Here’s a question, ladies: do you apply for a job if you don’t meet the listed job requirements? For those of you who do, is there a general number of percentage that you use as a goal (“if I meet at least 50% of the requirements, I’ll apply!”)? For those of you who’ve already gone ahead and … Read More about Do You Still Apply When You Don’t Meet the Job Requirements?
Performance reviews can be a bit intimidating, but they can also be great learning experiences, particularly when you get critical feedback. For today’s open thread, I thought we’d discuss: What’s the best feedback you’ve ever received in a performance review? I don’t necessarily mean the best compliment (but ladies, please share those too!), but rather the best note that … Read More about Performance Reviews: Running With Feedback
When your work suffers because of personal problems you’ve been struggling with — and your supervisor has noticed — how can you turn things around? Reader J wonders… I am a mid-level associate in Big Law. I switched firms in December of 2014. Today, I had my first review and it went very poorly — in Big Law … Read More about When Personal Problems Affect Your Job Performance
When should you quit your career? How do you know when you’ve chosen the wrong one? How long should you give yourself before you quit — and how many jobs should you try in that career? Reader F has SUCH a great question about this: Question for you: how do you know if you hate … Read More about Your Job, Your Career, or You: When to Quit Your Career
If you could pick any office, which would you choose? What factors would help you choose the best office? Reader C wonders… I’m thrilled to have accepted a new job! I’m an attorney in my late 20s making a lateral move to a mid-size boutique firm after five years with my current shop. Of all … Read More about How to Choose the Best Office
2017 Update: We still stand by our advice on what to wear for informational interviews, but you may also want to check out The Ultimate Guide to Business Casual for Women. This recent threadjack on what to wear for informational interviews at law firms may also be of interest to you. What’s the best way to … Read More about What to Wear for Informal and Informational Interviews
I’ve gotten a few requests lately to address “career hiccups” — how to deal with failing the bar, being awkward with coworkers, making a huge mistake — and I think this is a great question. So: let’s discuss. For my $.02, I think that YOU are the biggest hurdle to get over after a career hiccup. You … Read More about Career Hiccups
2017 Update: We still stand by this advice on how to become a better manager (and links have been updated below), but you may also want to check out our latest discussion on online women’s management training. How do you become a boss and a more effective leader — whether you’re new to management or you’ve supervised people for a while and want … Read More about Becoming a Better Manager: Books and Online Resources
What’s the difference between confidence and arrogance, especially at work, especially for women? How can you tell if you’ve crossed that line at work? Reader A wonders… I’ve got a sensitive subject that I haven’t seen discussed about discipline at work. I was recently hired at a law office where I’ve summered the last two … Read More about Being Confident at Work vs. Being Arrogant
What should you do when mental health issues are holding you back and making it difficult for you to build the career you want? Reader O wonders… I have struggled with mental health problems for years and as a result have always worked really terrible jobs (combination of poorly paid, admin/dogsbody type roles with bullying managers). I … Read More about When Fear and Low Self-Esteem Hold You Back
2017 Update: We still stand by this advice on how to organize your office! Links have been updated below. Let’s talk about a subject near and dear to our hearts, ladies: how do you organize your office and your work (or otherwise get things done)? We’ve talked about cute office supplies, the best notebooks, planners, … Read More about How to Organize Your Office
2019 Update: We still stand by this advice on how to be avoid becoming an office mom — but you may also want to check out our more recent discussion on how to avoid office housekeeping tasks. Here’s a fun question for you: are you the office mom*? I’ve read that being the office mom … Read More about Are You an Office Mom?
