Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Why where you live is the most important decision

I don't know that where I live is the most important, but Richard Florida makes a compelling argument for how a community can give you more opportunities, despite the argument that interconnectivity is making "real" community an inessential consideration. For a brief sample of his argument, check out the Useful Commute Podcast from BNET
Why Where You Live Is More Important Than Ever.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Best Interview Book, Ever


One of my favourite interview books, one that I still use for prep all of the time is 101 Great Answers to the Toughest Interview Questions. They aren't the toughest questions--unless you don't know what BDI questions are. If you don't know what a BDI question is and since most interviews are made up of BDI questions, you might think about having this one on your bookshelf too.

Now in its fifth edition, this book has a formula that I think works really well for first time study of BDI interview questions. The book poses a question, gives you some rationale on how to answer the question and then gives you a "green light" (good) answer and a "red light" (bad) answer. This method gives you a good example to follow and can help you analyze a response that you gave that your interview partner thinks it "bad". Questions are grouped into chapters by the type of information or soft skill the question is trying to get information about.

There is also a substantial first chapter on general interview skills and prep that you might skip if you are pressed for time but you should go back and read it when you have time.

There are other interview books on the market, some even using a similar formula, but I think this one is the best for BDI beginners.