Dear Bozz: How do I go about asking my supervisor if I could possibly fill a vacancy in our workplace?  Basically right now  an idiot could do my job.  If I were to get this position, it would mean more money, and something that would be a whole lot more stimulating… Read full post »

Dear Bozz: I enjoy my job and I generally get along well with my coworkers, even if they're not people I want to see outside of work. This might be none of my business. A small group of coworkers have formed a kind of high school clique. They refer to themselves… Read full post »

I recently wrote a column in which I encouraged a woman criticized by her coworkers to "reach out" to her most fired-up critic. 

 It is very, very important that this woman does not now attempt to "Clear the air," "Get it out in the open," or otherwise use the relationship techniques… Read full post »

Dear Bozz: I was taught that business email communications should be short, focused on the task at hand, and formal in tone. My new boss recently told me that people at work think my emails are too abrupt. One girl cried because she said I didn't say thank you for setting… Read full post »

Dear Bozz: I hate corporate America. Loathe it with every fiber of my being. My issue? I'm a year into a graduate school program I really don't think I'll be happy with in the long run because it leads to corporate America. I think I'd be happier running my own business.… Read full post »

Dear Bozz: I read your answer to the question "Can I Say a Former Job 'Wasn't a Good Fit?"I don't quite understand why that's not a good answer.  It happens.  You start out great and over years it goes downhill.  You grow but the job doesn't grow.  Or you want to grow… Read full post »

High standards for one's own conduct and performance are fine, but establishing high standards for OTHER people is the real fun. This test will tell you how close you are to reaching the dream of a world where everyone with whom you are forced to interact can achieve the goals you've… Read full post »

Dear Bozz: I like my job. My problem is the boss. He's taken a special interest in me, and stops by my desk for social calls on a fairly regular basis. Every time he does, he tells a little joke, usually one that sounds like he read it in an old… Read full post »

Perhaps you've never wondered if your many contributions to others, solicited or not, are as welcome as you've always assumed. If so, you might be surprised to learn that a lack of curiosity about other's opinions is a highlight of the control freak personality. Here's a little test to help you… Read full post »

Dear Bozz: I share a small office with a guy who talks about his need for a girlfriend all the time. He's nice enough. I know a lot of girls who would like to go out with someone like him. The problem is he wants to go out with a super… Read full post »

Dear Bozz: I start a fabulous internship on The Hill in another couple of weeks. I want them to hire me at the end. How do I make a great impression? 

 West Wing Hopeful

Dear West: The Hill  runs on endless supplies of enthusiastic free labor; not very many interns go… Read full post »

Dear Bozz: I am the youngest woman in an office of mostly women. I like nice clothes, and I like to take care of myself. Most of the other women say they "like to be comfortable." The office recently distributed a new work attire policy banning heels higher than 3 inches.… Read full post »

Dear Bozz: My employee is incompetent and it's making more work for me. He recently missed a deadline, and when he finally turned in the case report, three weeks late, it had a mistake on the very first page. On top of my regular duties, I had to redo the entire… Read full post »

Dear Bozz: Do you think it's a good idea to say, "It wasn't a good fit," if the topic of my former job comes up in an interview? I can use my former employer as a reference, and I think he'd agree that was the situation. I know I can't bad… Read full post »

Dear Bozz: I share an office with a woman who keeps the thermostat at 50 degrees, at all times. She wears sweaters, so it's not a temperature thing. She says it's better for her allergies. She's never been to the doctor to confirm these allergies. It's something she heard somewhere. I… Read full post »

As of last month, the overall ratio of jobs to job seekers stands at 6 to 1. Most people today who are lucky enough to get an interview will take the job, whatever the merits of the people offering employment. 

I can't argue with desperation, but I still think it's important… Read full post »

I was the kid in grade school who told all the other little kids that Santa was nothing but a fat lie. I was so insistent and persuasive that the teacher sent a note home to my parents. 

 Not much has changed in the years since. When my friends gather and… Read full post »