IMG is nothing?

Guy Kawasaki has a great post “How to Get a Job on Craigslist” that is really useful for anyone trying to get an interview. The majority of new grads and young professionals are going to be relying on the web for their job search. While this makes the search process a bit more efficient, it also makes the competition a lot steeper.

My personal favorites from Guy’s post are:

Write a cover email that addresses the position.

This should be a no brainer. You want to stand out in crowded field, then your reply to the ad needs to tell them that you’re qualified and that your resume is worth a thorough read. For new grads, this is critical since you may have holes in your experience or qualifications.

Apply really well.

You need to understand what the employer is looking for and make sure you address that need. Its fine to have a stock resume on file, but before applying tweak it to make sure you emphasize the experience or knowledge that the employer is emphasizing their need for. Also, make sure that you send them what they ask for.

There is a great article in the International Herald Tribune, written by seven U.S. soldiers about what Iraq is really like. While its not a glowing critique of our time and activity there, it is a logical and measured assessment of where we are, what we do, and what needs to change.

The Iraq war as we see it

Here are a few of highlights [comments by yours truly]:

“In short, we operate in a bewildering context of determined enemies and questionable allies, one where the balance of forces on the ground remains entirely unclear. (In the course of writing this article, this fact became all too clear: One of us, Staff Sergeant Murphy, a U.S. Army Ranger and reconnaissance team leader, was shot in the head during a “time-sensitive target acquisition mission” on August 12; he is expected to survive and is being flown to a military hospital in the United States.) While we have the will and the resources to fight in this context, we are effectively hamstrung because realities on the ground require measures we will always refuse - namely, the widespread use of lethal and brutal force.”

[I’ll raise a toast to Sgt. Murphy and his recovery. The rest of you keep your heads down, so I don’t become an alcoholic.]

“The most important front in the counterinsurgency, improving basic social and economic conditions, is the one on which we have failed most miserably. Two million Iraqis are in refugee camps in bordering countries. Close to two million more are internally displaced and now fill many urban slums. Cities lack regular electricity, telephone services and sanitation. “Lucky” Iraqis live in communities barricaded with concrete walls that provide them with a sense of communal claustrophobia rather than any sense of security we would consider normal. In an environment where men with guns rule the streets, engaging in the banalities of life has become a death-defying act.”

[Why don’t we hear this stuff when Petraeus goes on Fox News?]

“We need not talk about our morale. As committed soldiers, we will see this mission through.”

[You guys rock and I wish we weren’t making your jobs harder with poor strategy.]

Thanks to the Men & Women of the U.S. Armed Forces. We’re proud of you.