Welcome to my personal site! This should be a fun place for friends and family!
JOBS
I recently went through a job ordeal. Let me tell you about it. It started in Portland, Oregon. I was in between jobs, was in a bad relationship with no hope in site. I then found some friends who worked for Apple Computer and told me who to contact if I ever wanted to work there in the future. I called, had a phone interview and passed, got a job offer and moved to Austin, TX. I worked there for 4 years, then got laid off and looked some more, went to Dell, Inc. for sales, did not like it much, quit and got hired on at Dell doing tech support, 2 days after I hit the floor I was interviewed for a supervisory roll for corporate escalations. After about 6 months my time was up with Spherion (a temp agency) and saw yet again no hope in site as it looked like they were not going to hire me.
I recently went through a job ordeal. Let me tell you about it. It started in Portland, Oregon. I was in between jobs, was in a bad relationship with no hope in site. I then found some friends who worked for Apple Computer and told me who to contact if I ever wanted to work there in the future. I called, had a phone interview and passed, got a job offer and moved to Austin, TX. I worked there for 4 years, then got laid off and looked some more, went to Dell, Inc. for sales, did not like it much, quit and got hired on at Dell doing tech support, 2 days after I hit the floor I was interviewed for a supervisory roll for corporate escalations. After about 6 months my time was up with Spherion (a temp agency) and saw yet again no hope in site as it looked like they were not going to hire me.
What can this site do for me?
Funny you should ask. Everything I am putting on here has contributed to where I am now, and wanted you to know. I will add tips and tricks to getting your next job, as well as great links on the left side for job searches. Dice and Monster helped the most, use them if no other tool. Where ever you live, make sure to use your city's newspaper as well, and any local free newspaper most have. Portland has the Downtowner and Willamette Week, Austin has the Chronicle. They can be very friendly in your job search and most will send you an e-mail daily or weekly with updated jobs that match your search criteria. This has helped me a lot. Some of what I will put in the text below will be things I have learned, some will be stuff I have found on searching the web that I think are helpful. Read on, what can it hurt? After all, if you are looking for a new job, you came to the right place for a few tips that maybe you were not aware of. One more important place to look is your state Employment agency as they can help you with many company's that are hiring state or non-state jobs. Also if you are a military veteran like me, the VA can help a lot too, and don't forget, I was in for 4 years and got an honorable discharge, therefore I get life time health benefits, and you may too. Be smart, look into it, especially if you are not currently covered.
Funny you should ask. Everything I am putting on here has contributed to where I am now, and wanted you to know. I will add tips and tricks to getting your next job, as well as great links on the left side for job searches. Dice and Monster helped the most, use them if no other tool. Where ever you live, make sure to use your city's newspaper as well, and any local free newspaper most have. Portland has the Downtowner and Willamette Week, Austin has the Chronicle. They can be very friendly in your job search and most will send you an e-mail daily or weekly with updated jobs that match your search criteria. This has helped me a lot. Some of what I will put in the text below will be things I have learned, some will be stuff I have found on searching the web that I think are helpful. Read on, what can it hurt? After all, if you are looking for a new job, you came to the right place for a few tips that maybe you were not aware of. One more important place to look is your state Employment agency as they can help you with many company's that are hiring state or non-state jobs. Also if you are a military veteran like me, the VA can help a lot too, and don't forget, I was in for 4 years and got an honorable discharge, therefore I get life time health benefits, and you may too. Be smart, look into it, especially if you are not currently covered.
I will have a lot of tips on here, but one I learned well is Dress for Success! I went to an interview and was just as qualified as the next guy, but got the job and was told I got the job based on my dressing for success in a suit as the others did not try hard by dressing nice and had jeans on. Now don't think if you dress nice that you will get the job, but obviously it helps. This job was a jan casual job, but the extra effort tipped the scale. If you wear cologne, don't over do it, and when you meet your interviewer, have a firm hand shake, but not a strong one, this is not a strength competition. It is a good thing to have a leave behind which is a link on the left side on this site that the interviewer can see and touch and keep, It is a nice folder with your references and resume in it, as well as a business card (if you do not have one you can go to the link on the left called Vista Print as they usually have great deals on nice professional cards, 250 for $5 (use my coupon codes on my shopping site to find the best deal) plus about $10 for shipping...I would also recommend glossy, usually will add $5 or so to the price) and I will let you know a great item to add that compares your old jobs with the one you are trying to get to show your qualifications. After your interview, have thank you cards with you and hand write one when it is over, maybe make a reference to something you talked about in the interview and give it to the receptionist or mail it to the interviewer, it will also make you stand out and most people do not do it. During the interview, bring a nice note pad to take notes on as if you were in an important meeting. Most people do not do this, but you should so you can have a cheat sheet to use, and to write the interviewers name down (It is very easy to forget as most people are a little nervous.) I have so many tips and advice and may re-org this stuff so it makes more sense to most of you later.
Here are some great sites I use and want to share:
Here are some great sites I use and want to share:
Some Must knows for that interview!
The Queen of England is reported to have told Prince Charles, "Dress gives one the outward sign from which people can judge the inward state of mind. One they can see, the other they cannot." Clearly, she was saying what many people are reluctant to accept; that people judge us by the way we dress. In all situations, business and social, our outward appearance sends a message.
Suits
Choose a conservative suit in navy, black or gray either pinstripe or solid. The quality of the material speaks as loudly as the color and can make the difference between sleaze and suave.
Ties
Ties should be made of silk fabric. Avoid the cartoon characters and go for simple and subtle if you want to enhance your credibility.
Shirts
White and Blue - A solid white or blue dress shirt with long sleeves offers the most polished look. The more pattern and color you add, the more the focus is on your clothing, rather than your professionalism.
Shoes
Shoes should without question be conservative, clean and well polished. Lace-up shoes are the choice over slip-ons or flip flops. Don't think for a minute that people don't notice shoes. Many people will look at your feet before your face.
Belts
Belts need to match or closely coordinate with your shoes. Once again, quality counts.
Socks
Socks should be calf-length or above. Make sure they match not only what you are wearing, but also each other. A quick glance in good light before heading out the door can save embarrassment later in the day. Check for holes as well if you'll be going through airport security and removing your shoes.
Jewelry
Keep jewelry to a minimum. In a time when men sport gold necklaces, bracelets and earrings, the business professional should limit himself to a conservative watch, a wedding band and maybe his college ring.
Hygiene
Personal hygiene is part of the success equation. Freshly scrubbed wins out over heavily fragranced any day of the week. Save the after-shave for after hours, but never the shave itself.
Accessories
The finishing touch for the business man is his choice of accessories: briefcase, portfolio and pen. When it comes to sealing the deal, a top of the line suit, a silk tie and a good pair of leather shoes can lose their affect when you pull out the ball point pen you picked up in the hotel meeting room the day before.
Business attire is different from weekend and evening wear. Investing in a good business wardrobe is an investment in your professional future. For those who think it's not what you wear but who you are that creates success, give that some more thought. Business skills and experience count, but so does personal appearance and that all-important first impression.
The Queen of England is reported to have told Prince Charles, "Dress gives one the outward sign from which people can judge the inward state of mind. One they can see, the other they cannot." Clearly, she was saying what many people are reluctant to accept; that people judge us by the way we dress. In all situations, business and social, our outward appearance sends a message.
Suits
Choose a conservative suit in navy, black or gray either pinstripe or solid. The quality of the material speaks as loudly as the color and can make the difference between sleaze and suave.
Ties
Ties should be made of silk fabric. Avoid the cartoon characters and go for simple and subtle if you want to enhance your credibility.
Shirts
White and Blue - A solid white or blue dress shirt with long sleeves offers the most polished look. The more pattern and color you add, the more the focus is on your clothing, rather than your professionalism.
Shoes
Shoes should without question be conservative, clean and well polished. Lace-up shoes are the choice over slip-ons or flip flops. Don't think for a minute that people don't notice shoes. Many people will look at your feet before your face.
Belts
Belts need to match or closely coordinate with your shoes. Once again, quality counts.
Socks
Socks should be calf-length or above. Make sure they match not only what you are wearing, but also each other. A quick glance in good light before heading out the door can save embarrassment later in the day. Check for holes as well if you'll be going through airport security and removing your shoes.
Jewelry
Keep jewelry to a minimum. In a time when men sport gold necklaces, bracelets and earrings, the business professional should limit himself to a conservative watch, a wedding band and maybe his college ring.
Hygiene
Personal hygiene is part of the success equation. Freshly scrubbed wins out over heavily fragranced any day of the week. Save the after-shave for after hours, but never the shave itself.
Accessories
The finishing touch for the business man is his choice of accessories: briefcase, portfolio and pen. When it comes to sealing the deal, a top of the line suit, a silk tie and a good pair of leather shoes can lose their affect when you pull out the ball point pen you picked up in the hotel meeting room the day before.
Business attire is different from weekend and evening wear. Investing in a good business wardrobe is an investment in your professional future. For those who think it's not what you wear but who you are that creates success, give that some more thought. Business skills and experience count, but so does personal appearance and that all-important first impression.
Go To Page 2
We got a new manager who was fantastic with resume's, interviewing and helped me get ready as they gave me over a months notice. I applied with many company's with yet again no hope in site, but then Progressive wanted to hire me and I went to 3 interviews with them. As I got my new manager she told me what I needed to do with my work performance as we had no manager for 4 months as they were hiring one for our team. Once I had the info I needed to be the best rep I could, I improved, and they wanted me to stay at Dell, Inc. as a permanent employee, made me an offer and here I sit. Some times things just fall into place. I was really worried as I have a family as well.
Here are some amazing maps I have found of the United States and the world, some are very hi-rez so be patient while it loads. ;-)
Here are some amazing maps I have found of the United States and the world, some are very hi-rez so be patient while it loads. ;-)
Welcome to The Tech Shack Personal
Many of life's failures were by people who did not realize
how close they were to success when they gave up.
- Thomas Edison
how close they were to success when they gave up.
- Thomas Edison