Your Questions and Comments (and My Responses!)

Getting rejected because of gap in career 
I am a BCA graduate with PGDPM -2006. I have two years(may 2006- june 2008) of work experience in recruitment with IT companies. Due to maternity reasons ...

Trun Oil Company 
Please advise on below note.



Attention: Dheeraj Bhushan,

Thanks for your interest to work with our company; I have gone through your attached ...

brunel hotel ,london, is it fake or nor? 
Hi have got mail for vacancy in Brunel Hotel after sending my cv they gave me an appointment letter by mail. They told me that I am not going to attend ...

aston oil gas company information 
I got job application form from ASTON OIL AND GAS CORPORATION plz check about this company, his give me appointment letter also should I join it and his ...

Describe college life 
How has your college life prepared you for further studies or career?

Response from Carl: Thanks Arun. College life certainly depends on a number ...

Job Description Misrepresented 
When I was hired, the job was described as a Parts Expeditor - I would be calling customers when their parts were in, and scheduling the repair jobs. However,...

Example of a fake interview letter 
Sir,

I wanted to know about the authenticity of this letter.

Dipesh

Thanks for your interest to work with our company; I have gone through your ...

Owning my own bar and lounge 
I have been involved in the service industry for over a decade now. I started as a waiter in a slow restaurant and have progressed to the level of general ...

ASTON OIL AND GAS CORPORATION  
I got job application form from ASTON OIL AND GAS CORPORATION plz check about this company
thanx

joby joseph

Response from Carl: Thanks Joby. You'...

Aston Oil and Gas Corporation interview letter 
Dear Carl

I want to know about Aston Oil and Gas Corporation which is in London. From there I have received an interview letter. Kindly suggest what ...

Recruiter Stuck in a Rut 
Hi Carl,

I've been working in recruitment consultancy for about four years now and I feel like my career is stuck in a rut.

I graduated from college ...

Nurse in a Fix 
Hi Carl,

I read your notes about getting fired. Recently it happened to me for the first time. I've been a nurse for over 30 years. Supervisor rode ...

Resigning during the three month probation period 
Hello there,

If I resign my position with a company during my three month probation period am I required to give notice? Given if it was going the other ...

What to include in a cover letter for a former employer? 
I left one state to take care of sick parents and I want to go back to my old job.

Response from Carl: Thanks for the question, Jo. If your former ...

Probation Period 
I had a probationary period for three months, and in our company's policy and procedure book our evaluation is to be done one week before our three month ...

Crossroads 
Hello,

My name is Ellie, and I left school last may after completion of my GCSEs. I didn't really enjoy school and decided to enter full time work, I ...

I need help!!! 
I'm still in High School and I'm having trouble finding something I really wanna do :(

I need help!!!

Response from Carl: I'd left university ...

Extension of application deadline after you've submitted yours  Not rated yet
Please could you give possible explanations as to why an organization would extend their application deadline for a PhD position after receiving your own ...

UNETHICAL OR CONFLICTS OF INTEREST OF INTERVIEWER  Not rated yet
IS IT UNETHICAL OR A CONFLICT OF INTEREST IF I USE SOMEONE AS A REFERENCE ON MY RESUME AND HE OR SHE INTERVIEWS ME AND ALSO PLAYS A DECISION MAKING PART ...

Same employer, different position  Not rated yet
I recently held a long-term substitute position (four months) at a local high school. It looks like there is a possibility of a permanent full-time position ...

Resignation during the probationary period  Not rated yet
Please I really need your help.

Its about cancelling my employment visa. I went here in sharjah on visit visa only, and I got a job, then after my visit ...

Sample job offer in Human Resources  Not rated yet
What does a typical job offer look like for a position in Human Resources.

Response from Carl: I'm not sure there is such a thing or at least not ...

Recent university graduate with not much work-related experience  Not rated yet
How do you persuade an employer to give you a chance so you can gain some valuable work experience.

Response from Carl: Well, we all began at one ...

Academic Gap  Not rated yet
I am now at the final year BE Information Science. After completing my 12th, I could not study for the next 7 years due to personal issues and as I was ...

PROBATION PERIOD INFORMING LIMIT TO EMPLOYER BY EMPLOYEE  Not rated yet
HELLO!
my name is KHALID.i am an ENGINEER, i have 1 year experiance, 1 month before i was working in MUMBAI,INDIA.last month a deligation came to INDIA ...

Unemployment  Not rated yet
What are the effects of unemployment?

Response from Carl: Hi Aya. Among other things unemployment can make it harder for you to get a new job the ...

Additional training and certifications  Not rated yet
Sir, I need some additional certificates that distinguish me from others for my job so what course can I opt so for that I get a certificate that is valid ...

Career objective for resumes on job boards  Not rated yet
The website offers a great deal of valuable information but it does not seem to address the modern era of uploading resumes onto websites such as Monster ...

Bad Reference  Not rated yet
Hello there!

I really hope my question makes sense with a bit of background.

I resigned from my previous role because I was sick of being bullied ...

Job searching in December and January  Not rated yet
I am a university student and I was doing a paper on employment stats.

I was wondering if December and January are months that people take time from ...

Why are you made redundant?  Not rated yet
I have 3 Masters Degrees, 1 Post Graduate diploma (all with distinctions) and 15 years of work experience with flying colours by my Line Managers and always ...

Expenses  Not rated yet
I have paid upfront expenses, and the boss has refused to pay me, saying he is not quibbling about £200.00 and you ain't getting it! What can an employee ...

Help!  Not rated yet
Where can I find information on what career is best for me? I've been working in the banking industry for the past ten years, but I know that it's not ...

Regretting changing jobs  Not rated yet
I am convinced after 4 months with my new employer that i have made a gravely mistake by leaving my old employer. I've moved from a private sector to government ...

Restarting a career after taking time off to raise a family   Not rated yet
What advice do you have for me? I was an IT software development project manager for 7 years, and I have 10 years of business experience all together....

Becoming a writer for children  Not rated yet
Hi Carl,

Firstly, I wanted to mention you have a fabulous web site. I just have a small query to ask you. I am a mum of 42, single with 2 boys and I ...

Not sure whether or not I should resign or wait to possibly get fired.  Not rated yet
I'm not sure if my situation is ground for termination, but it really has me scared. A couple days ago I made a joke towards a female co-worker of mine ...

Group interview teaching  Not rated yet
I want to apply as an English teacher and this job has a group interview & a difficult test. What I am worried about is the first one. On the other hand ...

Too old for anything?   Not rated yet
Hi Carl,

I'm at a very uncomfortable crossroad without good information on which path to take. I'm 58 years old. I worked in the News Broadcast business ...

Aston Oil and Gas Corporation  Not rated yet
My husband sent his CV to them as they requested, and now he's received and email from a person from the HR department of the company offering him a permanent ...

Employment offer from united nation sustainable development agency  Not rated yet
I am suspicious about the employment offer which i have received from the above captioned UN organization. Is this the real and correct UN organization?...

Too old to have a degree and stuck  Not rated yet
Dear Carl,

I was in fashion merchandising for at least 10 years. It was a job that I like very much. However, due to business changes, many buying house ...

Internal Candidate  Not rated yet
Hi

I was recently put on probation with a horrible woman boss who I just started working for 1 yr ago. She is mean and works 3 hrs/day. I seem to ...

if your manager is no longer with the company what kind of questions will they ask HR?  Not rated yet
My potential employer called a previous company for references and as a result, both my managers have gone. What is HR entitled to communicate?

Response ...

Which job is better ? Human Resources Executive or Software Engineer/Developer  Not rated yet
hi,

I would like to know which job is better either considering to be a Human Resource Executive or a Software Engineer or Developer ? I am asking this ...

Job application deadline legalities  Not rated yet
After applying for a job late in the process, but clearly before the deadline in the web posting, I spoke with the hiring manager in a follow-up call. I ...

EMBA  Not rated yet
Can an MBA with full time course do the EMBA?

Response from Carl: Thanks Deepti but I'm not sure what you mean. If you already have an MBA or are ...

Disclosing your salary  Not rated yet
I am applying for positions hospital research labs. They want the application filled out with past salary. This makes me very uncomfortable. This seems ...

Being told I have to drop my grade  Not rated yet
I was bullied and took out a grievance - I was put into a lower grade - I complained and they gave me back my grade and I have been working in the job ...

Reviewing a resume  Not rated yet
Thank you for the great advice offered in reviewing different posts to this site.

Is there a private link on this site to which I can post my resume ...

Demotion?  Not rated yet
After being a store manager for 18 years I was laid-off. When I got a new job it was with similar company as an assistant manager. I am still working there,...

Where do you see yourself in five years?  Not rated yet
State your career objectives for next 3-5 years.

Response from Carl: Thanks Andhrapradesh. This is one of those interview questions that tends to ...

Reference checks for a current staff member  Not rated yet
Recently I was called to give a reference check, although I provided positive feedback about the person I was unwilling to answer a particular question ...

Individual question   Not rated yet
Suppose one qualifies for the job but is a stammerer (has problems in communication). How would the interviewers rate him putting in mind that this is ...

Stammering while speaking: fear of the interview  Not rated yet
Here is my response to Judy, a visitor to the site who fears job interviews and finds herself stammering when nervous. She asked for advice regarding how ...

Preventive Maintenance  Not rated yet
I am working automobile work 16 years for Saad Group Company from Saudi Arabia Al Khobar this company have 700 vehicle all type there I working (preventive ...

How to decline a job offer  Not rated yet
What is the best way to decline a job offer?

Response from Carl: How to decline a job offer is probably preceded by the question "why would you decline ...

Checking references before a job offer  Not rated yet
Is checking references before a job offer is made a common occurrence? I've heard that companies will do this even if they have no intention to hire the ...

Job search mistakes  Not rated yet
Hi Carl

What are the biggest job search mistakes people make?

Jade


Response from Carl: Thanks Jade. In my experience, here are some common ...

Verbal job offer   Not rated yet
I have been offer a job verbally but because he is busy I decided to email him but I do not know how to email him what to write.

Response from Carl:...

Lack of work experience  Not rated yet
What happens if I lack work experience and are willing to get a job for the first time and it happens that am such a hard worker?

Response from Carl:...

What career path to follow  Not rated yet
My name is Mike and I will be 25 on the 14th of March and I am still looking for my dream job. Right now all I have to work with are what I like to call ...

Favoritism in the Workplace  Not rated yet
As a hiring manager and manager of staff, how can I avoid being accused of being guilty of favoritism in the workplace?

Frank

Response from Carl:...

Not being able to work a second job  Not rated yet
At my place of employment, my store manager screamed out in front of customers and associates "You cannot manage people." After he said this, I stepped ...

Can you sue for favoritism?  Not rated yet
Can you sue for favoritism? Good question, John. Sorry to sound like I'm evading the question but I'm not a lawyer, I'm not familiar with your local/...

Work at home position  Not rated yet
I am interviewing for a job and have had a work at home position. How do I address that in an interview when asked why are you looking for another position ...

Never Had a Real Career  Not rated yet
I graduated from an Art school with a diploma in Commercial Art. I got a textile painting job out of school, had photography shows, started various small ...

Executive MBA   Not rated yet
I want to know if the executive MBA will be beneficial for me? I'm currently working in reliance as a senior executive in the IT department. I want to ...

Fairness  Not rated yet
I work at a small factory, around fifty employees, I've been there for twenty six years. When overtime is offered to me, it was only three hours or less....

Career for Bacelor of Technology in Computer Science  Not rated yet
I am a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science student. I would like to know about a career in computer hardware or computer organisation.

Response ...

Masters in Counseling  Not rated yet
After earning my Masters degree in Counseling what type of job can I get?

Answer from Carl: In general terms, a Master in Counseling might be a requirement ...

Chemical Engineering  Not rated yet
I am a final year student in chemical engineering. I am interested to have a post graduation degree related to environment sciences in likes of environmental ...

Which Job Should I Pursue?  Not rated yet
How do I find my dream career. I have no idea what I would like to do one day. I am 21 and have to decide asap, but how do I choose what to do?

Response ...

Equal Pay For The Same Job  Not rated yet
For the last six years all sales associates were paid the same rate. Now we are all paid at different rates even though we have all been with the company ...

Counter Offer  Not rated yet
Hi Carl,

My boss is very nice to me actually. I got 2 promotions and 3 raise within 2.5 years. However, due to company corporate policy and crisis all ...

What is your biggest strength and weakness?  Not rated yet
Tell us your greatest strength and weakness?

Answer from Carl: This is a popular question that people do often get asked during job interviews.

When ...

Bookkeeping  Not rated yet
What would be the career objective of the bookkeeper?

Answer from Carl: Some career professionals debate whether or not people should even use a career ...

Job planning  Not rated yet
I study mathematics with statistics. What jobs can I enroll after graduating.

Answer from Carl: In general terms, you might find employment in industries ...

Career Objective  Not rated yet
What is the best career objective for a applicant applying in a restaurant?

Response from Carl: Thanks for your question, Kris. Remember that your ...

Career and Goal Setting  Not rated yet
What is a career?
Goal setting for career?

Response from Carl: Your career generally refers to the long term part of your occupational life. It can ...

Online Universities  Not rated yet
Hello,

I would like to know if you could suggest a couple of legitimate universities offering masters courses online.

A lot of schools claim to offer ...

Legal repercussions of quitting a contract job with no set end date  Not rated yet
I am considering a contract job as an Assistant in Real Estate in Canada that lasts until all units of the project's housing complex are sold (i.e. there ...

Can you relocate?  Not rated yet
How do I handle relocation hinderance question during this tough housing market?

Response from Carl: If you're asking how you can assure a potential ...

Suitability of my profile to work in a foreign country  Not rated yet
Dear Carl,

This is Kishore from INDIA. I am very happy to see your website with complete guidance for aspirants to work international.

I ...

Underemployment  Not rated yet
Causes and effects of underemployment.

Response from Carl: You didn't provide any details as to your specific situation and there are many possible ...

How I Got A Job In Sales  Not rated yet
I was looking for a new sales job and given that part of the job typically involves speaking with people on the phone, I figured the best thing to do would ...