more job search tips
oish! (hand on forehead as if fainting)
I have to tell everyone, my nerves are shredded and it's been hard to maintain professionalism in all things. I still don't have a job offer, and while I know the reason that they give for not hiring me is completely false, I can't stop obsessing about it. That dynamic has colored my other endeavors, such as:
- CalendarPeople is stalled due to my trusty laptop being in the shop again.
- Sudden attack of shyness, not wanting to beg Robert for an invitation to crash the Google party. Apparently I don't like discomfort. What a baby. For example, today a recruiter asked me "What company do you see yourself working at?" and I answered "Besides Google?" and she lost it cracking up. She was laughing in a bad way for me, because I'm so obviously not an engineer. (But I have a lot to offer!) Wow, look at that, I'm laughing again, it's so funny.
- Even my children's book is dragging me down. I'm done, but now I need to go through the hoops as if it was a big deal, find an agent and everything. Apparently it's not enough to be done. Perhaps I should convert it to Flash and post it.
- I'm even sick of cooking, oy, if I have to look at another marinade or stock I think that will be the end.
I have to remember that my mantra is to be the Bono of software, and if I remember correctly from an interview, Bono has a good day maybe one in three. That's about right.
For those of you just joining me: to be the Bono of software means:
* A long string of hits
* Compassion, empathy, and put on a great show
* Have fun
* Save the world while you're at it
The aforementioned recruiter told me some interesting things today. I'll switch back to dashes to enumerate:
- Insist on having your references checked before the interview. This is to offset the fact that you might not be the best interviewer on the planet. You need this ace in the hole, might as well get it.
- Really work your recruiter. Make sure they are prepping you well for the interview. The team should know what they want. Lots of times candidates with poor recruiters will end up interviewing just to help the team decide what they want. This is bad for everyone but the employer. If you want success, you should know what to shoot for.
- I should convert my resume to 2 pages. One page is for the human. The second page is for the computer, or the person who wants the skills in bullet point form. It's OK to duplicate information.
- Thank-you letters are big. Use them. I haven't been.