Effective today, I finished moving my entire blog over to my little ubuntu box running at home. This one will no longer be updated. Check out all the new bells and whistles:

http://gotjukies.mine.nu/blog

Ciao!

Behind every interview question there is a concern or
another question. Your job is to process the question
thinking about what the interviewer’s concern might be. In
other words, why is the interviewer asking you this
question?

Q#1 - How long have you been looking for a job? (Concern –
is there something wrong with you that other employers have
picked up?)

A#1 - “After I was laid off from my last job, I took the
opportunity to take some time out to examine my career
goals and where I was going with my life. I have just begun
my search in the last few weeks. I have a definite goal in
mind and have been selective about the positions I
consider. Your company and this position are of great
interest to me.”

Q#2 - How did you prepare for this interview? (Concern –
are you interested enough to do some research, or are you
going to “wing it”?)

A#2 - “When I found this position posted on the internet
(monster.com) I was immediately interested. I checked out
the company website and mission statement, looked at the
bios of company founders and executives, and was impressed.
Once I had the interview appointment, I talked with friends
and acquaintances in the industry. And, I’m sure I’ll find
out a lot more in today’s meetings.”

Q#3 - What is your salary expectation for this job?
(Concern – Can we afford you? Can we get you for less than
budgeted?)

A#3 - “I’ll need more information about the job and the
responsibilities involved before we can begin to discuss
salary. Can you give me an idea of the range budgeted for
this position?”

Q#4 - How do you keep current and informed about your job
and the industries that you have worked in? (Concern – Once
you get the job do you continue to learn and grow – stay
challenged and motivated?)

A#4 - “I pride myself on my ability to stay on top of what
is happening in my industry. I do a lot of reading – the
business section of the newspapers and magazines. I belong
to a couple of professional organizations and network with
colleagues at the meetings. I take classes and seminars
whenever they are of interest, or offer new information or
technology.”

Q#5 - Tell me about a time when you had to plan and
coordinate a project from start to finish. (Concern –
behavioral questions – seeking an example of specific past
behavior)

A#5 - ” I headed up a project which involved customer
service personnel and technicians. I organized a meeting to
get everyone together to brainstorm and get his or her
input. From this meeting I drew up a plan, taking the best
of the ideas. I organized teams, balancing the mixture of
technical and non-technical people. We had a deadline to
meet, so I did periodic checks with the teams. After three
weeks, we were exceeding expectations, and were able to
begin implementation of the plan. It was a great team
effort, and a big success. I was commended by management
for my leadership, but I was most proud of the team spirit
and cooperation which it took to pull it off.”

Q#6 - What kinds of people do you have difficulties
working with? (Concern – ability to be flexible and work in
a diverse environment?)

A#6 - “In my last three jobs I have worked with men and
women from very diverse backgrounds and cultures. The only
time I had difficulty was with people who were dishonest
about work issues. I worked with one woman who was taking
credit for work that her team accomplished. I had an
opportunity to talk with her one day and explained how she
was affecting the morale. She became very upset that others
saw her that way, and said she was unaware of her behavior
or the reactions of others. Her behavior changed after our
talk. What I learned from that experience is that sometimes
what we perceive about others is not always the case if we
check it out.”

Q#7 - We expect managers to work more than 8 hours a day.
Do you have a problem with that? (Concern – are you a
work-aholic or a person who requires balance?)

A#7 - “I have no problem working long hours. I have worked
12 or 14 hour days. What I have found works for me is to
work smarter, not necessarily longer. My goal is to get the
job done, whatever that takes, in the most efficient
manner.”

Q#8 - When have you been most satisfied in your career?
(Concern – what motivates you? Or demotivates you?)

A#8 - “The job before the one I am currently at, was my
most rewarding experience for me. I worked in a wonderful
team environment. There was a lot of camaraderie. I worked
with a team of four people and we did some really original
thinking. It is that kind of environment I want to be
involved in again.”

Q#9 - Why do you want this job? (Concern – are you using
the shot-gun approach to job search or do you really know
what you want?)

A#9 – “I’ve been very careful about the companies where I
have applied. When I saw the ad for this position, I knew I
found what I was looking for. What I can bring to this job
is my seven years of experience, and knowledge of the
industry, plus my ability to communicate and build customer
relationships. That, along with my flexibility and
organizational skills, makes me a perfect match for this
position. I see some challenges ahead of me here, and
that’s what I thrive on. I have what you need, and you have
what I want.”

Q#10 - We are ready to make an offer. Are you ready to
accept today? (Concern – we don’t want you to go away and
think about it and change your mind – we want you.)

A#10 - “Based on my research and the information I have
gathered during the interview process, I feel I am in a
position to consider an offer. I do, however, have a
personal policy that I give myself at least 24 hours to
make major life decisions. I could let you know by
tomorrow.”

There is no way you can accurately predict the questions
that will be asked in an interview, but you can be ready
and prepared by thinking about the factors that might
concern an interviewer or employer before the interview.

I’ve been so busy that I haven’t been able to spend time updating my blog or catching up on some reading. So… here are a list of articles I haven’t read yet… lol

What’s best and fastest way to break in a new baseball glove?

• http://ask.yahoo.com/20010404.html

Why is the rest of the world using A4 sized paper and the US is still using “Letter” sized paper?

• http://duggmirror.com/design/A4_vs_US_Letter
  (blog is down most likely because it was dugg… luckily duggmiror caught it)

Why Max Roach was jazz’s greatest drummer

• http://www.slate.com/id/2172543/nav/ais/

Pick the Brain - An analytical approach to self-improvement: 21 Proven Employee Motivation Tactics

• http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/21-proven-motivation-tactics/

Bernanke: The un-Greenspan

•  The Fed may well end up slashing interest rates, but the Greenspan era of pumping up market bubbles with repeated cuts is over, predicts Fortune’s Peter Eavis.

• http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/22/magazines/fortune/eavis_fed.fortune/index.htm

Enjoy.

“Quite simply, women like powerful men to be nice to them, not feminized pseudo-men…”

“…To get the true benefit of “nice” in the way that women enjoy, one has to be able to attract that same woman without being nice…”

Read more. . .

Taken from Skippy’s blog:

The Skippy List

Explanations of these events:

a) I did myself, and either got in trouble or commended. (I had a Major shake my hand for the piss bottle thing, for instance.)
b) I witnessed another soldier do it. (Like the Sergeant we had, that basically went insane, and crucified some dead mice.)
c) Was spontaneously informed I was not allowed to do. (Like start a porn studio.)
d) Was the result of a clarification of the above. (“What about especially patriotic porn?”)
e) I was just minding my own business, when something happened. (“Schwarz…what is *that*?” said the Sgt, as he pointed to the back of my car? “Um….a rubber sheep…I can explain why that’s there….”)

To explain how I’ve stayed out of jail/alive/not beaten up too badly….. I’m funny, so they let me live.

A couple of my personal favorites:

33. Not allowed to chew gum at formation, unless I brought enough for everybody.

34. (Next day) Not allowed to chew gum at formation even if I *did* bring enough for everybody.

The 213 Things….

Taken from the blog:

6. Your source code control system is a series of folders on a shared drive

…

23. Every bug is prioritized as Critical

…

40. The company motto is ‘Do more with less’

41. The phrase ‘It works on my machine’ is heard more than once a day

…

72. The deadline has been renamed a ‘milestone’…just like the last ‘milestone’

…

84. All performance issues are resolved by getting larger machines

And of course the obligatory (and applicable):

101. “Oh, oh, and I almost forgot. Ahh, I’m also gonna need you to go ahead and come in on Sunday, too… thanks”

I swear this guy must be working at the same place I am… He’s probably just a cube over…

Click here to read the whole list…

On a whim last weekend, I ran away to a secluded alpine reservoir resting a top the vast expanse of the great Sierra Nevada mountain range. Loon lake (and the adjoining Pleasant Lake depending on the water levels) is a man made reservoir situated over a mile above sea level in the El Dorado National forest and less than 30 statue miles from Lake Tahoe. Its remote location makes for great camping: the high altitude chases away most types of flying insects, the lake water is pristine and clear (and drinkable with an appropriate water filtration system), and although the access road ends at the north dam of the lake, the forest service’s designated campsites and campgrounds are limited to the south shore. Naturally, one does not drive 4 hours out of the bay area to rub elbows with other fellow campers so I’ve always set my sights on the north shore beyond the reaches of the north dam and the gravel access road that leads up to it.

For all you off-roaders out there, the north dam is coincidentally the trailhead for the highly popular Rubicon jeep trail that snakes its way through the Sierras and then dumps its human cargo on the shores of Lake Tahoe.

The lake truly offers a little of something for everyone…

Some snapshots:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gotjukies/sets/72157600482583584/

Beyond the north dam is a trailblazer’s delight. Although scores of trails have been forged through the wanderings of campers, the vast and varietal collection of meadows, lagoons, wooded canyons, and large rocks and boulders that define the young Sierras leave plenty of room for curious exploration. If hiking isn’t your thing, make sure you pack a canoe or kayak. Launching your boat from the north dam is a breeze and afterwards, you can spend the rest of the day slicing your way around the lake admiring the small remnants of snow still atop the jagged peaks looking down at you. A word of caution: During the summer, a strong breeze blows from the south during the afternoon hours. If you are looking to relax by setting yourself adrift in the middle of the lake, the best time of day to do this would be in the hours surrounding sunrise and sunset. Otherwise, expect a strong south-to-north current during the afternoon hours (important to remember if you want to avoid knifing your way against the current back to the north dam).

I hear mountain biking is a lot of fun as well, but I haven’t experienced it firsthand and haven’t seen any others either so I’ll only say one thing: It’s definitely not for the faint of heart. Large boulders and steep drops would appear to make this a technically challenging course. I could be wrong –but leave your Huffy or tandem bike at home for this one.

So what if physical exertion isn’t your idea of a camping trip? I’m right there with you, brother. If you were like me and packed enough food and beer to feed a small third world country –and then get each and every single one of them drunk… well, you’d basically have the same experience as my last visit to Loon Lake. In no particular order, we ate and drank, stared at the lake, ate a little more, drank a whole lot more… and then rinsed & repeated. I tell you, there’s nothing more exhilarating than stomping around with your shirt off, pounding beers, stuffing your face full of red meat, and just plain ol’ being filthy. Mind you, that keeping clean at Loon Lake is much less of a chore due to the amount of big, clean-faced granite rocks. Not a whole lot of dirt to be had. And of course there’s always the wet, lake ‘thing’ about a stone’s throw away.

Our one new adventure this time around, was the ‘packing of heat’ (airsoft heat that is) and running amuck playing our version of capture the flag, cops & robbers, or assault & defend –whatever you want to call it. Let me just say: It was ridiculously fun and intense. Try running around at 7000+ feet, trying to catch your breath only to hear 6mm plastic BBs whizzing by your head. You make a leap for it, and end up prone on your belly and wedged between a large bolder and some shrubbery. Realizing your clip is almost empty, you fire off a few wild shots in the direction of your pursuer hoping they’ll retreat long enough for you to exchange your mag with a fresh one. It worked. Sensing your enemy is using the down time to also reload, you make a mad dash for the flag; your heart throbbing in your throat. Just as you think you’ve got this game in hand, a small, sharp pain, like someone pinching you on St. Patty’s Day, nips you in the lower back and signals your life, for this round anyway, has come to end. Disappointingly, and yet with a grin you can’t conceal, you place your hands on your head to announce to the world that you my friend, are dead, and will have to retreat to the designated spawn site. You make your way back to the spawn site quickly, yet still allowing yourself to catch your breath. Arrival at the spawn site marks the beginning of the game-imposed 5 second penalty timeout for getting plinked. Is that enough time? Lock & load… A press of the thumb-release, a swap of magazines, and a loud clack-clack of the slide loading the first BB into the chamber… an emphatic YES.

Now safeties off… I’m ready…

Disclaimer: Please abide by all state and federal laws when owning and operating airsoft weapons. Airsoft weapons cannot be modified to shoot live ammunition. Only bio-degradable BBs were used. No animals were harmed in the writing of this personal account. Please adhere to all rules posted when camping in or outside of designated camping areas in the El Dorado National Forest. Practice fire safety; be aware of any fire restrictions. Be environmentally friendly: If you pack it in, pack it out.

The ultimate website for commercial airline enthusiasts.

Boasting the largest collection of hi-res photography of commercial aircraft on teh internets, some of the photos posted are absolutely stunning and breathtaking. Makes me want to pursue my childhood dream of flying again. I believe the resolution is good enough for desktop backgrounds.

Check it out…

http://www.airliners.net/

So I attended Live105’s BFD concert last weekend and came across some new music. This group has been described as the-Smashing-Pumpkins-gone-slightly-indie. Replete with a unique vocal timbre similar to the Smashing Pumpkins’ head man Billy Corgan, the Pickups’ debut album “Carnavas” has turned some heads (and ears) since arriving on the scene in 2006.

Check out ‘Lazy Eye’, their radio single

Does the name Houghton Mifflin ring a bell? Does it make you break into a cold sweat, have shortness of breath, and lucid hallucinations of all-nighters topped off by gallons of Mountain Dew? Yes, this infamous textbook publisher has compiled a list of words to help you feign intellect. How many do you already know?

http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/booksellers/press_release/100words/