I’ve been swamped of late and am still trying to catch up on my RSS reading. I did just read this hilarious post from GL over at What Would Dad Say. You have to read the whole thing – it is excellent. I’m still laughing as I type. The content primarily discusses what not to do in a layoff The post is written from the recently laid-off employee’s perspective. The line that got me laughing (emphasis mine): 1. Include an obvious misspelling or two in the letter €” ideally, something that would slip past a spell checker but be caught easily by anyone who bothered to proofread it. Suggestion: €œIf… Read More
Continue ReadingI’m It
Ok, I have been delinquent in responding to Clayton from Salesopedia and his tag of me. Apparently I have to share 8 little known things about me. I’ll give it a try: I am a twin. I have a “younger” sister – I was born 3 min. before her. Still counts. Although I live in Minnesota, I was born in Ann Arbor, MI and bleed Maize and Blue. I only lived there the first 5 years of my life, but it had a huge impact on me no matter what the Rock Star says. I met my wife at work. I was in sales and she was in marketing. We… Read More
Continue ReadingTalk About Experience
Ok, bit of a laugh here from an ad I read this morning. The ad doesn’t mention the company name and lists 10 bullet points describing the position’s requirements. The last bullet (and line) in the ad caught my attention: Experience in sanitation or portable toilets business is a plus Do you think maybe the author was attempting to sneak that point through like a Phil Niekro fastball?
Continue ReadingDining At The Corporate Cafeteria
Ok, this may only interest me, but I am fascinated by the large corporate environment. So it is obvious that I had to read BusinessWeek.com’s The Most Innovative Corporate Cafeterias. Of course is there is the obligatory Google mention to start the article: Google’s Mountain View (Calif.) headquarters€”dubbed the Googleplex€”boasts 15 cafeterias, each with its own theme and menu. Options range from regional American cuisine to tapas to dishes emphasizing locally grown ingredients. Ok, we get it – Google has unbelievable benefits. Microsoft boasts 26 cafés at its main Redmond (Wash.) campus, with several more slated to open this year and next€”and that’s not counting the pantries scattered throughout the… Read More
Continue ReadingNew Sales Position – Google Clicker
I kid you not – I just read the employment ad for it. The ad does not describe the position in any way but it does mention that this opportunity is “legitimate.” A good rule of thumb – if they have to say it is legitimate, it probably isn’t.
Continue ReadingAd Irony
From perusing the morning ads I came across a company looking for a Quality Engineer. One of the requirements is to be a “Competent technical writer.” Unfortunately, this plastic injection-molding company misspelled their name in the listing – XYZ Platics. That, my friends, is a perfect example of irony.
Continue ReadingWho Have You Met?
I’m not sure this is the most compelling statement regarding your own skills on an email cover: I am better at network management than anybody I’ve ever met
Continue ReadingQuestioning A Potential Employer’s Sanity
I have a weakness for poorly-written cover letters and have enjoyed Cover Letters From Hell from Killian & Co. Their latest newsletter has a new twist – candidate responses to rejection letters. Ah, new territory to expand my enjoyment. This is the one that had me rolling: Dear Madam, Here in the body and mind of [Name], we express ourselves thoroughly and as accurately as possible. We highly regard integrity and honesty and as such, only pursue those actions that are aligned with those qualities. Thus, we have found some inconsistencies in your response and we feel compelled to respond… You say that you only ‘are able to’ pursue professional,… Read More
Continue ReadingFast And Loose
This is from a shady-looking sales employment ad: Now is the time to get into the fast paced sales industry. We are looking for mativated (sic) well spoken individuals with a loose tongue. I’m speechless.
Continue ReadingOf Dads And CEOs
From CNNMoney.com comes a humorous article titled Do CEOs make lousy dads (and moms)? The Q&A format is a discussion of an entertaining new book from a former comedy programmer at HBO. The guy is now a CEO of an executive search firm in Los Angeles who almost lost his wife during an armed robbery. The article starts with some stats from a monster.com survey: …found that 58% think their employers should do more to accommodate the demands of fatherhood; 71% of those with a child under age 5 took a paternity leave when it was offered. The poll also found that, if money were no object, 68% of fathers… Read More
Continue Reading