MIDDLING?

Q: Dear Mildred, I left a 16-year career in publishing, where I'd advanced from the lowest ranks to management. My salary fell sharply when I went to beginner work in PR, and while I now have almost four years' experience, I'm hearing that jobs are paying even less than what I earn today. My current employer is predicting layoffs.

Employers aren't expecting an older candidate. I'm the major breadwinner in my family with children in school and can't afford to be downwardly mobile. Should I drop my first career from my resume? Should I reframe it to emphasize the PR aspects of publishing and sell myself as a mid-level candidate instead of a beginner? I don't mind working for bosses who are younger than I am - my current supervisor is in her 30s and I'm in my 50s. As a candidate, I feel stuck in the middle! Needs Advice

A: Dear Needs, Your first career sets you apart. Reshape its best experience to indicate your qualifications for a management position. Dump anything there and in your current field that isn't as significant as your best experience.

Then, play the game right. Bring clients to new firms. Lots of ‘em. mlc

HOLE

Q: Dear Mildred, I've been home-schooling my children, pre-K through eighth grade, since 1992. The youngest started high school this year and I would like to return to federal civil service as a contract administrator or logistics management specialist. I have a master's degree in public administration.

For the past 12 months I've been applying through a government web site. In every case, I'm rejected for not having enough specialized experienced (I have none) or rated qualified by education, but not ranked high enough to be referred to the interviewing official.

Do you have any suggestions on how to turn "running a home school" into "specialized experience?" Transitioning

A: Dear Transitioning, Try a skills-based resume that focuses on skills your preferred areas require.

If that fizzles, change tactics. Slide into an entry-level job in contracts or logistics and invite opportunity. Volunteer for assignments that will help you reshape your resume and get to know people. The more you meet, the more likely you'll be considered for a job before it's even posted. Finally, find a sponsor who sees your promise to feed you other opportunities. Do that person favors when you can. mlc

**BlogTip**

TRIPPING UP

Have you been letting it all hang out in social media? James Alexander offers a service that reverses many indiscretions (vizibility.com). He's classified some common bloopers:

- "Unfortunate Avatars": In an era of tweeting, with entertaining graphics, some job hunters forget to ask themselves how their communiques would appear to an employer. "Whimsical or possibly offensive," he says, "these images can be replaced with something more professional."

- "Facebook Follies": You could transpose your first and last names to keep from being identified, but what about email addresses and other ways employers search?

- "Forbidden Subjects": Many people avoid topics like politics and religion with casual acquaintances. If you've been associating your name with incendiary subjects, Alexander comments, you risk turning employers off.

- "Troublesome Tones": Tweets can constrict you into saying something that seems aggressive or has "questionable word choices," he points out.

You're not convinced? "Googlegangers," he says, "are online doppelgangers - people who share your name and whose information comes up in an online search. One woman lost a great job when a company's search (uncovered) a criminal record for a person with the same name. By the time she set them straight, they'd hired someone else."

(Dr. Mildred Culp welcomes your questions at culp@workwise.net. © 2012 Passage Media.)