Dear Queenie,

  I own a small business and now that things are picking up again I am looking to hire a helper or two. I have advertised the positions and interviewed some people and even though I described the jobs in my “help wanted” ads, almost all of the people who applied didn’t know anything at all about my business.

  Queenie, please tell your readers that they should know at least a little bit about the job they are applying for and the company they want to work for.—Disgusted would-be employer

Dear Disgusted,

  Any job-seeker should know something about the place they want to work for and the job they are applying for, and should be prepared to tell their interviewer how they can be an asset to their (would-be) employer. The information should be easy to find – almost every business has a website or some presence on the Internet these days if only to advertise itself to potential customers.

Dear Queenie,

  My sister often gives away things she has received as gifts.

  Queenie, isn’t this rude after someone has gone to the trouble and the expense of giving you something?—Gifting Etty Ket

Dear Etty Ket,

  Not necessarily.

  Look at it this way: Not only has the recipient had the pleasure of receiving the gift, but also the pleasure of giving a gift to someone, especially if the recipient otherwise could not have afforded to do so.

Dear Queenie,

  After I graduated from college I got a good job working for a company where I am now managing my department.

  I still live with my parents but I have saved up enough money that now I can afford to get a place of my own and my father says he will help me look for one that he approves of and the way he talks I think he will be checking up on me there after I move in.

  Queenie, if I am living in my own place and paying for it myself don’t I have a right to some privacy? How do I make my parents understand this?—All grown up now

Dear Grown up,

  With all his experience, your father can be a big help to you in finding a good place to live. Once you move in, make sure he does not have keys to the place so he cannot drop in on you unexpectedly or while you are not at home – change the locks, if necessary. Then ask your parents to give you a call before they come to see you, to make sure you are at home and not too busy to entertain visitors.

Dear Queenie,

  I’m all grown up and married and living with my husband in our own home, but whenever my mother comes to see us she goes through my things (including things like a desk I share with my husband) like she did when I was a child living with her.

  We have asked her not to do this but she won’t stop. She says it’s her right because she’s my mother.

  Queenie, don’t we have a right to some privacy?—Angry daughter

Dear Daughter,

  Of course you have a right to privacy, even from your mother.

  Put some locks on the places you do not want your mother getting into – and keep the keys someplace where she cannot get hold of them. If she complains, just tell her it is your right because you are an adult.