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, everyone! I hope you're all doing well. We finally have what looks like an actual spring day outside ...

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Mary,
How do I tell my supervisor that I would like some reinforcement or direction in my day to day job duties? My boss is a nice guy but is too busy in his own position to check up on me(or so I feel this way). I started this new position 5 months ago I feel like I'm falling into the wayside finding myself twiddling my thumbs at my desk, what's the best way to approach this situation?

Mary Ellen Slayter: You don't. You take the initiative and figure out yourself what needs to be done every day, every week, every month ... and you do it. It's not your boss's job to check up on your work constantly. You should meet periodically to plan out the big picture, but your boss should be able to trust you to handle the day-to-day on your own.

This is officially the first comment I have every gotten from someone complaining because their boss is NOT micromanaging them.

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Faifax, Va.: I have worked for a small web development company for 10 years and am ready for a change. I have had some interviews but nothing has worked out. I am looking for a headhunter to help me out. Could you please give me some names of some reputable ones in the area?

Mary Ellen Slayter: There are far too many for me to get in the business of recommending one or two. A couple of guidelines, however:

1. Start with the big employment agencies. They don't just fill temp jobs, and they often have the broadest databases of jobs because they have national and local clients. As for the particular recruiter ... just find someone you click with.

2. Don't expect a recruiter (aka headhunter) to help you out. Their client isn't really you; it's the company who's looking to fill the position. If they think you are a good fit, they can get you to the interview stage, but if that's where you're getting stuck, a recruiter isn't going to be able to do much for you. They're not therapists or career coaches.

You don't mention how many jobs you've applied for, or how many interviews you've done, so it's hard to say if you've really got a problem, or if you should need to be persistent.

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RE: Relocating: My question (the short-short version)--
Boss sent me for product training to support an IT product. Cost my boss a lot. Afterwards, asks me to sign 2-year commitment b/c of the cost. My condition ... can't stop me from moving out of state. I never did sign anything and so forgot about it.
Fast forward a year ... married now for 6 months -- wife and I want to move for a variety of reasons, mainly she can make 2x as much at her job up north and b/c she's bad with standardized testing, and if she doesn't pass next test we have to leave anyway. Boss is now telling me: "No no no, breach of contract." "What contract?" I ask. "Verbal agreement we had." Buh-wuhh? "But I'm leaving the state," I clarify. "You told me last year you weren't planning to leave in the next 2 years." OK. I'm moving. How is the least painful way to get through this?

Mary Ellen Slayter: There really isn't one. You might not have violated a legal contract, but you did screw over your boss. Keep saying you're sorry for the inconvenience, and offer to help out the person taking over your job for a while. Don't expect a letter of recommendation.

This stuff happens all the time, but you have to accept the consequences.

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Fairfax, Va.: I graduated in 2003 from George Mason University with a B.A. in Communications, and have been working with children since. I'm looking for a new career. I would like to find a job doing research, but it seems a lot of jobs require years of experience. Any suggestions?

Mary Ellen Slayter: A master's degree. Only you know in what, though.

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St. Paul, Minn.: How do I go about selecting a professional association to join? Any criterias, tips ... I'm majoring in accounting and there seems to be hundreds of associations out there.

Mary Ellen Slayter: Which ones have student affiliations on campus? Which ones specialize in the type of accounting you want to do?

any suggestion, chatters?

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Anonymous: I just started a new job a few weeks ago and it's not exactly what I expected. I really thought the job would be more of a problem solving and thinking position and it really is 90% data entry and maintaining the database. My boss has asked a few times if things are going well and I've responded that I'm catching on and everyone in the office is nice, etc. I'm not sure what I should do next.
After 30 days there is some type of "review." I'm not sure if I should wait until then. And if I'm honest and say that the job is not what I expected, then I'm afraid they might ask me if I'm still committed to working for them and fire me. (I can get a $1000 bonus if I stay a year).

I graduated college in 2002 and had some temporary jobs and have been out of work since mid-November. The idea of going back to looking for another new job is something I really can't get excited about and since these are the only people that offered me a job out of about 120 resumes and 5 interviews over the last 3 months, I'm not even sure what else I could find.
I can't afford to leave until I've lined up something else, but my instincts are telling me that this position is really not that stimulating or interesting and was probably a mistake.
What should I do? Should I tell my supervisor how I feel or will that just make the situation worse?

Mary Ellen Slayter: I think you should sit tight. You've only been there a few weeks, which isn't nearly long enough to see what sort of opportunities the job will create. Concentrate on doing the best job you can with the tasks you've been given. As you get those down pat, start to talk to your boss about expanding your duties.

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Arlington, Va.: How accurate would you say that those average salary calculators are online? I have used many of these calculators, (for example salary.com and the AIGA 2004 salary survey) and it seems I either at or below the bottom 25 percentile in earnings on all of them! Am I being unrealistic about what I think I should be earning? I work in the private sector, I have 4 years experience, and a B.A. I get great performance reviews but only very modest salary bumps. I do special projects and I seek out extra work. I feel like I am always making 10% less than I should be. Maybe I am going about raise negotiations wrong? She offers X, I counter-offer, and she always stays with her first offer.

Mary Ellen Slayter: In a broad sense, they are pretty accurate. They're not precise, however.

It's very difficult to get big raises out of your current employer. Your best bet, if you want more money, is to leave.

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New York: Any advice to give to a girl who always performed really well at school, but is having a lot of trouble being sucessful at her first job? I've been here over a year, so I'm past the adjustment phase.

Mary Ellen Slayter: Just to reality-check her ideas about what constitutes "successful" in the work world. About half of the recent grads who write me are depressed because they haven't gotten a promotion, written a best-selling novel, or gotten a corner office in their first year out of school.

Not saying that's you, but keep it mind that college lasts 4 years, your career will last at least 40. Think long-term, and don't pressure yourself so much.

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RE: Micromanaging: I don't think D.C. was looking to be micromanaged. She said she was looking for reinfocement and direction. A good boss should be able to do that without micromanagement, an occasional "great way to handle x" (reinforcement) or "here are our priorities for this quarter." So the poster can determine what other skills or projects to take on (as per your suggestion to find things to do). Direction is not micromanagement.

Mary Ellen Slayter: Of course. But the poster asked for guidance on his or her day-to-day duties, not long-term priorities.

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Virginia: Happily, I am going to be starting a new job in two weeks. Unhappily, I have to give notice to my current job on Monday. I'll have a written letter in hand, but how do I start the conversation? My manager is new and was just transferred over to us a bit over a month ago, so I'm not sure how to break the ice. Also, I'm assuming I can then ask him how he would like me to tell my immediate supervisor and my co-workers, or if he will be doing that, right?

Mary Ellen Slayter: You just do it. Seriously, it's that easy! Be gracious, express your regret at not getting to work with him more. I'd let my immediate supervisor know first, actually. How you tell co-workers is a matter of office protocol, which varies.

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Little Canada, Minn.: I recently completed a doctorate degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health in the International Health and Human Nutrition division. I have been applying to jobs with several federal and international agencies, but have been rejected over and over again. I'm currently underemployed as a Research Fellow at the University of Minnesota, making $50,000/year. I need to make at least $90,000/year to pay off my student loans. What should I do?

Mary Ellen Slayter: Um, um ... get two jobs?

Before you entered this PhD program, did you research the average starting salaries for people with the degree. I mean, what are your odds of getting a job that pays that much?


The very thought of "needing" to make $90K a year to cover my un-dischargable-through-bankrupcy student loan payments makes me ill. Wow.

Chatters?

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Alexandria, Va.: I recently tried to do a rollover of my 401K plan from my ex-employer's plan and found out that the funds where taken out of our accounts and used for some other purpose. In the meantime they are trying to secure a loan to restore the money into our accounts. Is this legal? Do you think that I should take legal action? I fear that if I do, I will be seen as a troublemaker and will hurt my opportunities with my current employer (I'm still on probation).

Mary Ellen Slayter: Get a lawyer. Now.

Don't worry about impact on your current employer. This has nothing to do with them, and why would they even know about it?

Two questions in a row that make me feel ill. Wow.

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RE: Test Preparation: Any useful insights as to where I could take a GRE prep course this coming spring? How should I choose one?

Mary Ellen Slayter: Start with a book. They're much cheaper.

The Washington Post Co. owns one of the test prep companies, so I don't feel comfortable making a recommendation.

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Washington, D.C.: Thanks for taking my question. I'm starting grad school in the fall (studying political science) and would like on the best way for me to spend my summer career-wise. I have been working for a nonprofit law firm for the past year and a half, since graduating from college in May '03. After graduate school I plan to pursue nonprofit policy or media-related work, not in the legal realm at all. Does it make sense for me to leave my job in May to take an internship more directly related to what I want to do after grad school, or should I stay at my job for an additional few months? Will the employers to whom I apply for jobs after grad school find internships at this stage of my career worth noting? Thanks!

Mary Ellen Slayter: Eh, stick with the law firm for the summer. They will actually pay you. Do the internships during and after grad school.

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New York again: The problem is that my supervisors are unhappy with my work. I just want to feel like I'm good at my job, even if it is my first and it isn't what I plan on doing long-term.

Mary Ellen Slayter: Gotcha. Have you talked to them about what they are unhappy with? Once you know that, you can work out a plan to improve your performance. It may also be that this just ain't the job for you. Do you like the work?

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Maryland: I'm in an "in-between" phase. No longer a recent graduate, but not much work experience. I have a liberal arts B.A., some grad school but no M.A. I've done an internship and some temp. jobs -- all nonprofit. My problem is finding an entry-level job that's actually entry-level. Some places want you to have up to 3 years experience! I know that school can translate into some experience, but I haven't had any real jobs yet. Also, I am not a computer person.
What can someone in my transition position do?
I'm willing to volunteer, but really need a paying job eventually.

Mary Ellen Slayter: Apply to those jobs that want three years of experience anyway. And make the case that your temp work, internships and education equip you to handle the job.

Also, work on that "not a computer person" thing. These days, that isn't really optional.

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RE: Anonymous: Do sit tight ... and note that most jobs that come two years out of college don't include much problem solving and policy making. You're not there yet, dear. Be patient and inject as much creative thought --improvements? integrations? -- as you can into the job you're doing.

Mary Ellen Slayter: Yes, thank you!

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Anytown And that is why when I hear people who don't know what they want to do say they are applying to law school I shout "run." Seriously, I know what 100K of school debt is like and spirit crushing is not far off. And don't think you'll just make top dollar at a great firm - you may not be that good and they will eat your life even if you do make it. Just think really, really, really hard before committing to debt like this.

Mary Ellen Slayter: Yeah, no sh*t. This person isn't even a lawyer, though.

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RE: Test Prep: I beleive the USDA Grad school offers test prep for grad school entrance tests. They're pretty cheap

Mary Ellen Slayter: See, I can't recommend anything specific, but you can!

USDA Grad School is awesome on so many levels.

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

Mary Ellen

P.S. Are there any guests y'all would like to see on the show? Send me an e-mail with any suggestions.

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