Dear J.T. & Dale: I am a 47-year-old homemaker and mother. I have begun applying for entry-level positions. I honestly do not have the best work history, having worked as an administrative assistant, a real estate title examiner, court clerk and have sold advertising. What can I do to gain the notice of a potential employer? — Olivia Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I have a question regarding applications for employment for my 17-year-old son. Do you think it is detrimental his educational background is from the National Guard Youth Challenge Program, where he earned his GED? It’s a program for troubled youth and is an intensive military camp for six months. — Donna Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I am in journalism and have been sending out my resume lately to various newspapers and magazines. Most of them require I send recent writing samples. I typically provide Internet links to these. The problem is I’m confused about where I should put the links. I normally put them on the cover letter, sometimes at the top, sometimes at the bottom. — Tiffany Read the rest of this entry »

J.T.: We sometimes get the chance to have outside experts join our discussions. Today we get to hear from Joe Navarro, author of the helpful and readable book “Louder Than Words.” Given Joe is a retired FBI agent who’s an expert on body language, we wanted his thoughts on that critical job-search moment — making a good first impression when meeting a hiring manager. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: My boss sent an e-mail letting us know we would be receiving our bonuses. However, when they came out, my name was not on the list. (I only recently became eligible.) Since we have a new executive team, my boss said she would get it straightened out. When I still didn’t receive it, I e-mailed her and she responded back “Rats,” and said she’d check into it. When she got back into the office a week later, she mentioned she’d seen my e-mail about my bonus but had not responded. I didn’t say anything but was taken aback since she had responded. I later realized she had retracted her e-mail response. (I had not opened the e-mail, just previewed it.) She said she’d straighten out the bonus at the half-year, plus get me some extra money for salary. Should I tell her what I know? — Chenny Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: My friend had a job as a manager at a nursing home. She told her employer she was pregnant, and the next day she received notice she had 30 days to improve her performance or would be terminated. She had no previous disciplinary actions. Thirty days later, she was terminated. She is now looking for work and needs advice. Her employer contested her unemployment claim, but she won. — Jennifer Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I work in data analysis. From my desk, I log into an out-of-state server, and I support other groups all over the country via conference calls. I brought up the topic of telecommuting to my boss, and she mentioned her boss is not in favor of this practice. I suggested trying one or two days per week, but that was shot down. Should I take this to my boss’s boss? This would save me more than an hour per day and would be a boost in productivity. — Lathan Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I’ve been out of school about two years and have had only internships and non-career jobs. About a month ago, a recruiter left me a message on my cell phone about a job at a well-known PR firm. I returned the call and got his machine. The following week I called again but heard nothing. The following week I left a message saying to let me know if the opportunity was still available, blah, blah, blah. It’s been a month now, and I haven’t heard from him. I’m thinking about calling again one last time. What do you guys think? — Duncan Read the rest of this entry »