Career Track Live

The Washington area is a magnet for smart, ambitious young workers. Post columnist Mary Ellen Slayter writes a regular column for these professionals who are establishing their careers locally, and offers advice online as well.

The transcript follows below.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

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Mary Ellen Slayter: Good afternoon! Hope all is going well. Lots of good questions today, so let's get started!

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Mary Ellen, I am currently in a secure, not very challenging job with good salary and benefits. Originally, I had decided to keep this job because I would like to attend part time graduate school next year (the company will pay for a small part) and thought it would be nice to have a 9-5 job that didn't drag me down, and my boss would allow me to leave on time for school each day. But lately I am finding myself bored at work and there is no possibility of advancement because most of the positions in my office require extensive travel, which would make it impossible to attend school. Do you have any insight into what sorts of jobs people like when they're in grad school part time? The job I'm in now isn't related to what I am going to grad school for so I don't see it as a stepping-stone or anything. I was curious what you think about this issue. Thanks.

Mary Ellen Slayter: Don't knock the secure, but not-so-challenging job. Graduate school, even part time, will be challenging enough. Our jobs aren't always exciting or fulfilling. And during a time when your attention is focused elsewhere, boring might be kind of nice. You might want to start thinking about the sort of job or internship you will need to transition to your new field.

Chatters?

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Greenbelt, Md.: Aside from matters of life and death, is there anything more stressful than waiting to hear back on a job offer? I'm on week 5, and feel like my head could explode at any minute.

Mary Ellen Slayter: There is only one thing more stressful: Waiting for a cute guy (or girl) to call you after a date.

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Alexandria, Va.: Mary Ellen,

I see questions a lot on this chat about including short duration jobs on resumes. I have recent (and positive) experience with this. In May I quit a job that I had started in February. It was one of those situations where I could do the work but the people and "political" situations in the office made the job incredibly stressful and I just decided I didn't need the aggravation. I put it on my resume, and explained candidly in interviews that the atmosphere at that job was completely different from how it had been described when I interviewed. Not only did I get several interviews with the short job on the resume (and a few others - I did a bit of job hopping in my 20s), but was able to land a great job that is just what I was looking for. The lesson from this seems to be that as long as you're honest and can articulate a clear vision of where you want to go and why a job you subsequently interview interests you, a short-tenure job may not hurt your resume that much.

Mary Ellen Slayter: I think you're right.

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Washington, D.C.: Where are some good places to start for a recent college grad looking for jobs in the journalism field (broadcast & print)?

Mary Ellen Slayter: First, pick one--broadcast or print?

If you did any internships, try those places first.

The main thing is to think small. Gene Roberts, a journalism professor at the University of Maryland and arguably one of the best newspaper editors EVER, advises his students to pursue work at small papers first. Approach them directly. Turnover is often high, and if your timing is right (i.e. the sports writer just quit 5 minutes before you walked in), you might get hired on the spot.

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Washington, D.C.: Mary Ellen, I am in my late 20s and have started seeing a fertility doc in the hopes of having a baby with my husband. I have lots of sick time saved up and my absences (a few hours here and there but sometimes at short notice since things are "time sensitive") have not adversely affected my coworkers. I briefly discussed the situation with my boss and she is understanding, having been through the same thing herself.

My problem is that my boss's boss and my employees do not know why I have so many doc appointments and keep asking me if I am okay. I've been saying "Oh, I'm okay. I just have a recurring condition but it is nothing life threatening. Don't worry about me" but I know that they are still worried about me.

I really don't want to discuss the real reason I am out with all of these people but does anybody have any suggestions of what I can do in this situation? Thanks!

Mary Ellen Slayter: I think your strategy so far sounds fine. You've informed the higher-ups, and you've politely deflected questions from the people you'd rather not tell. It's a very personal issue, and you have the right to protect your privacy.

Chatters, what do you think?

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Alexandria, Va.: My small office has been growing a lot in the past year and just passed the 50-person mark. The office is now trying to switch some people from employees to "independent contractors" to get the number back under 50 to avoid having to follow EEOC rules. First of all, is this legal? And secondly, who do I complain to?

Thanks!

Mary Ellen Slayter: Hmmm. Good question. I'm not sure what you mean by EEOC rules, though. Do you perhaps mean the Family Medical Leave Act, which is tied to a minimum number of employees?

The IRS is the agency primarily concerned with contractor vs. employee classifications. Maybe give your local office a call. (Before Jan. 1 or after April 15, of course!)

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Anonymous: I have a co-worker, who has been at this office as long as I with identical responsibilities, who constantly asks me how to do certain tasks. After I tell her, she invariably says, "That's what I thought". It's starting to get on my nerves. Would it be rude of me if, next time she asks, to say "I don't know"?

Mary Ellen Slayter: Well, that would be lying. How about you suggest that she write things down instead?

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Anytown, USA Part-time grad student: I'm one of those with a dull, dull, dull job. Even with the stress of school, I'm looking for a new job with more challenges because after a day of boredom, I can't concentrate in class, I'm just wiped out from the tedium. I think that being fulfilled in your job would help with life in general, and also with motivation in school.

Just my $.02

Mary Ellen Slayter: Another take

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Mary Ellen,

How best to diplomatically deal with a friend in the office who is constantly bringing his problems with management to you? On one hand I sympathize that he's having a difficult time. On the other, I'm not the HR department nor am I a counselor --I'm a desktop publisher. I can't really do anything about his problems. Besides, from my perspective, he's not exactly a model employee and much of his problems stem from his own behavior and shortcomings. I'm getting tired of his whining and dread seeing him in the office and try to avoid him as much as possible but I feel bad about doing that. We don't have an HR department. We are a small organization with less than 25 employees

Thanks!

Mary Ellen Slayter: I have a friend like this, too. It is exhausting. My standard response to chronic whining and complaining is "That sounds really awful. What are you going to do about it?" Repeat as necessary.

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Columbia, Md.: What is your opinion of career coaches as opposed to a career counselor? How does one find a good career coach?
Thanks!

Mary Ellen Slayter: I think it depends more on how well you click with the individual counselor or coach than what they call themselves.

You find a good one the same way you'd find a good doctor or therapist: referrals. There are several national organizations that certify career counselors and coaches. Visit their Web sites, and search their databases.

I hesitate to recommend any particular counselor or couch, because it's such a personal decision.

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RE: Alexandria, Va.: Actually, call the Department of Labor. They should have a local office. They can tell you if something is fishy...

Mary Ellen Slayter: Good suggestion.

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RE: Fertility issues: Years ago, a supervisor came and let me know her needs for absences for fertility treatments because she wanted me to take over her morning tasks during that time. I also let her know I would not say anything about what I knew, and it was at her discretion what the others got told.

I thought that exchange was appropriate as it directly affected me and what tasks I was expected to perform, and made me doubly willing to help her out when she did happily get pregnant (i.e. Her boss would make her get lunch even though she knew she would get nauseous from the deli, so I would go instead. Yes, that situation is not great either, but it is another question in itself.)

Mary Ellen Slayter: You sound like a wonderful colleague.

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Question for you: Is there any value in a degree in journalism? It was my undergraduate major, but I ended up going back and getting certified to teach social studies because I couldn't get a job in journalism. Same thing with everyone I know who majored in it -- they now work in IT or college administration or went to law school. One guy runs a beer distributorship! Then, there are many people like yourself, who work in journalism but majored in something else. Somehow the logic of this escapes me and I'm just looking for a little insight.

Mary Ellen Slayter: Sure there's value in journalism degrees. If I didn't think so, I wouldn't be pursuing a master's degree now. The most important thing in this field--like any other--is experience. I started working at newspapers when I was 17.

Also, majors are just not that big a deal, unless you're in a highly technical field. Undergraduate programs are supposed to educate you pretty broadly, not train you for a specific job.

A lot of recent grads are surprised to discover this after they get out of school. The other thing that employers don't really care about: your GPA.

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RE: Fertility issues: If you feel comfortable, tell even one other employee on a par with those who work for you. The absence of information leaves people to imagine much worse than the situation is, and a single peer who can say "It's a personal thing, she's ok, no, we don't need to do anything, just be aware and understanding" can make all the difference.

Mary Ellen Slayter: I see what you're saying, but it's also true that the more people she tells, the greater the odds even more people find out. Which it sounds like she really doesn't want.

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Anytown, USA: Hi Mary Ellen,

Last year I finished my B.S. degree. I'm glad that I didn't have an intense or demanding job during my "college years", or I wouldn't have had time to finish up some assignments or reading. Use the downtime at your employers' to facilitate your education. I'm not condoning it, but it sure came in helpful to use the fast Internet in research as opposed to my dialup at home. You are bored? Use your time to "educate" yourself. It will pay off more than stressing about getting all your work done and your schoolwork done.

Just my thoughts.

Mary Ellen Slayter: Another take

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RE: GPA matters: When it comes to legal jobs. I can't tell you the number of jobs (including government) that require law school GPAs. It really sucks.

Mary Ellen Slayter: Interesting. I had no idea. I was thinking more of undergraduate degrees.

Government job apps are also more likely to want GPAs, I think. Especially since high ones can qualify you for a higher pay grade in entry-level jobs.

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Baltimore, Md.: To Washington, D.C.: First of all, absolute best wishes. I dealt with the fertility thing for 2 yrs, and it was absolutely the most difficult thing my husband and I have had to get through.

Second, I agree that she is handling things absolutely right. The most likely interpretation is that her employees and boss' boss just want reassurance that she isn't going to end up in the hospital or dead and want to provide whatever support they can. So specifics and details aren't necessary, other than to provide those reassurances.

If they keep asking questions, though, they may not be hearing the reassurances that she's trying to give (after all, "not life-threatening" could still be very, very serious). The only thing I can suggest is to play things down even more -- try calling it a "minor" condition that just requires annoying doctor's visits, or something along those lines. I know, I know, it's nowhere near "minor" to the person going through it. But if the goal is to get the coworkers and boss' boss of her back, that's the best way to reassure the coworkers that she really is ok, doesn't need their help or concern, and isn't going to keel over on them.

(Of course, if someone's just a nosy parker and wants details for details sake, they're going to keep prying no matter what you say -- but even there, the best way to deal with that is still to just keep repeating the same thing).

Mary Ellen Slayter: Thank you for such a thoughtful response.

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Washington, D.C.: I'm trying to ask for a grad school letter of recommendation from a supervisor, but my "meetings" with her keep getting cancelled or interrupted. The deadline is approaching and I don't want to leave her only a week to write it. How else can I ask? Is email weird/inappropriate when we are in the same office?

Mary Ellen Slayter: E-mail is fine. Just ask her if she thinks she can write you a *strong* letter of recommendation.

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RE: "That's what I thought": How about asking her what she thinks she needs to do? Put the responsibility back on her, and see if she keeps coming back.

Mary Ellen Slayter: If so, can we nickname the competent worker Socrates?

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RE: Greenbelt waiting on a job offer: I've been waiting months (no joke) for something to work out - been going back and forth very slowly. As torturous as it's been it's also been an opportunity to see how the organization handles things - (i.e., with urgency, with disinterest, with courtesy). Not that I won't take the job at some point but it is a sort of forewarning.

Mary Ellen Slayter: Very good point.

Although, being slow to hire is not necessarily a bad thing. The best places I've worked (including The Post) have relatively long recruitment, screening, interviewing processes. Many companies that do this just want to make sure they are hiring the right person. The upside is once you're in, the employer is often more committed to keeping you.

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Mary Ellen Slayter: Thanks for all your comments and questions. See you in two weeks!

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