#yes some people have told me spreadsheets are too difficult to figure out but trust me if I can figure it out so can you

[not-rome]

I have a thing for spreadsheets. I can't stop making them for everything. Each of my chapter fics have a spreadsheet with multiple sheets. There usually at least three sheets but some have like 10. I'm fully aware I use them a little obsessively (I cannot do anything without updating/adding onto the spreadsheet) but I can't stop now. Things are so much easier to navigate in writing because all the information and organization I need is in one spot, neatly laid out. Everyone should use spreadsheets in my opinion.

[softyyy]

Softy’s Guide to Acne!

As a looooooooong time sufferer of acne, this issue is near and dear to my heart.

Please note that everyone’s skin is so different so the most important piece of advice I could ever give you is PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR SKIN!!!!!!

Yes, you can read advice from whoever you want, but like you, your skin is unique, so please listen to what your skin wants/likes/dislikes. The easiest way to do this is to write everything down. Whether its on paper or digitally (like with a spreadsheet), write down when you start using a product and what effects it has.

There are also a lot of environmental things to consider when dealing with acne; food, stress, etc., so keep track of all of those things as well.

Another tip I have is to leave your face alone!!! Seriously. Don’t touch it. Don’t pop pimples. I know it can be so difficult (as someone who used to be a compulsive picker, trust me, I get it), but it’s so important not to touch your face. So start researching methods and keep trying different things until something works.

In terms of a skincare routine the three basic steps are:

Cleanse, “Tone”, Moisturize

(“Toning” has become quite controversial as many toners are the market are too irritating for many skin types. However, with the popularity of the “10-step Korean Skincare Routine”, there have been a lot of moisturizing toners that are a great alternative.)

Cleansing: finding a cleanser that cleans your face but keeps the moisture barrier of your skin intact is key. Double cleansing has become a popular method of using one step to remove makeup and another to clean the skin. I personally like using cleansing oils, as I have pretty dry skin.

Toning: figure out what your skin type is (dry, oily, combination) and find a toner that works for you. Read every review you can and track products when you start using them to see what effect they have

Moisturize: I personally think it’s really important for everyone to moisturize, even if you have oily skin. I love using oils to moisture so check out my post (here) to see what oils would be best for your skin type.

Exfoliation

Exfoliation is important to get rid of dead skin and increase cell turnover. Physical exfoliators have been known to be too abrasive, and I have to agree. I definitely think chemical exfoliation is the way to go. I like light versions of salicylic acid, glycolic acid and Azelaic Acid (check out my post on acids if you want more info) Start using light exfoliators once a week and work your way up to more. 

As you start to take control of your skin, you can add more products if you want, but starting simple might help your skin calm down.  

Some acne products that have worked for me:

-          Light Salicylic acid

-          Diluted Tea Tree Oil

-          Hydrocortisone bandages

-          Hormonal Acne: Zinc & Castor Oil – Nappy Rash Cream (I seriously love zinc creams so much - if you haven’t tried one before I highly recommend!!)

-          Jojoba oil

** And my final tip is if things get bad, or nothing is changing; go to a derm or a doctor. I once went to a doctor and I apologized for “wasting his time” because “there were actually sick people waiting to see him” and he said that if anyone should be there, it’s me. He told me that acne is a serious condition that can lead to scarring, anxiety, low self-esteem and depression. So don’t ever feel embarrassed or stupid for going to see a doctor!

[techstaffer]

#HRQ&A - I got a Creepy Job Interview Invitation,  and more

#HRQ&A - I got a Creepy Job Interview Invitation,  and more -  #HR   #Business http://dld.bz/hjCR6

A creepy interview invitation, employer wants my resume in a spreadsheet, and more

by ALISON GREEN on DECEMBER 21, 2018

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…

1. This interview invitation feels creepy

I’m a young-ish woman. There’s a guy (slightly older than me) who works in the same building I do, but for a different employer. He seems like a nice guy and we get along fine, but he’s been showing a strong personal interest in me for several months now. The thing is, I can’t tell if he’s just being friendly or if he’s flirting with me. I’m single, but he’s married, so I’m mildly uncomfortable, but I’ve been trying to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Since last summer, he’s been strongly hinting that he might want to hire me, if he gets approval to hire a new staff member. Well, he recently got approval, I applied, and now he’s offered me an interview. What’s weird, though, is that this job involves a lot of duties that I have almost no experience with. I’m confident that I could learn how to perform those duties, but I really don’t have the experience, so it seems odd that he’s so interested in me as a candidate. But I was still trying to give him the benefit of the doubt.

But then, when I politely requested an evening interview so I wouldn’t have to miss work, he said that he’d take me out to dinner (just the two of us) and we would do the interview then. I know high-ranking positions will sometimes involve dinner interviews with company executives, but this is just an admin role.

So, now I��m really starting to wonder. Is he really just being friendly? In which case, maybe he’s interested in hiring me (even though I lack experience) because he likes my personality, work ethic, soft skills, etc.? Or is he a creep who’s flirting with me and wanting to cheat on his wife?

The job would pay a lot more than I’m making now (and I really need the money) and I don’t want to turn down the job if he really is just being friendly, but I also don’t want to accept the job and then get into a bad situation. Also, if I get into a bad situation, then I won’t financially be able to afford to quit. I really don’t know what to do with this. I’m really stressing out about this interview.

I’m sorry to say it, but it sounds like there’s a pretty good chance that this interview or “interview” isn’t motivated entirely by your professional skills. How much did this guy really know about your experience and skills before telling you he’d like to hire you? If you just work in the same building and have seen each other in passing, I’m guessing he didn’t know a ton about your actual work when he said that, which doesn’t bode well.

And the dinner interview … yes, dinner invitations happen, and you did ask for a meeting in the evening, but I would trust your gut. You’ve been uncomfortable all along, and now he wants to take you to dinner to talk about a job that you don’t think you’re a logical match for.

If you want to at least talk to him and learn more, then in response to the dinner invitation, you can try saying, “I’d prefer to interview in your office so we can focus on the job” and see how that goes over. And you can ask a lot in the interview about the needs of the role and how he sees your background fitting in with that. You can say things like, “I’m curious what made you think of me for this role. It seems like you’re looking for X and Y, which isn’t my background.”

But trust your gut.

2. Employer wants my resume in spreadsheet format

I’m job hunting and have gone back and forth with an employer via email a bit. Everything seemed pretty normal and typical with our correspondence but then today I got a request as follows: “Thank you for following up on your application. Would you please be able to transfer your resume into a Google spreadsheet and share it with me? The spreadsheet should include everything that’s in your current Word version such as positions you have held with titles, descriptions, dates, etc.”

I have been in the workforce for over 20 years and this is a first. A resume in SPREADSHEET format? I almost would have thought this was an error and she just wanted it from Word into Google Docs, but no, she is very clear she wants a spreadsheet format.

This is a high-level admin position, with (I’m assuming) a lot of applicants. Is this a test? I’m thinking that this is a test for them to see if I’m able to transfer the information in a way that is logical. I seriously can’t think of any other reason why a resume would be asked for in a spreadsheet. Mind you, it would be one thing if it were just a list of prior jobs and their dates, but she wants all the information, so it’s going to look weird.

Yes, that’s extremely odd. It’s possible that it’s a test (but if so, it’s a terrible one because without any explanation it’s going to turn off good candidates, as it has you), but it’s also possible that it’s just plain old incompetence on their part (which explains quite a bit of hiring-process strangeness).

It’s okay to ask for clarification. You could say, “To make sure I understand, is this an exercise to assess my use of Excel? If so, I can certainly do that — just want to make sure I understand the context.”

3. My coworkers say I’m too loud when I talk on the phone

I got feedback yesterday that I am bothering some of my colleagues (open floor plan, nobody has offices) because I talk loudly on the phone (which is like half of my job). And, it’s true! I do! I am excited and passionate and that manifests in volume and gesticulation that I don’t really notice I’m doing.

I feel embarrassed and deflated, but also like screw you, man. Sorry I care about my work. Put on headphones! But, mostly, I feel embarrassed and not sure what to do. Do I book a conference room for all calls I have to take, annoying and time consuming as that would be? Do I try a new headset that’s only on one ear so maybe being able to hear myself will help me be more quiet? Keep doing my thing and let people figure out their own solution if it bothers them? Ugh.

Not the latter. If your volume is bothering people, then you do have an obligation to try to control it. You’re in an open office, and having to modulate your voice is part of the deal. It’s not reasonable to expect people to wear headphones all day long instead of you trying to modulate your voice, difficult as it might be. (And I do know that it might be difficult, if you’re just naturally a louder person.) This is reason #591 why open offices suck.

Try your headset-in-one-ear-only idea and see if it helps. Try taking some calls in conferences rooms — not all of them necessarily, but doing that with even a portion of your calls will probably help things, especially calls that you know are likely to be long. And try just being more aware that there are people around you whose concentration is broken when you’re loud, and it sucks for all of you. Maybe some of this will help, maybe it won’t — but if people see you making an effort, that itself will likely be appreciated.

(And why oh why do offices put people whose jobs are 50% phone work in open floor plans around people whose jobs aren’t? It’s ridiculous.)

4. Interviewing a candidate for the same job I’m applying for

My manager asked me last month to apply for a position (essentially a career promotion) that I would be “a perfect fit” and “exceeded expectations” for. I apply and wait, coming to find out two other coworkers (within the same team) were also told that they should apply for the same position with similar encouragements as internal candidates. I accept that the position is competitive and try to keep a level head given the difficult social situation. Now, my manager invites an external candidate to interview, only inviting myself and the two other internal candidates to this private meeting. I am feeling a major conflict of interest and I am now incredibly uncomfortable at this point. How do I confront this situation as a professional?

Yeah, that’s a conflict of interest and your manager shouldn’t have put you in that position. It’s particularly odd that she’s pulling in the two other internal candidates too.

But since she has, you’ll actually help your own candidacy if you’re scrupulously objective about this candidate, because it’ll show professional maturity and an ability to put the needs of the organization first. To the best you can, go into the interview pretending that you’re not interested in the job yourself, be warm and friendly to the candidate, and try to generally assess her fit for the job and with your team. If you end up thinking she’s not especially well matched with it, that’s actually a trickier situation than if she is, because you’ll need to share your reservations without sounding like you’re biased. In that case, I’d recommend leading with, “I realize I may have bias because I’m interested in the role myself, but my biggest priority is getting the right person in the role, and while I do think Jane brings some strengths, I’m concerned about ____. That would be my feedback regardless of my own candidacy, although it’s awkward to give it as a candidate myself.”

But it’s super weird that your manager is doing this, and it would also be fine to say to her advance, “I’m wondering about having me and other internal candidates present in an interview of another candidate, and worry it could look like a conflict of interest, especially if the external candidate later learns someone in their interview was hired. Would it make sense for us to sit this out?”

5. Can I ask to be paid monthly instead of semi-monthly?

I’ve worked overseas, where once-a-month paychecks are the norm. I just accepted an offer in NYC and notice the pay will be semi-monthly. Is it poor etiquette to ask for a monthly direct deposit (for ease with bill paying and because otherwise I worry that I’ll be tempted to spend my money impulsively since I know I have another paycheck coming)? Is it even possible?

Nope, you can’t do that. New York, like many states, requires that employers pay semi-monthly. But even if that weren’t the case, you’d be asking them to do the work of a separate payroll run just for you, which isn’t practical.

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[hepatitushepatits]

Pls I want to make spreadsheets idk how to it won't let me xD

I have a thing for spreadsheets. I can't stop making them for everything. Each of my chapter fics have a spreadsheet with multiple sheets. There usually at least three sheets but some have like 10. I'm fully aware I use them a little obsessively (I cannot do anything without updating/adding onto the spreadsheet) but I can't stop now. Things are so much easier to navigate in writing because all the information and organization I need is in one spot, neatly laid out. Everyone should use spreadsheets in my opinion.