Q. I’m a veteran police officer and for the past few years I’ve been working for a chief of police who doesn’t like me. I’ve tried to get jobs with other police departments and even though I score high and have a perfect work record, he always ruins my chances by giving me a bad job reference. I think I’ve been blackballed from getting another job and I’ll never get promoted here. What can I do?

A. You need to straighten this out as soon as possible. False and defaming references are against the law in many states. Talk to an employment lawyer about this matter. Your professional future depends on it.

Q. After working in the travel industry for 14 years, my sister recently was laid off. She is having a difficult time getting interviews and seems to be confused about what field she wants to go into. I told her to go to a career counselor for guidance and direction. Is that a good idea?

A.Yes it is. A very good one. Career counselors can’t get you jobs, but they can help you focus on where you are going and point you in the right direction. Ask for a reference.

Q. I am a manager and fortunately have my own office. However, when I am out of town, some managers who don’t have their own offices feel free to use mine – without even asking my permission. That’s just being rude, but they also leave the office a mess. What can I do?

A. Lock it.

Q. Both my daughters have master’s degrees but they can’t find a job. Instead, they are told they are “overqualified.” And this upsets me so much. My question is, what is America coming to when we hire the uneducated over the educated? No wonder I’m upset!

A. I’m upset, too. I hate the word “overqualified.” Too many times, employers use it to cover what they really mean, which is that they know you can do the job but don’t want to pay you what you’re worth.

Q. I recently interviewed with a company about a position, and, as part of the application process, they requested personal information for a background check concerning felony convictions, credit check, educational verification and the like. If I don’t get the job, do I have a chance of getting that personal information returned to me? With the prevalence of identify theft today, I don’t want that information left unprotected in a company file. What can I do?

A. You can always ask.

Carol Kleiman is the author of “Winning the Job Game: The New Rules for Finding and Keeping the Job You Want.”

(Wiley, $16.95). Send e-mail to ckleimantribune.com.)

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(c) 2004, Chicago Tribune.

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AP-NY-05-04-04 0625EDT