A Career, College, and Job-Search Advice Column

Readers: Dr. Randall Hansen, a nationally recognized career expert, is the Career Doctor. Discover more about Dr. Hansen, read about the purpose of this column, and find previous issues of this column at the home of The Career Doctor.

Dr. Hansen is taking a break from writing this column.

Note: Readers can find other columns from previous years by going to Previous Years Archives of The Career Doctor Q&A.

Year 2006:

December 15, 2006:

• Weighing the options on attending holiday office party
• Explaining the value to employers of promoting from within
• Developing a plan to return to work for former employer
• Tackling the question of who can be called a professor

December 1, 2006:

• Discovering career passion and finding college major/minors
• Requesting removal of “old” degree date from official transcript
• Dealing with past criminal incident when reapplying to employer
• Requesting a raise in response to job title changes and accomplishments

November 17, 2006:

• Explaining the relevance of career storytelling in a job-search
• Tracking down the best internship opportunities for college students
• Getting your foot into the door of company you want to work for
• Uncovering great career networking Websites for job-seekers

November 3, 2006:

• Figuring out the right time for following up after interview
• Starting to think about careers at early age
• Developing a personal brand for recent college grad
• Choosing a career you love over one just for money

October 20, 2006:

• Helping high school student find her way with career
• Sending resumes out to all the local employers
• Determining when follow-up becomes unacceptable
• Explaining why short stints should not be on resume

October 6, 2006:

• Overcoming negative first impressions in job interview
• Understanding best ways to request informational interview
• Dealing with spelling company name wrong in thank-you note
• Compensating for bad credit report while job-hunting

September 22, 2006:

• Understanding basic elements of creating a teen resume
• Dealing with a demotion on resume and in job interviews
• Clarifying the look of a qualifications summary on resumes
• Deciding whether to put 2-month stint job on resume

September 8, 2006:

• Contacting an employer that only posts job openings online
• Completing an employment application with limited experience
• Overcoming major flaws in recent college grad job-search strategy
• Implementing career change in job-hunting and on resume

August 25, 2006:

• Determining the skills in demand from employers
• Searching for ways to improve a weak job-seeker resume
• Dealing with former employer’s marginal job reference
• Making a career change into non-profit industry

August 11, 2006:

• Finding a way out of the overqualified unemployment line
• Contemplating a career change by earning a graduate degree
• Dealing with no response from prospective employer after job fair
• Building a foundation to change careers for a twenty-something

July 28, 2006:

• Seeking a job that offers flexible hours for college classes
• Handling the issue of being terminated on job application
• Negotiating job offer package when inexperienced at doing so
• Finding appropriate job interview clothing for low-income workers

July 14, 2006:

• Strategies for job-hunting while working full-time
• Making the next step after a series of job interviews
• Overcoming over-confidence when seeking a job
• Understanding the reality and risks of workaholism

June 30, 2006:

• Making sense about how to best use the Internet in a job-search
• Attempting to get job offer back that job-seeker already declined
• Exploring careers working with children while still in high school
• Determining the cost and value of an average MBA degree

June 16, 2006:

• Developing a strategic plan for your career
• Explaining the keys to having a successful teen business
• Responding to job interview question about handling stress
• Changing careers after long and varied career path

June 2, 2006:

• Dealing with pressure to choose a major and a career
• Wanting tips for finding and obtaining fist-ever summer job
• Requesting former and current supervisor to be a reference
• Dealing with aggressive employers seeking past salary information

May 19, 2006:

• Deciding whether to include short-term job on resume
• Considering part-time options and how to request them
• Facing reality that first job after college is not perfect fit
• Changing careers as older job-seeker with no experience

May 5, 2006:

• Dealing with non-compete clauses as a job-seeker
• Creating a new job proposal for a new position
• Deciding whether an MBA is the best career path
• Getting the help needed to balance college and life

April 21, 2006:

• Breaking into pharmaceutical sales or related field
• Overcoming controversial jobs and finding good references
• Fighting the overqualified label, dealing with employment gap
• Researching career opportunities in optometry

April 7, 2006:

• Helping college grad land the perfect job
• Recovering from being fired when job-hunting
• Following-up when you have a maze of people
• Handling a potential problem from a long time ago

March 24, 2006:

• Answering questions about job-hunting and interviewing
• Deciding whether to use "MBA" after ones name
• Providing help in how a job-seeker chooses the right job
• Reviewing the importance of follow-up after job interviews

March 10, 2006:

• Strategies for gaining interviewing experience before interviews
• Tackling the question of experience over a college education
• Ensuring the best chance of success at a job fair
• Determining when best to write thank-you letters

February 24, 2006:

• Dealing with a job where the salary is less than ideal
• Handling a question about why job-seeker left your last job
• Determining why job-seeker gets interviews but no job offers
• Questioning when and how to give notice when job-hunting long-distance

February 10, 2006:

• Revisiting the power of cover letters in a job-search
• Deciding the best method to deliver thank-you letters
• Seeking advice on whether to add a business minor
• Dealing with sick co-workers in the workplace

January 27, 2006:

• Digging out of a long employment rut
• Making the most of a visit to city where relocating
• Dealing with relatively younger prospective co-workers
• Developing resume for high school student

January 13, 2006:

• Developing a plan for expanding career network
• Writing a resume or CV for an engineering Ph.D. student
• Handling multiple job tiles with one employer on resume
• Obtaining earned vacation days and pay after resignation

Note: Readers can find other columns from previous years by going to Previous Years Archives of The Career Doctor Q&A.