At the Texas Linux Fest I was particularly intrigued by Amber Graner, who went from a complete Linux newbie, to becoming a Ubuntu User Magazine contributor in one year. She spread a message that everyone, no matter how non-technical they are, can become proficient in Ubuntu. As they progress, they can participate in user forums, educating less ( Read more... )

I'm sure there are more, but these are just the two kinds that come to mind right now ( Read more... )

One of the truths we are told at job search clubs and interviewing workshops is: find out what problem a company is facing at the moment, and suggest ways to solve it. Getting them to see you as a solution to their problem may be the key to hiring you ( Read more... )

Phone etiquette, I think ( Read more... )

As I said on Facebook, the reason I go to job search clubs at churches is because Texas Workforce Commision requires you to make 5 "job search activities" to receive unemployment benefits, and going to a job search club counts as one activity. (Somebody has informed me that it's easier to meet those requirements than I thought. Thanks, you-know-who ( Read more... )

My other gripe regarding automated job search application goes towards Texas Workforce Commission. It makes you fill out an enormously long profile that lists various aspects of a programmer's work, and asks you how much experience, if any, you have in each of them. Then it matches you with jobs based on how much overlap there is between tasks you ( Read more... )

In my job search I've run across not just one, but two big companies that use the same resume-parsing application. The existence of such applications is new to me -- they weren't there when I was looking for a job 9 years ago. This piece of software parses your resume after you upload it to the company's website, extracts relevant information from ( Read more... )

Not long ago I read Clay Shirky's now infamous "Rant About Women". He says one of the reasons women bump their heads against glass ceilings is women don't self-promote as aggressively as men. He is not, however, just talking about positive self-promotion, such as pointing out your achievements whenever relevant. Clay Shirky thinks that truly ( Read more... )

I got laid off from my job today. To be fair, I had been burned out after 10 years at it. But now there is this unpleasant (though in some ways exciting) necessity to figure out what's next. Meanwhile, if you know any C++, C#, or Perl developer positions that require at least medium level of experience, please send them my way. (Hell, I'll consider ( Read more... )