Got a question for the Job Doc? Tell us what hurts and we'll try and find the remedy for your career woes, every Sunday in the BostonWorks section of the Sunday Globe. E-mail your questions to or mail to Job Doc, The Boston Globe, PO Box 2378, Boston, MA 02107-2378. Letters may be edited for clarity and length.

I am looking to leave my position as a midlevel manager in the retail sector. I am not sure about how to handle some issues in my past. When I was young, I was arrested for stealing some jewelry from a department store. Do I have to report this on a job application or in an interview? I also am not sure what to say about one of my previous jobs. My supervisor, a district manager, was on maternity leave for six months. I assumed her position and was given a raise, but was never given the title. Could I say on my résumé that I was the district manager for this period?

Many people procrastinate in revising their résumés because they haven't worked through how to handle certain past experiences without misrepresenting the truth. The fear of hurting our chances at that new position can lead us to avoid some of the toughest questions we need to resolve before an interviewer asks about them.

Most employers do background checks covering all or some of the following areas: education, degrees or certificates earned, work history, references, personal character, criminal background, and credit.

I advise my clients not to lie on their résumés. That being said, there are many ways to answer a question or describe an event that are both truthful and bring out the positive side.

I consulted with labor and employment attorney Diane Rosse of Fee, Rosse & Lanz LLP in Sudbury. She says Massachusetts has very specific laws governing what employers can and can not ask in interviews and on employment applications. It is not clear from the information you included whether you would be required to answer truthfully about this incident in your past.

Massachusetts law prevents employers from asking prospective employees about arrests for which no conviction has occurred, first convictions for certain minor offenses, and misdemeanor convictions that occurred five or more years prior to the inquiry. When a record has been sealed through a court proceeding, an applicant can answer ''no'' to any inquiry about the matter.

You can probably answer ''no'' to questions related to your theft if it occurred five or more years ago, the file was sealed, or you fell under a protected status.

For additional information on how Massachusetts state laws address such situations, go to the website of the Massachusetts attorney general's office at: www.ago.state.ma.us, or call (617) 727-2200.

Regarding your second question, referring to the time you spent filling in for your supervisor, Rosse says almost every application has a disclaimer at the bottom stating something like ''any misrepresentation of information or false statement on this employment application or your résumé will lead to termination at any time.'' She said every employer she knows checks references and background since résumé fraud, particularly in educational degrees and employment history, is rampant.

Companies often hire outside services to perform their reference checking, educational verifications, and work history inquiries. Some will also check personal character references, military service, and credit.

Your signature at the end of a statement giving permission to check your background authorizes such a review.

In your case, I would recommend including a statement about being chosen to replace the district manager during her leave and receiving a raise. This acting management role can be emphasized by describing duties you assumed, accomplishments, and learning experiences that have served you well since.

Each year around Christmas we have a small party with the staff in my department at a local restaurant. We exchange small, token gifts by picking one name to buy for. I am the manager of our department and this year my name was chosen by a new employee who has been with us for about five months. She is not a great performer and I recently gave her a verbal warning about the quality of her work. She gave me a very generous gift that I feel I should not accept. I am not sure how to handle this. Should I just give it back to her or is it best to keep it? I'm concerned that she might think it will influence my opinion of her work.

Consider the fact that she is a new employee who never attended a holiday party at your company. It is possible that no one told her or that she didn't think to ask about the price range of the gifts. Thank her for the very nice gift, but express concern about it being too generous. Ask if she knew about the price level and tell her that is the reason you are uncomfortable accepting it.

If her answers are satisfactory, thank her again and move on. If the amount was inappropriate, explain it would improper for you to accept such a gift.

Are there any laws about cellphone use at work? One of the employees in the cubicle across from mine talks incessantly on his cellphone about personal matters and I find it hard to concentrate on my work.

None that I am aware of. The problem here is more about using work time to take care of personal business than about cellphone use. The first thing to try is to speak with the employee, making him aware of the effect his behavior is having on you and requesting that he stop or leave the department when talking on his cellphone.

If you are reluctant to do that, or if you have tried it unsuccessfully, then bring this problem to the attention of your manager or the human resources department. Hopefully that will lead to someone addressing and resolving the matter quickly.

Linda Lerner is a Boston based executive coach and a human resources consultant.