What exactly is “the meaning of life?” It can mean different things to different people. You could think of the meaning of life as being as successful, and wealthy as possible while another person, would say that it is to have a good and healthy relationship with the ones you love, and cherish.
A lot of time the meaning of life, when being explained to someone, is like being thrown a curveball, they say yeah its this and that, but that person might have different boundaries, morals, and standards!
The meaning of life has its share of “add-ons” as well; religion, lets throw that into the pot! Being a Christian, I tend to believe that material items are not that much of a necessity, but when you throw lets say, society into the pot; society + religion? Well lets just say its almost like trying to mix oil and water.
See, society is a giant dust ball all its own. over time (and i mean by like seconds) it collects more and more dust and grows and grows until, the next thing you know your pulling out the Pledge. With society, its everyone’s beliefs, morals, personalities, styles, ideas, and nonsense all in one! Society isn’t something that is meant to follow, its not a religion, HA, its not even a person, place, or thing! Society is something that was, always around; basically what i believe is that society is for the weak and the followers (NOT TWITTER).
Society plays a huge, enormous role in finding our “meaning to life".” We all have our own standards and our own ways, and basically society adds them all up, calculates the averages, and what every comes out is considered to be “normal.
Now if you are trying to find the meaning in your life, don’t search the internet, don’t ask your friends or family, don’t ask anyone except for yourself. We spend our entire lives trying to find our “purpose” in life, and the reason we are here on earth. well as you work your way to finding the meaning of life, then you will eventually accomplish the goal of finding your purpose.
The meaning of life and life’s purpose are almost the same things, but yet so far apart! your life’s purpose is the thing that you are meant to do in life, like be a writer, or be the next hit singer, or even a garbage man; and believe it or not God, has a lot to do with your purpose in life!
your probably wondering, why the hell would my life’s purpose be to collect garbage from peoples houses. well, guess what, don’t ask me, i mean maybe you will see someone being murdered in their house and you go in and save them, maybe you were put on this earth to keep your fellow co-worker company cause he is going through a hard time. it could be big or small, and basically your not going to find it be searching for it; you just got to live your life, and hope it finds you.
now back to life’s meaning! what is it? well life’s meaning is what YOU want to do with your life not what you were meant to do. this is where YOU come into play; you set your standards and your goals, and your future. This whole “i want to find myself” thing. Its a major thing in all of our lives, we all want to know who we are and be proud and confident!
So….Basically you cant go around asking the question, “what is the meaning or life” and you for sure cant go around asking, “what is my life’s purpose.” you have to search down in your soul, deep down inside, and BE WHO YOU WANNA BE AND LIVE YOUR LIFE LIKE THERE IS NO TOMORROW!
Electromagnetic Design Engineer – Salary in the 80s to lo 90s
Our client is a rapidly growing global manufacturing business with approximately 20,000 employees worldwide and annual sales in excess of $2 billion. Serving a wide array of markets from high technology to heavy industry, the company’s product lines include electric motors, generators and mechanical power transmission equipment.
Fortune 1000 company with manufacturing, distribution and sales presence in the: United States, Canada, Mexico, India, Australia, Thailand, Europe, and the People’s Republic of China.
Location: Indiana
Responsibilities:
Primary responsibility will be as a key and active member of the New Product Development (NPD) team responsible for electrical and electromagnetic design of NPDs that are based on Single or Three phase AC induction motor or brushless DC motor platform and other topology.
Key role in motor design, building and testing the validation of engineering samples, design growth and design confirmation samples all the way through pilot run and production ramp. Must work closely with manufacturing engineering and production facilities to develop manufacturable designs, and safety agency engineers to ensure UL/CSA approvals.
Utilize simulation tools like ANSOFT/Infolytica to optimize electromagnetic lamination of Single & Three phase AC induction and brushless DC Motors. Development and maintenance of mathematical models & simulations tool to perform analysis and design systhesis of single phase KCP, KC, KH, KCR induction motors and three phase induction motors required. This effort will include continuous improvement of tools based on feedback of design engineers.
Qualifications:
Bachelor/Masters of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering required
For immediate consideration – please send your resume with salary requirements to blake@ibotconsultants.com
As a writer I know the power of word association. Anyone can tell you that words have incredible power to anger, incite fear, and to conceal anything. Just watch any White House Press briefing and you can see in action the very best wordsmith, the White House Press Secretary, do a beautifully choreographed ballet around facts and truths to deliver an inspired briefing with little to no actual content, but oh so many words. Lyrics of music can make us cry and labels placed on us can make us weep just as hard. In recent times words have become the tool of the symphony of the press. Now more than ever we rely on the careful word choice to portray our story, and the choice of one synonym over another can drastically change the skew of a story. In America we have begun to use very specific words to comfort and explain events, and as such have begun to follow mindlessly the explanations we are presented for the questions we ask.
I speak on this because of the swirling controversy surrounding the most recent ‘terrorist’ plot on America. In this piece I will not go in to the details, if you want to know then check out any paper in the country. Instead I want to cover the language being used and the power in it if we make some very small changes, or had decided to do so a long time ago.
First let’s look at two words that have been used thus far in the coverage of this most recent event: “thwarted” vs. “botched”. When this story first broke, I got my usual NYTimes news alert that there had been a botched terrorist attempt on a jetliner. The connotation of botched is that the person in question had screwed up. This specific word means that the terrorist failed in his own regard and that the failure to pull off the intended money shot was his own fault. A few days later though, the idiot terrorist suspect was now some great mastermind with ties to Yemen, and we as a nation had “thwarted” his attack; it was now our victory in our war on terrorism and the hard work and diligence of parties involved that kept this terrorist from getting the job done. In a matter of a day or two we had gone from lucky as a nation, with the incompetence of our would be assassin, to an incredible crime-fighters, like we had kicked in his door and found him making the bomb at a work bench delivering justice with the business end of an M-16.
As you can see, the subtle change from botched to thwarted moves us from the role of doofus to hero in the matter of one additional syllable. This is not uncommon. All the time we see the choice phrase or word to change the tone of an action or event. In our American history books in schools today we see this choice. When the Indians slaughtered our American soldiers it was termed a “massacre at (blank)”; but by the same token, when our boys crushed men, women, and children, it was termed “the battle of (blank)”. In Vietnam they had their “search and destroy” missions, but this was seen as too harsh of a term, so for the very same activity they came up with something like “survey and secure” or whatever. Do you see the subtle difference? Same fucking thing was occurring in both situations, but the words chosen were very different in their association. How about our “shock and awe” we so liked? Could have easily been called “bomb the shit out of those bastards”, but the same event would have been seen as something ugly, and not the July 4th fireworks display the official moniker seemed to indicate.
This brings me to something more sinister in this event, and more or less all events since 9/11. I hate the blanket use of the word “terrorist”. This word has been used for every kind of attack over many different groups and has been prostituted since day one for the express purpose of policy and partisanship in this country. Since we were attacked we have declared a war on it, stamped anyone with ties to the middle east and a hard-on for explosives with it. We have used it to push policy, law, and a couple of wars, simply on the use of this word. The WORD “terrorism” is actually scarier than the actual act or the small sliver of people that actually deserve the label. Now, every time there is an event of violence, a foiled plot, or a group that we don’t like that feels just as strongly about us, then they are labeled terrorists, and as such, since we have declared a war on them, we now reserve the right to fuck you up. If there is any single event planned by some disgruntled jackass he is now a terrorist, and by a very close association that we have cultivated, he is now in league with Al-Quaeda and probably gave Bin Laden a half&half in a remote cave on request.
It is so typical of Americans to need these labels like ‘terrorist’. We don’t like the idea that there is an ether that anti-american sentiment is floating around in. As a country, a frenzied mob of hysterical elitists, we feel the need to label and therefor categorize our fears. It is in our blood to lump those things that scare us in to nice little boxes we can point at and fill with all the stuff that we don’t want to handle on a case by case basis. It is so easy for us to just grab a ton of different, independent events and ideas, and shove them in to the world’s worst toy box, closing the lid so we can breath again. For Christ’s sake, there is a color coded system of fear we are told we should be feeling! When did that come in to existence, when the Bush administration felt that there needed to be a carefully crafted system for the American people to refer to when they weren’t sure if they should grab a helmet, stock up on gas masks and water, or just shit their pants. (FYI, “shit your pants” is actually a course of action when we hit level “orange”)
When we label these individual zealots “terrorists” we are giving them the power of the word. When we think terrorist, we think of some shadowy mastermind in charge of a vast network of well-funded and intelligent operatives that want to blow up your house and rape your wife, literally YOUR wife specifically, like you, John Q. Public, is actually pinned to a cork board in some cave filled with plan-hatching psychopaths that don’t like your fucking pretentious corn-flower blue tie and are ready to do something about it. This specific label lends itself to re-inflating the fear balloon I had hoped we had popped, and giving the actual terrorists like Osama more power, when, in all actuality, he had nothing to do with it. When we give this power to these isolated events plotted and carried out by misguided, misinformed misanthropes with a panache for the dramatic, we continue to feed our own fears and add to the paranoia that has gathered en masse in this country. It’s like calling some 10-year-old learning the G-chord on his Christmas guitar the long-lost fifth Beatle.
I have a simple solution for this situation, stop buying in to it! “Terrorist” has been retarded by our use of it, and we need to get back to basics and call these vigilante bombers what they are, though ‘vigilante bomber’ is perfectly acceptable; they’re Assholes! Don’t you like that better? Isn’t the world a little less scary when there is a “poorly co-ordinated, rag-tag bunch of assholes” out to get us rather than a “shadowy network of sleeper-cell terrorists” that are capable of attacking at any time, any where? Hey, it is the same exact group of people in both statements, but the latter is a much easier pill to swallow, and just as accurate. Don’t believe me? Well if they were so fucking good, then why are they recruiting idiots like this guy to do their work? Seems to me we might already have the cream of the ‘terrorist’ crop locked away in Gitmo and Ba’ram.
This brings me to the other side of the word; association among the terrorists. Now hear me out, what if calling this asshole, or the Fort Hood jag-off, a ‘terrorist’, is offensive to real terrorists? I can just see it now, Osama is kicking back in some cave with satellite TV, reading the Times when he stumbles across an article about this Yemen-connected idiot.
“What the fuck is this!? He is no Allah-damned terrorist, I’m a terrorist!” He screams. A fellow terrorist comes storming in.
“What is the matter, Osama?” He inquires nervously.
Pacing about the cave-den, “The Americans are calling this guy a terrorist! Remember, about six months back we had a meeting at the lodge and that gangly looking kid from Yemen showed up?” His cohort nods feverishly. “Well it turns out humus-for-brains over here thought he could pull off that Airliner job he was ranting about. Guess what, couldn’t do it.
“So now the pig/dog Americans are saying they ‘thwarted’ a terrorist attack and are still safe.” He shakes his head, looking around for effect and bugging out his eyes. “This guy is killing me, Mamud!” Mamud gets a bit nervous now. “This crazy bacon-eating bastard comes to ONE meeting and now he thinks he can go out there and make me look bad, undermining everything I have worked for. My fifth wife has more “terrorist” in her pinky finger than this goat-lover had in his entire body!”
He drops down in to his Barack-a lounger (get it?) and heaves a sigh while rubbing his temples. His companion shuffles nervously and slowly makes his way out of the room when Osama speak, stopping him in his tracks.
“You know, Mamud, kids these days just think they can go out there and be terrorists. They have no idea what it takes to really get organized work done when you have to break five times a day for prayer; it really throws a wrench in things. Who is he to try and blow up a plane…that’s my thing, I did that. I mean really man, be original; just taking all the fun out of the job.”
…and scene.
What do you think? Maybe there is something to this? I don’t know, but I do think that we can’t go on categorizing and quantifying our fears with labels and carefully orchestrated dances of the silver tongue. Fear is not even coming from these attacks anymore. I was not more afraid of terrorism after Fort Hood, and I am no more afraid of terrorism after this botched attack. I am only afraid when a man in a three-pice suit utters the word “terrorism” in speeches and interviews in Washington. My fear now comes from which policy or act they are pawning off as necessary now. I am most afraid of what it will cost and what it will not accomplish. It is time we faced the fact that there is more than Al-Qaeda out there. We need to realize that there are many fractured groups and individuals out there, and though it may be comfortable, they don’t all fit in to the terrorist box. (though a terrorist box would be cool, just put ‘em all in there and chuck it in the ocean) It is time we called these people and groups what they are, a bunch of Assholes. Calling them this would end the war on terrorism because we wouldn’t have anymore terrorists, just a bunch of assholes; besides the world’s already brimming with those, so what damage can a few more do?…Then of course we might declare a War on Assholes, definitely would take more than eight years though.
Reading my devotional I came across this scripture. It hit me today and then I was speaking with a co-worker about his 19-year-old as well on this topic. WORK! At anything and everything you do, WORK at it. Don’t be lazy. Don’t expect things to be given you. There is no such thing as ‘OWED!’ Nothing comes free and all is given at a cost/price. Even our Salvation cost Jesus His life.
Learn the value of a dollar. WORK for the things you desire and WORK hard. Even a lazy, half-hearted effort will get you something, but you will also reap what you sow and half-hearted returns will be what you get. Shortcuts and easy way outs and excuses are for the birds. Don’t be stuck in the lack of caring, lack of responsibility crowd. Own up to your faults, make things better for you and your family and WORK hard at everything you do. WHY?…because a worker is worth his keep.
“Lord, help us to work hard and give us the strength and guidance and direction to do so. Amen.”
Talk Show Host, Entertainer, Author, Reporter, Comic
Posted February 10, 2009 | 03:31 PM (EST)
It started with a call to arms at a time of inspiration: “But I cannot do this alone, government cannot solve the problems, it’s up to each of you…”
As I stood, transfixed to the podium along with 80,000 of my closest friends watching the first African American man become the Democratic Nominee for 44th President of the United States (an office he would later win) I was called to action. Yes, Barack Obama said I had to actually do something. That We, the People were going to have to do everything we could now, not later, now, to start solving the problems. We were, are, going to have to change.
I’ve known what to do for years. We all have. We all do. But, like most, I’ve said that being greener either costs too much money, takes way too much effort for the return, on and on, reason after reason I told myself that going green was for Ed Bagely, Jr., not me.
Well, Barack said nope, better get busy.
So, what could I do, right now? What can everyone?
In my world, the two biggest areas of power consumption are my home (which is also my work and studio, both radio and TV) and transportation.
I live in an 1800 square foot house (Park Howard) on a 8000 square foot lot a mile from the beach. During the winter, monthly light bills average about $275 and during the summer, $500. I have central air and heat, a 300 gallon marine fish tank, koi pond, and a fully functional audio/radio broadcast/recording studio (and video), computers, flat screens…you know, your house (minus the AV stuff and small ocean). There had to be a better way.
Enter SunRun solar. I found SunRun through my radio show, and after grilling a principal of the company Nat Kreamer for over an hour, my curiosity was peaked. For a very small fee up front, I could supply my home with all the power I need, even sell some back to Edison so I could use it at night. I wouldn’t have to finance $40k or more and if I watched day time consumption I could end up with a zero Edison bill. Zero? $500 to Zero. Hmm.
Thanks to a return to science and reason, solar is now a very viable energy source. However, 6-8kw systems (what the average family home would need) have been cost prohibitive for most in the past. Enter SunRun and companies like them. They do power purchase agreements instead of sales of equipment. Now, it’s not the only way to harness the sun, and each way to get solar on your roof has pros and cons. But all in all, Power Purchase was for me.
I now pay a fixed rate for power, about ¼ what Edison charges, power that was hitting the roof every day anyway for the last 10 years. Except now, it’s working for me. SunRun’s project representative Katie Brodnik arranged for the design and installation of the system through Borrego Solar in Orange County, CA. Borrego is an area leader, and specializes in installation, sales and leasing themselves.
Chris Lacher is an energy consultant for Borrego. Lacher, Brodnik and people like them are the consumer’s liaison to the solar world. Lacher and Brodnik took me through the permit process and explained the letters I’d be getting from the California Public Utilities Commission and Southern California Edison (I’m a registered Power Plant now, how exciting). Borrego and SunRun worked closely and seemlessly, in a unique partnership. Power Purchase companies are new, whereas companies like Borrego have been around for some time; they are symbiotic now.
“We can get these systems up quickly, buy, rent, lease, power purchase, it’s all the same,” Lacher told me. “It often depends various utilities and permitting agencies.. Luckily, because of the need and interest, not to mention demand, the agencies are faster and easier to work with,” he added. “Everyone is on board to get as much solar and alternative energy going as we all can, it’s a partnership with state, local and commercial agencies and it’s working,” he concluded.
It took about three months from start to finish (planning, permits, etc), with the actual installation taking less than four days. Now Park Howard’s roof (my home is named, why isn’t yours) is covered with the latest solar panels. I can log on to a user interface and see how much the system is generating and how much carbon I’m keeping out of the atmosphere.
And the beauty of a power purchase agreement is that should something go wrong, SunRun maintains the system. Should the technology change, needs, etc, they work with you. And the bill? I pay about $40 a month to SunRun, and $5 to Edison. $45 down from $500 and I’ve kept over 1000 pounds of carbon out of the air so far. The agreement is for 18 years and is assignable should you sell the house.
There are other ways to get solar other than Power Purchase Agreements. As mentioned, companies like Borrego Solar design, sell, lease and maintain panels and their are loan programs and incentives in various states. There are leasing agreements, and of course, downright purchase. Systems can go from $25k all the way up to $75 k or more, depending. After rebate, it can still be a good amount to finance. And once you own them, they’re yours, financed, paid for or not. That’s why many, like myself, are going with the Power Purchase or Lease agreements.
Renting? Form a coalition and urge the landlord to go solar. Right now in CA there are rebates of up to $35k to install systems. It can be done. I will never live in a home without solar from this point onward. It just makes sense.
Fate made it easy to decide how to conserve fuel. As gas prices soared to $4 a gallon, my car was totaled by a driver that ran a light. It was older, so I only got $5k from it. Gas was bankrupting people and the thought of buying a $20k or $30k vehicle that gets under 100 miles per gallon (what we all could be getting right now). Not to mention at the time the only semi-progressive vehicle, the Prius, had a waiting list.
Americans use over 400 million gallons of gasoline a day about 22 million barrels, more than any other nation. We fight wars over the substance, and have spent more blood and money on it than almost any other. Our nation is beholden to places like Saudi Arabia, the home of the terrorists that attacked us on 9/11. Once my car was gone, I found it harder and harder to get another conduit to the oil company profit machine and the Saudi’s bank accounts.
Motorcycles and scooters get incredible gas mileage, but safety has always been a concern, plus the need for a special license. But they are the only thing that gets over 50 or 60 mpg consistently.
Enter the Piaggio MP3 series, currently taking America by storm (I have two!). The bikes come in 250cc, 400cc and 500cc. And don’t let their sleek European scooter design fool anyone; these are full-fledged vehicles that can gain speeds in excess of 60 ad 90 mph, all while getting 50-65mpg or more; and, they have three wheels, two in front, one in back, thus eliminating the need for a special license (Class C is the only thing needed unlike other scooters and bikes).
Piaggio is the parent company of Vespa, and introduced a line of three wheeled touring scooters to the European market that completely took off.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. You HAVE to have a car. Wrong. I thought that. Plus, I’m a pansy and proud of it. Motorcycles terrified me. Actually, I loved them parked. But while moving, the signified rolling death to me. Well, desperate times call for desperate measures. Change I can believe in.
I first took a two day course from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation of America, just to see if I could do this and if I could, how to do it right. They offer classes across the land, and after taking one, anyone getting on two or three wheels should be required to attend. You don’t even need your own bike. I learned on a Harley. Yup, a Harley. It was a sight.
By taking the class I was able to skip the whole motorcycle permit thing and just take the test for the license. I passed first time at the DMV. After I got a license I wasn’t going to need for a bike I didn’t have, I got my hands on the MP3 250 from Vespa of San Francisco (no other dealer in CA had them at the time). I paid under $8k out the door.
The MP3 250 is the perfect around-town and shorter distance bike. Peppy, sporty and fuel efficient, the under seat storage capacity and additional top case make it able to go grocery shopping or take a friend around town on errands.
The dual front tires make corner stability unbeatable, while the automatic transmission and other creature comforts make use extremely easy. Everyone from 16 to 60 can use one. My 250 (Gio is his name) has 2100 miles and I’ve spent under $150 on gas total since June, 2008.
Now the 250 is perfect and will perform well at any distance (I went from Long Beach to Barstow, no lie, to watch a Change of Command Ceremony of Eric Palacia, my personal Afghanistan veteran and hero) it’s bigger brother the MP3 500 is the long distance touring scooter America’s (and me, apparently) waited for to break the bike/scooter barrier. With a 500cc engine and redesigned body, the 500 is the bike for trips to Los Angeles, down the coast to Escondido to Art Throb Tattoo to see my cousin Geoff for great new ink or up the coast to Malibu for the day. To increase engine size, storage capacity suffers, and while the 500 could also be a perfect around town bike, it likes to cruise. It reaches speeds of up to 100 mph (no personal knowledge, of course) and is fully street and freeway legal (all are). I love Giotron as much as Gio, and each has their own purpose.
Now, Karel, that’s extravagant you say? Wrong. My insurance is under $1000 a year for both. They both get 55mpg or more. The 500 could go cross country if I needed it to, and the combined purchase price of both is still around the same as a decked out Scion XA.
Prices range from $7000 to $10,000, total. It was under $100 to register in CA and holds 2.75 gallons, or less than $8 for a fill up that will go almost 200 miles.
Other scooters and bikes are out there getting great gas mileage, but these are leading the way in innovation, the future. To find out more go to www.piaggiousa.com
And for total zero emissions, how about Vectrix. Long Beach Motosports at 3291 Cherry Ave., Long Beach, carries them as does scooter shops throughout the country. Vectrix first came to my attention on Jay Leno’s web series Leno’s garage (on his show as well). These scooters charge in under three hours, go from 0-60 in seconds, and go 60 miles on one charge. Vectrix are made in Massachusetts, and are the equivalent to a 250cc bike. They retail between $8k and $10k, about 1/3 the price of most cars.
And I know what many are thinking, how do you shop on a motorcycle or scooter? Well, I go to Costco, buy my guts out (less these days) and get strange looks standing next to one of my MP3’s; until the cab arrives, I put all my goods in, the cab follows me home ($10 from Costco) helps me unload and Violá! As for events or multi-passengers, rental cars are about $25 a day; rethink your needs. You don’t NEED a car to get around to most places. Even moms and dads. How many empty minivans, just a driver, have to be out there before we get the message sometimes we don’t need a traditional car? It’s obvious we won’t walk or take traditional bicycles, so…
There are always Smart cars, America’s real only micro-compact vehicle. However, it takes premium only and tops out at about 45 miles per gallon and starts at $13k, going up to $16k with features. But it’s a start.
“My Smart Car is the perfect solution for shopping, for almost everything. True, it took some getting used to on the freeway, but inside it feels no smaller than a Mini or other small car,” Smart car owner Brian Good told me. “And no, it’s not perfect. I wish it got even more mileage and had just a few more creature comforts, but what I’ve saved in gas alone is remarkable. And, I can park horizontally or vertically downtown.”
There’s also the Zenn, Zero Emission No Noise car. Like Chrysler’s GEM Car (I owned one for years, and was joked I had a golf cart on Steroids) and all NEV’s (Neighborhood Electric Vehicles) the state caps their speed at 25mph. These cars can go faster, but the state says no for now. As these technologies expand, speeds will increase. And of course, it’s all in the batteries. Right now, batteries are in the last century; but over then next 10 years look for this to be one of the biggest fields of innovation: battery power.
So Barack asked, and I answered. Park Howard now generates all of its own power on most days and then draws back from the grid at night inexpensively. I went from 30 miles per gallon in my vehicle to over 60 and cut vehicle expenses by $200 a month or more.
Two small green changes, thousands of pounds of carbon out of the air and hundreds saved in my pocket.
Barack asked all of us. Your turn. I found solutions. Maybe they’re not for you, but find your own. They’re out there. Don’t wait for a bail out or a government program or hand. Take the lead. The first green job to create is your own.
After all, I’m saving a lot of green by simply going green in two areas. Saving money and the planet can’t be all bad, right?
Executive Sessions is a small, informal forum for executives and professionals in transition. We provide information on networking groups, share expertise and discuss issues and challenges associated with the job search process. Executive Sessions meets the first Tuesday of the month at Panera, 25 Rice Lake Square, Wheaton. We also meet the third Thursday every month at Panera, 154 W. Wilson St., Batavia. Meetings start at 7:00 pm and run until 8:30 pm. For more information contact Ellen Huxtable at ellen@advantage-biz.com.
I have just come back from my first job interview in months (I’m not counting the call centre thing, that was a group interview in which we all had 30 seconds to speak). Ages ago, I remember knowing straight away, as soon as I walk out of the building, how well I’ve done, but today I am completely emotionless. Maybe it’s just been way too long since the last one (which was some time in July) that I have forgotten how to read the interviewers – and by read I mean with my intuition, because that’s usually how I figure out where I stand.
When I was still in high school, I remember having a lesson in job interview behaviour in year 11. I know that they taught us how to shake hands when you first meet your potential employers (never put you hand on top because that means that you are dominating, or on the bottom because that means that you are submissive), and how to hold your posture upright and how not to use the word “um”. I also remember how they told us to wear collared shirts, pants/skirts and proper shoes (preferably with a little bit of a heal) and how to keep our hands firmly placed in our laps or by our sides when we’re speaking. The funniest thing I remember them telling us is not to chew gum when we go into an interview….who would be crazy enough to do that, it’s common sense (I have realized since that there are plenty of people who don’t know what ‘common sense’ even means). The reason I mention my year 11 “how to behave in interviews” class is because I attended an IPA Recruitment “how to behave in interviews” three day training session about two weeks ago. They didn’t really tell me anything I didn’t already know (even they mentioned the chewing gum issue), but what they did do is confuse me with all the things that I believe in….
See, my personal theory (and I sand by it because it has proven itself worthy over the years) is that when you go into a job interview, the first thing you need to do is try and relax and the second is to listen. When the employer tells you about the company, which is usually what they do before they ask about you, you can already figure out pretty much what they’re looking for in your answers. Having said this, I by no means claim that I am an expert in job interviews, but the third and final component which I believe works is – honesty! In every single job interview I have ever been to, I have always been as honest as I possibly can. That way I eliminate two dangerous things that could cost me the job: 1) lying about the things I’ve done or the things that I’ good at and then risking being found out anyway when I got the job, and 2) stuttering, stumbling and sounding foolish because instead of talking about myself properly, I’m constantly thinking about whether one lie corresponds to another that I mentioned 5 minutes ago. When I said this to the IPA people, they told me that complete honesty is not a good way to go because you want to draw in the potential employer by telling them what they want to hear. There’s a huge possibility I would agree with this theory if I was being interviewed for a job that I wasn’t particularly interested in, but if I truly want to work for a certain company and I believe that I will benefit from the experience I could gain there, there is no point in telling my interviewer only things that thy want to hear. This is someone who will tomorrow be my boss (and hopefully over time my friend), someone who has obviously seen something that already interests them about me (other wise I wouldn’t be at the interview), so I believe that it is also someone who deserves to get to know me well enough (within that half an hour) to fill in most of the blanks. My belief is that if we are right for each other (as employer and the employee) my interviewer will see right away from my honesty whether I am a suitable candidate.
And finally, what I would like to add (for all those creatives out there who certainly know what I’m talking about) in terms of the dress sense for interviews is: show a little bit of yourself when you dress up for the interview. Again, this advice doesn’t really apply to say, a lawyer, but I’m no talking about interviews in the creative industry. I don’t mean to say that you should go to an agency interview wearing your latest make-shift attempt at fashion design, but have at least one accessory that defines you. Personally, my trade mark would probably have to be my high cut Converse sneakers, because they compliment the honesty that I was talking about earlier – this is me, what you see and hear is what you get (and because I am a little laid back you can also expect to get even more that what you see).
So to conclude…. my theory for job interviews is that honesty truly is the best policy and if you’re happy with yourself and you know exactly who you are, when your interviewer sees that, they will b very likely to appreciate it and if nothing else, have respect for you.
I feel happy that once again, I can feel Christmas coming. I thought that as you grow older, you feel less and less enthusiastic about celebrating it. I was thinking that maybe, Christmas is just for kids. For one, you don’t get gifts anymore and two, you have to buy gifts for kids. Haha. Now I have to spend because I am earning my own money.
Last year was my first Christmas in Canada and since I was working day in and day out, it just went by like an ordinary day. Somehow, this year is different. I actually feel happy despite the fact that I am gonna work everyday until the new year, including Christmas day.
I feel really happy with everything I have right now. Though I wish for other things, I feel blessed that my family, job and lovelife are in great shape. Nothing more a person could ask for. I have set more goals and excited to be able to fulfill them. This year was fruitful. Soo happy to reap the rewards of hardwork. I have been to a lot of ups and downs and I’m always glad to surpass the saddest part.
This what makes life worth living for. Goals that may seem to be impossible to achieve but as I go through it, they become attainable. God works in a great way that He provides for things that I am not capable of. Four years ago, I have set for goals for the next 10 years of my life and looking back, most of them are within the time frame I have given myself. It isn’t all given. I have to work hard for it. As they say, luck is when preparation meets opportunity. I was given lucky breaks but I have to pick up things from there. I have a long way to go, I am just halfway my plans. Although now, I have more goals than I originally planned. and that is good. I enjoy the journey going there and learn from it. So yes, I get more than what I bargained for.
Yes, that’s right, I am returning to the working environment for the forseeable future. That doesn’t mean I’m abandoning the blog, and it DEFINITELY doesn’t mean I’m abandoning the book. It’s just that the whole not-working thing wasn’t working out from a financial perspective anymore. The hours for the job I’ve taken should have me home early enough to get some work done in the evening. Or maybe early in the morning? (Doesn’t sound like me, does it?) We’ll see what works out.
I won’t go into what the job is here, but suffice to say that it doesn’t involve writing for a living, and should therefore leave my writing energies free to go straight into my own creative projects.
There’s something about the end of the year that makes me look back and see what all has gone on. What a year! It has full of news both good and bad on local and national levels. We’ve lost major public figures, and I’ve lost people as close to me as a neighbor and a relative. People have fallen, and light has been shed on their devastating life decisions. Some are waking up and finding themselves in places they never thought they would be. Loss has played a major role in 2009. I don’t know if you’ve experienced it, whether death or in another way, but it has sealed my eyes and brought my words to God many times.
Still, as I find myself in Christmas card writing mode, I cannot help but count my blessings. I am so thankful for the way I’ve seen God work, and for the miracle of needs being met. God is in control, and He is working within everything that is going on. I love Him for that. I love the way He continues to show us brighter days. I love how, if you shed enough light on a situation, you will see God’s fingerprints all over it. He is with us, and He is there for you.
I am very blessed to be employed in a poor economy. Each week, I get to go to a church where I learn and grow, serve and worship freely, and fits my preferences in style and environment. I never have to wonder what I’m doing for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I have a family that loves me. I have friends all around me who have been there for me by helping me or simply by being there. I’ve never had to do without, no matter how low finances get. I am alive in Christ Jesus. These are some of the things that make me rich.
I write this in a time where I have heard about hardship almost daily. I have also heard about restoration. I’ve watched God open new doors and continue to be the Pillar of hope. Sadness is not all I know, for my God is there for those who need Him. He continues to be there for me in these ways, and therefore, I am blessed.
The Lord Jesus is the Prince of Peace. May you find His peace this Christmas season.
As I previously posted in “Have you hit the Glassdoor yet?” (Nov.17). Glassdoor is a valuable tool that provides the jobseeker with reviews posted by 1000’s of employees about 1000’s of companies, and provides good companies with a marketing opportunity for their employment brand. Here is a link to their latest results for the 50 best places to work, check it out:
I forgot what it was like to hate my job for about an hour today.
And then a good friend of mine reminded me why I hate it.
Because the whole place is full of backstabbers and brown nosers who would rather throw you under the bus than get in trouble.
My manager has often said I am a hard worker, that I always do as I’m asked and put a lot of effort into making the customers happy. And yet there are people going to this same manager and saying I slack off and just talk all day. Which is bull shit. Completely and utterly bullshit. Its so frustrating and upsetting because it feels like everyone likes you and then you find out that they talk shit behind your back. I mean I know it happens almost everywhere but still. Are we in high school people? I mean I could go and tell my manager that you eat all the time, and constantly stand around and accuse people of stealing, and I could tell the manager that you make up stories about everyone, including her and never do anything besides ignore your dept. I could also tell the manager that you disappear outback for hours on end and are never around when someone actually needs help in your dept. But I don’t do these things. I work and I work and I work. And it makes me laugh because there are cameras everywhere. And while I’m busting my ass, 5 people are standing at the paint booth or sporting goods, eating chips, drinking soda, and just laughing. While I try to cater to 7 or 8 customers at one time.
Other than that not too much going on. Researching destination weddings. I whittled down my wedding guest list to 65 people? Kind of strange there was definitely a hundred before…Listening to good soft music before I go to sleep, because I have to go back to that hell hole tomorrow. And I haven’t made any progress on the hats I’m making for Christmas for my friends. Only 7 days left you know. Maybe Ill just return all the yarn and buy them chocolate. Is that bad? Probably. A homemade gift is better than chocolate I think. Maybe. I dont know. I wish we could pin down a date to exchange gifts. And that’s it.
Right today According to me (which is why I started this silly thing believe it or not..) people should learn to love and be loved. To comfort and console, not accuse and hurt. All I see all the time is people hurting other people all the time. What happened to the days when people smiled and laughed? I know we are in an economic crisis but just look at your children’s faces, or your significant other. At least you have them, someone who loves you unconditionally and unequivocally. Money is only material. According to me.
Last time I was at the club it was a teen special, so, despite it being so close to Christmas, they had 3 of us on. Business is so quiet on the lead up to Christmas. I haven’t got a call in nearly two weeks and the numbers at the club have been seriously down on normal. Putting 3 of us on was a bit of a risk, but it seemed to pay off.
We started with a 2 girl bukkake shoot with me and Liddy. Tasha fluffed for us while me and Libby were shot getting covered in cum. I was glad that I’d got my ‘porn star’ glasses in my handbag for just an occasion! No cum went in my eyes, but this is about the only place it didn’t go! I was totally covered.
Near the end of the shoot I tried to snowball my mouthful of spunk with Libby. Since it was a 2 girl shoot I imagined that some girl-on-girl action wouldn’t go amiss. However, Libby didn’t quite agree with my plan, so I was left awkwardly half-kissing half-whispering-into-it this poor hetero girl who wasn’t even gonna go gay for the cam. Still, I think the shoot went well overall, despite the punters being more shy than usual.
The highlight of the evening for me was that Emma Butt was there, of her own accord. I was finding it quite a slow night despite being surrounded by guys on the bed. They seemed to want to be near, not in! So when Emma came into the room and started watching me, I playfully asked, ‘is Emma going to play with me too?’
She straight away caught what I was doing (this girl knows a bit more of how the industry works!) and told the guys that for everyone who spunked all over me, she would remove one item of clothing. The first guy came all over my tits and I couldn’t resist asking her to lick it all off before she pulled down the top of her dress.
It ended up with Emma licking me out and fingering me while I was in euphoria! Not only was I getting some ladylove action, but I was getting it with a woman who I idolise, model my working self on and really rather fancy. She’s got an amazing body, amazing outfits and an amazing femdom persona. She doesn’t just have the men horny when she does her dances, she has me hiding in the corner frigging myself like just another punter.
I was rather late leaving for the first time ever because I couldn’t draw myself out of the smoking garden where I was chatting with Emma and everyone else who works at the club. Emma really makes me feel rather innocent – she lost her virginity at 12! It’s great to be with girls who have been in the industry for a good long time but aren’t at all fucked up by it. It’s a good little pat on the back to say, ‘don’t worry, you’re not a fool to think you can do this without getting hurt’.
Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen will race for Lotus next year, after the newly-formed Formula 1 team confirmed its line-up in a press conference held in Malaysia today
Lotus reveals new team logo
from F1 news – autosport.com
Lotus F1 Racing revealed its new team logo today, retaining the famous green/yellow colours of the legendary Lotus marque – but at the same time providing the F1 team a completely new identity
Mosley: I could have averted pull-outs
from F1 news – autosport.com
Former FIA president Max Mosley believes he might have kept BMW and Toyota in Formula 1 had he visited the manufacturers’ bosses to explain the reasoning behind his budget cap plan
Lloyds invests in Manor F1 team
from F1 news – autosport.com
The private equity arm of the Lloyds Banking Group has taken a stake in the new Manor Formula 1 team, which will run under the Virgin Racing banner
Henkel says Mercedes deal is invalid
from F1 news – autosport.com
German company Henkel says a sponsorship deal apparently agreed with the Mercedes GP team was put together by an ex-employee acting without authorisation, and that it will not be honouring the partnership
Ferrari: Schumacher deal ‘not binding’
from F1 news – autosport.com
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo says his company would not prevent Michael Schumacher from racing for Mercedes in Formula 1 if he wished to do so – but added that the German had not yet discussed any such situation with him
Di Grassi to partner Glock at Virgin
from F1 news – autosport.com
Virgin Racing has confirmed that Lucas di Grassi is to race alongside Timo Glock at the team next year.
Campos still in talks with de la Rosa
from F1 news – autosport.com
Campos team president Jose Ramon Carabante says the Spanish squad is still in talks with Pedro de la Rosa to fill the second seat for its debut season.
Parente, Razia join Virgin as testers
from F1 news – autosport.com
Virgin Racing has announced Alvaro Parente will be its test driver in its debut season in 2010.
Rosberg: Pressure is on to win title
from F1 news – autosport.com
Nico Rosberg has admitted that the pressure is on Mercedes GP to win the world championship next year – amid continued speculation that Michael Schumacher could be on his way to the outfit.
Virgin car set for February run
from F1 news – autosport.com
Virgin Racing’s new Formula 1 car is on schedule to run for the first time in February – with technical director Nick Wirth confirming it will not be tried out in a wind tunnel before that maiden test.
Branson: Virgin can go all the way
from F1 news – autosport.com
Richard Branson believes the sky is the limit for his new Virgin Racing Formula 1 team, as he predicts a bright future for the outfit.
Virgin promises innovative approaches
from F1 news – autosport.com
Virgin Racing chiefs have promised to bring some innovative approaches into Formula 1 next year – as the eyes a closer relationship with the sport’s fans.
Virgin aims to earn respect from rivals
from F1 news – autosport.com
Virgin Racing sporting director John Booth says the team’s first target is to earn the respect of its rivals at the start of next season.
Di Grassi: F1 drive a dream come true
from F1 news – autosport.com
Lucas di Grassi says securing a deal to race in Formula 1 is a dream come true, after the Brazilian was confirmed as Timo Glock’s team-mate at the Virgin Racing team for next year.
Virgin eyes success with lowest budget
from F1 news – autosport.com
Richard Branson believes Virgin Racing can make a success of Formula 1 through talent rather than its chequebook – after revealing that the team will run with the lowest budget of any in 2010.
Massa commences F2007 test
from F1 news – autosport.com
Felipe Massa returned to the track in a 2007 Ferrari at Mugello yesterday, but was only able to complete 30 laps
Renault announces Genii partnership
from F1 news – autosport.com
Renault has confirmed it remains committed to Formula 1, after announcing on Wednesday that it has sold a large stake in the team to Luxembourg company Genii Capital Investment, as AUTOSPORT predicted
Red Bull retains Renault engines
from F1 news – autosport.com
Red Bull Racing will continue with Renault engines in 2010 as part of the company’s renewed commitment to Formula 1
Genii aims for Renault resurgence
from F1 news – autosport.com
Renault’s new partner Genii Capital is confident that it can give the French car manufacturer the support and finances it needs to return to the top in Formula 1
Stand-in drivers to get test days
from F1 news – autosport.com
Formula 1 teams will be allowed to give mid-season substitute drivers a day of testing from 2010 as part of rules tweaks announced by the FIA
Profile: Genii’s Gerard Lopez
from F1 news – autosport.com
For a bright businessman who speaks fluently in seven languages, and has been at the cutting edge of new technology business for more than a decade, it was almost inevitable that Gerard Lopez would eventually end up in Formula 1
“We want to be here longer than Ferrari”
from Racing news from en.espnf1.com
Virgin Racing’s team principal Alex Tai speaks to Claire Furnell about the 2010 season
Fry hints Schumacher return is on
from Racing news from en.espnf1.com
Speculation that Michael Schumacher will return to Formula One hit its highest point yet after Mercedes CEO Nick Fry hinted Schumacher was at the top of his list to partner Nico Rosberg at the German team
Ferrari won’t stop Schumacher comeback
from Racing news from en.espnf1.com
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has said his team would not stop Michael Schumacher from making a comeback in Formula One
Button misses out on top BBC award
from F1-Live.com
Jenson Button has finished runner-up in the coveted BBC Sports Personality of the Year award at a star studded ceremony in Sheffield
Trulli and Kovalainen to race at Lotus
from F1-Live.com
Lotus has confirmed Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen as its race drivers for next year
Virgin is F1’s only fully British team – Branson
from F1.BrandBroadcast.net Latest 10 News Articles
Dec.16 (GMM) Sir Richard Branson on Tuesday said he is proud to be involved with the last fully British team in formula one.
FOTA votes to retain in-season testing ban
from F1.BrandBroadcast.net Latest 10 News Articles
Dec.16 (GMM) The F1 teams alliance FOTA last weekend reportedly decided to keep a full in-season testing ban in place for 2010.
Virgin car to have black/red livery in 2010
from F1.BrandBroadcast.net Latest 10 News Articles
Dec.15 (GMM) Virgin Racing team principal Alex Tai on Tuesday said the new team would field a black and red livery in 2010.
Petronas to stay with Sauber – report
from F1.BrandBroadcast.net Latest 10 News Articles
Dec.15 (GMM) In the wake of BMW’s withdrawal, Sauber is reportedly set to retain Petronas as a major sponsor.
Baguette linked with Sauber reserve role
from F1.BrandBroadcast.net Latest 10 News Articles
Dec.15 (GMM) Bertrand Baguette is tipped to secure a role with the Sauber team in 2010.
Di Grassi Q&A: Chance to race in F1 is a dream come true
from Formula1.com – Latest Interviews
After competing in GP2 for four seasons and regularly testing for Renault, Lucas Di Grassi has been a familiar face in the Formula One paddock for a number of years. In fact, ever since he won the prestigious Formula Three Macau Grand Prix back in 2005, Di Grassi has been on the radar of many team principals as a young talent to watch. It may have been a long wait but next season the Brazilian will finally make it onto the Formula One grid, racing for the newly launched Virgin team alongside former Toyota driver Timo Glock. Here the 25 year-old discusses his new team, Glock and his prospects for 2010…
Fernandes: Lotus drivers have the ‘full package’
from Formula1.com – Latest Interviews
Lotus team principal Tony Fernandes admitted he was still pinching himself after signing two of the biggest names on the grid to drive for his new, Malaysian-backed squad next season. In Jarno Trulli, Heikki Kovalainen and Malaysian tester Fairuz Fauzy, Fernandes believes he has the perfect driver combination…
Q&A with Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen
from Formula1.com – Latest Interviews
Lotus’s signing of Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen for 2010 gives the new Malaysian-backed team one of the quickest and most experienced driver line-ups on the grid. So why did two seasoned F1 professionals agree to drive for an unproven squad? The Italian and Finn speak about their decision…
‘Kobayashi in talks with Sauber’
from GPUpdate.net
With Virgin Racing’s Tuesday announcement having seen more pieces of the 2010 driver jigsaw fitted into place, a number of spots on the grid remain vacant ahead of the upcoming season. With Mercedes’ second seat generating most speculation, Finnish media suggests that ex Toyota pilot Kamui Kobayashi may have signed with Sauber.
McLaren season review
from itv.com/f1 News and Features
It may have been a poor year by McLaren’s standards, but one of the best recoveries in history sets it up well for 2010.
Full Renault statement regarding F1 future
from Planet F1 | Motor Racing News
Renault’s full statement regarding the team’s future participation in Formula One…
Top 20 sporting moments of the decade: Michael Schumacher wins seventh title
from telegraph F1
Was Michael Schumacher’s seventh world title the moment of the decade?
Stefan GP opens job vacancies
from F1technical.net . Motorsport news by Tomba
Stefan GP, the new Serbian team that is trying to make its way to the 2010 Formula One grid is now hiring people. A new job page on their website calls for people who are willing to work in either Germany or Serbia.
Hulkenberg trains in Qatar
from F1technical.net . Motorsport news by Principessa
The AT&T Williams team’s newly appointed race driver, Nico Hulkenberg, commenced his winter physical training programme at the Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence this week. Continuing his stay in Doha following a Formula One demonstration event at the Losail International Circuit on Thursday last week, Team Principal Sir Frank Williams joined Nico at the Doha-based sports academy to witness the world class facilities at first hand.
Grosjean to race in Andros Trophy Ice event
from F1technical.net . Motorsport news by Principessa
Romain Grosjean, who drove the final seven races of the 2009 season for the Renault F1 Team, has confirmed that he will be driving in two rouds of the Andros Trophy ice racing event in France. This weekend, Grosjean will come in action for the first time.
POLL: Should Michael Schumacher return to F1?
from Crash.Net Formula One Newsfeed
Michael Schumacher looks set to return to F1 in 2010. Do you think he should come out of retirement and compete with Mercedes?
2010 Season countdown – 90 days to go
from F1 Wolf by F1Wolf
Ten days have passed since the 100 days mark, it is time for another 2010 season countdown post. Here is a summary where F1 stands with 90 days to go.
Lotus boss accepts Branson’s bet
from F1-Live.com
Lotus boss Tony Fernandes, accepts Richard Branson’s bet
2010 Season countdown – 90 days to go
from F1 Wolf by F1Wolf
Ten days have passed since the 100 days mark, it is time for another 2010 season countdown post. Here is a summary where F1 stands with 90 days to go.
Wow, we made it to the wikispaces.com blog [http://blog.wikispaces.com/2009/12/how-non-profits-are-using-wikis.html] as a feature article on how non-profits use wikis. The Woodwork Career Alliance is cited as an example of effective use of wikis to write and edit Skill Standards for testing and evaluating woodworking employees. Read the blog and then jump over to the Woodwork Career Alliance web site from link within in it, or click here: http://woodworkcareer.org
Every year, fires take thousands upon thousands of lives and destroy homes and properties amounting to billions of dollars. By becoming a firefighter, you have the chance to protect the public against such harm by tackling fires and a variety of other emergencies.
Firefighters put out fires in a variety of environments, not limited to metropolitan areas, rural areas, industrial / chemical sites and airports. In addition, they have assumed a range of other responsibilities, such as offering emergency medical aid.
Lots of people are attracted to the firefighting profession as it is challenging and provides the opportunity to genuinely help the members of their local community. As such, prospective firefighters face keen competition for available job openings.
How to become a firefighter varies somewhat from department to department, but general application requirements to enter a training program are to: be at least 18 years old (sometimes 21); be physically fit; not to have previously been in trouble with the police.
Among the personal qualities you need are strength, endurance, self-discipline, courage and mental alertness. Initiative and good judgment are an advantage too.
The majority of firefighters have a high school diploma, and completing a community college course, or even an associate degree, in fire science may improve your job prospects.
There is both a written exam and a physical test to be passed prior to being accepted on to a training program. Around a 100 multiple choice questions make up the written exam, and it covers memory, observation, logic, reasoning and spatial awareness. The primary focus of the physical ability test is agility, upper body strength and endurance.
If accepted on to a training program, you will spend about 600 hours in training, over the course of 12 to 14 weeks, learning how to become a firefighter. A combination of practical training and classroom instruction will see you study how to prevent fires from occurring and spreading and how to rescue people caught up in them. On completion of the training program, you will be undergo a period of probation at an assigned fire company.
Average salaries are around $30,000, but experience and working overtime will see you earning considerably more. You will also receive certain benefits, such as medical and liability insurance, vacation and sick leave, and some paid holidays.
For promotions to higher level positions, you need to acquire expertise in advanced firefighting equipment and techniques, building construction, emergency medical technology, writing, public speaking, management and budgeting procedures, and public relations. Usually, after becoming a firefighter, the first promotion is to engineer, then lieutenant, captain, battalion chief, assistant chief, deputy chief, and, finally, chief.
I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a virgin. If I have walked with falsehood or my foot has hurried after deceit – let God weigh me in honest scales and he will know that I am blameless – if my steps have turned from the path, if my heart has been led by my eyes or if my hands have been defiled, then may others eat what I have sown, and may my crops be uprooted. If my heart has been enticed by a woman, then may my wife grind another man’s grain, and may other men sleep with her. If I have denied justice to any of my servants, what will I do when God confronts me? What will I answer when called to account?
If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary, if I have kept my bread to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless, if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing, or the needy without garments, if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, knowing that I had influence in court, then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let it be broken off at the joint.
If I have put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’ if I have rejoiced over my great wealth, the fortune my hands had gained, then these also would be sins to be judged, for I would have been unfaithful to God on high. If I have rejoiced at my enemies’ misfortune or gloated over the trouble that came to them - I have not allowed my mouth to sin by invoking a curse against their life - if I have concealed my sin as people do, by hiding my guilt in my heart because I so feared the crowd and so dreaded the contempt of the clans that I kept silent and would not go outside - I sign now my defense – let the Almighty answer me; let my accuser put his indictment in writing.
Job endured what has to be just about the worst experience in human history. He lost everything important to him – his wife, kids, servants, home, livestock, health, everything – except his God.
At the very darkest moment, he’s sitting on a rock scraping his sores with a piece of broken pottery. His wife (who didn’t die but did wander away from God) is right there giving him great advice… ”Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” But, in everything that happened, Job refused to sin. He refused to turn his back on God. He refused to feel sorry for him. He refused to get angry at God for what had happened.
Toward the end of the ordeal, right before God shows up in a mighty storm, Job takes time to remind himself and his friends that he lives a life of integrity. He lives with righteousness in his sights. Godliness is his goal. He is committed to not sinning with his eyes, his words, his thoughts or his actions.
If your life is anything like mine, you have days where it just seems everyone is against you. There are days when it seems like everything is going wrong. And those few things that are going right just don’t seem quite as nice and neat as they did before. Plans get muddied up and processes get confused. Feelings get hurt and tempers flare. Some people drop the ball and others accuse you of things that aren’t true. Followers and volunteers lose focus and begin to fight and argue. You’ve probably never experienced a day quite like Job’s but you have experienced a day where you regret rolling out of bed. You have gone to bed at night completely freaked out about what the next day will bring. To be completely honest, you’ve led projects while feeling unworthy and unprepared.
So, when that day comes – and it will – what do you do? When you have the perfect opportunity to sit around feeling sorry for yourself, what do you do? When your friends expect you to quit and retreat, do you? When doing the right thing looks so hard and sin looks so, well, inviting and distracting, what do you decide?
Job chose godliness. He chose integrity. He picked purity. And he spent intentional time reminding himself and his friends of just what his choice was.
I wonder if part of the reason we find it so stinkin’ hard to choose integrity over sin is that we forget what’s most important.
Leading a great ministry or playing a great game or looking like a great person isn’t the most important thing in life. Living a life that ends in the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” is a much worthier focus.
So, when life deals you a cruddy hand and it just seems like everyone’s out to get you and everything is rotten around you, try this: Skip depression and anger and embrace joy and integrity. It’ll make a world of difference.
And I believe God will bless your choice – your integrity – just like he blessed Job’s. (check out Job 42:10-17… it’ll blow your mind)
Hey guys! I know, I know. It has been a HOT minute since I’ve last posted. But it is only 1/3 laziness.
Aren’t you relieved?
The other 2/3 is comprised of work getting out of hand (Wait. You guys want me to do something? Because, I was totes ok with sitting on the sidelines…) and general life issues. I guess I can do a little bit of expanding on that vague phrase.
Renovation City
One day, I noticed something dark and spotty in my shower. Me, being the type of person to freak out at everything, did everything but call 911 to report the emergency. My parents rushed downstairs to find out that there is a mold/mildew problem. Most normal human beings would have probably headed to their local Target to by some cleaning supplies, but Momma and Poppa Investing Newbie don’t play that. NOPE. They did an entire overhaul of the bathroom which included it being literally MOVED and expanded.
My new bathroom is PIMP. And when I say, PIMP, I mean 50 Cent P-I-M-P. Everything is just bigger and nicer. And I have a vanity! I almost don’t want to use it. Oh wait, I actually can’t. Why? Well, have you noticed that if you ever want to fix one thing, you have to actually fix 10? My parents discovered that the pipes needed to be redone and they decided to also change from oil to gas (or maybe it’s the other way around…). So it has been Renovation City in my “space” and I haven’t really found the right mood in which to blog.
Identity Crisis
Not me, me. But my blog. I feel like a teenager that is just starting to get my legs and stuff. Maybe even braces. And I don’t know what the ef is going on with my hair. Don’t get me wrong, I love to blog. But I want to do things with this blog. What are those things? Now, you’re asking me too many questions. All I know is that I want to do things with it. Maybe have it look different. Maybe a special effect or two. But mostly, I would like to start having more focused posts.
Think back to the last time you’ve ever talked to a toddler. Don’t you get the sense that they think that you came into the world as an older person? I get the sense that a lot of the blogs that I read have always been AWESOME. I wouldn’t doubt that could very well have been the case, but I’m sure they’ve all experienced hiccups along the way. Maybe in finding the right blogging time (should it be morning, noon, night? Right now, Noon isn’t an option for me…), or finding their voice, or finding inspiration for their posts. I’m dealing with all of those things now. Ok, maybe not code red sort of “dealing,” but those concepts have been swirling in my mind and I’m hoping to feel comfortable with at least the direction and content of my blog by the time this site turns a year old. (in March…mark your calendars)
So that’s pretty much where I’ve been in a nutshell. So where am I going?
So, after MONTHS and MONTHS of searching for a job, you finally land one. All your hard work and persistence has paid off; you sent out a million resumes, went on more job interviews than you care to admit, considered spending the rest of your life playing the lotto and simply crossing your fingers, but it WORKED!…
…Now, you’ve been at this job for about 2-3 months, and you’re thinking, “Ok…maybe unemployment wasn’t SO bad.”
Sound familiar?
My theory is this; a company’s culture is the deciding factor on whether you want to get up in the morning and go to work. Let’s be honest, unless you get paid to lay in the sun all day or watch television for living, your job is still a job. We may like what we do, but we’d all rather be spending our time with family, friends, or doing things that we WANT to do.
However, if you work for a company who’s culture matches your own, you will get up every morning and not dread going. In fact, I’m willing to bet you will want to go.
Wikipedia defines culture as, “the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization or group.” The more I read that, the more it resonates with me how big of a deal it is to be in a culture setting that you FIT in. Think about it in terms of your own family; if your beliefs are drastically different than other members of your clan, I’m willing to be you don’t spend as much time around them, do you? You’ve probably surrounded yourself with people who *gasp* BELIEVE in similar things that you do. This can range from religion to the type of book club you’re in!
A work atmosphere is no different. If you’re not working for a company who embodies the same beliefs as you do, you won’t be at this company for long. My guess is that you’ll either quit, or you’ll do your job so poorly that they’ll fire you.
I believe this because it’s happened to me before. My first job after graduation was working for a music company. After I was hired, I was sent off to Florida to be trained for a whole week with one of the top managers in the company. I learned so much, believed what he told me about how amazing and fair the company was, and how great it was to work for them. I went back to start my job, excited to get going and make a difference in the company…but that didn’t happen.
While I tried hard at first, I just couldn’t get past the fact that what I was told about this company was completely opposite from what the actual truth was. Now, I will say in all fairness that what may have been true at one store wasn’t at another, and so what my trainer told me may have not been a lie in his eyes. But it was clear to me from the beginning that not all the stores or all the people that worked for them were on the same page. My set of beliefs did not match with what I was experiencing at this company, and completely turned me off all together. I HATED going to work, and the hard worker I had been turned into a slacker who simply didn’t care. All I wanted to do was LEAVE, and the sooner the better. I found another job within two months and never looked back.
Now, after another culture clash in between, I’m finally with a company I truly fit into. Our motto is, “Have fun and celebrate life everyday!” And you know what? It’s NOT just something we say but don’t follow through with. Today we just had our Christmas party, and the all day event (close to it) was fantastic. There was plenty of food, friends, and fun! I looked around the room during our lunch, and thought, “Wow. How did I get so lucky?” Because it’s not just the Christmas party that makes me realize how well I fit with this company. It’s all the other ways we strive to better ourselves everyday. I can truly say I LOVE my job, and it’s because of the people I work with and work for.
My advice? Don’t hold yourself back. If you find yourself hating your job but your not sure why, take a look around you and see if you’re just not fitting in with the culture that company has already set for itself. Your relationship with your company is an important one, so if you’re clashing, it may be time to “break up.”
To see my pictures of the company Christmas party, check out this link! Each department had a different Christmas movie to base their theme off of. Recruiting did Christmas Vacation, which explains the “Cousin Eddie” look a like you’ll see lots of! And yes, the can is empty and was a prop! :) http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2375364&id=21706504&l=b28c75746d
An interview gives you the opportunity to showcase your qualifications to an employer, so it pays to be well prepared. The following information provides some helpful hints.
Preparation:
* Learn about the organization.
* Have a specific job or jobs in mind.
* Review your qualifications for the job.
* Be ready to briefly describe your experience, showing how it relates it the job.
* Be ready to answer broad questions, such as “Why should I hire you?” “Why do you want this job?” “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”
* Practice an interview with a friend or relative.
Personal appearance:
* Be well groomed.
* Dress appropriately.
* Do not chew gum or smoke.
The interview:
* Be early.
* Learn the name of your interviewer and greet him or her with a firm handshake.
* Use good manners with everyone you meet.
* Relax and answer each question concisely.
* Use proper English—avoid slang.
* Be cooperative and enthusiastic.
* Use body language to show interest—use eye contact and don’t slouch.
* Ask questions about the position and the organization, but avoid questions whose answers can easily be found on the company Web site.
* Also avoid asking questions about salary and benefits unless a job offer is made.
* Thank the interviewer when you leave and shake hands.
* Send a short thank you note.
Information to bring to an interview:
* Social Security card.
* Government-issued identification (driver’s license).
* Resume or application. Although not all employers require a resume, you should be able to furnish the interviewer information about your education, training, and previous employment.
* References. Employers typically require three references. Get permission before using anyone as a reference. Make sure that they will give you a good reference. Try to avoid using relatives as references.
* Transcripts. Employers may require an official copy of transcripts to verify grades, coursework, dates of attendance, and highest grade completed or degree awarded.
Wow, what a day. In fact, what a trip this has been for nine days, and although still in a bit of shock over things, it hit me that the only rational way for me to deal with the loss is to get out the laptop and write.
After 3 years and 4 months of my life, my career at RazorGator has come to an abrupt end. Well, abrupt in the sense I thought I had more time, but isn’t that always the case?
I have no intent of using this forum for anything negative. I enjoyed my time with the company, met some good people and learned a lot of new skills that will hopefully pay dividends in whatever comes along next. Do I have an opinion in regards to the manner in which this whole situation was played out? You bet, but that is wasted energy.
Sure, I’m bummed today, and it would not surprise me if I am bummed for a few days. Maybe the line of thinking from the employer is correct, lay off or fire an employee close to the weekend to give him a few days to mentally, spiritually and emotionally recuperate. I have a feeling Friday will entail hiding out at home, listening to the iPod and reading a book or two. Saturday is an evening with Big Red, something that always makes me feel good. Sunday is breakfast with a good friend and teacher from my high school days, then a day with the family doing whatever. I like the sounds of all that!
Too often in my life I have to be slapped in the face hard to be reminded I do not have control over what occurs from one day to the next. I can make all the plans I want, but to think I have any part in planning the results has once again proven to be an exercise in futility. That is okay, and the quicker I approve of that being the case, the quicker I get into acceptance, and the quicker I get into action.
Yes my friends, acceptance DOES mean approval. Gary McClure, may he rest in peace, taught me that years ago. Once I am 100% comfortable with the fact that I will no longer have a need to travel to the office everyday, at least for that particular company, I can move on and be happy.
So look out world, Tfronky is coming! And at the age of 40, I have every intention of doing something that makes me happy first.
Long time no see, but I’m back now. Sort of. I don’t know how much I can update this thing currently but some of my life has been worked out enough so I can write on this blog again. I have a longer post today because of the big gap between posts. In my deluded mind I think it might make up for, oh, something.
I seem to be a magnet of sorts for blood makeup. This, to me, is never a bad thing. It can become interesting, however, when other people realize you don’t mind getting covered in gore. Since I like to use gore in projects too I tend to put up with it. I figure if I’m going to subject my actors to this treatment I might as well be willing to go through with it. Plus the pictures that come out of these situations tend to look awesome.
One of my first major film projects was in my third year of college, and it wasn’t very major. It was a comedy skit for a skit show I ended up being in charge of (that’s a long story for another time) involving a guy (played by Chris who was actually not behind the camera this time) killing his roommate and trying to pass it off to the authorities when they investigate. The guy apparently hadn’t killed just one person, but numerous people…with a sword. This encouraged a cartoonish amount of gore and the immortal line from the killer “I cut myself shaving…with my sword” while trying to explain the blood. We thought it was funny as hell, but then again it was 2am when this thing got done so everything was funny.
During this time most the filming took place in my friend’s room. He was the director so it wasn’t any big deal. The bathroom was going to be the big climactic “awesome” moment. It would involve numerous bodies dead all over the bathroom and some blood. The makeup artist was my friend named Wayne, who also happened to be one of the roommates of the director making this his bathroom. The first thing to know about Wayne is that he loves special effects and makeup. The second thing to know about Wayne is that he might be bugfuck crazy.
When he heard “some blood” his brain apparently translated it as “gallons of gore and entrails hanging from the walls and ceiling.” I was set to play a dead body in the bathroom and help some of the effects. The extent of my involvement was to last an our. It lasted six, mainly because I got caught up in Wayne’s craziness. So did another cast member. Eventually the filming out in the room (behind a closed bathroom door) went over an hour long so NO ONE checked on us for over an hour. This was, in retrospect, probably the problem.
By the time the director thought to check his bathroom, the place was absolutely destroyed. We were all soaked in gore from head to toe (my clothes were ruined forever) and there was guts hanging off the mirror. The floor was basically one big inch deep lake of fake blood, and the walls looked like the elevator scene in The Shining. We could only smile and leave.
The director, with a shocked look on his face, simply shut the door.
Soon after that the other roommate got back. He took one look at the bathroom and his jaw hit the floor. He muttered something like “Oh my fucking god” and simply left the apartment, wanting nothing to do with the carnage.
The scene was eventually shot without a hitch. At this point I resembled a car wreck victim; every inch of me was covered in blood or some sort of crusted over thing that made my skin looked cut up. It was glorious. One of the gags was the authority figure poking my body in horror and me rolling off the counter I’m laying on into the lake of blood below. It was fantastic.
The side effect of this was the clean up, and by extension, how I looked while we were cleaning up. I now looked like a standing, walking, talking car wreck victim on a day that wasn’t Halloween. Or as my friend put it, I looked like a zombie.
I had to take advantage of this immediately.
We needed paper towels for the cleanup and I quickly volunteered to go to the store. I called my friend John for help. He met me outside the building and simply stared in shock at my appearance before simply accepting that I was covered in blood. I don’t think he expected any less of me, come to think of it. Then we walked to the store.
We passed some people on the way, who all stared in some mix of shock and humor. One person commented on my appearance and my response was “I can’t remember the last fifteen minutes” which got a decent response, but not exactly what I wanted. Then we reached the store.
The store was small and full of things students need to survive. It was also full of people for some reason at 2am. They all froze and stared as soon as I entered with John. You could hear a pin drop in the store quite suddenly. I froze and smiled back. John looked between the store full of people and me, then turned to the clerk and said loudly…
“Paper towels and band aids are over here, right?!” The clerk could only nodd.
John and I quickly grabbed all the paper towel and napkins the store had to offer with all eyes on us (we forgot about the band aids, since it was a joke anyway) and dumped them in front of the clerk. He asked what the hell I was doing. I responded that I had woken up in South Central like this and couldn’t remember why. THAT got a laugh. It was about damn time.
We carried the paper towels back in a very public way and got two more questions about my appearance. For one I simply said something about a possible murder that I can’t remember (it wasn’t as funny), and for the other person I said in a quiet intense scared voice “THEY’RE HERE!” which got me a frightened look back which still causes a laugh when I remember the story vividly.
With John shanghaied into helping us clean the bathroom (whether he wanted to or not) it still took two hours to make the bathroom goreless. In the end it turned out the “washable” blood had actually been soaked into the bathroom’s plaster walls, turning all the walls a strange shade of pink that wouldn’t come out. Oops. It later turned out that the bathroom repair and repaint due to our skit cost 600 dollars at the end of the school year, making this thing the most expensive skit we ever shot. It turned out okay at least, although it was edited by a sophomore who was apparently influenced by Michael Bay so it ended up looking more like a pot head’s fever dream than a funny gore filled comedy skit. The best thing we ended up getting out of the gory bathroom was funny extra footage that had Wayne sliding across the bathroom floor on his stomach and flopping around like a fish. We ended up using that in some commercials to preview up our skits. I can safely say the advertisements worked.
It took 45 minutes in the God Damn shower to get the blood out and it painted my shower red for a few days, but it gained me a reputation of doing crazy shit on and for film I still have with my friends to this day. It was also one of the more successful things we ever shot that early into our insane “careers” at school. Wayne and his two roommates (especially the one that left the room) still call it “the most expensive skit we ever shot” and with some remorse. I’m just happy nothing that day cost me anything at all except later some skin care products.
I am in the process of revamping my resume, you know jazz it up a bit. Not because I know where I want to go, I just know that I don’t want to stay. Moral abuse and under-appreciation can be fun for so long. So I need to go somewhere where I learn something new, try something new and something that will allow me to be more creative. In a nutshell I just need to move on, but in order to do that I have to get interviews and to get interviews I have to have a resume that screams “Pick me, I’m Awesome!”
After several revisions, submissions and rejections, I decide to seek out professional help. Time to hit up the big guns and set up a meeting with one of the big bosses at my current job. Basically, I wanted to know how to make my resume better – “more desirable.” I handed over the 800th version of my resume and demanded to know “What’s wrong with me?”
After the boss finished aughing, she told me that I have to be more descriptive. She said to write a short paragraph under each job title because the title alone can mean very different things in different places. She said as an employer, I want to know what you know in plain english. She said things like “Coordinated information between x,y and z” tells her nothing. What does that mean? You coordinate what? How? You can’t assume that very employer will know what you are talking about.
I even asked her about my demeanor - did I need change something? What about face scares people? She told nothing (Thank goodness) but she went on to say the market is tough but I have to keep trying, stay confident and positive. I walked out of her office repeating some-sort of Bridget Jones manta like “I’m a confident, independent, positive and desirable business woman.”
Let’s hope her advice pays off or that I hit the lotto, whatever happens first.
P.S.: According to CNN at least soem people are getting jobs…http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/news/0912/gallery.class_of_2009_jobs/index.html
i typed up this post after my exciting bus ride across huntsville to get to the MHC the day my net connection flat lined.
8hrs! that’s how many hours of my day a 30min appt took.>_< & that isn’t counting the our i spent at the library. i had a 12:30pm appt at MHC & had to ride the bus. it took me 3 buses to get there & of course the same 3 to get back, and they all run on an hourly cycle.
i left the house at 9:2?am & got back about 6:10pm. i had to wait just a few mins for the first bus this morning but i’m one of the first stops so i had to ride it all over town to get to the transfer station. i was hungry but there is nothing near the transfer station & only a soda machine, no snacks. which doesn’t make sense, but neither does the fact that the bathrooms are outside. i don’t get that. they are built into the indoor waiting area, and it seems like it would have been just as easy to put the doors inside the building as outside, but whatever. i then had a 45min layover for the 2nd bus, then a 30min layover for the third. thankfully, the third layover was at a mall with build-a-bear, so i went in & got an appl & some free food court samples on the way there & had lunch on the way back.
i got there 30mins early for my appt. i thought it was an hour appt, & by the time i realized it ended at 1pm, not 1:30pm, i had pissed around a few mins & missed the bus by 1min. fudge! i had to wait for an hour for the next one, but i got some work done devoloping my next few chapters some more. on the way back i had the 30min mall stop, then to the library for an hour, where i put in my appl for the temp clerk position (cross your fingers!), then from the library i waited a few mins for the bus (i got there in plenty of time, & it ran 5mins late:~p), & since the library was it’s first stop, i had to ride it around town, but it was on a relatively short loop, hurray! i noticed on the schedule we were scheduled to arrive at the transfer station just 3mins after the next, & final, bus i needed was scheduled to depart, so 3mins before the other bus was supposed to leave we were almost back to the transfer station. i had heard a few drivers calling other buses to let them know they were coming in & had a passenger who wanted to catch their bus, and ask them to wait, so i decided to do the same. sadly, the driver told me that bus had already left (@ 4:45pm! that’s 3mins early!). when we got to the station, i checked my cell by the big clock outside where the buses park, which also tells the temp btw, just so you know, & they were the same. that bus driver deserted me!! so i had to sit for another hour waiting on the next one. then i was glad to be one of the first stops & when i got off it was dark & cold, & i walked a half mile to the house.
my day is in now way improved by the fact that i’ve lost my net connection for some reason. all i know, is i had an update with an auto restart sometime this morning while i was sleeping, and when i woke up the computer seemed hung betweeon off and on. the tower power light was on, but i couldn’t wake it. so i went for the hard reboot & my tower started screaming at me! i had know idea what was happening. they speakers weren’t even on, so it was coming from the unit itself. it didn’t even stop when i pulled the power. i ended up unplugging everything from it & even flipping the surge protector. it eventually stopped by i have no more idea why it stopped than i did why it started, though it did stop when i unplugged the last cords from it, which were the USBs, mouse & wireless network adapter thing. so maybe it has something to do with why my net is now out? or maybe i got some security/firewall update that doesn’t mesh with the settings. all i know is my tower sounded like it was either on fire or i was trying to steal it, or both at the same time. but it was not hot, no smoking or smells. i don’t know. it works fine now though other than no net access. i’m hoping it will right itself. if not, i’ll deal with it when i’m back from TD09. tonight, i’m too tired to care, & it likely means dealing with e. & this would not be the first time he’s cut my access to the network for some petty reason.
ok, i’m done. i came in & typed this up in notepad just so i could truly capture my mood and thoughts at the time. i knew you would all want the fresh perspective.
What word comes to mind when you think of the life of Job? Trial. Affliction. Suffering. Endurance. Patience. But what about prosperity? The beginning and the conclusion of the book point us to this conclusion about Job’s life. Note the chiastic introduction and conclusion to the book:
A – Job’s prosperous life (1:1)
B – Job’s prosperous family (1:2)
C – Job’s prosperous wealth (1:3)
D – Job’s priestly mediation for his family (1:4–5)
‘D – Job’s priestly mediation for his friends (42:7¬–9)
‘C – Job’s abundantly prosperous wealth (42:10–12)
‘B – Job’s abundantly prosperous family (42:13–15)
‘A – Job’s abundantly prosperous life (42:16–17)
And notice the final verse of the book, this sort of epitaph etched on Job’s grave: “Then he died, an old man who had lived a long, full life” (42:17 NLT). Or as James says, “You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy” (James 5:11 NIV). Trials, affliction, suffering, endurance, and patience are all key themes in the book of Job. But we miss something when we fail to see “what the Lord finally brought about.” Which is the OT’s way of saying that God uses trials for our good. To those who love God, affliction is the pathway to blessing.
There comes a point in ones’ life when you sit back and think – why the fuck am I wasting my time in a place where I am not happy?
Solving this dilemma is not easy let me tell you.
Day after day after day I wake up and think, I wish I didn’t have to go to work.
I want to find the right job. The job where you can’t wait to wake up and go to work the next day. The one where you get to 4 o’clock in the afternoon and you realise, wow, I’m hungry.
Then you realise, shit! It’s because I forgot to have lunch. And let me just put into context how monumental that feeling is.
My day revolves around when and what I will be eating next.
I would even go so far to say the day I forgot to eat lunch and didn’t care was one of the most important of my life.
I had found something that occupied my mind more than food!
Why then, am I not working in radio?
The Human Computer Interaction Graduate Program at Iowa State University hosts a summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
This is a ten week internship where students take short courses in HCI and work in interdisciplinary teams on research projects. Their research is presented at the ISU Summer Research Symposium at the end of the program.
Round-trip airfare, housing and meals are provided, as well as a $4500 stipend.
The application deadline is February 19, 2010. APPLY ONLINE!
More information about this program can be found at http://www.hci.iastate.edu/REU/
Women and underrepresented minority students are highly encouraged to apply.
Any Questions:
Pam Shill, Program Coordinator
Human Computer Interaction Graduate Program
1638A Howe Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011
Email: pshill@iastate.edu, Telephone: 515-294-2089
www.hci.iastate.edu
Whether you’re searching for a job (like me) or just trying to make a good name for your self in your industry, it is important to be able to brand yourself. For the past year, I’ve worked to have an active presence on the web to be found by employers and recruiters and to have the ‘real me’ show up when I’m searched in Google.
There is more to the strategy, though, than just searching “Jessica Owens.” I wanted to be found with the most results on a search that would be most likely to be searched by employers. Although, it is unlikely that I can land even half of the top ten listings when searching “Jessica Owens.” I manually tested different terms and took a mental note on what sites showed up and what key words worked the best. It’s best to try to own all of the complicated searches before I can start really owning all of the results for “Jessica Owens.” Some of my searches include
“Jessica Owens” Northwood University
“Jessica Owens” Dow Chemical
“Jessica Owens” Social Media
“Jessica L Owens”
“Jessica Owens” Marketing
As I registered my name on sites for a profile, I learned that “Jessica L. Owens” was a little bit more specific and it would be less likely for “the real me” to get confused with another Jessica Owens. I registered my blog to be http://JessicaLOwens.com and made sure the title was related to my career or linked with my name specifically (I’ve changed it a couple of times to see what works best). I also changed my resume to title “Jessica L. Owens” in hopes that someone searching might use that as a search term verses “Jessica Owens” or could at least distinguish which results might not be mine if something shows up as “Jessica A. Owens.”
I’ve found that by just adding my middle initial, it is more likely for my work to be found. And of course, all of my profiles are linked to each other or linked to my work, so people looking for me, will see things that I want them to see, not what other people have posted, or about things that are not related to me.
Look at the difference between these two searches…
“Jessica L Owens”
Almost all of the top findings are actually something that I produced or links to something that I’ve produced.
“Jessica Owens”
Not a single result is the “real” me. There is a Google Profile listing at the very bottom that doesn’t show up on this screen shot that is actually my profile with my photo in the search result. Unfortunately, if you are a potential employer, and have never met me, you might not know that it is actually my profile.
My other, more specific searches that I’ve already mentioned do show some content that is about half true and half random. It’s a work in progress and for me, it’s a continuous learning process.
This is valuable practice for those who need to be found or want to differentiate themselves from others. Make your name or title unique to others and set yourself apart. Try using a middle initial, or a specific title while having an online presence on websites and profile networks. It will advance your online results for your name (or product/topic) much more quickly.
What word comes to mind when you think of the life of Job? Trial. Affliction. Suffering. Endurance. Patience. But what about prosperity? The beginning and the conclusion of the book point us to this conclusion about Job’s life. Note the chiastic introduction and conclusion to the book:
Almost all of the top findings are actually something that I produced or links to something that I’ve produced.
Not a single result is the “real” me. There is a Google Profile listing at the very bottom that doesn’t show up on this screen shot that is actually my profile with my photo in the search result. Unfortunately, if you are a potential employer, and have never met me, you might not know that it is actually my profile.