Job Search Dos and Do Nots

I do the annual surveying of the design industry, which includes questions about salaries, job security, benefits, etc. Consistently, year after year, 80% of people say they got their jobs through someone they knew, not through just cold applying to jobs.

Aka, networking!

image from forbes

How DO you get started in networking?

1. Get to know your local design community. Are there autodesk user groups or trade organizations? Join them. 
• Show up, ask questions. If you can, answer questions.
2. Display your knowledge. If you can present in public, offer to present to schools or local educational events (the AIA, AGC, etc). 
• If not, contact someone who blogs about your industry and ask if you can write a guest post, they’ll appreciate having content written for them, and their readers will hear your name, and their network might share your topic with others.
3. Not up for talking or don’t have an article topic in mind? Hit up some forums or social media hashtags and try answering questions. 
• Even if you cannot answer them, commiserating or clarifying their questions can still help you develop a reputation.
4. Ask folks which skills are most in demand? 
• I tend to find that folks around me who have designed MEPFP components are very rare, so studying up on that can help you find these jobs to stand out in, and they pay more than a lot of other specialities.

How about some DO NOT dos?

1. Do not post on forums “I’m looking for a job”. 
• You will most likely get deleted, and no one cares if you’re looking for a job, they care what you know and can help them with, and that you can read the rules of the site you are using.
2. Do NOT cold contact hiring managers or internal recruiters, or try to pressure your mutual contacts to pass on their information. 
• That is completely unprofessional and not respecting of the person’s time.
3. If you do have a friend inside a target company do NOT apply to a job before talking to them.
• Their HR Software might have a referral engine that depends on them making the referral first, so that if you apply first and then ask for a referral later, they cannot do it.
4. Do not be invisible online. Have a LinkedIn profile at the very least, WITH a photo. 
• Almost everyone in HR and a lot of hiring managers will Google you and be suspicious if you have zero online footprint.
5.  Do NOT add people on LinkedIn and then immediately slide into their DMs with 'who can you introduce me to'? 
• I know finding a job is your priority, but you need to build a relationship with people before asking them to perform uncompensated labor for you. 

The main thing to keep in mind is that people do not hire someone for skills, they hire people they will want to work with. If you get along with them, and have a good reputation, you will find it much easier to discover opportunities.

See other online networking tips here: 

How to keep up with social media

How to get started with social media

BIMThoughts episode on BIM in FM (and Data)

The crew over at BIMThoughts invited me to speak to facilities management issues for their listeners. I swear, it was a lot more fun than FM sounds. 

Podcast on YouTube

We spoke about everything from contracts to project management, reality capture, ground penetrating radar, CAFM, IWMS, CMMS, BAS or smart buildings, key control, security, data silos, asset management, lease management, hot-desking, occupancy planning and projection, densification and de-densification due to the pandemic, pivoting workspaces from in person meetings to virtual meetings, paper to CAD, CAD to BIM, paperless offices, digital twins, data exchange, energy management, waste management, consumer level existing conditions assessment tools, The Incredibles and the Three Amigos.

It kind of makes my head spin. But, we facilities folks are the crux of our buildings... the starting and ending point of renovations and expansions. I'm pretty proud of all that we touch and the data that we receive, supply and look after with such care.

The FM SME who receives the construction documents at the end of a project has the vital charge of curating their components for all of the other stakeholders on the owner's side. 

Show Notes

• Episode Hashtag: #MoreThanJustHVAC
• Here is where you can find Melanie on the World Wide Web:
  • Website: Mistress of the Dorkness
  • LinkedIn: Melanie Stone
  • Twitter: @MistresDorkness
• A great post from Melanie’s Blog
  • What does an Owner want with BIM?
• Looking for a job in occupancy planning?
  • Company looking to fill a lot of occupancy planning & related roles

This is a sketch of the episode done by Jisell Howe, it’s awesome! You should also check out her blog.

Company looking to fill a lot of occupancy planning & related roles

My company sent out another email today, asking for referrals for a host of occupancy planning roles. That tells me these positions are hot.

It took me awhile to get hired on here (massive company and it's hard to get to know the right people in HR at times, and my experiences are a bit limited), but, if anyone is interested in one (or more) of the roles, please let me know, I can start the referral process on our side and get the name of the recruiter in charge of the posting. That will really speed up the process.
(if you don't already have other contact information for me, feel free to email melanie.stone at am.jll.com)

There are locations listed, specific skills and hiring managers might make remote work possible for some of them, you'll just have to inquire and find out.
I adore my team, who are all based in California, and while I don't work with the folks at the local JLL office, they've all been very welcoming.

If these occupancy, space planning or cad manager roles are not up your alley, feel free to search our other open positions, I'd be willing to refer on them as well (there are 95 openings currently with the word CAD in the title).

Your Headshot - How-to

In Wednesday's post, I gave you a list of DON'Ts for your LinkedIn profile photo, and today, I'll walk you through how I created my last two headshots.

I'll admit, I waited way too long to replace my photo, but, I take horrible pictures. I just never look good in them. But, please, don't let procrastination and a fragile ego prevent you from making the effort to improve your professional image online.

Here is my last headshot:

Don't recognize it? 

How about now?

I did not have the funds at the time to even spring for lamps or good bulbs, so, my choice was between having horrible lighting in my 100 year old apartment, yucky fluorescent lighting in the office (like you saw in my even older headshot in Wednesday's post) or taking my photo outside.
I was crouched down because I didn't have a tripod and had to rest my camera on the windowsill.
Of course, none of that really matters, because it doesn't show in the final image.

Lighting

The above shot was taken outside in evening light. Morning and evening light are the best for flattering photos, because they come in at an angle and aren't as bright and harsh as sunlight in the middle of the day.

My current headshot was taken indoors, late at night, so I had to try something different. I took the table lamps from my son's room and our office and removed their shades, and replaced their normal bulbs with 'daylight' bulbs (which we've recently started using in our ceiling and bathroom fixtures).

What are Daylight Bulbs?
A daylight bulb is mimicking the color of light from the sky, not the direct beam of the sun. These bulbs are often marketed as "full spectrum¨ or "daylight¨ bulbs but there are also bulbs not marketed as "full spectrum¨ that produce the same bluish white color appearance and perceived brightness of daylight. Many of these bulbs also do an excellent job at accurate color rendering.

I chose to shoot myself with my contacts in, because I didn't want to have to worry about my glasses causing glare, reflections, or having to additionally tweak the angles of my face, so that I didn't have a rim blocking my eye, etc.


Camera

Let's face it, the camera is the easiest part of the equation these days. If you don't have one with decent resolution, one of your coworkers probably has one in their pocket. I used a digital camera with an auto-timer for both of my shots, but, if you want to try using your iPhone, there are apps like TimerCam that can help.
You'll be taking photos at the largest resolution possible for your device, and cropping & shrinking it down later to fit the size requirements of whatever you'll use it for.

Angles

If you have someone take your photo for you, rather than using a timer and a tripod, try to use someone taller than you, or adjust the angles in other ways. The photo should be taken from slightly above you for the most flattering angle. Have them stand on a step stool or you can sit/kneel, as appropriate.

Position your body at about a 30 degree angle, then turn your head toward the camera. The shoulder closest to the camera should come down a little and you're leaning slightly toward the lens.
Your best bet for a good headshot is using what they call a 3/4 view for your face. While you don't want to be squarely facing the camera, you do need to be looking at it.

What is a 3/4 View? 
3/4 view is where your subject turns their face just slightly in one direction until you cannot see the far ear any more.

Tripod

I do have a full-sized tripod, but, I did not use it for my headshot. As mentioned, the camera should be higher than your head, so that you are looking up at it. In my case, I used my gorillapod, perched on some furniture, to achieve the desired angle.You could hook it around just about anything you needed to, and adjust the angle fairly precisely.

Shoot, Shoot, Shoot... and then Shoot some more

I took approximately forty photos of myself (~cringing~ I know, it was awful) before coming up with something even halfway decent. I might have taken even more to get a better image, but, alas, my husband and sons were banging on the locked door to the room every 10 minutes asking if I was finished yet.

At first I had to find the right distance for the camera, then I realized my blouse's pattern was too busy and bright and changed shirts, then I had to find the right height for a flattering angle, then I tried a few different expressions (huge smile... oh, no too much gums! small smile, with teeth, without etc).
This requires lot of experimentation and you will not get a great shot on the first try, so don't be discouraged, just keep shooting.

Post-Processing

Remember what I said about having nothing in the background? That's super easy to fix, along with cropping out the excess from the frame... just use a free program like Paint.NET.

Depending on how good your lighting was, you can also lighten or increase the contrast quite easily with Paint.net. I use the erase tool to take out the background of my photo and the autobalance feature to try to correct any bad coloring.
Now, I do have a problem with my current headshot, and I'll try to rectify it next time. If you're *really* good with photoshop or similar, you could correct it here, but, alas, I am not.

I have rosacea, so my color can be horrible at times. Especially when I'm hot, like when I've got two unshielded lightbulbs a foot from my skin for an hour. So, in my photo, I'm actually wearing three layers of foundation on my face (both tinted sunscreen and makeup) to cover up my red spots. But, as you can see, the flushing extends down my chest and makes the image look a bit weird. Next time I do a headshot, I'll apply foundation all the way down to my shirt and play around with more wardrobe choices.

My hair is pretty wavy, but, I straightened it for this photo, to make sure I could crop out the background easily (hard to do with flyaways, without making it look unnatural).

I did also pass it on to my Mom, Peggy, to see if she could help with the discoloration on my chest, but, that's a bit tough without real experience in that realm. She did, however, help me out by trying on a few different background colors for me. I thought I wanted something light, but, she also suggested this charcoal color and I ended up thinking that it looked the best out of all of the options she gave me.

These tips are borne from my own experience, if you're interested in trying this yourself, I'd encourage you to hit Google and see what other advice and tips people have provided. Oh, I've also heard that, the more painful the pose, the better it will look in the photo.

Of course, despite all I've learned about making do, next time, I might pony up and pay to have them done professionally. It is a bit of a pain, doing all of the lighting and having to change the background afterward and constantly get up to check the quality of your shots, when all of the necessary accessories and skills exist in a photographer's studio already.

Your Headshot - LinkedIn DON'Ts

I initially made a headshot for use with my articles, then my blog, but, almost everyone has a LinkedIn profile these days, and everyone needs a photo there. In today's post, I'll give you some DON'Ts for professional looking photos, and on Friday I'll tell you how to make a good headshot by yourself if you're disinclined to pay someone to do it for you.

In the November 2012 homepage poll, we see that 52% of AUGI members have a LinkedIn profile, 60% use Facebook and 24% use Twitter.
73% of recruiters are checking you out online, even if you don't give them a specific link yourself. You want to ensure you're presenting a professional image when they do find you.

But, I'll just assume we're purely talking LinkedIn, serving as an online resume and a way to stay connected with colleagues, current and past (and potentially, future), though you might use your headshot across a wide variety of sites.
After spending some time on LinkedIn, here are some headshots faux pas that cause me to twitch:

DON'T use a logo or cartoon as your image, that's even worse than having no image at all. Same goes for anything goofy like sideways or upside-down images
DON'T have no image at all, it makes your profile look incomplete and feels impersonal

You're 7x more likely to have your profile viewed from search results, if you have a photo than if you do not

DON'T be a gender-bender. If you've got a gender-neutral name, having a photo with a man and a woman in your shot is probably not going to prevent sexism, it will certainly be awkward and confusing
DON'T have more than one person in your image. This isn't Facebook, no matter how proud you might be of your partner, children, best buddy or pets, a professional site is not the place to show them off. This profile is about *you*, not your spouse, keep that in mind and don't mention them anywhere
DON'T get sloppy on your crop job. The photo is of you and your best bud and you just crop him out, but, we can still see his shoulder. Take a couple of minutes to use a real image editing program to remove any trace of other people
DON'T use a really old profile image. I like gray hair on the fellas, but, I roll my eyes every time I see your headshot from back when your hair was a different color
DON'T use something sexy. I cannot believe I actually have to say this, but, guys... keep your shirts on! And, of course, ladies, come-hither duckface looks are for your OKCupid profile, but not for your resume.

If you want some examples of things to DO, check out some of the images of your favorite authors or LinkedIn connections. Before doing my last headshot, I looked closely at a few respected writers in the industry to see how they presented themselves and tried to emulate their poses and styles

DON'T have a busy background. You need a plain background so that you are clearly the focus. Again, this isn't a family photo album or Facebook, the background should be either a solid color, or a simple stage (like a desk or bookshelf, no trees or anything with a lot of detail... not that you have to shoot in front of a blank wall, just that the final image should not contain them)
DON'T have a panorama, even if it's a blue sky or a white mountain. The focus should be on your face... not a miniscule pixel that vaguely resembles a human
DON'T ignore the aspect ratio. Sizes should be changed by cropping or scaling, not by freehand resizing
DON'T brag on your hobbies. Do you like cars and traveling and sports? That's nice, but, bring it up after you're hired. I think more exotic images or expensive toys could potentially make an employer feel like you are out of their price range or more interested in playing than working
DON'T dress too casually or display logos on your clothing or wear hats, flashy jewelry or sunglasses (or too formal... men *might* be able to get away with using a tux shot, if it's done right, but, no wedding dresses or evening gowns, ladies)

DON'T make it look like a mugshot. Okay! having a straight-on shot under fluorescent office lighting in an unflattering color isn't the *worst* thing you can do, but, I assure you, you can do better. Throw in some angles and use decent light to make a big difference

I'll cover how to do headshots solo, and on the cheap, in my next post.

Job Fairs in St. Louis

Well, I will confess that I'm not the biggest fan of Monster. You sign up for those job notifications, and, in my experience at least, they rarely match up with my skills or my industry at all.

BUT, each job search service has it's strengths and weakness, and I will declare, I do love networking events, and Monster is hosting another job fair on February 25th. It will be at the Marriott by Lambert Airport.

Monster also has many articles with advice on how to make your resume and yourself look good and make the desired impression. Follow the links from those pages to check them out.

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Now, just for the ladies, Women for Hire is hosting another St. Louis Career Fair.

Yes, we did just have one of these in October of 2007, but, it must have really gone well if they're ready to have another on March 4th, 2008. It will be held at the Frontenac Hilton (double-check your route for detours caused by the I-64/40 closure).

So, head up to the site to see a list of the employers who will be soliciting resumes there. While you're up there, check out the other Women for Hire resources, articles, recordings, etc.

~~~~~~~

And, even if you're not a St. Louisan, check around Monster and Women for Hire to search for career expos and events a little closer to your home.

~~~~~~~

If you want to explore other job notification sites, I recommend Indeed.com (check out the job listings and search box over there in the right column of my blog, sign up for specific email alerts through their home page ->).

Yahoo is another option. Sign up for custom searches and check out some advisory articles (resumes, interviews, salaries, networking, education, career mapping, etc).

You can also check out Craigslist for your city. This wouldn't be the first place I'd think of looking, but, you might find something great.

Other sites:
CareerBuilder
CareerJet
Dice
TechJobsCafe
iHireConstruction
AECWorkforce
CADTalent
Science Career Net (Science, Technology and Engineering Jobs)
JustCADJobs
CADClassified
Autodesk Discussion Classifieds
AUGI Career Corner (must be logged in to view)

(find additional services on this list by TenLinks)

Good luck!

St. Louis Women's Career Expo Oct. 30th

Alright, ladies of the St. Louis metro area...
Polish up your resumes, print off plenty of copies, get out your business best, and head down to the Sheraton Westport Chalet to find your next job.

You don't have to pay for admission and you can register on-site. Check out the Women for Hire website for a partial list of employers who will be there to see you. Many of these companies have profiles pages with additional information like which positions they're hotly recruiting for.

IS, Security, Engineering, Customer Service, Administrative, Light Industrial, Development, Accounting, HR, Management, etc. Many positions are also willing to train if you'd like to try something new and you fit their personality and skills requirements.

MEPFP Drafter needed in St. Louis

EDIT IN MARCH 2007: This position has been filled. Thank you.

I was asked by colleague to spread the word that his firm is looking for a drafter post-haste, following is a brief job description:

Immediate opening for experienced AutoCAD operator at a Chesterfield, MO based consulting engineering firm; specializing in HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, and Fire Protection.

Excellent benefits including group health insurance, 401K, and 4 day work week. Salary commensurate with experience. Send resume to David Wilson at Tennill & Associates, Inc.

e-mail: ~removed contact information after position was filled~

What Makes a Good Job?

After doing more detailed results on the salary survey this year, I find myself writing an article in hotnews and saying, "here are some good fields to go into"… but, that made me think… a good job is much more than gender equality, job availability and salary



I am thinking we should really consider adding some questions next year about perceived job security and overall satisfaction with one's current position. Those thoughts led me to analyze what factors make a job "good". These are the types of things I found myself really thinking about on a long flight back from the left coast last weekend, and I came up with a few major points: 

• Type of Work
• Change
• Pay
• Management
• Coworkers
• Physical Environment

Type of work:
Is it interesting? Is it attainable? Is it manageable?
I’ll use myself as an example here… I work mainly with MEP systems, but, break up the monotony with disaster planning, future expansions, historical research and other things. My job is definitely interesting.
Attainable? Are you able to do the things that you know need to be done? In the past 6 years, I have managed to make the common tasks much quicker and more effiecient and yet! there are so many more things we should be doing and further benefits our department could offer to the rest of the facility. But, there are many obstacles: workload, budgets, politics, etc. So, in some parts ‘yes’ but overall ‘not so much’.
Is it Manageable?
Is the workload bearable? Can you handle the tasks you’re expected to do, with an acceptable level of quality? 'Yes, I can complete the tasks without anything blowing up' or, 'No, I’m always so far behind people call for my head at every staff meeting?'
And, this isn’t just about difficulty or volume, but, more of combination of the two. I have many challenging tasks, but, most are just dull and numerous. My most-repeated mantra is that I didn’t spend four years in college to photocopy blueprints. ~shrug~ But, the most important part of working on a team is everyone contributing where they are most needed. 
So, mostly manageable is my diagnosis.

Change:
This can be good and bad… Lynn Allen made a great example at AU a couple years back… something to do with roman chariots and modern automobile wheelbase.That’s an over-simplification of her fabulous example, but, I’m wordy enough already without adding that in.
 
So… is your company so constantly changing that noone can really keep up or become productive before someone trots out the next best thing? 
Or, is your company so mired in the past, or the habits of its users that they just can’t move forward to embrace new technologies?

I think I’m really stuck in the middle on this one myself. Some people are willing to examine new things, but, unfortunately, in a company as old as mine, with such a large number of diverse employees, syncing up with all of the people/workgroups necessary is nearly impossible.

Pay:
I’m not just talking about hourly rate or salary here, I will also throw in other types of compensation: 

• vacation
• retirement plans
• pensions
• childcare/reimbursement accounts
• continuing education benefits

This will depend on your industry, your location and your experience. Some companies are more concerned about their bottom line and profit margin than they are about retaining the best employees. I am very lucky in that my department, along with my employer, have a fairly low turnover rate of skilled personnel and routinely review job classifications and payscales to ensure that we’re staying competitive. But! That could be a consequence of being a non-profit as much as anything. Whatever it is, most people are pretty proud to work here. (I would be interested to hear how/if others in for-profit industries ensure their employees’ wages remain competitive)

Management:
This is obviously a huge factor that can make or break a job.

Can you talk to your boss without being scared/dismissed/etc? 

Do you have a clear delineation on management/self-direction? Meaning, are you able to set your own priorities in your work, does your manager inform you which jobs are most important, or does he/she expect you do manage your own work, periodically swooping in to mix it up?

No matter what the problem is, the answer is probably going to be communication. I am not making this assertion because I am female, I assure you that it is vital for all. 
Not only, are you in an environment where you are free to communicate your concerns, but, also, on a more personal level, can you commicate with one another on a level you are both comfortable with, and which is most effective? I won’t go into too many details here, but, sometimes, you just ‘get’ people and their intentions, and other times, you look at them (or they look at you) like you have lobsters crawling out of your ears.

Also… how much manager, and how much human are they (tic)? Are they more interested in making themselves look good, or making their people and their positions the best for the future? Sometimes people have agendas. 
Personally, I operate on a total WYSIWYG level. I do not understand ulterior motives or hidden agendas. This likely means I’ll never excel in management, but, that is quite alright, I think. I like to believe that I am more practical than anything (although, I'm perfectly willing to admit that I might just be oblivious).
I will say that my boss (I want to guess he’s been in management in our company for about 7 years, I’ve been working there for 6), is a cool guy… but, sometimes I think he’s speaking a foreign language. A lot of the time I really have no clue what he’s saying, but, I try to listen closely, because he’s dropped some really important bits of information, about how things work, politically, sociologically, etc. and encourages me to find the answers to difficult questions myself, rather than running to him all of the time.
I reallly try to stay as open-minded as I can, because, I have to admit that I am young and someone who has been in the workforce since I was in diapers (or prior) probably has a lot to teach me. 

Empathy should be the key word in forming opinions about your employer or…

Coworkers:
Well… as much as a boss can make or break the quality of a job, so can your coworkers.
Are you working laterally with them, such as in a situation where you are equally responsible for the outcome of a project? Are they slacking off, or creating more work for you by doing sloppy work? Are they refusing to follow standards or use more efficient methods? Do they ask you the same questions over and over again without, evidently, learning a darned thing? Or… are they just personally offensive to your environment? (Strong perfume or smoke smell? Not washing their hands after restroom or sneezing? Spending too much time invading your workspace? Trying to draw you into their own personal drama? Taking personal calls, listening to voicemails on speakerphone, etc?) 
They can be mean people, or they can be nice people that you just can’t stand for certain reasons. The point is, they add stress to your days, and you have no control over them.

Physical Environment:
Is your job safe? Can you do the work you are paid to do without hurting yourself? Are you given the proper equipment to safely do your job? 

In our field, as drafters and designers, that can mean the often-ignored issue of ergonomics, which I’ve covered before both here on my blog and in my LUG newsletter. We shouldn’t have to end up with carpal-tunnel syndrome. I feel free to tell my boss that my wrist is experiencing some slight pain or tingling and I’d like to order a wristguard for my mousepad or keyboard… or, in my secretary’s case, a stand to position the computer monitor at the proper height.

This could also encompass things like travelling or commuting. Noone wants to spend over two hours in a commute, whether because of boredom or family obligations. Some people might enjoy being able to travel for their jobs, others might resent the time away from home.


So, of course, there is no one thing that makes a job good or bad, but, a combination of everything above and more. 

I would be interested to hear if you think I’ve missed anything major. In your opinion and experience, what factors make a job 'good'? 


If you have found this topic interesting, you might also like to read about "Two-factor Theory" (also known as Herzberg's Motivation-Hygeine theory). This theory suggests that the things which satisfy employees and things which dissatisfy them are separate. It is an interesting read.

Connecting Moonlighters with Clients & a Few Handy Links

Was cruising the classifieds forums over at the Autodesk Discussion Groups today and saw a note for this website: http://www.cadground.com/

Evidently it is a way to hook up freelancers with projects. A customer posts a job, notifications are sent out to the registered drafters who look it over, see if they're interested, respond with a price quote, then the customer picks a contractor from those who respond to their ad.

Sounds very interesting, as I've been told one of the hardest parts of being your own boss is drumming up business.

I wonder how this works... looking around, there is evidently a feedback system where you can give feedback on the service, the customer or the drafter.

I'm wondering if there are fees associated with this, and I haven't come across that information yet. Would the drafter pay to have the opportunity to bid? Evidently you can post your project free of charge as the customer/client, so I would imagine the drafter has to pay for this.
Wait, wait, I found it... when you choose registration, you select whether you are a client or a drafter, then you see the terms... the fee is $99 per year, and they DO NOT ask for any percentage of your fees.

I think this is a very, very interesting setup. Very cool.

Has anyone used this service or another like it?

Looks like some users have tried it and were convinced networking yourself is the best way to drum up work. 


Misc. Links and Resources -

• Get paid to give your opinion! http://www.greenfieldonline.com/
• 
  
• Holiday and Special Events Calendar http://sunniebunniezz.com/holiday/
• 
  
• TLA's http://www.acronymfinder.com/
• 
  
• How high is your salary IQ? http://whatpeopleearn.parade.com/
• 
  
• USGS Equakes! http://earthquake.usgs.gov/
• 
  
• Legal Information and Forms http://nolo.com/
• 
  
• Hydrogen Energy Resources http://4hydrogen.com/
• 
  
• Reverse Lookup and Email Search http://www.freeality.com/findet.htm
• 
  
• Women in Technology http://www.witi.com/
• 
  
• FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) http://www.usfirst.org/index.html
• 
  
• Dictionary http://www.m-w.com/

uh-oh, blast to the past, inventions, Color bug and Job Searching

Blast to the Past

Seriously, I did pull out an old binder that has some cad resources in it, like from the old email-based AUGI guilds. When someone would bring up a topic I needed, I would print it out and put in this binder, and also, when I came across a long and involved help topic in AutoCAD or MS Access, I would do the same.

Looking over some of these topics is interesting. It's strange thinking about some of the workarounds in older releases (attribute extraction, anyone?).

Color Bug

Here's something I've seen come up a couple of times on AUGI and the Autodesk Discussion Groups...

Colors Changing

Bug in 2006

Block Colours taking on color of current layer

Just a heads up, if you're experiencing it, you're not alone. Evidently, sometimes a REGEN will cure this, but, most of the time, you'll have to close out your drawing and reopen it.

Let's talk about job searches... what is the best place to go to find job postings

AUGI now has a Career Corner where you can post Job Offers or Requests. Do remember that these are for specific job openings, not a place to advertise a business. If you want to do that, contact the AUGIworld staff.

[Update: Visit Career.AUGI.com to post your resume and search for jobs.]

Autodesk has a Classifieds forum. I believe that just about anything goes here (except conversation, you must provide contact info in your posts, and replies are to be made offline) from offers, to advertisements to equipment sales.

Also, if you think getting a paper is a hassle, or you are moving a distance and don't have access to hard copies, don't forget to check for online versions. 

My local paper (the St. Louis Post Dispatch) keeps classified ads from the past month on their website, these ads are from the PD, as well as from the Suburban Journal. So, don't forget what a valuable resource those could be!

Wondering about what you should expect for a salary?
Of course, the first place to go would be to the AUGIworld annual salary survey archives. They have the best person to tabulate the surveys... okay... they have the one person who was actually goofy enough to accept the task... but, you believe what you need to.

Another place to go is Salary.com

I'd love to hear any other suggestions!

I love people who invent!

It's amazing how people can create or improve things that just change the way that our world works... and then there are those that I appreciate for purely entertaining reasons.

My hospital has a couple of gift shops, and seasonal products are featured in a display case outside of the cafeteria. Let me tell you, I saw something which will NOT be drawing me in. What did I see? A battery-powered marshmallow toaster. Follow that link to see the picture... ok... I'll admit that fire is dangerous... buuuut... I just can't see how much safer an implement with three metal prongs can be???

What is the battery for? Well to perfectly rotate the three marshmallows... so you can heat up 3 at once... right... like removing one hot, sticky substance from a stick (how quickly do you think this metal cools?) with a couple of graham crackers is going to be easy, now you have three... so you can burn one of your hands on the 2nd and 3rd marshmallows.

So, anyone else seen any pointless inventions?

Here's another, I just don't get, off the top of my head... the Eggstractor.