Q: I took a low paying job with good health insurance in order to cover a needed surgery. I'm on the market again and omitted my salary on job applications because I'm embarrassed by it. I think it's cost me interviews. So how do I get around this?

A: Your transition to a lower paying full-time position with health benefits to cover your important surgery was the right decision. Why? Because if you don't have your health, you don't have nothin'. So getting this health issue resolved was important—and the benefit you received from your current employer was material. But it sounds like there were some other financial and career trade-offs with your decision—particularly with regard to your salary.

While you may feel embarrassed about your current compensation, the feeling should not prohibit you from moving forward confidently in your job search. You have a good explanation for your situation and just need the opportunity to tell your story. You believe that omitting your salary information on a job application is likely the reason you are not receiving interviews. This may be the case, or it may not. At the very least, it raises a potential flag … and an eyebrow from an employer that there may be something amiss, which places your candidacy at a competitive disadvantage.