From TechCrunch, March 5, 2009...
Reid Hoffman is an entrepreneur’s entrepreneur. He worked at Paypal, founded LinkedIn, and invested in dozens more. Last night, he appeared on Charlie Rose (full interview embedded above, full transcript below), where he talks about the rise of social networking in general, and LinkedIn’s success in particular (it is adding one million professionals every 17 days and is emerging as a “low cost provider of really good hiring services”).
Yesterday, Hoffman wrote a post for us with some concrete suggestions for a Stimulus 2.0 plan led by startups. He hit some of the same themes on Charlie Rose. The best part of the hour-long interview, however is towards the end where Hoffman discusses the role that entrepreneurship can play in getting America out of its rut. Some excerpts:
Read more...
Friday, March 6, 2009
Stand Out with Hand-Written Thank Yous
From DICE, March 6, 2009...
An interesting tidbit in one of The Wall Street Journal’s “Laid off and Looking” columns: Kevin Hudson, who spent almost four years at ServiceMaster as an IT finance director, attended a program sponsored by the University of Chicago’s alumni club. One of the discussions focused on whether it’s better to e-mail or hand write a post-interview thank you note. The response from panelists?
The consensus was the latter as it is done so rarely today. While it may not guarantee getting the job, the personal touch could set you apart from the crowd and will be remembered.
This piqued my interest. Recently, I read Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture. In Chapter 41, he talks about how thank-you notes “are best done the old fashion way, with pen and paper.”
Read more...
An interesting tidbit in one of The Wall Street Journal’s “Laid off and Looking” columns: Kevin Hudson, who spent almost four years at ServiceMaster as an IT finance director, attended a program sponsored by the University of Chicago’s alumni club. One of the discussions focused on whether it’s better to e-mail or hand write a post-interview thank you note. The response from panelists?
The consensus was the latter as it is done so rarely today. While it may not guarantee getting the job, the personal touch could set you apart from the crowd and will be remembered.
This piqued my interest. Recently, I read Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture. In Chapter 41, he talks about how thank-you notes “are best done the old fashion way, with pen and paper.”
Read more...
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
How to Prep for an Interview
From DICE, March 4, 2009...
Companies often rely on behavioral interviewing techniques to determine if you’re the right candidate for the job. The idea isn’t just to figure out whether you fit into the company culture, also to see if you have the right skills for the work. That’s why many interviewers try to focus questions about what you’ve done in the past or when faced with certain situations. TechCareers says this is one of the reasons to build a reliable work reputation:
It is about far more than the amount of time that we spend in a position. What kind of work reputation have we been building in our career? What job experience do we have under our belts? And what have we learned from the mistakes that we’ve made along the way?
So how do you prepare?
Read more...
Companies often rely on behavioral interviewing techniques to determine if you’re the right candidate for the job. The idea isn’t just to figure out whether you fit into the company culture, also to see if you have the right skills for the work. That’s why many interviewers try to focus questions about what you’ve done in the past or when faced with certain situations. TechCareers says this is one of the reasons to build a reliable work reputation:
It is about far more than the amount of time that we spend in a position. What kind of work reputation have we been building in our career? What job experience do we have under our belts? And what have we learned from the mistakes that we’ve made along the way?
So how do you prepare?
Read more...
RISE Austin is This Week
From Austin Startup, February 26, 2009...
March 2-5th, 2009 is the annual RISE Austin event. RISE stands for Relationship and Information Series for Entrepreneurs. There are information sessions from such great Austin entrepreneurs as Nav Sooch, Clayton Christopher, Roy and Bertrand Sosa, and John Mackey. Not only is the event packed with incredible talent, it is also free!
Rather than create a packed ballroom style of event, RISE sessions are held in locations all over Austin. Not only can you find great sessions that are close to you, but since the event is distributed you will find smaller and more focused sessions where you can really interact with the speaker and your peers. You must register in advance to attend these sessions. For instance Melissa Anthony’s (of anthonyBarnum PR) session on Ultimate Media Training is already full.
Read more...
March 2-5th, 2009 is the annual RISE Austin event. RISE stands for Relationship and Information Series for Entrepreneurs. There are information sessions from such great Austin entrepreneurs as Nav Sooch, Clayton Christopher, Roy and Bertrand Sosa, and John Mackey. Not only is the event packed with incredible talent, it is also free!
Rather than create a packed ballroom style of event, RISE sessions are held in locations all over Austin. Not only can you find great sessions that are close to you, but since the event is distributed you will find smaller and more focused sessions where you can really interact with the speaker and your peers. You must register in advance to attend these sessions. For instance Melissa Anthony’s (of anthonyBarnum PR) session on Ultimate Media Training is already full.
Read more...
Government Resources for Entrepreneurs
From Businessweek, March 3, 2009...
Government resources for small business owners have long existed, but they are often poorly understood and underutilized. Several outreach efforts currently under way, some public and some privately funded, aim to change that.
One of the new programs is the community forum quietly opened last week by the U.S. Small Business Administration's Business Gateway Program. Hosted on Business.gov, the site is believed to be the first government-sponsored online community built specifically for small business owners, says Nancy Sternberg, program manger of the Business Gateway site.
It combines discussion threads, blogs, and resource articles and is designed to encourage interaction between business owners and government employees. A press release and formal launch of the community forum is in the works, she says. Her staff is working on getting the word out through social media such as Twitter and Facebook and notifying the 10,000 individuals who get regular e-mails when the Business.gov site is updated.
Read more...
Government resources for small business owners have long existed, but they are often poorly understood and underutilized. Several outreach efforts currently under way, some public and some privately funded, aim to change that.
One of the new programs is the community forum quietly opened last week by the U.S. Small Business Administration's Business Gateway Program. Hosted on Business.gov, the site is believed to be the first government-sponsored online community built specifically for small business owners, says Nancy Sternberg, program manger of the Business Gateway site.
It combines discussion threads, blogs, and resource articles and is designed to encourage interaction between business owners and government employees. A press release and formal launch of the community forum is in the works, she says. Her staff is working on getting the word out through social media such as Twitter and Facebook and notifying the 10,000 individuals who get regular e-mails when the Business.gov site is updated.
Read more...
How To Handle Being Laid Off
From NPR, March 3, 2009...
More and more Americans are trying to figure out how to manage on unemployment checks. What should you do if you find yourself without a job?
Read more... (listen)
More and more Americans are trying to figure out how to manage on unemployment checks. What should you do if you find yourself without a job?
Read more... (listen)
Spansion files for Ch. 11 bankruptcy protection
From Austin Business Journal, March 2, 2009...
One week after laying off 35 percent of its workers, including 164 in Austin, computer chipmaker Spansion Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Spansion (Nasdaq: SPSN), which operates a 1,000-person manufacturing plant in Austin, said it plans to restructure its debt and refocus on more profitable markets. Each of Spansion’s U.S. subsidiaries also filed Chapter 11 petitions, company officials said.
Read more...
One week after laying off 35 percent of its workers, including 164 in Austin, computer chipmaker Spansion Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Spansion (Nasdaq: SPSN), which operates a 1,000-person manufacturing plant in Austin, said it plans to restructure its debt and refocus on more profitable markets. Each of Spansion’s U.S. subsidiaries also filed Chapter 11 petitions, company officials said.
Read more...
Freescale Semiconductors to layoff 229 Austin workers
From KEYE, March 2, 2009...
A major high tech employer in the Austin area has announced how many local employees it will be laying off in May.
Freescale Semiconductor’s plan to restructure its three Austin facilities will cost 229 jobs.
Read more...
A major high tech employer in the Austin area has announced how many local employees it will be laying off in May.
Freescale Semiconductor’s plan to restructure its three Austin facilities will cost 229 jobs.
Read more...
An Insider's Guide To Finding All Those Stimulus Jobs
From Forbes, February 26, 2009...
You'll need to follow the money--and know a few tricks to get there ahead of everyone else.
Read more...
You'll need to follow the money--and know a few tricks to get there ahead of everyone else.
Read more...
Technology CFOs Choose U.S. as Future Outsourcing Location over China and India
From Business Wire, March 3, 2009...
This year, according to the annual survey by BDO Seidman, LLP, one of the nation’s leading accounting and consulting organizations, nearly two-thirds (62%) of chief financial officers (CFOs) at leading U.S. technology businesses say that their companies outsource services or manufacturing. However, the survey results point to a likely decline in international outsourcing in 2009: twenty-two percent say the United States is the outsourcing destination they are most likely to consider in 2009, compared to sixteen percent for China and thirteen percent for India. Another nineteen percent report no interest in additional outsourcing.
Read more...
This year, according to the annual survey by BDO Seidman, LLP, one of the nation’s leading accounting and consulting organizations, nearly two-thirds (62%) of chief financial officers (CFOs) at leading U.S. technology businesses say that their companies outsource services or manufacturing. However, the survey results point to a likely decline in international outsourcing in 2009: twenty-two percent say the United States is the outsourcing destination they are most likely to consider in 2009, compared to sixteen percent for China and thirteen percent for India. Another nineteen percent report no interest in additional outsourcing.
Read more...
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