Living In the World, Not on It

You know enough to bring a list of questions to a job interview. When the interviewer asks you, "So, do you have any questions for me?" the last thing? You want to say is "No." But that could be the best option if you're at a loss for words, because some interview questions are better left unasked. Here are 10 highly unsuitable interview questions that should never make an appearance, unless you don't want the job: 1. "What does your company do?" This was a reasonable interview question in 1950 or in 1980, before the Internet existed. Today, it's your job to research any company you're interviewing with before setting foot in the door. We need to show up for a job interview knowing what the employer does, who its competitors are, and which of its accomplishments (or challenges) have made the news lately. 2. "Are you going to do a background check?" It is amazing how many job candidates ask this question, which provokes alarm on t...

I couldn't think how else to word this one. So here is the explanation. Do you remember when Big Tobacco lost that lawsuit? Billions in reparations (that, naturally, will never get paid), sanctions and of course, the false advertising campaigns by the tobacco companies to tout how bad smoking really is for anyone. Uh- huh . Do you believe for a moment that Philip Morris actually gave up its dream of tobacco-use world domination? Don't bet on it. I certainly wouldn't place that bet. I know how corporations think all too well - get 'em hooked, and do it while they are young to make it all the harder to stop later. Now bring in the sugar/corn refinement companies. I was leafing through People Magazine , my guilty pleasure. (I gravitate to National Geographic and Discover , so admitting to reading People seems rather plebian... but I can honestly say I read it for the valuable articles, not the "dirt" on famous and/or rich people.) While looking through the one ...

Want to read a completely fun and inspiring blog? Visit Patrick's Place ( http://www.patrickkphillips.com/ ) for all your reading entertainment. I always engage in his Saturday Six Meme, as it is one of the top three that I visit every week, but he posts plenty of other great pieces. Tonight I was particularly amused, however, by his little voting panel. Many blogs (including Blogspot, but I keep forgetting to put one in and then keep it updated) have this feature. His vote topic this time is "Rate President Bush on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best president ever and 1 being the worst." Unfortunately, I read it too fast and assumed that 10 meant worst, and put in that number. I just saw to my horror now that 1 is the worst. But I think every one else did the same thing... I saw that all that was there was 10 - I wonder... No one (even almost all the staunch Republicans) think he was just horrendous. I've left a message hoping he can change it - especially since I wa...

1. What commonly-used word in speech annoys you the most? When did you hear it last used? The word now . My mother used to use it as a "motivational tool" when I lived at home. Once I moved out of the house, I became immune to following her orders to do things around the house - I now have my own dishwasher to empty and such - but nothing could piss me off more than her saying it with that demanding tone! And she did it this afternoon! Friggin' woman makes me crazy! 2. Which commonly-used word annoys you the most when you hear it mispronounced? What’s the most common mispronunciation you hear for this word? Oh, this is my major pet-peeve time. People who pronounce "ask" as "aks" - that just pushes me right over the edge of sanity! I can't take it and it is a terrible physical effort to keep from correcting this. When we were interviewing for office positions I heard about six of the 20 candidates we met with say that and both of us cringed. I even ...

pneuma PRONUNCIATION: (NOO-muh, NYOO-) MEANING: noun: Spirit, soul ETYMOLOGY: From Greek pneuma (breath, wind, spirit). Ultimately from the Indo-European root pneu- (to breathe) that is also the source of pneumatic, pneumonia, pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis , apnea, sneer, sneeze, snort, and snore. A new year has begun and new things are in the offing around the world. In the US, we eagerly await a new president to assume office, a week from now. In AWAD, we'll mark the new year with new words. Well, they aren't really that new, they just sound new. This week we'll feature five words that begin with the "new" sound. nugatory PRONUNCIATION: (NOO-guh-tor-ee, NYOO-) MEANING: adjective: 1. Of little value; trifling 2. Having no force; ineffective ETYMOLOGY: From Latin nugatorius (trifling), from nugari (to trifle) newel PRONUNCIATION: (NOO-uhl, NYOO-) MEANING: noun: 1. A center column that supports the steps of a spiral staircase 2. A post supporting th...

3x Thursday: 01/15/y2k+9: Job Hunt 1. How do you go about looking for a job (websites, papers, etc)? Well, it has been a while, but I join placement agencies. At my level, the newspaper and baseline Internet sites are not going to show me what I want. I suppose I would check Craigs List, though. 2. At what point do you start looking for jobs? Before you need to find a new one, or when you are made to? It depends on the situation. I usually hate job hunting but life at USII was bad enough that I had actually begun looking well before they finally laid me off. I saw that coming from miles away. They were not replacing HR generalists who had left, the first big sign. 3. Do you have any requirements when you take a job? If so, what are they? The usual: a salary comensurate with my position and abilities, two to three weeks vacation and major medical, dental and vision benefits. The rest is gravy. January 16, 2009 Four For Friday Q1 - The American Dream: This question comes courtesy of John...

Keeping a good thing going... My buddy, Bill, came to me a while back looking for advice on how to banish the bulging belly he had acquired in his later years. I skipped the diet lecture and instead gave him a copy of the book, Eat This, Not That!, and a single piece of advice: Start with the drinks chapter. Four months later, Bill has adopted the simple food swap philosophy and dramatically altered his calorie intake without giving up the foods and drinks he loves. His reward: 25 pounds and three inches off of his waistline—in around six weeks! I told Bill to start with beverages because between soda, coffee drinks, smoothies, and booze, he was sipping away more than a quarter of his daily calories. He’s not the only one. A study from the University of North Carolina found that we consume 450 calories a day from beverages, nearly twice as many as 30 years ago! This increase amounts to an extra 23 pounds a year that we're forced to work off—or carry around with us. There’s good new...