Liz Ryan

CEO Human Workplace, coach, creator. Empowering working people to have the lives and careers they deserve. Join my community at

[Liz Ryan @humanworkplace]

THE TEN PILLARS OF FEAR-BASED MANAGEMENT

1. Attendance policies for salaried employees
2. Stack ranking
3. Bell curve performance reviews (limiting the # of folks who can be excellent, above average, etc).
4. PIPs
5. Insubordination as a concept (much less a disciplinary issue)

[goma @soigomaa]

No woman is born of a man’s rib. Every man is born of a woman’s womb. One of the patriarchy’s oldest lie is crowning the father as the lifegiver.

[Liz Ryan @humanworkplace]

Here's the link to join:

https://t.co/wIxqaPS93Y

[Liz Ryan @humanworkplace]

Join me tomorrow night - Wednesday, June 3 at 7:00 pm ET - for a YouTube Live strategy session on how to navigate working under a bad boss.

Bring your questions, stories and observations - everyone is welcome!

[Liz Ryan @humanworkplace]

It doesn't matter:

1) How lofty your job title is
2) How much you get paid, or
3) How prestigious your company is.

Here's what matters:

Are you driving your own career?

If you are, you have control.

If you're not, you're someone else's puppet.

That's terrifying.

You deserve better!

[Liz Ryan @humanworkplace]

Performance reviews are time-wasting, insulting nonsense

https://t.co/kjt4BIO0CK

[Liz Ryan @humanworkplace]

One evening in the nineteen-seventies, my dad hosted a fancy business event on behalf of his company at one of the university clubs in Manhattan.

He was a magazine publisher. The event was an annual bash for his team and their most important advertisers and clients.

The event was going wonderfully when my dad got an urgent call from the lobby imploring him to come down and deal with a situation right away.

He took the elevator down to learn that the ground floor staff had prohibited a guest bearing an invitation (a client) from entering the elevator to join the party.

Why did they do that?

Because she was a woman, and she arrived alone.

At that time, the club did not allow women beyond the lobby unless they were accompanied by a man.

The club concierge and ground floor staff had told the woman she could not enter, so she laid on the floor on her back and waited for something to happen.

What a badass!

My dad came downstairs, told the club staff they were being ridiculous, his company had not agreed to the no-unaccompanied-women rule, and my dad and his client went upstairs.

He came home very embarrassed.

He said, this nonsense will be over by the time you grow up.

But it isn’t over.

All-male panels make decisions about women’s health.

When my dad threw that party where a woman had to lie on the floor in protest, we had control over our bodies.

Now, we don’t.

Around the same time, a constitutional amendment was drafted to give women in the US the same rights as men.

That amendment is not in force today.

My rights and every woman’s rights begin and end at each state line.

Can you imagine?

Can we call ourselves a civilized country?

We should be moving ahead but instead, we are hurtling backwards.

[Liz Ryan @humanworkplace]

Those poor @Reds players every time I see them in those bright red pajamas I think of my first grade son's sleepover birthday party

[Liz Ryan @humanworkplace]

Interviewers ask, what is your greatest weakness?

You are expected to share your innermost feelings after knowing them for 10 seconds.

It’s a pure power play

I do not feel powerful in my own life, but the little bit of authority this organization gives me (as a person who interviews candidates) allows me to ask questions it’s normally unacceptable to ask a person unless you and they are very, very close.

It’s almost as though the entire interview process is structured to reinforce the presumed unequal power relationship between the interviewer and the candidate.

[𝗠𝘂𝗵𝗲𝗲 ♛ @muheediva01]

Holiday weekends are PROOF we can have 4 day work weeks and get the same amount of work done.

[Liz Ryan @humanworkplace]

@Yankees Aaron Judge, 6 for 7 in his challenges. That man needs bright pink paint on his knees.

[Liz Ryan @humanworkplace]

@BriHReed @Cornell Wait – is the idea that Oswald did not act independently considered a conspiracy theory?

[Liz Ryan @humanworkplace]

Here’s a new puzzle! Your job is to organize the 16 words in the boxes below into four categories that each contain four words.

The four words in each category will be connected somehow. They might be the four seasons, or four words that often precede the word “mother” or almost any other common element.

Leave a comment if you need a hint!

[kylei 🧶 @ruledbymercuryy]

found my mom’s grocery receipt from 2006, and I just fell to my knees omg…🧎🏾‍♀️

[Liz Ryan @humanworkplace]

YOU WANT MY REFERENCES NOW - BEFORE WE’VE EVEN SPOKEN?

Hi Liz,

My partner is applying for a non-teaching role at a University where they require including three references with names, titles, and full contact information.

This seems like a huge ask to candidates who haven't even been contacted for a first-round interview. Is this the new normal?

Thanks so much,
Chris

P.S. I'm a huge fan and appreciate everything you share!

Hi Chris,

Your partner is right to question this – it is a huge red flag.

Large organizations and institutions can easily fall into the trap of believing that it is such a privilege to work for them – or even to get an interview with them – that they can ask candidates to do almost anything.

Asking for references and their contact information before you’ve even spoken with the candidate is not only a red flag, but a real risk.

Unfortunately, I’ve heard countless stories from people who submitted their references upon request (or demand, if we are honest) before they ever spoke with a representative of the company.

Then, they heard that their references were hit up - not to supply a reference, but as sales leads.

Imagine if your partner applied for jobs with three local universities and each one of those universities contacted your partner’s references.

We can only try to imagine how little those universities care about the reference-givers’ time in relation to their own.

Are they so afraid that your partner might have some horrible flaw that would prevent them from being a good candidate that they insist on talking to the references before they speak with the candidate?

It’s insulting, clueless and unethical.

It’s also bad recruiting practice.

Recruiting is selling.

Recruiting means inviting people in, not driving away talent with a stick.

That being said, I heard from a reader about a university using a recruiting practice that may be even worse.

This university required not only three references with your application, but also a voided check – so that if they hired you, they’d already have the information they need for direct deposit.

Keep in mind that the person who gets your banking details could’ve been hired by the university two days ago and could quit or be let go tomorrow.

Do we really want to trust our private banking information so casually?

There are red flags in a lot of recruiting pipelines and this one might not be enough to get your partner to drop out, but it is certainly one to take note of.

Here’s to your sweetie, and all of us!

Best,

Liz

P.S. thanks for your kind words!

Registration opens this week for my job search course Get Your Dream Job 2026.

Tomorrow is the last day to join the earlybird list and have the first opportunity to register when the card opens.

Here’s the link to join the list:

https://t.co/oVnnzH395h

[Liz Ryan @humanworkplace]

I HATE THE QUESTION, "TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF"

Hi Liz,

I hate the question, "Tell me about yourself." How do I answer it?

Thanks,

Noel

Hi Noel,

That question irritates a lot of people but it's actually an incredible opening for one of the most effective interview moves - here's an example.

THEM: So Noel, tell me about yourself.

YOU: For sure! I've been in enterprise software sales for about seven years, mostly at Wiggly Systems -- but I don't want you to bore you walking through my resume. Can I ask you a quick question, to make sure I'm tailoring my remarks to the situation here?

THEM: For sure.

YOU: Okay, great. I know you just created a partnership with Voluble Software - does that mean you'll be working with their clients, and they with yours?

THEM: We're still figuring that out but in general, yes. Have you worked with Voluble products?

YOU: I did, at Prehistoric Ventures. Voluble's biggest accounts are probably universities, correct?

THEM: Yes. That's where we need to go, also. Have you worked in that space?

YOU: Absolutely. Wazzamatta U and Old Ivy are two of my biggest accounts now.

THEM: I'd love to hear more about how those folks look at purchase decisions for solutions like ours.

---------------------------

Any time you can get the interviewer off the script and into a substantive conversation, you're in great shape. It does you no good to walk through your resume when you could be talking about the real issues behind the job opening - the pain that got the organization to approve a job opening in the first place.

I'm about to teach my course Get Your Dream Job 2026, to guide 100 people through the process of zeroing in on their career direction, branding themselves and interviewing with power and confidence to get the jobs they deserve.

Registration opens this Wednesday, May 20, and will close when all spots are taken!

Join the early interest list here:

https://t.co/oVnnzH395h

[Liz Ryan @humanworkplace]

TEN FALSE & DAMAGING BELIEFS ABOUT JOB SEARCH

1. Your job as a candidate is to please the interviewer and everyone else you interact with as on your job search. Be agreeable and docile, above all. If they want you to complete an unpaid assignment at home, go all out to make sure your assignment is the best one they receive.

2. Don't ever bring up the topic of compensation. If they want to hire you, they'll offer you the salary they feel is appropriate.

3. If an employer wants you to meet them on short notice, do it. If they want you to take tests and assessments, do it. If they want you to travel long distance for an interview, pay for the trip yourself.

4. Don't ask any challenging questions at the interview - you're lucky to be there.

5. If an employer wants to contact your references before they've even had a conversation with you, it's fine. Your reference-givers' time is less important than employers getting what they want.

6. You might pick up signals during the recruiting process that the organization isn't a great place to work. Ignore these signals.

7. Be sure to let the interviewers know you are a hard worker with infinite availability and no commitments outside of work that you can't break. Let them know that you'll do anything they want you to do if they hire you.

8. Feel free to share any personal information an interviewer asks you for. They're considering hiring you, so they deserve to know whatever they want.

9. Whatever the job offer is, take it. You might not get another one.

10. Remember, employers are mighty and you are just another candidate, so do what you're told and above all, don't think you're anyone special.

If these beliefs don't sit right with you, hurrah! You understand that you are not just a cog in someone else's machine.

You understand that you deserve a job that values your talent and experience.

I'm about to teach my course Get Your Dream Job 2026, to help people who are ready to step out of the traditional job-search box get the jobs they deserve.

Join the early interest list here:

https://t.co/oVnnzH395h

[Liz Ryan @humanworkplace]

HOW DO I EXPLAIN WHY I'VE BEEN UNEMPLOYED FOR SO LONG?

Q. Hi Liz, I'm in my eighth month of full-time job searching. Before I got laid off, I worked for fifteen years straight without a break but I've had interviewers ask me why I've been out of work for so long.

It's because I haven't found a job yet, obviously. The question seems to come from a disapproving place, like, "What's wrong with you such that you haven't gotten hired yet?" How should I answer this question?

A. It's a very bad question to ask - in fact, it's none of an interviewer's business what you've been doing since you left your last job, as the answer has nothing to do with your skills or experience. But if you get the question you still have to answer it, so here's how to think about that question and how to respond.

You worked for fifteen years without a significant break. That's an incredibly long time. The key to answering an unfortunate (and let's face it, inappropriate) and intrusive question like, 'Why have you been unemployed for so long?' is to reframe it in your mind long before the interview - starting right now - so by the time you hear that question you'll be calm and centered, and the question won't rattle you.

It won't rattle you because you'll know that people sometimes do and say things without really thinking about them - we've all done that - and sometimes they say things that are impolite.

Here's the reframe:

I've had a great career so far. I got laid off and took some time to regroup. I didn't choose to get laid off but when it happened, I took the opportunity tor recharge and reevaluate my path.

------------------

Here's how this new outlook might emerge in an interview:

THEM: Why have you been unemployed for so long?

YOU: You know, I'd never taken a career break since I started working fifteen years ago so when our division was eliminated, I knew it was time for a pause. I'm very glad to have had the opportunity to stop and look at my career path and decide where to go next. I recommend that sort of reflection for everyone!

---------------------------------------------

Eleanor Roosevelt famously said that no one can make you feel inferior without your consent, and this issue is the perfect example of that.

Once you reflect on the fact that you never signed up to start working at a young age and work straight through to retirement without a pause - and that it would be absurd to expect anyone to do so - you won't feel indignant about that question anymore.

I'm about to teach my course Get Your Dream Job 2026, to help 100 people get the jobs they deserve by learning my non-traditional, empowered Human-Voiced Job Search approach.

Here's the link to join the early interest list:

https://t.co/A8pWPDHgnq

[Liz Ryan @humanworkplace]

@wakfesyen It’s jewelry not jewellery and it’s not pronounced “jillery””