Q. A friend has asked me to forward her resume to people I know. I’m glad to help her but her resume could use some work. Should I give her unsolicited advice? Is the quality of her resume a reflection on me?
A. Yes, it is: You’re putting your own credibility on the line. Make helpful suggestions. Don’t be shy. She wasn’t shy about asking you to send out her resume.
Q. I’m a contract worker and recently applied for a full-time job at the same company. I didn’t tell the person I currently work for because I don’t know if I’ll be offered the job, but I notice he has been somewhat cold to me recently. Should I have told him first?
A. You should have told the person you report to before you applied for the job. He probably already knows about it and may think you’re trying to work around him, which you are. But it’s not too late. Tell him all about it now. And ask for his help in getting the job.
Q. I’m part of a team that has two people who job-share, but they don’t do their share, which gives the rest of us a lot of extra work. The job sharers are not held to deadlines like the rest of us are–the manager indulges them. We’ve tried to bring up this uneven treatment with the manager but he says he treats everyone the same. Do we go over his head?
A. The problem with going over your manager’s head is that heads might roll–perhaps including yours. However, the problem is the manager, not the job sharers, so if you feel the situation is demoralizing to your team, it might be important to take it to your boss’ manager. But don’t do it alone: Put all the facts, dates and details in writing and go with at least two other team members.
Q. During a job interview, I had to take an “attitude” test. The questions were about honesty, drug use and fighting. I was told not to guess the answers and to answer every question. I found it disturbing that the choices of answers did not include what I would really do, which is check with a manager first about what action to take. Why do employers use such insulting tests and what is your opinion of them?
A. Well, I for one, love your “attitude” toward these tests. Unfortunately, employers love the tests a great deal, and the psychologists who get paid big bucks to devise and administer them won’t let go of them, either. As for me, I don’t like them at all but would be more accepting of them if they allowed for essay-type answers instead of trying to force job applicants into a predetermined mold.
Q. I have worked for the past five years as a technical services manager, but I want to go back to being an executive assistant and leave the technical area behind. But I’m concerned that if I leave my present job off my resume it will look as if I’ve been unemployed for five years or as if I’m lying. What should I do to make sure my chances to change my field are successful?
A. State at the top of the resume that the job you want is that of an executive assistant. Then list your present job and title, but next to it include everything you do that also applies to being an executive assistant.
Q. I’ve always wanted to get my MBA and the timing seems right now because my present job isn’t working out. We could live on my wife’s salary, but if I take off two years, would that hurt me more professionally than the MBA would help me?
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A. Do it. You’ll return to the labor market a much better qualified candidate. Follow your dream.
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Carol Kleiman’s columns also appear in Sunday and Tuesday’s Business sections. She is the author of “Winning the Job Game: The New Rules for Finding and Keeping the Job You Want” (Wiley, $16.95). Send e-mail to [email protected].