Some quick notes to record what happened this week.
1) Interviewed at Group Health on Monday - didn't get the job but the interview went well, so that is forward progress at least
2) Attended two PMI-sponsored networking events - connected with a PM at Ciber that was pretty sure she could get me hired - they apparently have lots of open reqs. Also connected with a recruiter from Greythorn that is just a massively cool dude. At the same event, I met a recruiter from Experis that I am interested in getting to know personally, and you never know - maybe she can get me a job too.
3) Applied for a few different positions online: 1) Cobalt Group/ADP, 2) OpenMarket, 3) e-dialog.
4) Called the unemployment telecenter and got my claim reopened so I can start drawing benefits again.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Friday, October 7, 2011
Personal Branding/Interview Prep
I have a phone screen tomorrow. Since I blew the interview the other day, I need to make sure I don't mess this up. It would be nice to get to the next stage in the process.
So, I thought I would take a few minutes here and put down some thoughts about what it is that I need to convey.
Some things about this company to note:
1) People seem to like working there. The reviews on Glassdoor.com are generally positive and salaries seem to be competitive, which makes me think that they don't have a lot of turnover there.
2) There are also a couple of interview comments on Glassdoor.com for people that have interviewed for PM positions. These comments suggest that relationship building is especially important. One individual was advised to prepare a PowerPoint Presentation on relationship building and managing projects. An interview question that is noted there was "how would you handle a difficult team member?" so I definitely need to be prepared for that.
So, what do we think of when we think about Project Management? Forget PMI, what does a hiring manager value?
1) People Skills
2) Ability to communicate
3) Critical Thinking Ability
4) Ability to prioritize and think strategically
What do I like about Lean/Agile software development?
1) Emphasis on self-organization/respect for people, which also leads to higher levels of productivity
2) Cuts bureaucracy
3) Fast Releases and Course Corrections/Reduces Waste and improves feedback into the system
What is a good problem-solving process?
1) Clarify the problem and assess current status. Is the problem contained? Do we need a temporary fix?
2) break the problem down into smaller issues and define scope of the problem
3) Set target to improvement
4) Analyze root cause
5) Develop Countermeasures
6) See countermeasures through
7) Evaluate results and process - was this an effective countermeasure?
8) Standardize Success/Learn from failures
So, I thought I would take a few minutes here and put down some thoughts about what it is that I need to convey.
Some things about this company to note:
1) People seem to like working there. The reviews on Glassdoor.com are generally positive and salaries seem to be competitive, which makes me think that they don't have a lot of turnover there.
2) There are also a couple of interview comments on Glassdoor.com for people that have interviewed for PM positions. These comments suggest that relationship building is especially important. One individual was advised to prepare a PowerPoint Presentation on relationship building and managing projects. An interview question that is noted there was "how would you handle a difficult team member?" so I definitely need to be prepared for that.
So, what do we think of when we think about Project Management? Forget PMI, what does a hiring manager value?
1) People Skills
2) Ability to communicate
3) Critical Thinking Ability
4) Ability to prioritize and think strategically
What do I like about Lean/Agile software development?
1) Emphasis on self-organization/respect for people, which also leads to higher levels of productivity
2) Cuts bureaucracy
3) Fast Releases and Course Corrections/Reduces Waste and improves feedback into the system
What is a good problem-solving process?
1) Clarify the problem and assess current status. Is the problem contained? Do we need a temporary fix?
2) break the problem down into smaller issues and define scope of the problem
3) Set target to improvement
4) Analyze root cause
5) Develop Countermeasures
6) See countermeasures through
7) Evaluate results and process - was this an effective countermeasure?
8) Standardize Success/Learn from failures
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
I Am A Crazy, Manic Procrastinator!
I interviewed with this company today and I'm pretty sure I blew it. I wasn't prepared and I got flustered. The questions were pretty straightforward and I should have had answers ready. They were throwing me softballs. No excuse.
I have a real problem with personal branding, especially in interview situations. What I like to tell people is that I have a problem talking about myself, which is true to an extent. But the underlying problem, I think is that I'm not super-confident about my own background and my own value.
My career, such as it is, has been less than ideal. If I'm being honest, this is true. When I got out of High School, I had no idea what I wanted to do, so I joined the Marine Corps. When that was over, I went to college, which was the right thing to do, but was also delaying the inevitable. If I could do it over again, I would get a degree in Business or Computer Science and I would have made sure to do multiple internships. Instead, I got a degree in Political Science and didn't do a single internship.
Now that I look back at things, it's pretty clear that I am some sort of crazy, manic procrastinator. I put stuff off, and by "stuff" I mean pretty much everything, and now I'm in a position where it's going to be really hard for me to get what I want, if I even know what that is. I'm pretty sure that my lack of preparation for this interview is just another form of procrastination. Basically, I'm putting off life. It may be that I'm afraid to prepare because if I put real effort into it and don't get it, then that will hurt. That sounds simplistic, but I think it's true. I'm protecting my reality.
So, I need to stop procrastinating. That's kind of the bottom line here.
I have a real problem with personal branding, especially in interview situations. What I like to tell people is that I have a problem talking about myself, which is true to an extent. But the underlying problem, I think is that I'm not super-confident about my own background and my own value.
My career, such as it is, has been less than ideal. If I'm being honest, this is true. When I got out of High School, I had no idea what I wanted to do, so I joined the Marine Corps. When that was over, I went to college, which was the right thing to do, but was also delaying the inevitable. If I could do it over again, I would get a degree in Business or Computer Science and I would have made sure to do multiple internships. Instead, I got a degree in Political Science and didn't do a single internship.
Now that I look back at things, it's pretty clear that I am some sort of crazy, manic procrastinator. I put stuff off, and by "stuff" I mean pretty much everything, and now I'm in a position where it's going to be really hard for me to get what I want, if I even know what that is. I'm pretty sure that my lack of preparation for this interview is just another form of procrastination. Basically, I'm putting off life. It may be that I'm afraid to prepare because if I put real effort into it and don't get it, then that will hurt. That sounds simplistic, but I think it's true. I'm protecting my reality.
So, I need to stop procrastinating. That's kind of the bottom line here.
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