T M T

If you are looking for a job or a job change, you might be thinking about interviewing with people. I’ve been on the other side for the last several years. While I’ve been mostly thinking about how to probe and assess the candidates, I’ve also noticed how some candidates are much more skillful than others in handling the interview process. Ultimately, if both sides are playing at the same level, it will be your true personality and capability that determines your job prospect. However, some tips probably won’t hurt. Here is one.

Be a good listener. That’s it.

Quite a few of candidates rehearse a speech or a few canned responses before hand. Then they just pour it out the first moment they got. They forget the most important thing in interview – listen. Listen carefully what the interviewer is trying to ask/probe. Listen for the implicit questions. Listen for clues about the job, the culture and the expectations. By listening carefully you avoid lots of awful mistakes and come across as much more sensible and mature. You will also make the interview session much more productive, which is also a good thing ultimately.

Why most people hate annual performance review? There are a lot of practical reasons: it’s not consistent, not fair, or not based on objective metrics, etc. But more importantly, it is often an agonizing process to review, analyze, and admit your weakness and limitations. Even worse, to work with your manager on an improvement plan.
This last point reflects an important pitfall today’s performance review mindset. Conventional wisdom in management expects well-rounded employees who have no weaknesses. If you do, you need to be aware of it and try to overcome it. So as employees get more seasoned, some of they learn to conseal their weaknesses better.
In recent issue of HBR, Marcus Bucingham discusses how great managers should focus on employee’s strength and individuality . It is a great article that has many implications in day-to-day management. Because I did a project several years ago on employee performance review, it first occured to me that we should restructure the performance review process to enhance people’s self-assurance rather than their self-awareness.

Now that the dot.com era has long gone, great job is no longer one where you expect the stock price hike 100x. In fact, it never has been. I often ask other people this question: if you are offered $10million in exchange for never work (even for free) again, will you take the offer?
A great job is something motivates you out of the bed everything morning, get on the road, feel a bit excited about what you’re about to do for the day.
For technologist, a great job often means something intellectually chanllenging yet at the same time allows you to have a little fun. A great job is one that you work and work on fun problems that you forget about the clock from time to time. It is definitely not one that *requires* you to work overtime.
Of course, one man’s great job could be another man’s prison. It is still about finding the right person for the job, and finding the right job for the person.