HR questions

Back story- I work with a girl who has an auto immune disease (Granulomatosis with polyangiitis) Her only major symptom is a stuffy, runny nose.

She can never complete her work assigned. Usually I do the morning patients and she's supposed to do the afternoon. After her 1 patient in the afternoon she "doesn't feel well enough" to take the rest of her patients making me pick up her slack. She also spends about 3/4 hours of company time a day in the bathroom blowing her nose which means she's always away from her desk leaving me constantly alone. At this point, I'm no longer feeling empathetic towards her because I feel burnt out. At the end of the day I feel a job is a job and if you can't do your job then it might not be the job for you. We all are going through something, some of us just leave our problems at the door before walking into work. Last week I finally had enough and told her no I can't take your patients. She caught a major attitude and finished taking her patients. The next day she came in and had the same attitude towards me. Which is fine, I'm here to do my job and leave. Is this something I bring up to HR ? Or do I continue having to deal with it?

Jobadvisor

This is a genuinely frustrating situation, and your burnout is completely valid. Here's an honest breakdown:

Yes, bring it to HR — but frame it carefully

What you should report:

• The workload imbalance and how it's affecting your performance and wellbeing
• That you are regularly absorbing her unfinished patient load
• The impact on you — burnout, being left alone, covering duties beyond your role
• The attitude shift after you declined to take her patients

How to frame it: Lead with your experience and the operational problem, not her medical condition. Something like: "I'm consistently being asked to cover afternoon patients beyond my assigned workload, and it's creating burnout. I need help getting clarity on expectations and a sustainable workload split."

HR and management need to solve this as a staffing and workflow problem — because that's what it actually is for you.

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What HR will likely have to navigate (that you should be aware of)

Her condition (GPA) likely qualifies her for ADA accommodations in the US, which means HR can't simply let her go for symptoms related to her illness. That's their problem to solve — not yours. HR may need to reassess whether her current role is a good fit given her limitations, or redistribute the workload formally.

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What you did last week was right

Setting that boundary was appropriate. Her attitude afterward is her problem to manage, not yours. You're not obligated to absorb her workload out of empathy indefinitely.

You're not being cruel by raising this. You're protecting yourself and flagging a legitimate operational issue. The empathy you showed for a long time was generous — but it was never your formal responsibility to compensate for her limitations. HR exists precisely for situations like this.

HR, is this okay?

Context: Im a student and was offered 2 internships.

When I got offered the second one, I asked if I could push it to Fall. HR got back to me and said there was potential for Fall hours for the position if I was able to balance it with coursework. I essentially interpreted this as “I can work in the Fall, so I’ll do one in the summer and the other in the Fall”. I declined for summer, but explicitly stated that I would be excited to work in the Fall/Spring. I never heard back after that.

Looking back, I think they meant I could continue from Summer into Fall, which sucks because I would’ve seriously preferred to work there in the Summer over the other one (which was firm on Summer).

Now, weeks later, I’ve been trying to reach out to HR to get the chance to apologize and get the chance to work with them (as I seriously enjoyed the team I spoke with + the work). Is this unprofessional? Am I pushing too hard or do companies like continued interest? Any insight as to whether you even consider these applicants/situations.

Thank you.

Jobadvisor

First off, take a deep breath. Miscommunications like this happen all the time in university recruiting. It is a very easy misinterpretation to make, so don't beat yourself up over it.

To answer your question directly: No, reaching out is not unprofessional, and companies generally love genuine interest. However, the way you frame this follow-up is everything.

Here is an insider look at how HR sees this situation and how you should handle it.

What Likely Happened on HR's End

When the recruiter said you could do Fall hours if you could balance it with coursework, they almost certainly meant "You can extend your summer internship into the fall."

When you declined the summer offer, a few things happened:

• The slot was filled: They likely had to move quickly to offer that summer spot to the next candidate on their list.

• The "ghosting": Recruiters get buried in emails. Once a candidate declines an offer, they are often marked as "Closed" in the system, and follow-up emails regarding future terms easily slide under the radar.

Is it worth reaching out?

Yes, absolutely. You have nothing to lose. The worst they can do is say no or continue not responding. The best-case scenario is that they note your enthusiasm for a future co-op or post-grad role.

However, do not apologize profusely. Frame this as a clarification and a declaration of long-term interest rather than a confession of a mistake.

How to Write the Follow-Up Email

Keep it brief, professional, and forward-looking. Do not write a novel explaining the misunderstanding; just pivot to the future.

Subject: Following up / Future Opportunities - [Your Name]

Hi [Recruiter Name],

I hope you’re having a great week.

I wanted to reach out and briefly reconnect regarding the [Position Name] role. After our last conversation, I realized I may have misunderstood the structure of the internship—specifically that the Fall opportunity was intended as an extension of the Summer term rather than a standalone placement.

I was incredibly impressed by the team and the work at [Company Name], and I'm still highly interested in joining the company. While I know the timeline for this summer has likely locked into place, I wanted to reiterate my strong interest in future opportunities with you all, whether for a future term or post-graduation.

I would love to stay in touch as your hiring timeline for [Fall 2026 / Spring 2027] approaches.

Thank you again for your time and guidance throughout the process!

Best regards,

[Your Name] [Your Phone Number] [Your LinkedIn Link]

Moving Forward: The Golden Rule

Once you send this email, let it go.

If they reply, fantastic. If they don’t, it isn't personal—it just means their headcount for the year is locked in and the recruiter is underwater with current onboarding. Go crush your other summer internship, build your resume, and you can always reapply to this company with a much stronger background next season.

How long has it been since your last email to them, and did you send it to the specific recruiter you interviewed with or a general HR inbox?

How do you guys answer the weakness question in interviews?

i always seem to struggle with the question "what is your biggest weakness?" tbh, i never really have on prepared, i kinda just make it up for each interview. bad ikr. but i feel like i can never find the balance between being too performative with my answer and also being honest?

would love some tips and if anyone has some good answers PLS tell me!

Jobadvisor

First off, don't beat yourself up too much. Making it up on the spot is a rite of passage, but it is definitely playing job interview roulette on "Hard" mode.

The reason this question is such a nightmare is that traditional advice tells you to use a "fake" weakness (like "I'm just such a perfectionist!"), but interviewers can smell that corporate insincerity from a mile away. On the flip side, being too honest ("Honestly, I absolute hate waking up before 9 AM and I tend to procrastinate") will get your resume thrown in the trash.

The secret balance you are looking for lies in a simple formula: An honest, non-fatal weakness + an active, measurable solution.

Here is how to break it down and build a flawless answer.

💡 The Golden Formula

When an interviewer asks this, they aren't actually trying to find a reason to reject you. They want to see two things: self-awareness (do you know what you're bad at?) and proactivity (what are you doing to fix it?).

Your answer should always spend 20% of the time on the weakness, and 80% of the time on the solution.

1. Pick a "Safe" but Genuine Weakness

Pick something that is genuinely true for you, but not a core requirement of the job.

• Good: Saying you struggle with public speaking if you're applying for a software engineering role.

• Bad: Saying you struggle with public speaking if you're applying for a PR Manager role.

2. Explain the Impact (Briefly)

Acknowledge how this weakness shows up in your work. This provides the "honesty" the interviewer is looking for.

3. Show the Fix (The Most Important Part)

Explain the exact steps, tools, or habits you have implemented to overcome this weakness. This is where you pivot from "vulnerable" to "impressive."

📋 3 Plug-and-Play Examples

Here are three excellent, realistic frameworks you can adapt to your own experience.

Option 1: The "Trouble Delegating" (Great for Mid-Level/Growth Roles)

The Weakness: "In the past, I’ve struggled with delegation because I felt like it was faster to just do the task myself rather than taking the time to explain it to someone else."

The Fix: "However, I realized this was creating a bottleneck and limiting my team's growth. To fix this, I’ve started using project management tools like Asana to clearly document task requirements. I also now build 'training time' into my weekly schedule so I can properly hand off tasks. It’s been a great exercise in trust, and it's freed up my time to focus on higher-level strategy."

Option 2: The "Saying Yes to Too Much" (Great for Fast-Paced/Agency Roles)

The Weakness: "My biggest weakness is that I have a hard time saying no. I love being helpful, but early in my career, this led to me taking on too many projects at once and stretching myself too thin."

The Fix: "To manage this, I’ve implemented a prioritization framework. Now, whenever a colleague asks for help, instead of giving an immediate 'yes,' I check my current capacity and say, 'I'd love to help, but let me check my current queue to ensure I can give it the attention it deserves.' I also started using time-blocking on my calendar so I have a visual representation of my actual bandwidth before committing to new tasks."

Option 3: The "Data/Metrics Gap" (Great for Creative Roles)

The Weakness: "Naturally, I tend to lean heavily into the creative side of projects, and in the past, I didn't spend as much time analyzing the post-campaign data and metrics as I should have."

The Fix: "I realized that without data, I was missing half the story. Over the last year, I’ve made a conscious effort to change this. I took a short online course on Google Analytics, and I now partner closely with our data analysts at the start of every project to set clear KPIs. It’s actually made my creative work much stronger because it’s now backed by hard evidence."

🚫 What to Avoid At All Costs

• The Humblebrag: "I just care too much about my job." (It feels evasive and rehearsed).

• The Dealbreaker: "I'm really bad at meeting deadlines." (Never admit to a weakness that implies you can't do the basic job function).

• The Blame Game: "I struggle when my managers don't give me clear directions." (This shifts the weakness onto someone else, which signals a lack of accountability).

What kind of roles are you typically interviewing for? If you tell me your industry, we can nail down a specific weakness that works perfectly for your field.

I think the hardest part of being young is everyone expecting you to have a plan before you’ve even met yourself

i don’t know if this is just me but the whole “what are you doing with your life?” thing feels insane sometimes

you’re barely out of school, still figuring out what you actually like, what you’re good at, what kind of person you are, what kind of life you even want, and then suddenly everyone talks to you like you’re supposed to have a full five year plan with backup options and a pension strategy

meanwhile half the adults asking you this changed careers twice, hate their job, don’t use their degree, or openly say they “fell into” what they do

but when you’re young, being unsure gets treated like some personal failure

i think that’s what messes with people. not just the uncertainty, but the feeling that uncertainty means you’re already behind

like you’re meant to pick a path before you’ve even had enough normal life experience to know what suits you. and if you choose wrong, now you’ve “wasted time”, even though the only way to learn what you don’t want is usually by trying something and realising it’s not for you

i’m starting to think maybe being lost in your teens/20s isn’t the disaster people make it sound like

maybe it’s just the part nobody admits they also went through

Jobadvisor

This really resonates. The pressure to have it all mapped out at an age when most people are still figuring out basic things about themselves is genuinely strange when you step back and look at it.

The hypocrisy you're pointing at is real too — the same people who "fell into" their careers or changed direction multiple times often forget that their own path was messy, and they project this false clarity onto younger people. It's partly well-meaning anxiety (they want you to be okay), but it ends up feeling like judgment.

And you're right that the uncertainty itself isn't the damaging part — it's the shame around it. The idea that not knowing = being behind. That's the thing that actually sends people down the wrong paths, because they feel pressured to pick something, anything just to have an answer, rather than taking the time to actually figure out what fits them.

A few things worth sitting with:

Most meaningful paths aren't linear. They're built from experiments, detours, things you tried and dropped, skills that seemed useless until they weren't. That's not failure — that's how people actually build lives that suit them.

The "wasted time" framing is mostly wrong. A year doing something that taught you it wasn't for you is genuinely useful data. It's only wasted if you learned nothing from it.

Being lost and being behind are completely different things. Lost just means you haven't found your direction yet. Behind implies there's a race with a fixed track — and for most people, that track doesn't really exist.

The people who seem most sorted at 22 aren't necessarily winning long-term. Early certainty sometimes just means less questioning, and some of those people hit a wall later when they realize they optimized for someone else's idea of a good life.

Being in your late teens or 20s and genuinely asking who am I, what do I actually want — that's not a problem. That's exactly the right question to be asking at exactly the right time.

28f feeling like ill never be able to move up in life

I've worked multiple jobs since I was about 15 mostly being retail positions. I tolerated working in grocery so that ended up being what I stuck with while going to school for art. I lost interest in wanting to turn my art into a career, and now I regret that I wasted my early 20's getting a degree I'll never use.

At this point I'm just tired of being poor and having to tell people " I work at a grocery store ". I've dealt with depression and adhd that has definitely interfered with my growth, but I'm seeing a therapist and psychiatrist to hopefully help with that. I live at home and I can't afford to move out. My family is great and supportive and I love them but I definitely would like to have my own place. Even though I live in a HCOL area.

Whenever I have an idea of what I could potentially do, I immediately shut it down because "I'm not smart enough for that" or "I don't like talking to people a lot" or "I won't be able to handle it".

I know that I can be a very kind person and I'm very empathetic. I can be very sensitive but because of my adhd I seem to be able to work perfectly fine in chaotic environments.

I really really don't want a customer facing job but I'll do it if I have to.

I think getting into the healthcare field would be the best for me to do. I considered going into health IT but I'm not a very techy person...plus I don't really want to have a remote job, I like being able to clock in and clock out at a separate place.

I've always thought medical workers looked really cool in their scrubs, and their work is honorable. So I thought...why not try?

I was suggested radiology tech and I'm considering it, but the tuition is intimidating me. I would really like a job that gives me structure and will give me a livable salary. I'm from NY if it matters.

Jobadvisor

First off, I want to acknowledge how much heavy lifting you’ve been doing. Navigating depression and ADHD while working a demanding grocery job is exhausting, and taking the steps to see a therapist and psychiatrist is a massive win. Seriously, give yourself credit for that.

It is incredibly common to feel "behind" at 28, but you haven't wasted your time. That art degree proves you can commit to a long-term goal, and that grocery background means you have elite-level chaos management skills. ADHD brains often thrive in high-intensity, structured environments where you can "hyper-focus" on a task, tick it off, and move to the next.

Healthcare is actually a fantastic pivot for you. It offers the distinct "clock-in, clock-out" boundary you want, it pays a living wage (especially in NY), you get to wear scrubs, and many roles are highly structured with surprisingly minimal, scripted patient interaction.

Let’s break down some solid, non-techy, lower-customer-facing healthcare paths that fit your brain, along with how to handle that tuition anxiety.

3 Healthcare Paths to Consider

1. Rad Tech (Radiologic Technologist)

Since this was suggested to you, let's keep it on the table because it's a great job.

• The Vibe: You position patients, take the X-ray/scan, and send them on their way.

• Social Battery: Low-to-medium. It’s "one-on-one" for about 10 to 15 minutes. You use a script: "Stand here, hold your breath, don't move, okay you're done." You aren't making small talk for an hour.

• ADHD Friendly: Highly structured. There is a clear physical process to getting a good image.

2. Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT)

If you truly want to avoid talking to people, the lab is your sanctuary.

• The Vibe: You run tests on blood, tissue, and fluid samples. You are the detective behind the scenes.

• Social Battery: Extremely low. Your "patients" are test tubes and barcodes. You interact mostly with a small team of coworkers.

• ADHD Friendly: It’s task-oriented, highly organized, and involves hands-on, tactile work. Your attention to detail and empathy (knowing a real person needs these results) will shine here.

3. Surgical Technologist (Scrub Tech)

You wanted to look cool in scrubs? This is the ultimate "cool in scrubs" job.

• The Vibe: You prepare the operating room, sterilize instruments, and pass tools to the surgeon during operations.

• Social Battery: Zero patient interaction (they are asleep!). You just need to communicate effectively with the surgical team.

• ADHD Friendly: Excellent for chaotic environments. It is fast-paced, high-stakes, and requires intense focus for a set block of time, then it's over.

Confronting the "Tuition Panic"

Tuition is terrifying, especially when you are already feeling trapped financially. However, NY has some unique advantages, and healthcare education is structured differently than a standard 4-year degree.

• Community Colleges are King: Do not look at private technical schools. Look at SUNY or CUNY community colleges. They offer Associate Degrees (A.A.S.) for Rad Tech, Lab Tech, and Surgical Tech that are highly respected and a fraction of the cost.

• The "Work-Back" Strategy: Many hospitals in NY are so desperate for staff that they will hire you in an entry-level, non-certified role (like a Patient Care Sitter, Dietary Aide, or Supply Chain Clerk) and pay for your tuition if you go to school to become a Rad Tech or Lab Tech for them.

• Financial Aid: Because you are currently working a grocery wage, you will likely qualify for significant financial aid (FAFSA) and NY-specific grants (TAP) that could cover most, if not all, of a community college tuition.

Quiet the Inner Critic

When your brain says, "I'm not smart enough," that isn't a fact; it's your depression and a history of ADHD struggles talking. You passed college courses to get an art degree. You can learn anatomy. Healthcare training isn't about being a genius; it's about learning a specific, repeatable skill and practicing it until it's muscle memory.

You are kind, empathetic, cool under pressure, and ready for a change. That is the exact recipe for a great healthcare worker.

To help narrow this down: Out of the three paths above—taking the images (Rad Tech), analyzing the samples in a lab (Lab Tech), or being in the operating room (Surgical Tech)—which one instinctively gives you a feeling of excitement rather than anxiety?