Dec 06
I received an e-mail via LinkedIn this weekend:
I really hate when strangers e-mail me out of the blue. And I know what this guy is going through. He probably lost his job and is searching for a new one. I’ve been there. I know how it feels. But I don’t think e-mailing a random person on LinkedIn is the best way to network.
Because I try to do at least one nice thing per day, I decided to reply to this person. Here’s an edited version of my response:
XXXXX,
Thanks for the note. Sorry, but I don’t have any information on the XXXXX position you mentioned. I know the department is planning to hire a some new employees and contractors in the coming months to support XXXXX related to XXXXX. I assume each of these positions will be posted to the XXXXX job board, but do not know for sure.
Good luck in your search.
Lee
My response to him was OK, right? Professional. Kind. Here’s what I got back:
Some questions to consider:
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Why would I keep this person in mind if a position becomes available?
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Do I know this person beyond his two messages and a quick glance at his LinkedIn profile?
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Does this person know me beyond a look at my LinkedIn profile and one e-mail response?
Take a look at the first red arrow. Is this sentence a question? If so, I’ve been screwing up my questions and sentences for years.
Regarding the second red arrow – I appreciate this fellow wishing me a Merry Christmas. Too bad I don’t celebrate Christmas. On second thought, I guess I do celebrate Christmas. I do not work on this holiday. I eat Chinese food. I go to movies. But I don’t think that’s what he meant when he said “Merry Christmas.” Perhaps he could have used a better response. I don’t know.
What do you think?
Merry Christmas Happy Holidays!
Lee
Jul 20
Just finished up the website redesign for Pilates Studio at the Lake. I moved the site over to Wordpress to take advantage of the progressive and easy-to-use technology. Aside from some graphical updates, Carrie Jacobs are her team at the studio will be able to make changes on their own.
Tagged with: davidson • mooresville • nc • pilates • pilates studio • pilates studio at the lake
Apr 26
Today is an interesting day. Yes, it’s a Monday, but that’s not why it’s interesting. Today marks the 161st calendar day since I started work at Duke Energy. And November 16th, 2009, my first day at Duke Energy, was the 161st day since I had been at my old job. So, I’ve been working for as long as I was unemployed. Wow.
My 5-plus months of unemployment seemed a lot longer than my current 5-plus months of gainful employment. Guess that means I’m enjoying what I’m doing!
I still kind of cringe at the thought of me being unemployed. Sure, I had a lot of time to think, to play golf and to be lazy. But the uncertainty that came along with being unemployed put a unique damper on the period. All in all, I’m very happy doing what I’m doing. I thoroughly enjoy my work, my coworkers and my company. I tend to think my coworkers like me, too!
Feb 06
You may have seen my recent post about The Blind Man. Well, I heard today on NPR that blind men (and women) will actually have the opportunity to become taxi drives. NO JOKE. Here’s the story from The Daily Telegraph:
Taxi drivers offered their Hackney Carriage licence forms in Braille
Taxi drivers applying for their Hackney Carriage licence are being offered the forms in Braille by a council.
Braille ad in Taxi Driver Application form
The document, issued by Portsmouth City Council, makes clear that it is also available in large print or audio format for those with sight problems.
A notice at the end reads: “You can get this Portsmouth City Council information in large print, Braille, audio or in another language….”
The council, a member of the Plain English Campaign, defended the forms.
Head of customer services Louise Wilders said: “Obviously, a taxi driver would not need the Braille version, but they might find a foreign language version helpful.
“The form is also for employers to fill in – they could need a Braille version.”
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write. Braille was devised in 1821 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman.
Each Braille character or cell is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two columns of three dots each.
Tagged with: Braille • taxi driver • the blind man
Feb 02
As I walked from my car to the office on Friday morning, I passed a van with this message in its window:
At first, I was a little put off by the message. Then I literally took a step back to look at the bigger picture:
I laughed at myself for taking the initial message seriously. In the end, I think this is a very clever and comical marketing message. Best of all, it was probably developed by the Blind Man himself. I wonder if he’s ever been yelled at for being insensitive…
Tagged with: marketing • the blind man
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