Good questions for interview preparedness
These are always good questions one should prepare for, whether considering an ID job or any other. Some of them are very standard interview questions, however, one should already have considered how they might answer. When questioned, consider a strong past example that gives strong evidence to your expertise. Please note this is a partial list. More questions may be added / edited at a later date.
- Describe a project you worked on of which you are most proud.
- Describe a time in which something went terribly wrong and how did you handle it?
- What do you do when you come a bad example, in your line of work? i.e. bad writing, organization, etc.
- Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Voicemail vs. Email vs. Txt Msging or Real Time?
You know you're getting old when you already work in a technology communications field (I currently work in IT Training at AT&T) and still feel like the system is changing before you've even had a chance to discover the new system and methods of interaction.
I was talking with one of the guys at work who's nearing retirement about changing
technologies. Gary mentioned how he remembers when a person would ask
Why would I write a memo when I can just leave a voicemail?
Methods of communication have certainly changed since then, and continue
to morph into the next time-saving solution or fad. Since I started my career
after college, I have already had to make a choice between returning voicemail
or email. When it came down to it, I used to tell my clients to either write
me a letter, send a messenger with a note or send me email. I have to say,
this cut down on a lot of customer complaints!
Since leaving voicemail out of the equation, however, I have noticed that not
only do I never check my messages, I rarely leave messages for others anymore.
If I stumble upon a message that was left for me, if it takes any longer
than 10-15 seconds, "press 7 to delete" is all I need. For those rare few of you who know me, perhaps you'll find this ironic, especially knowing that I leave messages 5 x that length.
I am not unlike many other Americans, today, however, as it seems that we've
moved beyond that last step of long-windedness. My latest revelation, though,
has made me notice that it seems that even in email, unless its or work that requires a great deal of clarity and detail,
messages that I receive are not any longer than a line or two.
For awhile, I just thought it was simply because people couldn't type very
fast. Seeing as though kids today seem to learn to type before they ever
need rely on their Palmer Method, cursive-writing skills, I think they seem
to have
missed the speed tests. In high school, I thought it was a really fun game!
Laurie Noel and I raced each other well above 100 words per minute. I think
the fastest I ever clocked was 132 WPM, but it’s been a long time since I've
been over a hundred, these days. At my last online speed test, I was able to
type 87 WPM, but how does the average typist keep up if they are only able
to type half as fast?
I'm a person with ideas who never has enough time in the day to accomplish
them all. I wish I could type faster to capture them all, but the only way
to really accomplish this would be to not work so I might afford the time
to develop them all. Because I'm always busy traveling to work, or at work,
working
on work, or traveling home from work, or thinking about my next time I'm ‘gonna
travel to or from work, I find that I never have time to catch up with my friends.
Like many others of my generation that have learned from younger generations,
I've even signed up for a couple of social networking sites to save myself
the effort and time. I thought if I wrote what I was doing right now, I could
even save OTHERS time by them not having to write to ask me what I was doing
with my life; they could simply read about it or check out the pictures I posted
on one of these automatic webpage-creating sites.
After about a year, though, it seems that the only thing they are good for
is writing a line or two. Then, it seems that nobody really checks them anymore.
I no longer feel like its worth it to share my photos; the download-edit-and-upload
process simply occupies too much time. I've ditched my nice camera for the
cheap cell phone pictures that I can email to myself and upload directly
out of my email account. Not only do I no longer have the time to read these
sites, I don't have the time to update mine, either, much less login.
But now, I have car time... leaving me more time to talk in real time, which
seems to have become all the rarer by the day, with my colleagues and friends
bypassing voicemail altogether. It seems people have made leaving messages
even faster by only leaving a short sentence text or IM message, directly
on my mobile phone.
What this makes me wonder about, though, and what I can't figure out is if
they aren't leaving email or voicemail, a process that takes a little more
time and thought to entertain, are more people are meeting, face-to-face,
in real time? Or, if they are simply not investing time in listening and truly
knowing people anymore because they "Can't talk right now. Can you call
me later?",
either, even though they answered their phone to share that message with
the caller.
I look at how much time I have on a workday or even on the weekend and it
doesn't leave time for much else. Leaving a message is above and beyond what
I can usually accomplish, but I know that if I don't organize the celebration
or if someone else doesn't put in the time, there won't be anything going
on in which to entertain more meaningful relationships and communication
with other human beings. And after sitting in a cube all day long, I need
people in my life! I am, after all, a very social, outgoing person, who loves
sharing new ideas with other people. I don't wanna end up like Tom Hanks'
character on that island talking to a volleyball!
Though I am looking forward to the day, which I hope is soon-approaching,
in which I'll be able to control my computer through voice activated commands,
so I can complete more projects, write more messages, and notate all those
entrepreneurial ideas I otherwise forget, I also try my best to maintain
the communication in friendships or other networks as best I can afford right
now.
But until then... if you're receive my call during commute hours, you'll
know that I'm stuck in my vehicle without any of these other means of communication,
its because its my last resort of staying busy and keeping in touch. And,
its because I'm finally NOT busy and can talk right now, and can't multi
task in any other way. I'm trying to put forth an effort hear and drowning
in an insurmountable amount of duties I'll never be able to finish. And if
I can't work my way down that list, I hope you'll please answer my call.
I finally have a free moment... I hope you'll please answer my call.
Why don't my Flash ActionScript 2.0 files execute in Flash Player 9? Get the Fix.
When I downloaded the new Flash 9, I experienced a problem activating files
links from previous Flash training shells I had created when testing
them with the Flash Player 9.
When you open an older FLA file in the newest version of Flash,
you
will notice your file automatically updates and converts to the
newest
version. This creates a coding error if you try to debug.
Adobe found two problems in Windows Flash Player 9 when it attempts
to
execute the links. The
coding problem exists when your software tries to convert the Action
Script 2.0 (the old version in which our Flash templates were
developed) to Action Script 3.0 (the updated version), required
to
test and view our files.
Read the following link to learn more about the workaround and
to find out how to change the code so your simulation and other external
files
will run and open, properly, .
- View the Adobe fix at http://www.adobe.com/go/kb403072
- Also see my friend, Philip Hutchison's blog, Loading Captivate Files Into an Action Script 3.0 Flash SWF
- Please note the upcoming Flash Forward Conference, August 20-22, in San Francisco.
Other Names Synonomous With "Instructional Designer"
Okay, here's the scenario... You just graduated with your Instructional
Designer degree and start looking for a job. You spent a ton of
time on your graduate project and have learned many new software
skills. But, when you open the newspaper or Craigslist, Dice
BA or even Yahoo! Hot Jobs, the "Instructional
Designer" jobs seem to be few and far between.
The problem? You've made your search too narrow.
The solution? Open up your keyword search to include some
of the following job titles or descriptions. I've assembled a partial
list, but I know there are even more than what I have compiled,
below.
- Developer
- Curriculum Developer
- Project Manager
- Producer
- Information Architect
- Learning Architect
- Technical Writer
- Technical Trainer
- IT Training Developer
- Technical Training Developer
- e-Learning Specialist
- e-Learning Developer
- Technical Architect
- Content Developer
- Course Developer
- Instructional Technologist
- Information Specialist
- Training and Curriculum Development
Do you think the job title of Instructional Designer can sometimes mean a job as a glorified Administrator with computer skills?
I suggested this question on a LinkedIn Forum and received a myriad of answers from Instructional Designers and those who knew nothing about the field. Here are some of the responses I received.