Context Links, Dan in Real Life and other news

I get caught up in things and forget to post about what I'm doing. Here's a quick update.

Blog header - I'm finally happy with it - NO more changes, forever and ever, amen. Forgot to even mention the switch to 3 columns which is working really well for me. Found the three column template here and was just a matter of downloading it and pasting code into Blogger - easy. Lost previous widgets but that's easy to add back. Also went to a white background. The only issue I can't fix is the different font sizes in Firefox and Explorer - can't get around that at this point.

My interview went really well yesterday - I love the work atmosphere and the people - the job sounds like a challenge but perfect to learn about accounting - they're interviewing a couple more people (unfortunately) but when they told me this almost said "...but" - which I hope means "but we like you." I think it went well although they did most of the talking and I could barely get a word in - made sure that when I could it was to say why I would fit in and how I could make a difference - I was prepared for tougher questions (not complaining).

I'm adding Amazon Context Links (Beta) which is supposed to automatically link to products directly from my posts. I'm trying it with Dan in Real Life, which I watched last night and found really good - great family movie and of course Steve Carell is funny yet still down to earth. Worth watching out if you haven't seen it.

Context Links are a quick and convenient way to add links to your website and monetize your content. Context Links automatically identify and link relevant phrases within your page content to Amazon products, unlocking new ad inventory and saving you the time from having to manually create links. You can add the links to your pages in minutes, and we provide a wealth of options to customize how they are displayed.

Jargonfish is working - thanks Justus for excellent follow-up. I have it set to pop up on all words - I'll be playing around with it and hopefully make good connections with other blogs. I'm interested in how Jargonfish and Amazon Context Links will interact - hoping they will play nice with each other.

That's all. I don't really like bunching everything together into one post, but it does save time so there you have it.

On Being Myself

People have told me when you're applying for something, don’t use humor, shave your beard (then regrow it later), basically kiss ass, talk about yourself with confidence in order to get hired – brag about your accomplishments. Unfortunately, I say that’s just not me. I don’t brag, I use self-depreciating humor and I won’t change a damn thing about myself just to please a fucking recruiter. If they’re not happy with me now, they never will be when they find out who I really am. Recruiters have the nerve to say I'm not good for a position, or I "didn't do well" on my phone interview after speaking with me for 5 minutes – after I’ve opened up to them – how dare they claim to know me?

OK. Maybe I don’t take rejection all that well; and unfortunately rejection is a big part of just being alive. Yes I take things personally because I take them seriously. I’m not a damn sales rep who will just move on with indifference. Granted, I’m also far from perfect. I have a lot to learn, a lot about myself that needs changing and refining, but I embrace constructive criticism.

Real mentors, those whose life experience is an asset they are willing to share with others and help them grow, are a dying breed. Recruiters, these motherfuckers are out for the sweet commission and will dump you like a ton of bricks if they think you’ll make them look bad.

So I’m continuing on this journey in search of gainful employment. It’s stressful to think that I haven’t found a decent job yet, knowing that I’ve turned down a couple which didn’t pay nearly enough. One involved selling to my friends, which is just not going to happen. I don’t think there’s a selling bone in body – I’m useless at embellishing (if something is truly beautiful, it can stand on its own merits).

Besides the stress and the rejection, I have also realized that I’m probably cut out for accounting after all, due to my boring, analytic, personality. It looks as though I'll be stuck in a cube for the next 30 years. So be it. At least there’s good money in accounting.