Jobworksaz.com - Job Seeker Tips

Free Salary Booklet for Office Workers
By Joyce Lain Kennedy

Dear Joyce: How much should a receptionist expect to get paid? -- S.W.

Dear S.W.: Between $19,500 and $25,000 a year, according to a new study by Office Team, a staffing service for temporary office and administrative personnel. Pay for some in those fields is actually slipping a bit -- receptionist pay, for instance, is down nearly 5 percent from last year. But administrative assistants will inch up, from $22,500 to $28,000 last year to $23,000 to $28,500 this year. Get a free copy of "Office Team 2002 Salary Guide" by calling 1-800-804-8367 or visit http://www.officeteam.com .

Dear Joyce: I'm well into my 60s, a widow, have been alone for seven years and miss being around people. I could also use some extra money. How could I get a job demonstrating food products at stores like Costco and Sam's Club, where there seems to be someone handing out food samples on every aisle? -- J.A.N.

Dear J.A.N.: Ask the store's manager to put you in touch with the supervisor of demonstrators. You may even see a sign posted on a food demo cart, "Demonstrators Wanted" and a contact. A ready smile and clean, tidy appearance will help you get hired.

Dear Joyce: You wrote about security clearances recently but didn't mention that there are various levels of the clearances. Can you elaborate? How does a civilian clearance compare to a military clearance? -- B.O.B.

Dear B.O.B.: Bill Gaul, who runs the Destiny Group, an online recruiting tool employers use to find job candidates departing the armed services, identifies three main levels awarded by the military:

Top secret. Given to those with the most sensitive positions of trust. Applicants submit their life history for the previous 10 years and the Defense Security Service, the agency within the Department of Defense that handles clearance investigations, goes all out to check an individual's honesty, trustworthiness, character, loyalty, financial responsibility and reliability. For the top-secret clearance to remain current, a periodic reinvestigation is conducted again every five years.

Secret. The next level down, the secret clearance requires only five years of previous life experience for investigation. The reinvestigation occurs every 10 years.

Confidential clearance. This is the lowest level clearance but still requires a rigorous investigation, with periodic reinvestigation every 15 years for renewal.

The military investigations dwarf the civilian background checks in effort and cost. Bill Gaul says that thoroughness makes men and women who hold current military security clearances valuable in the job market.

Dear Joyce: Must an employer take you back after FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) time off? -- C.P.

Dear C.P.: Apparently not always. The Seventh Circuit Court recently said the reinstatement right of an employee is not absolute. The reason: The company documented its assertion that the employee had mismanaged her job before she went on leave and hired someone better while she was out on maternity leave. But if you're in that spot, see an employment lawyer -- the specifics may make your case different.

Dear Joyce: I'm 31 and never thought I'd be writing to someone like you. I was laid off two months ago and although I've actually turned down two jobs, I'm not sure I have my working life where I want it. Maybe I want to go out on my own. Maybe not. Your thoughts? -- C.W.

Dear C.W.: "The price of every goal -- whether it is in your career, finances or family -- is time, energy, concentration and commitment. You must give (of yourself in these four (areas) in order to make anything in your life grow and prosper."

Are these the words of an ivory tower counselor? No, they're straight from high-flying venture capitalist Peter Kash, who's done business in 50 countries and helped start more than a dozen successful companies.

His new book, "Make Your Own Luck: Success Tactics You Won't Learn in Business School," is a pleasurable read of anecdotes and advice on hitting high notes in the business world. One more good word about Kash's book is its readability.

It's only a couple of hundred pages with adequate white space. You can get through it with your eyesight intact.

Send career questions for possible use in this column to Joyce Lain Kennedy at Box 368, Cardiff, CA 92007, or e-mail her at jlk@sunfeatures.com. Sorry, the volume of mail makes personal replies impossible.