Q. I use vacation days for job interviews and always give my present employer sufficient notice about when I will be out of the office. However, several potential employers have given me an ultimatum to interview on specific days or not at all. What is a job seeker, an employed one, to do?
A. I think the inflexibility is a strong indication that you absolutely do not want to work for those companies–even if you did manage to have an interview and get hired!
Q. Do I have to give my Social Security number to a potential employer before the job is offered to me? I’m worried about identity theft and my personal information being so readily available to all comers.
A. You are quite right to be wary, especially if you are asked to put your Social Security number on the Internet. Say you will be glad to provide it when the job offer is made.
Q. I was given new duties at my present job that greatly increased my responsibilities–but not a dime in extra compensation. It’s a special project and I am the only one who can handle it, so I wonder if it would be wrong to leave if I am offered something better elsewhere? I have had job offers, but I’m worried about burning bridges.
A. I think it’s stellar of you to feel such loyalty to your current employer, but it doesn’t seem to me that loyalty is returned. Additionally, no one, even someone as valuable as you are, is irreplaceable. Do what’s best for you. Forget about those bridges. Just give plenty of notice and offer to train your replacement.
Q. I am a victim of what I call “stealth age discrimination.” I am 59, my current job holds little interest for me, and my goal is to do some work that I actually enjoy. But there is so much age discrimination going on, unseen and under the counter, that I don’t think I’ll be able to get a job. Yet, retirement doesn’t sound like something I want to do. What should I do?
A. I think your expression, “stealth age discrimination,” is so appropriate–unfortunately. If you think you won’t be able to get a new job, hang on to your present one. If you want to feel more fulfilled, and that’s what I think you’re really missing, now is the time to develop an interest in something outside of work, something that really turns you on and that allows you to use your creative energies. There might be an important cause that you can give your all to–and thereby benefit the rest of humankind.
Q. It is amazing to me how often people give out someone’s name as a reference and never extend the simple courtesy of informing the person. Personally, I’m offended by that. I’ve been called out of the blue to give a reference for someone I would never want working for me. If I had been contacted in advance, I would have told the person not to give my name at all because I’m not reluctant to tell it as it is and resent being “blindsided.” On the other hand, when I have good things to say, I gladly offer to be a reference. Why don’t job seekers obey these ground rules?
A. I think some job seekers are embarrassed to ask people to give references but give out their names anyway, never sure if they will be called. But I agree that the smart thing to do is to ask your references for permission to use their names, tell them what would be helpful for them to say and notify them if you know they will be called.
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Carol Kleiman’s columns also appear in Monday and Thursday’s Business sections. Hear her on WBBM Newsradio 780 at 6:21 p.m. and 10:22 p.m. Mondays and at 11:20 a.m. Saturdays. Watch her “Career Coach” segments on CLTV. Send e-mail to [email protected].
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