Spring brings job hunting questions, from restless employees

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It’s Spring and employees are getting restless. Time to make a change? Here are some letters from job hunters:

Dear Joan:

I have been interviewing with a company recently, and have completed two interviews.  They contacted me a week later to let me know that they would like to proceed with a third interview in which I would meet the VP,  either via telephone conference or face to face- which would be a cross country meeting for me. 

They are slow in the process, as now over two weeks have gone by, and although they have contacted me to let me know it is a work in progress- there are still no decisions made.  In the meantime I ran across a re-listing of the ad they initially ran a month ago.  It has been re-listed- exactly one month later, and while I am waiting for the third interview.  This does not sound promising.  What do you think?  Please help!

Answer:

The re-listed ad probably means they aren’t satisfied with the number of qualified responses they received. It doesn’t mean you aren’t a viable candidate—after all, they are willing to fly you across the country. They may only have a handful of applicants and they want to cast a wider net so they have more to choose from. Dust off your best interview suit and go get the job!

Dear Joan:

My question concerns finding work after 25 years of operating my own marketing and advertising firms. After two years out of the business, while doing independent mission work, I am still 12 years from retirement age. But I have discovered that the job market doesn't seem to have a 'pigeon hole' for experienced and successful former ENTREPRENEURS--especially when they come from the advertising and marketing business. Any thoughts for former business owners looking for work?

Answer:

Unfortunately, former business owners—especially successful ones—tend to scare off employers. They worry that they will be restless, unable to work for someone in a corporate environment (take orders), and will overpower the boss and co-workers and try to run the show.

One way to get past this is to work as a contract employee on a special project and demonstrate your teamwork and ability to conform as an “employee.” You may be able to erase their fears, once they see how easy you are to work with.

Also, during a job interview, it’s critical to look for opportunities to answer the unspoken questions above. For instance, “It was lonely working on my own…” or, “I am really sick of living out of a suitcase…” or, “I’m tired of just offering solutions and not getting a chance to really implement them and develop the brand…”

Dear Joan:

I am a currently unemployed 55+ job seeker who has recently discovered that one of my references covering employment from 1998 - 2002 has become unreliable.  As the owner of a small company that has been sold, in the past she has been an invaluable reference regarding administrative and office management that I performed while at her company. 

However, my last place of employment did mention to me how "mean" she was when HR contacted her, having disregarded the first message left for her to call.  Since then I have asked her if there is a problem and she tells me no but just yesterday I called her to ask whether she had heard from a recent interview I had and her answering machine wasn't even turned on.  I do have a good reference letter from her.

My question is: should I simply tell a prospective employer I have lost touch with her after the company was sold?  It's a big time gap. Should I leave it off my resume altogether, but I can't rely on her anymore. 

Answer:

Don’t remove your experience from your resume; it’s too long a gap and the work experience has apparently helped you qualify for your last job. Call your reference and be honest with her. Ask her if it has become a bother to be your reference. Explain that you understand if she has retired and no longer wishes to receive calls of this type.

Ask her if too many employers have been calling. If that is the case, assure her that you will be more discriminating and will only hand out her name if you are extremely interested in the job. Tell her you will call her and give her a heads up if she is likely to be called.

If she still wants to be your reference, mention that her answering machine was off when you called. If it was a fluke, she will appreciate the information. If there is some other reason it wasn’t working, she should be willing to take care of the problem.

If you sense any hesitance on her part, take her off your list and explain to employers that she has retired and the company was sold.

Savvy Negotiation Strategies to Get Paid What You’re Worth on a New Job (Detailed, 8-page PDF by email – no shipping charge)
Easy, Step-by-step Guide to Using the Internet to Land a Great Job (Detailed, 10-page PDF by email  – no shipping charge)
The Resume That Opens the Door and the Interview That Gets the Job (Detailed, 37-page PDF by email – no shipping charge)