Reinke Faces Life

EMAIL EXCHANGE WITH A TURKEY

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One of your strengths, I think, is to get people thinking.

{Extraneous Deleted}

I know you’ll land on your feet just fine – you’ve been preparing for this for a long time.

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Thanks for some very optimistic thinking on the viability of a fat old turkey in the IT marketplace. There’s always that WalMart greeter job!

:-)

You are right that I’ve been prepping for awhile. After the first time, I vowed I’d never get caught by surprise again. I can’t avoid getting “tagged out” or “voted off the island”, but everyone can avoid the surprise.

I always am amazed at turkey’s whose resumes say “planner”, “manager”, or some such and who with a straight face exclaim “surprise”.

Did they think that only Detroit auto worker get laid off? Suffer “globalization”. Or, “foreign competition”.

I could retire again when the axe falls (as it always does), but I’ll probably be working till the day I die at something of other.

Thanks for the good words,
fjohn

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The Turkey’s Prime Directive is to ALWAYS be aware!

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FROM AN EMAIL WITH A TURKEY

>the recruiter has asked me to provide my SS#, birthday, and references

As an infosec sme, red flags should be going off.

Your resume, your ssn, and birthday are the keys to identity theft.

Also, as the big fat old turkey hisself, it’s my personal policy, and one I urge on others — no references until we are at the offer stage. You need to protect your refs from burn out. And, burning them by over use makes you look like a “loser” to people who’s enthusiasm you need.

Like a swimmer going down for the third time, some seekers seek to rush the process to get to the finish line. You should have a process that you are following — all the job search books have variations of it — like a formalize kabuki dance — to prevent you from appearing over eager. That’ll cut the offer. “Hungry? Maybe we can get a bargain!”

Tread carefully.

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FROM AN EMAIL EXCHANGE ABOUT EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS

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> I tried my best to get someone, anyone on list to support your suggestion to get an employment contract

Well if we become a nation of consultants, then we will wind up with contracts for everyone any way. Costs for both sides of the contract will probably go up. For example, companies can buy medical benefits cheaper than an individual can. Contractors will demand higher rates for the uncertainty of term lengths. Based on my experience, I had an annual rate that I wanted. SO if someone wanted less than my annual target say one month, I figured my down time was a month or two to get earning again. So a one month engagement was really calculated as a 3 month engagement. Therefore, my one month rate was three times the one twelfth the annual rate. So that’s going to happen whether folks want it to or not.

>It must be time for me to become self-employed.

It’s an illusion. You are already. See when you have a “job”, you are really a consultant with a restricted choice of what you can work on. And, you get less money than your “riskier” brethren. The funny part is I think being an employee is very risky. I guess it’s all in your pov.

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FROM AN MLPF EMAIL EXCHANGE

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>Re: job in Florida
>Posted by: “Nadine Turner”
>Tue Dec 4, 2007 9:24 pm (PST)
>HOW you’ve successfully negotiated an employment contract. I’m not focused on fair pay

I haven’t gotten a contract on the inbound side, but I have gotten contracts on being throw out the door.

Go figure?

>HOW YOU GOT the contract

If a contract is a meeting of the minds as evidenced in writing …

… then I’d assert that you can write a letter indicating that you are accepting their offer and outlining what you understand the terms to be.

(My Judge Judy Law Degree, and experience, tells me that it might be good enough to use in exit negotiations. YMMV)

Should they respond in writing correcting your obvious mistakes, (Notice: I didn’t say include something wrong deliberately, but mistakes do happen. Not typos; some significant item like three weeks vacation and seven paid holidays — when the deal was for 6.) Well, then I’d feel comfortable in front of Judge Judy saying here it is “Your Honor”.

:-)

<<Bear in mind, I am not a doctor, lawyer, nor indian chief. I have not played one on TV. And, most certainly have not stayed in a Holiday Inn Express recently. This advice is given for entertainment purposes. And, is not to be considered investment advice under the SEC Act, medical advice under the AMA protection racket, or indian advice which is limited to the BoIA diktats. Since your facts and circumstances may differ please consult your own doctor, lawyer, or indian chief as appropriate.>>

Clearly, if something is important to you, then you have to ask yourself “just how important”?

If I was reloing for a job when I had a job already, then I’d get ten of my most pessimistic friends to develop a list of EVERY single thing that could go wrong! And, I’d want to either conscientiously decide to accept the risk, or I’d want a contract. If I was out of work, then the risk calculation would be different.

I know for sure that I would not trust ANY big biz, any more than I trust any politician. Which is never!

Once you’ve gotten an offer letter and responded. Those are the terms. How “cold and hungry” you are will determine if you accept it? If they want you more than you want them, then you can hold out for more. BUT, get it in writing.

When I took a “dicey job” without one, I got slammed. So, now I ask. Implicit in the asking is you’re saying “i don’t trust you”. If you can do it without being insulting, you might even get it. If they won’t give it to you, you have to ask yourself “why won’t they give it to me”. Then you get the answer, “because i can not trust them!”.

Argh!

fjohn

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YMMV

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http://www.job-hunt.org/linkexchanges.shtml

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Job-Hunt.Org’s mission is to provide links to the best Web sites for our visitors (job seekers and employers/recruiters), on a site that is clearly organized and easily navigated. Job-Hunt.Org is not a exhaustive list of all job- and career-related sites. We prefer quality over quantity, and try to add only the sites that are the most useful to job seekers and employers/recruiters.

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Useful to jump into the pool?

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FROM AN EMAIL EXCHANGE

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>I am considering a job offer from a company in florida.

Get an employment contract. Use a lawyer.

I’ve heard some real horror stories about employers reneging, change of control, layoffs. firing, and all manner of disasters. I KNOW personally of one fellow who was in the air relo-ing his family internationally and the email came in “never mind”. He was royally screwed (only had a handshake). He was out eleven months; family had to go bunk in with her parents; lost a bundle. He’s my poster child for when people say they “can’t ask for a contract. it will look like i don’t trust them.” or “they don’t do contracts”. If not, why not?

We should make it a global executive demand!

:-(

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FROM AN EMAIL WITH A SEEKER TRYING TO BEAT THE NUMBERS

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I think the trick will be to stand out without being an “outlier”. So, for example, I would not send in a resume on A4 paper unless I was European. Similarly, I’d forgo funny paper colors, folds, or photos. I’d stick to one plain page and try to catch attention by stark simplicity and innovation.

Try to imagine yourself looking at a thousand of these and how would you sift thru it and find the gems? Odd balls, clowns, and “novelties” to the trash. Typos — trash. Not focused on the job — trash. Too much detail — trash. Not enough detail — trash.

So, for example, if your HTML is any good, and even if it isn’t, I’d put a URL on the bottom of your one page that says: “Custom Site for this Opportunity: http://www.whyjoejoneswantstoworkforxyz.com“. See I’d spring for the 5 bucks for the domain name with godaddy, or such, and throw up a webpage with all sorts of good stuff that mapped their requirements with evidence of my accomplishments.

(What was the name of that lady who did her resume as a wiki? I loved that idea. That was different.).

If I was trying to be a wild card, I’d send in a nearly empty resume with the name block at the top and a url http://www.whyjoejoneswantstoworkforxyz.com in a big font dead center in the page. That MIGHT be different enough to unique, and yet not a “outlier”. Tough call!

But, I think you’d be better off with a stark, focused resume, with web site support.

imho

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I think that people both over and under estimate the web in both doing, and supporting, the job search process.

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MY RESPONSE TO A VERY BAD MEME (What’s a meme? Click here MEME)

>Do You Have A “Slash Career”?
>Posted by: “Vincent Wright”
>Mon Nov 26, 2007 9:13 am (PST)
>I was just introduced to what I’ve been doing for the past 20 years:
>indulging in a “slash career”
>If the term is new to you, the concept likely isn’t.

I’d probably assert that what was once my career, “Information Technology”, is no longer. It’s been destroyed by US government (aka gooferment) policy, the unintended consequences of those policies, Wall Street, and the globalization – outsourcing – offshoring – downsizing – rightsizing. [I can justify those indictments if any one doesn’t think they stand prima facie on their own?] The marketplace is just throwing a little dirt of it now. At one time, IT was an excellent career choice. But, like the Auto Industry, and the village blacksmith, it’s been consigned to the trash heap. I no longer advise smart kids to enter the field as a “career”. Learn about IT as it enables you to accomplish YOUR goal, but as a career choice “No way, Jose”. (I push biotech, chemistry, and math as “non careers”.)

I’ll even go a step further! “Career” is a meme from the Fifties Generation. Worked well for my Mom who spent 42 years with AT&T and was well treated when they no longer needed her shoving her out the door. That type of “golden” treatment ended real quick! Now, one just gets shove out the door, voted off the island, or dumped out of the sinking lifeboat. Given the way that the politicians are piloting the American ship of state, we’ll all be lucky to live as well as Robinson Crusoe. One might have a “career” in things like medicine, law, sports, or the arts; not elsewhere.

Now that may sound glum. And, it is for those of us left stranded on “the island of career” or “the island of Information Technology” as we fight for the scraps of an ever diminishing carcass to feed off of. It ignores the inevitability of human progress. From where ever “we” started — exiting Garden of Eden or crawling up from the mire — the journey continues as the species evolves. Any one, who doesn’t think it continues, look around the labels “children – teenager – youthful offender” and see how much faster boys ‘n’ girls are really becoming men ‘n’ women! Our paradigms and memes continue also to evolve as we’ve gone from “Uggg clubs Ogg to steal his food” to “the collective Uggg’s IRS steals a big percentage of Ogg’s ‘income’ to feed all the Ugggs”. See? Progress. At least, Ogg gets to keep something! We’ve gone thru mob rule, tyrants, kings, oligarchies, dictators, and now “public servants in government” rule us. Two steps forward and one step back.

It’s our thinking (i.e., paradigms of perception and memes of concepts) that are our own worst enemy.

There’s no “career”!

With apologies fro quoting Star Wars Yoda to you, (I think movies have some really great lines of wisdom for us) “Do. Or do not. There is no ‘try’!” (The disgust at the word “try” really can’t come thru in text.)

So to, I’d say — with the same taste of vomit — “There is NO career.”

Advising youth, I have copyrighted patented super-secret keys to wisdom, wealth, and happiness. If you promise not to tell anyone Vincent, I’ll share it again with you. (Again! … I know we done this comedy bit before. But it seemed to bear repeating.) Shush now it’s a secret. It anyone looking?

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Success for your generation is: (1) ruthless financial discipline — no bad debt; (2) a life long interest in learning — education — a degree — they can’t take it away from you; (3) a white collar job in order to save big bux; (4) a blue collar skill for hard times — never saw a poor plumber; (5) one or more internet based businesses — your store is always open; (6) a free time hobby that generates income; and (7) a large will-maintained network of people who can “help” you.
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Notice that no where in there is there any mention of the illusion of a “career”.

So, I have no career. Some say I am “helpless”. Or was that “hopeless”. Ahh, it’s only one letter difference anyway. I’m at the end of my useful career life anyway. (Although I do have the illusion of one last BIG job, making a big difference, and finally defeating the forces of evil, and restoring truth, justice, and the American … … oh wait that was Superman’s elevator speech. Well, one big job where I can make a contribution. Anyone in 08824 need a big bux cto? Not counting my last assignment as the WallMart greeter.) So one has to expect that progress will leave one on the roadside as it marches on.

So, I hope this isn’t too “Prince of Darkness” to your usually upbeat tone.

But, “career” is a meme for the trash heap imho.

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IN RESPONSE TO SOME BAD “SELF-LABELING” BY A YOUNG JOBSEARCHER

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Well first I object to the self-characterization of “underachieving kid”. I don’t let people talk that way. It might be appropriate for some situations, (can’t think of one off the top of my head), but certainly not in the area of “career search”. Finding out what the best use of your talents is, at best, a game of “blind man discovers elephants”. No one can tell you what your particular elephant looks like or what the “best” use of your particular “elephant” is. Some are pretty easy to rule out: “NBA basketball star”, “Brain Surgeon”, “Concert Pianist”. Some are hard, because you don’t find out, until way down the road the you were meant to be a “greeter at walmart”. So, don’t even think of the word “under achieving”. It’s implies that some one knows that you are too lazy, too dumb, or too insensitive to come in out of the rain. Maybe the Intelligent Designer knows, but no one other that you knows that.

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Some one of the self-help gurus (Tony Robbins?) always warned about the label that you apply to yourself. Even if no one else is there, your subconscious takes that in and delivers it.

OK so here goes: “I am thin, young, and handsome”! (Said out loud with great confidence.)

Did it work?

;-)

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Answer #4

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I’ve always had a career plan but sometimes it doesn’t follow the plan! :) It does, however, generally flow in the right direction. The key part is knowing oneself and where one wants to go. In any regard, I have found this article helpful, even though it is geared for students. It is something I have been doing for the past two years now and I’ll never give it up. Hope this helps!

http://www.quintcareers.com/career_development_journal.html

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