Q: I worked for 10 years as a project manager and then took a four-year sabbatical to travel internationally. I am trying to return as a project engineer in my industry, and I've gotten negative feedback, because of my time off work. I'm overqualified for entry-level positions, but I would re-enter at that level just to get in. I have not been successful at convincing people that I am stable and can be counted on, and will not be taking off like that again. Should I apply for entry-level jobs, and if not, how do I market myself?

A: What you are referring to as a "sabbatical" sounds like personal time off, and the two descriptions may not mix. A sabbatical from a position should be to advance one's knowledge or expertise in that field. While international travel can and should be a learning experience, traveling around the world for four years sounds like a greatly extended vacation, one that may have been required to avoid job burnout or one that resulted from a tremendous inheritance. Whatever your reason was for a four-year absence from the workforce, you now need to reflect on your travels to create some documentation — a book, a film, a documentary, a photo journal — to show the travel was, in fact, a productive learning experience that warranted four years.

If you want to stay in your field, write about your travels and how the many countries handle your field differently than in the U.S. Reflect on the various cultures and perhaps the lack of engineering or even the lack of education in certain areas. You should be able to, after four years of travel experience, produce a well-developed, insightful and educational film or book on the progress of the field of engineering to justify the amount of time you traveled.

If you come up empty-handed after a committed effort to produce something useful, you will need to develop a reason as to how this opportunity to travel came about and why it was a chance of a lifetime you could not refuse. Hiring managers are not going to take a four-year vacation in the middle of a career lightly, so practice explaining your reason for the time off so you become comfortable and convincing when you do interview. Also seriously consider hiring a career coach who can help you develop your reason, what to say and what not to say.

It isn't going to be easy, especially if you cannot create a product to show people, and calling it a sabbatical without a productive piece of evidence won't help in your being hired.

DOCUMENTATION PAYS OFF AFTER 20 YEARS

Q: After six months of various warnings, I was laid off after 20 years at the same company. I was first accused of making repeated errors, so I showed human resource years of excellent reviews. They then said I didn't work well with the team, so I showed them every written compliment I had received from all whom I had worked with through the years. When they saw they were not going to get away with such foolery, they told me there just wasn't enough work anymore to justify a full-time job. They did all of that to get out of paying a severance and unemployment. Employees need to know to save everything no matter how short or long they plan on staying in the job.

A: You've made an important point for all. Documentation can save a job and certainly can record the benefits and conditions laid forth when hired, especially in small companies that dispense with formal business procedures.

Email your questions to workplace expert Lindsey Novak at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @I_truly_care. To find out more about Lindsey Novak and to read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Website at www.creators.com.