My boss is encouraging me to consider a position in a different department of the company — suggesting it would be a good career move for me. Isn’t that strange . . . should I be reading something into the fact that he is suggesting I transfer?
Yes! Either he wants to get rid of you (in which case that transfer might be very appealing and a good career move for you), or he is an enlightened manager and mentor, doing what he’s supposed to do by looking out for the talent on his team and helping steward their careers. Since you have some doubt, ask him. But do so professionally: An emotional, insecure response doesn’t play well at work. Having options and a boss who is looking out for your career is a gift. If that’s the case, thank him and explore the opportunity; it just might be a good move. If not, thank him again for thinking of you, and kill it at your current job until the next opportunity comes along.
I was offered a job, and during the negotiations over compensation and other details the company rescinded the offer. Is that legal?
An “offer” of employment is just that — an “offer.” And even if you accept the offer — unless there’s an employment agreement that specifies terms and conditions — it is an offer of employment “at will,” meaning either party can terminate the relationship at any time. Companies rescind job offers for a variety of reasons: They discover something bad about the prospective hire before they start; management changes or financial pressures force a change in strategy; sometimes the prospective hire makes unreasonable demands or handles the negotiation unprofessionally. So yes, it’s legal — and find out if they rescinded the offer due to something you said or did during the negotiations. If so, there’s a small chance you can save it by doing a mea culpa or somehow assuaging the concerns they had about how you were handling the negotiations.