Cynopsis: Answers To Readers' Questions

Answers to readers’ questions for Cynopsis email newsletter

By Mark Levine [Note: One question and the corresponding answer were published each week] I would like to know the best way to explain an eight-month absence from advertising. I was laid off last summer and purposely took off 7 months to travel and spend time with my family. Then the economy tanked and I am wondering how I explain in my correspondence this hiatus. It is OK to mention my time off or should I not mention this lapse at all?

Don't hide the experience, highlight it. How did your time traveling expand your vision and understanding? What insights did you gain by being able to spend an extended period focused on your family? That time off made you a better, wiser, more insightful human being...now explain how it also made you a better potential employee.

First let me say, I think it is great that you guys are providing this additional service. I have been a faithful reader of Cynopsis posts and that has helped me keep on top of what is going on in the business. I like that the Classic Advantage is taking things to the next level by creating more of a forum rather than just the news. I would love to ask about agents or management companies that represent reality/documentary tv series producers. I am sure they are out there; I just don't know how to go about getting representation. Who are they and what are they looking for in a client?

Getting an agent has always been something of a Catch-22. With so many looking for representation, agents tend to focus on sure things who provide them with a chance to make as much in commission in possible, as quickly as possible. Occasionally they’ll take on a newbie long shot if he or she has extraordinary potential or fills a gap in their stable. Your best chance with an established agent is to have one of his or her existing (and successful) clients recommend you. If you don’t have that kind of connection look for an agent who is just starting out—someone who’s just as in need of a break as you.

I was laid off "due to the economy" in January. The job I had prior to my last company I was "terminated." Never was given a solid reason other than I 'did not look happy." I could have sued for wrongful termination but chose not to as I wanted to stay in the industry. Prior to these last two positions, I have never been terminated or laid off (14 years of previous work experience). The way I have been handling it is when asked if ever terminated I am honest and say yes but that I was never given a reason. I believe if I gave the reason the company gave me it could appear I am trying to "slam" them. Being laid off due to the economy has not presented any challenges as most realize the current situation. These two events consecutively (ironically both in CA. .. lol) could create the perception that there is a problem. Is there a better way for me to handle this??

Since you weren't fired "for cause," and you weren't given a specific reason, you're justified to assume it was for economic reasons, which weren't disclosed because the company didn't want to advertise its financial trouble.

When asked, you can explain that you lost your previous two positions for economic reasons. That won't raise an eyebrow on even the most inquisitive interviewer. If pressed, explain that your position was sacrificed in an effort to compensate for shortcomings and failures in another division of the company.

I was an assistant in pr at a great company and after a few years worked my way up to publicist before being let go from my job a few months ago. I don't mind going back to being an assistant but I want to know how to explain myself in interviews without sounding like I just want to take any job. I really do want to pursue a new career and starting from an entry level is the only way I can think of how to do it. Any advice?

If you really want to pursue a new career then do it. Explaining a step backwards probably won’t be necessary if you’re making a major shift— it’s to be expected. If you do feel the need to characterize your pursuit of an entry level position simply say that you’re a big believer in learning the fundamentals and that you see starting over as an investment, not as a step backwards.

I was hoping that your expert might address something that might sound very basic—what to wear to the interview. I've been caught by surprise that a suit is a no-no in L.A. and was wondering what his thoughts might be.

Keep up the fantastic work and thanks so much!

Being overdressed may occasionally make you feel out of place, but you could easily compensate with your manner and approach. Being under dressed will always make you stick out and there's almost no hope of

compensating. It's easier to appear conservative and show that you're not, than to appear unserious and show that you're actually a pro. When in doubt, dress in standard formal business wear.

I pursued a completely different line of work for 10 years before becoming a project manager, EP and now managing director. The fact remains, though, that I am still 10 years older than most senior people in this industry (bcast). I'm getting to the point where, while interviewing, I just want to say I am ten years younger than I am - I could pull it off due to good genes and clean living :-). I know age discrimination is illegal, but the reality is that it is still pervasive. How do I handle this?

If, during a wanton weekend in Las Vegas you tattooed your birthdate on your forehead, get it surgically removed.

Otherwise the only way an interviewer is going to easily learn your age is your providing the info. Rather than lie, just keep your mouth shut and scrub your resume clean of anything that could date you. If you look ten years younger, act ten years younger, and got started in the business ten years later, then your "industry age" really is ten years younger than your calendar age.

When an interviewer asks, "how your job search is coming along," how should one answer?

This question is either an entirely innocent inquiry, no more probing than asking "how are you," or it's a perversely ingenious attempt to determine if you're desperate enough to accept a low-ball offer. In either case the answer is the same. Just say, "fine, thank you," and immediately segue into a question you have about the position. If you're pressed for more info you'll know it's an underhanded probe. In that situation, politely say you view the process, including this interview, as a confidential matter between professionals. Don't worry about that annoying the prober—you wouldn't want to work for this person anyway.

I see there are always many internship/director/manager/VP level positions posted on Cynopsis Classifieds.

However, few spots are covered for the associate level jobs. Despite the fact that I had various internship experience in the media industry, I am still having much trouble locating a permanent full-time job. Headcounts issues are turning me crazy sometimes. Would you mind giving me some advice how I can advance myself? How would you suggest me to walk out this endless internship situation? Many thanks for your help.

One issue you may be facing is language. It's obvious from your note that English isn't your primary language. The fact that it is obvious could be part of the problem. Whether written communication skills will play a role in a job's performance or not, they are one of the first means used to screen out candidates. I have two suggestions: first, get help polishing your written English so it won't be a potential disqualification; second, explore opportunities where fluency in your first language is vital. Far too many Americans, including me, are mono lingual. Use our shortcoming to your advantage.

Thanks for the question advice posted on Cynopsis. I have been working for many years and have had millions of interviews. I feel like I know all the questions to ask and answer but still have to have the script in my head. Most recently I have been consulting in Account Management through an interim recruiter so I have been at several agencies working on different accounts for the past year. I do have gaps in my job history due to either a downsizing from one or the desire to leave another. What is the best way to answer why you left each job and combat any feelings that I have jumped around a lot? I don't go back further than 10 years on my resume, however, I have had many positions before them that I don't even want to mention, especially since I don't have a date on my graduation for fear of age discrimination. Any advice would be welcomed... as well as on my resume. Thanks!

Corporate loyalty is dead and buried so jumping from one position to another doesn't raise a disqualifying flag as in years past. Today's it results in a caution flag, but one you can easily overcome. The key is to show the logic behind your frequent moves. Maybe they were parts of a steady progression toward a goal. Perhaps they were sensible moves anyone would make. Or it could be they were more assignments than jobs: once you completed your mission, you moved on. You can best make these cases during an interview, but you can help yourself by tailoring your resume to match the argument you'll be making. Dates aren't a requirement. Consider framing positions as steps toward a goal or successful achievements instead. Just make sure to show how the position you're after represents the logical next step or calls for the same kind of achievements.

I was recently granted an interview with a well-known company within the television industry. I really want this job.

My question is this.... My interview was at 10 a.m. I arrived at 9:45 a.m, and waited for three hours before I talked

to the HR specialist. How long is okay? I felt I wasn't my best because I was frustrated, anxious and very hungry.

What is the protocol here?

Unfortunately, there's little justice in the workplace. They are at fault. You have been victimized. However odds are you're out of luck. Complaining, however justified won't get you anywhere. Your best bet is to make your point, forcefully but diplomatically, and hope there's enough guilt to give you another chance. Send a personal note to the interviewer saying that you realize interviews can be stressful. You were fully prepared for that, but your endurance and equanimity were tested by a three-hour delay, and that may have helped create a negative impression.

I am currently a floor supervisor for a company. I'm interested in increasing my salary, but don't know how to bring it up with my boss. The only "promotion" I can receive is that of president or vice president, since those are the only positions above mine. Do you have any advice as to how I can promote myself or ways to approach my employers?

It sounds like you've reached the end of the line with this company. You could push for a seniority increase, but that's apt to put a target on your back. You could try expanding your responsibilities, perhaps even creating new ones. A savvy executive will read between the lines and understand what you're trying to do. In any case, don't waste time waiting for an "inheritance." By all means renew your job vows, but also launch a job search.

I have been a freelance director for 19 years. I have beating down the same doors and I am looking for new ways to sell myself. I have an agent, but I'm looking to be more proactive. Advice?

Banging your head against closed doors only leads to a bloody forehead. It's time to find some new doors. That means expanding your target by moving into new areas. These could literally be in new geographic locations, or they could be potential clients in new businesses or industries. Consider broadening the services you offer or redefining your services more broadly so they're more widely applicable. And have a candid chat with your agent.

It might be time to find a new one.

I am an associate at a large television network. I have been at my company for a total of 10 years and in my current job for about 5 years. My job duties are very specialized in working with data systems to support our company's research team. I am not currently looking for a job. My company has frozen raises and promotions are not occurring often. I am pretty happy here but I would like to advance to a managerial position. I am afraid that since my skills are so specialized, it may be hard to find a comparable position at another network. I am sort of pigeon-holed into a position like mine because I haven't done actual research in years and it is not part of my job duties. I cannot afford to take a pay cut. Any advice on next steps would be appreciated.

You need to move along parallel tracks. First, accept that while you're "pretty happy" at your current job you've no real future there. There's no such thing as stasis in today's job market. Feeling pigeon-holed is a sign you'll be in jeopardy. If not now, then in the future. That means you've got to start looking for a new job today. Second, commit to expanding your tool kit. You're not going to move into management without management qualifications, and if you can't get those on the job you need to get them on your own. Look into business school programs. You might not need an MBA; a certificate of some type might suffice.

I was recently at an interview when the interviewer, in the midst of small talk, casually asked if I was planning a family. I am a 27-year-old, recently married woman and I wonder if this question is proper. I see no upside in my answering or in pointing out my discomfort for the question itself. Is the interviewer genuinely interested in my family plans, as he has three young kids of his own, or is he thinking "maternity leave" let's hire someone else? Do companies have a right to know whether a potential employee will soon leave their job for an extended amount of time? I see both sides to this and don't know how to handle it. Please help.

Well intended or not, the question is entirely inappropriate. However much a company might want to know your plans, an interviewer can only ask questions that directly pertain to your performance of the tasks required by the position. That said, the last thing you want to do is call the interviewer out on his or her behavior. The best way to handle this is to simply say you honestly haven't thought about it, you have been focusing on your career, and then segue into a pitch for the job.

How do you suggest approaching the topic of relocation, and when, in the application process? I want to move to a specific city and am applying to jobs in that area. However I am currently working and living about five hours away.

While having a future employer help fund the relocation expenses would be great, I’d be willing to pay them myself

for the right opportunity. But if I mention that in my cover letter, am I coming across as too presumptive? “Look this one’s already asking about moving and we haven’t even interviewed her yet!” On the other hand, am I in danger of not even being considered because my address on my resume is not local?

The act of applying for the job indicates your willingness to relocate. As long as you don’t give any indication otherwise, employers will assume your first priority is finding a job you want, not lining up an income in a location to which you want to move. Assume you’ll have to pick up the costs of relocating and leave it there. Remember, you’re applying to them, they’re not recruiting you. If you’re accessible for conversations and interviews your current location won’t matter.

I have been finding the question of salary a difficult one. Prior to the economy going in the garbage, I did my research as to what was fair market salary for someone with my skills, experience, etc. And when asked, I would confidently give a figure/range. My question is two-part: (a) when asked about salary expectations, what is the best and safest way to answer, without eliminating your candidacy while still appearing competitive? Is there a fool-proof way to turn it around back to have them give you the range? (b) what is a fair salary range to provide when answering: 10k, 15k, 20k range?

In a salary negotiation you never want to be the first one to mention a figure or even a range, since the only direction it can subsequently go is down and you may unknowingly leave money on the table. The best way to respond is to say you've been earning the market value at your current job, are looking for the same at your next position, and move on to selling your candidacy. You want to have a separate compensation conversation after you've been offered a position. If the interviewer presses you to offer a number or range, add 15 percent to the top figure or range you uncovered in your research.

I am a Television Executive with a production company. I've have been with the company for 10 years and I'm ready for a change of scenery. I have many contacts at networks but I don't feel it's appropriate to let them know I'm looking since we pitch shows and work on projects together. I was thinking of using a head hunter but I'm not sure how to find the best one for my field. Any advice would be appreciated.

I'm sure you're capable of doing your current job while looking for another. Your contacts are likely just as professional in their ability to separate the present from the future, so don't self-sabotage networking efforts. That said, if there's a specific situation in which you feel being candid might not be appropriate, make a more subtle approach and ask for an update on "what's going on" in the industry. They'll get the message. In fact, these are the people from whom you can get headhunter suggestions. Say that you've been contacted by a number of headhunters and are curious about their experience working with such firms.

After more than 25 years (half my life) in this "Business we call 'Show'" as an on-air radio personality, copywriter, production director, recordist, engineer, producer—what steps can I take to effectively "retrain" or "get out" altogether? I'm too creative to be just a 'knob-turner'; too old to do anything else. Stuck in this swirling vortex that is LA. It doesn’t take much reading between the lines of your question to sense that you’re feeling old and frustrated.

Getting out and starting over is easy...as long as you’re willing to accept you’ll have to take some steps back. That’s okay since your subsequent forward progress will be quick since you’ve already got the fundamentals in place. But more problematic is your self-image. Your outside always matches your inside. If you feel old you’ll act old. You need to demonstrate that you’re still active and engaged, exuberant and excited about the future.

I am a junior producer (Senior AP) at my company, where I’ve happily worked for 3 years. A life changing event has recently hit...my partner has accepted a job working overseas in Bangkok. I will be moving with her in the coming months but don’t know what this will mean for my career. If I can’t get a job in TV over there, I am thinking about heading back to school for my masters or a professional certificate or working on my own project (perhaps a documentary of sorts) to keep busy. What do you suggest I do to try to get a job in a country where I don’t speak the language? I don’t even know where to begin. And if I can’t find a job, what can I do to ensure that I will be marketable once I return to NYC in 3 years? I fear having a gap on my resume will ruin me.

The first thing you need to do is stop thinking negatively. This is a great life opportunity and you should treat it as such. What should you do? Anything and everything. Think of yourself as an independent business person. Look for work in Bangkok, but don't rely on that. Because of the language barrier your best bets will be with multinationals.

Investigate distance learning opportunities for advanced degrees and professional certificates. Develop a project of

your own. Get in touch with any and every organization you can think of to see if they need a "stringer" in Thailand and/or to solicit freelance work. Contact Thai universities to see if any are interested in hiring an adjunct professor.

Visit the US embassy and let them know who you are and what you can do. Worries over a job hunt three years from now are counterproductive. Take advantage of and enjoy this opportunity.

I'm expecting an offer for a job that I'm definitely interested in, but there is a catch. I am currently employed fulltime and this new position is freelance. It's full-time with an annual salary but classified as freelance so there are no benefits. In addition, at the beginning of the hiring process the hiring manager told me the position would fall into a salary range that is less than what I'm currently making ($5-$15k depending on where in the range it falls) but did said it was negotiable. Since I'm going to be losing benefits I want to be able/ready to negotiate the base salary so I’m not also taking a pay cut (ideally, I’d like it to be slightly higher than I’m currently making to help partially cover the lack of other benefits). Any tips on how to handle the situation?

While it's a very rough estimate, let's assume benefits are worth about $15,000 a year. So rather than this new position's salary being $5k to $15k less than you're currently earning, it's effectively $20k to $30k less! You've said nothing about the relative security of your present position, your personal financial status, or what makes a job without benefits, that pays much less, attractive to you. Unless your current job is hanging by a thread or this new position, you're flush personally, and this is the chance of a lifetime, there doesn't seem to be any reason to take this new spot. By all means try to negotiate the offer higher, even if it's just for the practice, but be aware of what you're really giving up.

I am a television producer with myriad of job experience in scripted talk for 10 years. I have experience on both the creative adn production side. My problem has been that I've had to take four years off, a personal hiatus, if you will, to care for my parents whom both have passed away. I've interviewed at a number of production companies and have been passed over. When I've asked why, I've been told it is because of the gap in my work history. This is something that I can't get around or can I?. I love the industry and am trying to reengage. I've offered to take lower scale positions to get a "foot in" and not even that has helped. Your thoughts?

First, you did the right thing so don't second guess taking care of your parents. It sounds like you're approaching companies on a speculative basis, rather than in response to a particular opening. In that situation in this environment you'd need to blow a company away to land a spot. They see your hiatus as an easy excuse for saying no. The answer is to lower, widen, and target your efforts. Look for specific openings at a level beneath where you were when you left. Look for jobs in other geographic areas. And broaden your horizons to include jobs in other industries where your hiatus won't matter.

Where do you draw the line between being assertive and showing an interest in a position and being a "pest" when calling/returning phone calls? I have a situation where HR contacted me within hours of submitting my resume. The call came right at 5:30 p.m., which I had missed and returned early the next morning. My call was returned late morning and I missed it as I was at an interview. I promptly returned the call and politely allowed as I would be near the phone the rest of the day (since there was a good game of telephone tag going on). There was no call returned on the company's part that day. So I tried again mid-day the next day leaving a message. No return call that day either. It was now the end of the week and no further return calls from the company. I realize that HR departments are overloaded and that unexpected things happen. I am very interested in the position and have indicated that in all messages left. There are several options—calling again? Going through main number to a) ask for this person's email (could come off as being invasive) or b) trying to get through to contact with this method.

And how many times should you call back without a return call back?

There are no iron clad rules about how often to call back. Every situation is different. In yours it sounds like they were interested in filling a position or a candidate pool right away, and after not being able to connect with you, moved on. I know that's not what you want to hear. You were unlucky to miss their calls twice. You've let them know you're interested in the position. If their current candidates don't pan out they might call you back, but your pushing further will only insure you lose even that slim chance. It just wasn't meant to be.

I have followed all the advice both you and the professionals have written. I have several resumes that emphasize different parts of my career and skills, I have cover letters that augment the resumes, I network daily, I am on LinkedIn and spend at least two hours a day on it, expanding my network, asking questions, answering questions, I videotape myself in mock interviews, I am working hard at this and I am still unemployed. What advice can you

offer someone who has done everything right, and still has no job? And please something more specific than, "keep on trying." I've heard that one already from my friends.

Most tribes of hunter-gatherers were nomadic. That wasn't because they enjoyed pulling up stakes and moving. It was because they knew that when the game and pickings grew slim in one place, they had to find another. Take that lesson to heart. It sounds like you need to find a new hunting ground. That could mean looking for jobs in different industries, looking for jobs in different cities or regions, or both. It could also mean you've got to lower your standards. Sure, it's great if you can take down a deer. But if food is getting scarce a rabbit might have to suffice.

Should I ever attempt humor during an interview? My friends seem to think I am pretty funny, and since the jobs I am looking for are in marketing, I would think that humor would be welcomed. I am not talking about doing standup, but is it too risky to try some subtle humor during interviews?

Three job interviewers walk into a bar and sit down next to a funny guy who's out of work. The unemployed guy tells them all a joke. The joke is a good one that's neither dirty nor controversial. The first job interviewer has no sense of humor and doesn't get the joke. He tells the funny guy he doesn't get the job and walks out. The second job interviewer has a pretty good sense of humor but doesn't think the joke is all that good. He tells the funny guy he doesn't get the job and walks out. The third job interviewer has a great sense of humor, thinks the joke is pretty good, but feels like the funny guy isn't taking the situation, the job, or himself, seriously enough. He tells the funny guy he doesn't get the job and walks out. The funny guy finds himself sitting at the bar, alone and still unemployed.