I don't know about everyone else, but nearly every set of chopsticks I have ever seen were made from bamboo. Bamboo is not technically wood, it is a type of grass. Bamboo is a sustainable product and has many great uses. So, my point is that IF most chopsticks are made from bamboo then we don't really need to worry about the deforestation issue.
I have learned that even having convenience food on hand for those odd occasions where I am too tired to cook is actually really good for my dining out budget. Always feeling like I have to perform for the dinner hour can be difficult, but throwing a frozen pizza one night every few weeks or so gives me a night off to recuperate without spending a bunch of money on eating out.
I love Papa Murphy's and haven't run into any problems there. I prefer going to these take-and-bake places because they cost so much less and I can bring my pizza home and have it hot instead of lukewarm. We don't have a lot of places that deliver and it makes this worth the effort for us. I also love it because when I get it home, I can add additional toppings before it is baked off.
They have a newsletter that I subscribe to. I would highly recommend it, if anyone else goes there regularly, because I get coupons and specials from them all of the time. We usually pay about $5.99 for a large.
I've only tried Papa Murphy's once, and it was the same kind of disaster you just described. No way am I ever going back there when I can go to Little Ceaser's and pick up a $5 pizza that is sitting there, all ready and just waiting for me.
I think we're about to see another chapter in the book "Great Ideas with Terrible Business Plans" - chapter 1 was the Krispy Kreme donut story.
We went and bought one of those electric radiant heaters that are filled with water, we plug that in and then place a fan behind it to blow the heat out. It has reduced our heating bill tons. We are in Colorado in the mountains and we hardly use any propane anymore. We used to pay about $120 for propane, we have reduced that to about $40 for the cost of about $20 more in electricity. Well worth it.
Some really good things are to use that plastic wrap that covers the windows and for added effect enforce with some duct tape or other. This reduced some major drafts coming into my house dramatically! In places where it may be unsitely caulk around the windows as much as possible. Go to hardware store and get some foam to tape under windows so when you close them you get a tight seal.
Utilize dryer heat as much as possible if equiptted with an electric dryer(gas is unsafe.)
Being that oil is unrealistically expensive, your gas or oil burner should be tuned up before the season starts and all hot pipes should be insulated and taped with duct tape. With my oil burner I used high heat paint and painted most of the heat pipes coming off of the heater and THaT seemed to reduce the oil consumption.
This I have knowledge in(from school)but my shower heat was pathetic(tankless oil heater) so I drained all the water out (black and Icky) and cut the pipes going thru the potable hot water coil and backflushed it with CLR and a air compressor. This was some work but definately worth the time and effort because much junk came out and now I get great showers at a very low boiler temp. and then put CLR in system and ran it thru the house pipes for a while, drain and refill. THis has DRAMATICALLY reduced oil consumption, one other thing to do is take the covers off the boiler and you will see the blast tubes, get a wire brush for a drill and some extensions to equal length of tubes and get those cleaned out, soot, white buildup etc. this will allow the heat to better transfer to your water. There is one other idea I thought of but have not tried is to put bricks or something in where the water for heat pipes is to reduce the amount of water that needs to be heated (theory being,, just like boiling small amount of water takes less time and less energy to accomplish. My thinking is that 14 years ago when my heater was put in oil consumption and cost was not a big issue, not today. good luck,,, I did this and was able to turn my boiler down to 140-120 high and low limit and acheive the same if not better results.
Ceiling fans - they push down the hot air, especially important if you have high ceilings.
Attic insulation. - pretty much a no-brainer. Heat rises. If you have a good quality insulation then you will loose less heat making it easier to warm your home.
Plastic over the windows - this works well for old windows. A roll of shrink film, double stick tape, and a hairdryer.
Insulating house paint - for those that paint the outside there's a type of paint that uses several coats (a type of primer, one being a ceramic paint, and the outside color being a paint /rubber mix) that can reduce heat loss by 10-15%, and as a plus the vendor that I saw guaranteed the paint for 25 years. Theres also paint for the inside of the house for the ceiling.
My Target was doing video games on the same day as electronics (Monday) and Music/Movies on Thursday. This is the common markdown schedule (although each store could have a slight variation.)
I found that you can always ask if you are unsure. They are usually very helpful. Just be sure to ask the person in each individual department.
It sounds like you've investigated all the local options and found them all wanting. Without knowing where you live, I don't really have much to suggest. I will say, though, that "you have to go where the job takes you" is a fine notion in the short term, but perhaps in the medium term a notion like "you have to find a way to support your family that doesn't kill you" might be worth considerable effort to put into practice.
My October Target budget total was OUT OF CONTROL!!!! But I've since nipped that devil in the bud. But this... this is..I hope I can control myself knowing what I know now..lol
It really makes a difference where you live! My bill is about $400 a month! I've covered the windows with plastic and heavy curtains, added 14 inches of insulation to the attic, new front and back doors, 5 new windows, a new furnace, keep the thermostat at 68 when I"m home, 60 when I'm not...... and I"m still cold and broke!
Well except for the automotive and man grooming expenses lol! My car payment is $180 per month and the insurance is $58/month. GOTTA LOVE Geico!
We've cut back on going out as much as we used to... one thing about a new budget ..it takes time to get adjusted.
If you need help or tips with your wedding let me know. I know how stressful that was when we got married in 2006. I definately saved by being frugal in certain aspects.
I'm not a big fan of social programs. In theory they are a step up for people in a tight spot trying to make ends meet. Or for those who truly aren't able to work. In reality though I have seen too much abuse. Too many where it has become a lifestyle. Too many that choose not to work when they are really capable.
I have a brother that has a handicap and has always worked, yet almost all of the other people I know with the same handicap choose to collect their SSI. Yes their choices are limited by their handicap, but there are jobs they could do. They choose to milk the system.
Here is where you may think I'm a hypocrite. We do qualify for some social programs, and we use them. I don't think there is any shame in that. I don't think it would be wise to not use what is available to us. My husband works. I clip coupons. We live very frugally. If those programs weren't available, it would make things even tighter around here, but it wouldn't make me angry to lose those benefits.
If you're travelling through multiple countries, especially in Europe, see if you can get a sim from Liechtenstein or the Isle of Man. They don't charge for receiving calls, and they are reasonably cheap (although not the cheapest) for making calls. Sim4Travel is one of the companies that I've heard recommended.
That days of the week markdown schedule is killer information, particularly on the grocery front. I know I love to ge the reduced for quick sale stuff, but knowing when to get the best haul isn't always easy. I really like how your post is easily tweaked to meet the needs of individual families. Good job.
I haven't heard of the skype addition to a cell plan before, but it sounds worth looking into. A colleague of mine in Saudi recommended Jaxtr for free international cell to international cell calling.
Regarding the quad band sim swap technique, we've done this and I agree with you. It's an excellent way to get things rolling. Also, it's nice to have a local number if you expect the hotel and drivers and tour guide people to be able to afford to return your calls. So problem solving with your driver to find your hotel becomes way easier. If your hotel attendent speaks your language but your driver doesn't, you can hand the phone over and let them work it out in their common language. Love that.
I am currently in England for study program, but I am able to talk to my fiancee back home as often as I like because of a combination of things.
She has vonage, so she can call my landline for free.
I got a local simcard to put in my phone from the states and load up on prepaid minutes (they expire in 30 days, but they are 1/5th the price of unexpireable minutes).
I have skype and sprung the $3/month for skype pro, give me a local number to call which then lets me speeddial my contacts or enter any international phone number and be charged the SkypeOut Rate.
The connection charge is 0.04, and it's 0.021/min which is pretty cheap. I highly recommend it.
A lot of people throughout WB are assuming that the farmer's markets and buying local are cheaper. We can barely get two apples that were half-rotted by the time they arrived at the store for less than a gourmet frozen dinner and the local growers and farmers' market expects as high as twice that and is in an area of town not accessible to public transportation. We don't have access to a co-op even though all the growers and ranchers around us are members of the one a state over (that we can't join) and the local organic foods stores are so dirty they've been shut down twice by the health board--and even they expect more than the farmers at the market. We've lived in cities half this size that had better and cheaper options, but you have to go where the job takes you. Since Wal-Mart forced everyone else out in this town and we can't afford to shop the local gourmet stores where the wealthy people in town go for fresh foods, we're left with whatever junk Wal-Mart wants to force on us. Since, as I mentioned, the fresh food is rancid and moldy before it even hits the bins and Wal-Mart refuses to stock healthy options in canned and frozen foods, we're left with no choice but to buy and eat heavily syruped fruits, pre-cheesed veggies, and pre-cooked meats. Complaints to the managers and HQ have done nothing and we can't afford to drive hour away for affordable, healthy alternatives. Add to this the fact that our only job options here are sedentary to the point the bosses have fits if employees leave their seat even for a bathroom break and overtime is the rule if you don't want to be unemployed. I can't help but think of those poor working people of the 1930s in the Steinbeck and Sinclair Lewis books, only instead of dying from falling into factory machinery, we're dying in front of keyboards and monitors.
It's a jungle out there, kiddies. Forewarned is forearmed. To understand today's hiring climate remember that any large company (thousands of employess to hundreds of thousands of employees) has been sued for sex discrimination, racial discrimination, age discrimination, employees who have gone Postal, embezzlers, fraudsters, etc. etc. and any combination thereof and undoubtedly settled or lost in court along the way.
They are gun shy. The HR depts. in these companies have no other purpose than to follow the instructions of the lawyers. In fact, today, in order to be an HR person you essentially are a lawyer and should be one.
In many of these companies, the HR dept. has the hiring managers on a very short leash.
Then on top of that, you have the companies that put all management through a Gallup interview, the type of questions that #43 alludes to on their site. To understand this from the employers perspective, you should read the Gallup books by Buckingham. This is the "past performance is the best indicator of future performance" mentality - Gallup invented it, which may or may not be the correct way of evaluating job candidates.
Basically, in order for this to work, the company has to profile the personality required of every position or key role in the company and draw up a mix of personality characteristics of the employees who perform well and have high job satisfaction. They are then engaging in a matching process to identify who has the best fit. You, of course, do not have the benefit of seeing the profiles, so you are operating blind.
To understand this from your perspective (how to do the right thing even though you have no idea how), read The Hero With a Thousand Faces and other books by Joseph Campbell which examine the human condition throughout the ages across all religions and belief systems and the journey through life that we are all compelled to undertake. You are on a journey whether you want to be or not and whether you realize it or not. You may as well realize it. Campbell shows the way.
In this type of interview, no matter what you say, they will reply with something to the effect of these words, "Can you give an example of a time when you..."
For example, they say, what would you say are your strengths. You mention something. They say, can you tell me about a time when you used that strength.
Any claim of any sort that you make will be followed up with a question about specifics. So for any statement about some wonderful thing you have on your resume, you need to be armed with a dozen examples that you can supply to prove it is true.
What they "want" you to say is something along the lines of, "There was a situation in which..." or "I was given a task to do..." After describing the situation or task, you then go on to say, "What I did was..." or "The action I took was..." and then you say, "The result was..." or "This resulted in".
Thus, so-called the STAR approach (Situation or Task, Action, Result).
Your challenge is to couch your answers in this very robotized fashion without sounding like a robot. To understand the essence of this, just watch any Proctor and Gamble tv ad for Tide-gets-the-dirt-out, Bounty-the-quicker-picker-upper or any of their other products. They all use the same problem/solution/product-is-the-hero approach. "Tide saved the day!" You're the product here, so be the Hero in your STAR stories about yourself! Good luck!
Then, in addition to that, you have the Top Graders. These are managers that systematically lop off the 10% of the lowest performing employees every year and recruit to replace them. The creates lots of opportunity for aggressive newcomers to the organization, but hangs over the head once you are in.
Jack Welch and GE is a well known example of this. These managers think they are on a mission to hire "A" players and will engage you in multiple lengthy interviews at multiple levels of the organziation - taking up hours and hours of your time. Every time you make the slightest gesture or utter the slightest word they are asking themselves whether you are an A, a B, or a C performer. Their mission - keep the A's, develop the B's and re-position or fire the C's.
There is a book on this one, too, of course, Top Grading. Every management level employee should read this because you will be subjected to this type of interview process somewhere along the line and in these organizations, you will be expected to employ this method in your own hiring of staff. Remember this: the top grade interview process is extremely difficult to conduct and you are as likely to be subjected to managers who are "learning" or botching it as you are to meet those who get it right.
Of course, you should be using your own Top Grading process to find the best company to work for. (A book on this one, anyone?)
My oldest daughter just got married and we paid over $6,000 for their wedding pix. So far they have got 3 cd's with the pictures taken(hundreds....all digital). my daughter tells me there are white dots through the pictures. I say the hell with photographers rights....they get their money up front, and if I can find a way to make a copy of a picture without giving them another $80, I will do it. I detest the whole wedding ripoff, from the church to the reception, to the caterer, to the photographer, to the wedding dress, to the diamond ring. Everyone wants to rape a couple in love and the parents footing the bill! You will hear about me some day as I have devoted the rest of my life to making weddings affordable. Watch out Las Vegas.....here we come!!!!!!!! Scott Mitchell
I don't know about everyone else, but nearly every set of chopsticks I have ever seen were made from bamboo. Bamboo is not technically wood, it is a type of grass. Bamboo is a sustainable product and has many great uses. So, my point is that IF most chopsticks are made from bamboo then we don't really need to worry about the deforestation issue.
I have learned that even having convenience food on hand for those odd occasions where I am too tired to cook is actually really good for my dining out budget. Always feeling like I have to perform for the dinner hour can be difficult, but throwing a frozen pizza one night every few weeks or so gives me a night off to recuperate without spending a bunch of money on eating out.
I love Papa Murphy's and haven't run into any problems there. I prefer going to these take-and-bake places because they cost so much less and I can bring my pizza home and have it hot instead of lukewarm. We don't have a lot of places that deliver and it makes this worth the effort for us. I also love it because when I get it home, I can add additional toppings before it is baked off.
They have a newsletter that I subscribe to. I would highly recommend it, if anyone else goes there regularly, because I get coupons and specials from them all of the time. We usually pay about $5.99 for a large.
I've only tried Papa Murphy's once, and it was the same kind of disaster you just described. No way am I ever going back there when I can go to Little Ceaser's and pick up a $5 pizza that is sitting there, all ready and just waiting for me.
I think we're about to see another chapter in the book "Great Ideas with Terrible Business Plans" - chapter 1 was the Krispy Kreme donut story.
We went and bought one of those electric radiant heaters that are filled with water, we plug that in and then place a fan behind it to blow the heat out. It has reduced our heating bill tons. We are in Colorado in the mountains and we hardly use any propane anymore. We used to pay about $120 for propane, we have reduced that to about $40 for the cost of about $20 more in electricity. Well worth it.
Some really good things are to use that plastic wrap that covers the windows and for added effect enforce with some duct tape or other. This reduced some major drafts coming into my house dramatically! In places where it may be unsitely caulk around the windows as much as possible. Go to hardware store and get some foam to tape under windows so when you close them you get a tight seal.
Utilize dryer heat as much as possible if equiptted with an electric dryer(gas is unsafe.)
Being that oil is unrealistically expensive, your gas or oil burner should be tuned up before the season starts and all hot pipes should be insulated and taped with duct tape. With my oil burner I used high heat paint and painted most of the heat pipes coming off of the heater and THaT seemed to reduce the oil consumption.
This I have knowledge in(from school)but my shower heat was pathetic(tankless oil heater) so I drained all the water out (black and Icky) and cut the pipes going thru the potable hot water coil and backflushed it with CLR and a air compressor. This was some work but definately worth the time and effort because much junk came out and now I get great showers at a very low boiler temp. and then put CLR in system and ran it thru the house pipes for a while, drain and refill. THis has DRAMATICALLY reduced oil consumption, one other thing to do is take the covers off the boiler and you will see the blast tubes, get a wire brush for a drill and some extensions to equal length of tubes and get those cleaned out, soot, white buildup etc. this will allow the heat to better transfer to your water. There is one other idea I thought of but have not tried is to put bricks or something in where the water for heat pipes is to reduce the amount of water that needs to be heated (theory being,, just like boiling small amount of water takes less time and less energy to accomplish. My thinking is that 14 years ago when my heater was put in oil consumption and cost was not a big issue, not today. good luck,,, I did this and was able to turn my boiler down to 140-120 high and low limit and acheive the same if not better results.
Ceiling fans - they push down the hot air, especially important if you have high ceilings.
Attic insulation. - pretty much a no-brainer. Heat rises. If you have a good quality insulation then you will loose less heat making it easier to warm your home.
Plastic over the windows - this works well for old windows. A roll of shrink film, double stick tape, and a hairdryer.
Insulating house paint - for those that paint the outside there's a type of paint that uses several coats (a type of primer, one being a ceramic paint, and the outside color being a paint /rubber mix) that can reduce heat loss by 10-15%, and as a plus the vendor that I saw guaranteed the paint for 25 years. Theres also paint for the inside of the house for the ceiling.
My Target was doing video games on the same day as electronics (Monday) and Music/Movies on Thursday. This is the common markdown schedule (although each store could have a slight variation.)
I found that you can always ask if you are unsure. They are usually very helpful. Just be sure to ask the person in each individual department.
Electronics, does that include video games and movies too.
Oh, we're aware that it's tough to combine eating locally with eating cheaply. You might check out:
http://www.wisebread.com/eating-locally-on-a-budget
More important than eating locally is eating food (as opposed to food-like edible substances):
http://www.wisebread.com/book-review-in-defense-of-food
It sounds like you've investigated all the local options and found them all wanting. Without knowing where you live, I don't really have much to suggest. I will say, though, that "you have to go where the job takes you" is a fine notion in the short term, but perhaps in the medium term a notion like "you have to find a way to support your family that doesn't kill you" might be worth considerable effort to put into practice.
Very evil, but useful.
My October Target budget total was OUT OF CONTROL!!!! But I've since nipped that devil in the bud. But this... this is..I hope I can control myself knowing what I know now..lol
It really makes a difference where you live! My bill is about $400 a month! I've covered the windows with plastic and heavy curtains, added 14 inches of insulation to the attic, new front and back doors, 5 new windows, a new furnace, keep the thermostat at 68 when I"m home, 60 when I'm not...... and I"m still cold and broke!
Well except for the automotive and man grooming expenses lol! My car payment is $180 per month and the insurance is $58/month. GOTTA LOVE Geico!
We've cut back on going out as much as we used to... one thing about a new budget ..it takes time to get adjusted.
If you need help or tips with your wedding let me know. I know how stressful that was when we got married in 2006. I definately saved by being frugal in certain aspects.
SIM = Subscriber Identity Module
Awesome post.
Check out this one too.
Why do real estate agents drive fancy cars?
http://www.zillowblog.com/real-estate-agents-and-their-cars/2008/01/
I'm not a big fan of social programs. In theory they are a step up for people in a tight spot trying to make ends meet. Or for those who truly aren't able to work. In reality though I have seen too much abuse. Too many where it has become a lifestyle. Too many that choose not to work when they are really capable.
I have a brother that has a handicap and has always worked, yet almost all of the other people I know with the same handicap choose to collect their SSI. Yes their choices are limited by their handicap, but there are jobs they could do. They choose to milk the system.
Here is where you may think I'm a hypocrite. We do qualify for some social programs, and we use them. I don't think there is any shame in that. I don't think it would be wise to not use what is available to us. My husband works. I clip coupons. We live very frugally. If those programs weren't available, it would make things even tighter around here, but it wouldn't make me angry to lose those benefits.
All GSM phones use SIM cards so #3 is already covered in #1. Only Verizon in the US uses CDMA.
If you're travelling through multiple countries, especially in Europe, see if you can get a sim from Liechtenstein or the Isle of Man. They don't charge for receiving calls, and they are reasonably cheap (although not the cheapest) for making calls. Sim4Travel is one of the companies that I've heard recommended.
That days of the week markdown schedule is killer information, particularly on the grocery front. I know I love to ge the reduced for quick sale stuff, but knowing when to get the best haul isn't always easy. I really like how your post is easily tweaked to meet the needs of individual families. Good job.
I haven't heard of the skype addition to a cell plan before, but it sounds worth looking into. A colleague of mine in Saudi recommended Jaxtr for free international cell to international cell calling.
Regarding the quad band sim swap technique, we've done this and I agree with you. It's an excellent way to get things rolling. Also, it's nice to have a local number if you expect the hotel and drivers and tour guide people to be able to afford to return your calls. So problem solving with your driver to find your hotel becomes way easier. If your hotel attendent speaks your language but your driver doesn't, you can hand the phone over and let them work it out in their common language. Love that.
I am currently in England for study program, but I am able to talk to my fiancee back home as often as I like because of a combination of things.
She has vonage, so she can call my landline for free.
I got a local simcard to put in my phone from the states and load up on prepaid minutes (they expire in 30 days, but they are 1/5th the price of unexpireable minutes).
I have skype and sprung the $3/month for skype pro, give me a local number to call which then lets me speeddial my contacts or enter any international phone number and be charged the SkypeOut Rate.
The connection charge is 0.04, and it's 0.021/min which is pretty cheap. I highly recommend it.
In 10 minutes, list as many things as possible that you have not done, that you would regret not doing if you died tonight.
1. Publishing a fantasy book or comic-book
2. Participate in the development of a computer game (or a RPG)
3. create a line of Educative Toys
Thats pretty much the 10 minutes list
A lot of people throughout WB are assuming that the farmer's markets and buying local are cheaper. We can barely get two apples that were half-rotted by the time they arrived at the store for less than a gourmet frozen dinner and the local growers and farmers' market expects as high as twice that and is in an area of town not accessible to public transportation. We don't have access to a co-op even though all the growers and ranchers around us are members of the one a state over (that we can't join) and the local organic foods stores are so dirty they've been shut down twice by the health board--and even they expect more than the farmers at the market. We've lived in cities half this size that had better and cheaper options, but you have to go where the job takes you. Since Wal-Mart forced everyone else out in this town and we can't afford to shop the local gourmet stores where the wealthy people in town go for fresh foods, we're left with whatever junk Wal-Mart wants to force on us. Since, as I mentioned, the fresh food is rancid and moldy before it even hits the bins and Wal-Mart refuses to stock healthy options in canned and frozen foods, we're left with no choice but to buy and eat heavily syruped fruits, pre-cheesed veggies, and pre-cooked meats. Complaints to the managers and HQ have done nothing and we can't afford to drive hour away for affordable, healthy alternatives. Add to this the fact that our only job options here are sedentary to the point the bosses have fits if employees leave their seat even for a bathroom break and overtime is the rule if you don't want to be unemployed. I can't help but think of those poor working people of the 1930s in the Steinbeck and Sinclair Lewis books, only instead of dying from falling into factory machinery, we're dying in front of keyboards and monitors.
It's a jungle out there, kiddies. Forewarned is forearmed. To understand today's hiring climate remember that any large company (thousands of employess to hundreds of thousands of employees) has been sued for sex discrimination, racial discrimination, age discrimination, employees who have gone Postal, embezzlers, fraudsters, etc. etc. and any combination thereof and undoubtedly settled or lost in court along the way.
They are gun shy. The HR depts. in these companies have no other purpose than to follow the instructions of the lawyers. In fact, today, in order to be an HR person you essentially are a lawyer and should be one.
In many of these companies, the HR dept. has the hiring managers on a very short leash.
Then on top of that, you have the companies that put all management through a Gallup interview, the type of questions that #43 alludes to on their site. To understand this from the employers perspective, you should read the Gallup books by Buckingham. This is the "past performance is the best indicator of future performance" mentality - Gallup invented it, which may or may not be the correct way of evaluating job candidates.
Basically, in order for this to work, the company has to profile the personality required of every position or key role in the company and draw up a mix of personality characteristics of the employees who perform well and have high job satisfaction. They are then engaging in a matching process to identify who has the best fit. You, of course, do not have the benefit of seeing the profiles, so you are operating blind.
To understand this from your perspective (how to do the right thing even though you have no idea how), read The Hero With a Thousand Faces and other books by Joseph Campbell which examine the human condition throughout the ages across all religions and belief systems and the journey through life that we are all compelled to undertake. You are on a journey whether you want to be or not and whether you realize it or not. You may as well realize it. Campbell shows the way.
In this type of interview, no matter what you say, they will reply with something to the effect of these words, "Can you give an example of a time when you..."
For example, they say, what would you say are your strengths. You mention something. They say, can you tell me about a time when you used that strength.
Any claim of any sort that you make will be followed up with a question about specifics. So for any statement about some wonderful thing you have on your resume, you need to be armed with a dozen examples that you can supply to prove it is true.
What they "want" you to say is something along the lines of, "There was a situation in which..." or "I was given a task to do..." After describing the situation or task, you then go on to say, "What I did was..." or "The action I took was..." and then you say, "The result was..." or "This resulted in".
Thus, so-called the STAR approach (Situation or Task, Action, Result).
Your challenge is to couch your answers in this very robotized fashion without sounding like a robot. To understand the essence of this, just watch any Proctor and Gamble tv ad for Tide-gets-the-dirt-out, Bounty-the-quicker-picker-upper or any of their other products. They all use the same problem/solution/product-is-the-hero approach. "Tide saved the day!" You're the product here, so be the Hero in your STAR stories about yourself! Good luck!
Then, in addition to that, you have the Top Graders. These are managers that systematically lop off the 10% of the lowest performing employees every year and recruit to replace them. The creates lots of opportunity for aggressive newcomers to the organization, but hangs over the head once you are in.
Jack Welch and GE is a well known example of this. These managers think they are on a mission to hire "A" players and will engage you in multiple lengthy interviews at multiple levels of the organziation - taking up hours and hours of your time. Every time you make the slightest gesture or utter the slightest word they are asking themselves whether you are an A, a B, or a C performer. Their mission - keep the A's, develop the B's and re-position or fire the C's.
There is a book on this one, too, of course, Top Grading. Every management level employee should read this because you will be subjected to this type of interview process somewhere along the line and in these organizations, you will be expected to employ this method in your own hiring of staff. Remember this: the top grade interview process is extremely difficult to conduct and you are as likely to be subjected to managers who are "learning" or botching it as you are to meet those who get it right.
Of course, you should be using your own Top Grading process to find the best company to work for. (A book on this one, anyone?)
Best defense - take the Force with you!
My oldest daughter just got married and we paid over $6,000 for their wedding pix. So far they have got 3 cd's with the pictures taken(hundreds....all digital). my daughter tells me there are white dots through the pictures. I say the hell with photographers rights....they get their money up front, and if I can find a way to make a copy of a picture without giving them another $80, I will do it. I detest the whole wedding ripoff, from the church to the reception, to the caterer, to the photographer, to the wedding dress, to the diamond ring. Everyone wants to rape a couple in love and the parents footing the bill! You will hear about me some day as I have devoted the rest of my life to making weddings affordable. Watch out Las Vegas.....here we come!!!!!!!! Scott Mitchell