Q) As I try to ride out my job search, I need to temporarily call off my creditors. I have applied for unemployment benefits and examined every expense in our household budget, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. However, I will still have a hard time making ends meet. Any suggestions?

A) First, if you are married, discuss the financial situation with your spouse or partner, and make sure everyone understands the situation and what needs to be done. It is essential to get your cash flow under control so you will have access to enough cash to tide you over until you find another position. Here are three suggestions to help you cope with your financial situation:

1. Protect your credit history. The most effective way to preserve a good credit history in the case of unemployment is to take an active stance. Creditors are far more likely to play hardball if they do not hear from you. Some are willing to extend a certain degree of leniency in the face of unemployment. Contact creditors in writing before they send late payment notices when they may be less willing to negotiate terms. Explain your situation and request several months of reduced payments.

2. Talk to nonprofit consumer credit counseling services. If your debts have reached an overwhelming level, they may provide a debt management program. Because of creditor cooperation with a reduced payment schedule, you may be able to halt judgments, repossessions, and bankruptcy.

3. Is your spouse is employed? If so, consider borrowing against his/her 401(k) money if the company plan allows it. This is not a good idea if you think your spouse’s job is in immediate peril. If your spouse loses his/her job while carrying a 401(k) loan, it will have to be paid back, usually within 60 days, or it will count as an early withdrawal and your spouse will get hit with a penalty. If tapping into a 401(k) is not possible and you own your home, you might want to consider a home equity line of credit, which is tax deductible.

Q) I have been interviewing with a company that I really want to work for, however, I am now on my third interview and they still have not extended an offer. The waiting is driving my family and me crazy. They have led me to believe that I am the candidate they want to hire, but they have all this red tape and paperwork that needs to be taken care of regarding new hires. What should I do while I am waiting? Keep looking for another job? Call them?

A) Consider the following three items:

1. In responding to any job offer, first show your family concern and appreciation by letting them know the elements of your job offer. Each member will have different issues. For your spouse, it may be the assurance of good pay and benefits. For kids, it may be the continuation of their current lifestyle. If the new job requires major changes, be sensitive to how these changes could possibly affect your family. By taking care of your family’s concerns first, you will be able to focus on your new job more effectively.

2. If you receive your offer in writing or verbally, put your acceptance on paper. In a letter, review your understanding of the offer based on your conversation with the hiring manager. This letter will protect you in the future, especially if you get a new boss who is not familiar with the commitments made to you.

3. Consider my version of the old vaudeville line “it ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” Right now you are in a dance, you have nothing concrete until a formal offer is extended. Until you have a signed offer, keep looking for other opportunities, which may have more salary flexibility, a sign-on bonus, performance and salary review in six months, equity position, or other perks. In the meantime, sit tight; after three interviews, business etiquette says the closure is with them.

Q) I’ve been out of the health care industry for ten years and now I want to return. Here are two questions recently asked at an interview that I had a problem with: “Why do you want to work for us?” and “Why are you switching careers?” With the interview often being the make-or-break part of the hiring process, how can I survive such treacherous questions?

A) There is no sure-fire trick to navigating these two questions. However, you can increase your odds of handling them successfully by knowing what you are up against. The first question, “Why do you want to work for us?” can also be phrased as “describe your ideal job.” Long before the actual interview, I tell clients to think of their ideal job in terms of an employment ad, and then have them describe to me how it reads. This forces job seekers to come up with a catchy headline and several descriptive adjectives about the company, the job, and themselves.

I always ask clients going through a career transition what would they really like to do ... and most give a vague or generic answer. Writing an employment ad directs most clients away from vague answers. You cannot dodge it. The best way to prepare for this first question is to write out your employment ad in advance. Even if the person interviewing you does not ask you this question, the exercise will help you focus exactly on what you want and what you have to offer. As for the second question -- “Why are you switching careers?” -- I firmly believe that a large majority of interviewers are searching for evidence that you have done careful self-assessment. They want you to show that your skills, personality, and career goals are more suited to the industry you are interviewing for, rather than the one you are coming from.

When this question comes up again, and believe me it will, the following type of answer may prove helpful: “As I have gained additional experience, I realize that I’m better positioned returning to the health care field rather than the one I have been in. I always do well in managing multiple tasks and I always find myself gravitating toward the kind of assignments that are more typical of health care."

Joe Hodowanes, a career strategy adviser in Tampa, Florida, offers a free resume and career analysis. Fax your resume to (813) 936-0201 or email it to jmwanes@jmwanes.com For questions, call Joe at (813) 936-0091 or visit www.jmwanes.com on the Web. All Job Search Advisor articles on this website are the property of www.jmwanes.com (J.M. Wanes & Associates). You may download
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© 2005 J.M. Wanes & Associates.