Office Recycling Program

We use an obscene amount of paper in our office and so we've been looking into a recycling program. One of my co-workers sent this suggestion.



I thought it was brilliant.

Targeted Advertising

So, here was my good laugh for the day.

I was looking at the careers section of the Network and Systems Professionals Association (NaSPA) website today, when I noticed a banner ad on the site... for a StarTrek convention.

It made me giggle.

Odd Interview Questions...

Today's odd interview question:

Considering a fast paced environment, which of these 3 options would you think is the most related to a fast paced environment? A baby turtle crawling from its nest to the ocean, a bird building a nest or a dog jumping up to catch a Frisbee?

Video Resumes

Interesting article from ERE recently: “Time to Hit Pause on Video Resumes” talks about the pitfalls of "video resumes".

personally think that video resumes are a ridiculous idea. What could you possibly do on video that you can’t tell me about on paper? (The few things I can think of, I don’t really want to see!)

The author comes to a similar conclusion:

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Frankly, [video resumes] exist because the technology allows them to be created easily, not because they represent some great innovation or add anything to improve recruiting. Recruiting processes are designed to include highly structured elements to ensure consistency. Video resumes are, for now, at odds with the requirements of structured processes.

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To illustrate my point:While not really a “video resume” the following is an example of a woman that I think has some great information to share about preparing for interviews. I say “I think”, because I can’t manage to watch more than 23 seconds of her!

Think about it this way, if you were to read your resume aloud, would it be captivating or entertaining? No, it would probably be about as interesting as the Interview Prep woman.

But that doesn’t make it invalid; it just means it is better delivered in its written format (much like the interview prep information is better delivered in writing or on the phone).

Seriously Weird Coworkers

Okay, I admit it. I’ve occasionally wondered if a coworker is experiencing temporary mental retardation, or has perhaps been possessed by a demon hell-bent on wasting my time, but I’ve never quite taken it this far:

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Evelyne Micky Shatkin worked at University of Texas at Arlington, where she had had a series of disputes with a co-worker, which after mediation, resulted an ultimatum from Human Resources: further problems could get you fired. Not satisfied, Shatkin held an after-work "prayer session", where, with another employee, Linda Shifflett, "anointed" the absent co-worker's cubicle with olive oil, purportedly because of fears that the co-worker was demonically oppressed, chanting "You vicious evil dogs. Get the hell out of here in the name of Jesus. ... I command you to leave." A third male co-worker, who had agreed to participate in the prayer, became uncomfortable with the use of monounsaturated fats, and reported the matter… (Eva-Marie Ayala"Women said peer was 'demonically oppressed'", (From the Fort Worth Star-Telegam, 12/23; AP, 12/23).

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Of course, I saw this because now someone is suing!

I guess my coworkers aren’t that bad after all!

Wait, why does my cubical smell like the Olive Garden today?.

Preparing (too much?) for an Interview

I received an interesting article from ERE today: Trying To Put Lipstick on A Pig?

In it, Jerry Land offers some great advice to recruiters about effectively preparing candidates for interviews and how over-preparing a candidate might actually be detrimental to the interview process and ultimately the candidate’s career.

One entertaining example:

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I once had a client who asked each of the candidates I recruited the same question, "How can you get exactly four gallons of water using only a five-gallon jug and a three-gallon jug to measure?"

I don't believe the interviewer was expecting an answer; instead, he wanted to see the response to this difficult question. If the candidates were prepared, the interviewer would not have been able to evaluate the candidates for who they really are.

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(More of my thoughts on Odd Interview Questions)

I think the author makes some valid points about providing an unfair advantage by sharing too much in the interview prep, and I agree with him that providing general advice is the best way to go.

Here is some of what we tell candidates when preparing for an interview:
The purpose of any interview, from the candidate’s perspective, should be to determine what is missing while the position is unfilled or what problems the company is looking to solve by filling this position. Throughout the interview, candidates should pay close attention to clues what’s missing and then address how he or she can provide the solutions.

There are common themes in all interviews, and it is wise to think in advance about how to answer these basic interview questions:

Why are you interested in the job?

What can you tell me about yourself?

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Describe major accomplishments and discuss responsibilities in previous jobs.

What questions do you have?

When spellcheck fails you...

So today it was my turn to make silly mistakes. (I think the cold weather is freezing some of my brain cells)

We are currently working on an Energy Engineer position for a company in Pennsylvania. Energy Engineers are a big part of the “Green” movement in industry evaluating and improving energy usage in manufacturing facilities. I thought this sounded like a fascinating job, and set about writing a job description and job posting for this position.

I thought I'd done rather well and presented it to the account manager to be proofread. Lucky for me, he discovered the following:

“The Senior Energy Engineer will work at the corporate level overseeing, leading and implementing energy conversation and management systems for manufacturing plants around the country.”

Oops! All talk and no action? Glad someone is watching my back.

Job Lounge's Name That Doodle

One of my colleagues occasionally contributes career advice to the Job Lounge blog. A recent post there asks readers to Name This Doodle:

My Thought: Effective Decision Making (Rock, Paper, Scissors)

Snow Day

I can’t say much more than these pictures. We had one heck of a weekend storm here, complete with Blizzard Warnings, Wind Chill Advisories and one big chunk of snow.

Lucky for me, our leadership team decided that we should stay home this morning and maybe try to come in at noon.

From the stories I’ve heard from people who made the commute in to their offices this morning, I think it was the right call.

Amusing Interview Stories

I spotted an article on Monster recently about some entertaining interviewing and hiring stories including the following:

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I was hiring for a collector position and received a resume with the following as the candidate's Goals and Objectives:

"I want to be successful as everyone does, but I want to kick it up a knotch (his misspell) and be VERY successful and become #1 in everything when it comes to professional, family, and personal way of life."

You want to be VERY successful? Why didn't you tell me before? What a novel goal in life. Does Emeril know you are using his phrase? Thanks for your time -- next!

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I know my coworkers have a number of stories like this and they are the highlights of our days.

More Bad Resume Quotes

I’ve seen this collection in a number of places online, most often quote from Fortune Magazine. Hope you find them entertaining.

I demand a salary commiserate with my extensive experience.

Received a plague for Salesperson of the Year.

Reason for leaving last job: maturity leave.

Wholly responsible for two (2) failed financial institutions.

Its best for employers that I not work with people.

Lets meet, so you can ooh and aah over my experience.

Am a perfectionist and rarely if if ever forget details

I have an excellent track record, although I am not a horse.

As indicted, I have over five years of analyzing investments.

Instrumental in ruining entire operation for a Midwest chain store.

Marital status: often. Children: various.

References: None. I've left a path of destruction behind me.

My worst job ever...

Over the years, I’ve had some pretty miserable jobs. I did in fact, flip burgers for 2 years in high school, and was happy to move on to a more “professional” role when I started college.

I obtained a position working for the Admissions on Campus Programs office at Eastern Michigan University, which managed a number of admissions related programs including some that featured a self-guided tour of the University. On these self-guided tours, a representative of the university would be stationed at points of interest to answer questions and provide information.

On one such occasion, I was assigned to the Ypsilanti Water Tower. As you can see from the picture, the water tower is an interesting building and 16 & 17 year old kids find some rather embarrassing questions to ask the poor tour guide who is trying to remain serious and professional.

My day went something like this:

Prospective Student “So, why does it look like a…”
Me (interrupting): “The exterior was designed in the popular Queen Anne style of the period.”
Prospective Student: “But don’t you think it looks slightly…”
Me (interrupting again): “I really don’t know what you mean”

And then, as the group stepped out onto the walkway which encircles the water tower near the top, someone would ask about the “Legend of the Water Tower” (something about a virgin graduating from EMU and the tower crumbling), and I would be forced to deny I’d ever heard anything like that… And so on… for 6 hours.

So yes, I think that may have been the worst job I’ve ever had.