DEAR J.T. & DALE: I recently had a telephone interview with a company I really like. Although I did not land the job, the interview was positive. During the interview, the manager mentioned that she had recently transferred from a different department. I have applied for another job in the same company, one that happens to be in her old department. Would it be too forward to email her and ask her to mention me to the hiring manager? - Mitch
J.T.: Absolutely, reach out to her. Just because you weren't selected doesn't mean she doesn't see you as a good candidate. I'm sure she'd love to be able to help her old department by passing along someone she liked in a phone screen.
DALE: My personal experience in hiring is that of every 10 people I've interviewed, there are five or six I'd love to hire. That means that the decision comes down to choosing from among great candidates.
With that in mind, let's back up and address a broader issue: how to deal with not getting an offer. Instead of skulking off, a loser, you'd be wise to assume that you were among those they would have liked to hire. Thus, if you don't get a job offer, make an offer.
Tell the hiring manager: "I enjoyed meeting you and would love to work together someday. If for any reason the person you pick doesn't work out, please think of me as your backup candidate."
One study puts the failure rate for new hires at nearly 50 percent, so being backup is not a bad place. Said another way, you didn't get passed over, you made an important contact for your future.
Felony confessions
DEAR J.T. & DALE: I am 29 years old, with a history of success in past jobs. My problem (I think) is that I have a felony (due to be deleted from my record in about a year). My question is, should I be totally honest during interviews? - K.J.
J.T.: When applying for jobs that require background checks, it's wise to be the one to tell the employer about the felony.
DALE: Your impulse may be to "get it out of the way" early on, but resist that. The more interviewing you go through, the more likely they are to feel they can take a chance on you.
J.T.: Work to get to the point where they are asking for the background check as a condition of a job offer. At that point, tell the person in charge: "I have a lot of respect for you and the organization. Because of that respect, I wanted to tell you personally that when you do the background check you will see a felony. The only upside is that it taught me how important it is to have a clean record. If you hire me, my goal will be to make sure you are very glad you chose me." They'll respect you for having the courage to tell them yourself.
DALE: They'll want to know more, of course, so you'll need to be able to discuss the conviction openly but concisely. Get comfortable talking about it, because you'll need to do it now and long after a year from now. I'm sorry to tell you that there are no more magic disappearing felonies. I used to urge people to try to get their records expunged, but last year an attorney friend informed me that that has become a false hope. In the digital age, getting a conviction set aside merely means that a new entry is added to your court history, saying it was set aside, while earlier details remain. Don't let that discourage you. One study puts the number of adult Americans with a felony at one in 40, which means your story won't be a shock to most employers. If yours was a violent crime that makes you a hiring risk, you may have to build a new job history by doing temporary or consulting work. Yes, it's an added burden, but it's a chance to turn your past into the prologue of a story about resiliency.
JEANINE "J.T." TANNER O'DONNELL is a professional development specialist. DALE DAUTEN resolves employment and other business disputes as a mediator. Please visit them at jtanddale.com, where you can send questions via email, or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., 15th Floor, New York, NY 10019.