Slightly Off KIlter

Normal is overrated

Career Center

  • Needs Direction?

    [ This is part 2 of a two-part entry. Part 1 is entitled “Following Up After the Interview” ] Following a promising interview a couple of months ago, I was disappointed to be told the Company would be moving forward with another candidate. However, I decided to ask for feedback from the interview in an… Continue reading

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  • Following Up After the Interview

    One of the unfortunate features of job interviews is that feedback is commonly unheard of. Either you get the job… or you don’t. But, if you don’t get the job, you might want to know why not. Was it something you said? Something you didn’t say? Was it that you were under-qualified? Or simply that… Continue reading

  • Sustained Individual Success

    The secret to sustained individual success. Continue reading

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  • Realtime Productivity Reduction

    Working in cubicles… Continue reading

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  • Great Managing

    Has Your Manager Read This Book? I’m reading The One Thing You Need to Know, by Marcus Buckingham. I’m beginning to understand why so many tech-industry managers are… mediocre at best. As a general rule, managers are created through advancement and promotion. Management is usually a step on a particular career ladder, not a chosen… Continue reading

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  • Billable Hours

    Unclear on the Concept I have started subscribing to Shark Tank, a daily IT story (blog) from ComputerWorld. Yesterday’s story was about billable hours: This consulting business analyst has been working on one client account for over a year. That’s meant lots of long weeks and weekends, reports a pilot fish on the scene. “While… Continue reading

  • Stepford Employees

    Stifling Job Hunting in the U.S.A. According to an article posted today at CNNMoney.com, “Federal regulations kick in today that will make Internet job hunting more complicated.” More complicated? It’s a lot worse than “more complicated”. As near as I can tell, the federal government wants to increase the unemployment numbers and effectively stifle successful… Continue reading

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  • Make Me An Offer

    In 1991, I needed to replace my car, a 1984 Nissan Sentra that had developed an inability to idle (instead, it would simply stall). We looked around and found a 2-year old low-mileage Toyota Corolla at a local dealer. The price was right. We did a test drive, then went inside for the infamous “negotiations”.… Continue reading

  • The Color of My Parachute

    I am presently conducting a job hunt (not entirely by choice). As part of that, I decided to re-read What Color is Your Parachute, the best-selling “job-hunter’s bible” for over 30 years. An important thread, running through the book, asks “Is this a traditional job hunt or a life-changing job hunt?”. A “traditional job hunt”… Continue reading

  • How to Lose Friends and Influence People

    I learned a few days ago that the Company That Formerly Employed Me has now laid off some 10 – 20% of its workforce. I guess I was the “canary in the mine”. I still feel bad… but less paranoid. I also learned that I wasn’t the only one to be less-than-politely shown out the… Continue reading