Rory Cullen, Kaizen Software Developer

When I was younger, much younger, I believed there was a guy in my town named Guy Smiley.  His name was Guy, and he wasn’t too smiley.  But in my memory, my oldest brother put this idea in my head.  A quick Google search today reveals that Guy Smiley was a Sesame Street character, so it is likely that I was familiar with this character on my own accord.  In fact, I seem to recall his “This is your Life” parodies now that I have been reminded by Wikipedia.  Unfortunately, this also means it is unlikely that my brother, ten years my elder, knew of this kid in my town who was a year younger than me.  I have a tendency to blame that brother for most of the issues of that era as it turns out, but that’s for another post.

If you have ever been unemployed or underemployed, you know one of the hardest things to do is to keep your spirits up all the time.  In fact, there are posts written all the time about “getting your smile on!”  First, no one wants to talk to a grumpy sad sack.  Second, no one wants to work with one either!  Third, your family and friends won’t want to be around you.  All good reasons, but still easier said than done!  By the way, if none of those reasons is good enough, smiling is also a key to phone interviewing.  They say to speak with a smile on your face, and people can tell.  Smiles impact the sound and tone of your voice.

Why am I going on about this?  Because on Wednesday, I worked, and it felt great!  It was only an hour, but it felt good to do something interesting.  This is why I can’t wait to get back to work.  The backstory:  I submitted my name for a web usability study for a local company.  I signed an NDA (non-disclosure agreement), so I can’t talk about anything technical, but it was basically user testing of a new website.  I spent the time there with a usability expert, using a prototype of new features.  Since I have been doing web application development myself, I recognized a lot of the functionality and potential ways it was implemented.  I was able to speak in detail about the methods used, and pitfalls to some of the changes we were discussing.  It felt great to be doing something useful, and although my specific skills sets were not required, they certainly were helpful above and beyond expectations.  Clearly, I was pointing out things that they had never seen, but I also brought ideas and suggestions that they were not expecting from a “man on the street.”

So what made this day so rewarding?  I was able to show my technical acumen, my attention to detail, and make suggestions.  In just an hour, I felt like part of the team.  I was there to help solve problems, and I knew that I had contributed in a major way.  It felt useful, and I got a lot of genuinely positive feedback from the expert during the exercise.  The best part of the day was when she brought me my check.  No, not because of the money, but because of the feedback she brought from the other side of the two-way mirror.  Per the expert, one of her assistants said, “This guy is great, we should hire him.”  The pessimist might think, “Maybe she says that to everyone,” but why would she bother?  You don’t need to make me feel good; you’re already bringing me a check.  My read on the situation was that was a genuine expression that I was of value.  Ironically, many people don’t get this much feedback at work all year!

The rewards above are the same reasons why I volunteer to review people’s résumés, why I volunteered to give a speech on personal branding in a few weeks, and why I spent 45 minutes talking to someone I just met at a networking meeting last week.  I want to help, I want to be productive, and I want to be useful to others.  I know a few things that might help you, and you know things that might help me.  And in the end, I want to be thanked for my contribution.  Money is money, and it’s a requirement in the end, but heartfelt appreciation is pretty valuable.

This is exactly the point of this blog.  All it took was an hour to see that I bring a lot to the table.  Skip the interview, and bring me in to do some work for an hour.  If that works out, make an offer!  Ironically, this would take a lot less time than the usual interview process!

On a job search note, I did wear a tie today, and I had my business card out on the table prior to the feedback.  I was there to do my job, but also to make a good impression.  It does not hurt to advertise, and it does not hurt to look like a professional, even when you don’t have to.  You never know!  Do I realistically expect a call from this company in the future based on my performance?  No.  But did I make a great impression on a few people there?  Yes.  Baby steps…treat everyone you meet like a potential employer.  Hmmm, that might be a good idea in general, right?

Oh, in case you were wondering, Guy Smiley had hardly worked since 1990, poor guy.  But if he keeps on smiling, he’ll be hosting Letter pageants again soon!  Keep smiling big guy!