January 7, 2020 at 12:00 am
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Great Writers Get Hired
January 7, 2020 at 8:29 am
I've had two jobs as a direct result of writing for SQLServerCentral and a number of opportunities.
One of our directors gave me an hour of her time to give me some career guidance. My premise was that there is office time, professional time and personal time. For her, what are the boundaries, what are the sacrifices, how do you generate opportunities?
She told me that an organisation will take what it is given so it is up to you to make sure you don't give more than you can afford to give. That is, don't give so much that you burn out. You need to find your own level because what will be fine for one person will burn out another.
If you have the opportunity to speak at conferences then do so. You will become a known face in your field. Always ask about opportunities to be on the panel on "ask the panel" type events. Organisers are usually looking for worthy participants.
Personally, I know what effort goes into writing. To write a good article that you can read in 10 minutes it can take weeks of preparation and research.
A good presentation can easily take that long and preparing for panels takes a lot of effort too. This was something she was keen to stress.
This sort of activity comes under the category of "looking after your career security" which is more important than "looking after your job security"
January 7, 2020 at 9:33 am
I presented at Data relay and was on a panel interview at SQL in the summit . A guy from Apress approached me out of the blue. (you know the black and yellow books) - he wanted me to write a book for them loosely themed on "what sql DBAs should know about the testing processes and what Test engineers should know about datababases (and how to break them).
unfortunately I had to turn it down - he wanted 250 pages in 4 months (seems ok), but I had just gotten pneumonia and a collapsed lung and could not commit. - (I was in hospital for 3 weeks over christmas) and i'm taking it easy for a few months.
but seriously - raise our personal brand - write for steve, look at the meetups site and find a venue that gives you free pizza to listen to new and old speakers (it's usually after 7 pm) - then volunteer to speak (stuart moore is the organiser) , you'll soon be on data relay, sql bitz and getting book offers without even trying
MVDBA
January 7, 2020 at 10:05 am
At first, I read this as Steve saying (in a general way) "...write articles to help get jobs...", but on reflection I now see it as "...use the written word well on your CV/application form..."
In my experience, it's certainly true that a well written CV will get my attention simply because it is well written. And just think of the great documentation they'll be able to write for you 🙂
January 7, 2020 at 10:09 am
don't forget LinkedIn - the more you raise your profile and have a great CV on there, the more people will approach you
MVDBA
January 7, 2020 at 2:11 pm
The better you get at communication, the better an employee you'll be. The better you get at communication, the more likely you'll get hired. Yes, if you communicate a ton, you may end up an MVP or with a cool advocate's job, but that's not the goal. The goal is to improve communication so that you're more valuable, therefore, more and better jobs, higher pay.
So, yeah, write here. Write a blog. Present sessions. Do videos. Certainly, take all that and make it part of your resume and linkedin profile.
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
- Theodore Roosevelt
Author of:
SQL Server Execution Plans
SQL Server Query Performance Tuning
January 7, 2020 at 2:38 pm
The better you get at communication, the better an employee you'll be. The better you get at communication, the more likely you'll get hired. Yes, if you communicate a ton, you may end up an MVP or with a cool advocate's job, but that's not the goal. The goal is to improve communication so that you're more valuable, therefore, more and better jobs, higher pay.
So, yeah, write here. Write a blog. Present sessions. Do videos. Certainly, take all that and make it part of your resume and linkedin profile.
hmm videos - i'm too pasty white, bald and ugly to do videos, but you've made me think of audio podcasts, that's a nice one to have on your CV - gives people the chance to show how you communicate and it will probably come up in an interview
MVDBA
January 7, 2020 at 2:54 pm
Don't put your face in them. I stopped recording videos about 9 months ago. I'm going to get back on it, but change the format a bit. No more "video" just a picture (or pictures) with voice over and then demos & screen captures. No one wants to look at my ugly mug either.
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
- Theodore Roosevelt
Author of:
SQL Server Execution Plans
SQL Server Query Performance Tuning
January 7, 2020 at 5:04 pm
Good article, Steve. At first I thought it would be much the same as I see everywhere, at this time of the year. However, you brought up two important things. One to be a good writer, of resumes/CVs. The other to apply for a position early, because HR people or hiring managers, probably get tired after reading through a 100+ resumes. I'd never thought of that before. Great advise!
It does make me wonder though, about those job postings I see which stay open for long periods of time. Why do they stay open for long periods of time? I have seen two reasons for job postings staying open for a long time. I work in State government and I know that basically speaking all job postings stay open for a long time, just because State government is government - i.e.: it moves slowly. The second reason I witnessed at my previous job, many years ago. We had an opening and wanted one particular person to apply for it. It took him a while to get around to applying, but once he did then we moved quicker. I don't condone that activity now; it just was what we did.
But I'm guessing there are other reasons for some jobs to stay open for several weeks or even a few months. I've seen this for large companies and even at the Federal government level. What are the reasons for that?
Kindest Regards, Rod Connect with me on LinkedIn.
January 7, 2020 at 5:08 pm
I just asked someone else in this thread:
What would be a good way to get presenters to record their presentation the day before they gave it?
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January 7, 2020 at 5:23 pm
At first, I read this as Steve saying (in a general way) "...write articles to help get jobs...", but on reflection I now see it as "...use the written word well on your CV/application form..."
In my experience, it's certainly true that a well written CV will get my attention simply because it is well written. And just think of the great documentation they'll be able to write for you 🙂
This is more what I meant. Write well in your CV/cover letter/app, and stand out. Don't look like everyone else, but also be good at communicating who you are, what you want to do, and what you are good at doing for an employer.
January 7, 2020 at 6:16 pm
I just asked someone else in this thread:
What would be a good way to get presenters to record their presentation the day before they gave it?
Not sure that's always practical. For example, I'm frequently traveling the day before I give a presentation. Recording it on a plane would be awkward for all involved.
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
- Theodore Roosevelt
Author of:
SQL Server Execution Plans
SQL Server Query Performance Tuning
January 7, 2020 at 6:57 pm
Good article, Steve. At first I thought it would be much the same as I see everywhere, at this time of the year. However, you brought up two important things. One to be a good writer, of resumes/CVs. The other to apply for a position early, because HR people or hiring managers, probably get tired after reading through a 100+ resumes. I'd never thought of that before. Great advise!
It does make me wonder though, about those job postings I see which stay open for long periods of time. Why do they stay open for long periods of time? I have seen two reasons for job postings staying open for a long time. I work in State government and I know that basically speaking all job postings stay open for a long time, just because State government is government - i.e.: it moves slowly. The second reason I witnessed at my previous job, many years ago. We had an opening and wanted one particular person to apply for it. It took him a while to get around to applying, but once he did then we moved quicker. I don't condone that activity now; it just was what we did.
But I'm guessing there are other reasons for some jobs to stay open for several weeks or even a few months. I've seen this for large companies and even at the Federal government level. What are the reasons for that?
There are rules. For example, at Redgate, I think we need to post a job for a few weeks.
I think plenty get posted early, and then people forget or they don't take them down, even though they've got resumes.
January 7, 2020 at 6:58 pm
I just asked someone else in this thread:
What would be a good way to get presenters to record their presentation the day before they gave it?
As practice? Or to publish? Some places don't allow you to publish the session right away or for some time. For others, it's a process and a hassle to record and publish things.
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