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  • Interviewing

    Conflicting Advice

    I was reading an article entitle Hiring Manager’s Brain Exposed on The Ladders by Lisa Vaas.  The title was interesting enough so when I clicked on the link I was half exposing to see thermal colored images of the brain as the hiring manager read a candidate’s resume or conducted an interview.  Needless to say, I was disappointed when I didn’t see any pictures. I read the article and initially thought the advice given on a short and sweet cover letter was relevant and even important.   The article stated the tried and true advice that cover letters should be focused on the job requirements and memorable.   A good cover letter seeks to do two things:…

  • girlsontherun

    My First 5K

    I’ve been running off and on for the last several years, and have enjoyed it.  The problem for me has that, like most things, life gets in the way and I find some reason to taper off and then stop.  I tell myself that I’ll start again the next day, week, or just as soon as I finish something else, but I know that’s really just a lie. A few months ago, my daughter started a program called Girls on the Run in which she trained for a 5K.  The problem was that she had to have a sponsor (read parent) run with her.  So my wife and I decided to drag ourselves out from…

  • img_2947_copy

    TCOs and Cloud Computing SLAs

    Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is often a difficult thing to measure for most IT shops, because true TCO calculations require knowledge of intimate details of IT work that are often overlooked.  For example, how many local IT shops know the cost of setting up one computer to image it, including the labor time to receive the box, unpack it, set it up on the workbench, image it, configure the applications, and move user data?  Companies that hawk products using a TCO model automatically make me wary.  Their models are designed so that if you plug in your somewhat readily available X and Y data you can see how your TCO measures to theirs.  Amazingly…

  • jobsearchtips

    Ask Clark – Why is it so hard?

    Clark, why is it so hard to find a good IT job? I’m trying to apply for three jobs a day on several of the job boards.  I’ve gotten a few call backs and one interview over the last six months.  I have three years of helpdesk experience and only lost my latest job because the company went out of business.  Is it just me?  Or is it the economy?   Lost in NC   Lost, As of September 1, 2011, Dice.com reported a total of 82,836 available tech jobs.  As I have previously written, only 15 percent of all available jobs are advertised, which means there are a lot more of unfilled available tech jobs…

  • athority

    Authorita (Pronounced: ah-THOHR-uhTAH)

    There is a quote that I like that states: “We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion”. I remember my first shot at authority.  While in high school I worked as a bagger and cashier for a regional grocery store.  I became friends with the Assistant Customer Service Manager who thought it would be a good idea to promote me to an office worker so we could talk more.  With a five cent raise I took over as FEAST (Front End Assistant) 5 position. I thought I…

Career Mentor

Interviewing

Conflicting Advice

I was reading an article entitle Hiring Manager’s Brain Exposed on The Ladders by Lisa Vaas.  The title was interesting enough so when I clicked on the link I was half exposing to see thermal colored images of the brain as the hiring manager read a candidate’s resume or conducted an interview.  Needless to say, I was disappointed when I didn’t see any pictures. I read the article and initially thought the advice given on a short and sweet cover letter was relevant and even important.   The article stated the tried and true advice that cover letters should be focused on the job requirements and memorable.   A good cover letter seeks to do two things:…

values

Values

Before you can build a personal marketing plan, you have to first determine what it is you want out of life.  At first you may wonder what does this have to do with finding a job, but hopefully after you finish reading this section you will begin to see that it has everything to do with it.  The biggest question you need to answer is “what is my purpose in life”. I know plenty of questions are floating around in your head right now.  These might include: Why do you need to answer such an all-encompassing question in order to find a job?  Why do you need to start with such a large question?  How…

attitude

Attitude

As I’ve considered this topic, I’ve been reminded of the following Butchism: “Attitude determines latitude”.   Like most Butchisms, this nugget of simple truth wasn’t created by my mentor, just used enough by him in my presence to engrain it into my mind.  The core principal behind this three word phrase is this: how you decide to react in a given situation greatly influences the outcome of that situation. Have you ever noticed that when you are having a particularly great day, meaning that everything seems to go right for you, when something bad happens you find yourself saying, “It doesn’t matter, nothing can mess up this day”?  How about the opposite?  Our outlook on the…

pomelo

The Pomelo Principal

In our last discussion of elements of a personal marketing plan, we identified the product attributes that we needed to understand.  Many of you may be tempted to skim this part of the Personal Marketing Plan and move on.  Please don’t.  I admit, reading about attitudes, values, visions, and missions doesn’t sound all that sexy.  The reason for this is that most of us have already heard about the concepts at least once in our lifetime and many of us have heard about them several times.  As humans, we tend to take complex theories, ideas, and concepts and create a model for them.  I found a wonderful object lesson on the Internet a few years…

Contracts

The Social Contract

When my grandparents grew up, they were raised with the notion that if they worked hard, stuck it out long enough with one employer, then they would be taken care of in their later years as a reward for their loyalty and service.  My first “real job” was with a Fortune 100 company and located in a manufacturing facility that had been around for a little over 40 years.  During the seven years that I worked there, I attended a large number of Anniversary Parties in which the company presented veteran employees with diamond watches, grandfather clocks, and other such mementoes as a way to thank them for their long years of service. I remember…

research

Product Research

“The core product … consists of the major needs that will be fulfilled, wants that will be realized, and problems that will be solved by consuming this product. It is the real reason the customer is buying the product and is determined by the customer’s answers to such questions as, “What’s in it for me to buy this product?” You’ll want to keep in mind that people don’t buy drill bits. They buy quarter-inch holes. They don’t buy a cosmetics. They buy hope. They don’t buy a room they can rent while away from home. They buy a good night’s sleep”. –Kotler and Armstrong, Principles of Marketing One truism I’ve found is that in order…

Leadership Mentor

nothiring

A Lesson from a McDonalds Franchise Owner

During a recent business trip, I stopped by a local McDonalds to grab a quick bite to eat.  My stomach was on east coast time even though the restaurant was operating on a west coast clock.  The place was almost deserted and I couldn’t help but notice the stacks of official looking documents in front of three sharply dressed individuals.  I glanced up at a plaque hanging by the door of the establishment and read that the franchise owner and operator was Debbie (name purposely changed).  From the conversation I overheard I assumed that Debbie was the outspoken female at the other table. With nothing to do as I ate my Big Mac, I decided…

kids_playing

The Value of a Picture

I once had a conversation with a very close and dear friend of mine concerning a picture of his kids that he always kept in a certain spot on his desk.  The question started formulating after several years of watching my colleague move from one office to another and each time finding a place of honor for this picture. The picture consisted of three kids, maybe eight or ten years old between them, smiling and laughing at the fun they were having swimming together in some random undisclosed pool or body of water. Knowing that my friend only had two children and that both of them had grown up and had children of their own,…

Contracts

The Social Contract

When my grandparents grew up, they were raised with the notion that if they worked hard, stuck it out long enough with one employer, then they would be taken care of in their later years as a reward for their loyalty and service.  My first “real job” was with a Fortune 100 company and located in a manufacturing facility that had been around for a little over 40 years.  During the seven years that I worked there, I attended a large number of Anniversary Parties in which the company presented veteran employees with diamond watches, grandfather clocks, and other such mementoes as a way to thank them for their long years of service. I remember…

athority

Authorita (Pronounced: ah-THOHR-uhTAH)

There is a quote that I like that states: “We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion”. I remember my first shot at authority.  While in high school I worked as a bagger and cashier for a regional grocery store.  I became friends with the Assistant Customer Service Manager who thought it would be a good idea to promote me to an office worker so we could talk more.  With a five cent raise I took over as FEAST (Front End Assistant) 5 position. I thought I…

Teacher cleaning chalkboard with duster

Differences in Authority

You don’t have to hold a particular position in order to have influence over people.  Many people incorrectly assume that they cannot do anything to right a wrong or change the direction or position of a team or group of people because they lack a formal title. There are two types of authority – formal and informal.  Formal Authority is defined as the power to command or compel another person to perform a certain act relative to one’s own position or title held within an organization.  While possessing formal authority certainly helps managers accomplish their goals, it does not automatically guarantee that those under them will follow them.  Commands issues by managers that believe subordinates…