"Bravos, Dave! Well said. The problems with BigCos all start with a massive failure of imagination abetted by the politics of corp silo warfare. A quote by Steve Martin seems apt here - "Be so good they can't ignore you."" - Dave Martin
Great advice, Robert - not only for someone submitting a resume, but also for hiring managers and what to look for to find the "cream of the crop." - Vince DeGeorge
Allen: early for what? Recession advice? :-) - Robert Scoble
Insightful article + great comments. But seriously, the pay needs to be $15-$20 or else you won't interest the career type - only the mass-mailing, money desperate grad student :¬P - CannonGod
Resume is dead. Got my new job without it :) - sean percival
Resumes do indeed suck for telling your story, but until HR people change how they go about getting people to submit for jobs, that's what we are stuck with. - Alex "Pew Pew Pew" Scoble
i never go for a job where i need a resume, or an application form. if it is not person to person, i don't want to work there. - Gregory Lent
I'm curious. Why is applying for a job that you are overqualified for an automatic ding against you? What if you are someone who wants to get out of your current career and start a new one that you happen to be overqualified for at the moment? Also, in Scoble's post, he said he wants someone who won't settle for a $10-$12/hr job and looks ahead in his/her career. So how does someone who's overqualified in experience not fit that description? - Cheryl Jones
Cheryl, because it'll show when you work there. Overqualified people make it clear that they are overqualified for the position they're in, and it comes out in salary negotiations, task delegation, and dealing with superiors. - Mark Trapp
FYI overqualified will not usually hold up in court if someone decides to sue. At least, that's what they taught us in HR class. - You Betcha Glen Campbell
Glen: sue for what? If "overqualified" was code for racism/sexism during job selection? - Mark Trapp
Let me get off the iPhone and expand. If you post a job listing certain qualifications, and you bypass someone who meets all the qualifications but is "overqualified" for someone who doesn't quite meet everything, then that person may have a case for employment discrimination. We are encouraged to write our job descriptions very carefully to be sure that we find the right people. An "overqualified" person may very well be looking for a simpler, easier job to handle until he or she retires, and it may even.. - You Betcha Glen Campbell
...be on the advice of a doctor. You put yourself and your company at risk by rejecting them as "overqualified" without considering them. You're safer if you can find some legitimate way to disqualify them. - You Betcha Glen Campbell
What's a resume? Oh yeah, I vaguely remember getting my first job out of undergrad with one of those things. - £ogical €xtremes
@Cheryl... right on! I always thought it would be fun to pick a company you liked, and try to go in totally entry-level with no documentation, and just see what could happen. - £ogical €xtremes
Robert, good post. My experience is people should not apply for posted jobs for the very reason they will likely be lost in the crush of applicants. The more savvy strategy is to discover the outfits you would LOVE to join and then apply for the job that is not yet available. Do your homework and reach out to everyone from the CEO down. The key here is how you are treated as an outsider. Pushed off to HR. Not provided any response. These are indications they are not the company you want to work for. - Dave Martin
few things: as someone who desperately wants a career change, I appreciate the tips provided. Second have you considered a viritual admin assistant? One area of disagreement, the video. While the person might get high marks for creativity, they run the risk of being blond and the hiring manager having preconceived idea about blonds, what if the room they use is in their home and it is not neat, etc etc - bottomline I would be concerned that something could be used from the video that eliminates me People do judge a book by it's cover, sometimes without even realizing it. - Ruth Ferguson
Ruth: if someone is going to judge you based on your appearance, they're going to do it in the interview, as well. Showing judgement about where you film the video is fair game: you chose to shoot the video, why would you shoot it in a messy house? - Mark Trapp
Mark, you are right about appearance. But perhaps if your resume is strong enough they once they finally meet you, it is possible you have a strong advantage that a glance at a video would preclude. Messy room was not a good example but I will give you that point. - Ruth Ferguson
Regarding overqualification: I'm not opposed to that, but you MUST point it out on a letter to me and explain why you are applying for a job that is so obviously "beneath" you. Remember, my producer used to be a software developer. He changed careers and has worked out very well. But you've gotta take on that objection head on in your cover letter or you'll get tossed. - Robert Scoble
Ruth: one thing that I'm looking for is a little risk taking behavior. Doing videos is risky, yes. But if you want to stand out of the crowd you've got to do something different. That requires taking a risk. On the other hand, I'd be very careful about taking a risk and I'd get lots of people's opinions about it. - Robert Scoble
Thanks for the comments regarding overqualification, everyone. I had always heard about this "faux pas" and wondered why an employer wouldn't like someone overqualified for a job. For example, I heard about someone on a discussion forum that the hubby reads who recently came into a lot of bad luck, lost his job, and couldn't get another because there were none in his field, and he was overqualified for other jobs, like retail work. I thought it was insane that he couldn't even apply for a job at McD's... - Cheryl Jones
...or a bookstore or something to make ends meet while he couldn't find anything in his "native" profession. That didn't make sense to me at all, and is kind of scary, considering how I'm in a volatile field (software engineering) and would like to know that I could at least have something else to fall back on in case the very worst case scenario happens and I'd have to take a job lower than what I'm supposedly qualified for. - Cheryl Jones
when I applied for a number of jobs last year I found a large number of people demanded word files instead of PDF's :S I also don't get the problem of a person being over qualified for something... surely it means they would do better than someone that needs plenty of training. After all, they applied for it so they are showing an interest in doing a job you see as "below" them! - alphaxion
I am in the process of tweaking my partners CV, I gave her some feedback, didn't go down well! This post is submitted from the naughty step! - Joe Dawson
? so if you google a potential applicant, and land on their social network(which isn't biz based) do you downgrade them if they may be wild in the personal life? - clarke thomas
wow, what an interesting and yet disappointing experience. I was expecting you to receive a gamut of well appointed resumes. So, this is really odd. Bummer! - Susan Beebe
@Susan - our last job posting (craigslist + linkedin) generated >200 incoming resumes, I phone-screened ~30, in-person interviews for 7, follow-ups for 2. Hired none. Most recent hire came due to our blog post for the job... - Jeremy Toeman
Bravos, Steven. Well said. Think you would enjoy what Kevin Kelly said "Where ever attention flows, money will follow" http://tinyurl.com/4puyxd - Dave Martin
woah, being famous for blogging - worth being proud of & obviously has been proven possible. Rich? Clearly also possible but just currently very rare...anyway, ok am off to read the article in detail now it has had Louis stamp of approval :) - Zee from WeDoCreative
@Dave thanks and I'll check out that link - Steven Hodson
Steven - It is a good piece. There are a lot of snake oil salespeople out there trying to sell people 'get rich quick blogging' schemes. With thousands of new blogs each day and discovery becoming easier, it's my humble opinion that, over the next year, many will realize that tying a product or service to your blog is a much easier way to make money from it. If you have the stats (and they continue), seek a sponsor. Most will have a tough go at monetizing - Charlie Anzman
Sidenote: I picked up a copy of Fast Company (print) today. Excellent reading and a pretty nice sized magazine considering that market. I think they're ahead of the curve. - Charlie Anzman
@Charlie thanks and I agree with you about the sponsor bit. - Steven Hodson
I thought this was another one of those "how to get rich with a blog" post, but it's not! It's realistic and an insightful piece! - Winston Teo
Steven - Another thing I've personally been doing, perhaps not so visibly, is 'losing the fishbowl' and engaging more people outside of the 'Tech News' space and in person. It's opening my eyes to a lot of 'new future web potential'. A generality for now. We'll see. - Charlie Anzman
@Winston - faked ya out huh :) .. oh and thanks - Steven Hodson
@Charlie I have been trying to do the same thing but the only thing it has done for me so far is to prompt me to write posts that aren't overly popular for some silly reason - Steven Hodson
Steven - Call my crazy (my wife does :) but I still see incredible possibilities just within the Internet space. It's going to continue to be rapidly evolving. The ones who vision the next direction win. We'll see! Your posts make for great dialog. Keep them comin' - Charlie Anzman
Like #2 10/04/2008. I didn't start blogging to be famous. I just wanted to tell people about the cool technologists that I was coming into the market. Back when I started blogging we we were all laid off and I had no concept that a blog would get sold for $15 million or that someone like Jason Calacanis could make money off of a blog network. - Robert Scoble
When choosing a market for a vertical blog, judge the size of the vertical market and be realistic about it. - Ontario Emperor
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Steven -- well said. I got in to blogging because I thought there was a space to be filled, but I sure as heck know I can't do it with just me. On the other hand, it's helped me get other connections and contacts, and hopefully can help me get through some tough times right now. - Andrew Feinberg
@Robert I don't think anybody could have foreseen the road blogging would take - just as we don't know what the road forward will be like but I am sure going to be along for the ride however it goes. - Steven Hodson
@Andrew - even though we may not see eye to eye I wish the best for you and hope your difficult times don't last too long. - Steven Hodson
Steven, I left a comment on the blog. Excellent, excellent piece. - Mark Dykeman
So you wanted a headline on TechMeMe ? It's there :) - Charlie Anzman
@Charlie - wasn't looking for it but hey I'm not going to turn it down :) - Steven Hodson
"The bright line ban on using the U.S. military as a standing law enforcement force inside the U.S. has been more or less honored -- until now. And as the Army Times notes, once this particular brigade completes its one-year assignment, "expectations are that another, as yet unnamed, active-duty brigade will take over and that the mission will be a permanent one."" - Louis Gray
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troops at home? It's a slide along the gradient to a police state - sofarsoshawn
Here is a What if: What if the bush administration saw the economic crash coming. Did nothing to fix it, but decided to bring in troops to protect "whatever" for just in case. Now that they are here what if something else happens, is the first instinct of the administration to release the troops on the citizens? - Christopher Welle
One more step towards a dictatorship... - scott willeke
Was it also bad when Eisenhower deployed the 101st Airborne to protect the Little Rock 9 in 1957? - Gabe
Hmm, while not particularly into extreme conspiracy theories, this is one step necessary prior to declaring martial law (well, technically - and apparently previously - the first step AFTER declaring martial law). October Surprise, anyone? - JodyUnwired
As anyone who has worn the uniform is aware this is an issue related to Posse Comitatus. Something in the rushed tons of homeland security legislation no doubt provides for an exception to the Act. http://bit.ly/2sslbc - Dave Martin
Wow, I think I've figured it out... Some of the current administration's biggest troubles seem related to anything Latin-sounding... trias politica, posse comitatus, habeus corpus. There's definitely a pattern here. - £ogical €xtremes
All the pieces are being assembled to create a permanent neoconservative dictatorship and police state. The neocons have been systematically defining all their political opponents as "terrorists" and "traitors." Homeland = fascist fatherland. That's the clear intonation. - Sean McBride
Logical, don't forget reductio ad absurdum ;-) - Karim
As a former Marine, I have seen an increasing trend over the past decades to use the military as the world's police force. I'm not sure that has been a wonderful strategy, but I see some validity there. This is a little concerning, however. I must say, the Bush administration's perpetual use of fear to push its agenda has really drained me - and what's worse is we continue to hand off our freedoms to others in favor of letting them make our decisions. I'm not a real fan of socialism... - ChangeForge | Ken Stewart
Ken, this is hardly socialism. Dictatorship comes much closer to the mark. - JodyUnwired
People, I swore an oath to obey the orders of the Officers appointed above me and I know orders are given from the top (government) all the way down... but to say that the administration is going to "release the troops on the citizens"...don't you think that's a little crazy? We live here, have a home here and willingly joined the U.S. Military to protect our country and the people who live in it. Do you really think we're going to turn around and attack ourselves from within? Come on! I'm not going to publicly support and defend anything my superiors have done or said in the past, but I would like to believe we're not that stupid. - David Cook
David Cook -- in my estimation, some factions within the neoconservative movement are in fact stupid enough, and fanatical enough, to try to use the American military to attack American citizens within the United States of America. They have been telegraphing their intentions loudly for years. - Sean McBride
"Do you really think we're going to turn around and attack ourselves from within?" When your commanding officer puts a gun to your head and says do it or die, will you choose death over saving the life of your fellow American in front of you? History has proven in a majority of cases you and others will choose to live another day and go home to your family. - Adam Turetzky
No, the army won't attack innocent civilians but they will attack those who they are told are "terrorists", "insurgents", and "rioters" -- and guess who gets to define the meanings of those words? - Alan Cheslow
@David - didn't you also swear an oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic"? And yet many people have reasonably argued that Bush is a domestic enemy of the Constitution. But rather than arrest him, the military continues to follow him. So why shouldn't we believe that the military would continue to follow him when he orders them to move against American citizens that he considers to be "terrorists"? - Alan Cheslow
Alan Cheslow -- thanks for the important Wikipedia links. - Sean McBride
Ok, I'm not going to go back and forth on this but I will say one thing...if you riot (not protest) what do you expect to happen to you? Police agencies throughout the world have riot gear and handle things aggressively when aggression is needed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R... I'm not debating that I wouldn't handle threats as my rules of engagement show necessary...I'm saying that the quote "release the troops on the citizens" and people who see their own country's military as a threat against their own country is ridiculous. However...Alan C. you do make some good points to support your theory and I respect that. - David Cook
FEMA internment camps? That's quite a conspiracy theory. - Gabe
historically, rioting has been a very effective vehicle for changing governments ... charing cross (london) saw the beheading of a king ... governments want to stay in business, they will create any spin possible in order to do so ... david cook, military people are trained not to think for themselves, so your points don't sit well with me ... colin powell, yes-man as example - Gregory Lent
if you're hours are different from the US, it's double dead during the weekends :/ - embee
My sense is this behavior mirrors the usual internet traffic patterns - more on weekdays - more during so-called office hours. It was ever thus. - Dave Martin
I was actually away from my computer this morning cuz I volunteered to plant trees for the City. Go green! :) - imabonehead
I'm just a lonely librarian hanging out here while I work this weekend. If I weren't working I'd be outside today. Beautiful weather. Good day for the dog park. - JMSmiles
I just cleaned house while listening to This American Life. Two of the few good excuses to be away from FF - Marko "Bon" Bon
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sorry Zee I was taking a nap, but I am back now :) - Ruth Ferguson
well look at that - people are coming out of their shells :) - Zee from WeDoCreative
How do you like Sacramento? I'm originally from near there, but now stuck in Fresno. :P - imabonehead
TH, can't wait for the upload as your neon always rocks - Dave Martin
Sacramento's fantastic. So much more America in a lot of ways than the SF Bay Area. Strangers say good morning and people that you don't know smile at you. The area is so rich in neon but so much of it disappears more and more every day. I got an awful lot of the neon in Sacramento on this trip. So much decay here though. Driving down Fremont Blvd it seems every other business is out of business. You can tell that the economy is taking a toll here. - Thomas Hawk
Thomas, I agree. My parents had a business in downtown Sacramento. Places like that is slowly disappearing where many businesses are being remodelled with modern architecture, or you'll see alot of neglect. - imabonehead
Thomas: I couldn't agree with you more. Aside from the lucrative areas, a lot of the city is desolate and sad - with boarded up buildings, half closed strip malls, it's a total downer. :( On a lighter note, I love what KJ is doing for Sacramento. :) Good luck with your shoot and I can't wait to see the pictures! - Mona N.
Looking forward to seeing your photos! Now get some sleep ;-) - Jeff P. Henderson
Who came up w/ the format? The format did not really allow for follow up/challenge. :\ - Ayşe E.
@Mark, both were poor. The moderator, imo, needs to take the gloves off and make a debate happen. Last week the man did say each needed to address the other directly but when they failed to do that HE failed to chase it and call them out. We need real engagement between candidates and we are not getting it. Sad. - Dave Martin
Ayşe, the format of non-interaction was a requirement of the McCain campaign. - Stupid Blogger (aka Tina)
Dave: the political parties won't let that happen. They decide on the rules for the debate. Also, the moderator is trying to be fair and unbiased. If she forces the candidate to engage with each other she could easily cross the line. It's a hard position to be in. - Robert Scoble
So is there any way to regulate who moderates without having the parties involved? - Mark Wilson
she has always done a crappy job as moderator. but the mccain campaign really limited her participation. - Faboo Mama
@Robert. The entire notion that we need to have some "media" person who is not otherwise qualified as moderator is past its best used by date. Let us agree to recruit the best and the brightest, yeah, they are probably working in higher education or former accomplished politicos but they are dialed-in to the real deal and they have nothing to lose by asking the hard questions, pushing the candidates to get whatever truth is or is not on display. We need to move beyond what used to be as OK. - Dave Martin
What we really need is someone holding our candidate's feet to the fire. Tim Russert's shoes are quite big, in my opinion. - Robert Stevens
Thanks, Tina. I suspected as much. Clearly such a format benefits a candidate who is 1) short on specifics/substance, 2) reluctant to answer the question posed. - Ayşe E.
The reason that this happens is because we let the major parties get away with it. If Obama and McCain were truly committed to change, they'd junk the Commission on Presidential Debates and agree to multiple debates from multiple organizations outside McBama control. - Ontario Emperor
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Tonight serves as yet another exhibit that the MSM are not serving in our best interests. It is very difficult for them to stand up and do the right thing. On this count, Robert is correct. The real issue is we need to get beyond this noise, this nonsense, this politically correct crap getting in the way of us having a real, genuine and honest conversation. My pov is we open the conversation. Provided real-time input both candidates would have been called on BS. No good reason why we don't have that NOW - Dave Martin
keep in mind that when the league of women voters handled the debates the moderators didn't suck. - Faboo Mama
She's always been a bad moderator - maybe thats why she is hedging her bets as an author where she isn't burdened by pretending to be objective. - Soulhuntre
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These aren't debates - they're game shows. If you're expecting much substance from this, you're always going to be disappointed. Enjoy the show. - Rob Sterling
ifill is incredibly objective. to a fault, IMO. - Faboo Mama
+1 Rob. Spot-on. We need to get back to the basics, back to a real discussion of the issues. What is most distressing is we are living in the world the great Neil Postman warned us about, i.e., Amusing Ourselves to Death. - Dave Martin
Keep sticking your foot in your mouth, you white trash ho. Are you working for the Democrats. LOL No education or common sense. Shining example of a Republican candidate. And like them, she has a gay friend. Oh, that is another SNL skit waiting to happen. - Stephan Miller
she will mess up sooo many times if she ends up in the white house... - Zee from WeDoCreative
Same here Jared. My comments would only be filled with curses, so I'm refraining. - Carmen
What I want to know is who is her lesbian friend? And why would a lesbian be best friends with someone like Palin? I find that very interesting and wonder if it is true at all. I've had people tell me this before and then when I push them on it they can't name their "best friend." Also, if I had a best friend and I was running for Vice President that person would be with me every stage of the way. Just saying. - Robert Scoble
Yeah, because it's so easy and fun being gay in America. Why not choose to be gay!?! - AJ Kohn
When we look beyond the cheap tinsel we are most likely to find, tinsel - Dave Martin
Would you rather she didn't share her beliefs? I personally wish more candidates would state their true (non party speak) beliefs - then each person can make an informed decision in the booth. BTW, amazing how many of you can't articulate your opinions without resorting to name callling. Talk about unprofessional. - Dan Nimtz
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Dan... cause you can't fight an illogical argument with logic... - John Worthington
DEATH TO INTOLERANCE!! Kill it where it stands. Slash it's violent throat and stab it's unloving heart. - Dawn
@Dan: Calling this woman an idiot is not an opinion, it's a statement of fact. - Eric
I totally respect Sarah Palin for making the choice of being blatantly stupid. It's not a choice that I have made, but I am not gonna judge her. - lezionidistile
Of course im unprofessional Dan I don't get a pay check for this shit. - Not Not Geoff Schultz
She CAN'T know how stupid she looks or she would have had a mental breakdown by now. - Stephan Miller
@Eric Yeah, ok you're the expert. I was more pointing out "white trash...", etc. Serves no useful purpose IMO - Dan Nimtz
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Owing to how free she is with her opinions, I am forced to wonder how many other people share her views. - J. Abdul-Qahhar
I live around white trash and know it when I see it. I fought to get away from people like her. Just the fact she is running for office is appalling. Anyone see Idiocracy. This is the beginning, mark my word. And sometimes it takes an expletive. I don't say "Oh,poop" when I slam my finger in the door. If she gets to the white house, this will hurt more than a broken finger. - Stephan Miller
that someone like Palin could be VP and possibly president is very very scary - Ryan
Based on her communicated belief system thus far, I just don't see Palin with a best friend who is gay, nor do I understand (like Robert) why anyone who is gay would consider her a best friend. I think its a "make believe" friend. - JodyUnwired
I've just scanned this, so I may have missed the details. Is the main bullet point from this thread that Sarah Palin is a gay moose who's best friends with Scoble? That doesn't seem correct. - ◄ Chris Nixon ►
There's a column on a gay conservative site about this too (I can't remember which, I saw it briefly this morning while horking down cereal). She really does have a long-time lesbian friend apparently. One assumes they must never discuss gay identity issues. - Soup
Therefore, wouldn't heterosexuality be a choice too? Life's about choices ... wait ... isn't she Pro-life? She CAN'T be pro-choice too ... time-space continuum collapsing ... - tj hanton
Long overdue Mona - half biz - half visit before it gets coooooold! - Charlie Anzman
@Charlie. Don't miss a meal at Prune. Gabrielle Hamilton plates some of the best food for the money in the city. 54 E First btwn 1st & 2nd Ave. Decor = nothing. Food = wonderful. - Dave Martin
I used to love dill pickle chips. Then one night I ate a bag and didn't know that I was coming down with the flu. Let's just say they tasted great going down. I'll never be able to eat them again. - Mark Wilson
when you eat your smarties do you eat the red ones last? - John Cozen
Smarties aren't that great. Aero bars, however, are magical. - Rochelle
Is it really true the US doesn't have Smarties? - Shey
Shey, the US has a candy called Smarties but they are something different. American Smarties are fruit-flavored and have the texture of chalk (http://www.smarties.com/). We don't have the chocolate Canadian Smarties here, though. The closest thing is M&Ms. - Rochelle
I save the Smarties for the brats. I get over 200 kids at my house every Halloween. Maybe I'll give out chips. :-) - Trish R
I far prefer the American version of Smarties. I wish I had some right now. - Akiva Moskovitz
That's ok, M&Ms are way better. Especially peanut M&Ms...mmm - Shey
Smarties are vile, vile candy. Aero bars are dreamy. Do you guys have Coffee Crisp yet? - Mark Wilson
