My wife and I are reading The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey. I’ll write more about it when I have some time but I love this book. It is a breath of fresh air. He challenges “conventional” wisdom about finances and lays out a very clear step by step plan to getting out of debt and becoming financially free. Though the wisdom is uncoventional, it is pure common sense!

I’m sure the credit card companies hate Dave Ramsey. He advocates paying off all credit cards and closing all credit card accounts. He advocates a 100% cash existance (or debit card). You should not have a credit card for emergencies or “just in case”. He lays out a plan for having a $1,000 emergency fund for those emergencies and saving 3-6 months of expenses for a “rainy day”.

If you are in debt up to your eyeballs or even if you have no debt, Dave Ramsey’s book can help you on the path to financial freedom!

Again, I’ll write more about his book when I have some time but my wife and I are beginning the process. What fun knowing we are on the path to financial freedom!

I don’t encourage you to slack at work or to be a goof off. In fact, I encourage you to be the best employee possible. However, I was having coffee with a few friends a while back and we started to talk about how much time at work is actually spent working. Soon, the conversation became humorous and we were brainstorming ways to “fake work”. Simply stated, how can you look busy and fully productive while coasting in your job? I wrote down our ideas. Since then we’ve emailed ideas back and forth to one another.

Again, I don’t advocate doing ANY of these things. I just want to share these with you in an attempt to bring humor to your workday. Enjoy. If you have more ideas please email them to me at tcm at thecubemonkey dot com.

Browsong the Internet is the number one way to fake work. I often wonder what employees did at work before the Internet. Everyone reading this knows what a great time waster the Internet can be. Are you remodeling your kitchen? Reseach products. Are you buying a new computer? Find the perfect one online. Why spend precious time at home surfing the Inernet when you have eight hours at work?

Dangers
Many employers monitor not only where you go on the Internet but also how much time you spend surfing the web. Many employers also capture keystrokes. This means that they know where you go, when you go, how long you spend surfing and what you are typing.

Remediation Strategy
This may not be possible for everyone, but bring your own personal laptop to work. Unfortunately, you can’t hook your modem to the phone in your cube. Therefore, you need to buy a digital to analog converter. Use that converter to dial into the Internet. Your connection will be slow (dial-up) speed, but you’ll be able to surf the net without worries.

One final idea is to get a wireless network card. You may get lucky and pick up an Internet hot spot. It may be free or you may need to pay for the connection. In addition, most wireless phone companies (Verizon, Sprint Nextel, etc.) have high-speed wireless internet plans you can purchase for a monthly fee.

If you use this or any other faking work idea on this site, you assume all the risks. There is a chance you can get caught and get fired. I am not responsible if you get fired. These ideas are for entertainment purposes only.

In his blog, Cube Rules, Scot Herrick writes about technical workers who focus on their technical skills to the point of ignoring other important factors such as interpersonal skills. I agree with him!

In my humble opinion, the days of a coder sitting in his cube downing mega-amounts of caffeine with no contact with fellow co-workers is over – and has been over for a long time. Though I’m sure vestiges of this era can still be found today.

If you have a technical skill and looking for a new job in a technical area (accounting, IT, engineering, etc.), here are some tips on what to highlight on your resume and in the job interview.

1. Show and demonstrate competence in your technical skills
   Let’s be honest, if you have amazing interpersonal skills but no experience with the technical, you won’t get the job. Be sure to highlight this experience.
2. Show how those skills relate to improved business
   You can code like no other. So what? What you need to do is show how your technical prowess can improve business processes, reduce costs, increased profitability, etc.
3. Show and demonstrate your “Emotional Intelligence” 
   Highlight your interpersonal skills, ability to work in a team, leadership acumen, ability to handle difficult political challenges, and times you’ve succeeded because of your excellent Emotional Intelligence.

Show your technical skills as part of a well rounded package.

Unlike most people who interview to get a job, being interviewed was part of my job. I was a consultant and had to interview continuously. I needed a way to prepare for an interview that was quick, easy, and allowed me to relax and not panic.

What are the three secrets to a successful job interview? They are 1) Know your resume, 2) know your strengths, and 3) know your weaknesses.

Know Your Resume

Know every detail in your resume. I knew my resume inside and out and could tell stories about all of my experiences. When I say stories, I mean true stories (don’t make up stuff). Weaving a story about your accomplishments is much more impactful than just stating the facts (though the facts must be woven through the story).

Your Strengths

I created a list of all my strengths and then selected five that fit the job requirements. Then I prepared two examples to support each strength. Essentially, I could tell two stories that proved to the employer I had the strength and used it to succeed in previous jobs and projects.

Most interviews ask standard questions. I’ve had a few zingers but most of the time I was asked questions like:

“Tell me about yourself.”
“What strengths do you bring to the position?”
“How will you succeed in this job?”
“Give me an example when you….”
“Tell me more about the time you…”
“What would a co-worker say about you.”
“Explain how you’d work with such a team here at XYZ Company.”
“Tell me about you dream job.”

All of these questions are asking the same exact thing. The employer wants to know how you will be an asset to the firm. If you know your strengths and two stories for each you can answer these questions confidently. For example, if you are asked, “Tell me about your dream job.”, you could say that your dream job is one that capitalized on your strengths. Go through two or three strengths that map back to the job description. What did you just do by answering the question in this manner? You told the employer that the job you are applying for is your dream job!

This strategy has worked in every interview I’ve ever had. I’ve been successful in 95% of all my interviews (meaning I got the job or consulting gig). What was incredibly successful for me was having my eight strengths written down with three examples list under each. It was a quick reference sheet I could review before the interview to refresh my memory.

Your Weaknesses

In all of my interview experience, I’ve only been asked about my weaknesses twice. Though it was not common to get the question, I wanted to be prepared. Weaknesses are tricky but all you need to do is select weaknesses that have no relevance to the job you are applying for.

For example, if you are applying for an accounting position and there is nothing in the job description about presenting in public, say, “I’m only an average presenter. I’m not going to wow an audience with my presentation skills.  My strength, however, is supporting those who do present with the facts and knowledge they need. Please understand, however, that I’m not averse to presenting and am willing to improve if this position evolves to needing those skills.”

WARNING: Never, ever take a strength and make it a weakness. Saying that you are such a hard worker that sometimes you don’t have time for anything else in life is blowing smoke and the interviewer will see right through it. Discuss an actual weakness that has absolutely no impact on your ability to do the job in question.

That’s it. 1) Know your resume, 2) Know your strengths, 3) Know your weaknesses. Prepare in this fashion and you’ll ace every interview.

Good luck and I hope you get that job!