Dear J.T. & Dale: I work for a property management company, and we have a maintenance supervisor who is verbally abusive to residents as well as to fellow employees. I have brought it to the attention of the manager several times. Nothing changes. This is a hostile work environment, and the company has no handbook and offers no training. How should I pursue this? — Caitlin Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: My 25-year-old son graduated from college more than a year ago and has yet to find a meaningful job. He has had interviews, but usually somebody else gets the job. I know the market is at its worst, but what can he do to find a job that is better than his current one, delivering pizzas? — Preston Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I applied for a job online for which the ad said, “No e-mails or calls, please.” I am used to seeing this in ads, but since I am also (unfortunately) used to hearing absolutely nothing from potential employers, I don’t know how to check the status of the job. Should I call, since it’s been a few weeks since I sent out the resume? — Susan Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I was working at a company in Illinois when my brother got sick and I moved to Phoenix to help out. When I resigned my old job, the company told me the doors were open to me because I had “rehire” status. However, now that my brother is better and I’ve returned home, I reapplied and HR no longer will even answer my e-mails. Don’t tell me I can come back and then leave me out in the cold. — Jess Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I’d like to take your advice and do more networking, but I don’t have much to work with. I haven’t kept up with former co-workers, and among my friends and family, no one knows anything about my work or that I’m now unemployed. I believe in keeping my work and personal lives separate. — Rick Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: The company I work for was sold, and I went to work for the new owners. Recently my hours have been reduced to nothing. It might be 10 hours one week, nine the next. I have looked for other employment, but no one is hiring. I want to apply for unemployment, but if my employers call me, I have to work. If I don’t, that’s a refusal, and unemployment would be denied anyway. Any advice? — Ned Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: You experts keep saying to “network.” Most jobs I’ve gotten by networking have turned out very badly for me. I won’t go into details, but they often ended in lack of advancement, being knifed in the back by a supervisor or other not-so-nice happenings. I have a long list of industries I’ve been in and know I have no desire to work in again — finance, insurance, retail, any type of food service, any job requiring answering phones or being on the computer all day and sales (including all the titles that try to hide that it’s a sales job). I’m questioning every tactic that career experts are offering because the advice doesn’t seem to be working in the current job market. So, now what? — Dana Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: There is one recruiter who has a lot of the high-end jobs I qualify for, but for some reason she has yet to respond to me about any of those listings. Why hasn’t she contacted me? Is it rude to call her and ask if I have been considered? — Lynne Read the rest of this entry »