Latest Posts - Page 97 of 197

March 18, 2020March 9, 2020 Mastering Your Career

Resume Extras – Including Bells and Whistles

We have looked at resumes that are too large or too small. Now we discuss what makes one “just right.” In this episode, our focus is on resume extras or bells and whistles. These are items that might make our resume more impressive, or they could just make it gaudy or desperate. Resume Extras That Matter – Complementary Skills There are almost always experiences we have that are close to a need, but not exactly. For example, writing SQL queries in MySQL instead of Oracle. These skills fall under a category we call complementary. They can help you win a job even when you are not an exact match for the job needs. In a case like this, those bells... Read more

March 16, 2020March 9, 2020 Mastering Your Career

Large Resume Challenges – When Experience Becomes Too Much

This episode delves into a problem that may seem a non-issue. We look at what to do with a large resume. The thin resume challenge may seem like a significant obstacle. However, we can have too much information and end up effectively hiding the most critical data. That can be a fatal step in landing a job or project, so we need to be aware of how to handle this. A Large Resume From Detailed Experience If you have just listened to the episode on a thin resume, then you might become frustrated. Some of the things we highlighted in the prior episode will now be turned on their heads. For example, we looked at expanding a one-liner job experience... Read more

March 13, 2020March 3, 2020 Mastering Your Career

The Short Resume – Getting a Job With Minimal Experience

We all have started our professional life with that most challenging obstacle in front of us, experience. I think all of us have experienced the challenge of getting experience when every job seems to require it. This common chicken-or-egg situation is not hopeless. We can put together a compelling case even when we have minimal experience in specific areas or skills. Minimal Experience or None At All When we have limited or zero experience in the desired area, we have to get creative. Our best chance of winning these positions is through complementary skills. Remember that most IT positions are aimed at solving problems. When you dig into the problem to be solved, you can find some options for getting... Read more

March 11, 2020March 8, 2020 Mastering Your Career

Career Improvement – From Better Developer To Better Career

We kick off the new season on career improvement with an episode to set the table. We take a look at what we will cover and how our attitude can drive success. Our path is not always easy. However, it should be enjoyable. When you are unhappy at your job, it is time to look elsewhere. There is no need to be miserable. Both Sides of The Table This season will look at several topics from both the hiring and prospective hire views. Communication with our boss, coworkers, and staff is critical. Thus, insight into how “the others” live and view jobs can help us all. We will use multiple viewpoints and seasons of a career throughout this season in... Read more

March 9, 2020March 1, 2020 Special Topics

Milestones An Excellent Tool For Marking and Driving Progress

As we reach a milestone episode number (350), it is a good time for us to look closer at milestones. These project management tools may appear to be tags or labels along our path. However, they are more than that and are a valuable way to drive us through to completion. Also, they can be points in time that allow us to take a step back and ensure we are still on track. Milestones can be a clean start One of the best values of a milestone is that it allows us to define a before and after. We can often get a fresh start as we pass one of these points. Nearly everyone embraces this fact. Even when we... Read more

March 6, 2020February 26, 2020 Special Topics

Best Practice Mistakes – Process Drift

We all make mistakes. Even our best intentions can lead to errors. Thus, we can make best practice mistakes. While this may seem like an impossible situation, you will soon see that it is common. Knowing the recommended approach does not mean we will follow it nor even that we should. Rules Are Meant To Be Broken The first thing to consider in avoiding best practice mistakes is whether your situation is applicable. There are extreme examples like knowing to wait thirty minutes after eating before swimming is no help in designing software. We need to apply these wise recommendations properly. The challenge comes when we are asked to determine whether a technology best practice should apply to our specific... Read more