Tag: advice

Stop Using Me As A Reference On Your Resume

Published 2021/07/13

Stop Using Me As A Reference On Your Resume

Boom! Right smack dab in the middle of my day I get a fresh, unsolicited email dropped into the middle of my inbox. Dear Kevin, So-and-so listed you as a reference and I wanted to reach out and ask you some questions. Can you please provide detailed responses to the following 12 questions about this person for me please? Thanks,Corporate Recruiter Wow. Yeah, that is just what I needed. More work to do today. Hey, so-and-so. Why don’t you just take me off your references list as I don’t have time for that. Whew – deep breath. Let me start over. Having ranted and raved about the whole resume process and how awful it is many times previously, the act of putting references on a resume and then in the recruiter following up and reaching out to said references is just the cherry on top of a putrid pie. However,…

How High Do Developers Jump?

Published 2021/06/27

How High Do Developers Jump?

How high can you jump? The answer doesn’t really matter – the whole question is theoretical in any case. The real question is – when your boss tells you to jump what initial thrust is needed and at what angle to achieve the desired flight path while sailing through the air. It might also just be the case that your boss doesn’t even want you to jump at all. Sit down. This isn’t about leaping about all nimbly-bimbly here and there. What this is about is a discussion about professional development as a software developer. The jumping metaphor is a great way to describe a transition for any developer from a fresh-faced newbie to a more seasoned next level developer. You know, one of those people that now has just enough information to be dangerous? Let’s take a step back and not jump to any conclusions yet. See what I…

How Long Is A College Degree Relevant?

Published 2020/02/15

How Long Is A College Degree Relevant?

While reading resumes for an open position recently, an interesting thought surfaced: How long is a college degree relevant? This question may immediately make some people start to feel queasy. Specifically, the people that still have huge amounts of debt many years after that coveted piece of paper was awarded at some institute of higher learning. That queasiness cannot be helped by the realization that many years later much of the detailed knowledge that was imparted in those glory days of learning has started to fade. Yet, this is not an argument for or against a college degree. From the standpoint of an Engineering Manager, a college degree provides a great deal of value and information when reviewing resumes. The hiring process is all about guesswork and assumptions based on a very limited data set and, while it can be faulty in some cases, it does allow for many variables…

Published 2019/09/29

#EngineerAdvice

It is time I added this final category topic. Way back in the intro to the # category topics I mentioned that I wanted to provide an area to give new Engineers advice. Welcome to #EngineerAdvice. For any new Engineers first you need to know that working in a professional setting is new, different, and often hard. There are unwritten rules to follow, your responsibilities are greater, and the challenges are different than what you have experienced in the past. While in school or training you are responsibly for yourself and your knowledge. Sure – you may work on some smaller teams and share some responsibility but now you are working for an organization and you are just one piece of the puzzle. There are minefields around working with other humans, office politics, and project expectations that you will have to learn about and navigate. The fist and primary thing…