Dear J.T. & Dale: I applied for a job via a company website, and the day after, rang the company to check that they’d received my application. They told me the HR lady was busy and would call me back. The next day, after not receiving any contact, I phoned again. The receptionist told me the HR lady was busy and that the job was “on hold.” A few days later, the same job showed up on a recruitment agency’s website. Would it be annoying if I phoned the company again? — Adam Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I am a 47-year-old homemaker and mother. I have begun applying for entry-level positions. I honestly do not have the best work history, having worked as an administrative assistant, a real estate title examiner, court clerk and have sold advertising. What can I do to gain the notice of a potential employer? — Olivia Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I have a question regarding applications for employment for my 17-year-old son. Do you think it is detrimental his educational background is from the National Guard Youth Challenge Program, where he earned his GED? It’s a program for troubled youth and is an intensive military camp for six months. — Donna Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I am in journalism and have been sending out my resume lately to various newspapers and magazines. Most of them require I send recent writing samples. I typically provide Internet links to these. The problem is I’m confused about where I should put the links. I normally put them on the cover letter, sometimes at the top, sometimes at the bottom. — Tiffany Read the rest of this entry »

J.T.: We sometimes get the chance to have outside experts join our discussions. Today we get to hear from Joe Navarro, author of the helpful and readable book “Louder Than Words.” Given Joe is a retired FBI agent who’s an expert on body language, we wanted his thoughts on that critical job-search moment — making a good first impression when meeting a hiring manager. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: My boss sent an e-mail letting us know we would be receiving our bonuses. However, when they came out, my name was not on the list. (I only recently became eligible.) Since we have a new executive team, my boss said she would get it straightened out. When I still didn’t receive it, I e-mailed her and she responded back “Rats,” and said she’d check into it. When she got back into the office a week later, she mentioned she’d seen my e-mail about my bonus but had not responded. I didn’t say anything but was taken aback since she had responded. I later realized she had retracted her e-mail response. (I had not opened the e-mail, just previewed it.) She said she’d straighten out the bonus at the half-year, plus get me some extra money for salary. Should I tell her what I know? — Chenny Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: My friend had a job as a manager at a nursing home. She told her employer she was pregnant, and the next day she received notice she had 30 days to improve her performance or would be terminated. She had no previous disciplinary actions. Thirty days later, she was terminated. She is now looking for work and needs advice. Her employer contested her unemployment claim, but she won. — Jennifer Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I work in data analysis. From my desk, I log into an out-of-state server, and I support other groups all over the country via conference calls. I brought up the topic of telecommuting to my boss, and she mentioned her boss is not in favor of this practice. I suggested trying one or two days per week, but that was shot down. Should I take this to my boss’s boss? This would save me more than an hour per day and would be a boost in productivity. — Lathan Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I’ve been out of school about two years and have had only internships and non-career jobs. About a month ago, a recruiter left me a message on my cell phone about a job at a well-known PR firm. I returned the call and got his machine. The following week I called again but heard nothing. The following week I left a message saying to let me know if the opportunity was still available, blah, blah, blah. It’s been a month now, and I haven’t heard from him. I’m thinking about calling again one last time. What do you guys think? — Duncan Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I am trying to recover from a bad communication with a potential employer. I am an unemployed physicist trying to move out of physics and seek work as a data analyst. Upon sending a resume, I got a response that said:

“I’m glad to see you are also a Toastmaster.

When I read your resume, I can’t help but wonder two things. First, can we keep you challenged; and second, how much compensation are you looking for?”

Sadly, I replied with the following very bad e-mail:

“To alleviate your concerns, my interest in doing data analysis would keep me engrossed in this position. Concerning compensation, I would be content to receive the industry norm for this field, as posted in your posting, which is similar to what I received as a physicist.”

It’s been two days, and I haven’t heard anything, so I thought I would send her a recovery e-mail, but I don’t know what to include. — Tina Read the rest of this entry »