April 18, 2003

Writing a blog to get a job
Posted by jbutler@bostonworks.com">Jason Butler at 4:43 PM -

Robert Scoble got a job at Microsoft (partly) as a result of his blog.

Q: Did weblogging play a role in getting hired.

A: Absolutely. Yes, weblogging played a major role. For one, it helped get me noticed. For two, it helped people inside Microsoft see how I thought without needing me to come up for an interview. For three, during the interviews, we were able to really get to the point of things, since they already knew my strengths and weaknesses.

By analyzing your industry, you give potential employers a virtual portfolio of your thinking process.

Just as importantly, blogging can be a very social experience, and intertwining yourself with others who share your interests is a great method of networking.

I think that every consultant and independent contractor needs to have a weblog to share information with prospective customers. Johanna Rothman is an independent product development consultant out in Arlington; she writes a blog on managing product development and one on hiring technical people.

I found these blogs via an incoming link to BostonWorks. I checked them out and found them useful enough that I've dropped them both into NetNewsWire and read them each time she updates. By showing her expertise in these areas, she has proven herself to me, a potential client.

Many vendors call me to pitch their services; Johanna has a head start.

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Salt in the wounds?
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart at 4:40 PM -

With unemployment still rising in Massachusetts, the Romney administration yesterday proposed to shorten the state's unemployment benefits to 26 weeks from 30 weeks.

Read more, if you can stand it.

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Unskilled and unaware of it
Posted by jbutler@bostonworks.com">Jason Butler at 6:56 AM -

One of the all-time greatest articles from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One's Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments.

People tend to hold overly favorable views of their abilities in many social and intellectual domains. The authors suggest that this overestimation occurs, in part, because people who are unskilled in these domains suffer a dual burden: Not only do these people reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate choices, but their incompetence robs them of the metacognitive ability to realize it.

Mmmmm, metacognitive ability....

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Managing software engineers
Posted by jbutler@bostonworks.com">Jason Butler at 6:51 AM -

This is an article from a couple years ago which I came across again this morning: Philip Greenspun on managing software engineers. You should read this if you are a technical worker, or if you manage one.

Software engineering is different because only the best people significantly contribute to achievement. ...

In the same factory, the best worker may produce two or three times as much as the average, but all the workers are contributing. In software engineering a good programmer is at least 10 times more productive than an average programmer (Brooks 1995).

While I disagree with some of the points Philip makes -- I personally would rather my people have interesting lives outside work than spend all their time here -- I do agree with his basic premise on overall productivity.

If you are allocating your fixed product development budget, you are better off having one highly paid rock-star developer and two people helping her than having six average developers.

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The uselessness of the hockey-stick slide
Posted by jbutler@bostonworks.com">Jason Butler at 6:40 AM -

If you ever dream of entrepreneurship, you should start reading VentureBlog right now. Each morning, I flip over there, and each morning I find something interesting.

Today, they're talking about the proper way to show financial projections in a presentation: take the time to discuss the revenue and cost drivers, don't just show a chart with a line going up and to the right.

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April 17, 2003

Religious intolerance in the workplace
Posted by jbutler@bostonworks.com">Jason Butler at 1:38 PM -

Salon analyzes what happens when workers face religious intolerance in the workplace.

Religious intolerance in the workplace is threatening to create massive rifts between workers in factories and offices across America. According to the EEOC, worker complaints of religious discrimination jumped 85 percent in the last decade. In 2002, complaints grew 21 percent compared to the year before. And although such cases make up less than 10 percent of overall workplace discrimination complaints across the nation, religious harassment suits are rising at the fastest rate.

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A mixed industry report
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart at 10:24 AM -

From this week's BostonWorks industry updates:

In this tough economic climate and down market, financial leader State Street struggles. More Finance news.

Learn about the impact of the new patient privacy law, HIPAA, on the healthcare workplace. More Healthcare news.

And the Good News Story of the Week is a tie:

Cambridge-based Acambis scored a big government contract for development of its smallpox vaccine which set them up with cash to fund operations. Read more Biotech news.

And in the tech sector, Hopkinton-based EMC reports their move into profitability, exceeding analysts' expectations. Read more Tech news.

Read all this week's industry updates.

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April 16, 2003

Want a job? Lose the wacky email address
Posted by jbutler@bostonworks.com">Jason Butler at 8:58 AM -

News.com: If you want to be a professional, get a professional-sounding email address.

Yahoo Mail discovered that the majority of HR managers will just disregard an application if it comes from an address that casts the applicant in a less-than-serious light. Two of the examples provided by Yahoo were "elvisthechicken2003" and "LarryLoonyLamb."

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How to deal effectively with the office bully
Posted by jbutler@bostonworks.com">Jason Butler at 8:47 AM -

The Wall Street Journal gives some tips on how to handle a bullying boss, a type becoming far more prevalent.

Workplace bullying, also called generalized workplace harassment or status-blind harassment, is nothing new, of course. Yet few companies have policies in place to deal with bullies. And today's high-stress workplaces might be breeding grounds for bullies, experts say.

As employers demand that leaner staffs handle heavier workloads, the added stress can drive managers to vent their frustrations on subordinates. Workers, scared of getting laid off, feel they must tolerate it. A few can even suffer panic attacks or other health problems, such as higher blood pressure, as a result of workplace anxiety.

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April 15, 2003

Hopes dashed
Posted by jbutler@bostonworks.com">Jason Butler at 4:30 PM -

Ok, so I read Doug's post below, and I thought to myself, "Woo Hoo, I can blow off paying taxes for another few months!"

Then, I read the article, and it broke my heart:

"My biggest piece of advice is that the extension is only an extension to file, not an extension to pay," said Evan Snapper, senior manager with personal financial counseling at Ernst & Young. [emphasis added]

Alas.

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Got those taxes done?
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart at 2:19 PM -

If you don't have your taxes in, you're working late, and you're sweating it out, take heart - you can always file an extension by midnight.

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Many CEOs still reap riches despite slump
Posted by jbutler@bostonworks.com">Jason Butler at 12:13 PM -

From today's Globe: Bad performance? No problem, here's more money.

Enron and the bear market may have knocked corporate chieftains off their pedestals, but they've barely put a dent in CEO earning power. In many cases, corporate boards are continuing to reward mediocrity -- or bald failure -- with riches, in the name of providing executives with incentives to do better.

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Put on your best face, er, mask
Posted by dwong@bostonworks.com">Dean Wong at 9:52 AM -

Among the best advice given for interviews is to "put on your best face." Usually before going in, that means researching the company you're interviewing with, being prepared for the tough questions, dressing appropriately, maintaining a positive attitude and remembering to be yourself. But as Reuters reports, sometimes all you gotta do to get the job is to literally put on your best face.

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Who are you, anyway?
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart at 9:36 AM -

The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates is reputed to have exhorted each of his students to "Know thyself." Well, not bad advice today, either. All good career decisions should be based on accurate self-knowledge, a clear understanding of who you are, what your talents are, what you can do, and just as importantly what you want to do. But how many of us know the answers to all these questions?

Fortunately for us in the modern era, psychologists have developed ways to get at these answers, through tests and assessments. In their language, you need to develop your personal profile across multiple dimensions, including personality type, abilities, skills, knowledge, values, and interests. This article from the Charlotte Observer points out that as the economy has dipped down and more people are out of work, there has been a rise in interest in such tests:

The tests, which come in many styles, attempt to measure what you love to do and who you are. The tests have been around for decades, but some in the employment and career counseling fields say they're increasingly popular. Recruiters use them to assess candidates; managers use them to understand employees.

And in a troubled economy, job seekers use them to shape a search for work.

To find out more about such tests - and perhaps take a step to finding out more about yourself - read the article.

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April 14, 2003

Internships and changing careers
Posted by deisenhart@bostonworks.com">Douglas Eisenhart at 11:50 AM -

From this week's BostonWorks in the Boston Sunday Globe:

Calling all students - check out this piece on summer jobs, especially internships and how they can serve as a career launching pad.

This week's Job Doc advises job seekers to evaluate switching costs and all the options before undergoing retraining for a career switch.

To show the other side of the coin, this month's "Transitions" profiles a 59-year old executive who left his CEO spot in the Boston financial world to work for a Maine nonprofit.

See all this week's BostonWorks stories from the Globe.

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Put the Goldschlager away
Posted by jbutler@bostonworks.com">Jason Butler at 9:17 AM -

CSM: More companies are recasting the idea of a "retreat." Apparently, there will be no more boozing and frivolity.

Some experts maintain that such practices are being shown the door. "The 'feel good' retreat is over," says William Duggan, visiting professor of management at Columbia University. "There is a back-to-basics movement going on in the business world. Companies seem to feel as though they should have been paying more attention."

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If a coworker's loved one is at war
Posted by jbutler@bostonworks.com">Jason Butler at 9:09 AM -

From Newsday, what to do when your coworker has a loved one overseas.

How do we support our colleagues, without being intrusive? Herein lies a problem, because what's consoling to one could well drive another crazy.

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Men Are Much in the Sights of Recruiters in Nursing
Posted by jbutler@bostonworks.com">Jason Butler at 8:58 AM -

NYT: Hospitals are pinning their hopes of easing the staffing shortage on the single demographic group with the sheer numbers to make a difference: men.

The industry has stepped up efforts to recruit men, concentrating on those with a background in medicine, like paramedics and orderlies, but also aiming at areas like firefighting, the military, Wall Street and even the tattered dot-com industry.

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Don't cough on me
Posted by jbutler@bostonworks.com">Jason Butler at 8:54 AM -

CNN: SARS is now spreading in the workplace.

Dr. Julie Gerberding, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said a suspected SARS virus patient who became ill after traveling to Asia may have infected a co-worker in Florida.

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Unemployment and the sense of self
Posted by jbutler@bostonworks.com">Jason Butler at 5:00 AM -

One of the benefits of being a part of the world's best newspaper company is that we have access to some outstanding journalism about the working life. For example, in yesterday's New York Times Magazine, there is a long (you'll probably want to print it out to read it) and engaging story about how extended unemployment affects men's lives, a story told by profiling three high-achievers who've fallen on hard times.

One of the basic premises of the piece is that men experience unemployment differently than women.

By the numbers, women have been hit as hard as men, but white-collar men tend to experience unemployment differently, organizational psychologists say. For most women, survival trumps ego; they simply adapt and find some job. For men, grappling with joblessness inevitably entails surrendering an idea of who they are — or who others thought they were.

For men who define themselves by their occupation, losing the ability to work ravages the psyche. So, what are things men can do while unemployed to keep up the sense of self-worth?

My brother-in-law has entirely re-done his house in the months since his company left town. Some friends from the dotcom world have landed at Sloan and HBS, others are working on technology projects they've always wanted to try. When I've been unemployed, I've found it useful to get out there and volunteer. I do a lot with Boston Cares -- for those of you outside 495, check out City Cares for a sister organization in your area. In addition to helping others, volunteering helps develop skills and contacts which can help you find your next job.

I suppose the key for me was to just do *something* everyday, something beyond drinking and daytime television. If nothing else, you can always read a book, take a walk, make a friend.

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April 13, 2003

Workweek Woes
Posted by jbutler@bostonworks.com">Jason Butler at 11:26 AM -

In an editorial in Saturday's New York Times, John De Graaf writes about how Europeans prefer time off while Americans prefer money.

What happened? In effect, the United States as a society took all of its increases in labor productivity in the form of money and stuff instead of time. Of course, we didn't all get the money; the very poor earn even less in real terms than they did then, and the largest share of the increase went to the richest Americans. ...

By contrast, over the past 30 years, Europeans have made a different choice — to live simpler, more balanced lives and work fewer hours. The average Norwegian, for instance, works 29 percent less than the average American — 14 weeks per year — yet his average income is only 16 percent less. Western Europeans average five to six weeks of paid vacation a year; we average two.

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