Another approach is to list your temporary agency as your employer and put all your assignments under that heading.

Finally, rather than being worried about looking like a job-hopper, be prepared to respond to the question like this, "Im a very hard working,responsible person, so when the economy shut down employment in my field, I got resourceful and took what was available. Im a survivor."

Dear Joan:
I was fired from my job last week. The owner gave me the news on the phone, while I had three days off. At the moment I didnt feel that I couldbe objective about a response. I really enjoy my job and I want it back. I was in the office a few days later picking up my belongings and he was very friendly but made a comment that I have "too much going on now." (Single parent, young daughter, etc.)

My question is would it be wise to call him and discuss a reconciliation. If so, can you give me some tips? His main gripe is my time off. I negotiatedfour weeks off as part of my compensation package in lieu of salary. I have since seen that he is uncomfortable with giving me this time off (orany time off) and uses my performance as an excuse.

Answer:
Reconciliation sometimes happens with a spouse but usually not with a boss. Your time to back off has passed. Your opportunity came when yourealized he wasnt happy about all your time off. I suspect your boss was willing to let you have some flexibility but not at the expense of hisbusiness. Learn a lesson and move on.

Dear Joan:
Is it permissible for an interviewer to end an interview? I have had two first interviews recently, one lasting 1- hours and the other lasting1-hour. They didnt seem to have a logical way to end it. When they ran out of questions, I was prepared with my questions about the company andI pointed out how my experience would contribute, but eventually I ran out of questions. In both cases the interview group then began to chatabout day to day work.

Answer:
Interviews often last an hour or more, so your experience isnt out of the ordinary. Its appropriate to ask at the end, "Where are you in theinterviewing process?" and "When do you think youll be in a position to make a decision?" and "Im very interested in the position and I can becontacted at." Other than that, sit tight and let the interviewer end it.