Dear Coach, I’ve been working for a family-owned business for 11 years. I’m not related. The owner’s son has been transferred to my department and the problem is he is one of three sons in the company, none of whom have ever been of any help. Now the owner is sick and no one knows what’s going on. What should I do?
Carol Kleiman: Family-owned businesses can be a nightmare if you’re not a relative. You are an acute observer and know it’s time to look elsewhere.
Dear Coach, I’m an accountant but could only find a job at the front desk of a hotel–with pay less than half of what I made in my last job. I’m still job hunting and wonder if I should include the hotel job on my resume to show I kept busy?
CK: Don’t put it on your resume if it doesn’t apply to the job you’re seeking. But bring it up in the job interview to show you’ve kept active and involved.
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Dear Coach, I was a bit taken aback recently when the interviewer for a managerial position asked me what I would say if she told a friend of mine she was going to meet me for lunch and wanted to know what to expect. I replied the friend would say, “You’re going to enjoy your lunch as she will have you laughing and held spellbound by her vast eclectic experiences.” She then asked me to have the friend describe what I look like. I said she would say, “She’s the easiest to find because she’s the one with others gathered around her.” What is your opinion of this stress interview? Did I do OK?
CK: Your answers were brilliant. The questions were insane.
Dear Coach: I’ve only been able to secure one job interview in six months of searching. Though I keep calling back week after week, I can’t get a response from the company. I don’t want to sound desperate but I don’t know what to do.
CK: I think you already know there’s nothing doing there. Search elsewhere.
COACH CAROL’S 15-SECOND DRILL
Follow economic trends to try to determine where your profession or industry is headed in the coming year. That way you won’t be caught by surprise, whether the news is good or bad.
–Carol Kleiman
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Carol Kleiman’s columns also appear in Tuesday’s and Thursday’s Business sections. Watch her “Career Coach” segments on CLTV.