Portland airport

I'm about 4 and a half hours into a 7 hour layover in Portland. The carpet here is hideous.

Sharks Territory

On the way to work today Sam and I saw a car with a California license plate. The license plate frame said "This is Sharks Territory."

My first thought was San Jose Sharks. Ya know, the hockey team. Reminded me of my dad's turquoise and black jacket that I used to steal sometimes when I was little.

Sam's response? Snapping his fingers and whistling West Side Story tunes.

Oh the differences in how we were raised.

How To Get a Job

(This ended up being really long, but it was fun to write! And if you're looking for a job, it could be really helpful. If you don't want to read this, you may want to read the interview examples at the bottom anyway. They are entertaining at least.)

Being involved in the hiring process at my work has given me some really good insights into what gets people into interviews and ultimately into the job. I am constantly amazed at some of the things people say or do when it comes to applying for jobs. And not in a good way. So I decided to make a list of a few things that people can do to get a much better chance at landing that job they want.

1. Read the ad.
This sounds like it would be obvious, but apparently it isn't. A few things to look out for:
A. What are the instructions for applying? If they say, "Include a cover letter," include a cover letter! If they tell you to write what position you are applying for in the subject line of your email, do so! (And even if they don't tell you to do that, specify what position it is anyway, otherwise your resume will most likely get overlooked.) If they say to explain why you think you would be a good fit, explain!
B. Is the company looking for full time or part time? If the ad says they are looking for someone to work part time, tell them you are looking for part time. If the ad says full time, say you are looking for full time. Even if you aren't! Why? If you say you want full time when the employer wants a part time employee, they will assume that you are only looking at their job as a temporary thing until you can find a full time job, and that is a major drawback. If you say you are looking for part time when the company wants full time, they simply won't hire you.
C. Does the ad specify wages, hours, responsibilites, etc? Then don't ask! If you ask the employer a question that is answered in the ad, they will assume you cannot read or follow instructions and thus will not hire you.

2. Proof read your resume, cover letter, and email. A lot. Employers will notice if there is a typo, a grammatical error, a change in tense, etc. Customize your resume to the position you are applying for. And do not save your resume in a format that someone using another computer may not be able to open. If the employer can't open your resume, they will not probably not ask for another one, and thus you will not get the job. Be brief. Your resume should not have complete sentences or paragraphs. If your resume, cover letter, and/or email are long, the employer will get bored reading it and will not bother to find out if you are qualified for the job. And do not leave your email blank! Include a short message specifying the position you are applying for and where you heard about it.

3. Research the company. You should know exactly what the company does before you go in for an interview. Check out their website if they have one. If they don't, call their main desk and ask a couple questions before going in for an interview. If you don't know anything about the company, the employer will assume you aren't very interested in it and will be much less likely to bring you on to their team.

4. Have questions ready for the interview. Employers will almost always ask if you have any questions. Have some good questions ready to ask! Ask something about the company that maybe you couldn't figure out from their website. Ask why your interviewer likes working for the company. Think of at least 3 good questions before going in for the interview. Do not ask about dress code (you can ask that if you get the job), wages (you sound desperate), potential for moving up in the company (again, desperate), raises (do I need to say it again?), etc.

5. Be presentable. Wear nice clothes to your interview. Shake hands with people you meet. Smile. Listen to the interviewer (do not interrupt) and answer the questions in a way that will make you sound like a good employee.



There is so much more I could say, but I think that covers the basics. I wanted to give a few examples of what not to do in interviews (all from experience with interviewing potential employees) before this gets too ridiculously long.

Example 1-
Question: What motivates you to work hard?
Answer: Constant work. If I am given one project for a day and am told I need to finish by 5, but I know I can finish it by 1, I'll drag it out until 5 o'clock just so I have something to do.
(Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. No employer wants to hear that you'll dawdle on your projects just to pass the time instead of looking for new things to do.)

Example 2-
Question: We typically ask for a 1 year commitment. Is that something you can do?
Answer: Well....no. I'm looking for a career.
(Clearly not serious about the job. That interview was over before it began.)

Example 3-
Question: What do you know about our company?
Answer: Oh I didn't get a chance to check your site.
(At least ask questions, instead of just blowing it off.)

Example 4-
Question: Can you give me an example of a time you have had to multi-task?
Answer: Just this morning I was doing dishes while ironing my shirt. I'd put a dish in the dishwasher, iron a sleeve, put another dish in, iron the other sleeve...
(I don't think I'd consider this multi-tasking. And if I did, it has zero relevance to the job. Come up with answers that relate to the position you're applying for.)

Example 5 (from a co-workers experience interviewing)-
Question: Here are a bunch of different types of cables. Take a look at them and see if you can name them.
Answer: .................I'm a girl!
(Thank you for that fascinating piece of information. You could be a horse for all I care. Try to name the cables anyway.)



Whew. Did we all have fun?

Haircut Suggestions Needed!

Ok, I desperately need a haircut, but can NOT decide what to do. My hair is very difficult, you see, and I have no idea what would look cute on me. I'm hoping you guys can help!

A little hair background:
Thick thick thick
Very fluffy (not the good kind), straight/wavy/curly depending on what section of my head you're looking at. You name it, I've got it.
Current length is 3-4 inches below my shoulders

I want to keep my hair shoulder length or longer to make it easy to pull back. Ya know, I'll be having a kid in the somewhat near future and won't always have time to do my hair. Ponytails and buns are lifesavers. Going curly every day is out of the question because my hair won't do that anymore thanks to the few sections of stick-straight-and-won't-do-anything hair. Going straight absolutely requires at least 25 minutes with a straightening iron (after 10-15 minutes of blow drying).

Is there anything I can do that doesn't require spending 30+ minutes in the morning to look good?! I'm so lost. (I've also tried this beachy waves look and all I got was fluffy fluffy fluffy, as is typical when I try to just do the wavy look. So that's a no-go as well. Awesome.)

(I do realize I just ruled out basically every possible hairstyle, but maybe one of you is a genius and can help me anyway...? I'm hoping.)

Our Baby Boy

We're expecting a little boy!

Women and Abortion

This isn't meant to be a controversial post, so I apologize if it is.

Earlier today I was doing some Google searches to see if being able to feel your own heartbeat in your stomach while you're pregnant is normal (it is normal, sometimes even when you aren't pregnant). I came across a Yahoo answers link that led to a question by a 12 year old girl, in which she said she has been feeling a heartbeat in her stomach lately. She just had her period 3 weeks ago and has never had sex, but could she be pregnant??! Clearly the heartbeat she's feeling must be a baby's heartbeat, right?

A few people responded to the question. The first answer was something like, "Well since you just had your period 3 weeks ago you probably aren't pregnant."

Another answer was, "You're probably just feeling your own heartbeat. I'm pregnant and I feel my own heartbeat in my stomach all the time."

Only one person was smart enough to say "You've never had sex. You aren't pregnant." Why did no one else come to that conclusion? That was certainly my first response.

That got me to thinking - how often do girls go into abortion clinics to get abortions only to have the doctor there say, "um...you aren't pregnant." So I did a bit more Google searching and came across this site: http://www.womantowomansupport.net

On that page it says, "Some women are not pregnant, but abortion clinics have been known to perform abortions on them anyway."

.........Why are women going to abortion clinics before they even know for sure they are pregnant? Am I missing something? I can understand wanting to know earlier than a home pregnancy test would tell you, but GO TO A DOCTOR, not an abortion clinic. Obviously there is a conflict of interest there.

I'm so confused.

Letter to our house guests

Dear spiders,

Please vacate our home immediately. You are not welcome here. If you continue your residency here, i will find you and smash you. And then flush you down the toilet. That is a promise.

Sincerely,

Woman with a plethora of men's size 13 shoes with which to smash you (courtesy of a tall husband)