No second interview?

You walk out of the interview room feeling ten feet tall and bullet proof. The interviewer clicked with you and you had an extended conversation that went on to your families, education, dogs, and so forth. And then its the last time you hear from them again. Was it you? Was the job eliminated? How could something that you were so sure you were a lock for disappear? Smoke'n fox, former pro volleyball player, and career advisor Penelope Trunk gives you a few reasons here. There are a few other reasons I'd like to outline as well and they come from a mental checklist that I always went through upon exiting a job interview that are sure to not get a return call.

1. Did we hit any of the "forbidden topics" of religion, sex or politics?

2. Did I botch any of the softball questions like, "Tell me about yourself."

3. Was I actually able to show where I could create value or make changes?

4. How much of the interview actually centered on the job as opposed to just idle chit chat around other things that didn't involve the job?

5. Did I actually fit into the job or was I just filler for the interviewer to fill all the slots? (This actually happened to me several times. I don't think I could be a 24 hour on call oil drill sales representative)

There are dozens of other reasons why you could not get a call back from the interviewer but don't feel discouraged if you don't hear back from them. Keep lining up the interviews and make sure you know what color your parachute is.

Home Sweet Home

Let's face it, if you are in the engineering / technology industry, you're going to start off alright. (Well, unless you have a ton of college loans to be worried about, but we'll get to that later.)

So, the question a lot of you may face as you plan out your future is, "Do I rent, or do I buy?"

There are a lot of factors that play into this decision, but, I think that if you are going to be in one place for at least three years, you should buy. *Remember, a lot of this is just my opinion.* Well, let's think about it from a logical standpoint, because (as engineers) this is how we think. When you rent, your money goes to the person that actually owns that house. They want you to rent because they want to make money off of you - it's an investment for them. On the other hand, buying a house is an investment for you. Your money is actually going towards something. Another good reason you may want to buy instead of renting is the special incentives for first-time home buyers. Some of these incentives could be no down payment, a lower interest rate, or no closing costs. But you have to be careful, make sure that whatever incentives they offer you do not actually factor into the final price of the house or aren't hidden somewhere in your mortgage loan. I know, I know, we're all tired of hearing about "loan consolidation" and "mortgages". You may even be thinking, "I just want to pay off my car first".

The bottom line is - you are probably going to have to pay for all kinds of things. Look at everything as a whole and know what your rates are. College loans can have lower interest rates than other loans. And sometimes you can consolidate to lock in a lower and fixed interest rate. You have to decide for yourself. When it comes to your money, no one is going to know your situation better than yourself. Look into loan information on your own. Inquire what your interest rates are and pay more toward whatever has the highest rate. Makes sense, huh? I know a lot of us would rather stick our money under a mattress and never have to worry about all the details and confusion. You've worked hard for that degree - put it to work at it's best by putting your finances in order.

I'm looking for a house right now and I've just consolidated my college loans - if you have any questions or want advice, I can at least point you in a good direction.

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

I recently had to break the news to my boss that I would be leaving at the end of November. I will be moving to Austin, TX, where my fiance just got a great job offer.

You know that feeling you have when you have to break up with someone? It's that kind of feeling/situation; you have to do it, but it's really not a conversation you are looking forward to.

My advice to you is, do it as early as you can - your boss will appreciate as much notice as possible. He/she may even want you involved in the selection and training of your replacement. Also, it is very professional and shows that you respect your superior. It also leaves you in a good standing with your employer. You will probably want your boss to be a reference for future job applications. Also, once things are out in the open, you don't have to worry about your superiors knowing that you are looking for another job. Who knows, they may even have connections for you.

I really feel that people are understanding about the situations that occur in your life. Wanting to get married and having a family are parts of a lot of people's lives. Those desires and ambitions need to be respected and and not pushed to the back-burner. Instead of being 100% career-minded, just know what your priorities are and don't be afraid to pursue those.

A successful career is not one that makes you a lot of money, or one that you can devote all of you time towards, but it is one that you can be happy with. For me, this involves being able to have a family and be close to the family that I already have.

They say that breaking up is hard to do...well, keep in mind what your goals are, and it will all be worth it.

Just when you thought your degree didn't mean anything

If you have a tech degree watch this video and think very carefully about what it is you are going to be capable of in a few years. If anything this makes me wish I could have given up Ag Economics and taken a few programming classes instead.

When to fit in and when to buck the trend

Fitting in at work can be dangerous or it can fix your career path onto easy street. Should you stand out as an outspoken person socially who is professionally competent or should you keep to yourself and just get your job done with no thought as to what your co-workers think or do around you? As with most things in life the best thing to do sits somewhere in between the two extremes.

For example, at my place of work my direct supervisor just relocated to the corporate office. She is a great person with an incredible work ethic who I see as being a great resource for me. The only disadvantage is that she is a workhorse and a half. She shows up to work early and works through lunch never stopping to even go to the bathroom. My other co-worker is the exact same way, he even focuses on his work so much that I can call his name directly to the back of his head and he will have zoned me and everybody out to the point of inadvertently ignoring them. And then there is me, the social butterfly of the group who enjoys actually getting away from my desk to read at lunch or take a walk around the grounds. My entire point work philosophy is to come to work and get things done so efficiently that I don't have to stay late or come in early. In matters of work ethic I have felt that it is best that I fit in to my group and change my daily schedule to match that of my boss and co-worker because this is simply a character issue and I need to make sure that my own ability match those of my peers. Verdict, fitting in is a good idea in this case.

Socially I have chosen the complete and opposite path. The place I work at is very conservative and I will warn people that it is a good idea to stay away from religion, sex, and politics but certain co-workers seem to delight in engaging me in debate and with this I have made my mark. Recently at lunch I had an extended debate about the legalization of drugs. Needless to say I was for it and my co-workers were against it. Hilarity ensued. Nothing is more interesting than watching a young and liberal kid take on a couple of older stodgy men who are violently conservative over a hot button topic. With that lunch I forged myself as a clever and interesting debater and I've had numerous other co-workers seek me out to talk over the topic and other topics of importance during the workday. If anything I am now seen as an "outside of the box" thinker, whether or not that is a good thing remains to be seen but at least I have title and love it or hate it, that is more than most of the guys in my office have.

Blog Action Day or How Being Selfish Is Good for the Environment

If every blogger wrote about the environment on the same day would it make a difference? In all honesty, probably not. Outside of raising "awareness", whatever that counts for nowadays, I cannot honestly believe that reading a few posts about changing from incandescent to CFL light bulbs will make much of a difference. Why? Because people are not altruistic, Communism taught us that. So how do you raise awareness effectively? Find what each person REALLY values and hit them squarely in that region. So what really matters? Money. If you choose to change your life and don't predicate it on clean air and a cooler planet at least do it for the bucks. Here are a few things I've done and how much money it has saved me per month.

Riding my bike to work instead of driving: $30 a month

CFLs instead of normal bulbs: $10 a month

Turning off all of my electronics at night instead of Hibernate: $20 a month

Turning the water heater up a touch: $5 a month

Really these are minimal things that I have done that have saved me around $65 a month. Want to know what I am going to do with it? I'm going to be absolutely selfish with my environmentalism and buy an Ipod Touch after six months or so. Being green never felt so good.

Moore's Law Got Me

Moore's Law - whether or not you've heard of it, this is a really entertaining / educational video. ...not to mention, it's hosted by Adam and Jamie from mythbusters - two of my heroes.

Co-op Op

I think that if I had the chance to do the whole college thing over again, I think I would have gone on a Co-op. The things you learn in your classes are soooo different from what actually goes on at work. The only way to know if you're headed in the right direction is to give it a go.

The true test of your degree is to go on a co-op. What is a co-op (some of you may ask)? It's typically a semester and summer spent at a job that relates to your degree. It's a great way to test the water. I think that having that experience is one of the best things you could do for yourself. Not to mention, for engineers, these jobs usually pay anywhere from $12 - $20 dollars per hour.

I was offered a co-op, but declined it. Why? Well, I made the mistake of thinking that it was more important for me to stay a school and keep working toward my degree. What was I thinking?! Prospective employers love candidates that have real engineering work experience. I also could have found out if that particular career was right for me. Companies that take co-op students will very often hire them once they graduate.

Many colleges will even require you to take a co-op or an internship before you can graduate. Your school probably has a "Director of Cooperative Education", or someone similar, that can give you more information and even help you find a co-op.

Don't be silly like I was, search the experience site for co-op opportunities. And Go For It!

THERE IS NO CRYING IN JOB HUNTING!

One of the biggest misconceptions that I had during my job search was that there was a job for everyone, especially a bright guy like me. Wrong wrong wrong. While I was lucky enough to eventually find a good paying job in another state that is challenging it turns out that I am one of the few that found decent pay after college. Take, for example my friend Jake. Jake is a microbiology major with excellent grades and some relevant work experience. He graduate in May and has been living at home with Mom and Dad ever since then. He has been on numerous interviews with dozens of companies but either nobody wants to relocate him or the job description doesn't match his skill set. Is this five years down the drain or is he doing something fundamentally wrong?

After having discussed his job search techniques with him during my bachelor party (yes I do have a passion for this stuff) I found that Jake is missing one essential concept. He has been trying to put a square peg into a round hole using nothing more than the social lubricant of charm and charisma. The one fundamental error I found in Jake's thinking was that his grades and personality would get him by. He wasn't doing any background work on any of the companies outside of the basic what it is they do type of research and he wasn't outlining any responses to the biggest kinds of questions that interviewers ask. More or less he was hoping and praying to hit the moving job target without really taking aim.

So I helped him to revise his attack at gainful employment. I helped him outline a list of responses to common situation, behavior, and outcome questions. Then I moved onto his actual list of skills. He has worked for his father for his entire life as a sign maker so he has extensive knowledge in how to run a business and accounting practices, something you wouldn't imagine a biology major would have but heck, if he can market himself with it then why not? Then I had a "come to Jesus meeting" with him. Living with your parents at the age of 23 is great... if you really don't like women or having them over. My hope is that the promise of being able to do whatever he wants whenever he wants is enough of a motivator to get out and actually put some effort into his job search but we'll see. But at least the sense of entitlement has been wiped from his mentality and soon he'll be gainfully employed and paying back his exorbitant student loans.

On the Look Out

You know, I think I have to agree with Clint, you've got to keep your options open and be flexible. You never know what will or won't work for you - and hey, maybe you won't even like your first real career. That brings me to the point that I'd like to make: never think you're finished job searching.

There are several reasons that I think this is important. When you are first starting out, you're not only starting a career, but you are also making other important choices like: where you are going to live, what town, or state even, are you open to travel, are you married or planning on doing so in the near future, what type of industry or environment do you want to work in, what kind of income will work for you, what benefits do you need, do you want to work in a team setting or alone, what about the morning commute to work, and then there is always the question of how much time can you dedicate and are you willing to work weekends? There are so many factors that contribute to the satisfaction of your career that the chances of you actually finding it the first time are pretty slim.

Don't settle for something that you won't enjoy, keep looking. If you do have a job and you aren't happy with it, don't stop looking either. I make career searching a daily task - it's just one more tab on my browser.