I am a fairly regular buyer of goods from the internet, so I thought I would have no problem with on-line shopping this Christmas. Unfortunately, I had two bad experiences: on one I decided to use a "non-brand" retailer, the other I found "seeing and feeling" really are necessary for some purchases.
Consumer Electronics - I have bought all sorts of electronics on-line, and I thought this year's family present of a portable DVD player would be a no-brainer. However, I found a site that carried the model I wanted for nearly $50 less than Amazon, even with shipping. Knowing that I was taking a risk, I decided to go for it (even if one of my best friends works at Amazon).
Well, I got the product, opened it up, and it was obvious it wasn't new. The product was somebody else's return, a floor model, I don't know what - just not new. The good news is that the customer service at this site was actually pretty good. They stated they only sell new products, apologized and offered an exchange or refund. Fearing the worst, I just asked for a refund, so I shipped the product back and got a full refund (verified today). I then re-ordered it from Amazon today (Jim's laughing now). So instead of saving $50 from ordering the first time from Amazon, I ended up spending an extra $15 in return shipping (I still saved on sales tax).
Lesson: Stick to on-line retailers you know and trust, even if you spend a little more.
Jewelry - Again, I knew it would be a risky proposition, but I decided to give jewelry a try this year. As a high-priced item and living in a high sales-tax state, I figured buying on-line would save a bundle in taxes (yeah, I would report it later) and compensate me for the risk.
I bought the product from Blue Nile, which is considered the best on-line retailer for jewelry. I received the product quickly, and it was as described on the site....but it just didn't "wow" me. If I spend that much on a present for my wife, I expect it to knock my socks off, and there were just a few little things that I didn't like.
Like above, Blue Nile was VERY good with its return policy and I sent it back today (another $15 out of pocket). They offered to help me with another selection, but I decided with two weeks left until Christmas that I would buy locally, which I did this afternoon. I ended up spending a little more than I did at Blue Nile, and of course paid sales tax, but I know what I picked wowed me, so I know it will wow my wife.
Lesson: There are just some things you have to see and touch before buying.
Since I am pretty much out of money, I am done with shopping, so I have done my little part to help the economy this Christmas season.
Window Manager - A (Now Retired) Executive Who has Nothing to do but Look out the Window
Thursday, December 11, 2003
Monday, December 08, 2003
Business Lessons from the Godfather
"I believe in America" is the opening line to The Godfather. While not uttered by one of the Mafia members (it is said by a mortician looking for a favor from the Don), it could have been spoken by anyone in the Corlione family, for The Godfather is a movie about an American success story: Poor boy comes to America. He works hard and starts a business as a young man, which expands and prospers. One of his sons takes over the business when he gets injured, but is ill suited to run it and gets "fired" after a shrewd move by the competition. Another son picks up the reins and is more successful, but gets into some problems with the same competitors, which he resolves with a "hostile takeover".
Like all good American success stories, the movie dispenses some good advice for getting ahead in the rough and tough business world:
Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer - Good political advice for all walks of life. If you are trying to get ahead for a promotion, you can bet you aren't the only one with that goal. Part of politicking means dealing with and working with people who you don't like or are even trying to undermine you. The best strategy to deal with these people is to not let them know you are their enemy.
It's not personal, it's business - A hard lesson to learn, but business sometimes means making decisions and choices that go contrary to friendships and relationships. This can mean reprimanding someone in a meeting on Monday after you had dinner with his family on Sunday or kicking off the board a friend who is incompetent. This is the reason why you hear "it's lonely at the top" - making hard business decisions sometimes means making decisions that go against friendships. And if you think this is harsh, I can point to countless businesses that failed since the people in charge were unwilling to make the hard choices due to friendships or perceived personal commitments.
I'll make him an offer he can't refuse - While taking a gun to someone's head during negotiations is frowned on in corporate America, effective negotiating is still essential for getting ahead. If you can't negotiate well, you will have trouble getting ahead, so learn how to do it.
There are other lessons as well, which is why Forbes put both Godfather movies in the top 10 business movies of all time.
Like all good American success stories, the movie dispenses some good advice for getting ahead in the rough and tough business world:
Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer - Good political advice for all walks of life. If you are trying to get ahead for a promotion, you can bet you aren't the only one with that goal. Part of politicking means dealing with and working with people who you don't like or are even trying to undermine you. The best strategy to deal with these people is to not let them know you are their enemy.
It's not personal, it's business - A hard lesson to learn, but business sometimes means making decisions and choices that go contrary to friendships and relationships. This can mean reprimanding someone in a meeting on Monday after you had dinner with his family on Sunday or kicking off the board a friend who is incompetent. This is the reason why you hear "it's lonely at the top" - making hard business decisions sometimes means making decisions that go against friendships. And if you think this is harsh, I can point to countless businesses that failed since the people in charge were unwilling to make the hard choices due to friendships or perceived personal commitments.
I'll make him an offer he can't refuse - While taking a gun to someone's head during negotiations is frowned on in corporate America, effective negotiating is still essential for getting ahead. If you can't negotiate well, you will have trouble getting ahead, so learn how to do it.
There are other lessons as well, which is why Forbes put both Godfather movies in the top 10 business movies of all time.
Thursday, December 04, 2003
Beware Headhunters
In response to my postings about getting job leads, I received an email from a reader wondering "how to get contacted by headhunters". For those of you not familiar with the term, headhunter refers to independent contractors that recruit people for companies. The term does not apply to internal "corporate recruiters" that work inside a company's HR department.
There are two types of headhunters: contingency and contract:
Contingency guys get paid only if/when some company hires you and are generally not under contract by an employer. These guys work on volume, sending anyone's resume they have to any employers that will accept them, figuring if they just get just a small percentage of hits, they will make money. They are the spammers of the HR world and are to be avoided. If they get your resume into an HR department, and you LATER go interview there based on something else, the headhunter still has a "claim" on you for up to a year after they sent in your resume. This claim means the HR department will have to pay the headhunter for hiring you, even if they were not involved. This is referred to having a "price on your head" and could actually HURT your chances of getting a job. This is why you see Principles Only or No Recruiters in some job ads.
Contract headhunters are just that - they are under contract for a particular company for a particular job. They get paid based on their time put it, plus a bonus based on the starting salary once they place a person. Since they want repeat business, they are usually very careful about who they put in front of an employer, so they usually take time to actually do a full interview with you before they even submit your resume with the client. Even if they don't place you, once you talk to these guys you are put into their database, so you may hear from them later about a completely different position. Contract recruiters usually specialize in an industry, geographic location, position (programming, marketing) or "level" (VP and up only , "C" level- CEO, CFO, CTO - only, etc.). Generally speaking, you should cultivate relationships with these guys, but still be careful. I had VERY bad experiences with them during the tech downturn when they felt they could treat unemployed people with contempt (and many of them still do).
Most job advisors will tell you to avoid headhunters and just target the companies you want to work for and do a concerted effort to get into them. Headhunters, however, are useful for finding companies you DIDN'T know about, which is actually how I landed my first job in California (it was a contract recruiter).
Here are some pointers to keep in mind when dealing with headhunters:
1. Don't Publicly Post Your Resume on the Internet - Do not lose control over who has access to your resume. My own resume is on Monster, but listed "anonymously". This means that there is no name or contact number. If anyone finds it interesting, they have to come to me via monster, and still don't know who I am unless I respond. If your entire resume and contact information is out there, then a contingency recruiter can pull it off the site, add it to his database, and spam it out to the world.
2. Always take calls from headhunters - be polite and ask right off if they are contingency or contract (or simply ask if they are calling about a specific job). If it is a contingency, get rid of them, but if a contract, find out more about the position.
3. If you are not interested in a position from a contract headhunter, send them to someone who might be interested - in other words, be helpful. They will remember that and call you back if they have something that is a better fit.
4. Remember that a headhunter does not represent your interests - they are working for the employer. While they may get a bonus based on your starting salary, this is not always the case.
5. If you are in a position to do so, spend money like a drunken sailor on headhunters - Okay, here's the REAL inside scoop on headhunters at the upper levels: If you are in the higher echelon, spend money like there is no tomorrow to contract headhunters to work for your company. I guarantee they will take care of you if you decide to leave or lose your job at that company. (While I have not had direct experience here, I have had several upper echelon people give me this exact advice and have seen it in practice).
The person who sent me the question also wanted to know how to get on a headhunter's list. One way is to get published in some way - as an author or as a quote - in your industry's trade journal since these guys scour the trades for people's name (I have been both quoted and published in my industry rag). In addition, you CAN call some of the contract headhunters that specialize in your area/region and make sure you get into their database. Otherwise, it is really a waiting game to see what comes in.
A good book that covers a lot of this in detail is Rights of Passage at $100,000. I read this a while back before it was updated for the internet and it covers a lot of ground of working with headhunters (its average review is 5 stars).
There are two types of headhunters: contingency and contract:
Contingency guys get paid only if/when some company hires you and are generally not under contract by an employer. These guys work on volume, sending anyone's resume they have to any employers that will accept them, figuring if they just get just a small percentage of hits, they will make money. They are the spammers of the HR world and are to be avoided. If they get your resume into an HR department, and you LATER go interview there based on something else, the headhunter still has a "claim" on you for up to a year after they sent in your resume. This claim means the HR department will have to pay the headhunter for hiring you, even if they were not involved. This is referred to having a "price on your head" and could actually HURT your chances of getting a job. This is why you see Principles Only or No Recruiters in some job ads.
Contract headhunters are just that - they are under contract for a particular company for a particular job. They get paid based on their time put it, plus a bonus based on the starting salary once they place a person. Since they want repeat business, they are usually very careful about who they put in front of an employer, so they usually take time to actually do a full interview with you before they even submit your resume with the client. Even if they don't place you, once you talk to these guys you are put into their database, so you may hear from them later about a completely different position. Contract recruiters usually specialize in an industry, geographic location, position (programming, marketing) or "level" (VP and up only , "C" level- CEO, CFO, CTO - only, etc.). Generally speaking, you should cultivate relationships with these guys, but still be careful. I had VERY bad experiences with them during the tech downturn when they felt they could treat unemployed people with contempt (and many of them still do).
Most job advisors will tell you to avoid headhunters and just target the companies you want to work for and do a concerted effort to get into them. Headhunters, however, are useful for finding companies you DIDN'T know about, which is actually how I landed my first job in California (it was a contract recruiter).
Here are some pointers to keep in mind when dealing with headhunters:
1. Don't Publicly Post Your Resume on the Internet - Do not lose control over who has access to your resume. My own resume is on Monster, but listed "anonymously". This means that there is no name or contact number. If anyone finds it interesting, they have to come to me via monster, and still don't know who I am unless I respond. If your entire resume and contact information is out there, then a contingency recruiter can pull it off the site, add it to his database, and spam it out to the world.
2. Always take calls from headhunters - be polite and ask right off if they are contingency or contract (or simply ask if they are calling about a specific job). If it is a contingency, get rid of them, but if a contract, find out more about the position.
3. If you are not interested in a position from a contract headhunter, send them to someone who might be interested - in other words, be helpful. They will remember that and call you back if they have something that is a better fit.
4. Remember that a headhunter does not represent your interests - they are working for the employer. While they may get a bonus based on your starting salary, this is not always the case.
5. If you are in a position to do so, spend money like a drunken sailor on headhunters - Okay, here's the REAL inside scoop on headhunters at the upper levels: If you are in the higher echelon, spend money like there is no tomorrow to contract headhunters to work for your company. I guarantee they will take care of you if you decide to leave or lose your job at that company. (While I have not had direct experience here, I have had several upper echelon people give me this exact advice and have seen it in practice).
The person who sent me the question also wanted to know how to get on a headhunter's list. One way is to get published in some way - as an author or as a quote - in your industry's trade journal since these guys scour the trades for people's name (I have been both quoted and published in my industry rag). In addition, you CAN call some of the contract headhunters that specialize in your area/region and make sure you get into their database. Otherwise, it is really a waiting game to see what comes in.
A good book that covers a lot of this in detail is Rights of Passage at $100,000. I read this a while back before it was updated for the internet and it covers a lot of ground of working with headhunters (its average review is 5 stars).
Tuesday, December 02, 2003
It's The Thought That Counts
Did you know bamboo blooms only once every 60 years?
I learned this from a Holiday Card from a colleague in Asia (and checked it on Google, with most sites saying "25 to 100 years"). Unfortunately, my friend left the greeting in his native language, so I tried using Babblefish to translate it. Here is the picture of the bamboo flower, along with Babblefish's translation:
The large bamboo tree flower which blooms at only 60 years. It shows good fortune and it gives a flower of legend all. Today the good fortune to you. Everybody, the delay which it loves or, tries to send up contents to the friends ~ the good fortune will search even at surroundings minute and it will come!
Okay - I think the general gist of the message is that the bamboo flower, blooming once every 60 years, is a harbinger of good fortune. Its rare blooming should remind us to keep up with friends and loved ones...or something like that. (Anyone else want to take a swag?)
Pretty nice card, really, and will likely be the most unusual this season.
I learned this from a Holiday Card from a colleague in Asia (and checked it on Google, with most sites saying "25 to 100 years"). Unfortunately, my friend left the greeting in his native language, so I tried using Babblefish to translate it. Here is the picture of the bamboo flower, along with Babblefish's translation:
The large bamboo tree flower which blooms at only 60 years. It shows good fortune and it gives a flower of legend all. Today the good fortune to you. Everybody, the delay which it loves or, tries to send up contents to the friends ~ the good fortune will search even at surroundings minute and it will come!
Okay - I think the general gist of the message is that the bamboo flower, blooming once every 60 years, is a harbinger of good fortune. Its rare blooming should remind us to keep up with friends and loved ones...or something like that. (Anyone else want to take a swag?)
Pretty nice card, really, and will likely be the most unusual this season.
Monday, December 01, 2003
They Always Cancel Shows I Like
This may be old news, but it apparently didn't make anything I read, so I just found out.
I was reviewing my Tivo "Season Pass" listings this weekend (yeah, I had a busy four-day weekend) and noticed that my pass for "Lucky" was still programmed, but nothing had recorded since last spring. A little internet searching today revealed that the show was cancelled in August, after only one season.
I really don't understand this decision since it was a critically acclaimed show. I thought it was an intelligent, if sometimes goofy, program and it was probably the first network show since "Seinfeld" that I actually looked forward to seeing every week.
I was reviewing my Tivo "Season Pass" listings this weekend (yeah, I had a busy four-day weekend) and noticed that my pass for "Lucky" was still programmed, but nothing had recorded since last spring. A little internet searching today revealed that the show was cancelled in August, after only one season.
I really don't understand this decision since it was a critically acclaimed show. I thought it was an intelligent, if sometimes goofy, program and it was probably the first network show since "Seinfeld" that I actually looked forward to seeing every week.
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