mercedsunstar.com :: Salary requirements, greenness, the flu

DISCLOSURE

Q: Please tell me how to handle an employer's request to e-mail a resume with salary requirements. I'm applying in accounting. -- Uncertain

A: Oh, Uncertain, you're correct to be! The employer is asking for you to give your name, rank and serial number before you've even met. Do you want to cooperate? You have two options:

THE FULL SCOOP: If you don't set a figure, do you think that you won't be considered? Then write down the amount you want.

A HEDGE: State that you'll be pleased to provide your salary requirements when you meet to learn more about the job. This is often a qualifying question to check whether you're a serious candidate.

Of course, you'd better know approximately how much your skills and experience are worth to an employer, particularly one in the company or industry where you're applying. Remember: smaller companies tend to pay less. Employees who travel can expect more than the usual compensation. Not all employers want a "deal" from an applicant. Bargain basement pricing doesn't always fit the bill.

Now that you've seen your options, choose the one which seems the most comfortable and go for it. -- mlc

SKILLED BUT JOBLESS

Q: I am 27 with a Master's in computer science and authorization to work in the United States. I can't get computer-related job because I don't have any experience. How can I get experience if no one hires me? I will be a citizen in a year. -- Qualified

A: They're really making you feel UNqualified, aren't they? It's not clear whether they mean that:

many American citizens with computer skills are jobless, and they come first;

they don't like your accent (Americans can be unbelievably provincial, even if they've traveled abroad);

you're a woman and they want a man;

they'd consider you if your degree were from a more prestigious institution; or

they're in a bad mood.

If you're convinced that inexperience is the reason, not an excuse, sign on with one or more temporary agencies, especially those offering "temp-to-hire." If agencies say you have no experience, volunteer your skills to a community organization that needs your help. Get people there to serve as references in your search. Add that information to your resume. (Work is work, paid or unpaid.) Is your English halting? Throw yourself into an ESL course or find a tutor.

Still feeling desperate? Find a company where you can take a test drive, gratis, with the agreement that after a month, you'll be hired if they like your work. If they don't hire you, your resume will fly to the desk of another employer, brimming with your newly acquired experience! -- mlc

**blogTip**

'RESPIRATORY ETIQUETTE'

As the flu season revs up, according to Kimberly-Clark Professional (www.kcprofessional.com), people employed in companies where you interview may well expect you to practice "respiratory etiquette." So indicates a survey of 588 workers.

Here's all you do:

keep germs to yourself by covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze, and make liberal use of the sink and soap throughout the day to keep your hands clean (62 percent);

don't assume you have halitosis when someone backs away from you as you begin to sneeze or cough, because 31 percent will -- it's the GERMS, stupid; and

don't touch a door knob or telephone after an impolitic germs-spread (78 percent).

Only 24 percent of people will wish you'd never come to work with flu germs in the first place. Two percent believe that an "evil eye" is deserved.

Finally, if you really want to be safe, follow the lead of two percent of respondents by wearing a face mask. Oh, yes. Depending upon an interviewer's whim, that mask could be your ticket to a job offer.