It’s the interviewers job to probe and get as much information and insight out of a prospective candidate without crossing the proverbial “legal limit.”  That said, you do not and should not be in a position to have to bear all for the sake of bonding with the interviewer or hiring manager.  Trust me, they are not looking to bond with you no matter how sincere they come across.  The interviewer’s job is to determine if there is anything that might get in the way of you being totally committed to the job.  If you are going through a lot personally then determine whether this is a good time for you to be making a change and whether you should hold off on interviewing until you are in a better frame of mind.  No matter how well you think you did on an interview, disclosing what’s going on behind the scenes is NOT going to help you land the job or make you any more “appealing” as a potential candidate.  What it can and will serve to do is quickly disqualify you even if you thought you hit it off well with the interviewer.  When in doubt keep a lid on the personal and direct the conversation back to the professional where it belongs.

Depending on the industry you are applying for a job, the summer could either be a good time or not to look for work.  If you’ve been out of work for a while, then taking the summer off if you can afford to do that is a great idea.  However, most people can’t afford to take the summer off if they are unemployed so it’s really a good time to brush up your resume, start putting your feelers out and schedule as many informational meetings as possible.  Summer traditionally tends to slow down unless you are applying for jobs that are seasonal in nature where the summer is the “big” time of year.  Traditionally, September –October are good months to interview and seek employment because most companies want to fill openings that may have been left open before the year is out.  January – May is also a good time of year as most companies are getting their budgetary approvals and are looking to ramp up the hiring with new and replacement positions.  If you are looking for work, there really is no bad time of year.  If you do decide to take a few weeks off from your job search for the summer that’s fine too, as long as you know how to jump back in and get going again and not take an extended holiday!

Q. The interviewer was asking me about my personal life during an initial interview.  I was tempted to tell them about it since I’m going through a lot right now. How should I handle these types of questions and is a good idea to spill my heart?

You should inform your boss as delicately and professionally as possible.  If your company has a hiring and internal promotion policy make sure you are following the guidelines to ensure you are following the proper protocol.  If your company is less formal, then it would be wise to consult the hiring manager as to when the appropriate time would be to discuss your application with your current supervisor.  In my opinion, it’s always a good idea to have “exploratory” meetings within your own company and there is no need to sound off the alarms by letting your boss know.  If on the other hand, it’s likely you will be offered a job, then I think it’s very appropriate to notify your current boss of the situation and to seek their support and recommendation if possible.  It’s always a good idea to be upfront regardless of the situation but I recommend it’s really only necessary to inform your boss if you believe an offer is imminent, otherwise, if they hear you are discussing jobs within the company you can let your boss know that you are exploring your options nothing more.

Well, depending on the nature of the “freeze” whether it’s temporary or not will determine how you best respond.  If your company is going through a difficult time and your lack of raise or promotion is due to the financial instability of the company, you are not alone.  Many companies in recent months/years have been forced to downsize, hold salary increases including promotions and have had hiring freezes as well.  If this is the case, then you can tough it out and ask your supervisor or Human Resources when they believe there will be movement again.  If not, and your raise or lack of promotion was due to performance issues, you might want to explore ways you can remedy this situation through performance feedback or an improvement plan.  Or, if there is no way to change either situation and you continue to remain frustrated then yes, you should start looking for another job.

Wow, that must have been some re-write and you are either a good storyteller or a really good liar!  Now, if your resume is a work of fiction then you probably need to figure out how to not dummy it down so much to make it unbelievable.  Positioning your strengths, particularly if you have so many is not meant to overwhelm the person reading your resume but to guide them in choosing you over the rest of the submissions.  There are ways to emphasize your skills without making you appear over-qualified for a position.  A good way to do this is to take the job description and map your resume & skill sets to what they are specifically looking for.  If you have more experience than is required and are concerned that you may not be considered, adjust down your years of experience, titles, and length of service only focusing on the relevant level of experience you have that fits the job. Editing down and not “dummying down” your resume is the key to positioning yourself appropriately for the job.