Career

Networking, the job search, and cost . . .

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As all of us has been informed ad nauseum since we ever had to consider the remote possibility of a job search – networking is everything when it comes to finding a job.

And now, in the age of the internet and an economic downturn, we hear once again how important Networking is, even moreso now.

I'm arguing with none of these points.  In fact, I fully agree Networking is important in your career, and gets more and more important as your career goes on.  I also agree it's even more important now.  But I want to add one more thing.

Networking is also cheaper.  Today, people are going to pay even more attention to that.  More, I think it's become even cheaper because of changes in the job search.

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Not geeky enough for your job?

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Have you every worried you're not geeky enough for your job?

A weird thing to say when many of us don't want to discuss our extensive addiction to Legend of the Five Rings in a job interview, but it's actually a factor.  Jobs like game programmer, artist, writer, reviewer, etc. are positions where you're expected to have a certain level of geek on display.  Believe it or not, people do worry about it.

Think of your geekiness as a way of displaying certain talents, affiliations, and even knowledges and competencies.  There are expectations people have, and you may find yourself actually being NOT geeky enough – or at least worrying that during that vital interview with the guy who has multiple piercings, your business outfit may have seemed a tad  . . . boring.

I've had to deal with this.  I still do in some cases as I'm a Project Manager in IT – I am PAID to be the dull guy with Gantt charts, spreadsheets, and organizational skill.  I just do it in geeky jobs, and need to communicate my passion about the subject matter before I discuss my love-hate relationship with Team Foundation Server.

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