Q. After graduating from college in May, I have found a full-time position at a plant nursery near my home. I am the receptionist. Unfortunately, the closest I have gotten to using my B.A. in English has been proofreading some things. I am very thankful to have a job, but I am also worried that I am so far from getting any real experience, I will never be able to work within my desired fields of public relations or publishing. Should I freelance to get some writing samples?

Dear Readers,

Having to take a job for which you are overqualified is such common problem nowadays that it would be foolish for job interviewers to hold it against you. Instead, they should respect you for making the mature choice of doing whatever it takes to support yourself.

That said, you will have a better chance of breaking into your chosen field if you figure out a way to get some experience even while you are working full time at something else. A budding writer has all sorts of options. She can write freelance articles for print or Internet publications. As a volunteer, she can approach nonprofit organizations and offer to help with their newsletters or other marketing materials.

But publishing is just one of many fields where there are many opportunities to work as an independent contractor or consultant. Sologig.com is one Web source for people searching for freelance opportunities in a wide variety of fields.

If you cannot find freelance jobs, look for ways to volunteer. Choose opportunities that are challenging enough to give you some significant experience. Also make sure that there is someone willing to document your contributions and give you a reference when the time comes. In addition to gaining valuable experience, you will meet people who are likely to be impressed by your determination, and consequently may alert you when job openings appear.

Repair Resume

With Resilience

Q: I have a question about résumés. I will be applying for a new internal position with my company. My résumé has a two-year period of work experience that does not relate to my current or new job. (This was a time when I was out of work and was looking to put food on the table.)

Should I delete these two years from my resume, and if I do remove these years, what should take their place? The prior job (for a year) was as a private contractor. Should I extend this time frame to cover those years?

Dear Readers,

You should never fudge facts in your résumé. If any falsehood is discovered, it can undermine your integrity and ultimately your employability. “I always say honesty is the best policy,” says Mary Janaitis, principal at MSJ Consulting in Oakland, Calif. “Otherwise you can get wrapped up in a series of lies. Any discrepancy can cost you your job.”

Janaitis suggests taking a close look at the opportunity you are applying for and highlighting on your résumé the skills and abilities at each prior position that would advance your candidacy.

Do the same for the two-year gap that worries you. If there is no connection, then either minimize that period or omit it entirely. You can cover the gap briefly in your cover letter and point out the characteristics that make you shine, like your sense of responsibility towards your family, resilience, resourcefulness or determination in the face of adversity, says Janaitis, and “use them to sell yourself.”

Determination is a big selling point, whatever the job. As the late Senator Ted Kennedy told his son, when Ted, Jr., asked his father why they always were the last ones out at sea practicing the night before a sailing race: “Most of the other sailors we race against are smarter and more talented than we are. But the reason why we are going to win is that we are going to work harder than them and we will be better prepared.”

As his son wisely observed, the Senator was not just talking about boating.