ByElizabeth Hours Updated
Comments 299 Comments

Thursday’s Workwear Report: The Easy Pant

A woman wearing a blue sweater, navy pants, and black shoes, carrying a black bag

Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.

These pants are a bestseller at Everlane and it’s easy to see why. The lightweight cotton twill fabric looks breathable and comfy, and the silhouette works nicely on a variety of body types.

These would be a great item to have on hand if you have a lot of work travel coming up and you want to look somewhat pulled-together while you get from Point A to Point B. Add a T-shirt and a comfy cardigan and you’ll be good to go.

The pants are $88 at Everlane and come in sizes XS-XL. They also come in four other colors.

Sales of note for 12.5

299 Comments

  1. Good morning ladies. I’m traveling to London for the first time since covid. What’s the best way to get from LHG to Traflalgar Square at around noon on a Wednesday? I’m looking for easy and reliable (and fast) vs. low cost. Just me and one other person. Thanks in advance!

    1. Take the Heathrow Express train to Paddington. From there either take a taxi or the Underground (Bakerloo Line to Embankment).

      1. +1 – book the heathrow express. I think (it’s been a while) that if you have the Heathrow express booked you also get access to the faster immigration lines. From there it’s an easy swap to the Tube lines and you can just use a credit card with a chip instead of buying a pass.

    2. Heathrow Express to Paddington, then short taxi ride. Or Elizabeth Line to Tottenham Court Road, then ten minute walk (or short taxi ride). Taxis might be easier to find at Paddington though.

    4. +5 or 6 for the Heathrow Express – even in “this feels like 2am to us” stupor it was a no-brainer.

    5. +7 to the Heathrow Express. One tip: you don’t need to buy a ticket if you have a credit card that taps. Just tap in at Heathrow and out at Paddington and you’re done!

    6. Easiest:
      Heathrow express to Paddington, the Bakerloo line tube from Paddington to Charing Cross.

      Charing cross tube is on the Strand, which is one of the streets meeting at Trafalgar square.

      I wouldn’t do a taxi if you need to go fast.

    7. Elizabeth line to Tottenham Court Road then Northern line to Charing Cross. I’m wondering if all the recommendations for the Heathrow Express pre-date the Elizabeth line? I was there just a couple of weeks ago.

  2. Elizabeth, these pants are NOT flattering, at least not to me, as my legs are stubby enough without having to highlight them! Besides, even men do not want bell-bottoms that look like Capri pants for women, unless they enjoy the center of attention. With men, I prefer them in tight jeans where you can pretty much figure out what their units look like before you decide whether to let them back into your apartement!

    Anyway, I had a great time in the Hamtons, and am now hard at work to complete my quarterly billings, which must go out by the end of this week in order for it to be considered 2nd Quarter Revenue. I already know I have done over 3600 hours through 6/30, which is slightly behind for me, but I can pick up the slack with 2 new memos I am writing to send out to all of my WC cleints at the end of this month or early August at the latest!

    Hope all your summers’s are going fine; I expect to get a NEW desk chair this week and can finally retire mine, which Frank gave to me 3 years ago when he got a new one. YAY!!!

  3. Does anyone know about the EU passport that is grandfathered?

    All of my grandparents came from different parts of Europe and my family does not know how to get the birth certificates for them, which we think is required.
    Any tips?
    Attorney in NYC tri-state area to recommend?

    1. You need to get citizenship in a EU country, and they all have slightly different requirements. So look at where all grandparents are from and check what the rules are for the respective countries. Tons of info online about the specifics (search for something like “EU citizenship by ancestry”). There is no one “EU” passport – it just means one of the EU member states issued you a passport which will say as much and you can travel visa free among the EU countries.

      1. This is correct. Italy is one of the easier countries, but only through your paternal line (maternal can be done, it’s just harder). For birth certificates, if you know where they were born, you can get the records from city hall but it helps to know the language and get some local help.

        1. I also got the impression from a friend that the Irish citizenship was relatively straightforward to obtain.

          1. +1 to this – I feel like half of my Irish neighborhood growing up had dual citizenship.

        2. My husband was just able to do it through the maternal line for Italy – he and his cousin did everything themselves but it was a long, slow process (4+ years to get it). They also had to get birth certificates translated and apostilled. Definitely a long term project.

    2. I got my Italian citizenship through my grandparents. I used an attorney in FL to assist me with all the document preparation because I didn’t want to DIY. You can use an attorney based anywhere because they aren’t actually filing any petition for you. They help get the documents and figure out how to apply, but they don’t (and can’t) represent you as it’s a transaction governed by another country’s laws. The attorney explained how to get the records, how to set up an appointment at the Consulate, assemble my packet, and what to expect.
      griecoimmigration.com

    3. Each country has different rules. The Portuguese process is really easy, I did it myself for my mother and now I am waiting for mine to be granted (and I am not a lawyer). I searched and found every document online and sent the forms through mail. I live in Brazil and I’ve never even set foot on Portugal.

    4. I got my Irish citizenship through my grandmother. It was a lot of paperwork to initially gather including long form birth certificates but relatively straight forward. It was very easy for my siblings and cousins who just took that same packet of original documents after I was done. It also depends on how far removed you are. I think the way it works is technically my dad was an Irish citizen by birth so he had a different process to “claim” citizenship and get a passport whereas I had to do a whole foreign birth registration process first.

    5. If you are Jewish and can’t get documents because of the Holocaust, try the local Jewish genealogical society. They are usually very good about knowing where documents are or how to otherwise prove (sometimes from cemetery markers etc.).

    6. My understanding is that Poland is straightforward, but the relative in question must have left Poland after a certain date if you are claiming citizenship through a Catholic ancestor. My spouse’s family left too early, unfortunately for us.

    7. To get the Spanish passport one of your parents have to be Spanish, then if one of your grandparents was/is Spanish, your father/mother should ask first for the nationality and after she/he get it you could do it.
      Speciall situations are if your ancestors were sefardies, then you could get the passport straight away, if your grandparents had to go to the exile for political reasons after 1936 or if your granmother married abroad and for that had to give up her nationality before 1978.

      1. My friend got both Spanish and Portuguese citizenship based on her Sephardic ancestry/Sefardies. (They were ousted after 1492 from Spain. Her ancestors were ousted from Portugal by Ferdinand and Isabella in the 1530s.)

        The “crypto-Jews” in New Mexico have had good success doing this, as their genealogy records are very good. There are Jewish groups in NM who help people with this.

        However, she did have to take citizenship tests in Spanish and Portuguese. She enjoyed the process but it would be a long slog for someone without language skills.

        https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/01/29/382392843/portugal-to-offer-citizenship-to-descendants-of-expelled-jews#:~:text=Portugal's%20Jews%2C%20who%20once%20numbered,Semitism%20during%20the%20Spanish%20Inquisition.

        1. Sorry, that was wrong about the dates on Ferdinand and Isabella and the ousting dates. But the rest is reasonably accurate. 1492 was Ferdinand and Isabella ousting from Spain. Portugal did it in the 1530s.

  4. Anyone ever regret purging their closet? I have many dresses and suits that I have not worn in 5+ years. I don’t wear suits very often but would keep 3-4 full suits, plus several dresses I do wear. I always thought I’d build a lifelong wardrobe but now in my mid30s I realize it is a pain to pack and move every time I get a new place… but I also would rather keep a few extra boxes if it means I’m going to regret it later!

    1. There is no such thing as a lifelong wardrobe. 5-year-old suits look outdated. Purge what you aren’t wearing and enjoy the closet space.

      1. This. By the time you get a new job or RTO your suits will be 6+ years old. They’ll be outdated or won’t fit anymore. I held onto my nice business clothes for 4 years and by the time I got a job that requires formal clothing 95% of my items looked off somehow.

      2. I really disagree with this. Many suits are classic. Typically, the point of wearing a suit, especially as a woman, is not to be fashion forward, it’s to be dressed appropriately and unremarkably. And it is SO HARD to get a suit that fits just right. I have a suit for just about every body shape and size I’ve ever been and I cycle through them as needed, even if the suit is (gasp!) 15+ years old.

        If there’s some detail about your suit that’s outdated then by all means ditch it (I’m looking at you, front slits). But I don’t think it’s fair to say that women’s suiting changes so drastically over 5 years that you need to constantly cycle through them.

    2. If you do move quite a bit. That does sound like a pain.
      Sometimes, I like to do the exercise where I put items I think I want to purge in an opaque box or bag. And then I label it with an expiration date (ex. 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, etc.) out. If I come a cross that box and it’s already past the expiration date. I never went into the box and I most likely do not even remember what is in the box. Then I donate it or discard it out right away. Without even looking at what’s inside. I’ll fully admit, this exercise is nothing new. I think I saw it on a minimalist Instagram account. I’ve been helping family members with downsizing lately, and I think these little repetitive tools are nice to make it muscle memory stuff is just stuff. If it’s in the way, it’s not helping anymore.

    3. Nope. My only regret is not doing it sooner. Well, and buying too much in the first place and not tossing things along the way.

    4. Get rid of it!! If you haven’t worn it in five years you’re not going to suddenly start wearing it. A small wardrobe is freedom IMO. I’ve gotten rid of 80% of my clothes the past few years and there’s maybe one or two things I wish I hadn’t gotten rid of. Worth it.

    5. I am regretting purging my work (business casual / smart casual) closet now that my employer is forcing a return to office. In particular, I had several beautiful blazers that made me feel very confident and only kept two of the solid color ones and none of the ones with cool patterns or cut. I have some issues with weight fluctuations and body image, so the thought of trying on work clothes right now is causing me no little amount of anxiety & frustration with the increased prices/reduced quality. I definitely regret that lack of foresight. I donated several pieces that were unique and I would have been happier to have them in my closet even if I only wore them once ever again.

      I do not regret for a minute purging 1) clothes I will never realistically fit into ever again and 2) the “tier 2” clothing I kept around because I had paid too much for it or was totally wearable, just no longer my style/I didn’t feel good in.

      I hope this distinction helps a bit. If you’re worried about getting rid of items you might later wish you had kept, I would advise you to purge in sections or categories so that you can make thoughtful choices to balance out the desire for a smaller wardrobe while still allowing yourself to be intentional. I find that going through my closet and trying to do a massive purge in one day just results in poor decisions and exhuastion.

      1. Yep, I regularly purge everything in Tier 2 and over time that gets to be fewer things. It also makes me a better shopper as I think “is this just a tier 2 item waiting to happen” before clicking “buy.”

        1. Oh yes! My overall shopping $ per year is less now, but cost/item has gone up. So I think it’s a good way for me to look back and see that my shopping habits are also more discerning now.

    6. I wear suits regularly (trial attorney) and only own 3-4 at a time. I can’t imagine holding on to more than that if you don’t wear them 5 days a week, every week.

    7. Do I regret it? No. Do I rediscover things in my closet that are >5 years old and didn’t work when purchased? All the time.

      There’s an element of knowing what you have. My mother talked me into buying some St. John’s from an outlet when I was in my 20s. It was, of course, the wrong look for me then. But now I am very excited to have it!

    8. I regretted purging. During Covid I suddenly had my job restructured and eliminated and began somewhere new that was 100 percent wfh. Figured I would be casual for the rest of my career. Fast forward 2 years and at 47 I was offered an amazing opportunity I couldn’t refuse—but that requires me to speak frequently at industry events. I weep for all the MM lafleur and suiting I purged but more so for the frumpy but oh so comfortable shoes in my difficult 11w size. I would weigh how much to keep based on how easy or difficult it would be to replace, likelihood of career change, and how classic a piece is. A simple dark sheath isn’t going to go out of style the same way a lot of casual clothes would. But at some point you also need to have practical storage space.

      1. This is why I’ve held back from doing a serious purge – I got a new job last year and it’s kind of taking off, and I’m being tapped to attend industry conferences as a speaker and go to big meetings with other industry professionals, and I know at some point I’m going to be digging into the storage bins in my closet going “I know that’s in here somewhere” right before I have to leave on a business trip.

        I definitely hear you on footwear – I wear a 10w and have foot, knee and hip problems, and refuse to give up the 2″ heels I tracked down awhile back that I can wear all day without pain.

        My hard-and-fast rule is that it has to fit in my closet, which is a walk-in. If I find myself wanting to store clothes elsewhere, then yes – some things have to go, period. Since starting to WFH I buy a lot less so it hasn’t been an issue so far.

    9. I go back to old things in my closet all the time. I have a chronic illness and am on different medications that cause my weight to fluctuate, so I have multiple sizes of things, and my work and play habits have changed enough over time that I often go years without wearing things and then suddenly they become useful again. I’ve also moved a lot, so I understand what a pain it is to deal with, but I have a really hard time find clothes that fit me, and I’ve been glad to have the option to go back to old things rather than have to buy new. I have a pretty classic/sporty style, though, and pretty much never buy anything trendy or even very formal- most of my clothes are business causal or just casual or athleisure so not as likely to look dated as suits might be.

      1. Same weight fluctuations, same general style as yours! I am willing to be ruthless in how I purge casual clothes, because most of those are easily replaceable, but I probably keep work stuff around longer because they are much harder to replace. And my lower body shape is not the easiest to fit …

    10. As someone who lives in fear of the packing process to move, Ive regretted purging something maybe 4 or 5 times. But I got over it. Right now Im regreting purging the hot pink cross body from Target I wore for about 4 years. I purged that bag in…I dont even remember when.
      If you purge properly there shouldnt be many regrets! Maybe work on getting out from your closwt the stuff you know you wont miss at all.

      It could also be a great time to think about fall/ winter -what you didnt wear this year and maybe where you want to fill or replace for “back to school”

    11. I don’t regret 99% of the things I have purged, especially as I have gotten older. The things I do regret purging are from longer ago when things like BR and J Crew were great quality. There is a BR wool fully lined wool skirt from probably 1997 that I wish I had never parted with. But for the most part, I remind myself that it can be replaced and have no trouble letting go of lesser quality things.

      It also helps me to be way more mindful of purchases. Now I try not to buy anything with acrylic and it stops probably 90% of my sweater purchases. With fewer items, there is just less to go through in the future!

      1. I also regret purging some of my clothes from back in the day when mid-range manufacturers still used natural fibers, sold things that were lined, and otherwise sold higher-quality clothes. I didn’t realize all of that would disappear over time. By no means do I regret all of my purges – most of the time I don’t even notice the item is gone. But there are a few things that I think – yeah, I should have held onto those. Mainly wool pieces that were great for the couple of times each winter when it’s cold, and I have to dress up.

    12. I don’t think purging is the sustainable or budget smart way to go. I keep everything that is good quality and fit well, and over time as fashion shifts, I find ways to use a surprising amount of it. Like I can’t tell you how many times classic cardigans have come in and out of style, and I was about to give up on my tweed jackets but they are everywhere this year.

    14. I have fluctuated between a size 10 and 14 since 2007 when I quit smoking. Post-covid, I really wish I had held onto my size 14 clothes. All of my size 12 suits are in the guest room closet. They may not be the most current style but most grown women without money to burn aren’t replacing our wardrobes every five years. I can remember when clothes would last for over a decade.

    15. Yes, I have purged wardrobe pieces I later regretted purging. I now keep things until I am absolutely sure I’m never going to wear it again.
      As to your suits, quite often a tailor can easily update an older piece so if your suits are high-quality it would make sense to hold onto them because tailoring would probably be less expensive than buying a whole new suit.

    16. I purge regularly.

      One of the ways I determine what needs to go is the hanger exercise. Turn all of your hangers so that the open part is facing out. As you wear items, turn the hanger so that the open side faces in. After 6 months, see what was never touched (except anything that was out of season). Really think about why you never grabbed it. If it’s fit, style, etc., I let it go. It took me a while to accept that I was no longer a size xyz and that I was never going to be that again. Once I did, it was easy to let those items go. Donate what is in good shape.

      If the reason you didn’t wear it is because of something that a tailor/cobbler could fix, immediately bring them to that business to be fixed/altered.

      Then start at the beginning with hangers facing out all over again.

    17. If you have the space, keep the classic and higher quality pieces. I am about to wear a pair of 15 year old wool black suit pants again. I almost purged them several times in the skinny panthers. They are the wide leg that is back and still fit.

    18. I’ve seen friends wear suits that have sat on hangers for 5+ years, so the shoulders are misshapen and even the fabric color has changed. After WFH from 2020-2023 a lot of my things were too formal or too old so I got rid of a lot.

      That being said, I kept jackets that I loved, but not suits so much. The jackets are unique enough that they don’t look like half of a suit. Tweeds, houndstooth, collarless or non-traditional. I’m short and busty and fitting jackets is hard, so those I keep if I love them. Even though I’ve retired, I do find a need for them sometimes.

      I kept my MMLaFleur dresses and jardigans. I kept all of my swackets. Suit pants I didn’t keep but I did keep several other pants that fit nicely. And I admit that I kept a few things that are a tad too small because I’ve been successfully getting in better shape recently.

  5. I’m a lifelong Midwesterner who works remotely. DH is looking for a new job and now has two offers. One is outside Philadelphia and the other is in central Virginia. Does this group have thoughts about living in either of these locations? We are in our 40s and don’t have children. Our parents are in the Midwest, and I anticipate they will need more help as they enter their 70s. Our COL is presently very low, and both of these locations seem significantly higher. What % increase in salary would you want to see to make this move worth it?

    1. If you haven’t done so already, make absolutely sure your own employer allows you to WFH in the potential new locations. If they don’t already have a tax nexus there, they may not be willing to go through the effort and expense of creating one just for you.

      1. This. First make sure you can relocate and keep you job, then make sure any offers are for a substantial salary increase and then rent in Philly. I think central VA sounds incredibly boring if you don’t have kids.

    2. I live outside Philly. COL depends a LOT on where you choose to live. You can head to the Main Line or other parts of Chester and Montgomery counties and pay millions, or you can be in some other towns for 400k. (Or less if you’re willing to have a small house and lot). We paid 620 last year for our dated split level. Our money would have gone much further in some other towns but I was very very picky about a certain school district. Our HHI is about 200k and we would live comfortably if not for daycare costs which for 3 kids run us about 60k a year.

    3. My vote? Double the base salary or it’s a no go. And the market does reflect that reality, on average. I work remotely but relocated to the East Coast and get contacted by recruiters for local roles that pay twice what I earned in Chicago.

    4. Where outside Philly? We live in Center City and love it (warts and all) but there’s not really such a thing as a reverse commute, so if you’re not on a train line it can be a PITA to commute out. I don’t know anyone without kids who’s moved to the burbs FWIW. You’ll find many kindred spirits downtown.

      If travel is a concern it will be a heck of a lot easier to get a nonstop from PHL (or EWR if you’re in the northern burbs and United flyers) than to haul yourselves to a major airport from central VA.

    5. If he’s seriously considering these offers, y’all need to go see these places. Like this weekend! (I can’t imagine not visiting before accepting!) Central VA is cheap to me coming from northern VA, so I can’t comment on that. But fly into town, get a rental car, and drive around. Look at neighborhoods you think you’d like, and then scope out other areas – there may be nice, affordable areas you haven’t seen online – or you may realize your geographic parameters were unreasonable and you need to spend more or less on housing. Go to the store and look at the price for a gallon of milk or your favorite item. Electricity is cheap in VA. Look at the price of gas. And look at political flags if that’s important to you. Good luck!

      1. +1. It’s been a while but I have been to central VA before and the towns vary significantly.

    6. I am outside Philly. If you end up moving, I would consider renting for now. there is hardly anything on the market and the houses that are are ridiculously overpriced. Try it out for a bit and hopefully the market shifts. otherwise, I love it here – the distinct 4 seasons, relative closeness to the Jersey shore, mostly blue area, but purple state.

    7. Poke around real estate websites, whether you’re renting or buying. What would it cost to have an home similar to what you have now? Are you willing to downsize? By how much? It seems like housing is getting more outrageously expensive every day. Buying power is crushed because of interest rates, but the prices haven’t come down. In my area (good school district outside of Philly) we’re still seeing houses fly off the market in days for $100k over asking and many contingencies waived.

    8. I wouldn’t move away from my aging parents for any amount of money. Not popular; but that’s my honest answer.

      2. This. We moved for my job from near Philly to the Midwest in 2020. In addition to just not vibing with where we live now, it is really hard to be this far from parents in their late 70s/early80s. Spending more time going back east, always trying to guess what is really going on from phone conversations, the general worry that their needs are being met and whether they are safe at home. Plus we miss them, and that becomes more bittersweet as we all age (early 50’s here).

      3. +1 to this – we moved to our current city to be closer to family that’s both in town, in state, and a few states (~1 hour plane ride) away.

      5. I’m not sure I’d go that far, but being responsible for aging parents is super hard even when they’re local, and it can be downright nightmarish if you’re doing it long-distance.

        1. Also if you moving away from family now means siblings will have to take on a greater burden of elder care, that’s something to consider.

          I know once-close siblings who now don’t speak because one moved away and the other had to take over all elder care…

    9. I’d also take into account if you’ll need to make repeated trips back to the Midwest to help your parents in the next couple of years. Is the Central VA location near an airport that would get you there in one flight or with multiple options?

      1. I am so grateful for these comments! We are actually checking both of these places out now and through the weekend. We would rent for a year to get a feel for things before buying, but our rental options haven’t been great thus far. We spend a lot of time outdoors (hiking, biking, kayaking, etc.), and I think that makes central VA a bit more appealing to me. But getting back to visit parents will always require one, if not two, connecting flights from there. Yuck! DH’s commute to work has been about 10 min on bike, and I’m not confident we’ll be able to swing something similar in either place. These types of decisions always cause me anxiety because of the many unknowns! Again, I appreciate the comments and questions! <3
        (p.s. My employer has nexus in both places.)

        1. Not sure where your husbands job would be, but plenty of Philly’s further suburbs have easy access to lots of outdoor activities. I’m thinking areas along the Perkiomen trail / creek, near Peace Valley or Nockamixon parks.

          Likewise, I am a trail runner and the Wissahickon (in the city!) is absolutely incredible.

          But, living in further suburbs means getting to the airport is a PITA.

        2. Philadelphia suburbs can be pretty outdoorsy friendly. I live off of a major hiking trail and I used to live off of a major biking trail. I used to bike with friends to a kayak rental place, and then we’d hit up a town and visit a brewery or two before biking home. There are plenty of places to explore here, just know what you’re looking for when choosing a location.

    10. Not sure where in the midwest you are, but as a former midwesterner I wouldn’t even entertain a move to either of those locations unless you hate where you currently are.

    11. COL in central VA is pretty low, although housing and grocery prices have recently exploded. I really enjoy the ease of living here, and the arts and dining scenes in Richmond have improved significantly over the past couple of decades. We attend so many more concerts and shows here than we did when we lived in a big city because it’s so much more affordable and accessible in terms of traffic and parking. The symphony is pretty decent, the ballet is good although one of their in-house choreographers is terrible (the other is great), and the art museum is excellent. One big downside is that in recent years there’s been very little snow, and conditions have not been good at the nearby ski hills.

  6. People who hire data scientists, is a boot camp a positive or a negative? I have a JD/MPP and 15 years’ experience doing applied research, both quantitative and qualitative. I am in a Ph.D. position and would rate my quantitative skills as better than those of our social science Ph.D.s, except for the ones who have actually taught graduate-level quantitative methods in a poli sci or econ program. I need to get a new job, but I don’t know how to find one except by networking and that hasn’t panned out. I also need to change fields because my current employer’s bad organizational decisions have irreparably damaged my reputation in the field. I am thinking of pivoting to data science (in a high-level analytical role, not data wrangling) but for the past several years I have been the PI on projects that focus mainly on collecting and wrangling large amounts of data with little to no analysis. As the PI I have mostly been doing management tasks, making big-picture coding scheme decisions, etc. and have not been as hands-on with the data as I’d like. This means that my technical skills are outdated. I’ve never, for example, implemented a machine learning model or done natural language processing myself. There is a data science boot camp affiliated with a local university that covers these topics and includes job placement services. I am a little hesitant because the teaching approach looks more plug-and-chug than the graduate methods courses I tend to prefer, because the program appears geared towards the entry-level market, and because the type of position I want is likely to require a Ph.D. and a boot camp might be frowned upon. On the other hand, it would give me the hands-on skill refresher I need and would give me some job-hunting resources. Opinions?

    1. I manage a data science team at an F50 company, and I also come from an academic background (PhD in engineering, although I left academia right away). Do the boot camp. For starters, it will teach you the language of data science so that you will stop saying things like “quantitative methods” that immediately mark you as someone with a social science background and no real data science experience. You are right that they are plug and chug, but your problem right now isn’t your ability to think through problems (you know that already), it’s your coding and applied skills. Also, think through what you’re looking for. You are in a difficult-to-hire place in your career as a data scientist, where you are senior in terms of business experience but entry level for concrete data science skills. If I were you I would take the boot camp to learn the language and then look for higher level roles that don’t actually involve coding yourself.

      2. I agree that the boot camp is a good idea if the price is reasonable but I would also encourage you to look at data science product management roles if that is something you are interested in. When I transitioned several years ago (4.5 years as a STEM prof, so probably a little easier) I did a boot camp but it mostly just helped with introductions to companies. I was able to get back to an equivalent level of seniority in 2 years. What you need is a hiring manager who spent enough time in academia to be able to fairly evaluate your resume and capabilities. We’re out there!

  7. Heading to Amsterdam in a couple weeks, and I’ll have a couple days on my own. The conference hotel is a couple miles from everything I want to check out. Is the I amsterdam card easy to use? And is the general transportation system easy to use? The extent of my public transport is a couple trips on the El and in DC when I was with people who knew what they were doing.

    1. Transportation is easy. Download CityMapper or just use google maps and you’ll be good to go. Or rent a bike if you’re adventurous!

      1. as a life-long Amsterdammer, please do not rent a bike. You think you might know how to bike around, but trust me, you don’t. (bike tours are a different beast of course, and a great way to see the city).

    2. I am a lifelong public transport user, but found Amsterdam to be one of the best and easiest places to get around.

    3. I haven’t been to Amsterdam, but in general, in situations where my time is limited and there are things I want to do, I take Uber or a taxi (whatever is more locally available and easy) to get there. It’s direct, simple, and I also am not forced underground where you miss things you might want to see.

    4. Transit in Ams is easy and I think as someone not accustomed to using public transit the two things to keep in mind are 1. You should know your destination name AND the name of the end of the line in that direction. The line will have a number but then will indicate the end station direction, and that’s how you’ll know you’re going the right way. 2. The common sense that the opposite direction will be nearby but might be around a corner (if it’s a bus)

    5. Amsterdam has an excellent public transit system that is easy to use and easy to figure out. You can buy train tickets in machines at any station – including the airport. For the bus/tram, tickets (including passes for several days) can be purchased when you get on. Highly recommend being prepared to pay with a card vs cash/coins.
      The schedule for the bus/tram/metro system is at gvb.nl. The train schedule is published at ns.nl.
      For both, it is easy to switch to the English site. NB: there was a major storm there this week and the train schedule is just now nearly back to normal.

      Disagree on the bike recommendation.
      Having lived and cycled there for a long time, it is a form of controlled chaos that takes some observation before being able to do so safely. This is especially true in some crowded areas of the center.

    7. Public transportation in Amsterdam is really easy to navigate but if you are not used to public transportation, I recommend finding a video on YouTube and watching it. I do this whenever I am traveling and planning on using public transportation and find it really helpful.

      Also, while I often take cabs or Uber to save time, the trams in Amsterdam are above ground and a great way to see the city (especially if you want to get out of the main tourist areas).

  8. Thoughts on what to wear under a long white coat? After 3 years of 100% scrubs and a fleece i now need to be in professional clothes with a long white coat on top 100% of the time. I apparently acquired a hatred of firm waistbands. I also will walk about 2 miles/day, so needs to look ok with comfy shoes. Last time I bought dress clothes it was all skinny pants. I’m petite and short waisted so ideally also petite!

    1. I think I am a broken record about this but the Uniqlo easy ankle pants are basically pajamas that look like dress pants. They’re meant to be short but I don’t usually hem them and they look like regular length pants. Uniqlo will also hem for free if you do want them shorter. Inexpensive and machine washable.

      My doctor – who is a very chic lady in her 60s – also wears a lot of shirt dresses with her white coat and always looks great in that and her sensible loafers.

    2. My daughter’s orthopedist wears 100% MMLafleur under a white coat and always looks amazing. She is still wearing many of their slim pants (not skin-tight) and they suit her build and look great on her. It also seems pretty comfortable given that she’s walking around and crouching/leaning down to examine pediatric patients constantly.

      I also recently got some pants from Theory Factory that are comfortable-stretchy but look really professional.

    3. I will note that skinny pants are not the same as skinny jeans. In other words, still fine to wear.

    4. The JCrew factory Emma pants (look polished from the front but comfy elastic waist in back) and a “nice” t-shirt like you can get at Banana Republic or other simple blouse

  9. Does anyone else struggle with their dishes warping in the dishwasher? I bought some dishes from Williams Sonoma thinking that if I graduated from the starter sets bought at Bed Bath & Beyond, they would wear better over time. But after only a couple of years of weekly use, they have warped in the wash just like my other plates.

    Am I doing something wrong? I realize I could handwash my dishes, but assuming I don’t want to do that, is there something else I am missing?

    1. By warping you mean bending? I’ve never noticed this with any of my dishes, even the cheap Ikea ones.

    3. What are the dishes made out of? My only dish experience is Corelle, Fiesta, and my fine china, and none has warped in the dishwasher.

    4. I have never had this happen to any dishes, cheap or expensive! Only to, for example, the relatively flimsy lid of a plastic takeout container I wanted to reuse, but that fell down to the bottom rack during the wash.

    5. Are we talking about plastic dishes? That can happen if the water or drying cycle are too hot. But I’ve never had it happen to dishes, only Tupperware or the like.

    6. What are they made of? I’ve only experienced this with plastic dishes, not with ceramic, china, stoneware, etc.

    7. I am so fascinated by this. What do you mean by warping? I wonder what your dishes are made out of. I’ve only seen that happen with plastic, and Google search tells me it can happen with Melamine. I’ve had the Crate and Barrel standard white plates for 10+ years and they are all intact. My mom has multiple sets of dishes she runs through her dishwasher regularly that have also never warped.

    8. I’ve only had this happen with dishes that aren’t dishwasher safe because they’re made with plastic or natural fibers (as opposed to ceramics, glass, or enamel).

    9. No, this has never happened to me and my dishes range from some sort of ceramic-like material that I constantly chip (myself) and cheapo plastic for the pets.

    11. My baking sheets are almost all warped, regardless of where I bought them, except the one my mother gave me, that her mother gave her, that was made in like 1953.

    12. I’ve never heard of this happening. What are these dishes made from? My everyday dishes are white corelle and they’re still in great shape after 8 years and abuse from two kids. My “nice” dishes for guests are Mikasa and they also look great after that same amount of time. All go in the dishwasher bottom rack. We never hand wash dishes.

    13. No advice. But I’m really curious. Do you recall what set you have? I just bought a large amount of Williams-Sonoma’s Pantry Essential line dishes on Monday. To replace our hand-me down set we’ve been using for 10 years.
      Now take it with a grain of salt, but the sales person who helped me said they owned the same set for a long time. And that they’ve held up well with their dishwasher.

      1. Those look like the ones my friend has and he has had them for ages and they still look sleek and like new.

    14. What? No! Unless you’re putting in melamine or plastic this shouldn’t ever happen with dishes. I put everything including fine china in the dishwasher and it’s fine.

      1. Right, the only way I can see this happening is with melamine or plastic dishes, and those shouldn’t go in the dishwasher anyway; they can’t tolerate the heat of the drying cycle. I have owned the same set of Fiestaware plates for 20+ years and I’ve never ever seen “warping” on dishes.

          1. I do too, and mine have also been just fine, but I could see warping with plastic. Not with ceramic though. You’d need kiln level temps to warp.

    15. I have never experienced plates made from any sort of ceramic / glass / porcelain warping in the dishwasher. I guess I’d be looking at the dishwasher as the culprit, not the china.

    16. It’s Williams Sonoma’s Brasserie Blue-Banded Porcelain line of dishes. Although it’s not the same generation that is on the website now, as my set is made in Japan not in Bangladesh.

      By warped, I mean that the plates develop a wobble over time as their lines become less straight. Occasionally it’s noticeable when cutting something on the plate because it rocks ever so slightly. If I stack them, it’s visible but it is just a cosmetic complaint I guess.

      Thanks for the reassurance, though! I thought I was missing some crucial detail about taking care of dishware.

      1. Go back to W&S and ask about it – it might be a known problem with the dishes and you can get a refund or coupon.

      2. This is weird. I have the apilco hem-stitched set, about 7-8 years now, and there’s been a little chipping but no warping.

      3. That almost sounds like they can’t handle the heat of a dishwasher. Are you sure they’re safe to go in the dishwasher?

      4. So I was imagining warping as something happening through the whole dish, but I wonder if it’s just wear? (Like if the dishwasher detergent is almost grinding down the bottom surface so it’s uneven?)

      5. Interesting – I wouldn’t consider this warping. If I understand you correctly, I don’t think this is from the dishwasher – I think it’s wear and tear on the bottoms from stacking.

      1. I do, and it’s been tested recently along with the smoke detectors and works fine. It really is a dish problem! What I’m getting from all this is that I buy cheap porcelain, I think, that can’t handle the drying cycles. I’ve had this issue over the years across four different dishwashers in as many apartments and houses.

        1. Your situation seems so unusual I can’t even understand it. I’ve probably owned 10 dishwashers over the years between my primary residence and rentals, and a very wide assortment of plates, because we have gotten them from different people over the years and I’ve never heard of plates warping.

          1. this – it’s so crazy. i’ve never had plates warp. but that said which drying cycle are you using? we almost always choose the eco-friendly option and then just open the dishwasher to let them drip dry. you can’t have them on the heavy stains potwashing for every cycle.

  10. I’m so burnt out job searching and need to vent. A recruiter for one role had 3 interviews and emailed me saying I’m “shortlisted”, but the hiring manager would be on vacation for a few weeks, so I was instructed to keep them abreast of any pending offers. I emailed to say I have a final round interview for another position but prefer their role. A second recruiter promptly set up a call yesterday. I was expecting an offer or a final interview with an offer to come. Instead, the new recruiter said they’re “in the early stages of talking to candidates” and to expect 3 more rounds plus a writing exercise. This is after having done 3 rounds plus producing a cover letter answering specific questions. Does shortlisted not mean what I think it means? I didn’t think it means early stages + 4 more steps to an offer?

    Yesterday I also followed up with another role that was pending. I had 3 conversations with a recruiter, and she introduced me to her colleague. Both of these recruiters subsequently emailed me to say how excited they were about me. The second recruiter asked for writing samples, which I submitted. Then…nothing. A month went by, so I followed up yesterday asking the hiring timeline. This morning, I received an email that the role was filled internally. Ok, so these “excited” recruiters never planned on notifying external candidates? This seems incredibly disrespectful and unprofessional.

    Have I just had some bad experiences? This all seems ridiculous, especially in light of the supposed “labor shortage”.

    1. It’s soul sucking and miserable. I’m also in an industry that supposedly has a huge labor shortage and needs people yet is rife with this sort of crap. Here I am, I’m people! Hire me!

    2. The market is tightening up a LOT right now. So there’s that.

      However, I think the real issue is that outside recruiters are often a very mixed bag. If you can find a good one, continue working with them; otherwise, move on fast.

      The whole thing about “keeping abreast of other interviews” is, IMHO, nonsense. While it’s polite to let people know if you have accepted an offer, or if you have an offer but would prefer to work with them, you’re not required to do their risk management for them.

    3. Ghosting is a regular occurrence in the recruiting world. Doesn’t matter how far along you get in the process. You have to accept that. You want the job that wants you. If they’re ghosting you, you don’t want that job anyway no matter how appealing it otherwise seems.

    4. “Shortlisted” generally means you’re in the pool of candidates that will get an interview and passed the initial screen. And depending on how many candidates are in that pool, and how quickly they can get everyone interviewed, you might be waiting awhile. Especially this time of year. I’m overseeing a hiring process right now, and it’s taking forever to get schedules aligned. I did warn candidates of that, however.

      1. Also, take “excited” with a grain of salt. They can be excited about you and still find a more suitable candidate. I agree that they should be better at following up, but they probably wanted to keep you on the hook until all details were finalized with the eventual hire, in case that didn’t work out.

        1. Thanks for the input. I was taking “shortlisted” to mean in the finalist pool, especially after 3 interviews plus a writing prompt.

          1. I personally think they have more than enough information about you to make a decision, and I would take the extremely protracted hiring process as a sign that this company is A. not that excited about you; B. not organized enough to be able to make a decision and an offer; C. is waiting for someone better to come along who is the Employee of their Dreams and ticks all of their boxes; or D. all of the above. I would not count on this company making you an offer before you get another offer from someone else. And also, it’s up to you to decide if you want to continue through round after round of interviews, providing work samples, etc. My husband and I have both pulled out of interview processes where it seemed like people could not make up their minds in a reasonable timeframe. I generally set a limit of 1 screening call + 2-3 interviews + 1 work sample/small project, for any interview process. If they don’t want to hire me after that, it’s likely not going to be a good fit for me or them and best for everyone to move on. Just like dating, I don’t want to waste my time trying to capture the interest of someone who is just not that into me. That time and energy is better spent pursuing other opportunities.

            I have been in the workforce long enough to see people move mountains to get someone they really want as an employee – people will move budget around, shortcut hiring processes, get permission for relocation when normally it wouldn’t be offered, get permission for someone to be hybrid or remote, etc. If someone is waffling or needs months and more than 4-5 conversations to decide to make me an offer, I take that as “they’re just not that into me” and stop following up (and in some cases, have pulled out of processes – I did that just last year, in fact) and move on.

    5. There’s no shortage of educated professionals, I’m sorry to tell you. It’s an employer’s market for everything I’m hiring for now. Not hearing from recruiters is a tale as old as time, too.

      1. So mind boggling that employers have so much power, but you’re right. What most concerns me about hiring right now is I’m typically doing 5-7 interview rounds + a writing exercise analyzing company data and proposing a plan of action (free consulting services for them, from all candidates) + providing samples (free templates for the company from all candidates). It’s a lot of unpaid labor to ask of multiple candidates.

        1. I noped right out on one of those exercises a few years ago.

          I have expertise in a super niche area of finance and I know about 5 people in the entire US who have experience in it. I was interviewing for a role where this would not be part of the day to day job, but for my final interview, after interviewing with the CEO (of a company you’ve heard of) and having been told that would be the final interview, they sprung the project on me. They wanted me to create a proposal for that niche type of transaction and calculate the internal price for it using their data. Um, what?

          I think what happened in my case was that the CEO was interested to find out I had done this sort of transaction, and that made him wonder if it made sense for their company, and then I guess decided he could get what would probably be a $50k consulting project for free.

          I thanked them for their time up until then and have continued to feel like I dodged a bullet ever since.

          2. It was many years ago now, but I was once asked to produce a complete marketing plan for a large fundraising event for an organization I was interviewing with. They gave me a detailed list of requirements the work product needed to meet – it was not a free-form exercise where they were looking to see how I approached the project. Had I been hired as a contractor to complete the same project with the same parameters, I would have charged the company at least $5k (at that time) for doing what they were asking for.

            My spidey-senses started tingling and I declined the assignment, and pulled out of the hiring process. Sure enough, I found out later through the grapevine that the organization canceled the Director of Marketing position I had been interviewing for (and sent everyone in the candidate pool “thanks but no thanks” emails), hired a much-cheaper marketing coordinator, and had the coordinator mine the submitted candidate projects for ideas and put together a marketing plan based on the free labor they’d gotten from candidates. I don’t think they ever intended on hiring a Director of Marketing, just wanted to pull this stunt, where they got free ideas from people who just needed a job.

            Since then, I have been very very wary of doing free work for prospective employers, and I would encourage everyone to think carefully before spending hours and hours on a work product as part of an interview process. They should be able to look at past samples or provide a simple assignment you can complete in an hour, two tops, if it’s really about “proof of ability to perform.”

          3. Wow!! That’s some nerve, but I’m not surprised given the depth of the “exercise”.

            I pulled out of a process when I was given 48 hours from the date of an email to produce an in-depth 4-5 page plan. No, just no. Who has time for that? I also wondered what they’d do with the other plans. Definitely possible they’d mine them!

    6. It is ridiculous! As a hiring manager I am required to work with an internal recruiter, and find it ridiculous that I need to remind him to do stuff like notifying the non-selected candidates, after we have already onboarded the new hire.

      1. You’d think they would have this notification baked into their work flow…being ghosted doesn’t feel good and gives me a poor opinion of the company. The world is small in my field. I understand not being hired. I don’t understand not having common courtesy to provide this information to applicants who’ve already invested hours into the process.

        1. As a job seeker I get it, I’ve also worked with a lot of recruiters and they’re usually managing a very high number of open recs such that following up after filling a role just isn’t a realistic ask or good use of time. Even a form note triggers a lot of responsive email, and that in-box clutter distracts from active searches. If you want more satisfaction, look for it from someone at the company you clicked with during the process. Send a personalized note saying you didn’t get the gig but you enjoyed meeting them and hope to stay in touch. I’ve built my network that way and hired people who stayed in touch too.

    7. Depending on your field, the “labor shortage” may no longer exist. I know there are roles that people are desperate to fill but what I am seeing is that layoffs and recession fears are starting to have an impact. But yes – the length of time and number of interviews has gotten ridiculous. I was laid off in early May and am about to accept an offer from a company that had (1) a brief screening interview with HR and (2) a 2 hour interview with the team + writing sample. That was it and the whole thing took about a month (and they apologized for the delay caused by someone being on vacation).

      Conversely I have had three interviews with another company with at least three more scheduled and two interviews with a second company with at least three more (and they at least were honest that they were not expecting to make a decision before the end of the summer). Those might be more interesting industries and at least one would pay more but I am not going to work for a company where it takes three months and six interviews to get hired for a director level position.

  11. Vacation WWYD.

    I do M&A in house and am working on a deal likely to close September 1. Currently, I have vacation booked that week as it’s right before Labor Day. I booked this AirBNB in Feb and have already paid a $1,500 deposit.

    I think it would be very bad professionally to be on vacation while a deal that I’m leading closes, not to mention I’d be on calls a lot and not really enjoy the time. I have a husband, baby, and mom joining as well, all of whom would be annoyed by my constantly working.

    I reached out to AirBNB and the host directly to negotiate switching to a different week and no dice. There are other properties in different towns I could rent for another week though, but would mean I’m out $1,500. Do I just suck it up and cancel? I need to make a decision by July 19 as that’s when the next payment is due.

    Thoughts?

    1. It doesn’t sound like you want to go, so I would cancel with the understanding that you’ll be eating the deposit.

    2. How likely is it that the Sept 1 closing date is going to stick? I am also in-house but our turnaround timing is much tighter. I would assume anything more than a month into the future has an aspirational date only.

      1. This is what I was coming to say. My BFF is in house and I swear she’s had a merger pending for a year and a half. Every time she puts off a vacation for it, it gets bumped.

      2. This, I’d reassess the likelihood of closing but if it’s probable, I’d cancel. I’m not an Airbnb hater, but the lack of flexibility has pushed me away from them generally. Too many things come up at work that I’d rather pay a little more for a hotel suite or a couple of rooms than hassle with being out deposits.

        1. FWIW when we book Airbnbs we filter for flexible cancellation. We usually opt for those that offer free cancellation until a few days before the stay for exactly this reason!

          1. Oh I didn’t realize they had that! I got burned once like OP and wrote it off, thanks!

    3. Can everyone else go and, worst case scenario if the deal moves forward on schedule, you join after? I know you’d only have like 1.5 days and that sucks but it’s better than nothing? And if the closing gets bumped you can still go with everyone as planned.

    4. a Friday of LDW closing? Unless there’s a really specific reason for Sept 1 I’d be shocked if that sticks.

      How much was the deposit vs. the cost of the overall booking? Also, with Airbnb the timing of payments is different than the timing of how much of a trip is nonrefundable, since you have the option to pay either upfront or in two installments. Like often it’s free cancellation for 48 hours and then a refund of 50% up to 30 days prior to arrival, but if your trip was free cancellation for 48 hours and then nonrefundable, I think payment #2 is due even if you cancel…

    5. The money is so you can afford to cancel this vacation last minute and rebook something else if you need to.

    6. As others have said, and having worked in M&A myself, how likely is it that the deal will really close then?

      I’d say send everyone else on vacation and then join them when or if you can. I wouldn’t bail just yet, since you’re out $1500 whether you bail now or 6 weeks from now, right?

    7. I just had a “vacation” where I was swamped and working the first several days, and then had a few days with my family. Honestly, it wasn’t worth it, as I was so stressed and tired by the time I got through all the work. If your deadline isn’t going to move, I’d personally cancel to a time when I could enjoy an actual vacation.

      1. Plus you’ve already used up your “summer vacation” card. I just had this happen. Colleagues asked how my vacation was and I’m like, what vacation? But if I tried to take another one as soon as the deal closes, I doubt people would be pleased.

        1. idk, you’d be surprised how quickly people forget. I mean maybe not back to back but if you’re out for this week and then out like the 3rd week of August, by the time you’re 6 weeks from now no one remembered you were out in June or early July.

  12. For those in jobs where people are in the office some days and home other days, have you done anything that has helped boost community or engagement on the office days? I don’t know if people just got out of the habit of pop-bys and now it feels weird, but our office is really quiet these days

    1. I went from a formerly fully remote role to a 3/2 hybrid role recently. It’s helpful that we have “all hands” days once a week – theoretically everyone is in the office on Thursday, and generally any weekly fun stuff happens then (typically lunch or a town hall or random other food/party/fun).
      My team and the folks we interact with tend to come in mostly the same days, so the assumption is that meetings those days are all in person, face to face.
      Our team does welcome and birthday lunches, and just otherwise makes use of the days that we’re together. I know none of that is particularly groundbreaking, but it makes a difference.

      1. Agreed! People who really want flexibility do not love it, but it helps to have coordination of days in the office. My company requires Tuesday through Thursday (except in summer when we only have to go in two days and one of them has to be Tuesday because summer traffic is a horror).

        1. I’m technically hybrid but in reality am remote 90% of the time. We started talking about doing two coordinated in-office days a month and I was really surprised at the pushback. The idea is, we’ll pick two days (a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday) to do “in-office days.” We’ll try to pick dates that work for almost everyone (understanding that some people may have vacation, doctor’s appointments, client visits, etc. that are unavoidable – but we’ll try to work around them), and we’ll have team meetings and worksessions on those days. We would pick the days at least a month out, so people can plan. My boss, my peer managers and I figured this would be a pretty reasonable thing and would help drive some progress on projects where people have been saying everyone being remote is a difficulty.

          Well, we were wrong. People freaked out, which I did not anticipate. And it kind of made me mad, because I feel like this kind of pushback on small asks is going to kill remote work for everyone. I will grant, going to the office involves a commute between 10 and 60 minutes for people, but honestly – you can’t do it two days a month? When the dates are decided a month in advance? My commute to the office is an hour each way, and I would much rather come in two days a month than three days a week, which is what some teams are having to do.

          1. Yes – the hard liners, whether it is “I will never come in” or “I want you to pay my power bill because I have to run my AC” will be the death of WFH (along with the people who mysteriously disappear for long periods of time when they are not clocked out).

  13. What’s everyone’s favorite way to eat vanilla ice cream? Moving means eating down our freezer, but, hilariously, I cannot come up with a way to use vanilla ice cream (because I usually have another flavor in there I prefer!).

    2. Given that it’s not especially healthy, I’d just toss it and call it a day. But I’m not a frugal, use everything to the bitter end type.

      1. Totally hear that, but I may have to do that for enough other things in the freezer that I’m trying to knock out the low hanging fruit (er, ice cream).

      2. I am frugal, but a dessert or junk food that you don’t particularly enjoy is a classic “it goes to waste or it goes to waist” situation. I choose the former.

        1. Yeah, my theory is that if I don’t want it or need it, it’s just as much of a waste to eat it as it is to throw it in the trash.

          2. Regarding the cost of the discarded junk food, I look at it from a weird angle: if “not wasting” food causes me to gain five or ten pounds, how much money does that directly cost me (clothes not quite fitting anymore, suits needing tailoring), and how much money would I pay for someone to wave a magic wand and make it go away?

            The food goes in the trash. There is no good and productive use for it. Sunk cost fallacies are sunk cost fallacies.

    3. with cobbler or pie, making sundaes, as float (in diet coke or espresso), in a milkshake…

    4. Banana milk shake (milk + banana + vanilla ice cream)
      Sundae bar for kids with whatever items you have in the house (toppings, whip cream, sprinkles, fruit).

          1. ooh, I also love hot fruit on ice cream. Super easy to microwave some frozen fruit, witha bit of sugar, and pour over vanilla ice cream. Berries of any kind work super well.

          2. To clarify, I meant with spicy heat, like Mike’s Hot Honey. I also love ice cream with warm fruit, though.

    7. Sprinkle with (unsweetened) cocoa powder or a really syrupy balsamic vinegar plus or minus strawberries.

    8. I like to melt chocolate over salted, roasted peanuts and use that as a topping.

      I like floats with cream soda or root beer (I get sugar free soda so that I’m not doubling or tripling the sugar content; I like Virgil’s and Green Cola but Zevia works too).

      I’ll blend it with ice and coffee and sometimes hazelnut or alternatively mint.

      1. Oh, and while I’m too lazy to make fruit pies, microwaved or baked apple or pear is really good with vanilla ice cream.

    9. In a blender with all sorts of different flavorings – instant coffee granules, Hershey’s syrup, various fruit jams – for a milkshake.

    10. We just grilled peaches and put vanilla ice cream on top

      Also at Costco this weekend they were serving a drink of ice cream mixed with (n/a) margarita mix. DELICIOUS

    11. Make Baked Alaska! It is super easy: make you easiest chocolate cake, but thin on a cookie sheet or two. When the cake is cool, find a bowl the size that works for you and layer into the bowl a round piece of cake, softened ice cream, a bigger round piece of cake, softened ice cream, top with the last biggest round piece of cake. Put in the freezer between layers to harden up and store in the freezer.

      You can eat it out of the bowl with a spoon (midnight TV watching optional) or turn it out onto a plate a smother in whipped cream.

    13. You can use the melted ice cream to dip bread into for french toast! I’ve only done it a couple of times since it’s obviously cheaper just to make the mixture yourself with eggs/milk/sugar, but if you’ve got to use some up some ice cream, it’s pretty fun

    14. Vanilla is one of my favorites. I just scoop into a bowl and eat it with a spoon…

  14. I have been at my job for 19 months and it’s just a really bad cultural fit. Im job searching, but that could easily take a year (I’m hoping to work for the federal government). Any tips on how to keep my sanity until I’m able to jump ship?

  15. I’m doing some write ups for staff and need to figure out a way to professionally and neutrally word some feedback. My brain is jello and I just need someone to suggest other wording because I am giving feedback I want people to actually read and grow from, not be insulted by.

    – Manager A will say they understand something but don’t and then confuse their team when trying to answer basic questions. Manager A is experienced but if they don’t understand, they need to ask because I’m not a mind reader and If you say you’re good and on track, I believe you.

    – Staffer B has life stuff going on which we totally get and are providing ample time off for. But they can’t be nasty and cranky when they’re at work.

    – Manager B needs to let it go with his team if they make a mistake. Manager B has made much larger errors and I have shown them, we have fixed them, and we moved on, but they really need to let the simple mistakes go and not beat people down.

    1. is Manager A’s problem that they think they understand but don’t, or realize they don’t fully understand but want to give off appearances of understanding anyway? 2 very different problems even though the practical outcome may be similar!

      1. Or a case of not wanting to bother you/whoever their supervisor is? Because I might say, “A needs to take advantage of Supervisor’s help to prevent situations like [specific happening].”

        1. I honestly… don’t know?? This is someone who was a rockstar employee and highly recommended for the job but still new to being a manager. I’ve had this discussion multiple times. I think I’m going to use that wording and maybe add something in about feeling free to ask followup questions as their understanding develops?

          1. Being able to “do” vs being able to “lead / teach” are different skill sets and someone switching from an independent contributor role might be struggling with how to organize their own thoughts into clear delegation to others. Like if I’m marking up an agreement I don’t have to think about how to explain to myself what the main goals are or how to prioritize key issues. Maybe some coaching in that area would help?

    2. Frankly I’d say these things as you’ve written here. When feedback gets watered down by corporate speak, it’s confusing and not actionable.

      1. Valid. I generally opt for clear and bullet pointed, but these are the 3 where I felt like they were going to take them just as straight criticism vs. actionable feedback.

        Thank you all… I have a lot of these I’ve written and this is really helping me finish the last couple sticky ones…. And it’s not like I can ask a peer to read over for me…

    3. Serious question: why is Manager B still in the role? I have no patience for people who rip their staff to shreds for tiny errors; it is unbelievably difficult to work in that environment.

      If you want to write feedback and not put this person on a PIP, I would cite egregious examples both ways, ie of the manager tearing people to shreds over small errors, as well as with the larger errors this person has made and an explanation of how it was handled.

      1. This is a step in putting them on a PIP. I didn’t realize how bad it was until a junior staffer approached me. I’ve already given feedback that it is totally unacceptable, you’re right that I need to emphasize the negative impact on staff retention.

        Thank you!

    5. The best thing you can do is provide concrete examples of the behavior and how you want it to change. “Manager A, when you managed the Thomson brief we asked you to do X, and then several team members came to me about doing Y. I want to make sure we stay on the same page throughout these briefs, so let’s schedule an extra check-in at the halfway point.”
      “Manager B, you’ve talked about Cate’s mistake for three weeks now. She was open about it and made the corrections needed. If you keep hammering at this, we run the risk of losing a valuable employee. I know that mistakes are frustrating, but reacting like this won’t help. I need you to move on from them.”

      1. I wouldn’t say that the mistakes are “frustrating.” If you can’t handle normal, run of the mill employee mistakes without getting emotional, don’t be a manager. People make mistakes – it’s kind of one of the definitions of being a person and not an algorithm.

      2. Yes, there are bulleted examples. I just need help with the wording on these issues.

        My hardest one is – how do I say to somebody ‘please stop being so outwardly miserable that people don’t want to ask you for stuff? And like… elsewhere I encouraged staffer to utilize the EAP resources they’ve been referred to and ‘utilize their full benefits package, including paid time off, to manage any issues negatively impacting their ability to be a productive employee.’

        Fwiw – the situation is basically staffer hates their husband. Not abusive or anything, as far as I can tell she hasn’t decided if she wants a divorce or not but it’s not like a protected situation or disability. She’s just kind of… miserable? And I have empathy but also need her to not complain so much at work…

        1. Re the miserable employee: Oh that’s much different than I imagined. I was thinking the issue was a dying parent or something. I don’t think “normal” relationship ups and downs deserve deference in the workplace. If you’re getting divorced then I’ll put up with some snark for a minute, but not for 2 years or however long your divorce takes. I think you should say something about her over sharing personal details at work.

        2. Your position requires you to [describe what others should be asking for]. Several individuals have reported to me that you are unapproachable and fail to respond to their requests in a professional manner. [Add specific examples.] This is not conducive to a team environment and your fulfilling your role at the company. In the coming year, we need to you develop better relationships with [list departments] and ensure that you maintain a professional and approachable demeanor at work.

    6. – I’d say basically what you wrote here, but say what you’d like them to do not just what they’re doing wrong. “Manager should ensure she understands the assignment during the initial meeting and should follow up with questions as needed.” Give a specific example or two of the conduct you’re criticizing.
      – I always struggle with attitude type comments. I’d probably say something like, team members are expected to maintain a collegial presence in the office, and employe has fallen short of that expectation at times. I would give specific examples of the behavior instead of saying things like they have an attitude/are cranky/etc. because that’s so subjective.
      – Again I’d give specific examples of manager beating up their employees about simple errors. I’d throw in some comment that their “leadership skills” need work.

      Also, chat gpt can be great for stuff like this. Obviously you have to tweak it for your purposes but I’ve found it helpful when I’m struggling with how to phrase something.

      1. ‘collegial’! That’s the word I needed. I had ‘professional demeanor and positive attitude’ but like… I don’t need them to be positive, I just need them to be not negative (if that makes sense).

        1. I’d say that you need the employee to bring it up the scale from negative to “neutral.” If nasty is a 1 and cheerful is a 10, they just need to hit the 4-7 range. And not use coworkers as a place to vent.

    7. Op here. I can’t thank you guys enough. I have to do like 25 of these and you all helped me over the hump.

      There were weird things like – with manager A I was trying to avoid using the word ‘delegate’ because we had an issue with over délégation a couple months ago and they needed to be reigned in…

      This helped me finalized the last 3. Re: examples: we use a form with multiple sections. I had specific examples in other other sections but was struggling with the ‘overarching’ comments here and your comments helped so much. There are action items as well, so I’m telling them where I want them to grow and change and what we are going to do.

      And re: Staffer B – I was much more empathetic when she shared that she had asked her spouse for a divorce but now… it’s been a year and she’s just really irritable and crabby all the time, to the point where people will only come to her via email. She does a fine job – not bad, not great, but I just need her to show up and not suck the energy out of everyone she talks to.

    8. Op re: Cat’s comment at 12:34 – there’s a whole section in the document about developing as a manager, but this I wanted to break out this separately.

      I’m not sure if what the core issue is – you and Vicky flagged the main ones I’m wondering about. Really, I am just kind of bummed that they are like a C+ at their job and I end up needing to micromanage them to make sure stuff gets done.

  16. ISO other brands that make curvy (+2in hip) casual pants that aren’t jeans. I just tried a few from Abercrombie curve love which fit well and were in the right vein but all the styles skew a little too long and wide for me since I normally wear flat shoes. I know madewell sometimes has some but it’s pretty inconsistent, and most other brands seem to only do curvy jeans or curvy obviously-for-work pants.(And yes, I know about tailoring! Just curious if I’m missing some off the rack options.)

      1. I was thinking Talbots too. Honestly all my best work and casual pants are Talbots. I stalk my favorites on ebay (currently the girlfriend chino, weekend pants that I basically wear every day, sorry work.)

    2. Ann Taylor, White House black market, loft, express all have curvy cuts I think. Lots.

    3. I need this kind of fit, and the Everlane utility barrel pant fits me without any tailoring.

  17. To the OP looking for London recommendations yesterday:

    I recently returned from a trip and it was interesting to read the different opinions people shared. My husband and I LOVED both Bath and Windsor Castle. In agreement with everyone that Tower of London was super fun! You can book a tea boat cruise on the Thames and several of the companies that operate these boats have docks right next to Tower of London. Schedule your tea boat tour for right before or right after your visit to Tower of London in order to maximize your time.

    If anyone in your group happens to like Bridgerton (I realize the show probably isn’t age appropriate for most tweens), there is a great walking tour in Bath of film sites AND Bridgerton actor Luke Newton is currently performing in London at a small not-for-profit theater called Park Theatre in a show called Shape of Things. Really darkly funny show! Another Bridgerton brother is also in a play showing in London right now but his sounds super depressing so we opted to skip it.

    Also, if you want a fine dining experience at a reasonable-ish price for the quality, we loved our dinner at Clos Maggiore in Covent Garden and the atmosphere is gorgeous. I would double-check the menu to make sure the options would appeal to tween palates, but I highly recommend it for adults. I did think Covent Garden Market was overrated but I liked that it put us close to the restaurant. We also really loved seeing inside both Bath Abbey in Bath and Westminster Abbey in London. There is a delicious dessert place in Bath called Mrs. Pott’s Chocolate Shop. Be warned that UK milkshakes are very different from American milkshakes; otherwise, everything we tried there was delicious, especially the chocolate cake. Still thinking about it!

    We stopped in Oxford for a short walking tour on our travel day between Bath and London and it was super convenient! Celtic Horizons was a wonderful chauffeur service for that purpose. While I have mixed feelings on the actual hotel we stayed at in London, we found it very convenient to stay near Victoria Station. The hotel in Bath was a dream if anyone wants a recommendation!

    1. Would love to hear about your Bath hotel and any more recommendations! What walking tour did you use there??

      1. We stayed at Hotel Indigo Bath and just had a standard room but it felt very luxurious with beautiful furnishings and a quirky, artsy flair. Though a bit smaller than American hotel rooms, it was very reasonably priced felt huge compared to our much more expensive London hotel.

        The Bridgerton tour we booked was secured through the “Get Your Guide” app (my first time using it) and was called “Discover Bath and Bridgerton with Music” if you search for it on the app. Our tour guide was super enthusiastic and she did a wonderful job of weaving in facts from history and not just movie trivia.

        We also really enjoyed our ghost tour, which was just called “Bath: Guided Ghost Tour” on the app and was through Walking Tours of Bath.

        Highly recommend dinner at Sotto Sotto and an afternoon walk through Parade Park, which we thought was worth the small entry fee. And Mrs. Pott’s Chocolate Shop, which I mentioned above, is right by an outdoor courtyard where different musicians came and played throughout the afternoons. Really relaxing vibes!

        I am a Jane Austen fan and overall enjoyed the museum, although, the museum itself wasn’t as nice as the opening welcome speech (perhaps 20 – 30 minutes long) from a man in period costume who explained the Austen family tree. My husband is not really familiar with Austen’s work but he was super entertained by the speech/lecture. I was surprised by how nice and thorough the museum attached to The Roman Baths was; I thought we would just get to see the baths and maybe read a few plaques but the audio tour was really great. Bath Abbey was beautiful and the young man who did our tour did a great job.

        Are you planning a trip? You are in for a treat!

        1. We are! We will be there for two full days in August and I am so grateful for our recommendations!

      1. There is also a wonderful bookstore in Bath called Persephone Books! (No affiliation other than having bought books from them.)

  18. Is “The New Rules of Lifting for Women” still a good intro/go-to for starting a strength training program? I am exploring starting the program for my overall strength/well-being, to help my posture, and perhaps help my periodic insomnia. I’m a 45 year old female with intermittent exercise regimen; mostly walk 2-3 miles per day after work (childless, if that matters).

    Any other resources to suggest? For anyone who lifts weights, do you recommend I start with a personal trainer to get my form perfected from the start?

    1. No experience with New Rules, but I follow @megsquats on Instagram and am planning to try her @beforethebarbell program in a few months.

    2. Are you working out at home or in gym? I’ve still gone back to NROLFW in recent years, but you might want to use an app that demonstrates form and highlights which muscles you’re working. Fitbod and sweat both do that.

      I recently looked at the megsquats app and it seemed pretty advanced and equipment-heavy. Ymmv though.

    3. That is a great intro guide! I will caution you that the workouts get long really quickly. I was spending an hour plus in the gyms some days. Don’t be afraid to look the exercises up on YouTube so you can really see what they look like.

      If you can afford it, I believe a personal trainer is the way to go. They will work with whatever time constraints and movement issues you have. Plus you can really hurt yourself with bad form. I’d done some personal training before the New Rules, btw, and I was glad I’d done that. I see a trainer now, and we work out twice a week together for 30 mins and he sends me a workout to do one other time while we’re not together. I love it because I know I’m doing the exercises right and because he changes it up so I don’t get bored.

      Another great resource is Fitness Blender! The videos are free if you want to do a few to get the feel. Then if you want to do one of their programs, can buy some of them for like $14 or you can join their subscription, and you get access to all the programs for free (only $100 for the full year!) The programs will tell you what workout to do each day and will preload the video on your calendar. There are a couple of great body weight ones to get you started, then at least 3 that focus on strength with dumbbells when you’re ready. I’ve done these programs in the past, and my boyfriend does them now. He’s seen excellent results from staying consistent with Fitness Blender!

    4. I started with the NROLFW and I’ve been lifting for more than 10 years now. It was a great way to get started and I noticed results pretty quickly. For form, watch videos demonstrating proper form and start light.

    5. I started with a combination of Strong Lifts 5×5 and a few sessions with a personal trainer. Casey Johnstown’s Liftoff program came out after I started but I still use it as a reference and it’s what I recommend to friends starting out now.

    6. Absolutely with a personal trainer. Unexpected externalities (in addition to making sure on form): (a) harder to cancel on a person; (b) will likely result in you knowing more people at the gym and creating a more favorable environment; (c) will be able to meet you where you are fitness wise – I promise you, the weight you should be using probably bears little resemblance to what you will pick up on your own.

      1. Personal trainer also helps if you are an overthinker, and you end up stressing about where to start so long that you just don’t work out :) (ask me how I know). Instead you have someone else telling you what to do, and just handing you the weight (without you having to do the math) takes a lot of friction out of actually doing the workout.

  19. I’m an attorney and am going to be attending a conference put on by a professional organization I belong to. The dress code is just “casual.” What the heck does that mean in this context? All daytime events are in the same hotel. The area of practice I’m in tends to attract more academic/quirky folks, for what it’s worth. My go to summer office outfit is a short-sleeved sheath dress with flats because it’s comfortable, easy, and I can wear bike shorts underneath and have fewer excuses not to change for my workout at the end of the day. I’d love to go with dresses and pack less, but I also don’t want to look overdressed. Should I be thinking black pants and a blouse here, or true casual, like dark jeans and a nicer t-shirt? Or something else entirely?

    1. Black pants and a blouse = business casual to me.

      Casual = jeans and a non-tee shirt type of top.

      However, if you’re most comfortable in your summer uniform, just do that. For me comfort > caring what other people think.

    2. Personally, I would wear a casual dress, but probably not a sheath dress. More like a sundress or a casual material shift dress or some other sort of other “weekend” dress. I would expect to see a full range of clothes though given that dress code (including lots of jeans), so I don’t think you need to worry much about this.

      1. I never wear dresses or skirts at conferences because the AC always seems to be set to Winter Weather Warning. I despise it.

      2. I would not wear a sundress, or a dress with ruffles and tiers. Wear a more tailored dress, shirt dress, sheath with a cardigan and flats, a shift dress, and you will be fine. Wear accessories that are hand crafted, academic or quirky, not pearls or similar.

    3. This is tricky — I think since the dress code is listed as casual, dark jeans + nicer tee + blazer is probably the way to go. If you have a sheath dress that leans more casual, like linen fabric or a summery print, that might work too as long as your shoes are on the less formal side. Or maybe a jersey dress on the nicer side, like a Boden one?

    4. I would 100% wear dresses. (a) it’s easier to dress up or down with shoes/sandals and (b) so much less room to pack. Pack a couple of dresses, a jean jacket, a nicer topper, a pair of heels, and more casual shoes or even fashion sneakers and mix/match as needed.

    5. This would drive me batty because it’s so easy to get it wrong. Given how non-specific it is, I’d try to make things work with what you have, and not go out buying a bunch of new stuff.

    7. The usual advice to find pictures of last year’s conference applies.

      I would err on the side of being more formal. A short sleeve sheath dress sounds perfect; you aren’t too underdressed if people show up in suits and aren’t over dressed if people show up in slacks.

      1. OP here – this is genius advice that I somehow didn’t think of. Will start investigating to find pics from last year.

    8. I vote stick to your uniform. A sheath dress is comfortable for me than jeans, and easy to dress down with shoes and accessories if you get there and other people are actually wearing jeans.

      1. +1. Get a more casual pair of flats (espadrilles? loafers in a fun color?) and I think you’ll be fine.

    9. Can you post the location and conference? You’re not going to out yourself using a throwaway handle for this question and you might get better advice!

    10. I’m in a very casual industry and attend a lot of casual conferences, and it’s a mix bag. I think your summer uniform is just fine. I wouldn’t wear a matching jacket. If you want to casual it up a bit more, wear the dresses, flats and add a jean jacket – adds a casual jean element, and the pockets are very handy during conferences and it’ll probably be too air-conditioned in the building anyway.

    11. This is a bunch of attorneys, right? Err on the side of being overdressed. Every attorney event I’ve ever been to has some dudes in suits, even if the organizers repeatedly tell everyone it’s casual. I’d bring your normal outfits and also bring a pair of white or dark jeans and a couple of tops.

    12. You see absolutely everything at conferences. Casual is just license to wear anything on the clothing spectrum. I’d wear whatever you feel good in and would want to meet an ex-BF on the street wearing (ie. whatever i feel confident and put together in). And I second that lawyers tend to dress up more.

    13. I’d wear business casual, which for me would be a nice top, non denim pants, and some sort of topper I can ditch if needed but also wear in case of overly air conditioned rooms.

    14. I would wear a casual dress, like a floral short sleeve or sleeveless dress or a solid color, with the bike shorts. I’d bring a scarf to wrap up in if the AC is freezing. To me, a sheath dress is more dressed up, but I think you could also wear this. I’d wear flats or strappy sandals.

      FWIW I wouldn’t wear jeans to any type of work or professional event, even if it says casual. I doubt a man would wear jeans.

      I think black pants plus a nice blouse is also safe!

      1. Eh, the primary conference I go to for attorneys in my field is casual, and there is indeed a wide range of dress, but I have seen lots and lots of men there in jeans. (The male former GC and director of the group used to make a big deal out of the casual dress code and usually was in a tweed blazer and jeans.) Speakers tended to dress up, though. I wore a casual-ish black shift dress for the first, half-day session; jeans with a patterned blazer the second day and wide leg black pants with a black sweater on the last day (comfortable for a long trip home).

        OP, I think your summer uniform sounds fine (although be prepared for very cold meeting rooms) but also that you have leeway to go more casual if you want.

      2. Men often do jeans and a blazer. Somehow that look never seems as polished on me.

  20. I know this has been addressed before, but I’ve never actually encountered it until this point. Our whole company is hosting a family event at a baseball game for the local minor-league team. I don’t own any team wear and have no desire to buy a new t-shirt for a one-off event. What do I wear? I own Athleta Farralon shorts, though they may be too short for a work event. I also have some 5″ linen shorts and a couple of casual t-shirt dresses. It will be hot and humid, so jeans are a big nope from me. I need the women’s equivalent of khaki shorts for dudes. Any ideas?

    1. I’d wear the t-shirt dress, unless there is something about your workplace or job position that makes you think you need a more polished look for this. Heat, humidity and minor league baseball sounds like a no-polish event in my books.

    2. Nice tshirt in one of the team colors and the linen shorts IMHO. Dresses are a PITA in a stadium unless you’re in a suite.

    3. I got blasted the last time I suggested this but: Athleta skorts. They look like regular skirts but they have moisture wicking shorts underneath. They’re a bit longer than shorts, so they feel more work appropriate to me. I personally don’t feel comfortable wearing a skirt with nothing under it at a sportsball event, but the skorts provide more modesty when you’re climbing up and down stairs/bleachers and over people who refuse to get up to let you to your seat.

      1. You did? Those are my summer go-to’s!
        For anything in stadium seats, I’d personally go midi-dress in a lightweight casual fabric, baseball hat and sneakers. I wouldn’t think about team gear beyond making sure I wasn’t decked out in the opposing team’s colors.

      2. I just went to a triple-A game last week and wore a skort (not Athleta but Zac & Rachel). As a middle-aged pear, I hate the way I look in shorts and it was cute without being super dressy or fussy.

    4. I asked this last year and got so many answers that were all over the place. Because it was 90+ degrees and I DNGAF, I ended up wearing what I would wear if it wasn’t a work event- navy chino shorts, a chambray button up, and sandals. It was fine. The other women were wearing everything from business formal (what??) to a sundress. The vast majority of the men had on jeans and a polo. A few men had on shorts. No one had on team gear. If I had to do it again, I would probably try to find a casual linen shift, because it was very hot walking to and from the box.

    5. We go to a lot of baseball games and I think either the linen shorts or the dresses (as long as they’re knee length+ and flowy) would be totally fine. I wear tons of dresses to the ballpark, basically my goal is to wear something long enough my bare legs don’t touch the seat.

    7. Casual midi dress that hits below your knees. When it’s hot out I hate the feeling of sweaty thighs against a ballpark seat.

  21. My cousin’s life was saved by organ donation. He received a lung from a donor last year and I’m incredibly grateful.

    I’d love to volunteer with some organization that works with organ donation. I do donate financially and I’m a registered organ donor, but I’d like to volunteer my time to this cause too.

    I’m in center city philadelphia, btw.

    1. Pre-Covid I volunteered with the donor organization in my state. You can find your state here: https://www.organdonor.gov/get-involved/volunteer I manned a table and handed out info at street fairs, local festivals, races, and other local events. It wasn’t much, but organ donor organizations are great to work for and to call attention to. I may eventually need a lung transplant, so I was pre-paying my debt of gratitude.

  22. Does anyone work a sales job with base salary + commission? How likely is it to meet the OTE in your first year? And subsequent years?

    1. DOE. For your first sales job, there’s a lot of people who wash out. Also depends on what you’re selling – the product and company matter more than anything else.

      1. Thanks! This is for a senior director role at a SaaS company selling to an industry in which I currently work in a senior role. I would LOVE any additional feedback on whether the scheme they’re proposing is the norm. Sales is completely out of my comfort zone.

        The company is 3 years old. It has expanded from a dozen-100 people in that time.

        The base salary is paid semi-monthly. Is that typical? I’ve always been paid every 2 wks or monthly.

        The commission is 8% up to your annual quota goal, then 10% if you exceed your quota. Also, typical?

        You both have to prospect leads and receive some leads. They’re having me complete an exercise identifying my connections to stakeholders in the region. I’m a little uncomfortable with this. If I don’t get the job, I worry they’ll try to work my connections somehow. But I recognize without me, those connections matter a lot less. Is this a normal exercise?

        1. I just realized semi-monthly probably means twice a month, not every other month as I originally thought! Headdesk.

        2. I would anonymize those stakeholders, watermark the materials if you make them, blur out key information, and tell them “full information available after hire, of course”. Like instead of a name, put something like “CIO, [Type of company], company size 500-100 employees” and maybe a single line about how you know them or why they’d be a good connection. “Contact known for 6 months, has expressed interest in upgrading aging systems.”

  23. Shop for me/give me ideas. DH has work event where +1s are welcome. Attire is cocktail.

    I’m 5’5, small frame, but somewhere between a rectangle/apple. Sizing is 8-10 these days. Short-waisted/no-torso so prefer a defined waist and nothing high-necked. Style is – fun, bold, with feminine touches – I welcome bright colors. Prints are great but because of my frame, they have to be on the smaller side.

    I’m willing to (gasp) go to a store or figure out expedited shipping. Budget is ~$200, as I hope to wear it again this summer.

    1. Willingness to go to a store has nothing to do with anything. No one has much inventory in store anymore. I’d check out Tuckernuck. Lots of cute, fun dresses.

  24. Enterprise tech/software sales pro here….they’re recruiting you out of industry to gain the benefit of your network. You clearly have valuable industry experience…do you have any sales experience? Do you want to move into sales? The incentive plan you described is fairly standard and on the conservative side. Personally, I would never share names of stakeholders that are in my professional network.

    1. I have no sales experience, but I’m familiar with the company’s software and excited by what the CEO (a WOC) is doing. Thanks for validating my gut feeling about sharing stakeholders as a hiring exercise.

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