You may recall my account of the process of being considered for a contract gig for product marketing at Symantec. Evidently I met Skippy’s stringent standards for the position, as the Recruiting Chick called Tuesday to kvell that I’ve been selected for an on-site interview on Friday.
By way of prepping me for the occasion, it took her two emails to provide me with the name of the interviewer & the location. I suppose I shouldn’t slate her for being an ignorant slut, because she obviously just knows nothing (she does, however, bring out the tautological in me), but honestly—sending me the same job description I’ve received twice before is not really massively useful.
I tried grilling her for information about the group, but she still hasn’t a clue. I also asked whether her company has placed contractors in this division of Symantec; for once she actually admitted her ignorance. She would only know if she had placed the contractor, she explained; evidently it’s impossible for her to speak with the account manager to find this out.
& when I asked about the dress code, her reply was singularly unhelpful: “Definitely formal. So wear casual-formal. No need for a coat & tie.”
Well, I’m relieved, as I have no tie.
I looked up in LinkedIn the person I’m meeting with, but she has one of those stealth profiles, so not much help. I asked the RC to use her premium account to get that info for me. She said she would, but I’m not holding my breath.
I did not ask her if this person is the actual, you know, hiring manager, as opposed to Skippy, who she previously swore was. I wouldn’t believe her whatever she said anyhow.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Coming soon to Orbitz
Zut alors! I don’t quite know what to think about NPR’s report that the French are converting a dilapidated building at Versailles into a luxury hotel. For paying guests. For through-the-nose paying guests, one presumes.
When I say “Versailles”, I mean the actual palace grounds, not the nearby town. You’ll be able to mange tes gâteaux in the reflection of the Grande Galerie des Glaces.
It’s sad that a truly historical monument is being commercialized in this way, even if we’re not talking Holiday Inn Express. Also, I’m a little surprised that the French government can’t cough up $7M to restore the structure without this venture. You’d think they could shake that amount out from behind sofa cushions in Provence.
I suppose it’s not the worst thing to happen at Versailles. That honor belongs to an event in January 1871, when the King of Prussia was proclaimed Kaiser Wilhelm I of a German empire created on the defeat of the French emperor at Sedan the previous year. Bismarck, the architect of German unification and empire really knew how to stick it to the French.
It’ll be interesting to follow the renovation, and; see if they make their deadline of opening next January. This being France, I’m sure there will be many strikes between now and then, and we all know how scope creep affects software and construction projects.
C'est la vie.
When I say “Versailles”, I mean the actual palace grounds, not the nearby town. You’ll be able to mange tes gâteaux in the reflection of the Grande Galerie des Glaces.
It’s sad that a truly historical monument is being commercialized in this way, even if we’re not talking Holiday Inn Express. Also, I’m a little surprised that the French government can’t cough up $7M to restore the structure without this venture. You’d think they could shake that amount out from behind sofa cushions in Provence.
I suppose it’s not the worst thing to happen at Versailles. That honor belongs to an event in January 1871, when the King of Prussia was proclaimed Kaiser Wilhelm I of a German empire created on the defeat of the French emperor at Sedan the previous year. Bismarck, the architect of German unification and empire really knew how to stick it to the French.
It’ll be interesting to follow the renovation, and; see if they make their deadline of opening next January. This being France, I’m sure there will be many strikes between now and then, and we all know how scope creep affects software and construction projects.
C'est la vie.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Recruiters 7
I started out the new year by getting a thanks-but-no-thanks email from a recruiter for a software company. She said, “We were fortunate to have received a good response to our job posting and after careful consideration, we did determine another applicant is a better fit at this time for our hiring needs.”
Well, fine. But I’m wondering if they have a more suitable candidate why I would have been pinged for this exact same job by one of my job boards yesterday.
Still, I’m relieved. It may sound like sour grapes, but I had serious reservations about managing a product that helps big pharma more efficiently screw consumers worldwide, which is what this company builds.
(Look, I do have a moral compass. I turned away a recruiter who was dangling a PM gig at Walmart because I deplore their employment & sourcing practices. &, back in the day, I also fended off an opportunity to work for the NRA.)
Also, I wasn’t wild about commuting to Pleasanton to do it. Pleasanton strikes me as the East Bay equivalent of Stepford.
So, back to the slog.
Well, fine. But I’m wondering if they have a more suitable candidate why I would have been pinged for this exact same job by one of my job boards yesterday.
Still, I’m relieved. It may sound like sour grapes, but I had serious reservations about managing a product that helps big pharma more efficiently screw consumers worldwide, which is what this company builds.
(Look, I do have a moral compass. I turned away a recruiter who was dangling a PM gig at Walmart because I deplore their employment & sourcing practices. &, back in the day, I also fended off an opportunity to work for the NRA.)
Also, I wasn’t wild about commuting to Pleasanton to do it. Pleasanton strikes me as the East Bay equivalent of Stepford.
So, back to the slog.
Another view of 2010
It’s not possible for me to flip the meter over from one year to the next without Dave Barry’s annual wrap-up. If you can bear to relive the events, at least with Barry you aren’t tied to the usual pedantic punditry by what passes for journalism these days.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Here's pie in yer eye
I have to say that I’ve never understood America being awash in cupcakes for the past few years. How are cupcakes better than real, you know, cake? If the theory of superiority is that you can eat a cupcake without resorting to fork and plate, I think that has been effectively buggered by the ones you get in shops that are the size of Delaware.
Clearly I’m in the minority because every city seems to be infested by cupcake shops, and they appear to be thriving. I guess they’re selling enough product at $4 a pop to pay the rent.
At any rate, I was drawn to NPR’s cookery editor’s story proclaiming that pies will replace cupcakes as the trend of the year.
I came late to pies, since my mother’s idea of them was to throw a frozen Safeway apple pie into a 400 degree oven and I grew up wondering how people could possibly get excited about something that tasted so disgusting. (And, believe me, it took a lot for me to pass up any kind of dessert.)
Then my BFF Leilah introduced me to French Apple Pie, homemade, and the scales fell from my eyes. Also from my tongue. You can have crust that doesn’t have the flavor and consistency of cardboard; and there can be filling that’s recognizable as having been something organic.
And it turns out that chicken pot pies can also be both tasty and satisfying. It’s all in the crust. And the chicken. And the sauce.
In England I was introduced to other types of pie—handheld mince pies at holiday parties, shepherd pies and cottage pies at pubs; even steak and kidney pies. Tuck into one of those savory pies with a pint of bitter and the world suddenly looks like a better place.
Except for mutton. Got a slice of mutton pie at the Harrods Food Hall once and just about gagged.
Well, Doon (the NPR correspondent) admits that she’s been wrong about cupcakes fading into the sunset, but it would be nice to see more pies about the place. Maybe at some of those Harrods-like food halls she’s predicting. I could really get behind those.
Clearly I’m in the minority because every city seems to be infested by cupcake shops, and they appear to be thriving. I guess they’re selling enough product at $4 a pop to pay the rent.
At any rate, I was drawn to NPR’s cookery editor’s story proclaiming that pies will replace cupcakes as the trend of the year.
I came late to pies, since my mother’s idea of them was to throw a frozen Safeway apple pie into a 400 degree oven and I grew up wondering how people could possibly get excited about something that tasted so disgusting. (And, believe me, it took a lot for me to pass up any kind of dessert.)
Then my BFF Leilah introduced me to French Apple Pie, homemade, and the scales fell from my eyes. Also from my tongue. You can have crust that doesn’t have the flavor and consistency of cardboard; and there can be filling that’s recognizable as having been something organic.
And it turns out that chicken pot pies can also be both tasty and satisfying. It’s all in the crust. And the chicken. And the sauce.
In England I was introduced to other types of pie—handheld mince pies at holiday parties, shepherd pies and cottage pies at pubs; even steak and kidney pies. Tuck into one of those savory pies with a pint of bitter and the world suddenly looks like a better place.
Except for mutton. Got a slice of mutton pie at the Harrods Food Hall once and just about gagged.
Well, Doon (the NPR correspondent) admits that she’s been wrong about cupcakes fading into the sunset, but it would be nice to see more pies about the place. Maybe at some of those Harrods-like food halls she’s predicting. I could really get behind those.
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