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Year: 2011

Can an interviewer ask if I have children?

Question:  “During my interviews for a sales position, I am often asked whether I have children. When I say that I have four, the managers typically respond that they also have children and must juggle a lot of responsibilities.  The question usually comes up in a casual chat, while we’re driving to a field office or eating lunch. This seems like friendly conversation, but since I have received no job offers, I can’t help wondering if it’s really discrimination. Can this question legally be asked in an informal setting?  And how do I respond without looking resistant?”  —Working Mom

How am I so productive?

Jasmine Freeman’s job as chief executive assistant to Joan Burge at Office Dynamics keeps her busy supporting Burge’s day-to-day work and de­­veloping social me­­dia to support the business. A number of tools help her “keep on top of things”:

1 in 5 know a résumé fibber

A recent survey by OfficeTeam reveals that one in five em­­ployees knows someone who has lied on his or her résumé. Here’s the type of information employees are most often misrepresenting or exaggerating about:

Know when to slow down

In his new book Great by Choice, Jim Collins says, “Following the belief that leading in a ‘fast world’ always requires ‘fast decisions’ and ‘fast action’ is a good way to get killed.” He reports that, overall, fast decision making was associated with good outcomes, however, when events were moving slowly, 61% of cases with […]

Train colleagues to be self-sufficient

Administrative assistant Linda Bates was on her way to a ski vacation when she got a frantic phone call: “The copy machine is jammed! What should I do?” Bates says the path to creating a self-sufficient staff begins with teaching them how to use equipment as it comes into the office.

Alternative to Merge and Center in Excel

Do you ever get merged cells errors? While merged cells can give your table and worksheet titles a nice appearance, they can cause problems with calculations if they appear within your tables and ranges. There is an alternative that will give you the same look, but without the complications of merged cells. Just as you […]

Admin career advice that never gets old

A few bits of career counsel from Lilit Marcus’ Save the Assistants: A guide to surviving and thriving in the workplace: Know the difference between a job and a career. Do your job, and do it really, ­really well.  Pay your dues intelligently. Learn everybody’s name and develop the right allies.