Shakadoo.com

Recently I've been doing a little guest posting on a website called Shakadoo.com.  What do they do?  Take a look at their first page:

 

Shakadoo is a site written and created for those who love their home. Whether you live in a condo or a castle, Shakadoo has a place for you.

 

Shakadoo has several different "shaks": the LoanShak, WorkShak, ShakYard, Shaktronics, Shak In Style, Shakhammer and the Love Shak, Baby (love that title).  It's an interesting community that they are trying to build there that I would recommend that you check out.

 

However, don't think that my "pro" blogging job will decrease my regular blogging output.  You see, I know how to use Google.  Ah, the Internet is a wonderful place.

 

There are some single dads out there that I owe a post to, though.  I haven't forgotten about you.  Expect it tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

Interview Well

Lifehacker, one of my very favorite websites, has a pretty good article from Yahoo Finance up on how to ace a job interview.  The Brazen Careerist has this tip:

 

An interview isn't an improvisation -- it's a rehearsed performance. And it's no mystery what the most common interview questions are, so prepare you answers. Even if you end up fielding a question you didn't anticipate, surely a version of one the 50 answers you did prepare will work with the surprise question.

You can practice with a friend, or you can go back to your college counseling office, which will probably help you out no matter where you are in your career. But Alexandra Levit at Water Cooler Wisdom recommends using InterviewTrue to practice on video.

Practice makes perfect.  This article, while geared towards the youthful set (for example, "Stop stressing about your MySpace page"), a lot of the advice here translates well to any job seeker.  Practice does make perfect.  Knowing your audience is still important.  Keep that tips and others mentioned in the article in mind whether you are in a meeting room with your future boss and her team of ten, or are interviewing with a executive headhunter based in Chicago.

 

 

 

 

 

Note To Employers: How To Tame A Geek

This post is for employers, if any of you are: A Note To Employers: 8 Things Intelligent People, Geeks and Nerds Need To Work Happy.

 

There are many reasons to let geeks work the way they want to work. Today they work in every industry. They are the knowledge base, blood and sweat equity of many businesses. They work harder than most. They work longer than most. Their job isn't a separate "thing they do" while they look forward to going home and relaxing. Geeks *live* what they do. They eat, sleep and breathe it. They are your systems administrators, your IT team, your programmers, your web developers, your designers… and sometimes even your customer service and sales people. Anyone who understands how to leverage todays technology to increase intelligence, productivity and efficiency; anyone who stays up nights working to get better at what they do; anyone whose job is their life - is a geek. These are the most important asset your company has. For this reason, its important to give geeks what they want. Best part is, if you do, they most likely will not leave your company to work for someone who will.

 

Found via Reddit, but blogged, and quite successfully, in my opinion, by Nomadishere, the Seeker of Truth.  He goes on to actually list eight ways to satisfy this distinct personality type at the office.

 

Reading the article, I tend to agree with a lot of the points made; I think the post is an excellent summary.  As an employer, I would guess that following through on several of the mentioned suggestions would make any intelligent, tech-oriented, slightly compulsive but hard-working person pause before vaulting a position. 

 

On the other hand, if you ARE that intelligent, tech-oriented, slightly compulsive yet hard working person, you might find an employer who actually follows the eight steps outlined in the article rather difficult to find.

 

Good suggestions.  Your mileage, however, may vary.

 

 

You Never Get A Second Chance To Make A First Impression

I may be an old fart (not really, but I'm definitely no spring chicken, either), but I always am staying up on my resume, because, well, you never know.  Here are some intelligent resume tips.

 

The terrifying reality regarding your resume is that for all the many hours you put into fine-tuning, you've got 30 seconds to make an impression on me. Maybe less.

It's unfair, it's imprecise, and there's a good chance that I make horrible mistakes, but there's a lot more of you than me, and while hiring phenomenal teams is the most important thing I do, I'm balancing that task with the fact that I need to build product and manage the endless stream of people walking into my office.

But here's a glimpse. I'm going to walk through the exact mental process I use when I look at a resume. I don't know if this is right or efficient, but after fifteen years and staring at thousands of resumes, this is the process.

Rands In Response came up with this list.  I consider it to be pretty well done.

 

I've reviewed untold numbers of resumes, which makes me now expert.  Most of my resume-writing chops comes from writing reams of resumes over the years.  I practice.  These seem like pretty good nuggets of advice to me - and I use similar ideas when I write my own res.

Welcome To Smart Resumes!

Welcome to Smart Resumes!

Here at Smart Resumes, we offer resume services and employment information, all in a blog format. Our resume writing service offers:

- Resume editing services
- Resume writing services
- Cover letter writing services

All of these services are offered at flat, low rates. We can tailor your resume by organization, industry, and offer these services to people in all aspects of their job search. Whether you are a student looking for the first job, a mid-level professional, an exectutive, even if you are in the military or a person getting back into the work force after a long layoff, Smart Resumes is for you!

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Thank you, and enjoy our site!