Last weekend, at GLSEC, there was a panel. At the panel, some managers bemoaned the fact they couldn’t find qualified candidates around a specific technology. They happened to be talking about SharePoint this weekend. That was this weekend. Another year, another location, it would have been a different technology. The problem is if you can’t […]
I’ve had a heavy speaking calendar this month. I knew I’d be home, so I accepted a number of local and close domestic speaking engagements. I’ve been surprised by some fantastic stories of managers and employees. First, there’s the well-meaning manager who wants a current tester to be “motivated” to do manual testing. “How do
I must be in quite the mood today. I am disagreeing with just about everything I see online. I saw a tweet today for an opening for an agile coach who needed to have C++ in his or her background. Why??? Is the coach going to be developing? I hope not. Testing? I hope not?
There’s a question on one of the forums, about how to ask questions in a phone screen for junior developers. I thought I would answer it here, and then post a link. These tips work for junior developers, testers, writers, BAs, whatever. In a phone screen, you first want to ask elimination questions; then essential
It’s easy to hire for a “normal” kind of job, where you say, “Developer” and everyone knows what you mean. But what if you are looking for a new kind of role, say, “knowledge management” or “social media guru”? Those roles are new. They mean different things to different people. Well, if you’re like my
I’ve been reading Pfeffer’s Power: Why Some People Have It and Others Don’t and enjoying it a lot. I’ve had a few aha moments, and one has to do with networking for a new job. Here’s a quote: Consequently, an optimal networking strategy is to know a lot of different people from different circles, have
After returning from one of the dinners in Brussels at Belgium Testing Days, Mieke Gievers, one of the organizers said, “I don’t think people have the same passion about their jobs. They just want more money.” I, of course, disagreed. The reasons people want money is that organizations have broken the implicit social contract to
One of the ways I organize and plan for interviews is to use an interview matrix. I take the essential skills from the job analysis and use them in the interview matrix to decide who will ask which questions. No, I don’t make those decisions—I ask the interviewers who wants to ask which questions. Now
In yesterday’s Globe, there was a question about How to cut ties when the old boss won’t let go. Oh my. If you weren’t sure you’d made a good decision, you know now you have. I actually think there is a better way to leave a job. Assuming you give two weeks notice, here’s what
I spoke recently with a senior project manager who is looking for a new job. I offered to review her resume, and she told me she didn’t think she needed it. She had the “secret sauce” to a great resume: every single line on the resume answered the “so what” question. If she has some