[Dairy] 22 Aug 2012 - tàn độc

Date: 22 Aug 2012
[Dairy]

Đã thực sự trải nghiệm cái gọi là 'Độc đoán, chuyên quyền', 'sĩ diện hão' và 'lưỡi không xương.'

Chỉ cần là ko làm đúng điều họ muốn, thì họ sẽ sẵn sàng giẫm đạp, bươi móc, lật lọng, ... mọi cách tàn độc nhất, để thỏa mãn sự tức giận của họ - đặc biệt là khi đó là kẻ dưới quyền của họ mà nếu phản đối sẽ mang danh vô đạo đức - chính là con của họ, và họ cũng sẵn sàng phá nát luôn mối quan hệ của kẻ chống đối với những người khác trong dòng tộc nếu việc đó giúp cho họ đạt được mục đích giẫm đạp kẻ to gan kia.

Lưỡi ko xương phải gắn với tai có khả năng đóng mở. Phàm cái họ muốn nghe thì họ nghe, cái ko muốn nghe thì hoặc như ko nghe, hoặc họ nghe nó thành cái khác - và cái lưỡi ko xương sẽ biến từ không thành có từ có thành ko.

Toàn bộ cảm giác chỉ có thể diễn tả bằng 2 chữ ' bật ngửa' và 'bất chấp thủ đoạn.'

Cho dù ta có chuẩn bị tinh thần cho sự bất ngờ, ta cũng sẽ ko bao giờ có thể tưởng tượng ra được đến 1% của cái thực sự xảy ra.

Chẳng còn chút tôn trọng nào còn sót lại.
Có cảm giác trong con người đó, bên trong cái vỏ bọc đó là 1 sự rỗng tuếch của huênh hoang, tự cho mình hơn tất cả!

[Dairy] 19 Aug 2012

Date: 19 Aug 2012
[My dairy]

Moving it all - for the last time.
Start the life in which you know you can only stand on your own feet - and that is all you have - and then you learn to highly treasure any helping hands you've got for the moment.

That's just the way life going on and around. You won't know what happen the next moment.
So just live this moment the utmost-best way you can.

Some people are born to have a life that seems to be very fulfilling in other people's eyes, but to make it happen that way, they actually have to go high and low and exert themselves to the utmost.

Well, be happy, you might be lucky.

[JOB] How to sound like you know what you're doing

Date: 2 Aug 2012
Source: CBS Money Watch

How to sound like you know what you're doing

(MoneyWatch) COMMENTARY There's an old saying that my best friend growing up had on a plaque in his room: "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull$#*!"

While it's tempting to think that executives and managers know exactly what to do in every situation, the truth is that we all more or less make it up as we go. I'm not kidding.

Take rookie managers. Most are promoted by way of incentive, meaning they're thrown into the deep end to see if they can swim. They have little or no training for a management position and have to more or less figure things out for themselves.

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Even established executives need weeks or months to get a handle on things when they join a new company or are promoted to a new position. In the mean time, they still need to look and act the part, meaning they at least need to sound like they know what they're doing.

If you can't come across like you're capable -- even when you're not -- nobody will have enough confidence in you to put you in charge of a hot project or give you more responsibility. If that's the case, you can kiss any chance of getting promoted or getting ahead goodbye.

Unfortunately, human capability is described by bell curves, meaning the vast majority of us are mediocre when it comes to just about anything. Even stars can find themselves clueless in new situations. Since it's always a good idea for you to at least sound like you know what you're doing, here are five practical and effective ways to do that.

Now, before you get all sanctimonious on me for encouraging people to be cunning and manipulative, let me tell you something. This is how it works in the real world.

This is how Bill Gates got the IBM (IBM) PC business that essentially got Microsoft (MSFT) off the ground. It's also how Steve Jobs got people to buy into a little garage shop called Apple (AAPL). And not that I'm comparing my career to those guys -- it's obviously autobiographical or I wouldn't be writing about it.

Always say, "Sure, no problem." If your boss then asks, "Do you know what to do?" don't flat-out lie and say, "Yes." Just say, "I'm sure I can figure it out. Don't worry, I'll get it done. You can count on me; I won't let you down, ...." yada yada. Just don't go overboard or you'll sound too much like you're trying to convince yourself and it'll backfire, as in the next pointer.

Say very little. When questioned by someone in authority, most of us will babble on until we see some sort of positive response. Don't do that. When it comes to acting like you know what you're doing, less is more. Give a brief answer, look your boss or whoever straight in the eye, and wait. More often than not, they'll give you the same look back, judge your level of confidence, and say, "Fine." But the more you say, the more uncomfortable you'll sound, the less confident you'll look and the more likely you are to dig yourself a deep hole you can't get out of.

Do your homework. Back in the day, whenever I got a new job and had no idea what to do, the first thing I did was spend some time with people who'd been there before and ask them what they would do in my shoes. That way you can at least walk in with a plan. It's amazing how rarely people take advantage of this simple but highly effective way to make a great first impression. It also shows initiative and commitment that you took time to prepare.

Act like a duck. Ducks look so calm and serene from above but, underneath the water, they're actually paddling like they're being chased by alligators. New situations are scary, and it's human nature to be afraid of the unknown, but the truth is that the way you feel isn't necessarily evident to anyone else. So lighten up and stop worrying about how you look and sound. You know, I used to have a terrible fear of public speaking. Inside I was nervous and panicky, and yet nobody ever noticed a thing. Go figure.

Have a sense of humor and humility. The two most underrated leadership traits are humor and humility. People are attracted to it and, for some reason, it makes you seem more confident and capable. Also people will cut you way more slack if you show a little bit of interest in them and don't take yourself so seriously or come off like an egotistical jerk. That alone will buy you more time and open people up so you can get the lay of the land.

Got any tips for how to come across like you're on top of things when you're not? 

[JOB] 5 job application cover-letter disasters

Date: 2 Aug 2012

Source: CBS Money Watch

5 Job application cover-letter disasters

(MoneyWatch) Looking for a job? I may be able help. Having hired a few folks recently, I've noticed a trend in the job applications I've reviewed.

We're talking about cover letters. You know -- the document that makes your very first impression with HR and the hiring manager. I personally glean a lot from the cover letter, and have pulled together some cover letter-related tips for anyone on the job hunt.

1. Be sure to include one. Many people seem to think that since cover letters are optional, it's okay to omit them. I've even some trendy new job-hunting advice recommending that cover letters have fallen out of style, and so you should only submit a resume. No! The cover letter is your opportunity to own the narrative, to tell the hiring manager why you're a great fit for the job and passionate about getting an opportunity to prove yourself. If you don't include a cover letter, the hiring manager needs to scan the resume -- which takes time -- to try to figure out if you have the right skills and experience for the position. That also requires parsing language that might be specific to your last company or industry and translates poorly to the local dialect of the company you're applying to. Bottom line: If you don't take the time to send me (the hiring manager) a cover letter, your resume almost certainly goes directly into the recycling bin.

2. Don't be arrogant. Your cover letter tells me things about your personality that aren't apparent in the resume. Regardless of how skilled or talented you are, I'm going to have to work with you every day after I hire you. It's important that I can get along with you. Indeed, many companies ensure that peers get a say in hiring decisions to ensure they feel good about the candidate as well. So don't lead your cover letter (as I have recently seen) with arrogant boasts or bulleted quotes from former employers, as if you were listing features on a product sell-sheet. Don't make silly claims like, "I will get a perfect score on any evaluation you give to me." Just be yourself -- unless "you" really is that arrogant guy, in which case you should tone it way down.

3. Don't shotgun applications to every job regardless of your qualifications. This should be common sense, yet I frequently see submissions from people with absolutely no experience whatsoever applying for fairly senior publishing jobs. For instance, someone recently applied for a role as a senior writer at my company and cited experience as a salesclerk and call-center operator in the cover letter. I know there's no real downside to this strategy, in the sense that the worst thing that can happen is that you don't get the job, but remember that it takes time to send these pointless applications. Focus on roles you understand and are qualified for, and be sure to customize your cover letter accordingly. If I'm hiring a writer, your cover letter shouldn't tell me about your experience inventorying ice cream sandwiches. 

4. Double check your grammar. Don't rush through your cover letter. Check it for grammar and spelling. Yes, those things matter -- a lot. Likewise, avoid exclamation points. I know not everyone is as sensitive to this as I am, but if I see an exclamation point in a cover letter ("I am very eager to get this job!"), I automatically put the candidate on probation. If I encounter two or more exclamation points in a single cover letter, the individual is highly unlikely to progress to an interview.

5. Double check the job you're applying for. There's absolutely nothing wrong with applying for multiple jobs at once -- even multiple jobs at the same company. But if you do, read your cover letter very carefully and make sure you revise the details so it accurately reflects the role you're applying for. Recently, I've gotten several cover letters that were written for the wrong position. The candidates simply applied for a different job first and forgot to update the cover letter when they sent it to me. Granted, even that's not as bad as attaching a photo of Nicholas Cage.