On the Job Live

Having problems on the job? Need advice on workplace issues? Ask Washington Post Jobs columnist Kenneth Bredemeier about it.

Bredemeier writes about workplace trends and controversies in his weekly column, and then comes online to engage the audience with questions and new ideas. He reported for The Washington Post for more than 30 years on real estate, politics and the metro area. He now turns his attention to issues "On the Job."

A transcript follows.

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.

________________________________________________

Baltimore, Md.: Are there Web sites that give suggestions on how to write effective KSA's? Can you offer any tips?

Kenneth Bredemeier: Good morning all.

There no doubt are folks out there who do not know what KSA stands for. I didn't at one time. It's Knowledge, Skills and Abilities, and in true government speak it's just known as KSA as if you dummies out there of course knew that.

Yes, there are many web sites, books and what have you to give you more advice than you'd want. Do a quick Google on KSA and see for yourself.

_______________________

Land of the pod people: Five years ago I was hired as an administrative assistant, doing all the normal AA tasks.

In the past 18 months I've taken on a number of new responsibilities, including all external Web site maintenance and development, and have taken on a special database development project.

Yes, I love these things and I've gone out of my way to learn all the necessary skills and languages (not paid for by the firm), but here's the problem.

My firm doesn't believe I should be compensated above my original level because all the new responsibilities are being done for the "good of the firm" That's a quote from the president of the firm to me (love open door policies and having a supportive boss).

My boss knows my feelings, and I plan on bringing it up again in my review tomorrow. Are there any tips you can share with me to help break this nut open?

I've been through the standards of showing how my responsibilities have increased, how I've saved the firm x amount of dollars, but I've gotten nowhere.

Kenneth Bredemeier: Well, you seem to have done the usual, make your case on what you've done to deserve more $$$. See how the review goes and what pay increase they may offer. But as you do that on the fly in the meeting, turn the conversation into the future. What's ahead beyond being an AA? See if they have things in mind for you. It'll give you an idea of what you ought to do, stick around because they value you and your talents, or whether you need to keep this job while you start to look elsewhere.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: How important are cover letters when applying for a job? Do employers really read them? They are such a pain to write.

Kenneth Bredemeier: Well, it's just a little introduction to yourself, and I frankly think you're doing it wrong if you think it's such a big deal. Write one and you can redraft and amend and shape for future such letters. Not that hard. I don't thknk it ought to be much more than a page single-spaced.

_______________________

Silver Spring, Md.: Hi there -- are there any federal government jobs that don't require U.S. citizenship, but instead, permanent residency? Thanks.

Kenneth Bredemeier: Help me out, federal worker experts. What's the story on this issue?

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: I was just promoted a few months ago and head up a team of several people. While looking at salary information for the team in advance of annual reviews, I noticed that someone who I now supervise, hired a few months before I was promoted, makes only about $5,000 less than I do. In fact, before I was promoted he actually made more than I did, even though I was senior to him on my team and in the company.

This person, while talented, a great asset to the team and the company, and a wonderful person, does not have the skills or relevant experience that I do. While I applaud him for excellent salary negotiation and don't have any problem with his salary per se, given the additional responsibilities I have at the company and on our team, I feel that my salary is too low compared to his.

Any advice on how to bring this to my supervisor's attention to open the door to a pay adjustment for me? I was given a 10 percent raise when I was promoted.

Kenneth Bredemeier: My basic premise on this is that if everyone in the office, no matter where it is, knew what everyone else made, there'd be open rebellion like you would not believe. The fact is that there are disparities all over the place on pay. Workers get hired and get paid in the ebb and flow of the economy, their experience level, academic and skill credentials, how much in demand they might be at any given moment. I think pay gaps between supervisors and subordinates are sometimes huge, sometimes much less so at many offices. As for you, what you need to do is not worry about the guy making $5,000 less than you, except for managing him the best way you know how, to maximize his talents, for the company's benefit and his career advancement, which also reflects well on you. As for your salary, you need to make a case on your accomplishments in your job, not because you think the guy next door shouldn't be within 5K of you. And I would not think you'd be able to make much of case after a few months on the job, but hopefully by the time the six-month or annual review comes around.

_______________________

Alexandria, Va.: I'm in the fortunate position of having received a job offer, but it is from a company (Company A) I'm not that interested in. Company B, which I would love working for, has called my references and I'm expecting a job offer from them shortly. I've gotten conflicting advice on whether it's okay to tell Company B I have another offer to speed up the process. What's the etiquette on this?

Kenneth Bredemeier: Well, I would not want to put undue pressure on Co. B, but I think you can politely ask where things stand and mention in the process that you have an offer, but that if an appropriate offer is likely forthcoming you'd rather work at B. I think you might be able to get some sense of timing from B and even if not certainty judge whether to accept from A.

_______________________

Rockville, Md.: Are there any good headhunters out there? I am trying to find an entry-level job somewhere in D.C. working for the govt. or an association or some related field and can't seem to generate any interest despite having a college degree, two Congressional internships and holding down a job at a govt. contractor since graduating in May 2002. I feel like headhunter is my last hope! What do you suggest?

Kenneth Bredemeier: We are headhunter city. Check the Yellow Pages. What you need to do is figure out what kind of job you hope to get, because some headhunters specialize in certain fields, and if you call one that does not suit your needs, ask you does.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Is there any value to having both a security clearance and an MBA? Apparently, it appears that most jobs that require clearances are at employers that see little value for an MBA.

Kenneth Bredemeier: I think any credential, training, experience, acquired skill is worthwhile. I suspect your situation is simply finding the right slot at some business where both would be valued.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: I currently work full time for a defense contracting company for the Army. I am graduating law school in December, and plan to take the February bar. I am also pregnant and expecting in September. With all those considerations, should I start looking for a "lawyer job" while on maternity leave? I am worried that after taking 12 weeks off and announcing my resignation, it could hurt my reputation with my current company.

Kenneth Bredemeier: Easy for me to say, but I think you're worrying to much about what is a normal occurrence in the workplace, maternity leave. You're obviously well educated. Might there be a lawyer opening at your current employer? How taking a leave rather than quitting? But if you've decided to move on, you can start to make some inquiries now, but likely it might make more sense in the last couple months of your planned hiatus.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Can you think of agencies/companies/whatever, that would value an attorney with a security clearance?

Kenneth Bredemeier: I would think about any defense contractor would value that, and likely many federal agencies as well.

_______________________

Re: Cover Letters: As someone who does hiring, I think cover letters are important. They should not just reiterate the resume, though. They should be short, readable (no typos or grammatical errors), and give the reader an idea of why the applicant wants that particular job. And I completely agree it should be no more than a page.

Kenneth Bredemeier: Thanks, always good to hear from someone who deals with the hiring process.

_______________________

Ann Arbor, Mich.: Thank you for taking my question. A friend forwarded my resume to someone in her department. Well, that someone just called and set up an interview with me for Friday. The job sounds great, but the interviewer told me that it's a waged position, with the possibility of becoming salaried in 6 months to a year. There's no way I could give up my benefits and take a wage job, so should I bother going? I'm wondering whether this may get my foot in the door for anything that may come up? Thanks for your advice.

Kenneth Bredemeier: Sure you ought to go, see what they're talking about. I assume you mean hourly employee, but on the face of it that does not mean no benefits, although I suppose it could mean that. But hear them out.

_______________________

California: I'm a semi recent college graduate who was layed off several weeks ago. I was unceremoniously called into a conference room where a corporate HR type was waiting along with two supervisors. I was told that there were layoffs throughout the company -- not just in our division. It was a low entry-level position, the type that doesn't have all of its menial duties revealed during the interview. I had a supervisor watch me clean out my desk while other coworkers watched (very embarrassing situation for me).

Before the layoff, I had been looking for other job opportunities and had been on a few interviews with no luck due to my lack of experience.

Shortly after my layoff, I had a phone interview with a company out of state and was told that the position was mine but that I needed to meet them in person to finalize the offer. I was told that my travel cost would be reimbursed. I looked into flights, car rental, and hotel costs. I left several messages to my would-be future supervisor with no luck. This was the 4th of July holiday so I figured that she left early. I left several other messages with no luck. Finally, after about a week from our last conversation she called back and said that she had been on vacation and that a former employee wanted to return so they would be giving that person the position instead. I thought fine whatever.

I then get an interview with a politician's local office. There was to be a three-level interview process. About an hour after the first conference, I received a phone call so that I could meet with the chief of staff. I went ahead and purchased a new suit with some of my final paycheck money. A day before that interview, I received a phone call stating that the chief of staff only wanted to interview with the top TWO candidates and that I would be called for another meeting only if the other two did not work out.

So my question is what are the odds that these two job opportunities fell through? Do you think that they may have called my previous employer and that they gave me a not so favorable review (implied)? I know that legally they aren't suppose to say anything negative but I mean I'm sure they can imply something. I did call the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement in California and was told that I would need someone at the company to actually admit to "blacklisting," (which I am not certain is occurring as of yet) for them to get involved. So they suggested that contacting an attorney would be the best option. If another bizarre job opportunity happens, again what can I do?

Kenneth Bredemeier: You and I can't know for sure what befell your job applications. Frankly I'd vote for happenstance. I suppose something could have been done/said/implied by your former employer to derail you, but I'd guess not. I don't know that it's illegal for a former employer to say what they thought of you, but as a practical matter most don't say much more than give out the basics on former workers, when you worked there, positions held and maybe verify your last salary. They've been instructed by their legal departments to not say much. Were you doing well at your previous employer? If so, how about going back to a supervisor and ask him/her to be a reference? And if not, how about asking that they just give your dates of employment and say that your departure was nothing more than part of a layoff of many? By the way, while you may have felt that your layoff and the scenario surrounding it was demeaning in some way, it sounds pretty standard to me.

_______________________

White Oak, Md.: Is an employer allowed to say you need reading glasses? I was saying that I do not know shorthand writing (handwring signatures).

People you know out there do not write their spelling clearly. It looks like a shorthand.

Kenneth Bredemeier: Sounds like a pretty benign suggestion to me, as one with reading glasses. But you no doubt know better than anyone whether you're having more trouble than in the past at reading anything, not just signatures. And if you are, see a doctor or find some reading glasses, available at drug stores and discount shopping places.

_______________________

For Ann Arbor, Mich.: A waged position is not inherently bad; you just need to do the math correctly. So that if you are, in fact, not given benefits that you can ask for a salary/hr commensurate with what all of that would cost you to do individually.

Most insurance companies offer individual health plans as well as IRAs and other retirement savings. Also, take vacation/sick leave into account. If you can figure out what it would cost you to do it all yourself and then factor that into your hourly wage request; a non-salaried job might not be so bad.

Contractors do this all the time -- you just have to account for it in the hourly rate.

Good luck!

Kenneth Bredemeier: Solid advice.

_______________________

Boston, Mass.: Here's the deal. A woman in my office passed me a note recently asking me out on date. No big deal, but I had no interest. I asked my boss some advice on how to handle it. After giving me advice my boss went to this woman's supervisor and told her about it. Her supervisor in turn told the woman how inappropriate the note was, and now of course the woman won't speak to me, I will never again confide in my boss, and the whole thing was blown way out of proportion. Any advice?

Kenneth Bredemeier: You're right, way blown out of proportion. But I'm not sure why you didn't just turn down the date and leave it at that in the first place. Can you belatedly apologize to the woman in question that you should have just declined and left it that and hope you can move on and be cordial workplace colleagues?

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: I would like to transition from a political job to the private sector and NOT be a lobbyist. I have communications/press as well as legislative experience. Do you have any suggestions on "getting my foot in the door" in the business world?

Kenneth Bredemeier: I think a lot of such offices that have interests here need support staff to draft legislation friendly to their needs and that others would then carry on the lobbying part.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Office of the Secretary of Defense General Counsel Office, Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Army CID etc., all need lawyers. OSDGC is almost always hiring. TS needed for most positions if not SCI. CIA laos hires lawyers.

Kenneth Bredemeier: Thanks for great information here.

_______________________

Cover letters: More and more recruiters and HR people seem to say that without a good cover letter, your resume and application go straight to the trash. Why would a company want to hire you if you can't follow the basic instruction to include a cover letter? Many have also said that the extent of most of the cover letters they receive is "Dear Ms. So and So, Here is my resume. Sincerely, Mary Smith."

I agree that they aren't fun to write, but Ken is right. Make a basic one and tweak it as necessary, and that can be used in Email.

Kenneth Bredemeier: Right, while a cover letter need not be an opus, neither should it be a one-liner either.

_______________________

Cover Letters: I do a lot of hiring and if I don't get a cover letter, I throw the resume in the trash. 1. If they ask for it, include it. It shows you can follow directions. 2. Cover letters give me insight into your writing abilities and attention to detail. You would be amazed how many times people get my name or the name of my company wrong in a cover letter. Those also go in the garbage.

Kenneth Bredemeier: Spelling errors and the like are a definite no-no. Take heed to this.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Re lawyer jobs: The woman who is graduating from law school in December should be looking for a job now. Law firms hire soon-to-be graduates in their last year of law school. The goal is to get the students signed up long before graduation. Firms generally pay bar expenses, including cost of bar review classes. If she waits til graduating to look around, she's going to have a lot harder time finding an opening.

Kenneth Bredemeier: Thanks for this good tip.

_______________________

Rockville, Md.: Re the Salary thing: both the person seeking an increase after doing beyond her AA work and the one worried about making only slightly more than someone he supervises: companies cannot be MADE to ante up no matter what you do. The advice of your Post colleague Ms. Slater on a similar post the other day is that "if the co. won't ante up, leave." Wonderful advice! But a bit impractical for those who must pay their bills, and not everyone can walk into a better-paying gig --many co.'s will say, "Oh, we'd NEVER pay that!" The key to survival is to always keep your options and eyes open. Someone out there may value you more than your current employer but finding that job will take a lot more time and energy than you know. It's a journey, not a destination, and you're more likely to go up and down the salary scale than steadily increase no matter where you work.

Kenneth Bredemeier: Another thought on the salary game.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Re the poster asking about cover letters: I think they are very important. I use them to separate the people who use it to show me that they took ten minutes to visit our Web site and find out what we do from those who just send a generic cover letter that tells me nothing. Also, you can write about the most relevant aspects of your experience in more detail than you can cover in a resume. I definitely screen people out on the basis of cover letters. Especially when I ask for them and don't get them. Goes to "ability to follow directions" ...

Kenneth Bredemeier: Take this one to heart too. I think the hiring agents who commented here and I are in agreement. Write something decent and succinct in a cover letter that shows you care about where you're applying. And a basic one can be tweaked to fit the need for a variety of applications.

With that, I will call it quits for this session. Thanks for all the tips and questions and thoughts. Please remember that I can be reached at bredemeier@washpost.com with more questions for possible inclusion in the Sunday On the Job column in the Post. Seeya back here next Wednesday.

_______________________