Dear Experts,

My company is underpaying, other peers are getting new jobs at much higher salaries, and my boss is getting really worried and personally asking employees if they are happy or not.

I'm happy with the job but I'm underpaid and need a raise. I'm looking for other jobs but it's only because of the low pay. I'm considering telling the company I'm looking so they get worried I'll leave and offer me a raise.

Dear Experts,

What's your single best tip for making a great first impression on an interview?

CLICK HERE to see how experts answered this question on Twitter.

Sometimes candidates say dumb things.  Here are some dumb things people have said to some of my colleagues lately:

• One candidate said knew he was a little "green behind the ears."
• Another candidate submitted a resume that mentioned his "gun hoo" personality twice.
• A candidate submitted a resume that was six pages long and made the business case for a salesperson to "network" through golf.  He wanted to be sure he'd have country club privileges, because he felt there was a direct correlation between golf and sales.
• An applicant, when filling out the part of the application where you state your job duties, wrote that his previous job required him to "do the cashiers at the end of the shift."

Tales of the Cluefree appear pretty much every Friday. Past stories are here.

By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Joshua Waldman

I recently had an interesting conversation with a small business owner, who I met via LinkedIn. I had put out some feelers to see if laid-off people would be willing to share their stories with me.

Will Martin wrote me back with his story. It is a story of finding your dream and of turning a bad situation into a good one. And I’d like to share it with you.

Dear Experts,

I always feel nervous and have a sense of panic prior to/during interviews. How do I conquer these feelings?

CLICK HERE to see how experts answered this question on Twitter.

Dear Experts,

I was working with a headhunter on a job that I was a fit for. Suddenly, he stopped returning my calls and a new recruiter from the same firm contacted me to say he was now in charge of the job and the account. I thought he was very rude and unprofessional, so I turned down the interview. He said I was being unprofessional and ‘burning a bridge.'

Since then another job has come up at this same firm and I applied. I got an e-mail from the old recruiter saying I wasn't a fit, but it was attached to an e-mail further down which was from the recruiter I clashed with. It said, "Looks who's back..your old friend who likes to burn bridges." This staffing firm is the only one the company is working with and I really want to work there.

By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Julia Erickson

Now available for FREE to Careerealism.com subscribers is my e-book Your "Right Fit" Job: Guide to Finding Work You Love. Sign-up here to get e-mail with link to pdf copy you can download:
Email Marketing You Can Trust

The guide is like having me coach you through your job search process. You will follow the same step-by-step process I use with people who get the jobs they really want.

Dear Experts,

I just got a new co-worker. He was hired by my boss while I was on vacation. I know for a fact he is on drugs, but my boss is pretty clueless to this stuff. Should I say something?

CLICK HERE to see how experts answered this question on Twitter.

How did you come to be in your current line of work?  Do you plan to stay in it until you're done working full-time?

Is there another line of work you fantasize about going into?  What keeps you from making the leap?

Dear Experts,

I am going to be interviewing for a job next week, but obviously the job's not in the bag yet. But I was wondering how soon I should let my current boss know, or even IF I should tell him I'm interviewing for a new job. I know the customary 2 weeks notice happens after you've got the the job, but should I let him know that he might have to start looking for someone new?

In this economy - and as I'm a journalism major working part time at my hometown newspaper - he knows the job he gave me is pretty temporary while I look for something more permanent, but it has been an invaluable job and I don't want to disrespect him by telling him I'm leaving in two weeks.