When discrimination works
Is discrimination always bad? Not always. Disagree, keep reading. Imagine you worked for a company where all the employees were referred from current employees. In other words your company only hires people they know. If you worked for such a company it would likely look like Austin based Uplogix. The Texas company currently hires over 80% of their employees using employee referrals. According to CEO Tom Goldman, “It’s much safer and much more efficient to hire people that either you know or someone you trust knows”. “In our Monday morning, short staff meeting we’ll say, ‘Hey, we’ve got a hole in software development we need to fill, and we need a new guy to do Java development,’ or whatever it happens to be,” he says. “The first question we always ask each other is: ‘Does anyone know a good Java developer?’ So we’ll go around that group first and then, in this particular case, the gentleman who runs software development will go to all of his developers and say ‘We’re looking for another Java developer. Reach out to your networks.’” Interesting strategy.
Let me tell you a secret; You’re rich!
Let me start this by saying not everyone who reads this is rich. If you don’t have a car or if you do but live in it, you’re probably not rich. If you’re homeless, same deal. But for the rest of you, yes you, you’re rich. How do I know? I’m glad you asked.
Did you know that if you make more than $38,000 a year that you’re in the top 4% of wage earners in the world? Me neither, until recently. I’ll be honest with you, I make considerably more than that, but had never considered myself rich. However, when you start looking closely, it’s hard to make the argument that I’m not rich and so are you. If you’re reading this you probably have the following: a home (maybe not a mansion, but a home) and if you’re really honest it’s a bigger, nicer home than you need, you have a car, again probably bigger and nicer than you need, you have one or more TV’s with cable or satellite, you have one or more DVD players and probably a subscription to Blockbuster or Netflix, you have a computer in your home, maybe more than one, you eat out 2+ times a week, probably more. I could go on and on, but I think you can see where I’m going. We’re rich! We live in arguably the greatest country in the history of the world. We have more crap we don’t need than we realize and we have so many opportunities we can’t even comprehend not having them. A bad day for us means traffic was worse than usual, our spouse or kids are sick, and there’s only reality TV on tonight. We’re rich! Say it with me “I’m rich!”
So what’s my point? Simply this, we are chasers and we are chasers because we think its what will make us happy. It’s not. When I was making half of what I currently make I thought if I ever made what I make now I’d have it all. I don’t. Here’s what I do have a mortgage that’s bigger than what I need (it goes with the house thats too big) and assorted bills for the rest of the stuff that I don’t need. I also, have an incredible wife, two great kids and an amazing group of friends. I’d have the latter with out the former and be richer still if I did. I’m telling you all of this because one of my resolutions this year is to stop chasing. To put more emphasis on the important stuff and let the rest go. To realize that sometimes less is more. To rid myself of things I don’t need and do more to help those that aren’t rich, by any definition. Thanks for listening.
Until next time…
Company shopping, does your new company fit YOU?
We all know the angst of preparing for a job interview. You pick out the right suit, tie, etc. You do your research about the company and then you start trying picture what it would be like to work there. Then the actual interview happens and 5 mins in you’ve already decided you’re not sure you want the job anymore. I hate that, partially because I’m not all that fond of dressing in a suit and tie to begin with. For me, that’s the beauty of the phone screen or phone interview, I can do it in shorts and a T-shirt. But digress. What happens when you want and get the job, but hate your boss?
Ryan Paugh over at Employee Evolution wrote a nice piece on this topic last week. Kind of stole my thunder actually, as I’d had a draft of this post in the works for quite a while now, but kudos to him on a nice piece. When I was interviewing for my last job I was flown into the DC area where I met with some of the VP’s and management folks and then two of them took me to dinner. One was the one who would be my boss, the other was along for moral support or dinner at Ruth’s Chris. Yeah, Ruth’s Chris, I was psyched. So we proceed to have a nice dinner; steak, wine, dessert, coffee, the whole deal. We talk about everything from the company to sports. At this point I was fairly sure I had the job (they don’t fly you across country and wine and dine you and then not make you an offer), so I was really focusing on them. Did I want to work for them? Did I see my future with this company? In all honesty, I was never totally sold, but they made a very nice offer with great benefits, so away I went.
