Liz Ryan's Comments

Mom Let Me Off the Hook by Liz Ryan

Apr 23, 2006 | rating: 9.3 | comments: 21

Liz Ryan Apr 25, 2006, 6:50pm EDT

Such great comments from all - and I am particularly struck by George's observation about re-defining Quality Time. A recent study showed that stay-at-home moms, on average, spend one hour per week less interacting with their child(ren) than working moms do. In New York last week I met a mom who said that her five-year-old has two activities every day of the week. Is that quality or quantiy?

The Post-Interview Thank You Letter: Getting it Right by Liz Ryan

Feb 15, 2006 | rating: 9.8 | comments: 13

Liz Ryan Apr 24, 2006, 12:00pm EDT

Diana raises a good question about paper (snail-mail) versus emailed thank-you notes. I surveyed a group of 1000 leaders on this topic and the consensus was overwhelming: email all the way. The reason is that most people can't write small enough letters to include much content in a hand-written letter. Also, we are so out of practice with handwriting, that most of us have handwriting that is not especially easy to read. So, in general, your handwritten note is only able to include a few sentences, which take the reader a couple of minutes to get through; and in those few sentences, the most that you can convey is "thank you for meeting with me."

The advantage of the emailed thank-you letter is that you can really dig into those substantive issues and show what you heard at the interview (and how you processed it based on your experience). If you want to, you can ALSO send a very quick hand-written thank-you on a notecard - there's no harm in doing both. But if you can only do one, make it the detailed - pithy, relevant and crisp, also - emailed thank-you letter.

The Post-Interview Thank You Letter: Getting it Right by Liz Ryan

Feb 15, 2006 | rating: 9.8 | comments: 13

Liz Ryan Feb 17, 2006, 9:17pm EST

Damian, it's sad that you would consider a polite post-interview followup letter to be "slick marketing and lobbying." As a hiring manager for 20+years, I value the post-interview letter for its ability to help me see how a candidate processed what he or she heard in the interview, and to get a great feel for the quality of his or her thinking. How the heck is that 'slick'? Is a resume or cover letter - the kind that Europeans use just like Americans - also 'slick'? How could you characterize my thank you letter, versus your own, as insincere? Your blanket statement "Liz's letter works here because American culture is...." says little about U.S. versus European culture, and volumes about you.

Ten Questions for Your Next Boss by Liz Ryan

Feb 3, 2006 | rating: 9.4 | comments: 16

Liz Ryan Feb 7, 2006, 5:20pm EST

My point exactly Bill! How could a question be okay to ask in ONE direction and not in the OTHER direction? Isn't that strange, in and of itself? If the interview isn't casual and going well, isn't that an enormous red flag? I am glad to see this conversation. It highlights for me how often we fall into the mindset that the boss is in charge, and the poor little applicant is the humble supplicant. That's out. I'd never, ever advise anyone to approach a job interview that way.

You are your prospective boss are in the process of striking (or not striking) a business deal. If you would feel uncomfortable asking a perfectly reasonable question like "what else are you into, besides this job?" that would be an enormous danger sign.

We Got Some Kittens by Liz Ryan

Feb 7, 2006 | comments: 2

Liz Ryan Feb 7, 2006, 2:34pm EST

Thanks Elizabeth! That NYC centennial was back in 1986. That's when Michael and I started dating. We got married in the great state of North Carolina in 1992 and now live in Boulder, Colorado with our FIVE KIDS AND SEVEN ANIMALS. I'll post some pictures of them! Sad to say, those 1986 kittens have died in the meantime. Their names were Toro, Scout and Soshi. I also had an older cat named Heda (as in "Heeda-nist.") cheers - Liz

Job-Hunting While Pregnant by Liz Ryan

Jan 25, 2006 | comments: 2

Liz Ryan Feb 7, 2006, 12:58am EST

Pregnant status is definitely protected, Eric. You cannot legally be declined a job for that reason. Does that mean it never happens? It happens all the time! The shocking part is that when I was interviewed on this topic for a big-city daily and they did a survey of HR VPs in the area, half of them say that they would expect to know about a candidate's pregnant state during the interview...the only possible benefit of that knowledge being, of course, that possession of that information would give the employer the ability to unlawfully disciminate against the pregnant candidate! cheers - Liz

For Job-Hunters: Twenty Useful Job-Interview Questions by Liz Ryan

Feb 6, 2006 | comments: 1

Liz Ryan Feb 7, 2006, 12:47am EST

My take PJ is that as long as I use "his" and "her" with equal frequency, I've done my job and the reader is spared the tedious his/her, he/she contortions throughout the article. On the very next instance of "his" or "he," had there been one, it would have been "she." :-) Liz
p.s. if you want more details on my gender-related props, check out my website, www.worldwit.org

Ten Questions for Your Next Boss by Liz Ryan

Feb 3, 2006 | rating: 9.4 | comments: 16

Liz Ryan Feb 6, 2006, 9:19pm EST

Shannon is mistaken - a boss asking a prospective employee what he or she does for fun could not give rise to an employment discrimination suit. There is no protected class for people with various interests outside of work. Asking a prospective boss what he or she values outside of work is a tremendous way to find out whether the manager HAS a life outside of work. The question doesn't presume that the candidate is interested in being friends. It's a question about the sort of person you'll be working for. I wouldn't read into the question "Liz, what do you do outside of work?" any notion that the candidate I'm meeting wants to be my pal. I also think it's important to note that the interview is for the benefit of BOTH parties. It's not just a meeting to determine whether the candidate can do the job. It's also a meeting to determine whether the boss can do the job - the job of managing this employee. I hope that every candidate feels that way about interviews. It's not just you who's selling something. Cheers - Liz

Ten Questions for Your Next Boss by Liz Ryan

Feb 3, 2006 | rating: 9.4 | comments: 16

Liz Ryan Feb 6, 2006, 6:57pm EST

Thanks Bonnie - but I don't agree that any of these questions is inappropriate to ask of a boss. I've been a boss since 1980, and in my view, if you don't feel comfortable asking questions like "what do you do outside of work?" you and the prospective boss don't have much rapport going. "What keeps you up at night?" is way different than "what are your biggest priorities?" If the prospective boss think it's impertinent for you to ask what really bothers him/her, what's most wrong in the business, what kind of a relationship are you going to have in the workplace? It's just critically important that you communicate, BEFORE you get the job, that you're going to want to deal with your boss on a professional-to-professional level.
Cheers - Liz

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Liz Ryan
Boulder, CO

Twitter: asklizryan

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