Posts

Showing posts from September, 2023

Nostalgia

Image
Was going through some old blog posts, and "What's New" updates to a webpage I had in high school. It's an interesting relic - seeing what was important 23 years ago... Nov 6, 2000: The tough thing about Entertainment sites is there's so much competition out there, that it's very hard to get ahead, or even close to the head. There's so much to do. Maybe I should add electronic cards, so that people can send their friends e-cards. That will be a good feature. Well, I'll be getting to work on that, I guess. So, things I will be working on for a while (meaning that I will be updating the site even less) are: 1. I'll be working on getting a greeting card section, to send to your friend by e-mail. 2. I'll be working on a better main page, after you opened up the site window. 3. I have to make a banner, so I can begin trading banners. 4. I'll be adding new games. 5. I'll try to add a download section, where you can download some games onto yo...
Read more

Unghosted.Live

Image
Taylor Desseyn and I have a new landing page for Unghosted : Catch up on previous events, attend upcoming events, and register to appear on the livestream! https://www.Unghosted.live
Read more

Bad vs Good vs Great Interviewers

Image
(This image was generated with AI) Interviewing tip for those on the job hunt: Bad interviewers act like gate keepers / bouncers / powerful decision makers. They act with an air of superiority, don't do an adequate job of making you comfortable, welcome, or at ease. Their hire/no-hire decision is subjective, unclear, rooted in opinion and impressions. Good interviewers take time to break the ice, make you feel comfortable and take the pressure off the interview. Their hire/no-hire decision is based on how well you present your experience and knowledege, and works off a more objective framework. Great interviewers are on your side. They cheer you on, help you grow. Their hire/no-hire decision builds on the objective framework the good interviewers use, and they're looking for how well you demonstrate your potential for growth & the diverse value you bring as an invidiual to the team. You may still not get the offer, but the interview will likely continue to be a great resour...
Read more

Unghosted Episode 2

Image
If you're #jobhunting but feeling #ghosted, if you're #opentowork but also #opentofeedback, if you're #talking but not #talkingwithhands then you need to join Taylor Desseyn and I next week on our #Unghosted live-stream where we review REAL resumes by REAL people in REAL time. If you want your resume reviewed live, send it over to Taylor (details in the event.) #opentohelping #opentounghosting #opentoexcessivehashtags Update: You can see the recording of the  live event here...
Read more

M&Ms and Ice Dispensers

Image
This is one of my favorite memories I get on my phone around this time of year. I hope it gives you the smiles it always gives me.
Read more

Short Tidbits of Advice

Image
Reviewing your resumes, I jotted down a bunch of quick & trivial things for people to keep an eye on.  Make sure your resume FILE contains your name - don't go with a generic "Resume2023.pdf"; "Your Name.pdf" or "Your Name - Your Title.pdf" is an easy way of avoiding some (rare) situations where your resume file gets lost in a stack. File size: We're well past the age of floppy disks - so while disk space isn't the concern here, a 5Mg Resume means your resume probably has more than it should. :) PDFs over Word docs. Your resume should be a document in its "final" state. PDFs will preserve your font choice, your formatting better than Word. LinkedIn URLs: Remember when an email address in your resume was a novelty? Well, now the hip kids are including their LinkedIn URL! Be hip like them. Make sure your resume is free of typos (Fun Fact: Surveying a bunch of other hiring managers, I learned a lot of them are more likely to pass on ...
Read more

Just the Facts

Image
  With 80ish resumes left to go, I just want to share this one piece of general advice: Don't be ADJECTIVE heavy: "Dramatically improved the speed of a process to be much faster" Be FACT heavy & be NUMBER heavy: "Reduced process time from 8hrs to 2hrs, saving $80,000/year."
Read more

Progress

Image
  Flight was delayed late into the night, but was able to get through a fair bit of them. The rest are to come. Stay tuned. 😴
Read more

Popular

Work Experience vs Professional Experience

Image
In reviewing a bunch of resumes this week, I noticed quite a lot of resumes with a  "Work Experience"  section. In each of those resumes, people had de-valuing some very valuable  experience - and I write that with no exaggeration. The problem is people were looking at their experience purely through the "Job Title/Relevancy" lens and had reduced their experience down to a list of discrete, random, disconnected jobs. No interconnectedness, no narrative thread weaving through it all. As much as you may feel some jobs have no way of being connected, the reality is  you   are always the connection . To not connect them on your resume is to lose all that growth, knowledge, skills, impact, value, and trajectory. In other words - you lose the " You " in the resume. I recommended they start with a small change. Reword "Work Experience" to "Professional Experience" because, ultimately, every single job they had was in service of building their ...
Read more

Let's Clear Up The Ambiguity!

Image
Job seeking is hard - especially when you factor the ambiguity around expectations, the lack of transparency and consistency around process. It's frustrating dealing with the sheer subjectivity of everyone's opinions. Just think of even the basics: How long should your resume really be? Traditional black and white, or modern? Should you include a headshot? Oh - and cover letters - are those needed? Is anyone actually reading the cover letter? What are they looking for? Is there a bias for people with a more traditional background? Worst of all: The dreaded typo  that you catch only after applying to your dream job.  Are typos really going to cost you the opportunity??? To help bring some clarity to the process, I surveyed a bunch of hiring managers. The results were really interesting, and very illuminating.     If you're on the job hunt, I hope this information helps out! One final note: My recent post,  7 Steps to Writing an Amazing Resume , factors a lot of...
Read more

FAQs for a Software Engineering Hiring Manager

Image
Technical Interviews have evolved a lot since the early I transitioned from being a Software Engineer to an Engineering Manager. Particularly in the post-Covid era, there's been a greater emphasis on the person, which I think is an important and welcome change. Over the decade of interviewing hundreds of coders, I've also had the pleasure of working with various bootcamps, colleges, and hundreds of individual job seekers on LinkedIn. Across all the changes over the past years, across the various locations and mediums, something remained consistent throughout: The questions I get asked.  With that in mind, I thought - why not make a FAQ from my perspective as a hiring manager? While this is my perspective, it's based off years of observation and supporting data. But that being said, advice is not fact. You may disagree with certain points, and that's OK. Opinions we disagree with allow us to better understand our own views. At best, I hope these responses help you...
Read more

7 Steps to Writing an Amazing Resume

Image
  Since sharing my resume template  I've received plenty of feedback from job seekers, HR and hiring managers - all of whom value its purpose. Two (now former!) jobseekers even shared that as soon as they used my template, they were getting calls. Something about this template works, and given the traction it's getting others, I wanted to share - in more detail - why  this approach works so well.  Before continuing, let me give an important disclaimer: This resume isn't a miracle cure that's going to land anyone their dream job. Unless they're filled with lies, resumes are only as good as the candidate themselves. But they can also be a whole lot worse. This template and approach are all about maximizing the potential candidates have by highlighting and summarizing key areas.  Last point before beginning: If you don't know me, it's worth stating this advice comes from more than a decade of having hiring a broad range of coders: straight out of college, hig...
Read more

7 Steps to Building your Portfolio MVP

Image
Often when I suggest to coders that they build a portfolio, I'll hear back: "I don't need one..." "With all the effort it takes to apply, where will I find the time?" Simply put, having a portfolio's never going to hurt your chances at landing a job - it can only help. That second question is where a lot of struggle - because applying to jobs can be time consuming. Especially if you're wrapping up a bootcamp, or having to manually type in your resume info after uploading your resume. That's why I made these 7 steps which, when done correctly, can really help you stand out with a hiring manager. And, the best part is, it should only take you 2 days. Being the Agile-Obsessive that I am, it's all about maximizing value while minimizing effort. Fix links to your Resume, GitHub, LinkedIn, etc. at the top where they're always accessible. Link to everything here - and then remove all other links on your Resume except your Portfolio link . It sa...
Read more