Dear J.T. & Dale: Must you include every career job you’ve ever had on your resume? I have been doing so, with dates of employment listed. I am wondering if this could be hindering the callbacks I get based on the fact that I have been in the work world for more than 20 years. – Dan Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I have a friend who is about 300 pounds overweight. He has an OK resume, but he never gets a callback once a prospective employer sees him. He’s looking into gastric bypass surgery, but what can he do until then? Tough question for tough times. – Jeff Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I am so burnt out working in a corporate environment. Therefore, I was thinking that I could split my time (20 hours a week or a little more) in an office environment to get corporate benefits, but work at home the rest of the time by working as a transcriptionist. To do this, I thought I could take a medical transcriptionist class. I have been looking at work from home advertisements, but I just simply do not trust them. Any input? – Macy Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: The job search process is excruciating. It seems like the recruiting process is not geared toward fitting the best employees to the right jobs, but geared so human resources can reduce skilled, industrious people to mere keystrokes on a tidy little template. – DJ Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I am a 37-year-old female with a management degree from a good state university, but I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. Help. – Carri Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I was working for a title company and was laid off. It was a blessing, because the office I was working in was a toxic environment – two manic-depressive women with no life who are bitter and angry. Now that I am out there applying for jobs, I am getting discouraged because I am not getting any offers, just interviews. Are there any suggestions you can give me in regard to helping with the interview process? – Stephanie Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. and Dale: I have a sticky situation. I recently took a job that required me to relocate several states away. My past executive relocations always have been handled by the companies themselves. This time, I’ve been asked to present receipts for reimbursement. I was told they don’t have a relocation specialist, even though this is an international corporation. The only thing they asked to approve was the actual cost for the packing and moving of my household goods. Meanwhile, I have expenses for travel to the new location and temporary housing, as well as storage costs and a trip back to my old city to finalize the sale of my home. I want to start off on the right foot but I don’t want to feel taken advantage of either. – Jeff Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: My employer recently changed the way we are paid. From what I understand, this now classifies me as an independent contractor, and I am responsible for paying all my own FICA and taxes. However, I am still paid the same way I always was. I don’t understand this. – Sam Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I have sent out my resume to places where it sounded like I fit the job like a glove. I redo the resume to fit each specific job, emphasizing experience in that area. Where I live it’s a tight job market; employers receive sometimes as many as 80 to 100 resumes for one clerical job. I rarely get called, and if I do, I don’t get the job. I have changed jobs a lot and relocated, so I figure that might be the reason. – Harriet Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I have been a teacher for the past 20 years, and now my wish is for a complete career makeover. I want to become a veterinarian. My plan is to start by working in a vet’s office or pet store. Here is the problem: My advanced degrees are keeping me from finding employment. In fact, I can’t even get interviews. – Sil Read the rest of this entry »