2001-11-06
Home Page
Journal
2001
2001-03-29
2001-04-01
2001-04-05
2001-04-06
2001-04-10
2001-04-21
2001-04-25
2001-05-01
2001-05-02
2001-05-03
2001-05-04
2001-05-08
2001-05-09
2001-05-11
2001-05-12
2001-05-21
2001-05-23
2001-05-25
2001-05-26
2001-05-28
2001-06-03
2001-06-04
2001-06-05
2001-06-08
2001-06-11
2001-06-12
2001-06-15
2001-06-17
2001-06-22
2001-06-29
2001-07-04
2001-07-05
2001-07-12
2001-07-19
2001-07-24
2001-08-01
2001-08-05
2001-08-10
2001-08-12
2001-08-18
2001-08-19
2001-08-26
2001-08-31
2001-09-02
2001-09-06
2001-09-07
2001-09-11
2001-09-12
2001-09-13
2001-09-18
2001-09-22
2001-09-26
2001-09-28
2001-09-30
2001-10-03
2001-10-08
2001-10-12
2001-10-19
2001-10-23
2001-10-27
2001-11-06
2001-11-21
2001-12-03
2001-12-05
2001-12-07
2001-12-08
2001-12-09
2001-12-10
2001-12-20
2001-12-21
2001-12-29
2001-12-31
The technical interview isn't an interview at all, just some extremely basic quiz. I put my name on top of both sheets, just in case. A lot of the interview questions is about dealing with task management, which I excel, having done so for quite a number of years. That, and my Handspring Visor. :) I recommend every busy person to have one. Of course, the downside, is that here I am a master computer guy, and this little device telling me where to go and what to do throughout the day. ;)
One question that I could have answered better is the question of what I would do if everything went wrong. My answer is that I'd take a day off to recharge my batteries. Well, that happens once or twice a year. I should have elaborated that most of the time, I will be able to handle things quite well until the end of the day. Sleeping early, say at 9 pm instead of midnight, is usually enough to freshen me up for the next day, so that the work isn't interrupted. However, it is important that when everything went wrong, you need to pause, step back, and see the situation from fresh point of view. Taking a break, whether a day or a night is the most convenient way to do this.
One interesting question was: "Why do you want to work for H&R Block? Why a tax company?" I think the question shouldn't be asked to job applicants. In my opinion, it is the duty of an interviewer to sell the company. The interviewee has to sell his/her qualifications. The interviewer has to sell the company, so that when the job is offered, the applicant will say "yes". Why H&R Block? Well, you don't think I send only one resume, do you? :)
I freely admit that the work isn't my specialty. However, with no limits to my learnings, I think even my secondary and tertiary skills are still far better than specialists who never venture beyond their chosen profession. When working with people, it's important to know what issues are facing the other workers. Managers are now starting to discover this fact. Hopefully, this practice of team blending will become more common in the future.
The pay isn't much, but at least the hours is reasonable, unlike BCC where I come in at 7 am just because some instructors are early risers, and leave at 7 pm because adjunct faculty only come in at night. No overtime there, either. Lucky for H&R Block that I have my own consulting business. Otherwise, there wouldn't be enough money to pay expenses. I wonder how much the secretary get paid. At BCC, the secretary resorted to bagging groceries because there's not enough money to go around. And it's a seasonal job. I assume by the time the contract is up, the economy will get better and I'll have enough work to sustain my business full-time. Of course, I expect to be able to moonlight in the meantime.
My only regret is that I didn't ask for e-mail address contact. I assume that everybody would be giving away one by now, that Internet is everywhere. So, I end up sending her one of my custom-made postcard. Hopefully, she'll check for the journal entry and can contact me accordingly. It seems the need is urgent, gearing up for the next tax season.