noted already, there are plenty of different ways to go about this. My boss has \"Thanks, [his name]\" at the end of every email. I've seen people who default to Regards, Best Regards, and sometimes even just \"BR\" as well. If I'm sending an email to people in my office, who I see every day, usually I put \"Thanks,\" above my standard signature. Emails that are a matter of record, e.g. notices of changes to drawings, usually include the PDF and my signature and nothing else. When I email colleagues in my company but in another office whom I don't know personally, I usually use \"Regards,\".</p>\n\n<p>What this really boils down to is, <strong>no one cares that much.</strong> If you're seriously in doubt, I would err on the side of being more formal and ending everything with \"Regards\". However, it's unlikely that the word you pick to end your emails will affect your career and peoples' image of you unless it's a profanity or exceedingly rude. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/58344", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/761/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 58463, "author": "Dawny33", "author_id": 40657, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/40657", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This looks insincere and very facebook-like. Something like this can be good:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Looking for (exciting &lt;-- this is optional) opportunities in the _______ domain. Have ___ years of\n experience at &lt; XYZ >. </p>\n \n <p>Willing to relocate. Would require visa sponsorship.</p>\n</blockquote>\n" }, { "answer_id": 58496, "author": "Rabea", "author_id": 44483, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/44483", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>My Suggestion would be:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>After a fantastic year at Company X as a <strong>{position}</strong>, I am looking for\n my next future challenge in <strong>{Area of expertise or may be a different path}</strong>. Willing to relocate\n for work, but do need visa sponsorship. Available to start in March.\n Please like or share.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>In the same time it is also very good to update <code>Your professional headline</code> with something close.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/58461", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/10992/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 58794, "author": "Thomas Owens", "author_id": 3, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/3", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Of your list, the only people who would not make a suitable professional reference would be family and friends. If you needed personal or character references, then you can turn to these people. However, most companies want professional references, which are the people that you work with.</p>\n\n<p>The people that you work closest with would be the best references - your immediate supervisor, your team lead, other members of your team, or your reports (if you're in a management position). Anyone who can speak to your work ethic, your skills and abilities, and your personality would be the best references.</p>\n\n<p>One rule to follow, though, is to ask the person before you give their name and contact information on an application. You want to make sure that they are willing to be a good reference for you and that you won't be surprised by what they tell a company.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 58795, "author": "Lilienthal", "author_id": 25739, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/25739", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<h2>Managers and Clients</h2>\n<p>These people have <strong>direct knowledge of your work, time management and workplace interactions</strong>. They can speak directly to your performance and the value you bring to a project. <strong>They are ideal references</strong>.</p>\n<p>Generally, <strong>these are the only references a hiring manager will be interested in!</strong> Accordingly, you should try to ensure that all references you provide are from managers or clients as all others will have little or no value.</p>\n<h2>Colleagues and Coworkers</h2>\n<p><strong>References from coworkers generally have much less value and many hiring managers won't consider them much, if at all</strong>. They are offered in cases where managers are not able or willing to give a strong reference. You'll want to disclose the reason you're providing colleagues instead of managers as a reference as this is a <strong>potential red flag</strong> for a candidate.</p>\n<p>Giving colleagues you never worked with as reference will have negative value: they can't speak to your work at all and they might not even remember you.</p>\n<h2>Family, Friends and Significant Others</h2>\n<p><strong>These are assumed to be biased</strong> and you should disclose the kind of relationship you had if you provide them as a reference. Because of the bias their reference is much less valuable. Only provide these if they managed you directly and you have no alternative manager to list.</p>\n<p><strong>Personal references are useless</strong> unless specifically asked for or in certain fields like childcare.</p>\n<hr />\n<h1>Value over Time</h1>\n<p>In most cases, <strong>the older a reference is, the less value it has</strong>. Potential employers are interested in your current work ethic, not what you did 10 years ago. In most countries, you won't list references from your current job to avoid disclosing your job search.</p>\n<p>There are some exceptions of course. If you've changed industries and are moving back to a job in your previous field then older references have more value. References from high-profile companies can also have more value than more recent ones from less important companies.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 58799, "author": "blankip", "author_id": 16609, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16609", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I think there is really more info we would need to answer this right. </p>\n\n<p>You cannot give away managers as references if those managers are not good with you leaving. You may end up out of a job if you just give away coworkers as references from current job. I would be very strategic in making sure that you have a very good personal relationship with those you are giving references and make sure they understand you are looking - and friends can mess up sometimes so this has its dangers. </p>\n\n<p>Also clients could also be put in a very weird bind in that they would answer questions for one company knowing you are looking. Depending on your job clients may not be happy that they are losing a key person at their vendor. A client may ask why you are leaving to your managers. Giving clients as references could get you fired on the spot.</p>\n\n<p>As it stands clients have the most clout as references and then managers and then coworkers. You often have to give these references from your previous job or previous clients or managers who are not affiliated with your current company. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/58786", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/44670/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 58939, "author": "DA.", "author_id": 2541, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/2541", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Why employer want to fire an employee?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Lots of reasons. In your example, it's likely to save money. </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Is/are any ego in management system?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Often, yes. </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>How must performe to be nice employee?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I'm not clear what you are asking with this one. </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Why employer want to break his commitment for perticular(or any) employee?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Note that today, in many industries, there's very little commitment on the employer's part. At the end of the day, an employee is an asset that can make or cost money for the company. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 58940, "author": "user2989297", "author_id": 40406, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/40406", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I might come across as rude, but here are my answers to your 4 questions:</p>\n\n<pre><code>1) Why employer want to fire an employee?\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>The employee is costing the company more money than they are making the company.</p>\n\n<pre><code>2) Is/are any ego in management system?\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Always. But firings are not necessarily related to the ego.</p>\n\n<pre><code>3) How must perform to be nice employee?\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Quality deliverables provided to the company in short time-frames that make money for the company. Also, if it is an English speaking company, only speak English in the workplace and do it well.</p>\n\n<pre><code>4) Why employer want to break his commitment for particular(or any) employee?\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>That depends on the particular employee, doesn't it? But again, the bottom line is that the employee is eating up more money in manpower hours than they are generating sellable deliverables. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 58941, "author": "JB King", "author_id": 233, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/233", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <ol>\n <li>Why employer want to fire an employee?</li>\n </ol>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Perhaps the company needs to save money and thus employees have to be \"laid off\" which is still a form of termination. There could also be issues where the employer doesn't like the employee's performance, personality or other factors and decide that their services are no longer needed.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <ol start=\"2\">\n <li>Is/are any ego in management system?</li>\n </ol>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Yes, there can be ego in management though I'd question how deep does it go and how well can one measure it.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <ol start=\"3\">\n <li>How must performe to be nice employee?</li>\n </ol>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Even if an employee is nice, there can still be issues. I've had places that terminated my working there as I didn't meet expectations. I've also had companies that imploded and thus I was let go rather than fired though the result is similar in that I had to find a new employer to supply me with income.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <ol start=\"4\">\n <li>Why employer want to break his commitment for perticular(or any) employee?</li>\n </ol>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>If the employee messes up badly enough, the employer may well fire someone to limit liability for an easy answer. Secondly, if the employee can't do the work then they may be fired for not meeting expectations. Thirdly, if management decides to lay off staff then some people may be let go as part of how business works. Have you ever had an employer that couldn't pay you? I have. There can also be personality conflicts where someone may be fired for being difficult to manage. There can also be questions of being a fit and so someone may be fired for those reasons, which has happened to me during my first few months at a company.</p>\n\n<p>Beware that the company has expectations of what an employee has to do. If that isn't met then the question is what can be done and are there legal issues as people with disabilities may well get some accommodations in the workplace.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/58938", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 61651, "author": "jimm101", "author_id": 44002, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/44002", "pm_score": 2, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I'd back up a few steps. </p>\n\n<p>You're being asked when the project can be completed. It's a valid question, but answering with specific hours will come back to bite you. Turn the question around. Let them know the <em>scope</em> of what needs to change, and ask them how long the last front end took. If the likely event that they don't have an answer, ask what metrics are in place for you to leverage--logs of time spent, etc After all, it's not how fast you can type. It's how fast you can get a clear understanding, cooperation with materials, etc. if they don't know how and can't calculate how long it took to build the last one, how can you know how long the next will take? One is speculation, and the other is a fact! </p>\n\n<p>The real number will be much larger than their expectations. No one wants to here \"6 months\" for something that <em>feels</em> like 3 months. But if it took 6 last time, and is sloppy, then why shouldn't it take longer this time? </p>\n\n<p>They'll likely know the start and end dates. Add 20-40% based on your comfort level. Now expectations are set and their derivations is clear. Beat that expectation if you can. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 61652, "author": "Kilisi", "author_id": 40669, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/40669", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In this situation I would outline the work to be done, but I wouldn't estimate a timeframe. I'd ask for a while to get a real feel for what is needed before estimating. Because realistically you don't know yet.</p>\n\n<p>If pressured I would go with the biggest margin I could reasonably estimate and say it should be done by then and may be done quicker. I wouldn't go looking for midpoints yet.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/61650", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/25175/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 62043, "author": "Kilisi", "author_id": 40669, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/40669", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Is there any adverse effect to applying for both concurrently?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>No there isn't, if the specific workplace doesn't want you applying for both, they will likely inform you. But otherwise it's perfectly fine.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 62054, "author": "mhoran_psprep", "author_id": 127, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/127", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If the company is large enough the HR chain, the hiring manager, and the people involved in the interview will be completely different. </p>\n\n<p>Even if they are both being advertised at the same time, they could be on completely different schedules for filling their position. One could fill it in a week, the other could take 3 months. </p>\n\n<p>The different departments could have slightly different work locations, which could mean that the pool of candidates for what seem to be identical jobs could have few overlaps.</p>\n\n<p>If one department makes you an offer, they will ask that you remove yourself from consideration for other job in the company. They don't want to be bidding against themselves. </p>\n\n<p>For many companies it is far easier to apply for the 2nd, 3rd or 4th opening because you have already completed the hard parts of uploading the information from your resume into their overly complex application webpage. This ease of being able to apply to multiple positions encourages you to do so.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 62066, "author": "Martin Fawls", "author_id": 46808, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/46808", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Good question with no straightforward answer.\nI have worked in companies where the view on that would be by applying for both you are showing a lack of focus on where you want to be and are wishy-washy. Other companies have no problem with you applying for both...some will even forward the resume/application so that both areas have the opportunity to see it.</p>\n\n<p>If possible you should try and speak with either an HR person at the company or, if possible, with the hiring managers. This may allow you not only to figure out whether it's acceptable to apply for both but it may give you insight into whether both positions are identical in reality. It may be that you end up being interested in one more than the other and decide that is the only one you want to apply for.</p>\n\n<p>If you are applying internally you could ask people you work with (even your current Mgr if they are OK with their people moving around/up) or HR and see what how the culture views this. Often times it is simply a personal opinion and not an accepted practice. I have seen a Director reject a resume for a college intern because she put down reading as a hobby. His view was that reading is a solitary activity and therefore they likely wouldn't be a good 'team player'. He was a good Director, that was his personal view but he made the final decision.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/62041", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/42666/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 62291, "author": "Philip Kendall", "author_id": 14388, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/14388", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>\"Jane\" should:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Thank her reporting officer for the advice.</li>\n<li>Complete the project in however long it takes to complete the project to the appropriate standard.</li>\n<li>Keep both her reporting officer and the director informed about the progress of the project.</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>This is just basic professionalism: you do your job to the best of your ability, and you keep the people who need to know about what you're doing informed.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 62296, "author": "keshlam", "author_id": 12989, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/12989", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Note that unless Jane has the experience to correct her initial estimate, it is very likely that she was over-optimistic and will not complete the work in five days. I know that I usually have to double my first guess to be close to accurate, and that multiplier increases as the time gets longer due to inefficiencies from day to day and week to week. </p>\n\n<p>This is probably what her manager was trying to warn her about. It does NOT mean she shouldn't try to complete the work as quickly as possible, just that \"promises\" may need some buffer to make sure you don't inadvertently break them too often.</p>\n\n<p>And it has nothing to do with \"chain of command\"; it's all about learning to make realistic estimates.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 62303, "author": "jimm101", "author_id": 44002, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/44002", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Divorcing this from a specific context makes all the answer academic, contrived, and almost entirely useless.</p>\n\n<p>In what corporate monstrosity is this type of communication happening? </p>\n\n<p>There is no real way to determine what to do. Communication is the only antidote to the political nonsense Jane and her boss are potentially trapped in, but this is too sanitized to even know. Without that background, this and any specific advice is just as likely to be wrong as right. I could spin stories in any direction that would make an answer obvious in one context inappropriate in another. In most companies, Jane and her boss^1 are weighing the political capital they need to spend to resolve this, which is entirely unrelated to actually completing the project, which I guess we're supposed to assume is important?</p>\n\n<p>What's the project? Is the deadline important? Did Jane's boss^2 ask her because there's some critical business need that prevented her from waiting for boss^1? Did Jane's estimate already reach a customer's ears? Can Jane reduce the actual time by pulling on other resources, perhaps meeting or exceeding the estimate? Is Jane's boss performing? Does the culture encourage people to not work hard, to prevent others from looking bad?</p>\n\n<p>Look at this question: \"Which of the following decisions should Jane take to avoid offending her reporting officer and the director and why should Jane take that decision?\" Offending them? <em>Offending?</em> Is this work or school? There are people who have the social skills to have a simple conversation with boss^1 and boss^2 and have everyone leaving happy. There are others who offend everyone, even under complete agreement. How long does the work actually take, what quality is required, what debt (technical debt, administrative debt) would be left behind--these all need to be answered. Let's say Jane is a programmer. Maybe Jane explains to boss^2 that she hadn't considered technical debt, and that she can deliver functional code in 5 days into production, but that she'll need to account for an additional 5 days to resolve the technical debt. If that's the reality, whether boss^1 or boss^2 is offended is impossible to predict. Boss^1 may be offended unless Jane intentionally offends boss^2, due to some territorially nonsense that doesn't belong at work and will probably exist in whatever monstrosity of a corporate structure is assumed in this case.</p>\n\n<p>Questions like this are loaded--they encourage generic \"why can't we all just get along\" answers rather than constructive solutions from the details, and totally ignore the hundreds of other factors that could change everyone's answers. I could repost this with different details filled in and get the exact same members posting contradictory advice, and they would often be correct. If this is for some type of training material, frankly, it's a disaster on multiple levels. If it's been sanitized from a real-world situation, please include enough details to make it meaningful.</p>\n\n<p>So here's my answer: (d) Jane should put down the textbook and look for a job in the 21st century.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/62288", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/13229/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 62519, "author": "Joe Strazzere", "author_id": 7777, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/7777", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>I currently work in tech support... because I have some familiarity\n with Java Programming they have me creating small tools to have our\n techs use in the workplace.</p>\n \n <p>I was wondering how I could put something like this on my resume,\n since I am trying to land an internship/programming job.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>You simply list it as one of the tasks for your job. No different than explaining other tasks you are performing.</p>\n\n<pre><code>Tech Support Specialist 2014-present \nMegaCorp\n\n - Provided phone support {yada, yada}\n - {Other tasks related to the job of Tech Support}\n - Created small tools using Java for all techs to use\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>You may wish to expound on this more in your cover letter, as this is experience that may help you stand out over other candidates, or may be the most important part for your internship.</p>\n\n<p>Even if you aren't permitted to share the actual code you created, you will be able to talk about it during an interview, and perhaps demonstrate the concepts and your abilities on a whiteboard.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 62520, "author": "AndreiROM", "author_id": 43772, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/43772", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p><strong>Demo Code</strong></p>\n\n<p>First of all, you don't need to show the entire program and how it functions in order to demonstrate your programming skills. </p>\n\n<p>Try copying out some of the methods you are most proud of, or which you feel best showcase your knowledge level. </p>\n\n<p>If you don't feel like that's enough you can always try creating a <strong><em>similar</em></strong> app in your own time simply so that you have something you can demo in interviews.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Resume</strong></p>\n\n<p>If you're applying for a programming job then you'll need to tailor your resume to that effect. You can't simply take your current resume and submit it: why would I hire someone who does tech support and only has two lines of relevant experience in their entire resume?</p>\n\n<p>Instead, focus on what you've done and know. Personally, I have a section in my resume (after <em>Profile</em>, and <em>Education</em>) listing the languages/technologies I know, and the IDE's I've worked with, all ranked by my familiarity with them. For example:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><strong>Computer &amp; IT Skills Overview</strong> <br/>\n <strong><em>Languages</em></strong><br/>\n Proficient With: C#, VB, VB.NET, JavaScript ...<br/>\n Knowledgeable of: Java, Objective-C, ...<br/>\n <strong><em>Software</em></strong><br/>\n IDEs: Visual Studio 2010 - 2013, NetBeans v123, ...<br/>\n Databases: ...</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Then, you can include something like:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><strong>Relevant Experience</strong><br/>\n - Involved in the design and development of numerous software tools at my current workplace\n - ...</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Only then would you list the work history, which may or may not be relevant to the position you're applying to. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 62522, "author": "Alex", "author_id": 47135, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/47135", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The biggest thing is to just be honest about it. Consider saying you have some Java programming experience at your current job, and list some of the things you did. Most companies won't ask you for source code, especially if you state that you worked on these small projects at a certain job. They'll understand that you can't show them things for proprietary reasons.</p>\n\n<p>A lot of times, listing programming experience on a resume is so that an employer can see what you've worked with, and can ask you questions in an interview based on those. </p>\n\n<p>If they're really desperate to see some code you've put together they'll give you a coding question to complete and send back to them. This usually happens before an interview so that they can discuss what you did during the interview.</p>\n\n<p>Anyways, just put it on your resume, give a general idea of what you did, and if an employer has any questions just be honest about the amount of work you did!</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 62525, "author": "skibbam", "author_id": 47137, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/47137", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Particularly if you are trying to make a transition (from tech support to programming) I would add a short section at the top of your resume to list your \"Highlights\". This is a section where you put what you want an employer or recruiter to see first on your resume, in this case, that you have some experience programming in the workplace. </p>\n\n<p>When I've helped people write resumes in the past, this was a great section to highlight things that didn't fit into a usual resume outline (not to mention a nice way to beef things up). List the things you are most proud of in the jobs you have worked so far, as well as any extracurricular things that will help you stand out from the rest. Try to keep them relevant to the position you are working towards.</p>\n\n<p>I would also list it in your experience as well, like Joe said. I'd add more specifics, like a high level of what your tools contributed to the company, what it automated for the staff, and how that improved people's workflow.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/62517", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/47134/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 62548, "author": "Masked Man", "author_id": 3192, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/3192", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You could claim the excess tax paid as refund while filing the tax return. It is easiest to pay back by deducting the excess amount from the next month's salary since this means that your total annual salary is automatically corrected. If this cannot be done, you should obtain a suitable \"receipt\" from your company, which your tax department will accept.</p>\n\n<p>Tax rules vary by location, but usually the entire income does not get taxed at the highest tax bracket rate. Instead only the income above the upper limit of next lower tax bracket gets taxed at that rate. To illustrate with an (oversimplified) example, consider the below tax brackets:</p>\n\n<pre><code>$0 - $100 ==&gt; 10%\n$100 - $500 ==&gt; 20%\n$500 - ==&gt; 30%\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>If you income is $400, then your tax is:</p>\n\n<pre><code>10% x $100 + 20% x ($400 - $100) = $70\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>If you were paid $600 in error, your tax becomes:</p>\n\n<pre><code>10% x $100 + 20% x ($500 - $100) + 30% x ($600 - $500) = $105\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>You could thus pay back $200 to the company, and claim a refund of $35 in your tax return. Unless the tax department pays you a substantial interest on the excess tax paid, you will still end up making some loss.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 62554, "author": "gnasher729", "author_id": 16101, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16101", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Unless the amount is excessive (they paid $48,829.50 instead of $4,882.95) a reasonable company would inform you about the error, pay you less the next month, and your tax would be adjusted automatically. The only difference is if you had the excess payment in the last month of the tax year, where you would arrange with them to pay back the excess within that tax year. </p>\n\n<p>Moving into another tax bracket will in most countries have very little effect on your taxes in most cases. The higher tax rate usually only applies to the amount in the higher tax bracket. And if you file a tax return, everything will be sorted out anyway. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/62544", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/47151/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 63017, "author": "MSalters", "author_id": 2192, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/2192", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The legal route is simple: you are still paid, and in those 6 weeks must act in the company interest. I don't need to tell you what that route is, do I?</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 63018, "author": "Old_Lamplighter", "author_id": 46894, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/46894", "pm_score": 5, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In all honesty, I'd say your best option is to leave it alone and leave.</p>\n\n<p>They have acted in bad faith, but don't stoop to their level. It sounds like they are a sinking ship. Step back and let them drown</p>\n\n<p>Make no mention of the code, EVER. If you produce it, they'll likely suspect that you were the original vandal and destroyed the code so you could blackmail them with a copy you kept.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 63019, "author": "AndreiROM", "author_id": 43772, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/43772", "pm_score": 6, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This is not a decision you want to spend a long time contemplating: the longer you take to act the more suspicious it will look when you eventually come forward.</p>\n\n<p>I really see three options:</p>\n\n<p><strong>1. Honesty</strong></p>\n\n<p>In this situation you are - somewhat - putting yourself at this company's mercy, and also counting on their generosity, which may be ... silly. </p>\n\n<p>You go to your boss and say:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Listen, I was working from home 8 months ago and have an older version of the program on my personal machine. Here's a USB with it, it's yours. </p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>If this person is a decent human being he will thank you from the bottom of his/her heart, and will offer you a reward. You could potentially ask for one at this point. </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I know you guys are letting us all go, but if you were to offer me a bonus for helping you out I wouldn't refuse it. Have a great day.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>You keep your dignity, and you take the moral high ground.</p>\n\n<p><strong>2. Stay Safe</strong></p>\n\n<p>If you're dealing with vengeful, irrational, and nasty people, then just <strong><em>keep quiet</em></strong>. If you suspect that any attempt to help them would end in you being accused of plotting against them then you're better off simply leaving in 6 weeks and washing your hands of it all. </p>\n\n<p>However, at that point the company <em>probably</em> goes bankrupt, and a lot of people end up losing their jobs. It's not really on you, but you <em>could</em> do something about it.</p>\n\n<p><strong>3. Anonymity</strong></p>\n\n<p>Put the code on a USB, and type up an anonymous note saying:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I had this code on a personal laptop due to working on it from home. I don't want to get involved in this situation in any way, so please accept it anonymously. It's a little older, but better than nothing. Good luck!</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Then stick them both in an envelope and leave it on a manager's windshield, or in any place where it will be found, but not be traced back to you. </p>\n\n<p><strong>Conclusion</strong></p>\n\n<p>I honestly do not think that you can leverage the situation into forcing them to give you a job. If you choose to try and deceive them into letting you \"rebuild\" the code then sooner or later they will simply come to the conclusion that you sabotaged the project for this very purpose. </p>\n\n<p>Best to do without that particular headache. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 63021, "author": "paparazzo", "author_id": 26028, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/26028", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>First of all the company is at fault </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>No version control<br>\nWell no saved version</li>\n<li>Let's migrate from C to C++<br>\nOK migrate may be good architectural decision but \n\n<ul>\n<li>Hey make a copy</li>\n<li>Keep a core of C people that know the code and can do C++</li>\n</ul></li>\n<li>Weak package<br>\n2 month severance and you have to work does not make you an ally<br>\nMake you come to work with logon privileges - that is just STUPID </li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>What you have is valuable to the company and I don't think you have legal or moral obligation to turn it over. Certainly you cannot sell it of give it to another party. </p>\n\n<p>I would not give the code to them based on weak severance. It is easily worth like 1 year severance to them but what if they come at you rather than pay? It is clearly a poorly run company - I would not count on rational decisions.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 63022, "author": "Kilisi", "author_id": 40669, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/40669", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>For me, there would only be two options.</p>\n\n<p>Do nothing about it and let them stew in their mess. (I'd be very unlikely to do this, but I guess if I was unhappy enough I might) In which case I'd delete their files from my machine.</p>\n\n<p>Secondly, give them the copy of the code.</p>\n\n<p>Everything else you're suggesting is immoral at best and probably illegal if you ever get found out because it's misrepresenting the truth.</p>\n\n<p>If you tried to sell them their own code in whatever convoluted way you have in mind, it would probably be thought that you are the one who sabotaged things in the first place. You're saying you're 100% honest but the whole tone of your question hinges on a lack of ethics and personal honesty.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 63026, "author": "Aaron Hall", "author_id": 12321, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/12321", "pm_score": 6, "selected": false, "text": "<h1>What's your duty? Give it to them - if they want it.</h1>\n\n<p>As a paid employee, you have a <a href=\"http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=724a91e1-94f1-4514-9e30-3749303c7c26\" rel=\"noreferrer\">fiduciary duty</a> to provide them with this code that belongs to them in the first place.</p>\n\n<p>You should not even begin to consider other alternatives. It's theirs. They pay you. Give it to them.</p>\n\n<p>If they ever find out you withheld it when you knew they wanted it, you could be in a lot of legal trouble. I am not a lawyer. It's probably worth some money to go over your situation with a lawyer to get legal advice.</p>\n\n<h1>Do they really want it?</h1>\n\n<p>If you were encouraged to work from home on your own hardware, they should have been polling you and others who may have done the same for if you have copies - if they valued those copies. </p>\n\n<p>Perhaps the copies are too old. Perhaps they have known copies that are even more current that they don't talk about, but that they don't want to use.</p>\n\n<h1>Conclusion: Find out what they want.</h1>\n\n<p>There's probably some perverse political stuff going on here that you're not privy to. Be delicate. But find out what they want. </p>\n\n<p>If they want it, give it to them. You'll be the hero. Talk to a lawyer. Good luck.</p>\n\n<h1>Addendum</h1>\n\n<p>You didn't mention it, but CVS isn't distributed version control, like git. Maybe they assumed you shouldn't <em>have</em> an entire copy of the repo. Definitely time to talk to a lawyer.</p>\n\n<h1>Postscript</h1>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>It turns out I was mistaken. I never had a copy of the code.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I wonder why you thought you did. Perhaps you thought CVS worked like distributed systems which you might be familiar with. I am disappointed with your desire to leverage the firm's mismanagement by using something they would already own as a bargaining chip. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 63034, "author": "xxbbcc", "author_id": 36469, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/36469", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>My advice would be to stay out of this and don't get involved in any way. It's highly unlikely that you'd be able to get any form of reward (extended job, bonus, etc.) if you hand over the files you have.</p>\n\n<p>In addition to that, the managers who were responsible for keeping backups (or for the people whose job was to make backups) will most certainly look for a scapegoat to save themselves. If you show up with the files, you can easily be made into that scapegoat - you really have no way to prove that you didn't cause the sabotage if the network records are as skimpy as you say.</p>\n\n<p>In your situation, I'd delete the files, work off the last 6 weeks and look for another job in the meantime. You cannot (and shouldn't even try) sell the code to someone else - that would be illegal and unethical.</p>\n\n<p>One could argue that it's unethical to not to hand over the files. I agree with that statement but if you go the ethical route, there's nothing that will protect you from the company if one or more managers decide to blame you. The company will have the resources for a long legal battle that you may or may not win at the end. You'll surely lose a lot of money in the meantime, though, if this scenario becomes real.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 63036, "author": "gnasher729", "author_id": 16101, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16101", "pm_score": 5, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The company owns the code. Any attempts of selling them their own code will end in tears. </p>\n\n<p>When you are laid off, all employment contracts that I've had required me to destroy any copies of code, or generally any company documents, that I might have in my possession. And that's what you need to do. If you have been given notice, so you know you are going to be laid of, you might as well start cleaning up what's in your possession right now. </p>\n\n<p>You might watch how well they are doing in the future and get some enjoyment out of it. </p>\n\n<p>PS After your update: So the CTO was making false accusations against almost all developers and insulting them all at the same time. Well, that is going to help. What an idiot. (Why do I say \"what an idiot\"? If the code was deleted, it doesn't help. But if someone else had a copy at home, as you thought you did, or if the perpetrator had kept a copy, which is not unlikely, there would have been a small chance to get the code back. With his stupid behaviour, he destroyed that possibility). Congratulations for having one senior developer who kept his cool and gave you the correct advise. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 63045, "author": "Anthony", "author_id": 30062, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/30062", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Your original question <strong>How can I benefit from a company disaster?</strong> exposes you as dishonest with ulterior motives. It is unethical to prosper personally during a company disaster such as in this scenario. </p>\n\n<p>Your update makes my point moot, but I will still post this anyway to make my point - <strong>that you should take the high road give the company the code</strong> that you thought you had (which now you know you did not).</p>\n\n<p>As suggested by option number 1 in @AndreiRom <a href=\"https://workplace.stackexchange.com/a/63019/30062\">answer</a> and by option 2 in @Kilsi <a href=\"https://workplace.stackexchange.com/a/63022/30062\">answer</a>, you should be honest in this situation. Your company owns the code and until the last day at the time you walk out the door, <strong>you have a duty to act in the best interest of your employer.</strong></p>\n\n<p>Some of the other answers suggest that by giving them the code, you open yourself to liability. If the company were to come after you, this would be an irrational decision on their part. <strong>The company has an interest in surviving.</strong> The OP by providing the company with the original unmodified code, has done a huge favor for his employer. For the company to take legal action against the OP, they would only be harming themselves. Without the OP's help, <strong>the company would most likely fail sooner or later.</strong></p>\n\n<p>If I was the owner of the company, and someone sabotaged the code base , I <strong>would gracefully take any help I can</strong> in restoring business operations and would recognize <strong>by cooperating with the OP, I am ensuring my own survival.</strong></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 63068, "author": "CorporateTool", "author_id": 47547, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/47547", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>My kudos to the developer who made those changes to the crucial 40,000 lines of source code.The managers and executives of your company deserve that and worse.</p>\n\n<p>My advice to you - keep quiet about the good source code you have. Your bosses are definitely going to suspect that it was you who intentionally changed the code to benefit from the situation and put you in a lot of legal trouble. You are under no obligation to help your company; let the managers and executives broil in their own juices.</p>\n\n<p>Erase irrecoverably any copies you have of the good source code from before these changes were done from your personal devices (devices that you own, not company's devices). Destroy any thumb drives and preferably even hard disks that you own where you saved the good source code. This is in case your bosses decide to go to court for any reason and have all the computers of all developers, including their petsonal computers, sub poenad and searched for evidence to find out who did this. If you do not wish to destroy hard drives that you own, at least delete the good source code using one of those file shredding applications that make multiple passes and overwrite a file with bit patterns to make them even more difficult to recover or detect they once existed. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/63016", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/47512/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 63093, "author": "AndreiROM", "author_id": 43772, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/43772", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It could be one of two things:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>You can get the job done, but maybe not in the best way possible</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>OR </p>\n\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li>You don't know how to best represent yourself in an interview</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p><strong>1. Getting the job done</strong></p>\n\n<p>It's great to be able to get the job done, but quality matters as well.</p>\n\n<p>To give an example, I'll describe the difference between our senior dev and one of our other devs who's been around here forever: </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The senior dev knows all the latest Javascript and JQuery tricks and libraries. He loves to learn new things on his own. My other coworker uses only ASP.NET controls on his webpages, and each click on a control causes a post-back. The one's pages are very smooth, user friendly, load lightning fast, etc. The other's are dinosaurs and resource hogs, which cause the server to crash if more than 5 people use the same system at a time. <br/></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>They both get the job done, but which would you hire?</p>\n\n<p><strong>2. Showcasing your skills</strong></p>\n\n<p>It's entirely possible that in an interview situation you are not able to communicate your knowledge effectively, and thus come across as unskilled. </p>\n\n<p>Since you tell us that it's technical tests that you're having trouble with I think that the problem that plagues you might be far more closely related to not being entirely up to date on the best programming practices and standards of the industry more so than this, but we can't know that.</p>\n\n<p>If you feel that your interview skills might be impacting how you do in these situations maybe set up a list of your skills and experience to bring up in conversation so that you don't forget to mention anything.</p>\n\n<p>Good luck!</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 63105, "author": "Old_Lamplighter", "author_id": 46894, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/46894", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Take a few online classes in your specialty.</p>\n\n<p>There's more to coding than coding to pass a technical interview.</p>\n\n<p>There is also jargon and lingo that people apply to the field and not knowing that part of the equation may be getting in your way.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 63106, "author": "EGN", "author_id": 33143, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/33143", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I have been in your situation. I'm a self-educated, and would like to think of myself as a good developer. Freelance jobs are not easy, but nothing could stop me even though I had literally just myself to rely on. However, I did have my challenges when I was employed. </p>\n\n<p>The main challenge was not lack of problem solving skills which you rely on when working as freelance, it was mainly the terminology and formalities associated with workplace. I constantly found myself in a situation like this.</p>\n\n<pre><code>Person: Do you know XXX?\nMe: No! What is XXX?\nPerson: XXX is ....\nMe: Oh yes, I have actually done this ...\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>My advice to you is to get some academic education, whether from books or institutes. Technical exams are academic, your problem solving skills alone will not be sufficient to show that you are good.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 63108, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Clients want to know:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Can you build this?</li>\n<li>Have you ever build something like this before?</li>\n<li>How much do you charge?</li>\n<li>When will it be done?</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>They tend not to be as knowledgeable so they don't ask specific/detail questions. The risk is less because they can fire you at any time with not as much cost as a full-time employee.</p>\n\n<p>When someone is hiring for a position, they may more detailed knowledge and will ask specific questions. Often this turns into a game of Trivial Pursuit. Of course everyone will tell you these are very common and must know questions or there's just no way you could have enough skill. Also, they want you to be an employee. This often involves being used to working with a team/playing well with others, handling communications, less flexibility in your time, sitting through meetings and doing things a certain way.</p>\n\n<p>You have to understand the mindset when filling a position - avoid risk. If they pass on a good programmer, that isn't good for you, but as long as they get someone who is qualified, they've done their job. They can afford to be wrong with the ones they don't hire as long as the person they hire is qualified. What's the odds you'll go work for a competitor and put them out of business? They just see you being a risky hire.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 63112, "author": "keshlam", "author_id": 12989, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/12989", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Yes in fact, contractor entry requirements paradoxically may be lower.</p>\n\n<p>When folks are hiring a contractor, they only need the specific skills to complete that one task. When they're hiring an employee they are looking for the ability to handle a wide range of future projects. </p>\n\n<p>I am guessing that interviewers think you have good skills in a specific niche or with a specific toolset, but don't have broad enough background to operate as a generalist.</p>\n\n<p>This is a common problem for (and with) folks who are largely self-taught. As others have said, the videos to broaden and deepen your skillset, and the easiest way to prove that you've done so is to take some real classes.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/63090", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/47559/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 63310, "author": "Kilisi", "author_id": 40669, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/40669", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Getting heard from departments I need a feedback from</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>There is not much you can do except keep pushing. Escalating twice is not a good idea, you are then trying to make people at two levels above you look like they're not doing their job at best (even if it's true), this can backfire. You have no real way of knowing if there are any underlying factors to what is going on.</p>\n\n<p>If it was me, I'd just keep pushing it with my manager and leave it to him/her to negotiate the blocks or apathy and just focus on my job. Many companies do not seem to do things optimally to the men on the ground. Sometimes it's worth the effort to try and make a change, but mostly it's not if it's too risky. And there is a chain of command that it's best to use however 'important' you think your contribution is.</p>\n\n<p>It's not unheard of for people to spend months perfecting a project which never gets used.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 63316, "author": "Joe Strazzere", "author_id": 7777, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/7777", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Do I need to escalate the matter to the highest level I know?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>So your complaint appears to be that folks aren't using the software you developed yet and you are getting impatient. </p>\n\n<p>But how you should deal with it depends on your role in the company.</p>\n\n<p>If you are in charge of <em>Thing Measurement Accuracy</em>, then you need to find a way to enforce the standards for accuracy in your shop. If that means the new software must be installed and used, then you need to get management suppport first. You should then gather the people who can do the installs, schedule the cutover, get it done, and not rely on another group to do what you hope.</p>\n\n<p>But if you are in charge of <em>Developing Software</em>, then it's up to the business to decide when and if they actually use it, not you. You might talk to your boss, and see if there's something he/she wants you to do in order to help with the cutover, but that's not really your responsibility.</p>\n\n<p>Many of us in the software field have been part of projects that ended up being shelfware. It happens. I suspect you just need to be patient. While it's clearly important to you, often using your software isn't at the top of your users' list of things to do. They many have other business priorities that prevent them from jumping on your software.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 63326, "author": "HLGEM", "author_id": 93, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/93", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Since you are in the Measurement department (according to a comment on an earlier answer), then I would get with my boss and determine how we were going to deploy the tool you wrote and scheduled each individual who needs the install and then go to their desk and do it according to the schedule. Be sure to remove the old tool at the same time. </p>\n\n<p>Users do not want to install new software even when it is an improvement, there is a resistance to change factor. So the only solution is to do the install yourself rather than relying on them to do it. Since you are in the department that can mandate the measurement tool and the standard that are followed, use that organizational power and do the installs without asking them to do them. </p>\n\n<p>At the time of install for each person, take the time to walk them through how to use it. Much of resistance to change is that they feel unsure that they will be able to figure out how to use it. At the time of the install, make sure you explain to them exactly what they are getting from this new software that is an improvement over the old one. People resisting change need much more hand-holding at the beginning. They are afraid of your new tool. I know that sounds ridiculous but it is true. They think they will make mistakes using it; they think they won't be able to figure out where necessary functions are; they think it will slow down their work due to the learning curve and they are already behind or under pressure. You have to diffuse those feelings.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/63308", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/47721/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 64113, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>From my point of view, copying code is a perfectly valid thing to do, as long as it solves the problem at hand, i.e. if you change the issue at hand to have the code fit is not a good approach. Finding a solution that works in 5 minutes is more efficient than writing a solution that works in 5 hours. As long as you understand how the code works (like you mention).</p>\n\n<p>Citing the source of where you copied it from is the right thing to do. If you used a source but modified the code, you should still specify that you've used it as an inspiration.</p>\n\n<p>Now, about the format of the citation. Really, it doesn't matter, as long as you're consistent across all your code. An employer will like to see that you're thorough, ethical, consistent and can follow a coding standard. (Make sure you also make the code you copied fit in your own coding standard: indentation, casing, braces positions, spaces, etc.)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 64115, "author": "nvoigt", "author_id": 10813, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/10813", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I <a href=\"https://meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/286582/can-we-get-some-explicit-clarification-on-the-intended-legal-usage-of-code-fro/286708#286708\">answered</a> a meta question a while back asking a similar question.</p>\n\n<p>Stack Overflow presents knowledge. Just like a book. If you gain knowledge from a book, then using this knowledge doesn't need citation. You don't cite your grammar school book on use of the English language with any word you type either, right? </p>\n\n<p>Now if you quote verbatim, you need citations. But only on something that actually has creative value. If I quote Shakespeare, I better do so properly. But somebody has said \"good morning\" first. And I sure won't mention <em>his</em> name every morning for about 10-20 times. </p>\n\n<p>Your examples are things that are really just common knowledge. Comparing floating point values? Calculating something from two integers? That's not things worth attributing. Everybody does that. It is obvious that nobody had programming just implanted. We all learned it somewhere and from somebody. </p>\n\n<p>If you actually <em>learn</em> something from Stack Overflow (and I realize not everybody does), you don't <em>need</em> to copy it verbatim. You will adapt it to your needs, even if your needs are just different variable naming or braces. And if you adapt what you learned, you don't need to attribute it to someone. It's <em>your</em> product, even if you had help creating it. We all have help creating things. Nobody can create things out of thin air. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 64127, "author": "HPierce", "author_id": 47632, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/47632", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Part of being a professional software developer is having a handle on software licenses and how code can be reused. If you abide by these rules, you can easily argue to a hiring manager that you followed standard operating procedure.</p>\n<p>Each website will have a different license, but <a href=\"https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/271080/the-mit-license-clarity-on-using-code-on-stack-overflow-and-stack-exchange\">this recommendation is provided</a> when pulling code from Stack Overflow (or any Stack Exchange site):</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>But to future-proof your work, we recommend you do one of these 2\nthings, or both:</p>\n<p>A) Add a comment to your code that links back to the post where you\nfound it, or</p>\n<p>B) Comply with the MIT as it’s typically used, by\nincluding the full license text in your source</p>\n<p>You’re doing option A\nalready, right? This is just standard operating procedure when it\ncomes to finding code on the internet – a hyperlink comment ensures\nyou’ll be able to debug down the line. But under the new terms a\nhyperlink comment is more than just pragmatic, it’s a hat-tip, and\nit’s a tit-for-tat that ensures you’ve complied with a contributor’s\nterms</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>In general, using code from the internet is fine but I would caution you about overdoing it. If every function in your repository contains a citation to Stack Overflow, I would question your ability to perform on more specific problems.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/64110", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/47765/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 66778, "author": "Xavier J", "author_id": 13470, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/13470", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Try this:</p>\n\n<pre><code>\".NET and related technologies such as ___, ___, ___, ___\"\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>There are hordes of related technologies, and I'm sure a recruiter or hiring manager is probably going to be specific in his/her interest. It might seem a little tedious, but you'll do more good by including them.</p>\n\n<p>The recruiters and HR people DON'T CARE about what seems repetitive. They are not developers. They scan resumes and look for keywords, and filter accordingly. Missing keywords means no interviews. That's just the way it is. Yes, it's inefficient; I've actually put \"Transact-SQL\" and \"T-SQL\" on my resume because they are clueless to the fact that they're the same thing. Don't be a snob, because it's going to keep many doors closed for you.</p>\n\n<p>(I'm also a .NET developer.)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 66786, "author": "Thomas Owens", "author_id": 3, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/3", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It sounds like you're trying to list skills on your resume. My advice: don't.</p>\n\n<p>Instead of listing skills, talk about the things that you did in each position. If you had a job where you did .NET development and used Winforms or ADO.NET, put that in the description of the job. If the company is looking for specific skills and mention them in the job posting, you can use a cover letter to introduce times when you've worked with a particular set of skills, or related skills where you can transfer your knowledge and experiences.</p>\n\n<p>If you maintain a profile on something like Stack Overflow Careers or LinkedIn, you can use the appropriate sections there for keywords to help make yourself discoverable to people searching. However, even on these sites, you should write about the technologies that you use in the context of jobs you've held and projects you've worked on as well.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/66777", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 67802, "author": "xxbbcc", "author_id": 36469, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/36469", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>It's typically better to quit with a notice but the same phrasing essentially works for both situations. You could just write an email like this to your manager:</p>\n\n<pre><code>To whom it may concern,\n\nThis is to let you know that I will be resigning my &lt;POSITION&gt; 2 (two)\nweeks from today - my last day shall be &lt;DATE&gt;. Please let me know what\nkind of tasks you’d like me to complete in this time period.\n\nSincerely,\nVilhelm Gray\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Optionally you can add a sentence or two mentioning how you enjoyed working there and thanking for the opportunity to learn / contribute.</p>\n\n<p>The reason I say it's better to quit with notice is because it lets the company adjust to you leaving - if you quit effective immediately (which is likely legal in an at-will state), you'll still burn bridges with your manager. This may or may not be important to you but it's worth to consider.</p>\n\n<p>While it may look like it's impersonal because of the email, you definitely need something in writing with a time stamp so there's no way to argue when you submitted your resignation. If you're on good terms with your manager, you should mention this in person first (so the email doesn't come out of the blue) but do not forget to send the email right away.</p>\n\n<p>PS: IANAL - this is not legal advice.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 67805, "author": "Hilmar", "author_id": 5418, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/5418", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Schedule a meeting with your manager.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Hi Mr/s. XXX. I really appreciate the opportunities that I had here and all the growing and learning that I was able to experience. However, I feel that it's time for me to move on and so I have decided to resign. My last day will be on YYY. I want to personal thank you for your support and collaboration while I was here.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Adjust to the specific situation as needed or appropriate. You can go into the actual reasons or not. Prepare for some follow up questions:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Why do you want to leave ?</li>\n<li>What can we do to keep you here?</li>\n<li>Can you stay a little longer?</li>\n<li>What transition plan do you have in mind ?</li>\n<li>Pack your stuff and get out of here.</li>\n</ul>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/67801", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/51034/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 68101, "author": "jcmack", "author_id": 46398, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/46398", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The template email you have written is a good place to start. You can also ask the same of your hiring manager. Talk to current employees. For entry level interviews, you will usually get a lunch buddy. Generally your lunch buddy is not a part of the hiring process and a good opportunity to ask more candid questions about career advancement. Talk to former employees as well, if you know any, or look through reviews on <a href=\"https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm\" rel=\"nofollow\">Glassdoor</a>.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 68136, "author": "tymtam", "author_id": 47165, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/47165", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Find out if HR dept has a website (internal/extrenal) and you may find that the process is explained there.</p>\n\n<p>Good luck!</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/68099", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/51214/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 70178, "author": "G.T.D.", "author_id": 45420, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/45420", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<p>From personal experience, I have seen many people break the employment history up for the various owners to make their resume/CV look larger. However, you can consolidate it while still gaining a similar effect and put something such as:</p>\n\n<pre><code>\"XYZ Co. (Subsid. of ABC Corp. as of [Purchase Date]) Hire Date - [End Date/Present]\"\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>This way the time and companies are consolidated. You can also explain it at an interview if they ask (which they will most likely). Consolidating has 3 benefits over breaking it up:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Makes you look loyal and that you stayed with a company (despite being purchased) for X number of years. Shows, potentially, that you grew within a company.</li>\n<li>Increases the length of jobs to prevent the appearance of job hopping (usually it's only worrying when the time at companies is months OR less than 3 years).</li>\n<li>Increases readability of a resume (since most people spend less than 30 seconds on one)</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>I would say consolidate it and just elaborate on it briefly in an interview or phone screen; if they want more detail then fine, but most will know it is just a formatting decision.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 70179, "author": "IDrinkandIKnowThings", "author_id": 16, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If it were my resume I would list the current corporation as my employer for the full duration. Then in the description paragraph I would include a short blurb that explained that I was originally hired Jan 1999 by ABC corp which was acquired by DEF Corp in Aug 2008 which was acquired by XYZ corp in Sept 2011. </p>\n\n<p>Most employers understand that surviving a single acquisition is difficult, surviving and thriving through 2 is a major accomplishment. You do not need to point it out in the resume but it may not hurt to mention that in a cover letter.</p>\n\n<p>The point of a resume is to convey your experience in a way that is consistent to make it easier for a potential employer to compare applicants. I feel this manner conveys that you have had one job for how ever long, and provides the accuracy if the employer does a background check to verify your employment.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/70175", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/1693/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 71566, "author": "MelBurslan", "author_id": 47417, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/47417", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If the request is coming from your supervisor and it is something work related, such as a project status check up or a customer expectation etc, it is best that you choose the best time depending on the project's timeline. Your supervisor might not be aware of your position on the subject matter project and deferring the timing to you, so that you can be more prepared.</p>\n\n<p>If it is a personal matter, like your yearly or quarterly review, it is best if you choose a time which you know will be better for your boss, indicating that you are available for all the time slots offered but you thought it might be at your boss' best interest if you go with this or that time. This will make you sound decisive, at the same time considerate of your boss. And letting your boss know that you are open to all suggestions, gives them the chance to offer a different time, should he/she feels another time slot serves better for his/her purpose.</p>\n\n<p>On the other hand, if the meeting request is coming from a coworker or a project team member, it has almost always been my experience that, more flexible you sound, more irrelevant work you end up getting during the course of the project. Choose one time slot, even if it is at random, and stick to it, and if necessary, resist the time change proposals, within reason of course. If someone, who is not your boss, thinks that he/she can walk over you, this is not a good move for the rest of your time in that position.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 71567, "author": "Erik", "author_id": 38458, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/38458", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Depends on how many people are in the meeting. If this is a planning for a larger meeting (3 or more parties, basically) then it is often best to respond with an \"I am available at all of these times\". (Or, if you can do some, but not all, to respond with the ones you have available).</p>\n\n<p>Since there might be other parties who still need to pick an available time and you saying \"Let's do monday\" might then result in \"we can't do monday\", whereas you saying \"Any is fine with me\" would immediately go to \"We can only do Wednesday\".</p>\n\n<p>When there are only 2 parties involved, the other party clearly is also available for all of these and is also indifferent, so just pick one. Roll a die, or just go with the first one, or whatever. If they cared, they would have emphasized their preferred date.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 71599, "author": "bethlakshmi", "author_id": 67, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/67", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you are having a small meeting, and all the times work for you - just say so.</p>\n\n<p>Keep in mind that working for you means:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>You can be on time</li>\n<li>You will have any preparation or action items for the meeting complete</li>\n<li>You can be attentive and ready to participate</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>If you can't do all three, say so, and pick the time that is most likely to get you as ready for the meeting as possible. If you have no part to play in the meeting, then ask why it's necessary and what value you bring to it.</p>\n\n<p>The importance of being ready on all counts increases when the meeting is with your superiors or with other people of high importance. If you are the higher ranked person, you may be able to waste the time of the other groups more or if this is a large meeting, it may be understood if you can't be 100% ready for the meeting.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/71563", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/25301/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 71633, "author": "Peter", "author_id": 29866, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/29866", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Simple: If you don't feel you can trust someone and you don't need to do business with that someone, don't do business with that someone.</p>\n\n<p>If you contact A directly to ask for the rejection reason, you might lose standing with the headhunter, but that isn't even necessarily the case. Even if you lose standing, they won't sabotage the offer by B, because they still want to get that money from company B.</p>\n\n<p>The only case where you could possibly face negative consequences for contacting A is if you absolutely need H to get a job in the future, other than the job at B.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 71634, "author": "David K", "author_id": 16983, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16983", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<p>So, to answer a different question, I would say that it is more likely that Hb is lying to you than that H is lying to you. I would start by contacting Ha first to verify that you were rejected. If you don't want this to come off as accusatory, hide it in a question.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Hb said that Company A rejected me, but didn't have a good explanation as to why. Do you have any more information from Company A about why they would have rejected me? I thought my interview went very well.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>If he also says that you were rejected, then I think it is very likely he is telling the truth. Often at recruiting companies you have your quota per recruiter, and him giving you over to company B doesn't help him in any way.</p>\n\n<p>If you are still suspicious and feel the desire to contact A, then do so, but keep in mind that it may be in breach of your contract with H, and you could be removed from their list. That is a risk you take. And make if you do this, make sure that you are still approaching it as trying to figure out if you can improve, or asking if they would still consider you for future positions.</p>\n\n<p>Never accuse anyone of lying - just tell them you were told you were rejected and let them respond accordingly.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/71628", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/32611/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 72432, "author": "Jane S", "author_id": 33698, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/33698", "pm_score": 6, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As a woman who works on the technical side of development, I really don't care what the underlying numeric primary key value is. I wouldn't have even thought about the connotations that you've raised if you hadn't done so (or course, now I can't <em>unsee</em> it). I really, truly think that someone's overthinking this. Put down however many enumerated values if you so desire for gender. If you want to be truly supportive of diverse gender identities, then three is nowhere near enough :) </p>\n\n<p>However, an even better idea is to ask yourselves, \"Do we REALLY need to know the gender of this person? Why? What do we plan to do with it?\" If if has absolutely no bearing on how the record is utilised in the system, then it's not really worth collecting.</p>\n\n<p>But to answer your question, it doesn't matter what you use for your database numeric keys. Having genders of just male and female is not sufficient, so if you really want to keep it to a minimal set, you could use \"Male, Female, Undisclosed\". That way you're not referring to gender diverse people as \"Other\", and you give <em>everyone</em> the option to choose if they wish to disclose their gender.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 72433, "author": "Maybe_Factor", "author_id": 54453, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/54453", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It's an enumeration of values to allow it to be stored in the database. No developer is going to notice or care that female is represented by 0 and male by 1, and this fact should never be exposed to the end user.</p>\n\n<p>If possible, it might be better to store it in a char(1)... that way you can query it using something like <code>WHERE gender = 'F'</code> rather than <code>WHERE gender = 0</code>. It sorts out your friends issue with it and also provides greater ease of use for future development.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 72434, "author": "Dan Is Fiddling By Firelight", "author_id": 345, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/345", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>As 2 stands for other (or not sure) people might deem this (somewhat) Transphobic or outright rude and / or offensive.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>While the other two points look like someone actively trying to find fault for the sake of finding fault, there's no reason to limit yourself to a tristate with this as the 3rd option. If you want to be more inclusive look at the expansive lists of options sites like Facebook provide beyond male/female and offer the same. Facebook apparently is up to 71 options. I'd provide a direct link; except the only 3rd party sites I can find listing them all have highly negative reactions to the idea.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 72436, "author": "Blueshift", "author_id": 54685, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/54685", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Personally, I think your co-worker is overthinking it, as others have already said. Now, more inline with regards to your classification of genders, I have seen some systems user the following five: </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Male, Female, Other Specific, Not Known, Not Specified</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This number is not a set rule by any means; in fact, for simplicity, I would go with Not Specified for the third and final option. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 72438, "author": "Erik", "author_id": 38458, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/38458", "pm_score": 6, "selected": false, "text": "<p>These numbers are identifiers in a database. Database record identifiers are, by definition of their purpose, completely meaningless data. Anyone who tries to claim they mean something is almost certainly either not a software engineer or a <em>bad</em> software engineer.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 73775, "author": "Orsinus", "author_id": 25003, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/25003", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Why waste storage space by having an Integer variable for this purpose? Use a boolean instead - IsMale: true or false. Null valie if neither male nor female.</p>\n\n<p>Problem solved.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 73782, "author": "Kent A.", "author_id": 33312, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/33312", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You have social options and technical options. </p>\n\n<p>Socially, you can just ignore your friend's opinion. She is not on the team and you were just showing her your code and she \"went there.\" </p>\n\n<p>Or, you (and your team) could decide to make a change to (hopefully) avoid the issue. You have a couple of technical options available to you. This assumes your business requirements are not able to be changed with respect to whether and how gender must be tracked.</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>Use strings instead of ordinal values. Of course if you use this field as a key, or frequently in joins, your queries might be a few milliseconds slower, which can add up.</p></li>\n<li><p>Change the ordinal values of your enumeration to be large numbers. The actual value probably doesn't matter. It takes no more CPU effort to compare a large number as it does to compare a small one. If you're using a 32-bit integer, you have 4 billion numbers to pick from. Of course, you should take care that your numbers do not differ by only a 1 or a 0, because we just cannot un-see this post!</p></li>\n</ol>\n" }, { "answer_id": 73785, "author": "Old_Lamplighter", "author_id": 46894, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/46894", "pm_score": 5, "selected": false, "text": "<p>What you should do is <strong>nothing</strong>.</p>\n\n<p>What you're dealing with is someone who is deliberately trying to be offended. I've dealt with this before over a different issue, where someone actually filed a union action over the colors we used in a spreadsheet. We had to dig in to stop that nonsense, and so do you.</p>\n\n<p>If you change anything, then you are tacitly admitting to doing wrong. Once you do that, life at work will become very difficult for you, because there can always be more reasons invented.</p>\n\n<p>Just as an example, I can make every last number offensive for one reason or another. </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>0</strong> is round and could be offensive to people who are fat. </li>\n<li><strong>1</strong> could be offensive because someone decides it's a phallic symbol.</li>\n<li>See <em>\"South Park\"</em> for someone being offended by the number <strong>2</strong> </li>\n<li><strong>3</strong>, <strong>6</strong>, and <strong>9</strong> could all be offensive to Christians (if they so choose) because of the number of the beast. </li>\n<li><strong>4</strong> because it resembles a knife </li>\n<li><strong>7</strong> because it resembles a gun </li>\n<li><p><strong>8</strong> because its hour-glass shape promotes a certain body shape. </p></li>\n<li><p>...which leaves <strong>five</strong>, and if I thought about it long enough I could make that offensive as well.</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>It may cause you some short-term discomfort, but if you give into one silly demand, there will be no end of it for you. Again, for emphasis. If you change what you have, you are admitting to wrong doing, whether you realize it or not. Once you've got that label slapped on you the next complaint will have more force because you have a <em>\"history of bigoted behavior\"</em> or some other nonsense. </p>\n\n<p><strong>Stand your ground and dismiss your coworker's concerns as the trouble-making disruption it is.</strong></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 73792, "author": "Xavier J", "author_id": 13470, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/13470", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I think you are WAY overthinking this.</p>\n\n<p>Whatever you put into the database for the primary key is going to have to have a unique value. Numbers, characters. The computer is a calculator. It deals with numbers.</p>\n\n<p>Accordingly, having unique numeric values implies that each value will have different properties. Some will be less than others. Some will be greater. Some will be primes. Some will not. Some will have one digit, others will have two. We can go on with this ad infinitum, and if we take the OP's approach then it sorta says it's sane for us to mince how the qualities (as described) of these values somehow \"ding\" the worth of the genders they're associated with in the data. </p>\n\n<p>It's like the old saying of how some people say \"tomaTOE\", vs \"toMAHto\". Remarkable, brow-raising?? Slightly. High in value, in the long term? Hmm, probably not. Epic, long-term, cataclysmic effects with the globe spinning off its axis?? SMH.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 86075, "author": "xDaizu", "author_id": 53782, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/53782", "pm_score": 5, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As it is usually the case in IT, <strong>just go standard.</strong> Use the <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO/IEC_5218\" rel=\"noreferrer\">ISO/IEC 5218</a></p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>The four codes specified in ISO/IEC 5218 are:</p>\n \n <p>0 = not known, 1 = male, 2 = female, 9 = not applicable.</p>\n \n <p>The standard specifies that its use may be referred to by the\n designator \"SEX\".</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><strong><em>Fun</em> note:</strong> Even though the ISO explicitely says that <code>no significance is to be placed on the encoding of male as 1 and female as 2</code>, since we are not using the problematic 0, males can say that <em>they are number one</em> while females can say <em>they are twice as good</em>, so that should make everyone happy... right? :)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 86080, "author": "komodosp", "author_id": 32982, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/32982", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>First, establish she wasn't joking. </p>\n\n<p>Then, roll your eyes and make it</p>\n\n<pre><code>Other = 0,\nMale = 1,\nFemale = 2\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>And stop showing her your code!</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 86097, "author": "Zephyr", "author_id": 65361, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/65361", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You are writing a piece of software, and your first and foremost priority is making sure it works and is easy for your peers to work with. </p>\n\n<p>When it comes to data analysis, data isn't inherently bigoted. It's only bigoted when you ascribe further meaning than what is present. For example, if your numbers show that there are more men than women who work at your company, there's nothing wrong with that. If you take that and say that women are therefore less qualified than men to work in your field, that's problematic.</p>\n\n<p>If your friend, or some hypothetical future person, sees that a '0' is being used for women and a '1' is for men, and decides that that number is the number of penises that employee has, that is not reflective of your attitude or your codebase's attitude. Your code is just text, it can't have an opinion.</p>\n\n<p>The question you should ask is, can you rewrite your code in such a way that a programmer not familiar with it can still work effectively? Or will your proposed change trade off clarity/convenience with perceived gender neutrality? If it's the former, then go ahead and make the change if it makes you more comfortable.</p>\n\n<p>An easy workaround is maybe to just replace every '0' or '1' using #define and explicitly name each group, so no one will assume any further meaning behind it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 86141, "author": "Philipp", "author_id": 9959, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/9959", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>In summary, the question I'd like answered is the following: Is it appropriate to collect data regarding one's gender using only a select few gender types (Male and Female), and group the rest into an 'Other' category?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>That depends on why you are collecting that data in the first place. Data models aren't supposed to fulfill political correctness needs, they are supposed to fulfill business needs.</p>\n\n<p>So what exactly is the business need for the gender field?</p>\n\n<p>Do you want to be able to use the correct honorifics and pronouns when communicating with users? Then save the pronouns and honorifics.</p>\n\n<p>Do you need it for some marketing analysis? Then you might indeed have a business case for using a more complicated representation of sex/gender identity, because people with non-standard identities are demographics with non-standard consumer behavior.</p>\n\n<p>Are you building a dating app? Most dating services have a clear binary distinction how the user self-identifies and what partners they are looking for. Dating for people with non-binary gender identity and/or preference is a rather specialized market segment. Ask your management if catering to this segment is part of their business plan. If they do, there are two solutions. Either invent a super-complex system to match people who might be interested in dating each other, or just drop the gender-information altogether and let people decide based on profiles alone.</p>\n\n<p>Is it for reporting to some 3rd party? Then report in the format that 3rd party wants.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 86151, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>I was recently showing my friend the project and she pointed out that other people who see this data might deem this sexist, as it doesn't include many identifiable gender types.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p><strong>That's because your friend is talking about the product</strong>, not your technical problem of implementing the product. Your friend is, evidently, of the opinion that your app, website, service, or whatever should be representing gender differently. Your friend probably does not mean to offend your specific job of implementing the 3 options in a database in some way that reflects the decision made by product.</p>\n\n<p><em>If</em> you have sway in the product, you might consider exercising it. Many businesses have greatly benefited from gender inclusiveness in their product and marketing (source: just watching subway ads reach out to trans people).</p>\n\n<p>If you have 3 gender options you need to implement, then you don't have any social theory problem, just a product you need to implement in the backend, and apply your usual engineering knowledge for naming things with relatively little political implication.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 86159, "author": "gnasher729", "author_id": 16101, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16101", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You don't change your application (which may have significant cost for development and testing) unless someone complains who is actually affected, gives a reason that actually justifies the cost, and if your boss tells you to make the change. </p>\n\n<p>The somehow justified complaint that someone who isn't male or female would have to choose a category \"other\" that makes them somehow stand out can be solved: Change \"other\" to \"unknown, undisclosed, or other\". And then you can volunteer to not disclose your gender so nobody needs to be the only person in that category. </p>\n\n<p>And change the question from \"which are you\" to \"which describes you best\", so someone who sees themselves 60/40 between two genders can pick the 60% case without having to make a compromise. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/72427", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 72517, "author": "keshlam", "author_id": 12989, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/12989", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There are better ways to share files when that's appropriate. There are better ways to back data up. Trendy does not necessarily mean good; it definitely does not necessarily mean better.</p>\n\n<p>If you can't come up with a better argument than that, your manager is right.</p>\n\n<p>So your action should be to find reasons to do this that are important to the business. Show that the security is adequate for the data involved, that the system is reliable, and most importantly that it will save the company money somehow.</p>\n\n<p>If you can't, let it go.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 72518, "author": "Peter M", "author_id": 50253, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/50253", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You convince your boss by presenting a well reasoned argument that:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Shows the advantages of drop box over all other potential solutions</li>\n<li>Shows how you can mitigate/eliminate the issues raised by your boss</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Now whether Drop box is a worthwhile solution to your problem is a different question and would be better answered on something like the <a href=\"http://superuser.com\">Super User</a> or <a href=\"http://serverfault.com\">Server Fault</a> sites</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 72519, "author": "JasonJ", "author_id": 42099, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/42099", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It sounds like everyone in the office sees the value in having a common location to share data. If your boss does not like drop box then find other options to propose. </p>\n\n<p>Do a compare and contrast on Drop Box vs shared network resources vs a portable hard drive vs .... </p>\n\n<p>If Drop Box is really the best option it will show to your boss. </p>\n\n<p>Personally I would go for improving the network resources so that files are stored and shared on a locally managed system pared with VPN for remote access rather than trusting my IT management to some external company, but that is just me. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 72520, "author": "Walfrat", "author_id": 47387, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/47387", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>First you should present your boss more solution that just one. </p>\n\n<p>So he can weight the cost and usefullness of each one before making his choice.</p>\n\n<p>To be honest, they were many incident of document leaking because of using an external tool to stored confidential information. Then people get their login/password stolen or cracked because it was too weak. And since dropbox is available on Internet (instead of having something only available in the intranet) everyone having the login / password can get the documents.</p>\n\n<p>If you want to convince your boss you will have probably to set some guidelines to be followed when using dropbox, like don't share confidential information, save documents to shared storage as archives and delete unactive documents from dropbox, and definitively, don't use it as a back up, use it for active documents only.</p>\n\n<p>If you want a tool that handle documents for you (versioning, collaborative work) check ECM solutions, Sharepoint, Documentum, Alfresco are some products like this.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 72521, "author": "enderland", "author_id": 2322, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/2322", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Assuming you <em>really</em> want to go down this route (ignoring that many other employers would fire you nearly immediately if you pursued this particular shadow IT project):</p>\n\n<h1>Research, research, research</h1>\n\n<p>First, you should make sure you fully understand the implications of hosting your company proprietary information on another set of servers (particularly if your company does project work for other companies). In a past job I had, doing so would have violated a large variety of laws/regulations and included the \"perk\" of jail time.</p>\n\n<p>Once you have spent the time to verify this, or at least be confident enough that hosting your content there is not violating any laws/policies, you should then verify that the Dropbox terms/conditions don't present your company any legal problems. Dropbox (and other cloud sharing utilities) do things with your files/data.</p>\n\n<p>Also ensure you know the proper account creation process. If you create your dropbox using your personal email address, will this present any problems? What about your companies email?</p>\n\n<p>Finally you must understand the implications for what happens if (when?) you leave the company. Most companies won't like someone using their personal dropbox account to contain confidential information, which means you have to be able to separate your personal from your work. This probably means another account specifically for your work Dropbox.</p>\n\n<h1>Present to your boss</h1>\n\n<p>Focus on the <em>problems</em> that your current solutions have. People don't react to solutions. People react to solutions <em>only</em> after the case for the underlying problem has been made.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>they don't seem that reliable to me</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>For example, you need to make sure your boss knows why. Why are they unreliable? Are your servers crashing regularly? Do you not have any VPN process? What is the problem here?</p>\n\n<p>Your boss 100% has to know the problems that you currently face and have an appreciation for why they are hard/bad. If you can't make this case then your boss rightfully should reject your proposal. </p>\n\n<p>Having thought through this, approach your boss and say something like:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>\"Using network drives presents problems X, Y, Z. They cause effects D, E, F. I've spent some time researching Dropbox and it solves them by doing A, B, C. I have also verified that Dropboxes terms of service won't cause any problems and here is how we can create them.\"*</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Yes, this should scare you a bit, because by implementing/promoting/convincing your boss to do \"shadow IT\" you are taking responsibility for it. </li>\n</ul></li>\n</ul>\n\n<h1>Commentary/unsolicited advice</h1>\n\n<p>Shared network drives are a fine solution to this problem for nearly all companies. </p>\n\n<p>My <strong>strong</strong> recommendation is you investigate why they are causing you problems and fix those issues.</p>\n\n<p>Nearly all issues related to network drives can be solved (trust me, I've dealt with them too). </p>\n\n<p>Well implemented network drives provide nearly identical functionality to Dropbox for internal projects.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 72525, "author": "Mike Robinson", "author_id": 54233, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/54233", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The \"don't introduce shadow IT\" concern is quite genuine. Furthermore, I do <em>not</em> use DropBox because of concerns for information security. If files need to be shared within the company, a shared drive location can be set aside for that purpose. Microsoft SharePoint might be in place and, if so, it does \"versioning\" extremely well.</p>\n\n<p>In any case, you need to carefully focus <em>your(!)</em> attention on <em>\"what</em> needs to be achieved,\" and not on the one way that you are accustomed to doing it ... or even, the one way (DropBox) that you consider \"clearly best.\" Even as you seek to change your boss's opinion, also be ready to change your own.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 72552, "author": "Wesley Long", "author_id": 9264, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/9264", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Your root question is \"How do I convince ... ?\"</p>\n\n<p>The answer: Do the analysis.</p>\n\n<p>First, \"Shadow IT\" usually shows up when the existing IT infrastructure isn't enough. You've identified two problems: </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Unreliable</li>\n<li>Unavailable to all users</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Find out <em>WHY</em> this is happening. Talk to the IT team. What is the issue with reliability? What would it take to fix it? I've worked many places where entire teams of people would grumble about a problem for months, only to find out that no one ever reported the problem to IT. (Yes, it happens. I've been on both sides of it.)</p>\n\n<p>Is the hardware or network infrastructure failing? Have the requests for access been submitted? Have they been turned down? Is there a logistical road-block?</p>\n\n<p>Then, ask IT what can/should be done about it? Maybe they don't have the budget. Maybe they don't have the resources. Maybe they just need management approval to do this. Is VPN a problem, or has no one even asked?</p>\n\n<p>Next, evaluate the security concerns. DropBox was notoriously insecure, but they've recently overhauled their business product line to address that (although I haven't dug through it, yet). Box.com is a really good, if expensive alternative. OneDrive is good, as is Google Drive. However, you need to understand your license agreement(s). For instance: the \"Free\" Google Drive gives over some IP rights, whereas the Google Apps for Business model does not. IT may actually be perfectly fine with hosted services, so long as they are able to administrate them.</p>\n\n<p>Add to that any potential risks. Network shares come with file locking, so conflicts don't arise. Cloud sharing services allow for conflicting versions to spawn because of the way they work. How are you going to handle that?</p>\n\n<p>Now that you know what your alternatives are, find out what not implementing them is costing the company. You can't know salaries, but you can know man-hours. How much time is being wasted limping around these problems? This will be a little subjective, but do your best to get it as accurate as possible.</p>\n\n<p>Then, put this in front of your manager, and preferably have the IT team send someone to be with you when you do. If your manager is weak in this area, she may be <em>THRILLED</em> that someone mapped it out for her. If not, then she'll at least know that it's a problem, and (hopefully) start working on her own solutions.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/72522", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/43518/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 73781, "author": "Rup", "author_id": 14392, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/14392", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p><a href=\"http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Cough/Pages/Introduction.aspx#GP\" rel=\"nofollow\">The NHS advice is</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>you should seek medical advice if: </p>\n \n <ul>\n <li>you've had a cough for more than three weeks</li>\n </ul>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>so you should check he's gone to see someone, and that he's doing something about it for his own good if not your own.</p>\n\n<p>I don't think he'd take it too badly if you approached him in person. \"That's a nasty cough you've got, have you seen someone about it? Well you should, you've had it for a few weeks now.\" etc. After all that's concern for him not yourself.</p>\n\n<p>But if you want some anonymity and weight behind it then I think the best thing to do is to approach him through his manager.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Tell your manager that you hope your colleague gets better soon but in the meantime you're finding his coughing distracting, and ask if they can get his manager to follow up. After all, he should have sought medical advice by now (as above).</li>\n<li><p>His manager presumably has general one-on-one chats with him - how's his work going etc., and can mention the cough as part of this: is he OK, what's he taking to get better? And if he's not doing something proactive then insist that he does, for his own good.</p>\n\n<p>And only then, if he refuses still, tell him that he's distracting other people - which doesn't need to be specific - and e.g. suggest he works from home for a bit.</p></li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 73786, "author": "HLGEM", "author_id": 93, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/93", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>You need to learn to ignore noises. This is not going to go away, it is likely a medical condition that neither you, nor your manager, nor he can fix. And if he left, then some other noise is going to happen. Open offices are NEVER quiet. Even private offices are rarely totally quiet. Noise is part of the office environment. </p>\n\n<p>Clearly your anger at this distraction is more distracting than the actual noise, so fix that. It is the only part you have control over anyway. </p>\n\n<p><strong>You can ignore ANY noise if you decide you want to.</strong> That this distracts you has nothing at all to do with the noise, but with your own interpretation of the noise. </p>\n\n<p>The meditation techniques for ignoring noise/distractions are useful. It would be worth your while to learn to meditate. They teach you how to take teh emotional self-talk out of your interactions with noise.</p>\n\n<p>Consider these two scenarios, which do you think is less distracting?</p>\n\n<p>Scenario one</p>\n\n<pre><code>Co_worker \"cough\"\nYou \"arrrgh, stupid cough\"\nCo_worker \"cough\"\nYou \"I hate that stupid cough\"\nCo_worker \"cough\"\nYou \"He's doing it again. Why does that freak have to keep coughing.\"\nCo_worker \"cough\"\nYou \"I want to take a knife and slit his throat. Make it stop . ARRRRGGGGHGHGH.\"\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Scenario 2</p>\n\n<pre><code>Co_worker \"cough\"\nYou \"noise\"\nCo_worker \"cough\"\nYou \"noise\"\nCo_worker \"cough\"\nYou \"noise\"\nCo_worker \"cough\"\nYou \"noise\"\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>By taking the emotional reaction out of the equation, the noise becomes much less distracting and eventually you no longer notice it. </p>\n\n<p>You could also wear noise cancelling headphones even if you don't want to play music. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/73776", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/55909/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 73950, "author": "Dan Pichelman", "author_id": 10905, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/10905", "pm_score": 7, "selected": true, "text": "<p><strong>You don't.</strong></p>\n\n<p>For a resignation letter, try something like.</p>\n\n<pre><code>Boss,\nI am resigning effective (some date in the near future, usually 2 weeks)\n\nBest wishes,\nJust Do It\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Leave out the politics, leave out the feedback, leave out the emotion.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Don't burn bridges</strong>.</p>\n\n<p>You don't know what the future will bring - five years from now you might need a favor from this person.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 73951, "author": "Chris G", "author_id": 52776, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/52776", "pm_score": 5, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p><strong><em>How do I express/bring up these issues without offending this person or without things getting heated up?</em></strong></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>You don't. You certainly don't write it down in an official document like your letter of resignation.</p>\n\n<p>If your boss decides to have an exit interview with you and inquires as to why you're leaving, I would still avoid going negative. You're highly likely to offend and burn bridges. You should always do your best to leave every position/co-worker/former boss on good terms. It's a small world.</p>\n\n<p>Instead, I would keep it to generics.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I don't feel like the company is the right fit for me.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>when pressed</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I was presented with another opportunity that I felt was best for myself and my career.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>(you do have something else lined up, right?)</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 73953, "author": "Pavel Janicek", "author_id": 27375, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/27375", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<h2>Being honest does not benefit anyone here</h2>\n<p>As you were already told by two others:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Do not write anything more into resignation than required</strong></li>\n</ul>\n<p>Aim on factual resignation letter. For instance under Czech work law it is required to say</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Boss,</p>\n<p>I hereby resign for my job as XXX</p>\n<p>My last day of work will be dd.mm.yyy (last day of leaving period)</p>\n<p>Signed in This town</p>\n<p>(Date, signature and name in written)</p>\n</blockquote>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>When pressed to provide more info, provide white lies</strong></li>\n</ul>\n<p>Examples:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>I was presented with offer from random headhunter I cannot turn down. It is for (local famous company) earning (double your current salary)</li>\n</ul>\n<p><em>Why double? Because you do not want to be in situation where your current boss offers you higher amount of money if you stay, do you?</em></p>\n<ul>\n<li>I am moving out of town</li>\n</ul>\n<p><a href=\"https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/60475/how-do-exit-interviews-benefit-the-company\">Leaving interviews do not benefit anyone</a> so do not expect that even carefully worded resignation reasons which are true will provide any change to the better.</p>\n<p>And even if it would, it does not help <strong>you</strong>, does it?</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/73949", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/46494/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 74672, "author": "JasonJ", "author_id": 42099, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/42099", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I don't know that there is any reason to specifically indicate that the job was part time. If asked about your duties during a interview, it would be appropriate to state that the job was not full time, but be prepared to have a explanation for what you were doing with the rest of your time. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 75068, "author": "Monica Cellio", "author_id": 325, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/325", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The first question you need to ask yourself is: would disclosing this help you? If your list of accomplishments in the position looks lean for the amount of time you were there, but that's because you only worked there half-time or less, then it's potentially worth indicating that it was a part-time job. If your resume wouldn't raise eyebrows if you didn't say this, then don't. Remember: the purpose of the <em>resume</em> is to get the interview; later on you will disclose your job history in much more detail (possibly including positions you omitted entirely from the resume), either verbally at the interview or via a written application. If the company doesn't seem to be the sort that has formal written applications, then I suggest bringing it up in the interview so they won't later feel you've misrepresented yourself.</p>\n\n<p>If you do include it on your resume, readers will naturally wonder \"part-time? what else was he doing?\". So make sure your resume (or, if necessary, cover letter) has an explanation for that, or you might find people passing on your resume before they ever talk with you. Job dates that overlap education dates are a pretty clear signal.</p>\n\n<p>As for <em>how</em> to indicate it, \"(part-time)\" after the job title is the usual way in my experience (US, high-tech sector).</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/74670", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/56545/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 74708, "author": "George Reith", "author_id": 15872, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/15872", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<h1>Show them</h1>\n<p>If you really want to only teach them some basic knowledge to help automate tasks. Then take a task that is normally tedious or lengthy and show them how you can complete that more easily with code. Write a short program whilst talking to them as they need to relate the time it took you to solve the task.</p>\n<p>If you can't find something that is relevant to them and simple enough to do then the premise is flawed and you are trying to teach people too much who aren't interested in the area with not enough immediate benefit.</p>\n<p>However I'm a little bit skeptical how much that is useful can be taught to someone uninterested in a short space of time, there are a lot of concepts that non-programmers do not have that will severely limit their understanding of what they are doing.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 74709, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The goal of everyone learning to code is a noble one, but it's just not a good one for the vast majority of companies.</p>\n\n<p>Various companies have tried releasing tools which allow the \"normal office person\" to create their own solutions - which is why we have stuff like Visual Basic, macros in Office, etc etc. And those solutions are the bane of any software developer's life.</p>\n\n<p>They are unmaintainable, missing the basics of modern coding principles, and lead to problems further down the line - pretty much every company has that one spreadsheet that performs some core, mystical function that no one wants to touch...</p>\n\n<p>Software development is more than coding - to test properly and consistently, the developer should be using unit testing, which means the developer should be splitting their code up using inversion of control, which means the developer needs to know isolation and other principles. So it's down the rabbit hole you go.</p>\n\n<p>And then comes the supporting system that a good software developer needs to have - source control, analysis tools, coding standards. Further down the rabbit hole.</p>\n\n<p>No, you don't want everyone coding.</p>\n\n<p>But the people you are talking about can still be helpful, they can still take part and you can still access that knowledge.</p>\n\n<p>Get them to learn a specification language - get them to define their needs and wants in something that looks like code, but which can be directly translated to code, and something which can be used to test the produced code.</p>\n\n<p>I use something called <a href=\"http://www.specflow.org/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">SpecFlow</a> for this, and it can be used successfully by most non-developers out there, because its syntax is this:</p>\n\n<pre><code>Scenario: Add two numbers\n Given I have entered 50 into the calculator\n And I have also entered 70 into the calculator\n When I press add\n Then the result should be 120 on the screen\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Getting end users in a business using something like SpecFlow means you can <em>directly</em> take the specification for a new feature or application and build software from it. It means you can then <em>directly</em> see if the end product matches the specification, because you also derive your tests from the specification. </p>\n\n<p>Get everyone writing specifications - that's what they want to do anyway, they just normally do it in a meeting or via email or a Word document. If you get them using a formal specification language, they become much closer to the action, they get to define what they want in more exact terms, and they get much better feed back from the developers following the specification.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 74710, "author": "kevin cline", "author_id": 94, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/94", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Programming isn't easy. That's why it pays so well. Many people are incompetent even after obtaining a computer science degree. And it's not crappy complex programming languages that make it hard. There's an inherent complexity in business process automation that is independent of the tools available. And it's not that programming is only taught in some school in Xanadu. There are thousands of tutorials and online books that can teach basic programming to anyone interested. It's completely unrealistic for your company to expect employees who have never shown any interest in programming to somehow be capable of automating work processes after a few hours training.</p>\n\n<p>It's a common story: I need to hire programmers but I can't get anyone for the way below market rate I want to pay.</p>\n\n<p>Of course, <a href=\"http://fortune.com/2016/08/30/quickbase-coding-apps-developers/\" rel=\"nofollow\">according to Forbes</a>, I could be wrong.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 74711, "author": "gnasher729", "author_id": 16101, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16101", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There are people who are programmers, there are people who can't program, and there are people who know just enough to be dangerous. You don't want to create people who know just enough to be dangerous. </p>\n\n<p>And technical teams are used to speaking to non-programmers. That's part of their job. It's like going to a French restaurant in an English-speaking country and trying to order in French. With limited French, the French restaurant owner will understand you better if you talk English. If you try to learn the programmers' language, you will only get things wrong and confuse everyone, unless you learn an awful lot. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 74713, "author": "enderland", "author_id": 2322, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/2322", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>A common problem for \"why won't my employees learn X when it's so beneficial!\" is that:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Often X takes a lot of time</li>\n<li>Almost always, schedules/workloads are not adjusted in light of the above</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>In fact it sounds like this is exactly the case for your colleagues:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>\"whatever you are saying is good, but who has time for these learning sessions\"</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>You need to get support of leadership and management in order to reduce workloads enough that these employees no longer can use this excuse. </p>\n\n<p>Otherwise you are basically, in effect, asking:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>\"Hey, I know this is a really time consuming task that will take months and you might not even be interested, but <em>trust me</em> it's good for you - why don't you stay late and put in extra hours and it'll pay off and you'll maybe at some point in the future have a much lower workload!\"</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>I don't know who tasked you with this but talk with them. Give them the feedback you have received and ask them how to proceed forward.</p>\n\n<p>Additionally, if you really want to succeed at getting people to code, get this on people's goals and expectations so that their managers are encouraging them to learn it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 74720, "author": "Old_Lamplighter", "author_id": 46894, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/46894", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>So, your problem is what we call a lack of \"buy in\".</p>\n\n<p>People are resistant to change, some typical complaints are:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>\"We've been doing it this way all along, NOW they want us to do it this way, it makes no sense!\"</li>\n<li>\"I'm too busy, I've got no time for this!\"</li>\n<li>\"I really don't see how this applies to me\"</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>The way to overcome this is to quantify and qualify the advantages over the disadvantages. If you do not, you will experience the same resistance you are experiencing now.</p>\n\n<p>You can offer someone a Lamborghini, but if they're happy in their rusted out old Yugo, they won't drive the new car. It's the same in business.</p>\n\n<p>If you argue that the Lamborghini can get them from point A to point B, they'll argue back that so too, can the Yugo. You need to sell them on what is important to THEM, not what is important to you.</p>\n\n<p>Use analogies, put it in terms that they can understand and dramatize your ideas. You can have the best idea in the world, but if you don't sell it in any way other than saying \"This is the best idea in the world, why can't you see it?\", you're not going to get many people to adopt it.</p>\n\n<p>Coding is hard, coding <strong><em>correctly</em></strong> is harder. You're asking for people to invest their time without a visible payoff. while they're learning, they're going to be frustrated and <strong><em>initially</em></strong> it's going to take them more time to do their jobs than it is taking them now. Again, use analogies \"You have to address that before anything else. You have to stop driving to put gas in your car, you need to change the oil so it continues to run, you need to maintain your skills in order to make you efficient at your job. If you change your oil, you'll have less maintenance, if you automate your job, you'll have less errors.</p>\n\n<p>Sell it, and then DEMONSTRATE it. Design some automation for a tedious and/or difficult task. Demonstrate it to the team. Ask them if they like it. Ask them if it saves time. Get feedback and buy-in or they won't agree to anything.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 74745, "author": "HLGEM", "author_id": 93, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/93", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>I am in an organization where too many non-technical professionals are there. These people are carrying good functional knowledge and expert in business and operations. But when it comes to Automation or learning technical skills they take back seat.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>If this is your attitude, its no wonder they don't want to attend your class. You give the impression that only coding is of value. Why would an accountant want to learn automation skills? Why would a sales person? These things are totally irrelevant to their day-to-day jobs. Why on earth do you think there are too many people in your company who do not code. Every company above a 1 person start-up needs people in fields other than development. They are experts in their fields and have no interest in yours just as you don't really want to learn how to be an accountant. What benefit do they get to learning this? In fact, they mat be right, there is no benefit to them in most cases. </p>\n\n<p>Software development is difficult, it takes a particular mind set to be successful and this is not the mind set it takes to be successful in Sales or Human Resources, etc. Not only do these people not want to learn coding, many of them will not be able to do it successfully. </p>\n\n<p>If you think teaching them coding is not a challenge, then likely you have never taught coding to people who were not suited to do it. I can remember trying to teach a woman to query a database (Which had just become part of her job) and she just couldn't grasp the concept of things like WHERE state = 'CA'. It wasn't that she wasn't trying; she was paying me out of her own pocket because she needed to learn this to keep her job. But she just couldn't understand the concepts. Not the syntax, the concepts behind the syntax.</p>\n\n<p>In addition, likely most of these people already are spending 40 hours or more a week doing their actual job. Just when are they supposed to do this training? Which of their deadlines are you going to move so that they have time available? If I am a junior accountant and enjoy my professional field, isn't it a better use of any free time studying to be a CPA than taking programming classes?</p>\n\n<p>If you think they are going to do something like this in a Lunch and Learn, well that is just unrealistic. (Well frankly only someone naive falls for the lunch and learn stuff anyway, if is important to the company, it is work and is done on work time.) Many of these people already work through lunch or have a need to leave for lunch or want the break they are entitled to by law in most places. A lot of them can't schedule a specific lunch time as it depends on their duties especially if their job function requires coverage at all times. </p>\n\n<p>If you have been tasked to do this, then you need first to talk to the person who tasked this and figure out what business problem it is trying to solve. </p>\n\n<p>If there is a need for trained people to be business analysts and be a bridge between the business experts and the technical folks, then you offer them promotions to the job (and nice salary increases) if they want to convert. Then you let people who are interested apply for those jobs and <strong>remove their usual duties full-time while they attend your classes</strong> on what they need with the promotion predicated on passing the class. Now your class contains the people interested in learning something, they have the incentive of a promotion and pay raise, and they have the time available. </p>\n\n<p>If you want people to do their own automation instead of paying for developers, well that is just a bad idea. For one it will take longer, the result will be less maintainable and it will cost real developers their jobs as well as some of the people who are currently doing the job. MAybe you don't care if someone gets fired because you automated a task, I assure you though that they are thinking about it and worried it might be them or a co-worker they have worked with for years. </p>\n\n<p>You need to push back against this if this is the case. It is not only bad for your company, it is bad for our profession and for your future salary levels. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/74706", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/50042/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 75803, "author": "TheSaint321", "author_id": 57370, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/57370", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This sounds like education. I would put it under the education category as just a short certification. In an interview you would likely be given the opportunity to explain it further.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 75804, "author": "Myles", "author_id": 26235, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/26235", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I'd go with <strong>Information Technology Technician, certified through the Federal Institute of Technology, Science and Education of Minas Gerais</strong> as a line in the education section.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 76520, "author": "jimm101", "author_id": 44002, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/44002", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>We're no different than the prospective employer, and you explained what this is to us by saying:</p>\n\n<pre><code>The course is a 3 years course with interniship required.\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Something like:</p>\n\n<pre><code>Information Technology Technician certification, Federal Institute of Technology, Science and Education of Mina Gerais\n\n - Three year program with internship at ____.\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Then I would list the internship as a separate item under experience, like any normal job, with the job title \"intern\".</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/75749", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/57342/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 76953, "author": "Kilisi", "author_id": 40669, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/40669", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>By practicing. Writing efficiently and effectively is a skill like any other. If you're not proof reading your communications for readability, spelling, grammar and efficiency then you're not doing it properly.</p>\n\n<p>So practice, concentrate, and improve.</p>\n\n<p>Initially this will take a lot of time and you may be rereading and editing several times. But as you improve you will start fixing things as you go, the way you write will change, and you become more conscious of the best ways to make salient points. But like any other skill you need to make the effort to learn it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 76955, "author": "enderland", "author_id": 2322, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/2322", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Other than the practice part, it's important to realize how people consume electronic communication. Practicing helps make the process faster as well.</p>\n\n<p>Overwhelmingly, people <em>do not read</em> everything. At best, they might skim it, if you're lucky they process the title, and at worst they'll read the title.</p>\n\n<p>People make a naive assumption that everyone else processes information just the same as them. The more words, the less they read.</p>\n\n<p>A huge issue is identifying:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Is email the best medium for communication?</li>\n<li>If so, is my email quickly understandable</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>A good exercise is to take time to read an email you write and try to understand how long it takes to read, process, and ultimately decide on the next steps. People generally way underestimate this. </p>\n\n<p>If you send an email that is 1000 words long (I've seen this from my management....) it takes on average, over 5 minutes to read. That is ignoring ANY time spend processing and actually doing anything with.</p>\n\n<p>And generally speaking, if you need to communicate a lot of information via email, your goal isn't to have people read it, consume it, and process it. It's for an \"FYI\" -- not \"you need to read this now. and remember.\"</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 76960, "author": "HLGEM", "author_id": 93, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/93", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I am a wordy person, too. But I can communicate pretty effectively in emails by following this process.</p>\n\n<p>Start with the actions that you need taken as a result of the emails. If the email goes to more than one person, make sure you say who has to do what. Add a due date.</p>\n\n<p>Summarize the issue(s) in the body of the email in order of priority.</p>\n\n<p>Put the wordy details in a document that you attach.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/76962", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/57370/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 78284, "author": "Kent A.", "author_id": 33312, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/33312", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>For a resume, it is an instant throw-away when someone rates themself as \"average\" in a skill. <strong>It would be better just to list the skill and let your description of your experience imply the skill level and years of experience.</strong> A resume is a sales brochure for you. It is intended to help distinguish you from the competition.</p>\n\n<p>If you're thinking that a reviewer would appreciate your modesty or honesty and think better of you for it, it doesn't really work that way. The interviewers have means to determine your skill level. But if you never get the chance to talk with them, it won't matter. </p>\n\n<p>Listing a skill level has two possible effects, both bad. Either you will say you're the greatest ever, which nobody believes, so it's meaningless. Or, you will say you're average, or worse, and you will be disregarded immediately. </p>\n\n<p>Don't lie on your resume, but don't limit yourself, either. Remember, the purpose of the resume is to secure an interview, where you can really show what you're made of.</p>\n\n<p>Consider the following (obviously fictitious) comparison:</p>\n\n<pre><code>Skill Expertise Years\nC# average 3\n.NET average 3\nPerl average 2\nLinux average 2\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Or...</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><strong>Software Developer, XYZ Company, 2013-2016</strong><br>\n Developed a cure for toenail cancer using C#, .NET, and in collaboration with researchers from seven different countries. </p>\n \n <p><strong>Software Developer, ABC Company, 2011-2013</strong><br>\n Worked on establishing world peace by resolving a conflict in Antartica using Perl and Linux. </p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>The more compelling content is the one that describes your work and the skills (tools) you used to accomplish it. It's what will capture the interest of a person reviewing resumes.</p>\n\n<p>You can obviously include both sections in your resume, but the bland skills list, with a self-assessment of skill level, adds no value to the resume, and just takes up space that you could use more effectively. Skillful use of whitespace would be more valuable in your personal sales brochure than such a list.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 78289, "author": "Gowtham", "author_id": 59142, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/59142", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Many years of experience does not imply that someone is particularly good at something. A person with decades of experience in a domain might turn out to be mediocre at it if that person did not keep up with recent developments in that domain. On the other hand, another person although a rookie (by number of years of experience) might have skills comparable to an expert in that domain. When comparing two candidates who claim experience of 2 years and 3 years in a particular domain, any reasonable employer would not infer that candidate with 3 year experience is better than other one.</p>\n\n<p>The word average has multiple meanings in English language, one of them is <em>mediocre; not very good</em>. This sounds negative and it is not in your best interests to include a negative sounding word to describe your skill level in your resume.</p>\n\n<p>However, some employers insist on X years of prior experience, Y years of formal education etc. and tend to ignore candidates that do not meet their expectations. It is not a crime to have multiple customized resume specifically targeting the expectations of the company where you want to work. For example, if the job description clearly says that the employer is expecting a specific number of years of experience, you can edit your resume to make this information stand out to increase your chances of talking to them. As long as the information in your resume is truthful, this is completely ethical.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/78283", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/-1/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 80056, "author": "Vietnhi Phuvan", "author_id": 16993, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16993", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<pre><code>\"How do I even begin to get on her level of understanding?\" \n</code></pre>\n\n<p>You can start by seeking to understand why she does things in the way she does instead studying her, which is \"What would Ivy do?\" indicates. Getting the right answers starts with asking the right questions. \"Why does she do things in the way she does them?\" is the right question to ask.</p>\n\n<p>You are not a mind reader. In particular, you can't read her mind so you'll have to ask point-blank. You'll just have to keep asking and probing her mind, knowing that she sucks at person to person interactions. You have to be agile. You ask, get an answer, probe the system based on her answer or using her answer as reference, get some kind of understanding on the system, apply your understanding by doing some mini-task on it. Rinse and repeat. You are going to have to eat this elephant one bite at a time.</p>\n\n<p>You won't look like you're making any progress at getting the system, at least at first. In fact, you won't look like you understand anything until you have a level of understanding of the fundamentals of her system together. You're going to be making visible progress when you are able to build on your understanding. Get the fundamentals on what she is doing right, so that you can build on them.</p>\n\n<p>The key requirement to your success is that you don't allow yourself to be intimidated out of asking questions including stupid questions. And you will be asking apparently stupid questions - that comes with the territory. If she gives you an answer and you're wondering why she is giving this answer instead of the answer you have in mind, it is incumbent on you to set your fear of asking her aside and follow up until you are satisfied you understand why she came up with her answer. If she blows up on you (*), let it go past you and continue working on her. </p>\n\n<p>There is nothing you can do about your job security - it's not in your hands. Don't worry about things you cannot do anything about, even if they affect you. As long as you have a decent cash reserve - and you should have a decent cash reserve at all times - and as long as your resume is up to date, you should be okay.</p>\n\n<p>(*) I had a boss who is a screamer. I stopped giving a shit about his screaming after I got a heart attack - I took the attitude that this job ain't worth my life. Just don't let her blowing up get to your head - you may be hearing, but you don't have to listen to this crap so don't.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 80067, "author": "matt helliwell", "author_id": 56730, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/56730", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Firstly when you say \"her attitude towards people can make her unapproachable\" and \"she is not a people-person who will teach you things in a respectful manner\" you need to bear in mind that from her point of view she may feel approachable and doesn't understand why you are so reticent. People who aren't great with people skills can be unaware of how they come across. Her disrespectful manner may seem just fine to her. I would ignore the way she comes across when talking to her.</p>\n\n<p>Anyway, you maintain a healthy working relationship by talking to her. She might not like it and you might not like it but it has to be done. I know it's \"just\" talking but it is worth planning out how you are going to do this and adjusting the plan as time goes by. You've got a few obvious options:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Just keep plugging away asking questions when you are talking about your code.</li>\n<li>Arrange a regular informal break where you both talk about stuff outside work over a cup of coffee. Knowing a bit about each other outside work can help smooth relationships.</li>\n<li>Have a regular one-to-one with her where you talk about the work, what was done, what's coming up etc. Having this meeting away from the computers can help both of focus in what's being discussed rather than the immediate code you are writing.</li>\n<li>Ask her to mentor or tutor you on some particular area.</li>\n<li>Have a daily stand up meeting where you discuss issues, blockers etc for the day.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>As she isn't a people person she may not be good at reading relationships so she may appreciate you being very clear and explicit about why you want these meeting and how they will help.</p>\n\n<p>Finally there are a couple of comments in your question that could be red flags: \"she will downplay any (of her) 'hacks'\" and \"How do I even begin to get on her level of understanding\". Don't assume she knows everything and is always right, this is a learning experience for her as well. eg where appropriate be prepared to challenge her ideas. She may decide to leave hacks in the code but having questioned will make her think about them and be less likely to add them next time around.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/80054", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/60444/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 80499, "author": "Xavier J", "author_id": 13470, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/13470", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>I found this list of ports in the wiki as being important</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>You asked if the ports were \"important\". You did NOT ask, directly, if they should be closed at the present time. Asking if something is \"important\" may at times be soliciting a <strong><em>subjective</em></strong> answer, and not an <strong><em>objective</em></strong> answer. I think you should just respond with:</p>\n\n<pre><code>David: please confirm that it's okay to open these ports now.\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>The response you should receive from this is either YES, or NO.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 80502, "author": "Vietnhi Phuvan", "author_id": 16993, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16993", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>The SCOM Agent install process has been transition as operational and is now handle by KTech Lifecycle Management Team.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>That's the people you need to redirect your question to - they are responsible for maintenance and configuration.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Please let me know if you have any further questions.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>If you don't know how to contact the team, then David is the person to ask for the contact info.</p>\n\n<p>If they don't know which ports are important and which are not, ask them what SCOM ports they are leaving open right now. When they get back to you with a list of SCOM open ports, ask them to justify/explain why they decided to leave the non 5723/tcp ports open.</p>\n\n<p>You have the official authority to ask, right? If not, you are butting into something that's none of your concern. If you have the official authority to ask, frame your question as a due diligence question, which you are asking for the sake of network security. Don't tell them that the only thing you know about SCOM is a couple of paragraphs in a wiki - they don't have to know that, they don't need to know that.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 80508, "author": "Nick Young", "author_id": 45711, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/45711", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<pre><code>Original SCOM agents were installed by Enterprise Management Team \nand these Ports listed were necessary for installing agent from SCOM Operation \nManager Console\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Looks like the ports are required for the install by the above team but may no longer be necessary now that the install is done. He directed you to the team handling the operations as this is likely the install team. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/80497", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/53196/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 80838, "author": "Vietnhi Phuvan", "author_id": 16993, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16993", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<ol>\n<li><p>I will simply point out that everywhere you go, you cannot do anything management-wise except through other people including other people who may not share your vision. The only time you get to make your own decisions without having to consult anyone is when you run your own startup. And even then, making decisions without consulting anyone is usually not the greatest idea. </p></li>\n<li><p>Your current employer is smart enough to recognize your merits, your talent, your drive to learn and your willingness to stick your neck out and apply what you learned - not every employer will do that. From your narrative, I infer that your promotions are probably a matter of time. How much time you are willing to give your employer, that's a question for which only you can answer.</p></li>\n<li><p>The bigger your idea(s), the more people you will have to work with management-wise to make your idea(s) happen. And of course, the more people you have to work with, the more time and effort it takes for your ideas to become reality.</p></li>\n<li><p>No one at your employer follows you blindly. That's a positive not a negative. It forces you to run sanity checks on yourself and soundness checks on your ideas. And speaking for myself, those who follow me blindly scare the shit out of me - I feel much safer when I am questioned and challenged and I answer the tough questions head-on and put the hard challenges down. The tough questions that I fear are the tough questions that make sense and the hard challenges that I fear are those that are rational, smart and real world based. I believe in getting vaccinated, I don't believe in never getting sick.</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Regardless of whether you decide to stay or to leave, give your current employer's people a break. Your lack of the wrong kind of experience, your level of education and your outside-the-box ideas are a draft of fresh air to them. They are probably trying to breathe that draft of fresh air without also catching a cold.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 80850, "author": "Simon B", "author_id": 43650, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/43650", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>As a junior developer, you aren't going to dictate the direction of a large company's future products, however good you think you are (or however good <em>they</em> think you are). That's the job of marketing and senior management.</p>\n\n<p>You could stick around, and work your way up to management, but that will take years. Switching to another company won't really change anything, unless it's a very small company, where you will have direct contact with whoever makes the decisions.</p>\n\n<p>The alternative would be to start your own company - if you think you're up to it.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/80831", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/61123/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 81383, "author": "MopMop", "author_id": 58124, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/58124", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I guess that it is the same thing as when you do an exchange program abroad. You follow classes but you are not properly enrolled in their system so it shows no records of you. In that case, I just write &quot;Exchange program&quot;.</p>\n<p>For the MOOC you are enrolled in, you should just do the same and specify that it is a MOOC.</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>University of Michigan - School of Information</p>\n<p>Expected completion, SEP 2018</p>\n<p>MicroMasters : MOOC, User Experience (UX) Research and Design</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Anyways, usually recruiters call you first after they have received your resume for an interview and then check your records so you have the chance during the interview to give more information about your current situation.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 81877, "author": "bhilgert", "author_id": 61953, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/61953", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>This educational experience as it is written on your resume appears to indicate that you will be graduating from the University of Michigan School of Information in September 2018. If this is correct, then all you really need to do is to breakout what you've completed so far or provide more information on what the MicroMasters program is. The recruiter many not know what MicroMasters or MOOC is.</p>\n\n<p>However, if this isn't correct, then as you suspect, it appears that you are attempting to falsify your credentials, even if that isn't your intention.</p>\n\n<p>Start by defining what type of program you're actually taking. From what you've stated, it appears that you're actually working through edX where University of Michigan sponsors the MicroMasters program (<a href=\"http://ns.umich.edu/new/multimedia/videos/24200-u-m-joins-edx-to-announce-three-social-innovation-micromasters-for-online-learners\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">Press Announcement</a>), working towards a certification that can be used as credit towards their Masters program. If this is the case, it needs to be made apparent on your resume that this is an online/voluntary course (This is a good thing as it shows initiative) that does not necessarily lead to a degree from the University of Michigan and does not indicate that you are a matriculated student.</p>\n\n<p>Most employers will only know about accredited courses or certifications. Ie, search job postings and check what certifications people are looking for, in reference to the positions you're trying to apply. Work towards these certifications, if possible. These certifications will be seen as triggers for recruiters/hr that you fill the job posting requirements. If your online course doesn't fall into this category, then you'll have to explain it in more detail in your resume, to assure the recruiter that you have the experience they are looking for. Depending on the field/role you're looking at, a voluntary course such as this, might be something that would fall more under Hobbies/Interests rather than formal education. In some circumstances it might be better to leave it off, if it doesn't apply directly to the role and isn't well known.</p>\n\n<p>Something to consider is that unless an Expected Completion date is coming up, ie Jan 2017, stating that you will complete anything that is so far in advance may not be taken well by a recruiter. If you begin working for whatever company you are applying to, there is no guarantee or accountability that you'll continue working towards that degree/certification.</p>\n\n<pre><code>Suggested Rewrite:\nEducation\nedX Online Course (Completed Dec 2016)\nMicroMasters - User Experience (UX) Research and Design\nSponsored by University of Michigan\n</code></pre>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/81204", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/61442/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 82035, "author": "Masked Man", "author_id": 3192, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/3192", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Unless it is against the local law to ask such questions, the interviewer can ask whatever he wants. There is no \"right\" or \"wrong\" about it.</p>\n\n<p>It is upto the candidate whether he wants to answer the question or not, and how he chooses to evaluate the company based on the interview questions asked.</p>\n\n<p>If the candidate doesn't want to answer the question, all he needs to do is decline politely. </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I am sorry, I don't feel comfortable answering that question. I would prefer not to answer it. </p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>(or something equivalent)</p>\n\n<p>Note that an interview is a two-way street. As a candidate, I wouldn't rate a company too highly if in order to evaluate me for a Software Architect role, they need to know about my spouse's hobbies or my kid's name.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 82044, "author": "Mayank Gaur", "author_id": 60543, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/60543", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Asking such personal questions is nothing but a pressure test,That how can you you deal with your personal life and social life.It is a test where you are tested for your balance making skills between personal life and work life.</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Now for resolution: Interviewer just want to know that how much your work is impacted by personal stuff.</li>\n<li>And one thing off-course is you can avoid this question by simply saying I cant answer this as this is nothing to do with the work i will do for your company,And i assure you my personal life will not hamper my work life.</li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 82049, "author": "Criggie", "author_id": 37625, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/37625", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Have you considered being vague?</p>\n\n<p>With the specific question, of \"What is your marital status?\" I'd probably answer something like \"Good, thank you.\"</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Its vague, sounds like an answer, is plausible, and doesn't come across like a harsh rejection or stone-walling.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>There is no \"Right Answer\" to this question. And you're coming across as someone who can communicate.</p>\n\n<p>Other possible answers might include:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>\"Its complicated, but these things generally are\"</p></li>\n<li><p>\"Flat-out... there's a lot going on in my life and its time for a new job opportunity.\"</p></li>\n<li><p>\"It's quiet... too quiet....\"</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>Or even turn it around with a follow-on like \"and yourself?....\"<br>\nYes - this is slightly tongue-in-cheek but remember an interview is a two-way process where ideally you learn about the company as they learn about you and your potential fit. So developing a rapport with the interviewer helps.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 82050, "author": "Joe Strazzere", "author_id": 7777, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/7777", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>How should the candidate handle such situations, where he is asked\n questions that are personal in nature or those he doesn't want to\n answer?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>If you are asked questions that you don't want to answer for any reason, simply decline politely.</p>\n\n<p>Something like \"I'm sorry, I don't feel comfortable answering that question.\" would suffice.</p>\n\n<p>Of course, declining to answer an interview question isn't usually perceived as a good thing by the interviewer. And it could cause a rejection.</p>\n\n<p>Still, if you feel strongly that you don't want to answer any question - don't.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/82053", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/62104/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 82538, "author": "keshlam", "author_id": 12989, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/12989", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Same reason they ask anything: to see how you will respond, and to see how good you are at reading social cues.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 82555, "author": "Anthony Joseph", "author_id": 62590, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/62590", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Maybe it's a less cynical world view, but good recruiters would care about the mental health of applicants for jobs they're recruiting for: if a few applicants had bad experiences during an interview, then it's anonymous feedback they could share with the recruiting company. </p>\n\n<p>The recruiters also have an incentive to make sure their applicants have good experiences, as applicants with good experiences with a recruiter would likely refer their friends and peers to that recruiter.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 82566, "author": "gnasher729", "author_id": 16101, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16101", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You think there are two possible outcomes: You get the job, or you don't. </p>\n\n<p>In reality, there are three possible outcomes: You get the job, you don't get the job but are put on a list of good candidates that should be contacted if something goes wrong, or you don't get the job and are put on a list of candidates that are not worth interviewing again. </p>\n\n<p>Your reaction may very well decide which list you are going on. Remember that if you don't get the job today, maybe the person that was offered the job rejects it, and you might get a call the next week. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/82537", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/7465/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 82607, "author": "gnasher729", "author_id": 16101, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16101", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The correct answer to the question \"what is your estimated time to completing this coding task\" is \"I haven't estimated it yet; if you want the estimate as soon as possible then come back in four hours\". </p>\n\n<p>If he expects a task to be done within the original estimate then the boss doesn't understand the meaning of \"estimate\". He says \"estimate\", but he expects \"guaranteed delivery time\". Since you will find it hard to teach him the difference, you just change what you report from \"estimate\" to \"guaranteed delivery time\" - usually that will be about twice as long. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 82620, "author": "Simon B", "author_id": 43650, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/43650", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>When estimating for \"coding\", don't forget to add on time for integrating your code with whatever it needs to integrate with, testing it, documenting it, all the other tasks such as version control, configuration control and so on.</p>\n\n<p>If you have interruptions (meetings, time spent filling in timesheets, etc), include time for them.</p>\n\n<p>Then if these \"estimates\" are actually guaranteed delivery times, add a big fat contingency on top.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 82621, "author": "Apfelsaft", "author_id": 40208, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/40208", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>First of all: Don't shoot from the hip. If the CEO asks you to estimate a task, tell him that you will have to do an estimation and you will get back to him later.</p>\n\n<p>When estimating the time needed, follow the \"<strong>Scotty Principle</strong>\", named after Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott from the star ship Enterprise:</p>\n\n<pre><code>1) Caluculate average required time for completion of given task.\n2) Depending on importance of task, add 25-50% additional time to original estimate.\n3) Report and commit to inflated time estimate with superiors, clients, etc.\n4) Under optimal conditions the task is completed closer to the original time estimate vs. the inflated delivery time expected by those waiting.\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https://ipstenu.org/2011/the-scotty-principle/\" rel=\"noreferrer\">https://ipstenu.org/2011/the-scotty-principle/</a></p>\n\n<p>I will conclude my answer with an dialog from an Star Trek episode:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p><strong>La Forge</strong>: Yeah, well, I told the Captain I’d have this analysis done\n in an hour. </p>\n \n <p><strong>Scotty</strong>: How long will it really take? </p>\n \n <p><strong>La Forge</strong>: An hour!</p>\n \n <p><strong>Scotty</strong>: Oh, you didn’t tell him how long it would <strong>really</strong> take, did\n ya? </p>\n \n <p><strong>La Forge</strong>: Well, of course I did. </p>\n \n <p><strong>Scotty</strong>: Oh, laddie. You’ve got a\n lot to learn if you want people to think of you as a miracle worker.</p>\n</blockquote>\n" }, { "answer_id": 82622, "author": "2ps", "author_id": 62562, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/62562", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Coming from the startup world, I almost always answer with:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>What is the soonest you need this done? </p>\n \n <p>or</p>\n \n <p>How soon do you need this?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>And I usually discuss with the person asking whether (1) they are themselves going to make themselves available to sprint to get this done as well and (2) what features are you willing to forego/what other projects are you willing to sidetrack in order to get this done. I typically find that since I trust the people I work with, I will get a reasonable answer for (1), and I always make sure to mention and appreciate the pressure that I will be putting on them if I am sprinting/working overtime to get a task done (e.g., I need you to test this, I have questions about requirements, I need extra resources). </p>\n\n<p>Don’t hesitate to let them know that you will try your best and that you are committed to getting something done for them in an acceptable timeframe. If you approach your manager as an adversary, you can’t be surprised when he or she treats you the same way. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 82659, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Make sure you not only estimate how long it will take, but how long will it take before you have the time to work on it. If something takes two hours to do, it's very difficult to say when it will be done if you don't even know when you can get started. You have to factor other task times, interruptions, etc.</p>\n\n<p>A pitfall many developers fall into is being too eager to please and not wanting to be the bearer of bad news. Of course he wants things don't on time. Who doesn't? There are a few tricks you can use to help you:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Don't be too quick to give an estimate especially if put on the spot. Tell them you'll look into it and have a better idea then. Make sure you at least get the estimate to them on time or you'll be suspect.</li>\n<li>Change estimates quickly. As other things take longer or other unexpected tasks come your way, change the estimate. Let you boss know as soon as possible. If he wants something done sooner, get clarification on other priorities. You can only do one thing at a time. </li>\n<li>Develop less technical answers to reasons for being delayed. As a technical person, I know you want to give a specific correct answer. Your non-technical boss does not want to listen to this. Be general. Example: I found a bug. No reason to go into detail.</li>\n<li>Make sure you are prioritizing according to what your boss thinks is important. You're not going to be perfect, so if something is going to be delayed, make it something he doesn't think is most important.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>You have to understand that estimates are perfect. The problem may be that your boss is making promises to others based on your estimates and doesn't have to enjoy telling them (clients?) it's not going to happen. If this is the case, make sure you're giving yourself more time and don't assume everyone expects everything ASAP. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/82606", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/62623/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 82901, "author": "Erik", "author_id": 38458, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/38458", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Is there something else I can do to encourage them to email first without looking unprofessional or hurting my chances?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Instead of \"preferred\", put your email up first, then your phone below. Then put \"scheduled calls only\" or similar text behind it to make clear that random phonecalls are not welcome.</p>\n\n<p>If you get called by an unknown recruiter, tell the recruiter you're blacklisting them for not reading the resume. After a while, you'll only be contacted by the good ones.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 82902, "author": "Lilienthal", "author_id": 25739, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/25739", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<p>The only viable option I can think of is to simply <strong>screen your calls</strong>. Don't answer calls coming from unknown numbers and let them go to voicemail. Cold-calling recruiters or head-hunters will in that case either leave a voice mail which lets you control the timing of your call-back (if you call at all), or they'll send you an email or LinkedIn message instead. Most do both.</p>\n\n<p>You run the risk of missing out on opportunities because of recruiters not following up either because they forget or they're incompetent, which is why this is an option not to be taken lightly. But at the risk of sounding old, I think this is a reasonable way to deal with the always available nature of the cell phone.</p>\n\n<p>As for the call-back and the things to keep in mind before adopting this policy, have a look at <a href=\"https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/82898/how-to-encourage-recruiters-to-email-you-instead-of-calling-right-away/82914#82914\">alroc's answer</a>. As he says, if a recruiter leaves a voicemail and didn't contact you by mail as well, you probably should call him back. Emailing about a voicemail <em>is</em> an option but can be considered somewhat rude.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 82904, "author": "Thalantas", "author_id": 59994, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/59994", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Add the range of hours when you accept calls to your resume, and make it small enough that recruiters will have trouble cold-calling you.</p>\n<p>Using your example, this would become:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Email : [email protected]</p>\n<p>Cell : 0123456789 (unavailable from 8am to 6pm for business reasons)</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>Some will still call you during these hours, but you can legitimately ask them to switch to email, as this is not a good time for you to take calls.</p>\n<p>This doesn't completely eliminate the possibility of them calling you, but if they are interested enough to call outside of office hours, it is probably worth it to take the call.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 82914, "author": "alroc", "author_id": 3176, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/3176", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Expanding on Lilienthal's answer - yes, you have to screen your calls. Be consistent and <em>ruthless</em> about it. Send every call you can't identify as \"must take immediately\" to voicemail. If someone needs to reach you that urgently, they'll leave a voicemail, call again, or attempt another means of contacting you.</p>\n\n<p>If you have Google Voice handling your voicemail or iOS 10, you can get the voicemail transcribed, usually within a few seconds so you don't even have to listen to it to get the gist of what's going on (these transcriptions are imperfect, but close enough).</p>\n\n<p>When you do call back these recruiters (and you should, at least give them a <em>chance</em> to redeem themselves), tell them firmly, but politely, that you can't take unexpected calls due to privacy concerns. I usually say</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I appreciate that you want to get in touch with me quickly, but from my desk there are no less than six people who can hear every word that I say (I wish I was embellishing) and I have no privacy anywhere in the building. If you need to reach me, please email or text me first and I'll let you know/call you back when I can get somewhere private.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>If they ignore that advice repeatedly (I have one recruiter who even said \"I know you told me you can't take unscheduled phone calls\" <em>in the voicemail he left me</em> and the following phone call!), I start having second thoughts about responding to them at all. To me, it's a sign of arrogance and maybe even disrespect. But if you're in a tough market, you're going to have to work with these people anyway as there may not be a lot of jobs or recruiters available for you to pick &amp; choose from.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/82898", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/61906/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 83797, "author": "M0rgenstern", "author_id": 63506, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/63506", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<p>I think I really understand <strong>what</strong> you actually tried to do there, although <strong>how</strong> you approached it was just not the right way, but you already know that.</p>\n\n<p>I think just never mention this again is not the correct way. IMHO it is a highly valuable soft skill to</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Know when you messed something up</li>\n<li>Admit this, if you need to (e.g. because other people were affected)</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>I think in your case there were other people affected because you did not just show videos from yourself but also </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Secret (and slightly embarrassing)\n videos from your colleagues.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>There are two things you need to do now, at least that is how I see this:</p>\n\n<p>First talk to your manager and apologize for this stupid idea. Explain him that you wanted to make him an easy and nice welcome and that you also wanted to introduce the team but that you know that this was not the correct way, i.e. that this approach you took was a bad idea at all.\nMaybe you should also explain why you felt it was necessary to do this during working hours, but I am not entirely sure about this.</p>\n\n<p>Second, you need to talk to your team. Especially to the people who were in those embarrassing videos. And you should apologize to your team, because this might not only throw a bad light on you alone, even if everybody clearly stated that you went it alone.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Side note:</strong>\nI do not know how good your team works internally but you need to be aware that you could receive a letter from HR, if one of your coworkers felt bad enough about this to escalate it to HR.\nIn the end you not only made that video with them inside, but you also recorded a video of them secretly. I personally would question if you did more videos than you showed and what else you might have done secretly.\nBut that are just my 2 cents</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 83798, "author": "Vietnhi Phuvan", "author_id": 16993, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16993", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<ol>\n<li><p>Do you know what you are apologizing for? If you don't, then your apology doesn't have much if any meaning and you're really apologizing as an empty gesture designed to get the heat off you. Your coworkers and your manager will most likely see through your non-apology. Whether they'll let the matter drop depends very much on whether they want to hurt you.</p></li>\n<li><p>It looks from your narrative like you consulted no one when you made your video and that the contents of the video was as much an unwelcome surprise to your coworkers as to your boss.</p></li>\n<li><p>It does trouble me that the fact that you are so far out of touch with the feelings of your office that it never occurred to you that your brain storm was actually a brain fart. You don't seem to be overly concerned that you misjudged your coworkers - should we expect more unilateral brain farts from you in the future? What's done is done and the past can't be changed. If you continue on this unilateral path, the future is going to be scary. For you. It's pretty ominous when you think what you did was funny but no one in the office is laughing. Take the hint.</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Issue an apology to everyone including your coworkers. Apologize in particular to your coworkers for your failure to consult them in the making of your video. Say you are truly sorry for making everyone uncomfortable and that you're taking everyone's reaction as a message not to do it again. Say that it was never your intention to offend but that results not intentions are what counts and that the only only result that matters is that you offended and for that, you are deeply sorry. And that you know you won't repeat your mistake because you will be consulting with everyone the next time you will have a brain storm. I am assuming here that you are feeling apologetic.</p>\n\n<p>And one more thing: NEVER take a picture of anyone or videotape anyone in the office without their consent! In fact, HR may already have prohibited taking pictures or videotaping in the office without first checking with HR - the prohibition makes sense if HR had made you sign NDAs and NCAs. In which case, your saga will show no sign of ending until HR has had their conversation with you. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 83806, "author": "Captain Emacs", "author_id": 63263, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/63263", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Assuming this is not a troll: I am wondering how one can consider something like this as a welcome to a manager which is a completely unknown quantity as yet. </p>\n\n<p>I realise OP asked not to be told off - but that's not what I am doing; I am suggesting OP needs to re-run their thought which led to such a dramatic error in judgement. A video like that may run with friends, or else, with people one knows very well and for a long time, and then in a bar, after hours, but not in a workplace. Anything that is not clearly above table is practically off-limits in a workplace environment, unless you know the people <em>really well</em>, and even then it is unadvisable, because it is always pushing the edge (and with secret recording, it definitely crossed it - people will certainly behave more carefully around you in future). </p>\n\n<p>OP needs to very clearly delineate to themselves <strong>why this was a bad idea and how they got into that situation in the first place</strong> to never even come into danger of repeating something like it before even <strong>considering</strong> to mend things with their manager and their colleagues. Only then any apology has the chance of being effective. </p>\n\n<p>Apart from that, I have no clear opinion whether it is better to: </p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>not mention the event again and behave at maximum professionally level from there onwards, no exceptions.</p></li>\n<li><p>apologizing, as suggested in the other responses, to the manager and the co-workers. This second option is, in principle, the Right Thing To Do (TM), but the blunder is so severe that letting things just be and hope that time will let them forget this (provided that OP behaves absolutely impeccably from now on) might be the more practicable solution. In any case, in case of apology, any such is probably best done in discretion and separately to each person offended, with the individual offence (i.e. secret recording or not) being apologised for.</p></li>\n</ol>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/83796", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/62992/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 85224, "author": "HorusKol", "author_id": 110, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/110", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I'd be very wary of anyone asking for something this extensive as an interview exercise, and would most likely pass over any \"opportunity\" with these people.</p>\n\n<p>That said - you could code it up, whack it on a free tier on AWS and demonstrate it. You can present the code design and database from your own laptop. Just don't hand over any source code without payment.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 85226, "author": "JB King", "author_id": 233, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/233", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Isn't this too extensive to be a part of the interview?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Not necessarily if part of the test here is to see how far you go. Sometimes these types of tests are given to see how much will get done that may be something to discuss in the interview. If you spend 40+ hours of the 2 days working on it so that it is mostly done that may show up in some pieces as a red flag of going too far in getting all the desired pieces done. At the same time, how do you handle that you can't meet all the requirements and document what didn't get done?</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I am also curious that who has the rights on the code that I write.\n What if I do all this in 2 days and submit the code, they don't offer\n me a job and just end up using all the functionality that I created?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>While it is possible for them to use it, consider how basic this system would be that while you may create a base, someone else would have to maintain it, check styles and do a lot of other work potentially to get it into production depending on what else this would be used to complete.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Has anyone been in this situation before?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>A few times. Sometimes this is a test to see how far will you get. It is also a test to see what kind of coding standards and other things do you do that may also be discussed in the interview of your code that you submit as chances are this can discussed and various other questions can be answered well there. Not always the best indicator in an interview as this can be taken in a few different ways by some.</p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<p>To elaborate a bit more on the \"how far\" portion above. The company may have an unspoken expectation of believing that the applicant will put 5 hours of work into the task and getting only some of it done. Now, how is the remaining pieces documented? How were certain pieces done first? This is part of like asking for someone to write a 1,500 page essay in 2 days that is quite unreasonable but one could get an outline and have a partial completion that could be taken into the next stage of an interview. I have had some cases where I got the job where I was given this information after being hired and it did make sense to me as a <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobayashi_Maru\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">\"Kobayashi Maru\"</a> challenge and other times where my partial solution was discussed in the interview.</p>\n\n<p>Getting it all done is a red flag as it may well suggest there wouldn't be a great fit in the company. The optimum reply is to get some of the work done, include tests and document what would be the next steps along with how long it would take the finish the pieces left. If I told to assemble a car from scratch in 1 hour, chances are if you got it done that I would have questions about how you did that rather than think, \"Excellent.\"</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 85235, "author": "kirie", "author_id": 17741, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/17741", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I think most people have been in this situation before. I have too, with same deadline and but with less work. Of course I told them there's no way I can finish that up in 2 days since I'm not unemployed, in which they decide to make it into 1 week. I manage to finish it, they offer me a job, I manage to find better offer so I turn down the offer. If I can go back in time would I change my answer to: can I do other test?, or to simply turn down the offer because the task is just too big for interview task? I probably will.</p>\n\n<p>This test usually to see how much you want a job, so it is your choice will you do overnight just to score this one interview?</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 85265, "author": "Daniel", "author_id": 59143, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/59143", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I don't find this is unreasonably at all - I believe they're merely testing your skills and knowledge with the Laravel framework - because it allows you to create these big web applications with almost no effort with the built-in <code>artisan</code> tool.</p>\n\n<p>Keep in mind that Laravel was created with the intention of simplifying common web-development siturations, such as</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Authentication</li>\n<li>Creating/Updating/Deleting data</li>\n<li>Session handling</li>\n<li>Database connection and querying</li>\n<li>Forms</li>\n<li>Requests and Respones</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>An example is the command <code>php artisan make auth</code> which sets up full front-end and backend authentication.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 167807, "author": "Raychenon", "author_id": 34572, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/34572", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I am not a PHP person but different tech stacks. I read Lavarel has CRUD commands that can build this project under few minutes.</p>\n<p>At the risk of getting downvoted, I developed a sixth sense how to spot a <strong>SCAM</strong>. The higher time investment asked, the more likely this company doesn't hire at all.\nDid they send you a template? Or do you start from scratch?</p>\n<p>Any projects asking full features application before meeting team members is a red flag .</p>\n<p>They were some instances where I really wanted this job. I sent the code with production quality level, full tests and praises from the reviewers. It solved a certain business issue. I will never know if they used my code in production. Only to learn the headcount has changed. The HR knew this before I sent.</p>\n<p>I even sent one project that was not reviewed to another company, I received a template email &quot;Thank you your time, not hired&quot;. The worst lie ever is that I know my code was not reviewed at all. The readme.html and project contained analytics.</p>\n<h1>Signs of red flag </h1>\n<h2>Excessive time </h2>\n<p>Can the authors complete under half time constraint?</p>\n<p>The major advantage of these coding challenge is not time invested upfront by the company. However the candidate started the project from scratch with the defined tech stack. The more freedom a project has, the more time it will take to review. At your work, a proper pull request of 500+ lines takes you how much time on a familiar code base? Now compare with a complete project to review. A 1h interview is better time invested for both sides.</p>\n<p>So this is not even scalable for interviewers.</p>\n<h2>No reply </h2>\n<p>They let 2 days to complete. Ask them questions if they don't receive any answers within this time limit, they don't respect you. Imagine how much time, it will take to review your project.</p>\n<h2>Super good, can you improve? </h2>\n<p>I got full praise by the reviewer who has for more features. At this point, I stopped and I said I invested 8h for free.\nThis company is still hiring for this position after 8 months.</p>\n<h1>How to answer?</h1>\n<p>Send an invoice. Ask to be paid for at least one day of work.\nIf they cannot pay you one day, they likely cannot afford you for a year.</p>\n<p>A candidate placement costs around 3 months of salary. Assume 100 candidates applied and get paid. It is still cheaper financially than using an external recruiter.</p>\n<p>Companies lose out to skilled candidates who will go for more direct interviews.</p>\n<h1>Becoming standard during Covid</h1>\n<p>I see this coding challenge step more and more in the interview. Many companies ( ranging from 8 digits to billion USD annual revenue) use these challenges to filter companies who are willing (and docile).\nI saw a surge of developer job openings from tourism/travel industry related companies. Do you think there is a larger demand for tourism during COVID?\nIt costs next to nothing to advertise for jobs. Lot of job openings has a positive image to investors.</p>\n<p>My advice:</p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Don't waste your time. Engineers, you are in demand. Go where you are\nbest treated.</p>\n</blockquote>\n<p>I wrote a blog <a href=\"https://blog.raychenon.com/companies-that-give-take-home-tests-before-interview-review-your-hiring-funnel/\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">https://blog.raychenon.com/companies-that-give-take-home-tests-before-interview-review-your-hiring-funnel/</a></p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 167809, "author": "Strader", "author_id": 78760, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/78760", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>IMHO,its all depends on how much do you want this job.</p>\n<p>There are lots of red flags on it.</p>\n<p>But if you do, make a prototype according to requirements with &quot;Placeholder {name} instead of actual data.</p>\n<p>Do not send any code in, instead deploy it on a test server.</p>\n<p>It can be your local machine, Azure VM that will spin only for the demo of functionality you implemented or a web server in free hosting under your account</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 167817, "author": "Ertai87", "author_id": 88183, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/88183", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>After reading Daniel's answer (which I didn't know about, I would have posted something like &quot;BIG RED FLAG DO NOT ENGAGE&quot; under normal circumstances), this doesn't seem like an enormous ask; if you are familiar with Laravel then you can try to do it.</p>\n<p>That said, the insistence on using MySQL is fishy to me. Unless there is some special thing between Laravel and MySQL, MySQL tends not to be used in many companies because it's pretty much the worst distro of SQL and most developers hate it and most companies like to make their developers happy by using distros of SQL that aren't MySQL (this is my understanding from talking to people who work with DBs a lot, I'm not super familiar personally). The insistence on using specifically MySQL rather than &quot;SQL distro of your choice&quot; makes me think that there might be something nefarious going on. SQL as a language is pretty agnostic; basic SQL commands are standardized and should work on any SQL DB, so there is really no reason to specify MySQL, and the fact that they did rings a few alarm bells. Not many, but a few.</p>\n<p>Now, I would commit the least amount of effort possible to this: Run the basic Laravel commands to set up the things they asked you to set up, and do the least amount of customization work possible on top of that to get it functioning as asked and no more. This will do a few things:</p>\n<ol>\n<li><p>You will complete the assignment as asked. If in fact this is just an interview assignment, then it should be enough to get you passed.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>You will not contribute a lot of code if in fact they are planning to steal their work. If your contribution is running a couple terminal commands and then adding like 50 lines of code on top of that, and they steal it, then fine whatever, you took a gamble that this company was legit and they weren't, so you didn't lose much.</p>\n</li>\n<li><p>You will spend not a lot of time on this assignment. You definitely don't want to spend like 40 hours over 2 days completing an assignment for an interview; there's no guarantee that you will even pass the interview and you don't want to waste your time for nothing. Spending like 3-4 hours on some small customizations or whatever is &quot;reasonable&quot;.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n<p>There are some red flags here, but not enough that it's worth writing the company off entirely and not even trying. There are enough, though, that you shouldn't feel entirely comfortable that the company is legit and you should prepare yourself accordingly.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/85221", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/64696/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 87483, "author": "Pork Pants", "author_id": 66293, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/66293", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Honestly contract jobs are meant to be temporary, it is 100% perfectly OK to look for something permanent or better while in a temp position. </p>\n\n<p>Have you addressed your concerns with the firm you work for? If you're paid hourly (like most contract jobs are in the US) then you should be able to collect overtime, are you simply not being offered the opportunity.</p>\n\n<p>If I was reviewing your work experience I would understand that you're in a contract position and are looking for something with benefits. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 87499, "author": "curt1893", "author_id": 66029, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/66029", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I'm not a hiring manager, but I would hope that one would be understanding to the idea of leaving a job that didn't offer a stable environment to work in. If the question comes up during an interview as to why you left your last job, you can just tell them the company didn't honor some of their agreements in respect to pay and travel. </p>\n\n<p>I worked as a contractor in the Middle East for three months before leaving due to issues with the company owner and payments. It never came up, but if it had I could have explained my grievances. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/87482", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/59021/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 88222, "author": "mutt", "author_id": 66646, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/66646", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>It's the perception underneath that is being managed here. I have seen really good customer write-ups of bugs and really awful ones. Sadly most of the ones I see are awful...this depends on your clients though. </p>\n\n<p><strong>Helpdesk</strong>:\nWith the helpdesk involved this can often help articulate the bugs better and provide a voice to the help the customer is receiving. I suspect this is the reason why this approach is being recommended.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Github</strong>:\nOptionally the Github reporting allows interaction, but usually this is best with a technical client base who likes to get into technical input and feel involved in the development process.</p>\n\n<p>So it really depends on your client base and the desired customer management appearance the company wants in which approach to take. I'd recommend you talk to your Manager about it and why exactly that solution is desired and the end outcome that is hoped to be achieved.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 88225, "author": "HLGEM", "author_id": 93, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/93", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>I know why I would want all the tickets to go through customer support. First it makes it easier to see what is on any one person's plate when all the data is in the same place. It also makes it easier to prioritize work that has not yet been assigned or to see what will be affected if work is re-prioritized. </p>\n\n<p>If the company plans to do any data analysis of things that are common problems, it helps to have them in the same place. And if you want to check support person performance and ticket response times, again it is simpler if the information is all in one place. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/88220", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/53389/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 88327, "author": "DJClayworth", "author_id": 886, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/886", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Your co-worker is right.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Having a degree in which you study both Mathematics and Philosophy is not the same as having both a degree in Philosophy and a degree in Mathematics.</strong> Listing your qualification as two degrees runs the risk of confusing your case with someone who genuinely has two degrees, and this may reflect badly on you when they find you do not have two degrees. To that extent someone is going to care.</p>\n\n<p>Your transcript clearly says that your degree is Bachelor of Science. If you had two degrees, your transcript would list both degrees. You would also have two degree certificates, and would probably have had two degree ceremonies.</p>\n\n<p>My understanding of your transcript is that you studied in both the BS (Mathematics and BA (Philosophy) <em>programs</em>, which is not the same as completing degrees in both.</p>\n\n<p>In any case, calling your university should give you a definitive answer.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 88345, "author": "mhoran_psprep", "author_id": 127, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/127", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>At the university that my kids go to there are two differences between a double major and getting two degrees. In the case of two degrees they are two diffetent types such as BS and BA. They also must take 30 credits beyond what would be neefed for either degree. For examlpe physics and chemistry is a double major, but public relations and nuclear engineering is two degrees.</p>\n\n<p>If that same definition applied at your school you would have two degrees. The key is the lack of overlap between the degrees. In many places a BA requires foreign language, but a BS doesn't. A BA has only a few science and math classes, but a BS requires many science and math classes.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 88347, "author": "Patricia Shanahan", "author_id": 19325, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/19325", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Why not follow the formatting on the transcript? Something like:</p>\n\n<pre><code>Bachelor's of Science [University] [date]\n Mathematics (B.S.), with honors\n Philosophy (B.A.)\n</code></pre>\n\n<p>That indicates both degrees, and cannot be considered misleading because it is directly supported by the transcript.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/88325", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/67056/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 90788, "author": "nobody", "author_id": 69890, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/69890", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>OOP concepts such as abstraction are important because in school there is no such requirement such as code maintainability and scalability. </p>\n\n<p>In work however you may find a bug in prod and task to fix it, and good code makes it easier to debug and fix. </p>\n\n<p>Your business team wants a change in functionality or a new feature, good code makes it easier to implement without causing the old code issue in other parts of the project. </p>\n\n<p>There are many good concepts, I.E. SOLID OOP principles. Unfortunately to really appreciate and learn these concepts require real experiences. But nevertheless it is good to make it a habit and drill oneself to master these concepts and put them into practice. Knowing these concepts and understanding them is the first step. </p>\n\n<p>These concepts are tedious to most undergrads because of the \"I don't know why my code works but it works. I don't know why this fix this bug, but it just worked\" attitude. This is cancer.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 90792, "author": "Rolexel", "author_id": 66203, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/66203", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>A lot of things in that list are quite basics things when you're a developper but need practice to realy master.\nIf you don't master OOP yet , and have never done some serious web developpement you will not be able to learn enough from this list until your interview.</p>\n\n<p>As suggested , work on what can be seen on your resume , and if you don't get the job keep that list and include what's on it to your tolearn list.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 90798, "author": "BgrWorker", "author_id": 90688, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/90688", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Chances are the recruiter just copy-pasted a list of skills someone else gave her.</p>\n\n<p>The important thing is to know what are the requirements for the job you're gonna interview for, and brush up on the core concepts.</p>\n\n<p>That list only tells you one thing: they're asking for a web developer that is probably going to write both server-side and client-side code, and this should be your main focus of study.</p>\n\n<p>They also seem to care about clean code, so try to at least be familiar with SOLID principles and designing a modular system.</p>\n\n<p>Don't try to focus too much on the single points of the list and you will be ok.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 90801, "author": "Stephan Branczyk", "author_id": 14577, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/14577", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In her quest to obfuscate the exact wording of the job posting, this recruiter gave you a completely unhelpful list of keywords. </p>\n\n<p>That is unacceptable. <strong>She needs to trust you and send you the full unedited unfiltered job description</strong> (that you will hopefully be able to receive before the interview).</p>\n\n<p>For instance, I can pretty much guarantee you that the job posting in question didn't list the knowledge of \"JSON\" as a requirement, nor did it list it as something that you should study up for, but more as something that you will be expected to work with. </p>\n\n<p>A good full job description will be nuanced (assuming that it wasn't written by HR, but by the original hiring manager). And even then, it doesn't need to be a perfect match to your experience. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 90806, "author": "The Quantum Physicist", "author_id": 68553, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/68553", "pm_score": 3, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Recruiters just want to make money, keep this in mind. They make money by having you hired. To many of them it's all about statistics and trial-and-error. Many recruiters will even elect you for a job that doesn't suite you. I had that funny experience once, and I went to the interview to see whether my doubts about recruiters are true, and they were, and it was the most embarrassing interview of my life. Some recruiters will just find anything and put you there. Honestly, the best skill you learn when dealing with recruiters, is telling them <strong><em>NO</em></strong> when you don't want that job. It's their job to find something that suits you, not your job to follow their orders and suggestions.</p>\n\n<p>Now, my recommendation:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Examine the job description, and check whether it fits you</li>\n<li>Don't learn new languages that you never worked with</li>\n<li>Revise the languages and techniques you already know, and spend some time recapping basic things that you may forget because you don't use them that often.</li>\n<li>Realize that recruiters don't know anything in programming, otherwise they'd be interviewed for the job. Don't take their technical (programming-related) instructions seriously, but learn from them the diplomacy part, as they're good at it.</li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>Good luck!</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 90848, "author": "Robert de Graaf", "author_id": 66607, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/66607", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you don't think that a recruiter has a good technical understanding of the job she's hiring for, it follows that she may not have screened the candidates correctly. This has happened to me before, and it cost me a day off from an existing job, some heat from my existing bosses at the time (I had to take a day off at an inconvenient time for them) and an irritating amount of travel costs.</p>\n\n<p>Others have noted that this is a list of fairly normal concepts, so definitely not junk, and worth knowing if you're going to continue in the area. If you know Python not C#, a better way than tutorialspoint to get that knowledge is to get a book on Python with a decent section on object oriented programming and work through it. Maybe Steve Lott's 'Building Skills in Python', which is free from his site, even if it is based on 2.6.\n(<a href=\"http://buildingskills.itmaybeahack.com/python.html\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\">http://buildingskills.itmaybeahack.com/python.html</a>). There was also a bunch of web terminology, which I don't know anything about, except to say it will work better to work through a book/ course on web development rather than looking up an arbitrary selection of terminology (google 'web development with python or other preferred language' to get a start perhaps).</p>\n\n<p>But that isn't practical before the interview - it's just for if you decide that you really want a job in this field.</p>\n\n<p>In the mean time, I would call back the recruiter and press for more details of what kind of work the employer is expecting the successful candidate to do. I'd suggest that sounding interested in the specifics will make you seem more knowledgeable, not less, if you ask in a confident way. </p>\n\n<p>The inappropriate interview I had was a full day affair, and I was already a full time worker. If I had realised how far from my skill set it was, I wouldn't have gone. If your interview is less time commitment you may still think it's worthwhile to go, especially if you don't already have another job, but I think it is useful to get the clearest view possible of whether the employer is really going to be interested in your current skill set. </p>\n\n<p>Preparing for, and attending, interviews is time consuming, and there is an opportunity cost involved. In your case, if you haven't had many interviews, you might decide it's worth the cost just to find out more about jobs in this area, but my advice is to have a clear idea of what you are getting out of attending.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/90783", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/68685/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 92245, "author": "Chris E", "author_id": 28939, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/28939", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Just indicate that they're contract or freelance. It's not that you won't seem like a serious candidate, the concern is that you don't \"work out\" frequently and have to move or that you can't be happy. They just want reassurance that you're not going to bail in a few months. Indicating that the jobs were short-term will help because it immediately says you weren't leaving a full-time job due to dissatisfaction on one side or the other. But your job history is what it is. In my experience, it hasn't precluded me from getting an interview and that's when you can explain the reason for the jobs being short term. Since you're just starting out, it should be fine. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 92248, "author": "TheFamousDirector", "author_id": 70884, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/70884", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If you're worried about the appearance of those items on your resumé you can just add that they were contracts. For example:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Lead Front End Dev | Company B\n Dec 2016 to March 2017 \"(3 month contract)\"</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>That will clarify what they are. A small indication that it is a contract is all you need. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 92256, "author": "leymannx", "author_id": 48157, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/48157", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The answer is simple: They were all project based jobs. Simply focus on the projects you worked on, name some keywords to describe them. Project finished with contractor A, then comes next project with employer B, and so on. No one will\nask why you switched after a successful project.</p>\n\n<p>Isn't there also a field on LinkedIn under each job to describe the projects you worked on?</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/92244", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/71046/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 94378, "author": "Idris Dopico Peña", "author_id": 73186, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/73186", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>If they refuse to follow the rules given to them it's easy. Give them a warning, in that warning, state that if they get 2 warnings, there are going to be consequences. The fact that you are in charge of them, means that if they continue to do so, the consequences will be going towards you.</p>\n\n<p>Play it safe, make written (via email) rules about what they HAVE to do. If they don't follow these rules, report it to your superior.</p>\n\n<p>Also, make sure u talk to him, there might be something wrong. Writing bad code could be because there is a problem in his work/private space. So make sure that is not the thing, making him committing bad code.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 94379, "author": "gnasher729", "author_id": 16101, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/16101", "pm_score": 4, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You introduced a tool that apparently is just getting in the way. The godawful code that you posted has been created because the developer created code initially that wasn't accepted by your tool, and figured out how by making the code worse it would be accepted. That's entirely your problem. If you create situations where people get rewarded for doing the wrong thing, they will be doing the wrong thing. </p>\n\n<p>What we don't know, hearing one side of the story only, is whether they have awful code quality, or whether they have code that you don't like - which can be an entirely different thing. Are you an experienced developer? Then tell them how to improve the code, send them to training courses, and do code reviews. Or are you a pointy-haired boss? In that case, let them get on with it. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 94410, "author": "HLGEM", "author_id": 93, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/93", "pm_score": 4, "selected": true, "text": "<p>Personally I find most of those automated code tools useless. There are times when it fails code for things that are simply preference and things that are bad in some circumstances but good or even necessary in others. And often they leave the dev unsure about what the actual fix should be. If you know something fails but don't understand why it fails or what you should be doing instead, the tool itself has failed.</p>\n\n<p>What does help is 100% code review. No code is committed to the production branch without being accepted through code review and no dev has the rights to commit to the production branch only the build team or the lead. </p>\n\n<p>This is where you send back the bad code preferably with an explanation as to why it is bad. The key is to make it painful to not fix the code. Yes they will have a few times where the deadline will be missed because the code failed code review. And they will have to explain that as a reason. This leads people to be less likely to make the same mistake repeatedly so that they can meet their deadlines. If there is no pain to writing bad code, there is no reason to fix it, human nature being what it is.</p>\n\n<p>That said, you and your team need to have an agreement concerning what is good code and what is acceptable code. If your standards and theirs are currently in a mismatch, this needs to be resolved over discussions and an agreeable standard approved. If they have input into the standard (and yes that means you need to compromise and accept their standards at least in part, having the discussion is irrelevant, even counterproductive, if you are still going to dictate end results), that are going to have more buy into actually using it.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 94418, "author": "Kevin Blicharski", "author_id": 56858, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/56858", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>There are two problems here: </p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><p>their code quality is poor</p></li>\n<li><p>they are working around your code quality enforcer</p></li>\n</ul>\n\n<h2>There is a simple solution: <strong>code review.</strong></h2>\n\n<p>Review every pull request they make. If they commit poor quality code, explain why it is poor quality. Explain why quality standards are important. Explain that certain design decisions may be faster in the short term, but carry significant technical debt. Explain that deliberately writing workarounds to your coding quality enforcer is unacceptable. The key here is teaching them <em>why it's important</em>, not just telling them <em>what to do.</em> Do not accept the pull requests until they have made all of the necessary changes.</p>\n\n<p>If after a few rounds of this they keep writing poor code and using workarounds, it may be a sign of incompetence or insubordination, which you should address appropriately. In all likelihood, they are not used to writing code in a new style, and need some time to adapt. It is your job as a supervisor to help them learn and adjust, but as the saying goes, <em>you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.</em></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/94376", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/73295/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 95098, "author": "curt1893", "author_id": 66029, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/66029", "pm_score": 6, "selected": true, "text": "<p>From what I am gathering, he is using source control like everyone else, but rather than just deleting the old code once he is done, he likes to keep all of the old code as comments.</p>\n\n<p>This needs to be addressed in a company policy. If your company policy states that all old code should be removed so that files remain as small as possible, that's the policy he should follow.</p>\n\n<p><strong>Yes, you should talk to your boss to see what the policy of the company is. No, I wouldn't delete any of his work.</strong></p>\n\n<p>If there is no policy and this is just your personal feeling, then it seems like you should just agree to disagree. Just because you feel this is the correct way to code, doesn't mean that everyone would agree with you.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 95100, "author": "Old_Lamplighter", "author_id": 46894, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/46894", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This is actually a fairly common practice and the \"rightness\" or wrongness of this varies wildly according to shop standards.</p>\n\n<p>If there are no shop standards prohibiting this, then there's nothing wrong, if there are, he's violating procedure.</p>\n\n<p>Ask your boss what the shop standards are for this and act accordingly.</p>\n\n<p>If you feel these should be shop standards and are not, bring it to your boss's attention and make your case to have it as an established standard to delete code rather than to comment it out.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 95110, "author": "Ghosts", "author_id": 73947, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/73947", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>In many languages this is a pretty good practice, at least temporarily, as it allows changes to be easily reverted and others in the codebase can see the recent progression and changes that occurred. However, it is a bit strange to do so in CSS where changes are pretty minute and easy to swap around and it is usually easy to immediately see changes.</p>\n\n<p>Despite that, It's not super uncommon, but what would be uncommon is leaving the code comments in after awhile. I would just tell him that it's fine but after the changes are made and he decides they're good to stay, go back and remove the comments. There's really no reason they need to be there if the changes are accepted and expected to stay.</p>\n\n<p>Also it might be a good idea to add a tool to minify the files and remove comments before deployment, this way it doesn't matter in a technical sense if the files are larger or his comments remain. It's not a remedy to the source of the issue but a helpful measure to prevent its effects. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 95125, "author": "efarley", "author_id": 73957, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/73957", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Preface: I have been in the field for 11+ years, and have been leading front end dev teams for 3+ years a large companies such as Nike.</p>\n\n<p>I disagree with the previous answers on a few of their points. <em>(This is assuming based on the fact that you said you're mentoring him that you're also his lead, if not and by boss you mean the lead developer than listen to the previous answers and go talk to them, if by boss you mean a owner, department head or some other non developer then continue reading)</em></p>\n\n<p>Firstly: I would <strong>NOT</strong> go to your boss. You should view going to your boss as a nuclear option to be reserved as an absolute last resort. You boss had confidence in your ability to mentor this dev and handle things like this. Every time you come to your boss to have him handle something like this it is going to erode a little bit of the confidence away. I assure you your boss has much better things to do than dictate code standards. Only involve your boss if you need clarification on something or things need to be escalated to the point of a formal reprimand or dismissal.</p>\n\n<p>Secondly: this isn't a company policy decision. Code formatting and code standards are entirely at the discretion of the lead developer. You boss does not care or need to care about nuances like formatting and comments.</p>\n\n<p>Thirdly: This is <strong>not</strong> common, In 11 + years I have only ever ran into one company that would allow leaving comments in code for history. The only places I would expect to see this type of coding is a outdated shop that ignore best practices and has no source control, PRs or GIT repos, and if that's the case, <strong>RUN</strong> run far far away and don't ever look back.</p>\n\n<p>If I were you I'd first give him a tour of GIT and show him how it works since he clearly doesn't understand commit history. Hopefully that helps ease his concerns and makes him understand where you're coming from when you say not to do it and that will be the end of it.</p>\n\n<p>Second I would refuse to approve any of his PRs until he follows your suggestions, you're the lead, so lead. If the code doesn't meet your standards then it shouldn't be merged, it's that simple. </p>\n\n<p>If he still refuses to change it and lets his PRs sit out forever with you blocking it then it's time to talk with your boss about the dev. Maybe have the boss tell him to listen to you, or write him up or possibly even dismissal depending on how he reacts and his overall performance. </p>\n\n<p>You're his mentor and if he's refusing to listen to your mentoring then he's not doing his job and he's preventing you from doing an important part of yours. Keep in mind if you're boss feels like this dev isn't learning anything or listening to you and you haven't said anything to your boss then that reflects badly on you not the dev your mentoring.</p>\n\n<p>Lastly if your company doesn't use GIT or PRs (pull requests) then that is a much bigger problem than the dev leaving comments in and you should be pushing to get the company to follow modern best practices that prevent problems like this or start running away and looking for a job that will be more beneficial to your career.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/95097", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/63927/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 95415, "author": "Magisch", "author_id": 44144, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/44144", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>I would like to send a mail to Assisstant General Manager of a company\n for the fourth time after few weeks about a recruitment process</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Please don't. What you're doing here is nagging, and it can only affect your chances negatively. They won't \"admire your persistence\" or anything like that, it'll just be annoying.</p>\n\n<p>If you find yourself having to apologize for writing an email, maybe take another look if that email is really necessary to send and reconsider. </p>\n\n<p>If it's an email you're required to send then you won't have to apologize for sending it, and if you have to apologize for sending it, chances are you shouldn't be sending it.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Because few people hates to read mails starting like this,</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I think the hate of people is more concentrated on getting unnecessary emails that take time away from what they ought to be doing instead.</p>\n\n<p>So no, don't add that line. And please reconsider if you have to send that E-Mail at all. </p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 95424, "author": "Community", "author_id": -1, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/-1", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>To put the fact that it's a fourth email aside for a second and answer the question </p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Is it okay to start mail with “I apologize for the additional email,\n but…”</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Even if it were the second email, my general policy is <strong>don't apologise needlessly.</strong> </p>\n\n<p><strong>It loses its meaning</strong></p>\n\n<p>I want my apology to mean something. If I mess up and have reason to sincerely apologise, then I want that to have weight behind it. Over the past few years, the number of times I've used the phrase \"I'm sorry\" or \"I apologise\" in an email is probably &lt; 20 times. I want my boss and coworkers to know that I'm sincere. If I use it all the time in cases like this, it loses its meaning.</p>\n\n<p><strong>It makes you sound like you lack confidence</strong></p>\n\n<p>Have confidence in what you do! If you send an email, be confident in what you say. Have purpose behind your words. Saying I'm sorry is like saying \"I'm not sure if sending this email is the right thing to do\" (which is exactly what you're asking). Either send it and mean it, or don't send it. Don't admit you don't know what you're doing. </p>\n\n<p>If you do good work and have confidence in yourself, then people will have confidence in you and you'll gain respect from others. How do you lose the respect of others? (1) do bad work or (2) second guess yourself.</p>\n\n<p><strong>It's just extra reading for the recipient</strong></p>\n\n<p>A busy recipient won't want to read through sentences of fluff before getting to the point. Get to the point concisely and keep your emails short.</p>\n\n<p>So while the accepted answer is correct, here's an elaboration on why you shouldn't apologise in this case; save it for when you really are sincerely sorry.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 95433, "author": "Xavier J", "author_id": 13470, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/13470", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>But I get a feeling that I keep nagging him and he is being disturbed.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>If you have the feeling that he's being disturbed, why do you persist in sending another email? It's okay to start your e-mail however you like, but the net effect of every additional e-mail you send is that you are labeling yourself as a nuisance. Let's think this through.</p>\n\n<p>Four e-mails on the same subject, in rapid-fire succession to the same person, shows that you might just believe said person has nothing better to do with herself / himself than attend to your needs. In your case, it's at a distance. If you're demonstrating that kind of behavior <em>now</em>, what perception would the receiver get on how you'd behave if you were hired? If I were the Assistant General Manager, I'd think, \"what a jerk!\"</p>\n\n<p>I'd recommend backing off and pursuing other opportunities.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/95413", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/71368/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 97121, "author": "Joe Strazzere", "author_id": 7777, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/7777", "pm_score": -1, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>This seems unprofessional at best, and inappropriate or even dangerous\n at worst (particularly if my manager's account was hacked).</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Unprofessional? Inappropriate? Dangerous? You are imagining all this from a simple \"Meeting with CEO\" email? Or are you hiding something that you worry has just been exposed?</p>\n\n<p>Try not to get carried away here. Assume positive intent until you have a real reason to worry.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>Should I accept this meeting?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Yes.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>How should I reply to this?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Something like \"Thanks. I'll be there.\" should do.</p>\n\n<p>You <em>should</em> have called your direct manager immediately and asked what the topic of the meeting was.</p>\n\n<p>But since you didn't do that, accept the invitation and enjoy your breakfast. And try to keep your worries in check.</p>\n\n<p>And if you still feel that nervous, arrive early, wait outside and go in when you see your CEO go in.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 97122, "author": "Revol729", "author_id": 60722, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/60722", "pm_score": 5, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Call your manager for confirmation, since you are doubtful and worried it might be dangerous.</p>\n\n<p>If the meeting is valid, you can further express your concern regarding the location of the meeting, and understand what is the meeting for.</p>\n\n<p>If the meeting is important and they insist to having the meeting over there, you have to decide yourself:</p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Go for the meeting and hope is just you overthinking.</li>\n<li>Better be safe than sorry, politely decline the meeting and perhaps ask for reschedule.</li>\n</ul>\n" }, { "answer_id": 97130, "author": "DJClayworth", "author_id": 886, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/886", "pm_score": 7, "selected": false, "text": "<p>You'v e already answered your own question in comments. If it \"goes against your security training\", then don't do it. Your CEO would also know your security training and wouldn't make you break it. (If it's some kind of test, then you definitely shouldn't attend)</p>\n\n<p>This has several of the characteristics of a spoof email. The use of only the first name, the unusual meeting place, the short notice, the lack of detail - all are red flags. The use of first name only increases the chance that you will think the meeting is with someone you know. The short notice is so you don't have time to check it out. The meeting place outside the office is so the spoofer doesn't have to clear your security. And if course it's very easy to make an email look like it came from your boss. </p>\n\n<p>It's not unknown for attackers to use emails like this to gain trust with employees, with a view to later extracting information from them. A small government contractor would be a prime target. The purpose is to make the employee think they are interacting with a legitimate colleague, when in fact they are interacting with an outsider. Using a first name only is a good technique since everybody will assume that \"Jim\" means the Jim they know. It may be luck or deliberate that they use the CEO's first name.</p>\n\n<p>You should absolutely call your manager, and not attend if you can't reach him or he doesn't OK it.</p>\n\n<p>One possible scenario is that if you go to this meeting you will find a person you don't know who says \"I'm [CEO's first name]. You didn't think I was the CEO did you?\". They may claim to be doing a special project and need information from you. You should of course give them no information until you have checked them out. Ask to see their security badge, and take a photograph of them and it (if they haven't mysteriously forgotten to bring it). The photograph is to give to the police if he doesn't check out.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 97131, "author": "Tas", "author_id": 39976, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/39976", "pm_score": 6, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Since the meeting came so late in the afternoon, and is due to commence a few hours before work tomorrow, if you don't feel comfortable <em>for whatever reason</em> the easiest way out is to apologise and simply say you can't make that time as you had other plans. Let them know you'd be happy to reschedule at a time during work hours, or if they need you out of hours you will need more notice.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 97159, "author": "Fritz", "author_id": 75553, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/75553", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Since you think the mail can be spoofed you should report this to the sender. If it's not from him there is a security problem in your company (hacked account). However make sure to check the mail address, maybe it is not [email protected] but [email protected]. In this case you also should report this, so that your coworkers can be warned that this kind of spoofed mails are around and your IT-admin can block this domain on your mailserver.</p>\n\n<p>Like @Joe stated, accept the meeting, maybe wait outside. Since you <strong>know</strong> your CEO <strong>personally</strong> the only thing you can loose is time if he doesn't show up.\n<em>Hint: If you live in a dangerous country where strange thinks happen to people decline the meeting if it's not in an safe area.</em></p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/97126", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/75533/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 99890, "author": "user", "author_id": 26334, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/26334", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<p>The question is vague, as you have realised. Instead of worrying about the exact meaning, consider what the purpose of asking it is. They want to filter out candidates with little experience or understanding, so ask yourself:</p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><p>Can I honestly claim 5 years? Sounds like you can since you have been using it since 2012.</p></li>\n<li><p>Do you have the skills to do this job? You will need to convince the interviewer.</p></li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>\"Five years experience\" is largely just code for \"competent with X\".</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 99891, "author": "Kate Gregory", "author_id": 102, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/102", "pm_score": 5, "selected": true, "text": "<p>In an interview, take advantage of the fact that you are not filling out a form online, or writing up a resume to a strict format. You are talking to a human. So answer in an honest, complete, and useful way.</p>\n\n<p>For example</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>It's been more than 5 years since I started using X, so I've certainly seen the changes in it and watched it improve. I don't want to suggest I used it 8 hours a day for those 5 years, of course. The first few years I would have some projects that used it and some that didn't. The last year I <strong>have</strong> been using it pretty continuously and overall I feel comfortable saying I have 5 years experience with it.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This starts with a fact, wanders through details, and winds up with a claim that is pretty strongly backed by the details. (Some interviewers only listen to the first and last sentence fragments of long answers.) You'll not feel that you're lying, but you won't be throwing away your own useful experience by calculating it too granularly. I mean doing that math and deciding you only have 2 years experience just isn't true. Maybe \"the equivalent of\" but when I hear that I think the person is inflating their experience, not deflating it to account for skipped times.</p>\n\n<p>I've been using C++ since roughly 1987. I didn't record the precise date because I didn't know it was going to be important. It might have been 1986, I don't know. There have been times in those 30 years that I didn't do much or even any C++ for months at a time or even longer. I don't care. I have 30 years of C++ experience. I think it would be good for you to adopt a similar attitude. </p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/99886", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/76848/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 100768, "author": "DarkCygnus", "author_id": 73791, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/73791", "pm_score": 2, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>So, include or not?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>I would say that you could leave it, but you should also be more clear on the reason <em>why</em> text messages only.</p>\n\n<p>What you can do is to mention that in your resume again, just like you did on your cover letter.</p>\n\n<p>You can also specify it in a more brief manner right besides your phone number, something like \"Text Messages Only please, due to hearing problems\".</p>\n\n<p>Anyways, however you do it make sure it is understandable in both your resume and cover letter. It is better to repeat yourself on this remark than having problems with potential offers you may receive. Hope this helps.</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 100773, "author": "Bernhard Barker", "author_id": 8234, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/8234", "pm_score": 3, "selected": false, "text": "<p>Don't include a phone number on your resume if you can't receive phone calls.</p>\n\n<p>In my experience, recruiters use some combination of phone calls, emails and IM's here and there, they very rarely, if ever, use text messages. And, even if they do, I'd expect them to start with an email or phone call. Text messages are generally considered to be fairly informal.</p>\n\n<p>I'd recommend using email as your primary method of text communication with recruiters or potential employers, unless or until they communicate another preference.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/100767", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/13180/" ]

[ { "answer_id": 101719, "author": "DarkCygnus", "author_id": 73791, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/73791", "pm_score": 0, "selected": false, "text": "<blockquote>\n <p>Should a cover letter in PDF format contain this information even if it will be uploaded on a website or send via e-mail?</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>In this case I think that including those would be redundant. <strong>An email already contains such information</strong> when being sent (except postal address, but that is more for Postal Services use when physically delivering the letter).</p>\n\n<p>Also, if uploaded from a website, that data can easily be obtained from the website's backend if needed (the date from a timestamp, recipient is implied, postal address unnecessary again, etc.).</p>\n\n<p>Therefore, you could omit this information to make your cover letter more lean. Also, I think that writing formal business letters is not a necessary skill for an IT role (now days, if you don't know you can Google it anyways), so I would not worry of that being a really important factor for the job you are applying. </p>\n\n<p>_{(In its core, I also think this is a matter of style preferences, so if you feel more comfortable sending a formal PDF letter go ahead. It is unlikely that doing so can put you in any sort of troubles.)}</p>\n" }, { "answer_id": 101762, "author": "Mirv - Matt", "author_id": 78991, "author_profile": "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/78991", "pm_score": 1, "selected": false, "text": "<p>This question has no \"right\" answer...it's subjective based on who you are applying too.</p>\n\n<p>The short answer is unless you know for a fact the company you are applying to hates cover letters that look traditional - you always make it look traditional. You risk looking lazy &amp; unable to follow social rules (which are a precursor to workplace social rules).</p>\n\n<p>This of course is modified by the position &amp; the company you are applying for ...</p>\n\n<p>The more traditional the company, the more important you provide them with everything they expect. If you do decide not too - you need to mirror this everywhere so they know you did this on purpose, not that you were ignorant of the standards everyone else followed.</p>\n\n<p>Example, if you applying to be a designer - you might want to make your cover letter flashy instead of traditional &amp; that might be the way to do it. </p>\n\n<p>Another example, you are going theoretically going to work for some big name imaginary company that hates traditional values, they all wear street clothing, they have no formal offices, only a collection of art deco style huts on the roof of some skyscraper &amp; they dance a 3 count instead of a 4 count (those heathens?!). Perhaps they forbid wasting ink on duplicate information - so in the place of the address you put a little note, \"Thank you for considering me!\"</p>\n\n<p>That's pretty extreme, but I want to point out if you are applying to a technical position, a law firm, a government job etc - it would be a real mistake not to be precise &amp; follow standards.</p>\n" } ]

[ "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/101717", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com", "https://workplace.stackexchange.com/users/53430/" ]