Where are all the Jobs?: They Hired Someone Else Instead of Making Me Full-time!

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

They Hired Someone Else Instead of Making Me Full-time!

Posted: 30 Mar 2012 09:30 PM PDT

“JT & Dale Talk Jobs” is the largest nationally syndicated career advice column in the country and can be found at JTandDale.com.
Dear J.T. & Dale: My wife was hired as a caregiver at an assisted-living home almost a year ago and was told that it would be full-time after three months. She is still part-time. She has asked several times, when other employees resigned, if she could have a regular shift. The supervisor said yes, then hired someone else to fill the shift. My wife’s performance review was very good. Is there any action she can take? – Len
J.T.: Unfortunately, I don’t see anything your wife can do to force a change. While the right thing for management to do would be to honor the original agreement, I would say that your wife is not being considered for full-time.
DALE: There’s something odd about that. Lots of employers like to start people out part-time, testing them before moving them to full-time or letting them go. Why would your wife get stuck in job limbo? Maybe she doesn’t really want to go full-time. (It wouldn’t be the first time a wife misled a husband about her real intentions.) Or maybe she has failed to completely fit in. I’d urge her to ask her manager for advice on how to be a great employee, and to ask her co-workers how she could do better. She could get everyone involved in her career success and learn a lot along the way.
J.T.: That’s possible, but I’d suggest that she also look for another job. She had a great performance review and is currently working, which puts her in a strong position for job searching. Then she can enjoy the best revenge – walking in with her two-weeks’ notice and telling them of her great new full-time assignment.

Jeanine “J.T.” Tanner O’Donnell is a professional development specialist and founder of the career consulting firm, J.T. O’Donnell – Career Insights, and of the job search blog, CAREEREALISM. Dale Dauten resolves employment and other business disputes as a mediator with Agreement House.
Please visit them at JTandDale.com, where you can send questions via e-mail, or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10019.
© 2012 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
Hired someone else image from Shutterstock

How Do You Explain Leaving Job to Be a Caretaker?

Posted: 30 Mar 2012 09:15 PM PDT

“JT & Dale Talk Jobs” is the largest nationally syndicated career advice column in the country and can be found at JTandDale.com.
Dear J.T. & Dale:My son had to leave his IT position to become caretaker to his mother (who is now a lung cancer survivor). He took her to the doctor for her treatments and also maintained her home. He is now ready to get back into the work force. What is the best way to approach his “absence” for the past year? – Jeff

J.T.: Honesty works best here. Have him add “Caretaker” to his work history. He should try to quantify the experience – for instance, how many doctor appointments he took her to, and his duties as head of the household. Not a lot of info, but just enough so they know the magnitude.
DALE: I’m all for the truth, in its place; however, “Caretaker” is a terrible truth to stick in a resume. To me, listing it as a job makes it seem that he left the IT profession to dabble in a new career. Instead, I’d downplay the time off. He can merely list 2011 as the end date for his last job, and give as the reason for leaving his last position that he was caring for his mother, who has since recovered.
J.T.: I guess I have a bit more faith in hiring managers. However, either way, the wonderful news is that his mother recovered, and I’ll bet he’s excited to get back to work. That should be conveyed in his cover letter in order to alleviate any concerns that he may still need additional time off to care for her. They’ll want to know that he is truly ready to return full time.
DALE: He also should attend professional meetings and do some IT work for friends or as a consultant in order to make clear that he is not out of touch. He needs to emphasize that he is ready to get back to work in every sense, re-energized emotionally and professionally.