Posted on January 13th, 2011%
I’ve been trying to find a SQL programmer/DBA to hire for nearly two months. Each qualified resume I receive gets the same technical screening email with four SQL-related questions. They are not difficult, and most mid-level candidates would be able to answer them in their own words.
“Using someone else’s words isn’t going to get you a job, or help you keep a job if you get it.”
The tip here is to always respond to a technical screening email in your own words. We all know that there are answers to every question on the internet, and we all use the internet as a resource to help solve our problems. This is fine. But when someone sends you an email with technical questions, they want to hear the responses in your own words. It’s OK to provide references to web sites, or quotes/snippets — this shows you know how to do research. But don’t pass off the whole response as your own.
In . . .
→ Read More: Tip: Don’t plagiarize when answering technical interview questions
Posted on May 17th, 2010%
One thing I’ve learned to appreciate more as I’ve gotten older is simplicity. Less confusion, less clutter, less distractions can yield less stress and more productivity. (Note: I appreciate it much more than I am actually successful at doing it.)
One area where simplicity is important is in web design. A recent article by Smashing Magazine, “Principles of Minimalist Web Design, With Examples,” does a fair job at illustrating the importance of simplicity on the web, even though it’s focus is more on graphical design (not my specialty!) than interface design.
A link in the aforementioned article goes to an article, “The Minimalist Principle: Omit Needless Things,” by zenhabits, which is the source of the remainder of my comments in this post. . . . → Read More: Simplicity 101: reducing clutter via minimalism
Posted on April 12th, 2010%
Some days I get over a hundred emails. Often, 90% of those are a waste of my time, and that is after excluding junk mail and related marketing mumbo-jumbo. Why so much email fluff, not-quite-spam-spam? It’s because people don’t consider the human cost of sending an email.
The Email Cost Algorithm
To understand the productivity cost of an email, we need to consider the factors that go in to an email, and how they correlate to time.
First, some facts and assumptions regarding email reading speed.
All emails are intended to be read by all recipients.
The average American can read and comprehend at a rate between 250 and 400 words per minute.
People read about 25% slower on a computer screen than on paper.
We will assume the typical email reading speed is 250 words per minute.
Second, some facts and assumptions about email writing speed.
Every . . .
→ Read More: Stop the email!
Posted on April 8th, 2010%
How to manage a client’s expectations:
It’s not about bending over backwards for the client. It’s about making the client think your bending over backwards when you’re not bending at all.
Not sure if I heard that from someone else or made it up myself, but I’m sure I learned it from someone much smarter than me!
. . .
→ Read More: Quote: How to manage a client’s expectations
Posted on January 28th, 2010%
I commute to work five days a week, via train and ferry, and in each of those days I rub elbows with hundreds of fellow passengers. Fortunately, I often get a seat, which is helpful as I am on those trains and ferries for 60 minutes (each way!).
There are plenty of well-known rules when commuting, and I try to respect them all: be reasonably quiet, keep the headphone volume low, put your bags and packages at your feet or on your lap, don’t eat, and similar courtesies. One rule of commuting that is not well-known is related to how to choose what passenger you sit next to during your commute — and that is today’s topic.
Though I don’t do it as often now, I occasionally take (and used to always take) an express bus to work. These buses have four seats across, facing forward, split into pairs by an aisle. On an express bus, choosing a passenger to sit next to . . .
→ Read More: Choose your passengers wisely
