October 13, 2011
Dear Everyone:
I
had a job interview, of sorts, this week.
It went very well, particularly since I didn’t much want “the
job” and don’t care if they never call me.
I
remember, decades ago, that our Mother once told me that the best test
she had ever taken was for a “civil service” job that she didn’t really
want. Not caring about the
outcome takes all the pressure off.
Last year, at the ARMA International Conference (Association of Records
Managers and Administrators), someone gave a presentation on
Social
Networking. That’s
Facebook,
Twitter,
LinkedIn and the like.
First question: Are
those “conversations” considered “records”?
Actually, I had addressed this question over a year before at work.
Same answer: Of
course they are! And good
luck figuring out how to “save” them.
Second question: Is Social
Networking a way to stay in touch with people you know, or used to know,
in Records Management? You
bet! So I signed up with a
few networks, since I was going to be losing my co-workers and such.
I now have contacts in two other countries; people I knew at work
or ARMA who have moved on, but can now “stay connected” thanks to the
Internet
(“Oh,
brave new world!”)
Last month I was contacted, through LinkedIn, by a person in
San Diego,
asking about help with a project in the
San Francisco Bay Area that had
to do with
electronic records.
At the time, I sent her a reference to our local ARMA chapter
president, who had set up a consulting business.
But
she came back a little later, asking if I’d be interested in “part-time”
work from time to time.
Sure, why not? Sent her my
résumé (just finished, in fact.)
That led to a phone call from
Washington, DC, followed by a
“telephone interview.”
So
many things to like about a “telephone interview”:
No worries about what to wear.
No rushing to get there “on time”, which means getting there an
hour early. No desperate
search for the location, parking, the building, etc.
It’s even better when you have no real expectation of getting anything
out of it.
The
interview followed the usual pattern:
·
What’s the best thing
you ever did?
·
What’s the worst thing
you ever did?
·
Why do you want this
job?
It
took about a half-hour, which I quickly filled with “amusing anecdotes”
in Records Management.
(Didn’t know that RM could be “stand-up comedy”, did you?)
So
now I’m in their database.
If they need a “rent-a-Records-Manager” in the San Francisco Bay Area,
they may call me. Or not.
Either way works for me.
I
love being retired; but I know that, in time, it may get “a bit old”.
It’s a good idea to stay active, not only for the extra money but
also to, well, “stay active.”
So we’ll see.
Love, as always,
Pete
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