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Honesty

Here are the questions filed under this category. To read Ken's advice on any item, click on the link "Read Ken's Answer."


Our company is putting in a new performance appraisal system and we are supposed to tell our manager what we think of him. He is not the best manager in the world, and we are concerned about what he might do after he hears this from us. Maybe we should just sugarcoat it.
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My manager recently finished reading a business book and told me that it made him a better manager and better person. He told me to read it and we'll discuss why it's so important. Well, I read it and I think it's contrived and simplistic. What do I say to him?
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I was laid off from an accounting clerk job I held for just two months. The company was very small and unorganized, and the boss's daughter constantly told me she would be coming in to help, but she never did. I'm wondering how to avoid a situation like this in the future. Can I ask a job interviewer how they are planning on training me? Should I even put this two-month job on my resume?
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I took on an additional project that I was certain I could handle, even though I am busy with all of my regular work. The problem is that the project is far more difficult than I thought, and I am not getting it done. And, it's getting in the way of my other responsibilities. I have probably waited too long to let management know, and now I am in a mess. Is there a graceful way out?
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During an interview with an applicant for a sales job, his cell phone rang and he then took a brief business call. When it ended, he used the call as an example of his strong sense of customer service. How does his sound to you?
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I work for a large company and split my duties between two separate departments. In going over my paycheck, I am certain that I am being paid more than I am supposed to get. I mentioned this to a few friends, and they told me to forget about it since it's the company's problem, not mine. I'm not sure I agree. What do you think?
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I work in a dental office and recently our employer brought in someone to refresh the CPR skills of the hourly office staff. This class took 2 1/2 hours, and afterwards our employer said that he wouldn't pay our hourly salaries while we were in the class. Does this seem right?
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I sit across from an obnoxious kiss-up. She works hard when the boss is here, but leaves me with our shared work when he is out. I have had to confront this behavior a number of times. I am trying to avoid telling my boss how she behaves, but I have asked to change workstations. I think my boss may be mad at me. Now what?
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I started a new job 9 months ago, and the company just announced that it is review time. Their method of reviewing employees seems perplexing as they have the employee do a self-evaluation, and then compare it with your manager's evaluation of you. I find this difficult, as I would not want to rate myself too high or too low, yet my pay increase is based on the review. Can you please suggest a way that I can evaluate myself?
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I am moving out of this area, and the pay levels where I am going are lower than what I have been making here. I don't want to price myself out of the market, and I was thinking of telling possible employers that my pay is lower than what it really is. What do you think?
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I just graduated from college with a management degree and will be looking for a job shortly. I completed an internship over the last five months but left the company on bad terms. I gained a lot of knowledge and experience from the internship and it is a great addition to my resume. I know that I won't be able to have references from anyone except another intern. Should I still include this internship on my resume?
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I spent nearly six years as a Marketing Coordinator while I was trying to break into marketing management. I was passed up for promotions, and I was told it was because I needed a bachelor's degree. At great expense, I went back to college and obtained a bachelor's degree and an MBA. Now I'm hearing I don't have enough on-the-job experience to be a manager. I've been looking for over a year, and I'd even take a marketing coordinator position to get my foot in the door. Although it's lying, I'm considering removing my education from my resume. Do you think that would help?
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I was just reprimanded by my boss for theft. My so-called crime was taking home a roll of tape. I was written up and the incident was placed in my file. Why would a company make such a big deal about minor theft?
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I am beginning my career, and I want to know how to respond to a job interview question about my goals if I don't have a particular objective. I know what direction I want to go in, and I want to do well, advance, and continue to learn, and maybe my goals will crystallize when I join the company.
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I received a severance package which was paid out over 10 months. Right now my resume shows that I left the company when I stopped working there. Would it be unethical for me to change the dates to show the service to the company ending when my severance elapsed, i.e. 10 months later?
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My evaluation is coming up next month, and my manager asked me to evaluate myself on the same form that he will be using to evaluate me. I'm concerned that if I rate myself lower than he rates me, he might question my performance. I think I should give myself superior ratings across the board. What do you think?
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My manager did some unauthorized work on one of our computers and destroyed the hard drive. When he was reprimanded by our director, he changed his story and emailed her a distorted timeline of events and blamed me for what happened. Fortunately, our director was on my initial emails and is completely on my side. How do I deal with this manager?
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I deal with several different departments, and there is one department head who contacts my manager after I meet with him and completely misquotes me. This leads to major problems with my boss, and he has told me that the promises I make are creating problems for him, but I never promised anything. How do I get this department head to stop creating these problems for me?
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I just gave my supervisor notice that I have accepted an offer for another job. She said she will need to give me an exit interview before I leave. She is an impossible boss and I've waited a long time for the chance to tell her off. Since I'm never coming back, should I do it?
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There is one person I work with whom I regard as a friend, but he is always borrowing one thing or another from me, and he rarely returns them. I have a lot of regular contact with him, and I don't want to create a problem by saying "no." What should I do?
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About four months ago, I was "let go" during a probationary period from a job where I had very limited experience. I have a bachelors degree and this position did not require a degree, and it paid substantially less than my previous jobs, most of which have been professional. After 15 years in social services, I decided to change the direction of my career and do something different. I have now taken this risk and it did not work out. Should I list this job on applications? If I don't, there will be a six-month gap in my employment history. This dilemma is causing me great stress and anxiety.
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I am a researcher for a publishing company, and we work flexible hours. Most people start working at 7:00 a.m. or 8:00 a.m., and the boss gets in around 9:00 a.m. Until he arrives, 5 people do absolutely nothing but gab, disturbing those who want to work. The boss is aware and does not care, but the owner is extremely frugal and would have a fit if he knew. Should we blow the whistle, which could be very risky, or let sleeping dogs lie?
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My manager is overly critical of just about everything I do. In my last review, some of his remarks were very hurtful, even though my work was definitely satisfactory. He said I need to understand that he is "brutally honest." How do you deal with someone like this?
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When I joined this company in a fairly senior position, the chief operating officer included me in most of the high-level meetings that focused on strategies and planning. For some reason, I am now being left out. When I ask him why, he apologizes and says he meant to include me, but then he does the same thing at the next meeting. What should I do?
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I worked for 16 months in customer service at a company that had “quality control” techs monitoring incoming calls. They made no mention of all the times the customers praised our work, but they quantified the negative comments. The company fired many employees for ridiculous reasons, and then asked the rest of us to work overtime every day. How should I describe 16 months of torture to a potential employer without sounding overly negative?
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When my manager asked me about the status of a project that I assigned to one of my employees, I found that my employee had not followed the procedures and left out a critical step. I thought this step was included when I checked up on the project last week. She suggested that I lie about the matter to my manager. I am shocked by her suggestion, and I’m uncertain about how to deal with her from this point. What do you suggest?
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Our company is introducing several changes in assignments and responsibilities, along with a revised overall structure. As planned, I discussed the changes with another manager. He then met with my manager and totally misquoted me. My manager then tore into me. What should I do?
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The president of our company recommended one of his friends for an open position in my department. I just interviewed him, and I found him to be arrogant and obnoxious, and his qualifications are not right for the job. I don’t want to cross the president, but I don’t want to recommend that we hire his friend. What should I do?
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I meet regularly with my employees to discuss our work, and I have one employee who withholds information from me. When my manager asks me about projects in her domain, I usually don’t have all the information, so he calls her. When I ask her why she did not give me all the information in the first place, she says I did not ask for it. How should I deal with her?
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I have had a difficult time filling a sales position, and I finally interviewed an applicant that looked good and spoke well. I was ready to hire him on the spot, but a background check showed he left a few jobs off his resume. I don’t think it’s a big deal, but several of my co-workers are saying to pass. What do you suggest?
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