What is the worst outfit ever worn to a job interview? For me, it was the applicant who sported a Madras tie as a belt and a patterned cotton hat.... and let me speak lightly of the purple highlights and attention attracting earrings! Other contenders, include candidates with dirty fingernails, micro-miniskirts, t-shirts with offensive slogans and even bare feet!
No one needs 'Queer Eye's' Carson Kressley to tell them that wearing shoes to an interview is a good idea, but could you be guilty of one of these top 20 fashion faux pas?
1. Carrying a backpack or fannypack instead of a briefcase or portfolio: Some image consultants suggest women ditch their purse, too!
2. Sunglasses on top of your head or headphones around your neck: Be sure to remove all your "transit gear" and tuck it in your briefcase before entering the lobby.
3. Too-short skirts: Forget what some of those gals on 'The Apprentice' are wearing. Your skirt should cover your thighs when you are seated.
4. The wrong tie: Ties should be made of silk, no less than three and a quarter inches wide with a conservative pattern. Image consultants say the best colors are red or burgundy.
5. Overly bright or large-patterned clothing: With the possible exception of creative fields like advertising or computer programming, it's best to stick with navy, black or gray.
6. Heavy makeup on women (or any makeup on a man)
7. Earrings on men: In fact, men should avoid wearing any jewelry unless it is a wedding ring, class ring or metal watch.
8. More than one set of earrings on women
9. Facial piercings, tongue jewelry or visible tattoos
10. Ill-fitting clothes. Few people can wear things straight off the rack. Spending a little extra to have your garments tailored is a worthwhile investment.
11. Long fingernails, especially with bright or specialty polishes. Nails should look clean and be trimmed to a length that doesn't leave an observer wondering how you keep from stabbing yourself.
12. Unnatural hair colors or styles. Remember, Donald Trump was a billionaire well before he began wearing a comb-over. If you're balding, try a close-cropped cut like Bruce Willis or Matt Lauer.
13. Short-sleeved shirts, even worse when worn with a tie
14. Fishnets, patterned hosiery or bare legs (no matter how tan you are). Women should stick with neutral color hosiery that complements their suit.
15. Men whose socks don't match their shoes, or whose socks are too short and leave a gap of flesh when they are seated
16. Rumpled or stained clothing: If interviewing late in the day, try to change to a fresh suit beforehand.
17. Scuffed or inappropriate footwear, including sneakers, stilettos, open-toed shoes and sandals
18. Strong aftershaves, perfumes or colognes: Many people are allergic to certain scents. For a subtle fragrance, use a good quality bath soap.
19. Belts and shoes that don't match: Shoes and belts should be made of leather or leather-like materials and the best colors for men are black or cordovan.
20. Telltale signs that your wearing a new suit. Remove all tags and extra buttons -- and remember to cut off the zigzag thread that keeps pockets and slits closed!
Don't be a wardrobe malfunction waiting to happen. Plan and lay out what you're going to wear several days before the interview, so you'll have time to shop or get garments pressed and cleaned
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
It is easier to spell, grammer check, and proof read a resume than it is to explain why you didn't.
It’s surprising how many people don’t proofread, spell check, or otherwise pay attention to the basics when applying for a job. It’s a minority, but it’s big enough that I was compelled to write about it.
I’ve received applications from people spelling 37signals as “37 Signals” and Backpack as “Backback” and Basecamp as “Basscamp” or “Base Camp”. We even got one email from someone calling Highrise “Hi Rise”. One said how much they liked “Packcamp”.
Casual communications are one thing, but when you’re applying for a job you have to pay attention. Know how the company spells its name. Know the names of the products. Read what you wrote so you know what you said.
It’s OK to be funny if you get the basics right. It’s OK to be irreverent if you get the basics right. It’s OK to take some liberties with language if you get the basics right. It’s OK (and encouraged) to have personality and be yourself if you get the basics right.
I don’t want to be critical here. I just want to be helpful: Check your spelling, read your email, double-check everything. This is a job application, not an IM with a buddy. We appreciate when you take the time to apply, but it’s a waste of your time if you don’t nail the basics.
That said, there have been a handful of absolutely wonderful emails and resumes sent to me from people. Some clearly took the time to put together a special portfolio page (some wisely even used Backpack). Some were bold and clear in their advice. Some were really beautifully written. These are the people who deserve an employer’s full attention. They’ve got mine!
Remember the devil is in the details and in such a highly competeive job market the details are super imporant!
I’ve received applications from people spelling 37signals as “37 Signals” and Backpack as “Backback” and Basecamp as “Basscamp” or “Base Camp”. We even got one email from someone calling Highrise “Hi Rise”. One said how much they liked “Packcamp”.
Casual communications are one thing, but when you’re applying for a job you have to pay attention. Know how the company spells its name. Know the names of the products. Read what you wrote so you know what you said.
It’s OK to be funny if you get the basics right. It’s OK to be irreverent if you get the basics right. It’s OK to take some liberties with language if you get the basics right. It’s OK (and encouraged) to have personality and be yourself if you get the basics right.
I don’t want to be critical here. I just want to be helpful: Check your spelling, read your email, double-check everything. This is a job application, not an IM with a buddy. We appreciate when you take the time to apply, but it’s a waste of your time if you don’t nail the basics.
That said, there have been a handful of absolutely wonderful emails and resumes sent to me from people. Some clearly took the time to put together a special portfolio page (some wisely even used Backpack). Some were bold and clear in their advice. Some were really beautifully written. These are the people who deserve an employer’s full attention. They’ve got mine!
Remember the devil is in the details and in such a highly competeive job market the details are super imporant!
Monday, August 10, 2009
"Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar.”
I came accross an interesting article listing the top ten reasons you should hate your job, and according to a recent poll they are listed below:
1. You have a boss.
2. You earn a limited amount of money.
3. Your only income stream is your salary.
4. You don’t have control of your life.
5. You have to follow a fixed work schedule.
6. Your co-workers are fools.
7. You have to travel for hours to and from your work.
8. You boss’ problems become your own, and you no longer care about them.
9. You cannot choose what you do each day. You boss tells you what to do.
10. You have to pay so much taxes that doesn’t make sense.
I challenge you to come up with more reasons to hate your job. It might just motivate you to do something about it. Like maybe try and get a new one, maybe something more refreshing, or with more money. Or hell like the rest of the country in this economy just something to get us all by.
OPEN JOBS (each new position begins in purple)
NOC Engineer. Successful candidates will manage the Commercial operations network by monitoring and troubleshooting problems as they occur and initiating triage when necessary.
Duties:
•Monitor the network to identify potential problems using monitoring tools like Netcool
•Troubleshoot problems remotely as they occur on the network by providing Tier II support
•Escalate problems to Sr. Network Engineers that cannot be fixed remotely
The ideal candidate will use their experience, to not only meet the expectations of our client, but to reach beyond our client’s expectations.
The ideal candidate will have at least 3 years of hands-on experience with at least 4 of the following:
• Experience working in a NOC environment (preferably in optical transport)
• Experience with Cell Tower Backhaul
• Exposure to the design and deployment of an optical network
• Experience with Tier II support
• Ability to communicate effectively and with business savvy to negotiate and broker compromise.
Other Requirements include:
• Fluent English
• Legal to work in the U.S.
Network Operations Center Technician. Successful candidates will open tickets and work to troubleshoot issues related to the network. This person will use their prior knowledge to mitigate network events and manage the escalation through resolution. The candidate will be responsible for:
• Surveillance of Commercial Operations Network using all applicable NOC Network Management Tools.
•Performs initial troubleshooting, problem analysis and isolation of network events in accordance with escalation guidelines.
•Performs tracking and management of network events to resolution in accordance with standard Event Management Procedures
•Tracks and supports Network Change Control schedules and activities
•Supports and executes Network Change Control functions for Regional Operations Groups under the direction of a NOC Team Leader.
• Performs administrative tasks for NOC Network Management Tools, contact, escalation and mailing lists and other documentation or systems under the direction of NOC Team Leader.
• Provides input and feedback for the use and optimization of NOC Network Management Applications/Tools (Netcool and Remedy) as well as NOC processes and procedures. Produces, maintains and updates written procedures.
The ideal candidate will use their experience, to not only meet the expectations of our client, but to reach beyond our client’s expectations.
The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience with the following:
• Between two and five years working in a Network Operations Center environment
• Knowledge of optical transport technologies and products such as Nortel, Cisco, Alcatel Lucent, Infinera, and Fuji.
• Knowledge of and ability to troubleshoot DWDM, Sonet technology, network lines ranging from T1’s to OC192’s
• Effective oral and written communication skills
Preferred Skills:
• Degree from four year college or technical school
• Certifications in Optical technology
• Exposure to cellular or wireless technology and products
Unix Systems Administrator. A successful candidate will utilize their system knowledge to troubleshoot Solaris network and system issues as a part or the High Speed Data and Voice over IP Provisioning support group.
The ideal candidate will use their experience, to not only meet the expectations of our client, but to reach beyond our client’s expectations.
The ideal candidate will have the required years of hands-on experience with at least 2 of the following technologies:
• Intermediate level experience with Solaris (5 years)
• Intermediate level experience scripting in UNIX with Shell or with Perl (4 years)
• Basic understanding of Veritas (4 years)
• Basic understanding of Oracle applications (4 years)
• Some level of training in BEA Weblogic (3 years)
Preferred skills include:
• Scripting in Perl, KSH, and BASH
• Solaris system troubleshooting
• Solaris network troubleshooting
• Oracle database knowledge
• Veritas HA knowledge
Other Requirements include:
• Fluent English
• Legal to work in the U.S.
Python Applications Developer. Successful candidates will work closely with the our client to support their initiatives through completing the following duties:
• Perform backup administration (verify network backups, troubleshooting)
• Perform event impact analysis (use CDRs for determining impact)
• Generate ad-hoc management reports
• Generate capacity measurement reports
• Perform daily monitoring and troubleshooting of voice tools/apps servers
The ideal candidate will use their experience, to meet and reach above the expectations of our client. The ideal candidate will be proficient with Python coding language and have at least two of the have at least 3 years of hands-on experience with at least 2 of the following:
• Programming experience
• Unix systems administration experience
• Experience in production or operations environments
• SQL Experience
• Experience with web technologies such as HTML
Other preferred skills include:
• Networking experience
• Java programming experience
• Postgres SQL experience
• Bachelor's Degree
1. You have a boss.
2. You earn a limited amount of money.
3. Your only income stream is your salary.
4. You don’t have control of your life.
5. You have to follow a fixed work schedule.
6. Your co-workers are fools.
7. You have to travel for hours to and from your work.
8. You boss’ problems become your own, and you no longer care about them.
9. You cannot choose what you do each day. You boss tells you what to do.
10. You have to pay so much taxes that doesn’t make sense.
I challenge you to come up with more reasons to hate your job. It might just motivate you to do something about it. Like maybe try and get a new one, maybe something more refreshing, or with more money. Or hell like the rest of the country in this economy just something to get us all by.
OPEN JOBS (each new position begins in purple)
NOC Engineer. Successful candidates will manage the Commercial operations network by monitoring and troubleshooting problems as they occur and initiating triage when necessary.
Duties:
•Monitor the network to identify potential problems using monitoring tools like Netcool
•Troubleshoot problems remotely as they occur on the network by providing Tier II support
•Escalate problems to Sr. Network Engineers that cannot be fixed remotely
The ideal candidate will use their experience, to not only meet the expectations of our client, but to reach beyond our client’s expectations.
The ideal candidate will have at least 3 years of hands-on experience with at least 4 of the following:
• Experience working in a NOC environment (preferably in optical transport)
• Experience with Cell Tower Backhaul
• Exposure to the design and deployment of an optical network
• Experience with Tier II support
• Ability to communicate effectively and with business savvy to negotiate and broker compromise.
Other Requirements include:
• Fluent English
• Legal to work in the U.S.
Network Operations Center Technician. Successful candidates will open tickets and work to troubleshoot issues related to the network. This person will use their prior knowledge to mitigate network events and manage the escalation through resolution. The candidate will be responsible for:
• Surveillance of Commercial Operations Network using all applicable NOC Network Management Tools.
•Performs initial troubleshooting, problem analysis and isolation of network events in accordance with escalation guidelines.
•Performs tracking and management of network events to resolution in accordance with standard Event Management Procedures
•Tracks and supports Network Change Control schedules and activities
•Supports and executes Network Change Control functions for Regional Operations Groups under the direction of a NOC Team Leader.
• Performs administrative tasks for NOC Network Management Tools, contact, escalation and mailing lists and other documentation or systems under the direction of NOC Team Leader.
• Provides input and feedback for the use and optimization of NOC Network Management Applications/Tools (Netcool and Remedy) as well as NOC processes and procedures. Produces, maintains and updates written procedures.
The ideal candidate will use their experience, to not only meet the expectations of our client, but to reach beyond our client’s expectations.
The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience with the following:
• Between two and five years working in a Network Operations Center environment
• Knowledge of optical transport technologies and products such as Nortel, Cisco, Alcatel Lucent, Infinera, and Fuji.
• Knowledge of and ability to troubleshoot DWDM, Sonet technology, network lines ranging from T1’s to OC192’s
• Effective oral and written communication skills
Preferred Skills:
• Degree from four year college or technical school
• Certifications in Optical technology
• Exposure to cellular or wireless technology and products
Unix Systems Administrator. A successful candidate will utilize their system knowledge to troubleshoot Solaris network and system issues as a part or the High Speed Data and Voice over IP Provisioning support group.
The ideal candidate will use their experience, to not only meet the expectations of our client, but to reach beyond our client’s expectations.
The ideal candidate will have the required years of hands-on experience with at least 2 of the following technologies:
• Intermediate level experience with Solaris (5 years)
• Intermediate level experience scripting in UNIX with Shell or with Perl (4 years)
• Basic understanding of Veritas (4 years)
• Basic understanding of Oracle applications (4 years)
• Some level of training in BEA Weblogic (3 years)
Preferred skills include:
• Scripting in Perl, KSH, and BASH
• Solaris system troubleshooting
• Solaris network troubleshooting
• Oracle database knowledge
• Veritas HA knowledge
Other Requirements include:
• Fluent English
• Legal to work in the U.S.
Python Applications Developer. Successful candidates will work closely with the our client to support their initiatives through completing the following duties:
• Perform backup administration (verify network backups, troubleshooting)
• Perform event impact analysis (use CDRs for determining impact)
• Generate ad-hoc management reports
• Generate capacity measurement reports
• Perform daily monitoring and troubleshooting of voice tools/apps servers
The ideal candidate will use their experience, to meet and reach above the expectations of our client. The ideal candidate will be proficient with Python coding language and have at least two of the have at least 3 years of hands-on experience with at least 2 of the following:
• Programming experience
• Unix systems administration experience
• Experience in production or operations environments
• SQL Experience
• Experience with web technologies such as HTML
Other preferred skills include:
• Networking experience
• Java programming experience
• Postgres SQL experience
• Bachelor's Degree
Monday, August 3, 2009
Job Hopping; “The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one.”
Maybe the recession is here, but do you want to know what the top worry is among chief financial officers? Recruiting. That's right.
The next 10 years will be an employee-driven market, because of a whole host of demographics issues, from boomers leaving the workforce to fewer Generation Yers being interested in corporate life.
Young people are in such high demand right now that they start to look sort of savvy when sources such as MTV report only 17 percent of Generation Y is worried about the economy. Take my good friend Lauren Kieger. She has an entry level job here in DC, which can't be easy given the cost of living in the city, but she is optimistic things will get better for her. And can you believe she even has a Masters degree?
She's at a samll it company, an company that does global outsourcing. Lauren went to this firm because it's growing and creating opportunities for employees. Certainly no recessionary situation. And she is making one of the most profound statements of economic optimism - spending money on expensive food. Yes, she's eating out often with my friends and I. But Laurens's attitude that you live for now and figure things out as you go is typical of her generation, and understandable given they are relatively immune from a recession.
Young people will not have a problem finding jobs.
Some of you - those who read this with mouths wide open in disbelief - are saying that many industries are totally tanking and there is no way employers are hunting down young people like starving animals. But check out the National Association of Manufacturers campaign to recruit young people. The campaign is called "Dream it. Do it" and it cost $70 million. Manufacturing is no exception: there's huge difficultly finding skilled young people for jobs.
Or how about real estate? Sure, your home prices are tanking, but many young people don't own homes. And in terms of jobs in the real estate sector, many real estate agents are older. Given this demographic reality, you don't need a great housing market to provide great career opportunities for young real estate agents.
So there's lots of chatter about how people can recession-proof their careers. But what should young people do, when their golden demographics make them recession proof already? Job hop, of course.
The best thing you can do early in your career is move around a lot so you can figure out what you're good at and what you like. If you compare people who job hop with people who don't, people who job hop build their network faster, build their skill set faster, and are more engaged in their work.
So, young people should take advantage of the fact that they are in high demand and make sure to leave a job as soon as their learning curve flattens. Older people - especially those who have lived through terrible job markets, which includes everyone older than Gen Y - will tell you to be cautious and grateful. These are not inherently bad traits, but they are bad if they instill complacency in a job market that is not demanding that of you.
Some of you will find yourselves gunning for jobs in areas hit particularly hard by the recession. Investment banking, for example, used to be very difficult to break in to, and now, with cutbacks for summer interns, investment banking is insanely difficult to get into.
But so what? What are you going to do with that investment banking experience? Leave, probably. Because the hours are terrible and the work is totally inflexible and driven (at all hours of the day and night) by the client. So you will leave banking to do something that sustains your goals for family and friends. Why not just leave now? It's very competitive -no need to put up with that. Go to an equally interesting field that is not going to require you to take clients to strip clubs.
Tech is hot. Healthcare is hot. And you don't need to be a software developer or changer of bed pans. In fact, any tech company or healthcare company needs sales people and marketing people, and accountants, and all the other types of people who could, possibly, get stuck in an underperforming company, but clearly have the ability to change sectors without dumping their expertise.
So figure out what your skills are, what you love to do, what you're great at. Job hop until you are sure. Or as sure as someone can be at the beginning of his or her career. Then go to a sector that is booming, which is most sectors if you are blessed to be born to Gen Y.
The next 10 years will be an employee-driven market, because of a whole host of demographics issues, from boomers leaving the workforce to fewer Generation Yers being interested in corporate life.
Young people are in such high demand right now that they start to look sort of savvy when sources such as MTV report only 17 percent of Generation Y is worried about the economy. Take my good friend Lauren Kieger. She has an entry level job here in DC, which can't be easy given the cost of living in the city, but she is optimistic things will get better for her. And can you believe she even has a Masters degree?
She's at a samll it company, an company that does global outsourcing. Lauren went to this firm because it's growing and creating opportunities for employees. Certainly no recessionary situation. And she is making one of the most profound statements of economic optimism - spending money on expensive food. Yes, she's eating out often with my friends and I. But Laurens's attitude that you live for now and figure things out as you go is typical of her generation, and understandable given they are relatively immune from a recession.
Young people will not have a problem finding jobs.
Some of you - those who read this with mouths wide open in disbelief - are saying that many industries are totally tanking and there is no way employers are hunting down young people like starving animals. But check out the National Association of Manufacturers campaign to recruit young people. The campaign is called "Dream it. Do it" and it cost $70 million. Manufacturing is no exception: there's huge difficultly finding skilled young people for jobs.
Or how about real estate? Sure, your home prices are tanking, but many young people don't own homes. And in terms of jobs in the real estate sector, many real estate agents are older. Given this demographic reality, you don't need a great housing market to provide great career opportunities for young real estate agents.
So there's lots of chatter about how people can recession-proof their careers. But what should young people do, when their golden demographics make them recession proof already? Job hop, of course.
The best thing you can do early in your career is move around a lot so you can figure out what you're good at and what you like. If you compare people who job hop with people who don't, people who job hop build their network faster, build their skill set faster, and are more engaged in their work.
So, young people should take advantage of the fact that they are in high demand and make sure to leave a job as soon as their learning curve flattens. Older people - especially those who have lived through terrible job markets, which includes everyone older than Gen Y - will tell you to be cautious and grateful. These are not inherently bad traits, but they are bad if they instill complacency in a job market that is not demanding that of you.
Some of you will find yourselves gunning for jobs in areas hit particularly hard by the recession. Investment banking, for example, used to be very difficult to break in to, and now, with cutbacks for summer interns, investment banking is insanely difficult to get into.
But so what? What are you going to do with that investment banking experience? Leave, probably. Because the hours are terrible and the work is totally inflexible and driven (at all hours of the day and night) by the client. So you will leave banking to do something that sustains your goals for family and friends. Why not just leave now? It's very competitive -no need to put up with that. Go to an equally interesting field that is not going to require you to take clients to strip clubs.
Tech is hot. Healthcare is hot. And you don't need to be a software developer or changer of bed pans. In fact, any tech company or healthcare company needs sales people and marketing people, and accountants, and all the other types of people who could, possibly, get stuck in an underperforming company, but clearly have the ability to change sectors without dumping their expertise.
So figure out what your skills are, what you love to do, what you're great at. Job hop until you are sure. Or as sure as someone can be at the beginning of his or her career. Then go to a sector that is booming, which is most sectors if you are blessed to be born to Gen Y.
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