How Far Should You Go to Back a Job Candidate?
Dear HR Pro: My department has a strategic staff position opening, and a friend of mine, “Joe,” recommended his former colleague “Eleanor” for the position. After meeting with her, I was pleased to recommend her, as her qualifications are just right and she’s kept her knowledge up to date while being out of the workforce with family. But … she interviewed very poorly. Do I put my credibility on the line to help her get a second...
Workplace Navigator: I Work at a Nonprofit and I Want My Money
Question: I am a day care teacher for a nonprofit that serves limited-income families. Every two weeks, we receive our pay by paper check and can cash the checks only at the bank used by the nonprofit. However, there is not always enough money in the nonprofit’s account to cover all the checks. Those who delay getting to the bank may have to wait up to an additional week to receive their pay. I still live at home and will soon be...
Tech Q&A: Upgrading a Windows 10 PC That’s Out of Memory
Question: I have a Dell Inspiron 3050 that uses Windows 10 and has an SSD (Solid State Drive, or computer chip memory) rather than a hard drive. Recently, I’ve been getting a message that says a Windows 10 update can’t be installed because I don’t have enough available memory. I transferred all the data I could to an external memory card in order to open up more storage space, but it hasn’t been enough. I’ve also tried to reboot the...
The Protection Predicament: Overdraft Protection Can Be a Blessing — Or a Curse
The overdraft protection law “puts the decision in the hands of the consumer as to whether they want overdraft protection for small-dollar transactions conducted by ATM and debit card,” says Greg McBride, CFA and Bankrate’s senior economic analyst. Ultimately, opting in has two major benefits. It protects those who worry about finding themselves in the embarrassing situation of having their card declined. And it provides a temporary,...
Drop Your Credit Debt
Americans’ debt levels have been growing and interest rates are rising — a combination that could put consumers in a bind if they carry a balance on their cards. “Everyone has this sense that there is a storm brewing,” said Bruce McClary, spokesman for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. “All indications that we’ve seen are that people are carrying higher balances from month-to-month and more are behind on their monthly...
Workplace Navigator: You Made a Mistake. Should You Explain?
Question: I teach at a university. I recently missed the deadline for ordering textbooks and materials for a new class I was asked to teach on short notice. In doing so, I created extra work for a lot of colleagues, and news of my infraction was pushed up the managerial ladder as approval was sought for my requests from my department head, dean and others. I am deservedly in the doghouse. I apologized and promised never to do this...
The Boss’s Bookshelf
The top five business books the CEO can’t put down, as compiled by 800CEOread.com. 1. Tell Me More: Stories about the 12 Hardest Things I’m Learning to Say By Kelly Corrigan It’s a crazy idea: trying to name the phrases that make love and connection possible. But that’s just what Kelly Corrigan has set out to do here. In her New York Times best-selling memoirs, Corrigan distilled our core relationships to their...
Hang in There, Retirees: Things to Keep in Mind About the Stock Market
When stock market volatility spikes, financial advisers typically remind investors they have time to keep the money invested and let it ride out the cycle, but what about people already in retirement? As a whole, people in their 70s and beyond used to have very little invested in stocks, but that has changed in recent years due to low savings rates and longer life expectancy, said Kathryn Bruzas Hauer, a financial adviser in Aiken,...
How to Stop the Flow of Junk Mail and Save Trees — and Your Sanity
Many people love to hate junk mail — and they have lots of different ways of quantifying their disgust: New York University says 5.6 million tons of junk mail end up in American landfills every year. Ecocycle.org says we may spend as much as eight months of our life sorting junk mail. TreeHugger.com claims junk mail’s annual carbon contribution is equal to that of seven U.S. states combined. Of course, these stats all come from people...
