HINTS FROM HELOISE

PRACTICAL, DEPENDABLE TIPS FOR TODAY’S BUSY CONSUMERS

Dear Heloise: I’ve been in staffing for over 40 years in contingency search firms, software houses, consulting organizations and major insurance companies.

For the most part, companies now require candidates at all levels to apply online. This is also true at job and career fairs. Paper resumes may well be accepted in some places, but they mostly get batched up and scanned into the resume databases of a company’s applicant tracking system, to be viewed electronically.

Listing education depends on how early someone is in their career. The earlier they are, the higher on the resume it should be listed. As one gains more experience, employers are more interested in accomplishments on the job and less interested in education. Also, maintain accuracy with dates, degrees and grade point averages. Companies conduct background checks, so don’t embellish!

Today’s job market is extremely competitive. Think about what you’ve done that makes you stand out in a positive way. This includes awards or recognitions you’ve received. You can also add in how you led others to complete projects early/on time or on/under budget. Good luck and happy hunting!

— Larry S., Westfield, Massachusetts

Dear Heloise: Sheet grippers are perfect for adjusting waistbands. Simply attach the gripper to the loops of the garment and click it into place!

— Pat Jackson, San Antonio

Dear Readers: Greasing up pans with shortening can be a yucky mess with an awful cleanup afterward. Here’s how to make it less messy. Grab a small plastic sandwich bag and use it to grab the shortening. Then grease the baking pan. You can leave the bag in the shortening can for your next usage.

— Heloise

Dear Heloise: My husband and I were checking out of our hotel when my husband noticed several fees on our bill.

We were charged for a hotel safe we never used and a minibar that we also didn’t use. We still don’t understand the “Facility Fee.” He asked about the fees, and the clerk said, “I’m sorry, you’ll just have to pay them.” We refused. We spoke to the manager, showed him the printout of hotel’s room charge and said we were not paying for extra charges.

When we got back home from our trip, we wrote to the hotel chain’s headquarters to complain. Please tell your readers to beware of extra charges when checking out!

— Terri And Jason L., Boulder, Colo.