Dear Evil HR Lady,

We’re a small non-profit and we rely heavily on volunteers. How can we motivate them when we can’t do the traditional things like give them paychecks or bonuses? Yes, their love of the cause is good, but it only goes so far.

To read the answer, click here: 7 Ways to Motivate Without Money

Dear Evil HR Lady,

I am about to graduate with a degree in finance and am interested in pursuing wealth management, as I have had several internships with this particular part of the industry. Anyway, I have 2 upcoming interviews in different cities. Is it possible to leverage existing interviews with a company to try to obtain more interviews in the same areas? For example, [for] one interview I have to drive about an hour, which is completely fine in my eyes. But it would also be cool to have a couple interviews lined up in that city. I hope this makes sense. My thoughts were “oh that person must be a good candidate, maybe we should give him a shot if he is interviewing over there.”

To read the answer, click here: New Grads and the Out of Town Job Search

Dear Evil HR Lady,

I am a systems engineer at a prominent Sales and Engineering company. I was asked by management to assume a managerial role in addition to my technical responsibilities. I performed the management duties for little over a year during which I have learnt much about managing and mobilizing people and the importance of quick decision-making. The on-the-job training was not only for my development but it was to prepare me to assume the management position upon the promotion of the existing manager.

Finally, my manager was promoted but the company opted to advertise the position internally. Of course I applied, even after learning that my manager was not thinking of promoting me anymore when I asked him about the post. The reasoning was that I am more valuable in my current official technical role than I would be in a management role. I did not make decisions quickly and I was not assertive. In short, I work better with numbers than people — at least this is how I interpreted the feedback.

Eventually, one other person applied and that person was an engineer who reported to me. I say was because she eventually was promoted over me. I do not feel bitter or resentful to her, in fact, she has been doing quite well since she assumed the role. However, I am not sure how I can manage my relationships with her and my ex-immediate manager given the expectations that I had. I still like what I do, but the disappointment has not passed and I do not want it to impede my productivity as well as inhibit my career advancement. To add to my confusion, I did not get feedback that definitively expressed why I would not make a good manager at this time and why a growth and development strategy was employed seeing that I was already doing the work.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. 

To read the answer, click here: My former direct report is now my boss

A cautionary tale from Silicon Valley shows why you should resist the arms race for employee perks

To keep reading click here: Lesson from Zynga: Perks Are Not More Important Than a Business Plan

Dear Evil HR Lady,

Is it worth putting in extra time at the job for a small raise, or should I put the time into my side hustles to make more money?

A little background on myself. I’m a mid-twenties ( supervisor) working in a Fortune 500 company. I’m slated to take my boss’s job when his boss retires in two years.

It seems like these big companies just give everyone a 2 percent raise, but even if I got 5 percent it wouldn’t be a big difference compared to the money I can make putting it a little more time on my blog.

To read the answer, click here: Should I buck for a raise or do outside work?

Yet another poor fool has been suckered into interviewing me for his podcast. This time it’s about how to get a raise. And even though it sounds like I said you should just steal your boss’s wallet, I didn’t really say that. You just have poor hearing.*

To listen, you can go here: How to Score a Big Raise – Stacking Benjamins Podcast Episode #5

(I was on Average Joe’s show once before here: 2 Guys and Your Money Episode #021: When Your Job Goes Bye Bye

*Okay I did say it, but I was joking. It was a JOKE! Please do not steal your boss’s wallet. That is very bad.)

Dear Evil HR Lady,

On Friday I received a job offer from company A. There is a staffing agency in the middle. I have a final job interview with company B today. I know that company B will pay more than company A.

The staffing agency from company A is pushing me to sign the job offer. The recruiting process took weeks, so I don’t see urgency from the actual company. I want to stall a few days it to see what happens with company B, by which I should know if they’ll extend an offer.

But what happens if I sign the company A offer and then accept an offer from company B? Would the staffing agent be upset if if I tell him I’m waiting for another offer? I told him that I need to think about it, but he’s concerned.

At the same time I don’t want to risk the first offer, in case the second doesn’t come. I also don’t know if there might be a counteroffer by my current employer — if I signed an offer, did I lose my chance to take a counteroffer as well?

To read the answer, click here: Should I wait for second job offer?

Rumor has it that the demand for Silicon Valley engineers is so great that sometimes, when a company gets bought out, the new owners want to keep only the engineers–everybody else gets “laid off.” However, they also don’t want anyone to know they’ve bought the company, because they don’t want recruiters pouncing on their newly-acquired engineers. So the acquiring company prohibits its engineers from updating their LinkedIn profiles, and also tells the people who are being laid off that, if they want their severance, they can’t update their LinkedIn profiles either.

To keep reading, click here: Can You Control Your Employees’ LinkedIn Profiles?

Most small business owners don’t interview often, so sometimes a bit of technology can help you make better hiring decisions.

To read the article, click here:  Troubles Managing Hiring? Software That Can Help

Dear Evil HR Lady,

After I graduate I’ll be getting ready to apply for jobs and preparing for interviews. If they ask about work history, do I explain that I’ve been a stay at home mom and army wife the last 6 years or will they look down on that? Do I just say I haven’t worked in awhile? This will be my first time applying for a job since I’ve had my kids and I’m getting nervous! Also, any tips or questions I need to ask THEM that pertains to being parent (like can I take off to pick up my sick kid etc).

To read the answer, click here: Interviewing Tips for Moms Returning to the Workforce