The things we do for free stuff

This morning, I'll be sitting in on a 10:00 webinar by some company called 36Software. I have no idea what the webinar is about, and since I'll be working during the webinar, I'll be sitting in my home office working on documentation with the webinar on in the background. Why am I sitting in on …

My #JobHunt presentation is online #PASSProfDev @PASS_ProfDev @CASSUG_Albany #SQLFamily #ProfessionalDevelopment

If you missed my job hunt presentation, it is now available on YouTube. Click here to view my presentation! Additionally, my presentation slides can be downloaded from here!

How to (and how NOT to) connect on #LinkedIn

Lately, it seems like I've been getting more and more request to connect on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the go-to social networking tool for connecting with people professionally. Ever since I (1) announced that I was looking for a new job, and (2) announced that I'd started a new LLC, the number of connect requests I've …

No cold calls!!!

This is something that is one of my biggest pet peeves. I've written about this before. Because it keeps happening, I'm writing about this again. I often get requests to connect from people I don't know. I will only connect with people with whom I have some kind of established relationship. It's so bad that …

When does a request for info become spam?

I recently saw a post in a Facebook group that I manage for a user group to which I belong. She was brand-new to the group, having joined just hours (maybe even minutes) before she posted. She turned out to be a recruiter. I won't say too much about her because her firm is one …

Characteristics of good recruiters

I've written some articles about spam recruiters. To put it very bluntly, spam recruiters are evil. They do not work for your best interests; they are just looking to make a buck. And it's a pervasive problem. Do a Google search for "recruiter spam" and take a look at all the hits that come up. …

Ranting my frustration about connect requests

This article may seem to go against one of the things that I preach in my 'blogging presentation, and that is to avoid frustrated rants and "getting it out of your system." Maybe I should be a little more specific. One should avoid mindless rants in which you angrily spew your passions without any thoughts, …

A tale of two LinkedIn requests

Over the weekend (specifically, while I was at SQL Saturday Philadelphia), I received two different LinkedIn connect requests. The two requests were polar opposites, and I thought they were worthwhile writing about in this article. As a technical professional, I often receive "cold-call" connect requests or emails. I am very wary and picky about with …

The bane of unsolicited recruiters

If you are a technology professional, chances are you've received the emails.  They usually look something like this: To: Ray_Kim@MyEmail.com* From: SomeRecruiterIveNeverHeardOf@somecompany.com Subject: [Some job that doesn't interest me] located in [some place where I'm not willing to relocate] Dear job seeker: I trust you are having a pleasant day! I came across your profile, …