Career Track Live
Hosted by Mary Ellen Slayter
Washington Post columnist
Monday, December 08, 2003; 11:00 a.m. ET
The Washington area is a magnet for smart, ambitious young workers.
Washington Post columnist Mary Ellen Slayter offers her advice on
establishing your career, whether you're working at your first job out of college, or your 5th.
Mary Ellen Slayter also writes Career Track, which appears in The Post
every other Sunday.
The transcript follows below.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Mary Ellen Slayter: Good morning, everyone!
Yesterday's column is about the high cost of applying to graduate and professional school. Applications, exams, test prep courses ... it can all really add up. Those of you who are in grad school, how much did you spend getting in?
Also, I am working on a column about people's experiences balancing jury duty with their jobs. Whether things went smoothly for you, or there were snags, I'd like to hear about it. E-mail me at slayterme@washpost.com.
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Falls Church, Va:
I need some advice on how I should handle this little problem I have: I'm pregnant (not showing too much yet) and I'm unemployed. I really need to make some money before baby arrives and I've tried the temp route but I can't find any work. I just applied for a full-time job. It's not that I won't tell them I'm pregnant, I wouldn't want to be dishonest but when should I tell them? If I have any chance of getting the job should I keep my mouth shut and hope they'll understand after I have the offer letter in hand? Is that fair? I'm desperate...I need a job. Who's going to hire a pregnant woman in this economy?
Mary Ellen Slayter: Keep your mouth shut until they've offered you a job and accepted it. This is my general advice to all pregnant women who are looking for work.
Once that happens, you need to tell them you're pregnant, and you need to tell them your plans after having the baby. Many companies don't offer paid maternity until you've been there a year, and you won't have been there long enough to qualify for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act either. Hopefully you will be able to work something out.
All of this assumes you plan to keep working there after you have the baby. If you plan on working there just a few months then quitting, well, that's kinda sketchy.
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Washington, DC:
I have a question about interviewing with other
employers and companies when one is already
employed full-time. I have an interview today, for
example, that I have to leave work early for. What
is the best way to approach this interview and
future ones where I have to work around my
current work schedule? Do I tell the truth to my
current employer and risk retribution, or do I lie
about my time off and risk burning bridges if I do
leave? It doesn't seem like there's any particularly
perfect way to do this.
Mary Ellen Slayter: Don't tell your current employer why you need leave. Just make up the hours at another time, or use vacation time.
Basically, just follow your company's usual policy for personal leave.
Another option is to schedule the interviews for time when you aren't working, perhaps lunch?
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Washington, D.C.:
Good morning Mary Ellen,
Honestly, my graduate degree cost less than my undergraduate. The GRE and application packet came to about 200 dollars, and I received tuition assistance where I worked. Since I went to a state school (no fancy 'private' college), my tuition was very reasonable and I was able to pay for each semester on a credit card, and payed off the balance by the end of each semester.
I would highly suggest people seek tuition assistance and look into less-expensive (which does not necessarily translate to less prestigious) schools.
Mary Ellen Slayter: Ah, I mean specifically the cost of applying. Not even counting the tuition!
It looks like you did pretty well, though. It helps that you only applied to one school.
Those application fees (most schools charge about $50, but I found some charging over $100) really add up if you are juggling interests in more than one program. Which is often the case if you want to attend prestigious programs and evaluate the financial aid packages you can get from them.
Applying to law school and medical school seems to be the absolute worst.
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Arlington, VA:
I recently graudated with a degree in Political Science and currently work for the federal government. I think I want to move to a more exciting job.
Any suggestions?
Mary Ellen Slayter: I interviewed a burlesque dancer the other day about her job. That seemed pretty exciting.
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Working a few months and then quiting:
I disagree that it's sketchy. If an employer decides they need someone today and doesn't have the budget a month later they lay them off. It's business and as much as I hate to be the cinic here - I've seen enough to know that when it comes to employee-employer relations its all about looking out for #1 (on both sides). Usually that means you don't leave in a few months because you want the job on your resume and you want a good reference - but there's no loyalty anymore. For the employesr, unfortunately, you're lucky if it means 2 weeks severence to keep up morale.
Mary Ellen Slayter: See, I think it depends on the job. If it's entry-level office work, i.e answering phones, filing papers, fine. Leave after 6 months, no problem.
The more specialized or higher ranking the job is, the sketchier it gets. Serious professional jobs usually take 6 months to a year to even get settled into and know the job decently well. That's when it gets sketchy.
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Long Island (or Alaska?):
I interviewed for a position within my employer (different dept. and maganger) and the manager wants me for the position (he just has to let HR know and we need to figure on a date). My question is, I interviewed Wed. (and he was out Thursday and Friday), is it proper to send a thank you note? Since I'm an "insider"....Just wondering what the peanuts think, as well.
Mary Ellen Slayter: Sure, it's proper. Just send him an e-mail thanking him for his time and reiterating that you are interested in the job.
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Washington DC:
I recently interviewed for a job that I didn't get. I think it may have been because of my salary requirements (I was caught off guard by the question) and/or a personality difference with the would-be direct boss. The thing is, I know the company will be hiring for similar positions in the next few months (with different direct bosses) AND I am willing to negotiate my salary/take a paycut. Should I email the HR person and let them know I am interested in other similar positions even though I didn't get the other one? If so, should I mention the reasons why I THINK I didn't get the first job? What if I'm completely wrong and I didn't get the job for some other reason? Help! What's the best way to go about letting the company know I still want to be considered in the applicant pool?
Mary Ellen Slayter: Sure, you can e-mail them. But since you really don't know why you were rejected, avoid guessing at the reasons. Just tell them you are still interested.
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Derwood, MD:
I started my part-time graduate study by going as a "non-matriculated" student. I did this because my undergraduate GPA had been low (2.7 something, I think, as a full-time student). Both the undergrad and grad programs were in accredited Engineering programs at major Universities.
There were no application fees for the grad school until I decided to apply; the program let me take up to 12 credit hours as a non-matriculated student. By then, I knew I only had to apply one school.... and my GPA in the courses I'd already taken were quite high, so I did not have to worry about getting rejected.
Mary Ellen Slayter: That's a very good idea for some students.
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Washington, DC:
I may be slightly jumping the gun here, but I am a finalist for a new position and feel I have an adequate shot at being offered the job this week. Question: In late April and May, there are six days I will need to take off for personal commitments. At what point during the final interview process should I mention this, i.e. as they offer me the job, wait until I'm hired, etc.? I am willing to take the days off without pay, but they are of primary importance to me, and would potentially be a deal-breaker in taking the new position. Thanks!
Mary Ellen Slayter: Save it until they make the offer.
Unless that's some weird crunch time for the company, they will likely agree to it readily.
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Arlington:
re: Med School App Costs: This is second-hand
knowledge, because it's my boyfriend is actually
in application hell right now. Start with the MCAT,
at over $1000. Each school charges a $75-100
application fee (he's applying to 15 schools,
ouch!). There's something called the AMCAS,
and I don't know what it stands for, but it seems to
be some kind of application clearing house for all
shools to use, and this cost a lot. I'm still trying to
figure out the exact purpose of AMCAS, as it was
supposed to send all the schools a bunch of
lengthy info on my boyfriend (essays, academic
record, job history, whole life history, etc.), but
now each med school has him filling out
secondary applications which seem to ask all the
same questions he'd already answerred for
AMCAS. So, it's not only money you spend, but
also it's the time issue....he's spent so much time
on this app process. And don't even mention the
costs and time associated with traveling for the
interviews. I went to a regular grad program and
the application process was peanuts compared to
med school. Why does anyone bother (of course
I'm being facetious here, but really!!)?
Mary Ellen Slayter: I've been thinking a lot about why they charge such high fees for this stuff. The only reason I can come up with: They can.
People want to go to graduate and professional schools, and obviously many of them are willing to hand over the cash.
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DC:
I don't understand why the PhDs at my work don't respect my MA degree.
Mary Ellen Slayter: Because one of the things you lose while working on a PhD is your sense of perspective. They usually get it back within a few years, but not all of them.
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Bethesda:
What to do about an evil HR person? I know it sounds so Dilbert, but its true. My bosses love me and my work, and the HR-type person really seems threatened by it. She is in charge of "work-flow" for my level of staff, so has "supervisory capacity" over me, but she does not assign me work, review my work, or control my time. She collects the time sheets and if someone needs help or work she puts the two together. Lately, I've needed help and she's told others they can't help me and that I just need to work more hours. I'm at my max already! If it was just a matter of working OT, I wouldn't even bother her bc she is so pissy.
I think this is partly bc I just got married and she's a bitter old hag with nowhere to go for the holidays and so presumably having me work ungodly OT will keep me from enjoying new married life. I'm not exagerating; there are people here who are only working 40 hours i.e. there is staff available! My bosses are asking me why I don't ask for help, but I feel awful about telling them that I've asked many times and she won't get me support.
Its really getting bad! Advice?
Mary Ellen Slayter: I'm sorry. You lost me at "bitter old hag."
Maybe *your* attitude is the problem. (I really hope you don't blast out this marital superiority bullsh*t at the office.) Stop prattering on about how everyone hates you because you're so happily maarrrrrriiiiiieeddd and get your work done.
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Arlington, VA:
When I applied to grad schools, I didn't have to pay anything in application fees (caveat: I only applied to 2 schools). I attended a breakfast at one school to get more info about the program, and at the event, they gave out vouchers to waive the application fee. The other school was my undergraduate school, and the fee was waived for alumni. Just a thought...
Mary Ellen Slayter: Thanks for sharing that!
I think a few schools offer waivers to people who participate in certain programs affiliated with their programs. If the cash for the fees is going to be a problem, it's worth asking about.
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Washington DC:
The reasons that colleges charge $50 -
$100 for each application:
(1) They can. And all the other colleges
do.
(2)There is actually cost associated with
processing the applications, i.e.
somebody has to do something with
them.
(3)They don't want you to apply to
umpteen programs; they want you to
apply to a few and quit wasting their
time/manpower. Why would anybody
need to apply to 15 medical schools???
Mary Ellen Slayter: I follow you on 1, 2, and most of 3. However, I can see why a person might need to apply to multiple schools, if they're trying to get into competitive programs. If they feel like their scores are borderline, they're trying to improve their odds that *someone* will take them.
15 med schools is a bit much, though.
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Chesapeake Falls, NC:
Hi! I need a third perspective on a problem I've encountered recently. A client's wife and partner has been sending “spam” to my e-mail account and now text SMS messages to my mobile phone. They are not obscene — just “prayers” and inspirational stories, thanking me for helping her and her husband in their work. But I find it all rather tiresome. Her messages are clogging up my mailboxes. How can I tell her nicely to stop it and still keep her business? P.S. I'm a woman, too, and I certainly don't feel harassed, stalked or pressured. As a junior partner, I am working very hard to avoid any situation in which I might appear to have be needlessly intolerant of a lucrative client's idiosyncratic behavior.
Mary Ellen Slayter: You could message back with inspirational messages from the Satanic Bible.
*evil grin*
Try asking her politely to stop--that you appreciate the sentiment but that it's clogging your mail box, making it difficult for you to work.
That's all for today. See you in two weeks!
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