I have interviewed with the same Boston company several times, meeting with at least eight managers. I have all the qualifications that they are looking for. However, they never sent me a thank-you letter. They tell me they will call me with feedback but never do. What can I do? I really want to work for this company.

The job interview process, in general, is taking longer these days. Companies are having more managers interview candidates before making a decision. Once a decision has been made, the company will spend hours orienting and training the individual to make sure he understands the mission and goals of the company, a little about the company culture, the benefits, and most importantly, ensuring the new hire has the tools and information to do the job. This is a huge investment of the company's time and managers want to make sure they get it right.

Your expectations of what should happen once you are called in for an interview are out of sync with reality. Be glad you have not received a ''thank-you'' note for interviewing with the company because it usually means thanks for coming in but we have decided to go with another candidate. Companies do not send thank-you notes midway through the process just for interviewing with the company.

I am not sure what type of feedback you are looking for but you are getting the best type of feedback of all � getting asked back to interview with more people.

Make sure you write thank-you notes to each person you interview with. Thank them for their time and summarize what value you could bring to the company and the department.

Tell them how excited you are about the possibility of working at this company and that you hope their decision will be a favorable one. This is a very important piece of the job search process that not everyone does.

I graduated with a BA in communications last May. I took this past year off to travel. I just moved back to Massachusetts and I am currently looking for jobs in the Boston area. I don't know exactly what I want to do. I have been looking online and there are so many postings, I just don't know where to begin. I am finding it very difficult to find where I will best fit in and be able to thrive. Please send me some advice on how to help with my job search.

It sounds like meeting with a professional career counselor would be very helpful for you. Together, you can talk about interests and strengths and identify some career paths that would interest you.

The counselor may give you a battery of ''tests'' such as the Strong Vocational Interest Inventory or the Self-Directed Search Interest Inventory to help identify particular areas that would suit you.

Reading job postings is very helpful. Begin clipping the postings that interest you, regardless of whether you have the credentials, and show them to the career counselor.

In addition, ask friends what they like and don't like about their jobs. Ask yourself whether you would be happy doing similar work. And them how they found their jobs.

You will undoubtedly discover that there are many things that interest you and things that don't interest you and that you shouldn't pursue. Eventually, you will have to pick two or three options and start interviewing for these types of jobs. If finances are not an issue for you, give yourself a few months to explore options and then begin the job search process.

Once you are working for a while, try to assess the fit between you and the company. If you are content, this was a good job fit. If this is not the right job for you, you need to consider other options. The great thing about being your age is that you can try different jobs. But remember, you have to start somewhere. So get going.

To find a career counselor, there are some organizations that provide lists of reputable counselors. Here are a few: Career Counselors' Consortium (www.careercounselorsne.org) or the Association of Career Professionals International (www.acpinternational.org). You can also go to one of the One-Stop Career Centers in your community (www.detma.org to find the one closest to you) but remember, this type of career exploration will cost you a fee.

I had been working as a software engineer in Massachusetts, but recently moved. The job market is difficult in my new state and I accepted a consulting/contract position. I interviewed for a full-time position at another company and received a job offer. How do I tell the company I am leaving? It is an ''at will'' position so they could let me go at any time. Now that the tables are turned, do I give two weeks' notice? And who would I tell first? The contracting company that placed me or my boss?

The correct thing to do is to tell the contracting company and your boss in close proximity to each other and do it immediately. No one can fault you for taking a full-time position that probably offers you many more benefits than you have as a contractor. To leave your current boss with no notice is not the professional thing to do. He needs those two weeks to find a replacement. If he finds one quickly, he may ask you to train the replacement before you leave.

Though you may be concerned whether the boss will release you as soon as he hears that you are leaving, take that chance. You never know when you may need him for a reference.

Similarly, you want to give the contracting company the courtesy of advance knowledge as well. It needs to find another contractor as soon as possible or it might lose the contract. And, you never know when you may need a contracting position again.

Joan Cirillo is the executive director of Operation A.B.L.E., a nonprofit organization that provides employment and training opportunities to adults age 40 and older.

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.