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Q. I live in Wasilla, work in Anchorage and am incredibly tired of the commute, particularly with the ice and snow. Although I'm a hard worker with a good work ethic who is loyal to my employer, I want to work closer to home.
My problem is my current boss. He keeps me on an extremely tight leash, making it next to impossible to interview for a new job. Every prospective employer wants to interview during the workday, and my boss won't let me leave a second before 5 p.m. or arrive a minute after 8 a.m., even on a snowy day. I don't dare tell him I want to interview for another job or he'll fire me on the spot. What do I do?A. You need to sell a prospective employer on phone interviewing you on your lunch hour or in the early evening or morning. Alternatively, you need to take a full day off whenever you want to interview for a job really worth having.Increase your chance of gaining an alternative interview time and a job by making your cover letter, resume and your "here's who I am and what I can do for an employer" presentation stand out from other candidates'.Many applicants write cover letters that look like boilerplate form letters. If you really consider what each potential employer wants and what makes you special and describe this in an interview, you can catch a prospective employer's attention by writing an on-target cover letter that hits home.Next, make your resume powerful. Start by tailoring your resume to the job for which you're applying. While you might have a good generic resume that lists skills in both management and technology skills, a weaker applicant whose resume details more technology experience might beat yours when reviewed by an employer with a technology hot button.Further, avoid submerging your accomplishments in generalities and instead detail what you've accomplished that pays off on the bottom line for your current or former employers. For example, you might write "processed more than 35 orders daily, resulting in a daily increase of $29,000 in reported sales."Finally, support your resume with convincing letters of recommendation from pleased supervisors. If you don't dare ask your current supervisor for a reference letter, include performance reviews from current and former supervisors.With a strong application package, you can ask a prospective employer to give you a chance while honoring your commitment to your current employer. A prospective employer convinced you might be a great applicant may arrange an evening, early morning or Saturday appointment. If the employer can't alter his or her interview schedule, ask for a luncheon phone interview and offer to take a day off for a longer in-person interview for a job worth happening. Good luck.Q. I work at a business that brings on a lot of workers seasonally in the winter. Last week at the annual rehire meeting, we were told that everyone in our department will be taking big pay cuts. I asked the manager what we had done wrong and he said, "Nothing." I asked him what I had to do to get my pay restored, and he said we all have to give the same excellent service that we gave last year.I feel horrible about this. I like my job and hate to go into the season under a cloud of bad feelings. What do pay cuts like this really mean -- that my work is no longer valued and I should find another line of work, or that our company might go belly up? What would you do if you were me?A. Widespread pay cuts generally mean an owner needs to cut costs because the company isn't making a profit.Your manager probably can't give you a better answer because he doesn't have a guarantee to offer. He and your company may value you highly and yet not have the revenue needed to keep salaries at last year's level.Ultimately, you face a choice -- find a better-paying job or realize you love your job enough to stay despite diminished wages.Whatever choice you make, embrace it. Don't stay and feel under a cloud -- you love this job and your stellar work may make a difference in the future for you and your company. Alternatively, if you leave, you deserve all the money you can earn -- and you can find real value in other work.