The Next America

Job Tips

This is a list of tips for job searchers in high-tech fields I compiled based on my experiences working for a major employer in New England. I've seen a lot of people come in through the door in the past couple of years.

1) Get on Monster.com. Brutally reject companies/situations you're not interested in. If you like the company, but are dubious about the job check it out. Many respectable large companies use Monster far more than is appropriate. Make sure your buzzwords are appropriately called out in the resume -- don't get too technical or it may not pass the initial HR screen. Don't go overboard or you'll be tortured on the interview.

2) Craigslist. For my fellow Harvard alums, harvard-jobs and harvard-startups mailing lists. Spotty but sometimes gold.

3) Informal groups like Bar Camp, Pito Salas' occasional geek meetups, Providence Geeks meetings at AS220, Brown Forum for Entrepreneurs.

4) Temp-to-perm rarely works for big companies (but is great for others). Many big companies specifically prohibit permanent contractors or temp conversions for legal reasons. Temp benefits will always suck and rarely get better. Understand this up front.

5) Apply directly to jobs in the right field at large companies. They are probably using the recruiter who will fill the job you want. They may drop hints about other jobs to apply for. If someone you've talked to previously tells you about an opening, they may be indirectly trying to tell you to apply (see #6).

6) However annoying it is, apply to each position separately at large companies. They are moving to highly legalistic processes to prove sufficient applicants were considered and that applicants weren't informally screened out using discriminatory practices. We can't even accept resumes at job fairs anymore -- all we can do is hand out business cards and ask people to go online. This is having a devastating affect on recruit quality.

7) Stay away from major companies with weak financials. Even if they are hiring, the process will be slow and painful. And then you might get laid off.  On second thought, apply but don't hold your breath.

8) You can't fight the tide. The market has gone from gangbusters to tight to approaching gangbusters at the beginning of this year (those who didn't prepare for their 2007 hires got burnt). When times are tight, be happy at the job you have -- the entire process turns slow, crowded, and painful.

9) Look at major venture capital websites in the area. Find who they've funded. Haunt the funded company websites and try to network through #3. You'll meet prefunding high-risk people in the bunches through #3. Might find the perfect opportunity, but hard to be patient if you're unemployed. Better to stick with funded if you have no job.

10) Check specialty job boards. Like joelonsoftware.com or a specific new field you're good at. Once everyone finds them, they're useless. But in the beginning, there can be some spectacular finds. They're looking for a mindset and a community outside the norm, not the riffraff from craiglist or monster. Play the card if you fit.

11) Either hop immediately if its a bad job (and neglect on resume or straight up explain as bad fit) or wait it out 18-24 months.

12) Figure out a way for people to contact you. I recommend a prepaid cellphone. I've got a Virgin Mobile one in a desk drawer that I can activate for $10 in 10 minutes. I have seen some great potentials get dropped cold after too many conversations with a stay-at-home spouse while trying to connect to Ms. Right. Doing screening interviews in the parking lot isn't pretty, but it works. Though check reception first.

13) If you are off the market, pull your resume from Monster, etc. We are unlikely to try again when you're back on. Off the market means not returning emails/phone calls quickly and in a professional manner. A quick professional no is always understood.

14) If you are in the slightest doubt, do not quit your current job until after you have passed the drug test. If you are going for a job requiring a security clearance, talk to a friend about the process to see if you have any red flags that will hold things up (foreign spouse, extensive foreign travel, credit problems are a start). 75% of people can get an interim clearance in two weeks after computer background and credit checks are completed which is more than enough to get lots of real work done. Some people will take years for no discernable difference. It may be 2+ years before you're in the job you were hired for. Your new career will be much more likely to take off if you're part of the 75%. This warning does not apply to entry level (some delays are assumed in hiring).

15) Figure out if you're a big company or a small company person. Neither wants to hire the other type if possible. Do not mix the two resumes and get advice from someone knowledgable to rewrite your resume and retailor your interview if you're looking to switch. If you're a big company person, look up the top 5 or 10 employers in the area. Figure out which ones suck (work conditions, products, management, etc.). Watch the survivors' websites like a hawk. There are only a few actual choices for most big company people.

16) Make sure you get hired into the right group in large companies if career prospects are a major concern. There are some very tempting job writeups that are absolute dead ends. You want to be in big groups where you have a mainstream skill set. Army of one is great if you're happy to stay where you land.

Building a Media PC

I'm 95% done with my new Media PC.

I previously had used a Hauppauge MediaMVP with the custom SageTV firmware (pretty much reprograms it as a Sage terminal). Nice piece of hardware for $100 or so. Did the job. One problem was that it couldn't show streaming content for fairly obvious reasons. But great on downloaded or archived TV shows. The other problem was that the interface was a bit sluggish and strange things would happen like not being able to rewind. Technologically, its amazing it works at all. But just not a premium experience. The other problem is that the TV card in the Sage "host" computer is fairly low quality and the computer itself is not reliable enough for an always-on appliance. So it didn't replace the Tivo.

I built the Media PC from scratch. Shuttle case (very elegant and incredibly dense fit). Core Duo 4300. 1TB of HD.

Picture quality is great though I'm not thrilled by the resolution. Have to switch between "Zoom" aspect for watching TV and "Full" aspect for using the computer. The onboard card doesn't support custom resolutions. Probably off to buy a cheap card. Accidentally, didn't get the SPDIF interface for long-term sound (on order).

I was surprised that Vista doesn't support drive mirroring at the OS level. I was surprised how quickly it installed. I was surprised how quickly it reinstalled after I hit the "disappearing control panel" problem, rendering my system useless, within 5 hours. Apparently, there's a nasty interaction between some drivers and Vista that makes the control panel inaccessible. I'm not sure whether it was updated Hauppauge WinTVPVR drivers or Powerstrip, but I'm not touching either again.

I'm surprised that Media Center doesn't allow and automatically consolidate multiple data locations (since without mirroring, I now have 950GB of media space). You can have media in multiple locations, but you can only record to a single location. Doesn't seem like a hard problem. The Media Center interface isn't as good as the Tivo being replaced (hopefully), but its good enough. They were definitely too cute on their interface design.

The biggest surprise was that my new $30 DVD writer was much, much better than my 4-year-old $30 DVD reader at ripping CDs. Several "unrippable" CDs had clean reads. And it rips fast.

Spring Boarding at Vail

Out to Colorado on business this week. Got there early for a day of boarding at Vail. I haven't seen a lot of blog entries to give people a sense of what the conditions are really like on April 8 for skiing/boarding. Unlike some ski areas (most of the East Coast), Vail does not have an almost fraudulently cheerful daily assessment of conditions during early and late season. Instead, they provide just the facts -- which doesn't tell a lot.

1) Not crowded in the slightest. #30 in the gondola line arriving 5 mins before it opened. Guy scalping lift ticket vouchers within sight of the cashier. Plentiful parking but still expensive ($17/day). However -- Northwoods Express (the only real way to get back right on the mountain) was crowded. Not unbelievably, horribly, as it is during even non-peak times. But still a real line.

2) The bottom of the mountain was in pretty bad shape. Luckily, the bottom of Vail isn't that great to begin with so you're not missing much other than an unpleasant ending to the day. The signs posted recommending downloading on the Gondola are the right idea. Unfortunately, their very nice intermediate terrain park is below the Lionshead gondola making cycling through it pretty unpleasant. The intermediate halfpipe is excellent -- tall enough to practice proper technique, but short enough to be safe. In contrast, the main pipe at Steamboat is ridiculous and the beginner pipe there is useless (far too short). The main pipe at some places on the East Coast is equivalent to the intermediate pipe at Vail.

3) Back bowls/Blue Sky Basin were nice but slushy. The warm weather had actually made much of the ungroomed areas better than it normally would be several days after snow as it had reduced mogul size, probably through melting. Many wooded areas were unboardable due to severe trenching. People focused on the groomed portions of the back area, completely missing out on the best area -- Mongolia Bowl. It had been closed for the past few days, but people assumed it had been skiied off and didn't check it out. Instead, I got run after run on untouched (and a bit slushy) snow, each time with less than 5 people in the entire bowl. A top 5 lifetime day.

4) Wait for the snow to soften later in the morning or stay on the groomed areas (and don't fall down -- rock hard at the beginning of the day).

When Vail is good it is unbelievable. When it is bad (extortionate concessions/lodging/everything, crowding, inconvenience) it is pretty annoying. Will definitely go back at this time of year -- better than a normal day during peak season, though not a powder day :)

Wyndham Andover

Well -- after three months of not posting and miniscule traffic (boy, time flies) I'm now Typepad's best/most profitable customer.

Staying this week at the Wyndham in Andover. 

Pros:

I put the wrong frequent traveller number in my reservation. They actually looked me up and fixed the error.

Said program (Wyndham ByRequest) doesn't give points. Instead, you get free phone calls, free wireless, 500 airline miles, AND a welcome snack of your choice on your online profile (mine is Heineken and chocolate chip cookies) all iced down and waiting for you in your room.

Nice pool and hot tub and a small but serviceable exercise room.

In addition to the beer they had a free bottle of water in the ice bucket. To my surprise, my untouched bottle was freshly iced when I returned today. A small gesture -- but way beyond my expectations for $109/night (I get a killer corporate rate+free breakfast).

Cons:
Most parking is very distant from the front door making checkin/checkout a real pain.

Need for Speed Most Wanted

I spent a good part of Thanksgiving playing this game with my two cousins. It is pretty accessible and fun for a group as you can pass the controller around between races. And the U/I is complex enough that it helps to have a second person to read maps, track police cars, etc.

I've clearly missed out on a lot of technological advancement in the driving game space. Wow.

I Hate Mercury

So I took Friday off to spend a whole day in the "shipyard". It's getting cold and I need to finish things up before first freeze.

While disassembling the water pump (replacing the impeller is smart maintenance every year or two and its hard to know how long it has been with a used boat) a bolt snapped. Finally ended up drilling it out and tapping new threads. As part of this, it was evident that the pump base was cracked and needed replacement. $90 from Mercury.

Here's where it gets confusing. 43055a4 is the "old base" which uses traditional gaskets. 19282a1 is the "new base" with integrated silicon gasket. The difference is explained well in the tech manual. I had a "new base" which broke. I had purchased on Ebay a 43055a4 for $40 (which came with a bonus 43055a2, 2 being an earlier revision, apparently the same except for no new spacers). When I got it, I realized this was the old base, so went to order directly. The tech manual was confusing, since it said that the new base could not be used with old pumps, but was silent whether old bases could be used with the newerpumps. I found 19282a1 is no longer available, replaced by 19282a2. So I opened up my 19282a2 from Cape Marine -- and it was an old base too. Not only that, it was completely identical to the 43055a4 with the same manufacturer markings on the base. Two different part #s, two different prices ($86 vs. $88), identical products.

So what happened? I'll get back my $90 (-10% restocking fee). Apparently the silicon bases were unreliable (surprise, maybe like how mine broke), so they moved back to the old pump base. And I've got a 43055a4 for sale for $40+shipping (I installed the a2 freebie).

Oh, and completely undocumented (another waste of $50), the two seals come preinstalled on all bases, so neither the 2 $10 seals nor the $30 tool for seal placement is necessary.

Repairing the Lifecycle 5000

One of the stranger things of modern life is that the more stuff we get, the more stuff breaks. Yet the TV repairman is nearly out of business. Many things can only be repaired in distant specialty shops. And some of it is hard to transport -- getting an exercise bike out of the basement, into an SUV/pickup, dropped off, picked up, etc. is a lot of work. If I were looking for a small business for a mechanically/electrically inclined high school student, exercise equipment repair would be ideal.

So here's my Lifecycle 5000 story. The first computerized bike with variable resistance (though only one resistance program). Built for gyms, lasts forever. Doesn't require electrical power -- everything is powered by the alternator you're driving by pedal. Bought it used in 1997. Stopped working in 2001 (dead battery). From 2000 on, had problems where after 5 minutes or so, "surges" would occur requiring intense peddling far beyond normal to keep going.

1) Get to know National Gym Supply. They are your friend. The manufacturer could care less about individuals. NGS is tuned to small gyms, but they'll work with you. They provide phone technical support for troubleshooting -- not always the best help, but beats banging your head against a wall. They also offer exchange service, so you can have both your old and new parts on hand and really determine if the old part is broken. And a good catalog. Other sources have fewer parts at pretty much the same price.

2) Replace the battery ($25). That's their first advice. It may be wrong. I'd already replaced it in 2001. If you don't have a high enough battery voltage, the field won't flash on the alternator, thus power won't be produced at the right voltage. Being off a volt or two can cause a range of tricky problems and behavior. But if you can get "correct" behavior (select time, select level, pedal a couple of minutes) its not a battery problem. If the battery is below field flash voltage, you can't recharge it. Unless you flash the field with an external battery (one for power tools worked well for me)

3) Replace the alternator control board ($55). The "difficulty" of pedaling is controlled by adding artificial load to the alternator. The more power you're producing, the tougher it is to pedal. The ACB "bleeds" power through the huge honking resistor attached and has a circuitry to control the amount of power. Seems like the culprit, but its not. If this had failed you would likely see no change in perceived resistance, or a consistent increase.

4) Replace the alternator ($85). Interesting job -- get out your muscle wrenches. Ultimately, this fixed the problem. The alternator produces power based on the load applied. Once the power got beyond a certain level, the damaged brushes couldn't carry enough power, thus resistance increased exponentially trying to "force" the extra power demanded. Requires removal of the crank which requires a bearing puller (available at any auto parts store). There's a funny looking thing that looks like a setscrew on the crank -- ignore it -- just pull it off. If you could figure out another application of the same alternator, you could probably get it cheaper somewhere else.

5) Replace the alternator brush ($10.50). Probably an easier solution. I'd already bought the alternator so was committed. But on further reflection, probably would have solved the problem. No evidence of a general alternator problem, just a problem handling high power. And brushes are the wearable part.

Things I Have for Sale

The great thing about the web is that if you're selling something obscure, and you're accessible by google, people will find you.

I've seen it a lot looking for parts for my boat engine. There's the dealer network (slow, expensive, high shipping) and everyone else (access to non-OEM replacements, good customer service, quick shipping). Mercury outboards are particularly obnoxious since they don't fulfill your order. Instead, they pass it to a local dealer who may or may not feel like fulfilling it in a timely and complete fashion. After two weeks when you call and its magically shipped the next day, you realize the internet revolution has yet to hit that dealership. So I buy a lot off Ebay and small sellers where I can.

Occasionally you get the wrong thing. Or have to buy a minimum quantity. But my theory is that I can resell these items quick. Because they know they're coming from a real person like themselves. And they're well described. And I ship at reasonable prices (listed is UPS/Fedex Ground; upgraded shipping at my cost; love to combine; pickup in RI). I could do it on Ebay. But the power of google means people will come to me...eventually.

Here goes:

(10/06) 91-13949 $35+5 -- installer tool -- used for installation of seals into a water pump base. Hint: unnecessary if you buy a new base.

(10/06) 26-43035, 26-43036 $16+2 -- seals for water pump bases

(10/06) 43055A 4 $45+5 -- aluminum base (cover assy) for Mercury water pump; with gaskets. Factory sealed. Identical to 19282A2 (the silicon bases originally sold as 19282a1 are no longer sold)

(10/06) 22 816856T 3 $13+4 -- Fuel connector; female connector that accepts yamaha-style two prong fuel line. Factory sealed. From Mercury minimum quantity is 2.

(10/06) Quicksilver Needle Bearing Assembly Grease -- $8+4 Tough to find; Essential for certain lubrications inside the powerhead. Found mislabelled on Ebay as boat trailer grease.

(10/06) 1395-823635 4 -- carb rebuild kit, 1395-9594 Fuel Float, 3 carb gaskets $54+4 -- Not really interested in selling; Will if you need them bad enough.

From my Corvette parts collection. GMpartsdirect.com is pretty good so you'd probably have to be local for these to be worthwhile.

(10/06) 1028-3575 Front Deflector -- wrong part

(10/06) 10419313 Lower Fascia -- right part; wrecked the car and insurance paid for repairs prior to installing

(10/06) 16267411 Interior Thermostat -- right part, still not sure if it would help

Glass roof with cracking in middle layer (cosmetic, no structural issues). Classic problem. Good as core for refurb or a temporary.

And my small Jeep parts collection:

(11/06) 56006867 Underhood lamp shield $8 + $3 -- didn't need it for repair.  

American Standard Faucets

On Sunday, I installed a new faucet in my kitchen. The old one had been leaking.

Last week, I went to Home Depot and found the perfect faucet. $100. Not too bad. American Standard trumpets their lifetime warranty. Powerful sales tactic when your previous one just failed. Very nice packaging.

On Sunday (after two trips to the hardware store), I installed the faucet. The cold water didn't work. Just a trickle. Lots of hot water. I disassembled the faucet and looked at the cartridge. No visible problems.

Like most big vendors in big box stores they had a flyer in the box. "Do not return this item". The tremendous negotiating power of Home Depot and similar means the manufacturer eats return costs, shipping, etc. $30-40 down the tubes. Call <b>us</b> if you have any problems. The first key that they were not serious was that they had no hours on Saturday or Sunday which is when amateurs fix their houses. So I waited until Monday morning. I spoke to a nice gentleman who wanted me to disassemble the faucet which I had already done. I insisted on a new cartridge. 7-10 business days.

Now 7-10 business days was fine when my outdoor fireplace was missing a few bolts. It could be assembled regardless, just not as sturdy. This is my kitchen faucet. No water for cooking (at least not hot water -- I had reversed the hoses since only cold water is better than a scalding). No washing hands or hand washing dishes. For two weeks.

I told the gentleman I would be returning the faucet to Home Depot. Which I did. Their feeble attempt at customer service "call us first" only served to annoy me. They should have offered to fedex the part next day or simply told me to return the product. Either would preserve the relationship.

Instead, they polluted their brand and won points for Home Depot, since they come off as the defender of the consumer.

Note: I returned a bathroom fan purchased 10 months ago to Home Depot last month. Never got around to the project. The cashier was quizzical, but I was more than happy to get store credit.

Easy Returns

Joel Spolsky has an interesting post today on why he makes returns so easy for his company.

Amazon has really easy returns (though a little slow to process). But they're happy to let items cross in transit. No talking to people involved.

Home Depot and Lowes are very easy on returns. I once returned a flat of plants several months after planting season. No question refund. They encourage you to buy both and return the one you don't use (or your wife doesn't like). Last weekend I purchased three increasing levels of new stuff for grinding a hole in a steel plate, fully intending to return the unused ones. Lucky for them, everything was opened and no return.

Target is good on returns. My wife will frequently buy gifts, show them to me or find something better, and return them.

Some stores (especially women's clothing) are cracking down. And I know many women who deserve to be cracked down on (returning a worn dress is surprisingly common and pretty crass). But they should be very careful to distinguish between great customers who spend $300 and return $150 unworn and bad customers who spend $200 and return $200.

Your best customers may return quite a bit. And buy even more.