RE: Re: How do you differentiate yourself (UserFriendly)

["Cardimon, Craig" <ccardimon -at- M-S-G -dot- com>]

I think the Internet Boom killed off common courtesy and common sense. 

As soon as some idiot could show up in casual clothes, and bring his dog
to the interview, and still land the job of web programer -- all the
rules were turned on their heads. And we ain't recovered yet.

I guess the fact that thousands could apply instantly to a single ad
posted online also killed off the idea of a snail-mail rejection letter.

An acquaintance arranged for me to call someone he knew so I could make
appointment for an interview. This company is small and casual. Casual
dress, casual environment. I showed up wearing my Sunday best -- shirt
and tie, polished shoes. I was carrying printed copies of my resume. I
was the only one there wearing a suit. 

People walked in and out, up and down the halls, all wearing jeans or
khakis, and T-shirts, etc. Very comfy, very casual. 

After a short wait, I had a nice chat with my potential manager.

As soon as I left, I wrote out a thank you note and dropped it in the
business park's nearest mail box.

The next day, I had an offer by phone, which I accepted. The day after,
the official email offer arrived, which I returned, accepting. 

There was no Old School snail-mail offer. But I played by the Old School
rules.

-- Craig

 
-----Original Message-----
From: John Rosberg [mailto:jrosberg -at- interwoven -dot- com] 
Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2007 9:27 AM
To: Bill Swallow; Cardimon, Craig
Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: RE: Re: How do you differentiate yourself (UserFriendly)

Pardon me for chuckling at some of the posts here -- as one who was able
to vote (for or against) Richard Nixon (both times), the talk of the
"younger generation" not knowing beans about (fill in the blank) sounds
similar to the job hunting talk my grandfather gave me . . . 

The more things change, yes?

As others have written, one thing that HAS changed is the lack of common
courtesy displayed by both parties in the job search arena, agreed --
I've wondered about the chicken-or-the-eggedness of this for a while --
have folks stopped being courteous to the recruiting companies because
the companies have become churlish swine, or t'other way round?

No telling, likely, but it's nice to be told that you stood out in a
herd of candidate due to thank you emails and the like . . . it's good
to stand in the middle of a shallow talent pool!

rosberg 

-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Swallow [mailto:techcommdood -at- gmail -dot- com] 
Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2007 8:27 AM
To: Cardimon, Craig
Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: Re: How do you differentiate yourself (UserFriendly)

> That's because they don't. The old rules no longer apply -- except
when
> they do. As for myself, I adhere to the old rules because that's what
I
> grew up with. But I have asked many of those -- yeah, younger than me
--
> about how they hunt for work, and it is astounding. I am a dinosaur, I
> think.

There's a big disconnect between mentality and reality in younger job
seekers from my perspective (and this is coming from someone at the
ripe old age of 33). I've been helping several of my younger
fraternity brothers in their job hunts (recent grads, ages from 21 to
about 25), and I was initially shocked at their attitudes. At first I
thought it was personality, but it seems they ALL think the same way -
they all EXPECT to get a job, like they're entitled to it. Working
with them was very difficult at first ("Why do I need a cover letter?"
"You mean I can't just use the same one?" "This is too much work, I
just want a job!"). I let them try it their way at first (post their
resume on the Almighty Intertoobs and wait), and then when that didn't
work they were more interested in my advice. ;)

> Most people I have asked have shrugged off thank you notes, saying
they
> easily get jobs without them, so why bother. I send them, no matter
> what.

They're rare to receive from kids' birthday parties as well. I'd say
that less than 50% of kids these days send thank-yous to their party
guests. It's a cultural shift, but that doesn't mean the shift is
justified or correct. People remember courtesies that are extended. If
you want to be remembered well, send a thank-you. It takes under 10
minutes to write and at most the price of a stamp to send (and yes,
physical mail is far more effective, though slower to deliver).

> One person said he gets his jobs through word-of-mouth referrals
> (networking) and doesn't even have a paper resume. Good grief.

I am a strong proponent of networking, but never without a resume.

-- 
Bill Swallow
HATT List Owner
WWP-Users List Owner
Senior Member STC, TechValley Chapter
STC Single-Sourcing SIG Manager
http://techcommdood.blogspot.com

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