I agree with Dan.The more you say about it, the more defensive it can sound.

I had a client a couple of years ago who thought she'd completed her degree and, only after a background check conducted by a prospective, discovered she hadn't(1 class short,which she thought she'd done). She called her university and ultimately negotiated with them to do 2 months of independent study and write a paper, and she completed her degree.

I'd suggest you call your university and see what you can arrange with them. You might find them open to helping you work that out.

Is there a non-profit organization you believe in that could use a volunteer for a few hours a week? Contributing to something philanthropic can ease the distress of a shitty job in the short term. It will also help you meet new people.

Also, if you were just treated poorly, underpaid and held to unreasonable standards I'd say to suck it up until you find a new job; however, if you are really being asked to compromise your ethics then you should do everything you can to get out of there. Network as much as possible!

I would need a little more information to give you advice:

1. What type of career are you hoping to pursue?
2. How do you define part-time? How many hours per week do you want to work?

You didn't say what state / city you're moving to, but also take the types of industries that will be available to you into consideration. [All other things being equal] PM certifications matter more to government, manufacturing, and supply chain type organizations than they do to tourism, financial, and high tech companies.

I found myself in the exact same position two years ago, and randomly stumbled across a solution. I was at my favorite bar, Bleu Bistro, and ran into the owner who I had chatted with a few times. At the time I was learning how to do my own accounting and asked him how he had learned. We ended up having a good chat about small business challenges and rewards, and he continues to be a person I can go to for advice.

Maybe there is a small business owner of any kind that you run into & admire / respect? Many of the challenges faced by small business owners translate across industries and both can benefit from the other person's perspective.

You might also look into the Puget Sound American Marketing Association. They hold monthly luncheons and networking events that are great for making contacts.

http://psama.org/

Best of luck to you!

The solution is relatively easy. Simply list that your degree is still in process. List the number of years/credits that you have completed and your estimated graduation date.

If you are asked about it during the course of an interview or phone-screen simply state that you are in the process of having credits transferred/approved and will be issued your degree when that process is complete.

There is no need to go into a long, drawn-out explanation; to do so might raise a red flag with the prospective employer.

I agree with both Dan and Careers.

I would also add that one's best negotiating strategy is based really on only one thing: what they bring, or are doing that makes them indispensable, and that makes them 'the answer to the problem'. Why you want it or need it doesn't really matter. What have you done above and beyond what was asked that warrants additional consideration?

Also, know your worth in your marketplace...with emphasis on YOUR marketplace (different industries/sizes of companies will have different compensation strategies). Do your research (salary.com is a good place to start, and talking to people in similar fields). You may never bring those amounts up in the conversation, but it helps to give you a baseline.

Be sure to prepare in advance for the conversation. Pick the proper time (not just when it's best for you, but best for your manager)-your goal is to have him/her be receptive to the conversation.

Know what you want to say, and anticipate questions you'll be asked. As a 'wing it' kind of person, this was the hardest thing for me to learn. But I've found, in a conversation such as this, I'm always more effective and professional if I'm prepared.

Good question.

The college degree requirement is very case by case. Some companies view a college degree as the price of admission for all positions and some only require it for certain skill sets. At the very least it is a tie-breaker and a way to weed through a high volume of applicants.

If you are truly qualified for a position and the only requirement you are lacking is a college degree I would suggest you still apply. You might also target positions that say something to the effect of "college degree or equivalent experience." Another route would be to target contract jobs. Often time employers relax the college requirement for contract/temp positions and will consider their contractors/temps for full-time conversion if they are a doing a good job.

You can push against this by doing more networking. If you meet people at a networking event and make a personal connection you can often use this push against requirements that might not fully meet.

As our economy becomes more service and information based the well paying jobs will increasingly go to candidates to do have a college degree. You might consider finishing your degree as a long-term goal to increase your viability as a candidate.

If your experience is perfectly suited for the job, then it's possible they'll overlook not having a degree. But you'd really have to emphasize that in the resume and cover letter.

Even then, Kip Waddle is right... especially if there are a lot of applicants, one of the first things HR will do is toss out anything that doesn't meet minimum requirements, EVEN if experience covers it. Not much you can do about that though.

So yeah, apply if you feel your experience is good enough, but then sell the hell out of it on your resume and letter (and interview, hopefully!)

Tossing out those who fail to meet the basic requirements, can be an easy time saver when too many apply for a job. Also, some employers assume that a college degree will improve a persons grammar and use of proper English. Anyway, you can always try.

Echoing everyone else! You almost always need an established history of complaints against someone and proof the employer did nothing/not enough to address those complaints to prove a hostile work environment.

Hi Mandy--
I don't think it's so much that you are going about it the wrong way, but there may be strategies you can add to your search to make it more effective.

I agree with with Ms. Careers--make sure your resume is written to match what the posting indicates they are looking for. That way you stand a better chance of not being overlooked, or making through the dreaded database search.

And I also agree with Infernactual: there's tremendous value in going directly to organizations you are interested in working for. And, frankly, I'd do it whether or not they have a posted opening.

Even though the job market has picked up, believe it or not, there are still jobs that are available that aren't being posted. And, many times, those that are posted already have candidates in the queue. Doesn't seem right, but that's the reality.

In the last 2 weeks I've had 2 clients land positions for which there wasn't originally a posting. In one case, the position was going through the approval process when my client 'happened' to contact them (he got the job!); in the other case a contact helped them get an informational interview with a person, who ultimately took interest in them and created a position.

Targeting and networking (that dreaded word!) were what made the difference for both of them.Add these proactive strategies to your current ones, and you may see a difference.

Good luck to you, Mandy!

Since your friend quit voluntarily, the burden of proof is on her if she wants to get unemployment benefits, and even then I think the qualifications for unemployment due to a voluntary quit have gotten *very* stringent over the past couple of years.

Bottom line, if your friend never went to HR about the problems she was having or she didn't document the degradation of her work situation as it was happening, then she is very unlikely to qualify for unemployment. But it's worth a shot, and she may want to try and get some of her other co-workers to back up her claim by writing a letter backing her up that could be included with the claim forms.

I would agree with my fellow expert. Unfortunately being a jerk doesn't always meet the strict criteria for harassment, which is actionable in civil court.

It is possible to get unemployment benefits if one leaves a job voluntarily but the bar is set very high and your friend would likely have to have documentation such as HR complaints, times and dates of hostile behavior, etc.

There are attorneys that specialize in labor law and some of them that represent workers might offer a free consultation.

She might take a look at this firm (caveat: this was the top Google search result, I have no personal experience with this firm):

http://www.waemploymentlaw.com/CM/Custom/TOCPracticeAreaDescriptions.asp

Wish her luck for me.

There may not be anything your friend can do as you have described the events that led to her quitting. If your friend had filed some kind of harrassment charges then she may have some legal ground.
Doesn't sound like unemployment benefits are an option, but just in case, your friend can always try through the ESD (Employment Security Department). All they can do is say No.

Best Wishes to your Friend!

You may want to contact the seattle chapter of the SBA.gov (small business association). They have lots of resources and training available for business owners. Additionally, if you are women in business, check out their section of the Women's Business Association. Also join your local Chamber of Commerce.

This is a tough spot to be in. Don't quit your job until you land another job! Being employed makes you more marketable currently.
Evaluate what it is that is making you so unhappy in your current position.
Is is the job? Is it the current work environment you are in? Is it the service or product you are currently providing? Ask yourself whether you can see yourself doing the same job in another environment or providing a different service or product.
OR is it the Career that has left you unfulfilled? Have you ever taken the time to think about your interests, skills, personality and values and what types of careers would compliment them?

If you do in fact decide to change careers, these are all things to consider before you spend time, energy and money towards another career path and possible retraining or educational path.

focusing on the solution may eliminate some of your misery and get you to the action and self reflection you will need in order to resolve your unhappiness.

Also in this economy I think everyone is feeling a bit off kilter and apprehensive, communication with friends, family and loved ones will help too.

Ms. Careers is right on with all her advice. The electronic resume processing thing is used everywhere but small companies (I designed one of them in a former life). That means listing things like word processing, project tools, scheduling, invoice mgmt, etc. is all good stuff to include.

The other thing to keep in mind that is the job market is the most imperfect market on the globe. That means that who you know is still more important than what you know and that timing is everything. The good news is that you only have to get the one job and that it's one of those things that can turn on a dime. It only takes one!

Since who you know is still more important than all the other stuff put together, it's worth devoting a good amount of your time to talking to anyone you ever met and meeting anyone who might be able to help. Employers "know" that they get the "best" people through references and they hire those people faster.

The process, as you well know, is the worst, most disheartening thing to do. So reward yourself along the way in any way you can. Set a goal (e.g. talk to one new person every day, email 5 people, etc.) and then do something you like at the end.

Best of luck. I hope it happens v. soon.

This is unfortunately a problem so many of us have. It also tends to get aggravated in a bad economy because employers become less concerned about losing people because there is so little mobility in the market. That said, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Even in a really bad economy such as this one, 9 out of 10 people have jobs (or at worst 8 if you assume the unemployment numbers don't accurately reflect people who gave up looking etc.). That's bad, but overall it's good odds and it's great odds if you are skilled and not employed in, say, manufacturing. So you shouldn't assume you couldn't get another job. The bigger problem is what job and whether you should go back to school. Nobody can really answer those questions other than you, but: Going back to school with little sense of what you like is probably not going to get you much. If you want to explore different things to see what is interesting then teach yourself the basics and see if you are loving it. School is expensive and these days does not guarantee almost anything. The exceptions to this might be an MBA from a top school or an MD. But your generally BA is more expensive and less valuable than ever. The other exception might be something like Computer Science or Graphic Design. These are both things you can start by teaching yourself. Since you don't like what you do and the place you work then... you can job hunt and switch places to see if that makes the difference. Who you work with, IMHO, is more important than what you do sometimes. Most importantly, spend time seeing what really engages you by exploring the infinite world of online resources and when you do, go after it. Best of luck.

Getting a job offer to use as leverage for salary negotiations is one of the worst ways to start a conversation about salary.

The minute you play that card your Human Resources Department and manager will likely view you as a flight risk and your tenure at your firm and in your new salary might be shorter than you would like.

You will also possibly be burning your bridges with the other employer if you decline their offer and take a counter offer from your current employer. Recruiters and hiring managers are usually pretty good at figuring out if you are just using them for leverage.

The best strategy is to go to your supervisor/manager and have an honest conversation. If your job has changed significantly with more responsibilities and tasks and you haven't received an increase you should be able to build a strong case. Think about the value you bring to the company and your position. Are there ways you can add value and do more to justify an increase? Go in with a strong case for why you should receive an increase and you will likely get what you want or close to what you want.

If you do that and still don't get the increase you want then start looking for a new job.

Data. Data that supports your getting a raise. In this economic climate you will have to have data on the outcomes and contributions of your employ there. How have you increased their bottom line, partnerships, client base, developed new 'successful' programs, etc...? Professional development efforts to increase your capacity and skill set also can be used as a justification for a raise.

Is your job description and responsiblities the same as when you were hired or have they expanded substantially?

Take a look back to your personnel files if you have a copy of your original job description. Have you taken on a lot more since your hiring? During your annual evaluation is a great time to review your job description and make changes and discuss compensation with your boss.

http://questionland.com/questions/9068-what-become-of-the-people-in-the-strangers-notes-from-the-unemployment-line

Not sure about anyone else, though. Maybe you should pester Eli Sanders to do a follow-up?

A PMI certification is definitely valuable. You will likely learn a few new tricks of project management and it looks great on a resume.

If project management is where you want to go next in your career the certification is the best next step.

That being said increasing your knowledge of programming language and other technical skills could also be helpful as your make this transition. Many project management roles require the PM to have a strong technical background so they can mitigate issues with their development and design teams.

I would not look at this as an either or, if you have the interest and the time I would look into the PMI certification and also picking up more technical skills.

It sounds like you have some strong opinions about your former employer and it is best to leave those at the door when you go to interview.

Careers advice is good. Never badmouth a former employer during the interview process, save that for the water cooler after you are hired. Just kidding.

Since you resigned you can simply use the "left for more challenging opportunities" answer, "left for a better work life balance" answer, "looking for a better culture fit" answer or any variation thereof.

Regardless of why you left, don't badmouth your employer or boss. Possibilities: " I am interested in a new challenge and an opportunity to use my technical skills and experience in a different capacity than I have in the past."

Think about what you would like to do in your future employment and irregardless of your last experience: was there something that was lacking or that you would have loved to have the capacity to do? Focus on that and create a POSITIVE response to the question, " Why did you leave your last position?"