More Money Podcast - 060 The Best Career Advice You'll Ever Get - Alison Green, AskAManager.org

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hello and welcome to episode 60. 60 guys. 60 of the Mo Money Podcast. I am your host, Jessica Morehouse, and I'm pretty baffled that I'm already at 60. I guess that's what happens when you do two episodes a week for a little while. Thank you for joining me for this episode. I'm super pumped because my next guest is I'm a bit of a fan, huge fan, bit of a fan. What am I saying? I'm a huge fan. Her name is Allison Green. She is the blogger behind askamanager.org.

Starting point is 00:00:33 If you haven't discovered this blog already, you're in for a treat. It is, it was like, basically, you're going to waste hours on it. Or not waste, you're going to spend because it's amazing. Basically, it is people write into her about their kind of uh queries about workplace stuff job hunting whatever basically whatever you would ask a manager or an hr manager at your work and you you just want some good advice and she gives it to you good and there are some weird weird questions on there. Basically, if you're in a job right now and you're listening to my podcast and you also are maybe looking for something just to kind of make you feel a bit better about your situation,

Starting point is 00:01:13 you know, that's kind of why sometimes I watch trashy reality shows because it makes me feel good that I'm at least not, you know, part of Jersey Shore or something. It could be worse. This is a blog you'll want to read because there's some juicy, juicy stuff on there, I'm telling you. So you are in for a treat. But before I get to today's episode, I want to thank Lowest Rates for sponsoring this episode. So Lowest Rates is where you can find the lowest rates in Canada. Simple. For your mortgage, auto insurance, life insurance, and more just like that. I've done it to find the best quote for my life insurance. So I highly recommend you check them out

Starting point is 00:01:50 too at lowestrates.ca. And now we will get to the show. Thanks, Allison, for joining me on the show today. I really appreciate it. Thanks so much for having me. No problem. And as I mentioned earlier, before I hit the record button, I'm a huge, huge fan of your blog, AskADManager.com. I tell everyone that I know to read it because it is just so – there's so many good tips in there. You offer lots of great advice, and it's also just really cool to see what other people's work lives are like, office politics and crazy shenanigans. You know, I think people often when they're going through a hard job search or something difficult with their boss or their coworker, they feel like it's only it's really hard, but only for them and other people would be able to navigate it really smoothly and flawlessly. I think it's nice for people to be able to see that this stuff is hard for everyone. Absolutely. I mean, one of the I the reasons, like I was telling you earlier, I was super addicted to your blog a couple years back.

Starting point is 00:02:53 I'm originally from Vancouver. I moved to Toronto without a job, and so I was in the job hunt for about a year. I did jobs within that year, but I didn't find the job that I really, really wanted. I was just kind of working jobs to make money. And so I read your blog religiously, just because I really want to get a handle on what's going on out there. And also, at the time, I was working in a place that there's, you know, lots of different office politics and that I'd never encountered before. So it was nice to know that there's kind of a community of people out there that were also going through lots of weird stuff at their workplace.

Starting point is 00:03:25 So I'm like, I'm not alone. Definitely not alone. Yeah, for sure. So let's get to know you a bit more. So how did you get into the realm of HR? Were you always drawn to that? Or I always kind of feel like people that work in HR just kind of fell into HR. So I actually have never done HR.

Starting point is 00:03:44 I come at it from the management side. I always get lumped with HR because people kind of associate them together. I actually got into it from managing. When I started Asking Manager, I was the chief of staff at a national lobbying nonprofit organization here in Washington. And I was running the day-to-day of the organization. I was managing all of our hiring. And I felt like I was just constantly seeing both from job seekers and from employees in the office people doing really – I don't want to say misguided, but sort of not navigating things as effectively as they could. And as a result, not getting the outcomes that I know they were going for. And looking back, actually, I feel like even before that job, and even before I started asking manager, I've always been really interested in sort of the minutiae of interpersonal stuff. Like I've always been a big overthinker. And I like to analyze things, which is great if you're a blogger. And I think, I don't know that I ever thought like, oh, management is my big passion. But what was my big passion was just getting things done.

Starting point is 00:04:55 And it turned out that having the authority of being a manager is a really good tool for getting things done. And so I'm giving you a really convoluted answer here, but that's... No, I like it. No, that's awesome. That's awesome. So when did the blog come into play and when did you, because you do, you work for yourself now. Yeah. So I started the blog nine years ago in 2007. Oh my gosh. I know it's ridiculous. That's amazing. I start. So, yes, I started it while I was still in the chief of staff position that I was just talking about. And and it was really motivated by what I was just describing that I just felt like I kept seeing people like just make these these errors that they didn't have to make in how they were dealing with situations. And I thought so much of it is that they don't have a good understanding of how their manager is thinking or how their interviewer is thinking.

Starting point is 00:05:49 And I started asking manager on a whim. I thought I would do it for a few months. I thought no one was going to read this, but it'll just be fun to do it. It'll just be an outlook to get these opinions out. And even if no one reads it, that's fine. It'll just be like a fun little side project. Yeah. And people started sending letters in and it took off from there. And I think what I found pretty quickly was that there was there's a real hunger for for nuanced advice for. I mean, there's a lot of advice out there that's sort of like the general generic. Yeah. Generic. But there's no one.

Starting point is 00:06:23 So, like, you can find lots of information in how to ask for a raise. It's much, much harder, if not impossible, to find information on nuanced versions of that. Like, how do I ask for a raise when my boss is brand new? Or when I just kind of messed up

Starting point is 00:06:37 a big project a month ago? Or all of the like the real life details that make these things. I mean, they're never the generic, the generic situation that you see out there. There's always some nuanced version of it. And no one was giving people help on that. And I think what people responded to was the idea of someone who would really look at all the details of their situation and say, all right, in this very specific situation, here's what you do. And that's what you do, which is awesome. Like,

Starting point is 00:07:06 I was just looking at your blog today. And there are some crazy, I just love the titles of your every entry, because it's, you know, basically the question. And some of these are just like, what is going on? Like, some people have this the most crazy things going on. I just want to read a few just because just to give people who haven't read your blog an idea. Yeah. So it's like, how much should we accommodate employees' dietary restrictions at work events?

Starting point is 00:07:31 Now that's pretty specific. My coworkers think I'm having an affair, but I'm not. Yeah. It's like, who would you go to ask something? Like there's no one at work you could go to really. I mean, you could, I guess, go to your HR department but in my experience nothing usually comes of when you do have like a question that's severely specific or a grievance or sometimes HR it's not like necessarily the the best place to go I don't know yeah and I mean sometimes it's kind of an embarrassing dilemma

Starting point is 00:08:00 yeah or I mean they're going to give you advice from the perspective of what's best for the business and that's fine that's their job but it's not always going to be what's best for you. Exactly. They're not like a kind of like a high school counselor for work. So which I feel like there should be counselors at work. That's me. But I yeah, I think people sometimes think that HR will be that and then they feel really burned when they get a response that's very different from what they expected. Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. Oh, my gosh. So let's kind of jump in just because what I think you're doing is amazing because you really do, not only do these people have, you know, finally someone to ask these questions, you give very thoughtful and specific, sometimes solutions, and sometimes just like you're no, you just kind of tell it like it is, which I love. So I kind of first wanted to get some of your advice for kind

Starting point is 00:08:56 of kind of two groups of people, lots of the people, you know, that are listening to my podcast right now. And, you know, some are kind of new grads entering the workforce. And then also kind of millennials like me that are in their late 20s, their 30s, and they're kind of in that phase of their career. So I'm kind of, especially my younger sister recently graduated university, she has a ton of questions about now what, because honestly, during her degree, I think she was so focused in school, she really didn't think about what's next and so and I I know I was in the same boat you know several years ago about you know okay I finished university how do I get a job um so I guess like to kind of make it more of a specific question for you if you know, went to university for a certain thing, like she

Starting point is 00:09:46 went for an arts degree, but all of her work experience is kind of, you know, doing part time jobs in retail. How do you kind of finesse that into her resume if she were trying to get a job at like a nonprofit or as a marketing person or something like that that has nothing to do with her job experience prior? Yeah, I mean, I think it's – It's a tricky thing. I think it's such a hard time in like the start of your career where you don't really have a track record. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:10:12 I mean, it's so – I mean, even just thinking about it now makes me anxious. I'm really sympathetic. I know. I think the big thing is a lot of people come out of school and they feel like, well, what do I even put in my resume? Like, I don't really have real work experience. But often they do have things that absolutely belong in a resume. I mean, work experience doesn't just mean internships or office work or work that's specifically in the field you want to go into.

Starting point is 00:10:39 It's any work. So things like retail or food service, volunteering, that should all go on your resume if you don't have anything else. And a lot of employers really consider it a plus to see that kind of experience because it'll demonstrate work ethic and reliability and customer service skills and knowing what it means to have to show up on time every day and things like that. But if someone truly doesn't have that, like they really are like blank slate, nothing to put. At that point, I would say probably before you start the really serious job search, I would focus on building that up. So I would look at internships and temping and

Starting point is 00:11:16 volunteering, anything to start setting up a track record for employers to look at. And of course, that's one reason why it is so important to work and intern while you're in school, because it'll make it so much easier when you do graduate. Absolutely. And it's, yeah, it's hard enough to get a job, you know, with a degree and you're competing with so many other post grads. So you want to kind of set yourself up for success. Yeah. Okay, that is good to know. My second question for you is, if you don't have a lot of experience in interviews, maybe you have a really great resume, but you maybe you've only had one job in university. And that was kind of it. What kind of tips, you know, should you know, or what kind of things should you know before going into an interview? I remember I struggled a lot with this after when I

Starting point is 00:12:02 first moved here, because prior I worked at a job for three years and I was you know very rusty when it came to interviews yeah I think I mean first and foremost do some research on your own I hear from a lot of readers who have gotten really terrible advice about this from their parents or oh yeah yeah or even like their campus career center which is often I know telling people It's kind of shocking. So I think don't just assume that you're getting good advice from those sources. And I mean, one of the reasons that this is so messed up is that those are exactly the sources that you're trained to assume will be giving you good advice. So it's really tough for people.

Starting point is 00:12:38 But there's lots of good advice out there if you go looking for it. I mean, the internet is full of it. You don't want to just wing it or follow advice that's like 20 years old, because that can really lead you in the wrong direction. So first do some research so that you know what to expect. I think the other thing though, too, is to especially for new grads, to, it's okay to just sort of be a normal person. And then the reason I say that is that I used to interview people right out of school all the time. I don't do it as much anymore. But back when I used to, so often they would be so stilted. Like they'd somehow decided or been told that they needed to be really formal.

Starting point is 00:13:15 And so they would go into this interview persona that made them so stiff that I couldn't – this was so common. I wouldn't be able to get a real sense of what they were like to work with every day. And I mean, I don't care if you know how to be formal in an interview. I want to know what you're going to be like to work with. And you're going to give such a better interview if you relax a little bit and you can have personality and you can make an occasional joke. I mean, don't need to be and it shouldn't be this scary formal interaction. It should really be a conversation. And the other thing I would say, I mean, I could go on and on all day, but one more. OK. Other thing is and people lose sight of this all the time at all ages. So it's not just new grads who do that. But you really want to be interviewing that employer right back. So often,

Starting point is 00:14:06 people go into interviews, and they wait for the employer to sort of pass judgment on them, and they hope that they're good enough. And they forget to be thinking about, is this a job that I want? Is this a person that I want to work for? Is this a culture I'd be comfortable in? They just think, I want an offer. And then they get the job, and they start working there, and they're miserable, or they're not good good at it or it's just a terrible fit. So you really want to get in the mindset that this is a two-way street. And part of the process is supposed to be you figuring out if this is a job you even want. That was something I had to learn going on a huge number.

Starting point is 00:14:41 Like I don't even know how – I lost count how many interviews I went on that first year. But whenever it seemed like every time I went on an interview at the end, they'd always ask, do you have any questions for us? And at the beginning, I'd be like, no, sounds good. All right. You know, like, as if like, all right, that was just like, something to lead into goodbye. But then I started reading your blog. I'm like, oh, no, I should definitely ask them some question. Not only does it make me look like I've actually done my research and I know a bit about them, but then I'll find out a bit more about like, is this a place that I actually want to work at? Yeah. And you're definitely not alone. I mean, I've interviewed a lot of people and it's

Starting point is 00:15:16 particularly recent grads who just who do exactly that, that when it's time for questions that, you know, maybe they had some prepared, but they were covered during the interview. So they say, no, you've covered it all. And I always think, I mean, I don't certainly don't blame a new grad for doing that. I mean, that's part of not having a lot of experience at this. But when it's people who are more experienced and that happens, I always think, how can that be? I mean, you're contemplating spending 40 hours a week or more at this job for probably at least a few years. I don't buy it. Yeah, exactly. It's like, you should definitely have some questions. One question that I like, and I'm still not even 100% sure what the right answer is. But

Starting point is 00:15:54 I always find there's the awkward point in the interview, where you're like, should I ask them how much because usually they don't, you know, post what the salary range is. It's like, should I ask on the first interview? Should I wait until I get a second interview? When's the right time to ask about salary? Because that could be kind of a make or break situation where you're like, this is perfect. Oh, you're only going to pay me this much? Nope.

Starting point is 00:16:17 Yeah, it's absolutely make or break. So this is a ridiculous, ridiculous thing about interviewing, which is that there's this just insane convention for a lot of employers, at least, that you don't ask about. I mean, I can't even say that. I know. It's crazy. It's like, no, I want to know how much I'm going to be paid to work for you. Of course, you know. Ludicrous. I mean, there's this weird fiction that you're not doing it for the money. And of course, you're doing it for the money. It's a job. We're all well aware of that.

Starting point is 00:16:45 Yeah. So I think that this is changing to some extent. I get more candidates who ask me about salary on phone interviews now than I used to. So I do think it's changing. But it's dangerous ground. There's still an awful lot of interviewers out there who hold it against a candidate who have this idea that they shouldn't bring it up. They can't defend it if you ask them to. But they do have this weird weird irrational thing about it. So, I mean, I hate to give this answer because I think it's so wrong and impractical that things work this way. But yeah, I mean, in general,

Starting point is 00:17:14 wait for them to bring it up. That might not happen until the offer stage. There are some times I think when you can more easily get away with bringing it up. One is if they've made it clear that it's going to be a really long multi-step interview process, or if you're flying in from out of town, then it's more, you can, you're more likely to be able to get away with saying, you know, hey, it sounds like this is going to have many steps to it and I'm going to be taking a lot of time off work or before I spend your money flying in, let's make sure that we're on the same page about salary. People don't usually get as all up in arms about it in those cases, although you never know when you're going to deal with a crazy interviewer who thinks that like you have this incredible

Starting point is 00:17:54 gall to have asked. No, I think that's very good advice. So my next question is kind of moving more towards people who have maybe been in the workforce for a few years or five, so my, my next question is kind of moving more towards people who have maybe been in the workforce for a few years or five, you know, years or more. Um, but kind of like me, this is, I'm just using myself as an example. Um, you know, you've worked in a certain industry or certain field for a few years and you're thinking of kind of making a bit of a change, maybe not a drastic one, but one nonetheless. And like, as me, an example, I worked in kind of a change, maybe not a drastic one, but one nonetheless. And as me an example, I worked in a sales media position for about three, four years, but I really knew I was passionate about digital marketing and I wanted to move into that direction. And I found it very

Starting point is 00:18:37 difficult to try to tailor my resume or make it look like, no, it was a good thing that I started in sales because of this. And it took a while to kind of finesse. What kind of things would you suggest for someone that wants to kind of make a leap? I'm not sure if that's too broad of a question for you. No, no. I think a lot of people end up facing that. I think I like to think of resumes as presenting evidence for any time,

Starting point is 00:19:02 whether you're changing fields or not. You're presenting evidence of why you would be good at the job that you're applying for. So in this case, you want to think about what you've done, what's in your background that should be evidence to an employer that you would be good in this new field. So the boring name for this among career writers is transferable skills. But really all that means is evidence. And you probably have evidence, whether it's that in your old field, you were really great at dealing with clients or managing really complicated projects or writing and editing or dealing with cranky people or just getting stuff done. I mean, whatever it is that you can sort of pluck out of what you've done so far and say, look, this should show you. This is evidence that I'd be good. And if you're having

Starting point is 00:19:45 trouble doing that, that would worry me about the career change. Because if it really is a good fit, you should be able to find that kind of evidence in your past track record that you can use to really demonstrate why it's not a huge leap. Now, that's really good to know. Now, I want to kind of shift gears a bit to kind of talk about more office culture issues, because I know there's a lot of people on your blog. And that's those are kind of the questions that they submit. They're like, this is going on in my office. Is this normal? Is this weird? What's going on? So my first kind of question, and I'm sure most people listening have dealt with this on one occasion, what do you do or what's the best way to deal with a boss who's a micromanager?

Starting point is 00:20:31 Very common, right? Very common. The first thing is, and people skip this step a lot. I mean, when you're being micromanaged, it feels kind of insulting. And, you know, certainly you shouldn't be being treated that way. Why doesn't your boss see that you're a competent, trustworthy professional? But the first thing you want to do is to make sure that there isn't actually a reason for why they're managing you in that way.

Starting point is 00:20:54 Sometimes you'll get micromanaged because you've been dropping the ball or just not performing as well as you should be. And if that's the case, a good manager would get more closely involved because ultimately their job is to make sure the work is done well. So you want to sort of look at yourself first and figure out, is there anything you could be doing that might be spurring it? But if you're pretty confident that that's not what's going on, and you know, if this is the style that your manager uses with everyone, that probably points to the problem not being you. I'd try talking with your boss. Give some specific examples of recent projects where you felt like you could have worked more

Starting point is 00:21:30 effectively if you weren't on such a short leash. And ask if there's anything that you're doing that makes her feel like she can't trust you and how you might be able to work with more autonomy. You can also suggest other ways to keep her in the loop. I mean, often micromanagement is born out of control issues and fear that if the person backs off that things are just going to go haywire. So if you can suggest other methods of making sure that chaos doesn't result, that can sometimes help. So you could suggest a weekly report or regular check-ins so that she doesn't feel like she needs to hover. And if she's resistant to that, and many micromanagers will be really resistant to it, one thing that you can do is suggest an experiment. Say, can we try it for

Starting point is 00:22:17 a month? Or can we try doing it this way on this one specific project and seeing how it goes. And that's much harder to say no to without feeling as the manager, like you're being really unreasonable. So often, that is a lot, that's easier. And then a month goes by, or the project goes by, it's been done well. And then you can say, Okay, I feel like this went really well. Can we try it again with this next thing? No, I like that. That's a great, great suggestion. Now, moving on to kind of your co-workers, you know, sometimes I think, you know, working in nine to five is sometimes kind of a weird situation. Like my husband's a freelancer, so he doesn't really understand everything that goes into working in an office with a bunch of different

Starting point is 00:22:58 people. You know, sometimes you're thrown into, you know, this, you know, role with a bunch of different people that may not necessarily, you know, be friends or get along because there's different personalities, and that's just kind of how it goes. What's the best way to handle people that you may have a difficulty working with or, you know, just conflicts of personality? Yeah, I think it depends on what the reason is that you're not getting along. If it's that the person is doing something that is annoying or frustrating. In a lot of cases, you can actually just talk to them about it and see if they're willing to stop. I mean, it sounds so obvious, but I get a ton of letters about this where it's doing something really frustrating. And the person was like, I just want to make it stop.

Starting point is 00:23:42 But I don't want to have the awkward conversation. Because you're also afraid of hurting someone's feelings or, or making it even more awkward. Yes. So you, I mean, always in that case, you have to decide, does this thing bother you enough that you're willing to have the awkward conversation or do you hate the idea of the awkward conversation so much that you're willing to, to just live with this rather than paying that price? Yeah. I mean, there's no magic bullet there. In most cases, you have to just say something if you're going to do anything at all. Sometimes, though, it's not that they're doing anything particularly wrong.

Starting point is 00:24:15 It's more that you just have terrible chemistry with them. You just don't like them for some reason. I think in that case, I mean, for most people, part of the job is to interact reasonably, pleasantly with your coworkers. You don't have to be friends with them. But sometimes it can help to look at it like that. Like they don't have to be your friend, but it is part of your job to be polite and reasonably civil. Exactly. And that usually kind of, you know, usually when you have a more positive attitude, being like, I'm just going to be nice to them or try to get along. Sometimes that kind of almost diffuses, you know, what was such a big deal. It's not such a big

Starting point is 00:24:49 deal. Yeah, I think so too. Yeah, for sure. All right. So next, this is kind of a money question. So obviously, you know, the big, the reason I really wanted you on the show is to give people advice about careers because, you know, advancing in your career can equal more money. And that's kind of a great thing for everybody. So but when it comes time to ask for more money, more money, ask for a raise, you know, that is, again, a really awkward thing, I think, for anybody to be like, I think I deserve more. Like, what's the best way to get into that situation? Yeah, I think I mean, you want to know when the right time to do it is. And the right time is when you have a sustained track record of accomplishment that you can point to. I mean,

Starting point is 00:25:38 that's really a raise at its core is recognition that you're contributing at a significantly higher level than the last time that your salary was set. And so you want to make sure that that's true and that you can show it. And if you do that, if you get that piece of it right, the rest of it falls into place a little bit more easily. I mean, not totally. It's always hard to ask for a raise. Yeah, it's never easy. Yeah. But really, you want to just lay out a compelling case for what has changed since the last time your salary was set and why your work is worth more now.

Starting point is 00:26:10 So, I mean, reflect back on your achievements in the last year and the impact that you've had on your team. And what have you received particularly positive feedback about? Where have you made the biggest impact? And you can kind of put together a case that highlights those things. I will say, though, I mean, I think sometimes when people picture asking for a raise, they think it needs to be this like three page memo, and then they give this presentation. And most of the time, it really doesn't need to be that. I mean, with a reasonable boss, if it's been at least a year since your salary was last addressed, often you can just sit down with them and say, hey, I was hoping we could talk about my salary. I feel like I'm contributing at a higher level. I've been doing

Starting point is 00:26:48 A, B, and C. What do you think? And, you know, sometimes that's really all that conversation needs to be. I guess kind of the big fear that most people have is like, what if they say no? And, you know, that could be the case. What happens if, you know, you've made a case and you think it's strong, but your boss is like, we just don't have What happens if, you know, you've made a case and you think it's strong, but your boss is like, we just don't have the budget or, you know, let's revisit this in six months or something like that. What would be, you know, what should you do? Yeah, they might say no, and that's okay. I would look at it as an opportunity to collect more information. So ask what it would take to get a raise in the future so that you have a plan going forward. And, you know, if your manager can't really answer that, and sometimes they can't.

Starting point is 00:27:28 I mean, sometimes you'll ask this perfectly reasonable question of what would it take to reevaluate my salary in six months? What would you want to have seen from me by then? And you'll get this sort of vague non-response. If that happens, that's really good information for you. That is a big warning flag about what your future there and your future salary there might look like. So while that it's not the answer that you wanted, you've just gotten really good data that you can now work into your thinking about the job and where you go next. Is it ever a good idea to, you know, say you want to make a good case for yourself? Is it ever a good idea to be like, you know, some other employers were interested in me or I've been on some interviews, like kind of,

Starting point is 00:28:09 like I always kind of in my mind, I'm like, oh, is that a bad idea? Because it's kind of like you're threatening to leave in order to get a promotion. It's almost always a bad idea. Is it? I say almost because there are some organizations that are sort of dysfunctional and that is actually the only way you can get a raise. But if you're in a reasonably functional organization, it tends to be a bad idea, because first of all, there's a chance that they'll kind of call the bluff and say like, well, we, you know, we can't do it for you right now. So it sounds like you should take one of those other offers. It also kind of, I mean, again, sort of like when we were talking earlier about how it doesn't make sense that there's this whole stigma about asking about salary on an interview.

Starting point is 00:28:46 This one is irrational, too, and I can't really defend it. But there is definitely a thing where managers tend to feel like, well, if she's already looking around, she already has one foot out the door, she's going to leave anyway. And they start kind of writing you off. And that's not very helpful. So I don't think you need to say that you should say it. But the thing to keep in mind is that whenever you have a conversation with your boss about your salary, the subtext in your at least for your boss is always, oh, she might leave over this. I mean, whenever I've had anyone come to me and ask for a raise, that is always in my head.

Starting point is 00:29:20 You know, if I if I don't think that it makes sense to give them a raise, I'm completely balancing that with the fact that I know that because they're bringing this up, they might be thinking about moving on. So you don't need to say it. Like if your boss has any savvy whatsoever, they're going to know that that's somewhere. That's implied. If you don't get the raise you're asking for, you may look for something. You're not gonna be like, okay, I'll just go back to my desk. Exactly. So I think like that you're the message is there anyway, and you don't need to take the risk of talking about other interviews. Okay, one last question before I let you go. And I'm not sure if you can think something quick off your head. But what is one of the most

Starting point is 00:30:00 crazy or just out there questions you've gotten on your blog? Oh, gosh. I know you've gotten a lot. Maybe just one that you like or something. A lot of favorites. Yeah. I had maybe the weirdest. Oh, gosh, there's been so many weird ones. But one of the weirdest was that I had someone write in who had she's a manager and she had an employee who was scaring some of her coworkers by telling them that she was casting magic curses on them. And the employees were actually shaken up. Like, I didn't totally understand why they were taking her seriously. But apparently, soon after she'd said it, one of them had gotten really sick and had been out for a week. I hope I'm remembering this correctly. So now all of her coworkers were scared of her and she was wielding this weird power.

Starting point is 00:30:51 No one wanted curses to be put on her. And so the manager writing in was like, I don't even know how to begin to tackle this. Tell someone you're not allowed to put curses on your coworker. Like that seems like a really weird thing to say. Oh, my gosh. So that letter had everything that I love in a letter. I mean, it was weird and crazy and not anything I'd run into before. And she actually needed to come up with some language to use to talk in a calm, rational way about this insane thing.

Starting point is 00:31:21 That is crazy. That is crazy, crazy. Before I let you go, I also I don't think I mentioned this, but but about, you know, a couple of years back when I was really into the job hunt, you did this thing on your blog where you offered to for a fee look at people's resumes and you actually looked at my resume. And I'm not even joking. You improved my resume with your advice so much. It did help me actually land my current job. Oh my gosh, that's so great to hear. I always want to know what happens after I give people feedback like that. Yeah, no, it was great.

Starting point is 00:31:51 Yay, I'm so glad. No problem. And I know you have a couple resources that people might want to look into on your blog. Did you want to talk about any of those? Yeah, so I have an e-book that is called How to Get a Job, Secrets of a Hiring Manager. And if you go to my website, which is askamanager.org, you can find it right there up at the top. If you are a manager and you want help figuring out how to tell people not to place magic curses on their co-workers, I also have a book for managers, which is called Managing

Starting point is 00:32:20 to Change the World. Perfect. Well, thank you so much, Allison, for taking the time to chat with us. Jessica, thank you so much. It was fun. And that was episode 60 of the Mo Money Podcast with Allison Green from AskAManager.org. Seriously, check out her website. It's phenomenal. It is so great. I know that's exactly what I'm going to do on my lunch break today. I just freaking love it. And also make sure to check out the show notes for this episode at JessicaMorehouse.com slash 60. You'll definitely want to check those out for some interesting links. And I'm just going to probably just chat a bit more about what this

Starting point is 00:32:54 episode was all about and a little bit more about Allison, because she also writes for a bunch of other great websites, too. So definitely want to learn more about her. And one last thank you to today's podcast sponsor, lowestrates.ca, where you will find the lowest rates just like that. I always find that lots of people forget that it is so important to find the best deal when it comes to, oh, I don't know, a mortgage, life insurance, auto insurance, things like that. And that's sometimes you totally forget you just need it. And so you just get, you know, whatever your bank offers or whatever the first place you see around the block offers. That's not what you're supposed to do. If you want to be financially savvy, smart person, you will do your research, you will find

Starting point is 00:33:39 the best rate for yourself, it will save you money, Do it and use lowestrates.ca because it's free and they're awesome. Okay. Okay. Okay. Thank you so much for listening to this episode. Please join me again tomorrow for another listener series episode that you will love. I promise. And if you haven't done so already, make sure to, I don't know. I don't know. Give me an iTunes review. I'd really appreciate it. Just saying. Just saying. All right, I'll leave you. Have a wonderful day. This podcast is distributed by the Women in Media Podcast Network. Find out more at womeninmedia.network.

More Money Podcast - 060 The Best Career Advice You'll Ever Get - Alison Green, AskAManager.org

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