resume tips

Resume is not static and not unique - especially in the consulting business - as consultant. I know it is hard to digest initially. What ever changes that are suggested, try to make it - except I am not too much in favor of out right lies. That said, I always suggested folks to tweak the resume to match the needs of the client. This might mean, shorter resume or looonger resume. Some times you have to remove some projects or areas of expertise in order to make room or highlight other skills that are of interest to the client. You got to make your marketing manager happy to market your skills. Absence of that would make the marketing manger not focus on your resume - which potentially could hurt your prospects in short term.

One of the item that I would recommend removing in your resume is the reference to DOS. I have not had any one convince me that writing DOS in the resume would benefit in getting hired. I have had many people, including myself, feel that writing DOS lowers the level of competence in the candidate. I am not claiming that what I feel/think is correct - however, I put the ownes on you to prove to yourself that writing DOS in your resume adds the value of your resume.

Try to write couple of resumes. I have had more than 5 resumes at any time - when I am actively interviewing. I know my skills are diverse that forces me to have few resumes focusing on couple of selected areas and few that has wide areas coverage. Few small (2 pages - I have not been able to write one page yet..) and few long - 4-5 pages.

Try loading bunch of free ware packages and try them out - you can add in your resume that you have familiarity. Try to contribute code to free ware, if you have chance. This will make it easy to get hired - if some one is looking for such skills. If you can have Linux at home - more free wares work effectively on Linux.

Few areas of recommendation in open source:
1. My SQL - installation and try to use for any of your Database (ODBC/JDBC) projects
2. Apache - administration
3. Perl/PHP/Python
4. FireFox - browser
5. JBoss
6. TomCat

If you want to get in to Release Engineering role there are bunch of areas you can brush up
1. Shell programming - wizard level
2. Make System
3. Apache ANT
4. Mozilla Bonsai/TinderBox(?)

If you want to focus on Test Lead (QA)
1. Learn Bugzilla - install/administer
2. Test Case management systems - Bugzilla Test Runner

Getting Developer Lead role is slightly tricky and the number of openings are few. Of-course the $$ is good/high in that role. In order to get a quick break, I would suggest to focus on individual contributor role - that are inherently more available than managerial roles. With India/China outsourcing in it's peak growth, couple of my friends are telling me that lead roles to manage the India/China team is in demand in the US. I don't know if this is correct - but, sounds logical enough to believe. Even Google and Microsoft are fighting on people resource for getting right candidate for leading the teams...

shasta trip

SHORT HIKES (15-45 minutes)
John Everitt Vista Point
Walk through large, old growth conifer forest to volcanic rock outcropping with panorama of area south to McCloud and Sacramento River Canyons. Look for botanical tree signs.
Time: 20 minutes Length: 1/2 mile RT Elevation: 5000' to 5100'
Difficulty: Easy. Climbs then levels to easy grade.
Trailhead: 9 miles up Everitt Memorial Hwy. to parking lot.
http://www.davestravel.com/articles/mtshasta/4.htm

The John Everitt Vista Point is named after a firefighter. John used to be an avid protector of the natural resources on Mt. Shasta. John died a short distance away from where the current vista point is located. In fact there is a small monument to him, which marks the exact spot where he died. There are parking and restrooms located here as well. The views of Mt. Shasta and of Strawberry valley are incredible. There are several hiking trails in the area. Two areas that come to mind are the trails at Bunny Flats, and the trails at Panther Meadows. Either location are only minutes drive from the Vista Point.

To get to the Vista Point take the central Mt. Shasta turnoff from Interstate 5 and drive east on Lake Street through the stop lights, to the top of the hill. Lake Street will eventually bend and become the Everitt Memorial Highway. The Vista Point is only 6 miles up the road. This road is almost all uphill to the Vista Point.

Panther Meadow Loop
Spring water flows in rivulets through fragile alpine meadow full of wildflowers. Peaceful loop trail allows great view of mountain. Sensitive plantlike; please stay on trail. No drinking water. Note: Only accessible after snow melts, typically June 1.
Time: 45 minutes Length: 1.5 miles RT Elevation: 7500' to 7900'
Difficulty: Easy. Rocky path is well-marked.
Trailhead: 12.5 miles up Everitt Memorial Hwy. to marked trailhead.

H1B petition candidate documents

Here is the list of Documents required for H1B petition:

1. Copies of ALL degrees and transcripts (both front and back), (starting from 10th standard)


2. Certificate(s), Diploma(s) and transcripts relating to training in courses for computer/software programming


3. Copy of Educational/Work experience evaluation report, if any;


4. Copies of all experience letters for experience in IT . Try to give as many documents as you can, including Offer letters, appraisal letters, promotion letters, salary hike certificates etc., (if u are having)


5. Copies of 4 latest pay-stubs


6. Copy of latest Resume


7. Copy of Passport with I 94s(If already in US)


8. Copy of SSN Card (If U have)


9. Your current address & Foreign Address (Permanent Address out side of the US)


10. Copies of all Previous H1B/L1 approval notices(If any)


11. Name of the nearest US consulate that you can obtain H1 visa stamping


12. Date of first arrival in to US on H1 status


13. Prior Periods of stay on H1 classification (Give all the dates)


14. List Education Qualification: Highest Degree

interview

Here are the next steps that you got to start preparing.
1. Market research - figuring out what's required that's close to your skills.
2. Resume - matching the taste of the potential employer/project
3. Interview skills (Phone & in Person) Follow up after interview
4. Offer negotiation - it is not always the $$. Some times location/technology/corporate culture/career growth/flexible working hours/working from home - can be higher priority
5. On the job help, as needed.

Read as many Job requirements/postings - even if you are not interested/going to apply. This will tell you approximately where (geographical/technology) there is demand and how is the $$ in each areas on skills.

There are lots of resumes - real and samples in the internet. Remember this is one of the first brief view of YOU. Make the best use of the person/machine that scans for match.

Some of the job postings, I see these days, are requiring exposure/knowledge of new types of processes. It might be a good idea to know some aspects - so that you can engage in productive conversation - during the interview.

Unlike in traditional countries where people are selected for their pure personal merit/skills, here, you have to be liked by the manager and the interview team members. How to make some one to like you is very difficult area. In many cases, if you liked the interview, mostly you will be selected. If you did not like the interview, most likely the manager/interviewer also did not like talking to you - so not selected. You got to make the interviewer interested in your skills and also should be comfortable working with you.

Anyway, you got to be happy at the end of the day. A revenue stream is a part of securing happiness - not everything.

Intereviewee questions

1. What is the typical release cycle - in terms of how many releases per year or how many moths it takes for a release. Be prepared for major/minor releases. Emergency patches


2. When is the next release date - It can be beta/patch/General Availability


3. What are the 3 major challenges for the person getting hired for this position


4. How are conflicts managed in the project - example what happens if the feature is interpreted differently between Coder and tester

3 parameters of most projects

1. Resource


2. Schedule


3. Features

When I was passing by a manger in the coffee room and mentioned these 3 parameters, the manager was really surprised that the parameters available to tweak are just 3 - not more - not less....

We can nail only 2 of these parameters - the third one always floats - else the project has the higher risk of failing.

Testing - quote

"testing is a set of skills that allow the tester to select or invent testing practices to suit each unique situation". I am a strong beliver of this philosophy.

Wikipedia

Context Driven Testing

Google Maps - satellite

Google Maps is picking up steam these days - after the acquisition of KeyHole last year. The maps are given as APIs as well.

Question would be the copy right protection that Google claims on these pictures. Basically many of these raw data could be from NASA or from Government sources. It would be interesting to know if Google can claim copyright when it has copied for free from the US tax dollars.

Bill Gates crys wolf

Microsoft and Bill Gates seems to be concerned that he is not able to provide the environment that's required to retain the best in the industry. So, it has gone the extra mile to be on the other end of the legal suit.
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8BEO55O0.htm

Also, Bill Gates has been persuading younger people to take up Science and Computer Technologies - and he promises them that there are still more complex problems to be solved...

http://www.microsoft.com/billgates/speeches/2005/07-18FacultySummit.asp

What is Bill Gates seriously worried off?? Is the table turned 180 degrees... Bill Gates created/swept away/Monopolized the PC software market from IBM - now he probably fears that the On-Line service market will be monopolized by Google. Things are happening too fast these days - you can see the plates switch on areas where you thought plates can never switch places....

Clinton Global Initiative

"The fact is that we can't kill, jail or occupy all of our potential enemies," he says. "We've got to have a strategy to make a world with more partners and fewer terrorists."


Clinton Saves The World
Dennis Kneale, 07.19.05, 6:00 AM ET

Clinton Global Initiative

anger

• Anger Management


• screaming when angry


• expressing myself calmly and diplomatically (as I do in school)


• learning to express myself with out using 'bad' language


• when angry, learn to leave the situation until my angry subsided and talk it through when I am thinking clear


• find other ways to let off steam rather tan yelling at people


• maybe take my anger on other things


• when an argument comes up in regards to simple things, learn to give in


• learn not to be so arrogant and strong willed

panai info

the panai tree can evoke imagery of panai tree leaves [panai Olai], dried panai leaves (used for writing) [Olaich chuvadi], the alcoholic beverage tapped from the panai tree [kaL], the non-alcoholic sweet beverage tapped from the panai tree [pathaneer], unrefined sweet jaggery made from panai sap [karuppatti], the tender panai fruit [nungu], people who climb the panai trees, and the panai tuber [panaikkizhangu].

parenting links

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parenting
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punishment
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_time-out
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grounding
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolescence

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taking_Children_Seriously
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attachment_parenting


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinical_depression
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia

Harry Potter pre release issues (1)

New 'Harry Potter' book leaked
Last updated Jul 11 2005 12:26 PM PDT

Raincoast Books, the Canadian publisher of the Harry Potter series, is in full damage-control mode after a B.C. store prematurely sold up to 15 copies of the latest book last week.




Raincoast heard about the gaffe on Friday, the day after the books were sold at the Great Canadian Superstore in Coquitlam – more than a week before the July 16 official release.

On Saturday, the B.C. Supreme Court granted Raincoast a court injunction to help get the books back, and keep a lid on the plot.

Raincoast Books announcement
Company spokesperson Jamie Broadhurst says some of the purchasers have voluntarily returned their copies. And he says the company is offering a reward to get the others returned.

"We're asking them to contact us and to temporarily return their copies of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to us," he says.

"And in exchange, what we will do, is on July 16 at one minute past midnight, we will return their copies to them along with a signed autographed bookplate to be affixed in their book from J.K. Rowling, and some gift items as well."

The injunction also bars anyone from leaking the plot of the latest Harry Potter book before 12:01 a.m. this Saturday.

The injunction exempts the book's official public relations campaign.

This latest incident is similar to one in 2003 when a Wal-Mart in Quebec accidentally sold a few copies of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix before the release date.

BRIEFS - FROM JUNE 27, 2005: British man pleads not guilty in Harry Potter theft
Recently, two men in England were charged with theft after allegedly stealing copies of the latest book from a distribution centre. Police say the two tried to sell the book to a newspaper reporter.

About 10.8 million copies are planned for the first printing of The Half-Blood Prince, compared to the 8.5 million for the previous book.

Author J.K. Rowling's tales of an orphaned wizard-in-training have sold more than 200 million copies around the world.

Crater Lake travel

Started out on July 2nd, 2005 at 7:00am from San Jose. Stop over for quick stop in a town on Interstate 5 Filled gas. Next stop at Yeraka for gas. There was no county park or any picnic table in this whole town... Had to stop in the JcPenny parking and have our lunch.

Next exi,t was at Medford.

The highways numbered with the milestone. I5, 66, 99 & 138 are real milesotones.

62

Take the Crater Lake entrance. First spot was un notch. The hike was kind of steep short though. The view was worth it.

The west rim

Pinnacles National Monuments Picture

Clear Water Falls Picture

White Horse Falls Picture

Toketee Falls Picture

Barr Creek Falls Picture