Things I Learned in 2009

1. Back up your hard drive. This is something I know I should have been doing but didn't. It finally got my attention and brought my life to a screeching halt for over a month.

Two weeks before my laptop's one-year warranty was up, my hard drive completely crashed. I happened to be working with several computer savvy people and was able to talk with someone and get their trusted advice. He was able to salvage most of my data on the corrupted hard drive while I waited for the new one to come in.

The new hard drive, along with the restoration and recovery CDs, arrived about a week later. My helper wouldn't be able to do the work for me, but he gave me good instructions and I was able to do the work myself.

Although much of my data was recovered, I still had to spend many, many hours reinstalling software, starting with the operating system! I had to find the CD for installing the printer software, MS Office, and several others. Plus, several of the businesses that I deal with online require a user name and password. I used to keep that on my laptop. Information gone. Even accessing email needs a password. Now that I was trying to access my accounts from a "different" computer, some of the more secure sites required an additional step from me to confirm that it really was me.

I was just getting settled in, when five weeks later, the replacement hard drive crashed. After spending a few days trying to get my computer to work again, I had to come to grips with the fact that I was about to repeat what I just went through. But alas, the replacement part had a 30-day warranty and I was at day 35. Good feelings gone.

I called to get the new hard drive and was told it could take two weeks for it to arrive. In the mean time, I brought my laptop to a local shop ("Mr. Notebook") so that they could recover the data on the bad hard drive. Although the process of getting the data would only take a few hours, it would be a week before they could even look at it. Plus, they would need an external hard drive on which to put the data. So up to Fry's I went and bought a nice Seagate and delivered it to Mr. Notebook.

Then, what to do for two weeks?? I used the computers at the library and at the local community college where I attend several classes.

Finally, the hard drive arrived in the mail and Mr. Notebook called to say they were done...both happened on the same day! Good feelings return.

I had never replaced a hard drive before, and now here I was duplicating the process I had learned only six weeks before. It was just as painful and time consuming the second time around: reinstalling software and confirming passwords.

The Seagate is really easy to use. All I have to do is plug the USB cable into my laptop and it does the backup automatically. It took some time to get it set up initially but now, it's a breeze. I back up about once a week; more often if I have spent alot of time on a project and don't want to lose it.

2. Store your user names and passwords in more than one media format. I thought I was so smart the way I was storing this information until the hard drive crashed and I couldn't get to the information. I can't tell you my new system in case you decide to break into my house to get to my passwords. I'm just saying, make a back up of your passwords.

3. Firefox is faster than Internet Explorer. Somehow, websites display faster with Firefox. I like to look at weather web cams so that's where I've noticed the most difference. The "favorites" are arranged differently and a little harder to access than on Internet Explorer (I.E.) so I use both, depending on what I'm doing. If I want to use a familiar favorite, I use IE. If I want to look at web cams, I use Firefox. Another benefit to Firefox is when I start typing a URL address, it starts to guess at what I want (based on my history) and gives me several options. I almost always find what I'm looking for this way.

I would not have even tried it had I not been in a web design class that required us to verify our designs in multiple browsers. I was absolutely astonished at how some of my designs displayed very differently in each browser. As I designed a web site, I was constantly checking to see how it displayed in Internet Explorer and then see how it displayed in Firefox.

I have since downloaded Apple's internet browser, Safari, but have not used it much. (See next item.)

4. Apple isn't all it's cracked up to be. Fifteen years ago, Apple had the market on making it easy for regular people to use a computer. The desktop, folders, trash can, and drag-n-drop were brand new and way better than trudging through DOS. I owned a Mac (proudly, I might add) but became frustrated because of the limited amount of software available. By the time I reached that point, Microsoft had developed "Windows" which looked alot like a Mac. That was nine years ago and I have never regretted changing from Mac to Microsoft.

I had a chance to see the latest Macs during a summer class at the local community college. I hated it. It's a bunch of fluff that I'm sure is doing nothing but hogging space. Who cares if the folders do something fancy when they close? So what if it looks like its being sucked into a vacuum cleaner hose? Ugh. I hated it.

So, when I downloaded Safari (to see how it displayed my web site designs) and saw that it does a bunch of unnecessary whirling and twirling, I had the same feeling. Yuck. Give me IE or Firefox.
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Dianne Again

For a brief time in my childhood, I was known as "Dianneagan."

I was in the third or fourth grade and loved spending time next door at my best friend's house. We were the same age, but she was the oldest of five, I the youngest of six. I liked her Dad. He was friendly and fun.

I don't know if this is what kids do these days, but back in my day, if you wanted to play with your friend, you walked over to their house, knocked on the door, and you would ask, "Can Mary (or whatever their name was) come out and play?" Sometimes the person came outside to play, sometimes we went in their house to play, and other times we were told that person wasn't there or was not allowed to have visitors at the moment.

On one of the times I went to visit Mary, her father answered the door and called out to Mary, "It's Dianneagan."

I looked at him, confused by what he had just called me. It sounded similar to "shenanigan" but instead of "shenana" it started with "Dianne."

I heard Mary pleading in the background, "Don't say that!"

"Why not? That's her new name, isn't it?" her father answered.

"What are you guys talking about?" I asked them, not sure what I had just walked into.

"Well, Mary said..." her father started.

Quickly interrupting him and trying to stop all further conversation, Mary said, "no, please, don't tell her."

Something secret was going on here and I had to find out what it was!

"Well," her father started again, "it's just that when Mary saw you walking towards our house, she said 'Oh no, here comes Dianne again. She's already been over here once today.' so I thought that was your new name."

Mary was trying her best to explain what she really meant, I was trying to figure out if she didn't want me coming around anymore, and her father was just laughing and laughing. After we settled down a bit, he assured me that Mary did want to see me and that I should keep coming over.

On my subsequent visits, I would announce myself as "Dianne Again" and we would all have a good laugh. It's also made for a good story even after all these years.

Sadly, Mary's father died of a heart attack two years after I was given my new name. He was only 36 years old. I really liked him and missed him desperately after his death. My new name was only sort-of funny after that and eventually I went back to my old name. But I think back fondly on the way he could turn a plain conversation into something humorous, personal, and long-lasting.

Tomorrow, I'll write about "Heel to toe."

Christmas Stocking Treats

Let's start with this: my husband loves chocolate covered peanuts. He even has a favorite brand that is only available at Walmart.

For his Christmas stocking, I thought it would nice to make the chocolate covered peanuts myself. This is all very tricky, since we both work from home (read: we're both home all the time) and I don't want him to know what I'm doing until I tell him Christmas morning. Furthermore, I don't do much cooking, so any activity I do in the kitchen is subject to suspicion.

I found out that it's really easy to make and doesn't require many ingredients. I waited until he went to bed last night and then went into the kitchen and started making the chocolate covered nuts.

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup milk-chocolate morsels
1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup peanuts
1" candy cups (I used 1" paper muffin cups)

Separate out about 50 of the candy cups.
Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. I did it at 30-second intervals and stirred it each time.
Add the cashews to the melted chocolate and blend until all the cashews are covered.
Use two spoons to pull out groups of 3 cashews and place them in a candy cup.
After all the cashews are pulled out of the chocolate, add the peanuts and blend until all the peanuts are covered.
Use two spoons to pull out groups of 5 or 6 peanuts and place them in a candy cup.
Place the filled cups on a tray (I used a cookie sheet).
Transfer the filled cups to a container that will go in the refrigerator.
Seal it airtight and leave in the refrigerator overnight.

This is how far I've gone with the recipe. I intend to remove each clump from the cups, put them in groups of four, wrap them in plastic wrap, and place them in the Christmas stocking.

I hope I will be able to get them out of the paper cups without the paper sticking to the chocolate. If my husband takes a nap this afternoon, I'll find out then!

UPDATE: Husband did take an afternoon nap (yay). I took advantage of that time and brought the chocolates out of the refrigerator. The chocolates separate from the paper cups very easily and I think the paper cups can be reused. I think it helped that they were still cold. Ironically, at that time of the day (4pm on the first day of winter) the sun was streaming onto my work area and started melting the chocolate!

I wrapped them in clear plastic wrap (Saran wrap) and tied them with a bow. They look really pretty. It made about six packages of 7-8 clusters. I put those six packages in a brown paper bag (to conceal it from prying husband-eyes) and put the bag in the refrigerator. They are going to get crushed somewhat when I put them in the stocking, but I think that will be okay. If I were to give these away as gifts, I wouldn't use the plastic wrap because its kind of sticky and feels too homemade for me.

I have another item I want to make for the stocking: Cinnamon Sugar Crusted Pecans. That recipe requires the mixer (read: loud) so I'll have to do them Wednesday afternoon when husband is out of the house.

Twas the week before Christmas

Last week was fairly productive, even though I barely scratched the surface of my "things to do."

Some of the time was for Christmas-related tasks/events:

• Decorated the Christmas tree. Fought with the lights...and won!
• Sent out over twenty cards. Realized that I don't know people's mailing addresses anymore.
• Assembled 35 Andes mints gift treats. Gave them to many of my former co-workers.
• Enjoyed a Christmas dinner with some former co-workers. It was really good to see them again.
• Purchased several gifts for my husband.

Some were business-related:

• Analyzed a potential market base. Making a database of possible clients. It's looking hopeful so far.
  
• Re-evaluating my web site. I constantly get ideas that will make it better. Now, I just need to implement them.

I had some trouble with my back this week, so I couldn't do the exercises that I had hoped to do. I'm hoping that this week, I'll at least be able to go for long walks.

This week, I plan to work on some of those end-of-the-year evaluations. I'll probably start with mileage calculations. I had a pretty good system going; now I just need to spend the time working on it.

Oh, I almost forgot! I tried a new recipe. I've always been curious about Bread Pudding. People seem to love it or hate it. I found a recipe that looked simple enough for me to try. The only extra thing I had to buy was cinnamon bread and eggs. I made it in a round glass pie plate. It came out fantastic! And it looks really pretty. Next time I make it, I'll use less sugar, because there already is sugar in the bread. I've been eating some everyday - it's hard to resist. This could easily become my signature dessert dish. Here is the recipe.

BREAD PUDDING
6 slices cinnamon-raisin bread
2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Break or slice bread into bite-sized pieces (about 1/2" x 1/2" x 1") into an 8 inch square baking pan or pie pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped.


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Overwrite vs. Override

What's the difference between these two words?
I've seen them used somewhat interchangeably and have wondered if it's on purpose or because they sound alike. So, here's the definitions.

OVERWRITE
From the American Heritage Dictionary
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/overwrite
.o·ver·write
v. o·ver·wrote , o·ver·writ·ten , o·ver·writ·ing, o·ver·writes

v. tr.

1. To cover (something) with writing.
2. To write about in an artificial or an excessively elaborate, wordy style.
3. Computer Science
a. To destroy or lose (old data) by recording new data over it: accidentally overwrote an important document.
b. To record (new data) on top of already stored data, thus destroying the old data: overwrote an updated document on top of an earlier draft.


v. intr.
To write artificial, excessively elaborate, or wordy prose.


OVERRIDE
From the American Heritage Dictionary
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/override

o·ver·ride
tr.v. o·ver·rode (-rōd'), o·ver·rid·den (-rĭd'n), o·ver·rid·ing, o·ver·rides

1a. To ride across.
1b. To ride beyond.
1c. To prevail over; conquer: Budgetary concerns overrode all other considerations.
1d. To declare null and void; set aside: overrode the President's veto.
1e. To counteract the normal operation of (an automatic control).

2. To trample on.
3. To ride (a horse) too hard.
4a. To prevail over; conquer: Budgetary concerns overrode all other considerations.
4b. To declare null and void; set aside: overrode the President's veto.
4c. To counteract the normal operation of (an automatic control).
5. To extend over; overlap.



I think people have been writing "override" when they mean "overwrite" and this is especially true with "over ridden" and "over written." Of course, people in the computer industry are the worst culprits.

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Short term goals

Oh! I have so much to catch up on. I have five weeks before my next major project starts and I really need to set my goals. One goal is to do weekly updates of this blog, my LinkedIn page, and my Squidoo pages. My other short-term goals include:

1. Fulfill my annual CEU requirements for being a licensed architect.
2. Financial status review.
3. Get back to organizing my office.
   
4. Mileage summary and other tax-related data.
5. Design and build a dog house.
6. Redesign mullenitover.com.
   

I've been reading alot of books lately and could/should share what I've learned. Some things I need to do weekly, like updating websites and financial reviews. Others can and should be done during this winter break. The rest are more long-term and could take several months to complete.


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Bali Soup

When my college friend, Perin, said she couldn’t find anyone to fill in for her Thursday evening, I said I could help.

She got very excited at my offer. "Really? You'll fill in for me at the refectory? I've been asking everybody and none of them could help."

"Sure," I said, unaware of why everyone else had plans for that evening except for me.

It turned out that she was going to the most popular event at school, the annual fashion show. After I realized that I was apparently the only person not going or even not aware of the event, I was sort of mad at myself. But Perin was so excited to go and I couldn't go back on my word.

I reported to the refectory at the appointed time and reported to the guy she told me to. The refectory was the fancy name for "cafeteria" at our school. Although refectory should conjure up some elaborate place, the food was served cafeteria style, with people going through the lines with their trays and requesting their individualized meals. My task that evening would be to stand behind the line and serve up the food. I had been though the line many, many times before and I knew that the menu changed with each dinner.

The guy I reported to showed me where to find my apron, gloves, and hair net. "Put deese on and stand ovah thayah," pointing to one end of the entrée section, "I'll give ya mooah instructions latah."

The Rhode Island accent was not unusual for me. I had already lived there three years for college and I had grown up in Massachusetts. I also omitted Rs and added Rs and slurred my "THs" and altered the number of syllables. It wasn't random, it was accepted.

After I had tied the apron around my waist, wrapped my hair with that crazy net, and placed the latex gloves on my hands, I did as I was told and stood at the end of the dinner section. The soups were located here. The guy who had been giving me instructions said that the vegetarians want soup and tonight it's Bali Soup.

I didn't know many vegetarians; it wasn't as common as it is today. I didn't know what they ate – though I knew it was different from what I ate. Bali Soup sounds different. Sounds like something that was created from the island of Bali. "Bali High, I'm calling. Bali High, come to me." It was a song from the musical, South Pacific. Very exotic, I thought. This soup probably has some of those unusual vegetables you'd find on some tiny island out in the Pacific.

So, when a customer came through the line and what the soup was tonight, I said, "Bali Soup." I didn't know what it was but I figured they would recognize the name as something they've had before and would want more.

As the night went on and I told them what the soup was, I was a little surprised at how many times I had to repeat the name. I spoke a little louder and clearer, hoping that would help out.

Some of them repeated the name back to me, "Bali Soup? What's that?"

"It's Bali Soup. It's the vegetarian soup." I didn't mean to single out the vegetarians but they kind of put me on the spot.

Another sort of laughed and smiled and asked, "Bali? Are you from around here?"

What a strange question to ask me. What has the name of the soup got to do with where I'm from? I'm not eating the soup; I'm serving it to other people. Do you want it or not?

They scrunched up their face as they repeated exactly what I had just told them. "Bali Soup?" they continued to ask. "What's in it?"

"I don't know. I guess it comes from Bali."

Enough people were asking for it that I was running out. "More Bali Soup!" I shouted back to the kitchen. "We're running out of Bali Soup!"

I have to admit I felt kind of proud that my soup was so popular. Why wouldn't it be? It's from Bali. It's what the vegetarians eat. They like soup and they want more of it.

The new batch of soup arrived when there was a break in customers. I had a chance to look at the soup a little closer. I was very curious by now. Curious not only about what was in it but also by the puzzled expressions many customers gave me right after I told them the name.

As I lifted the ladle and moved the ingredients around in the giant container, I saw lots of little oval shaped white things. They were about the size of rice but a little fatter. As I stirred the soup with the ladle, I thought to myself, "I wonder if this is barley. And maybe this is Barley Soup." Long pause in my silent thinking. "Maybe my boss pronounces 'barley' without the R and says 'bali'. Of course! This is Barley Soup. Vegetarians eat barley and this is barley soup."

I immediately replayed those customers' quizzical faces. Some of them accepted the soup and others declined. Was it because they had no idea what I had said and wasn't interested in trying it? Maybe others tried it because it sounded exotic? Enough people took it that I had to ask the kitchen for more.

"Bali" Soup and "Barley" Soup is the same thing. It just so happens we're in Rhode Island and the guy who told me the name lives in Providence so of course he pronounces "Barley" the same as "Bali."

I laughed at myself for incorrectly interpreting my own accent. I felt bad for the vegetarians who would have accepted Barley soup had they known that's what it was.

And the fashion show that I missed? I heard it was spectacular. But I bet it wasn't as exotic as Bali Soup.

How to Tame Summer Job ApplicationsPart 9

Towards the end of the summer, I told the students that at the next company-wide meeting, I wanted them to make a presentation during the meeting which would show everyone what they had worked on during the summer. They come from design schools where making a presentation is the norm. However, getting up in front of and entire firm to talk about themselves was something I doubt any of them had considered. I gave them very few restrictions. They had already been to these meetings so they knew the format and who usually attends. I thought they would present alone, be nervous, speak softly, and sort of squeak by. Boy, was I wrong. They worked together as a group, took photos of each other in their various "work" environments, narrated it, brought their sense of humor, and made a terrific impression on everyone who attended.

Their photos projected onto to the wall and the music "I've had the time of my life..." resonated throughout the room. There's Andrew, who had worked so hard with accounting moving boxes, sitting in a tight little ball on one of the shelves and our narrator saying, "Andrew thinks out of the box." There's Katy, sitting at the computer, the same image one after another with our narrator saying, "There's Katy working on the bank project (next slide, same image), the office project (next slide, same image), the medical clinic (next slide, same image). There's Christine, who reorganized our library, trapped under mounds of binders and books. There's Jim, head stuck under a kitchen cabinet, fixing the garbage disposal, the dishwasher, the sink, and anything else that needed repair.

My favorite photo is the one they gave to me. It's a picture of the six of them standing outside the office. I have kept it next to me as I work, even to this day.


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                      Part 7     Part 8
Top of this post:   Part 9

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How to Tame Summer Job ApplicationsPart 8

When regular, full-time employees started working at our firm, I conducted their "New Employee Orientation." To give these students a realistic view of working at our firm, I conducted a modified version of the new employee orientation with each one of them. It was also a chance for them to relax and breathe a little bit before their big first day. I brought them around the office to meet their new co-workers, told them what their first assignment would be, and who they would be taking direction from their first day and/or week. These managers were expecting the student and had already prepared work for them to do.

By doing this, I did not have to think up every little assignment for each student, every day of the week. The managers took care of the daily assignments, but if they ran out of work for them to do, they could send the student to me. To keep any one student from being over-used or over-looked, I meet with them once a week.

We met as a group, every Monday morning for about an hour. It accomplished several things, including getting their mind back into work after a weekend away and keeping them working together as a group. Each week, they had to say what they worked on last week and what they thought they would be working on in the coming week. When the staff would see our group meeting, it gave the interns more credibiltiy. It raised everyone's expectations.

In the early meetings, we reviewed things like where they park their vehicle, using the computers and telephones, and turning in timesheets. After a few weeks of working on real projects, I told them to record the list of projects they worked on, along with information about the project: principal in charge, project manager, client's name, square footage, approximate construction cost, and their role on the project. For professionals, this is the type of information to keep track of and I wanted to teach them early how to do it. Next time they apply for a job, they could attach this "Project List" with their resume and immediately earn respect.

I also taught them the importance of "billable" and "non-billable" time. At the beginning of the summer, they sort of knew the conceptual differences between the two, but probably couldn't explain why managers put so much emphasis on it, and how their work would be measured by the percentage of their billable and non-billable time. By the end of the summer, they not only knew the difference, they expressed concern during a week when their timesheet reflected more non-billable time than billable.

Each week, they turned in their timesheet to me. First, though, they had to go to each manager they worked for and get them to sign off on it. They had to learn to own up to the hours they spent on a project by showing the manager how many hours they were logging to their project. I had to keep the managers involved and accountable when it came to working with our summer interns. As part of their training to complete their timesheets, I had them fill out detailed journals for each day's work and attach it to their timesheet. No one else in the office had to submit such a detailed record; I was training them how to keep detailed records of their work - a skill that they will use for the rest of their professional life.


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                    Part 6     Part 7
Top of this post:   Part 8
Next:   Part 9
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How to Tame Summer Job ApplicationsPart 7

After making the final selection, I emailed a job offer to them which outlined the types of work they would be doing and how much they would be paid. They had invested alot of their time with us already, and I wanted to be clear about what to expect by working for us. It would be a job. A real job, with real responsibilities, and with real meaning.

Once they accepted the job offer, we set up the exact date they could start. Some could start sooner than others, so instead of making them wait, I let them start when they were ready.

I notified the bosses about their arrival, I notified the leaders, I put their names on the staff schedule, and I assigned them to projects. Even if the project was non-billable, I wanted their name on the schedule with a specific assignment for each of them.

I continued to inform our staff about the summer students and highlighted their skills. I impressed on them the importance of creating meaningful tasks for the students to do. They also did not have to think up tasks on their own. If a student ran out of work, they should come to me so I can give them an assignment. Looking back, I think that our younger staff appreciated this much more than the older staff. Perhaps because it wasn't that long ago that they were in school and wished they could have had this opportunity. Staff who had been there longer only knew about students who were some clients kid and who didn't have much work to do. They also did not realize how much more advanced these students were.

At this point, I realized I needed to get some structure ready for the students. Yikes! Not another schedule?



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Top of this post:   Part 7
Next:   Part 8
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How to Tame Summer Job ApplicationsPart 6

So, now that I had a nice schedule for the job applicants to follow, I needed a schedule for myself - to handle all those applications and job interviews in a very short period of time. I received requests from over 60 students, from Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, and India.

I wanted to interview as many as I could for two main reasons. First, to meet the students and find out more about their qualifications, and second, to give them practice interviewing at a real firm.

Time to set up another schedule!

Interviewing that many people in a week takes some pre-planning. I set up a daily schedule with appointments set up at 90-minute intervals. I allowed one hour per interview, and a 30-minute break for me in between. I sent the list to the people who I wanted to interview and asked them to give me their first, second, and third choice. Once I had all the responses, I set up the schedule and informed each one when their interview would be. I intentionally did not offer to give them directions to the office or suggestions about where to park. I wanted them to have to figure that one out on their own. If they asked, I would give them the information they needed. If we hired any of them and needed them to run errands, I want someone who knows how to get to places on time.

I have to admit that I underestimated the quality of the applicants. I thought it would be relatively easy to make the first cut and then narrow down the list to 2 or 3 people. I really did want all of them to experience an interview, so unless they were not even close to what we wanted, I invited them to a Level 1 interview.

I was very impressed - and a little overwhelmed. There were few easy cuts to make. What I ended up doing was spending an entire weekend evaluating, comparing, and examining all the choices. I had to step away from it for a few hours, and when I came back, I wrote down something that became THE criteria for selecting the candidates. I wrote, "We are the best. We want the best. Choose the best."

I made the decision and notified all of them. Those who made it to the Level 2 were given a schedule so that they could give me their first, second, and third choice for interview times. Since this round of interviews was occurring after Spring break, I was much more flexible to accommodate their schedule. I freely gave up an evening or weekend if that truly was the only time they could meet with me.

I invited some other members of our staff to attend the Level 2 interview with me. I wanted them to help me decide who to hire, especially if the students had skills and interests that were similar to theirs. From the company's point of view, I wanted to hire people who had skills that we could really use. From the student's point of view, I wanted this job to be a continuation of their education, and give them a chance to use some of the skills they have already learned.

Making the final decision was really, really hard. I had met the person twice, studied their application over a weekend, thought about how they might fit in, and knew their aspirations and goals.

While I knew some would be sorely disappointed, there were two who had already accepted a summer job elsewhere. I couldn't believe it! Some of my top choices didn't choose us! Apparently someone else saw them as exceptional and snatched them up.


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Next:   Part 7     Part 8
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How to Tame Summer Job ApplicationsPart 5

Did I ask my bosses if I could develop a process? No.

Did I tell them what I was doing? No. I just did it. I figured that the worst that could happen was that I would interview a bunch of college students and have to tell all of them that they weren't hired. The sad truth about the bosses was that their only interest in summer students was how it could improve their chances of getting another project. Furthermore, the only time they showed an interest in attending a career day at the colleges was if they thought they could be seen by their competitors.

Back to something more positive and constructive. Here is the general schedule I set up:

1. Begin accepting applications: January 1


2. Applications due: March 1


3. First round of interviews: week of Spring break


4. Second round of interviews: week following Spring break


5. Job offers made: March 30


6. Summer job begins: First week after school gets out


7. Summer job ends: One weeks before school begins

What can you infer from this schedule?

1. We expect students to work during the summer.


2. If you miss the deadline, you miss your chance to work with us.


3. If you're serious about working for us, you'll have to do without at least one day of your Spring break.


4. We only want students who can think about their future and make plans early.


5. We want students who can meet deadlines.


6. Summer jobs are not hand outs.


7. We will treat our students with dignity and respect.


8. We will not minimize their contributions.

This was a brand-new concept for our firm. Summer interns were typically seen as unskilled helpers with little or no interest in architecture, design, or construction. If they could drive and had a car, they could run errands. If they were boys, they could help move boxes in the file storage or re-arrange furniture. If they were girls, they could run copies and carry light stuff. If they had some intelligence and were interested in working, they might be entrusted with filing.

For the first time, I was in a postition where I could do something about it...even though I didn't have permission or support from upper management.


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How to Tame Summer Job ApplicationsPart 4

I hoped that a schedule would accomplish several things.

• Defer the really early emails.


• Establish a cut off date when I could respond to late applicants, "Sorry. We're done with summer applications. Try again next year."


• Infer that our company has it's act together by having a formal process.

With a process in place, I could work with some of the people in our firm who I saw as leaders, and come up with some real, relevant, and useful tasks for summer students to do. From those discussions, I wrote list of qualifications that I would look for in the candidates. Additionally, I personally wanted to give students some practice interviewing. Even if none of them got hired, I wanted them to have a chance to interview at a real company for a real job. And I wanted it to be a good experience for them.

In prior years, I noticed a pattern about when I received emails and phone calls from students. The biggest influx of resumes comes just after the Christmas holidays. Students and non-students often use that time to get their resumes, cover letters, and list of contacts during their time off from school. The other time period for students to get their summer job lined up is during Spring break. Some will try to schedule their interviews for that week, while others are using that time to pull together their resumes and their nerves.

Working backwards from when school gets out, I decided when I would begin accepting applications, when the applications were due, when the interviews would be held, when the final cuts would be made, when the job starts, when it ends, and how much they would be paid.

I created a FAQ sheet with the schedule and sent it to colleges in the central Texas region. I didn't know of any other firm with a formal schedule and especially a deadline, so I wanted to let the students know in advance what the rules are. It was also good PR for our firm. Career services at several colleges and universities perceived us as organized and appreciated the way we extended our firm to students.

The FAQ made it easy for me to give early applicants a response to their email, and even have some useful information. Read a copy of the actual FAQ for the summer of 2007.


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How to Tame Summer Job ApplicationsPart 3

I needed a way to respond to those students who ask about summer employment almost a year in advance. These are students who are planning ahead, and those are the kind of people we want to work with. I didn't want to ignore their email, nor could I say definitively that we would even have summer jobs available.

I needed a way to address the flood of requests that arrive in the weeks just before a summer job would start. When too many arrive in a short time, I can't fairly evaluate them and find the best of the best. Sadly, many of those requests went unanswered and students were left wondering what happened.

I didn't want the students to realize how unorganized and non-committal we were internally. Our firm presented itself as a well-oiled machine that was also "intern friendly." I am certain that my bosses never fully appreciated the extent of my impact on our firm's reputation. I had a direct and immediate influence on college students and, perhaps more importantly, the message that they spread to other students and their teachers. Since students often apply and interview at several firms, it wouldn't take long for them to share their tales of a negative experience with us to our competitors.

I felt very torn between the indecisiveness at our firm and wanting to present a professional front to the students.

It suddenly came to me that part of my conflict was that I was not in control of my schedule. I was letting the students determine the application schedule. It was further compounded by a lack of direction from my bosses. I decided to take a leadership role with the entire summer job process. This process eventually became a "program," but at the time I was creating it, I perceived it as a process.

I decided to set up a schedule.

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