Q: I work for a company that publishes a monthly newsletter and website. I write short items for the website and longer articles for the newsletter, but no one on the staff gets bylines. I have a journalism background and have bylines from different publications, but they're three years old.

When it comes to applying for jobs that ask for samples of your work, how do you tackle the issue of not having recent bylined work? Should I even bother submitting the stories I write at my current job? Sincerely,

Ghost writer

A: If your recent clips are good, I'd submit them. Your situation is easily explained. It happens to editorial writers all the time.

My larger concern would be that your work is similar enough to the work done at the jobs you're applying to.

An angle to consider: pursuing beats that might crave the subject-matter expertise you've developed at the newsletter.