(FORTUNE Magazine) – DEAR ANNIE: I will be graduating in May with a master's degree in finance from a topnotch university and will be starting to interview with companies soon, but I have a problem. I grew up in a poor neighborhood with peers who were always getting into trouble with the law. I was arrested with two other girls and convicted of receiving stolen property, conspiracy, and using illegal credit cards. This happened ten years ago, but I am very much ashamed of it. What do I tell employers who ask if I have been convicted of a crime? Am I doomed or not? Older and Wiser

DEAR WISER: You are quite right to realize that you're in a terrible pickle here. Companies hiring people for finance-related positions are doing more painstaking background checks than ever before, and federal law requires rigorous screening for employees with access to other people's dough in banks. Employers often hire outside reference-checking firms to comb databases nationwide, searching out every stray speck of dirt in a job applicant's past. Even if you were convicted as a juvenile, which in most jurisdictions means that the records are sealed or expunged once you reach adulthood, there is no guarantee that your dark secret won't come back one day to haunt you--and, in accordance with Murphy's Law, this will happen at the worst possible moment, such as when you will have decided 20 years from now to run for Congress.

But cheer up. If Mike Milken can rehabilitate himself, so can you. You need to do two things. First, be absolutely honest and up-front about your youthful foray into fraud. Human-resources types recommend attaching a written statement to job applications on which you've checked "yes" in answer to The Question, explaining how sorry you are and how hard you have worked to go straight. A master's degree in finance from your very good school is, in itself, solid evidence of that.

Second, but no less important, you have to make an extra effort. Get in touch with the National Network for Youth at 202-783-7949, or the U.S. headquarters of Girls Inc. at 212-689-3700, or even your local YWCA. Ask how you can help teens who are at risk of making the same kind of mistake you made. Find an organization you can work with, put in as many hours as you possibly can, and describe your activities on your resume and on job applications. Kids need to hear from you--and employers will be impressed if you show that you know it. Best of luck and, by the way, congratulations. Everybody gets older. Not everybody gets wiser. For proof, just look around.

DEAR ANNIE: What are the pros and cons of dividing a company into separate profit-and-loss centers? What should employees anticipate in terms of salary increases or promotions? We're in the midst of such a change, and nobody really seems to know whether this is good news for employees or bad. Wondering in Wichita

DEAR WONDERING: Reengineering guru Michael Hammer has seen plenty of these reorganizations close up, and he says that whether it's good news or not depends on what you do with it. "For employees, splitting a company into separate P&L centers usually brings a far greater pressure to produce results," Hammer says. "If you're willing and able to deal with that, you'll also have more chance of being recognized for what you contribute. So the potential rewards are greater too."

As for how the restructuring will reshape career paths and raises, it will probably take time for this to sort itself out. But your bosses ought to be talking, early on, about how they see your role in the new organization. "The lack of communication implied here is a real problem," says Michael Moriarty, a vice president at A.T. Kearney in Chicago. "It constantly amazes me how senior management can say so many words, as in the typical 'vision statement,' and yet convey so little information that actually means anything to people." He suggests that you go to your higher-ups and, in a positive way (whining won't work), propose ideas for improving people's understanding of the change. These might include an 800 number where employees can call in with questions, a series of brown-bag lunches with the CEO, or whatever you think might help.

This could give your career a real boost. "Most companies have no shortage of technical or functional skills, but they do lack 'change agents,' people who can help make change happen. Top management worries about this," Moriarty says. "A restructuring is an opportunity to become one of those people." Why not give it a try?

DEAR ANNIE: How does one go about finding a job in France? Where can I get information about work permits, visas, employment opportunities, etc.? Vive La France

DEAR VLF: Happily for everyone, except perhaps the French, a ton of information and advice is readily available. A good first step would be to contact the Council on International Educational Exchange in New York City at 212-822-2600, which each year helps about 6,000 Yanks get work permits in France, England, Germany, Ireland, and elsewhere. You might also go to the nearest public library and check out The Almanac of International Jobs and Careers, edited by Ronald Krannich and Caryl R. Krannich (published by Impact Publications), which offers a wealth of useful stuff on overseas job searches; or the Directory of Jobs and Careers Abroad, edited by Alex Lipinski (Peterson's Guides), a cornucopia of opportunities in more than 20 countries. Two other helpful resources for anybody yearning to transplant a career onto foreign soil: How to Get a Job in Europe and How to Get a Job in the Pacific Rim, both published by Surrey Books in Chicago. Bon voyage!