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Ask Ella: Handling Layoffs, Illegal Immigrants

Dear Ella,
Yesterday my boss walked into my office and said that he is leaving for a new position and wanted to know if I would be interested in joining his new team. While I am flattered, I would prefer to remain with the expectation that I will be promoted into his position. My boss is well respected, and his recommendation of my skill set to fill his position would be important. How do I turn down a position to work with him and at the same time ask him to recommend me for the position he is leaving?

Dear Want My Boss' Position,

If he thought highly enough of your work to ask you to join his new team, he would most certainly understand your interest in staying put if it meant a promotion. Timing is very important to your goal, however, so speak to him immediately and request that he recommend you. Ask him directly if he will do this for you.

If he feels that he cannot, don't assume it's because he doesn't think highly of your contribution to the group. It may very well be that there are budgetary management requirements tied to his position for which you haven't any experience in or that your leadership skills are not yet strong enough to head this department. Don't burn your bridges with him; if he decides not to recommend you, there may be opportunity to gain from your work relationship with him down the road. Good luck.

Dear Ella,
I have just found out that my best friend is working for a distribution company that staffs its packaging group with illegal immigrants. Should I contact federal authorities and report this? If I do call them and they close down this company, my friend will find herself out of work in a market where it is very difficult to find new employment.

Dear What Should I Do,

Many people, including my grandparents, came to the United States as immigrants legally. Legal channels are important and are in place to protect the work base of the citizens of this country. If you know that U.S. laws are being broken, you should contact federal authorities immediately.

Dear Ella,
I am 39 and was recently laid off work from a very large corporation. I have never been laid off or fired from a job. When interviewing, should I say that I was laid off, or should I say I was terminated? Which will sit better with a perspective employer?

Dear Laid Off,

It is better (if better is the word) to say you were laid off due to market conditions than to say you were fired. The word "fired" suggests that you were not doing your job according to the expectations of the position. It is not your fault that the economy is in flux. Unfortunately, I believe that this trend of uncertainty will continue through second quarter of next year. Remember that you are not alone in your dilemma and that you were and will again be a valuable contributor. Don't despair - won't do you any good anyway and it will only undermine your self-esteem -- an important trait needed to interview well and win new opportunity. Hang in there; everything changes. Famous last words.

Dear Ella,
It has been 10 days since I allowed my recruiter to represent my resume into a company for which I am very interested in working, but to date, he has not been able to obtain an interview for me. This Monday, I was contacted by a new headhunter who said that they have an inside tract to opportunities within the same organization. Although I like my recruiter and have been successful with him in the past, should I also allow this new headhunter to try his hand at it?

Dear Should I Try Times Two,

You need to find out from this new recruiter the specific opportunity he has in mind for you and into which department at this perspective company this position reports (i.e. marketing, finance, sales etc).

Then, call the recruiter you are currently working with and share this information with him. Let him know that if he is unsuccessful in getting you interviewed by a certain date, you will be using alternative channels.

The problem with being represented by multiple channels into one company is this: If Human Resources is unable to determine rightful ownership of your credentials because you have been represented by multiple channels, and none of these representatives will relinquish ownership of your credentials, the company may decide not to bring you in at all. Companies don't want to get involved in disputes if it can be avoided.

Know that the follow-up process (once a candidate has been presented) can take between one and three weeks before company interest can be determined. You need to be fair to your present recruiter and allow time for the "bread to bake." Don't cause confusion if you can avoid it, or you may find yourself out of consideration altogether.

Dear Ella,
My company has just informed me that I have to lay off three of my staff members in a group of 15. All three were hired around the same time and all three bring valuable skills needed for the success of the projects on which we are currently working. I am at a loss to know how I can let them go and still manage to succeed at what I am expected to accomplish. How can I communicate this dilemma to my superiors without looking like I can't get the job done?

Dear How Can I Get The Job Done,

Team efforts to implement solutions are nothing new to corporate America. If you cannot succeed in your current tasks without these resources, you need to let your company know immediately. Be specific and explain clearly why it is important to retain these resources.

Many companies (because of layoffs) are scaling back their project expectations on time delivery and may very well -- given your clarification on this issue -- allow you to push your delivery schedule back, too. Additionally, you may want to re-evaluate the talent you will have left after layoffs and reconstruct their job descriptions to meet these deliverables. Hard times are ahead; try not to sweat it. Easier said than done.

Dear Ella,
I have been out of work for 15 months. I was a creative director for a dot-com company. I have sent out more than 100 resumes to date, and while I have obtained some interviews, the pay is 50 percent below what I was making before I was laid off. If I take a job for considerably less money, how will this impact my wage earnings when the economy gets back on track and I am once again looking for a new job?

Dear Looking For A New Job,

This is a difficult situation, as I understand you need to generate cash flow now. I suggest you offer to take these positions on as a contractor working under your own company name; this way your salary history information can be controlled by you and should not be a determining factor once you re-enter the work force. Contracting services from small vendors is on the rise in corporate America as it allows corporations to fill skill gaps on a short-term basis while avoiding the payment of benefits and other costly services they now offer to their full-time employees.

Next week: Mailbag

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Ask Ella: Handling Layoffs, Illegal Immigrants

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