Dear J.T. & Dale: I have a friend who never seems to land a job. Curiously, she takes her husband with her on interviews. Many people besides myself have advised her this could be the problem. She doesn’t think so. She thinks it’s just swell that her husband likes to check out places where she’s applying. (He waits in the lobby.) She said he wants to make sure males in the area know she’s married. I told her this raises red flags, but she doesn’t think so. How about a professional opinion? – Nancy J.T.: You and your friends are 100 percent correct. A company is hiring only one person for the job, which means, only one person should attend the interview. If leaving him at home can’t be accomplished, then perhaps your friend could convince her husband to wait in the car sight unseen, and she’d have better luck.

Or, maybe leave him in the trunk. What your friend doesn’t understand is that managers hire employees to solve problems, not create them. That sounds obvious, but bosses get worn down by employees’ personal problems interfering with work – “My hot water heater exploded” and “The cat is sick.” Then, a boss can multiply an employee’s potential personal problems by the number of people in the family. Bosses end up hoping to hire someone who can put work first. Therefore, you never bring anything or anyone to an interview that isn’t about the work – not your hubby or your hobby, not your parent or your parrot.