Category: General

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Language

America doesn’t have an official language. (I think I should, but that’s beside the point I’m shooting for.)

I speak American English. I can work with German, French, and Spanish. I am by no means fluent in any of them. That being said I don’t have a problem with broadcast TV or Radio having commercials in other languages. Commercials cater to the demographics of a particular market.

So If I lived in an area that has a high percentage of say, German speaking folks I’d expect to hear commercials in English and German. (In reality, I could be living in the middle of a predominantly German community in America and I’d not hear one commercial in German.)

I actually live in an area with a high percentage of Spanish speaking folks and therefore expect to hear broadcast (by broadcast I mean over the air) TV and Radio commercials in English and Spanish. I’m good with that. Again it’s market demographics.

However, I’m quite confused as to why in my Amazon Prime, and Hulu accounts, where there are specific markers that I prefer ENGLISH, I’m getting commercials and reviews in Spanish and English. It’s about 50/50 lately.

I’m paying for these services. Shouldn’t I have a say in what language is presented? Shouldn’t we all? If you’re paying for a service shouldn’t you have the option to have the service presented in your preferred language?

The vendors paying to have their commercials aired are wasting their money throwing Spanish versions of their commercials into my home.

In fact, I’m less likely to consider shopping those vendors products because I’m annoyed. Not by their product per se, but switching from an American English style of commercial to a  commercial with a Latin flair is jarring.

Latin TV and Commercials are dramatic and attention getting. They’re somewhat reflective of the culture and that’s to be expected. 

When I’m in Mexico I’m always impressed by just how exciting a floor cleaner can be. 

A Mr. Clean commercial in Mexico is very different from a Mr. Clean commercial in America.

As an aside: Fabuloso is actually a nicer product and I use it all the time. Yes, I saw their commercial while in Mexico and when I saw the hotel crew using the product I thought, “That’s a nice smell and based on the bathroom and hotel floors, it works.”  When I saw the product on the shelf in a grocery store stateside I bought it, and have been a happy customer since.

In Mexico, I’m going to do my best to speak, listen, and read Spanish, I’ll even laugh when I blow it and a kind Mexican person corrects my botched sentence in flawless English.

Likewise in French speaking provinces of Canada, I’m going to switch to French and pray that I”m not too offensive with my mispronunciations.

Most of the Mexicans & Canadians I’ve met are very patient, kind, and respectful, that I’m at least trying. Often hilarity ensues when they get what I was trying to say, and then think about how I said it. 

That being said, when I’m home in America, paying for services, I’d like for those services to be presented in my preferred language. 

If I’m brushing up on other languages, I’ll specifically tune in to Univison, CBC en Français, or DW auf Deutsch.

All I’m asking is that my wishes and choices be respected and that other folks wishes and choices be respected too.

Is that too much?

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I suspect we’re about to become dogless.

IMG 0210The last of the dogs is OLD, I mean really old.

He’s had by my count 2 big seizures and with each one he gets weaker.

On the plus side, he’s had a good life, at least since he came to live with us.

We think he was abused and for our part we’ve been able to give him a loving peaceful home.IMG 0004

Here he’s been spoiled, cuddled, loved, even though he’s stubborn as hell, and now he’s nearing the end of his life.

It’s sad but part of nature. 

This guy came from a household that didn’t pay him any attention, and possibly may have abused him. 

In this household he learned to play and that toys were for him. He learned that people loved, and wanted him, and that he didn’t need to be afraid, even when he messed up.

He learned that printers can be barked at when they start making printer noises and spitting paper at him. He learned that his people would laugh at his antics and tell him he was a good boy.

After many years in this household he’s nearing the end of his life.

He’s gone blind, and over the past month or so, has lost a lot of weight. 

He’s learned that when he needs to go outside, his people will carry him up or down the evil stairs setting him gently on his favorite patch of the yard, or on the top deck where he can go inside under his own power. He’s learned that we’ll still tell him he’s a good boy and give him treats.

Up until the past few weeks or so he’s been his usual happy self, but now he’s sleeping a lot and not particularly interested in much. 

Sound like a Grandpa you know?

I’ve been looking for a job using my laptop in the living room so I can be near him when he wakes up.

He gets upset if he wakes up alone. I think he wakes up not knowing exactly where he is.

All I have to do is speak to him, reassure him that all is well, he’s safe, and someone is guarding him. Typically, he’ll breathe a sigh of contentment get a drink of water, and go back to sleep

He’s snoozing now, chasing bunnies in his sleep. That’s a good thing, at least in his dreams he has a chance of catching them. He was never fast enough to catch them in his youth, but he loved chasing after bunnies and squirrels.

I’m melancholy about his ending and can only comfort him. Well, that and share a bit of my breakfast bagel with him, which he highly approves of.

It’s tough letting go of someone you love. I’ve always thought of my dogs as people not lesser beings. Generally they’ve picked me to be their human, not the other way around. 

It’s been a honor to have been their person. Even in the heartbreak of losing them I’ve been happy to have had them in my life.

I’ve decided that there will be another dog or two in my life. I’ve also decided that I’m going to get rid of used rugs, (placed on the floor to keep the elderly dogs from slipping on the hardwood,) the well used dog beds, and many of the toys. That will give the new dog(s) a fresh start in their new home, a place which they can make their own.

Oh, it won’t be for months at least. I’m not going to be ready to open my heart again until it’s healed from losing Red.

A friend of mine says that your dogs that have passed will send you a new dog who needs you as much as you need them.

I hope he’s right.

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The problem with paying for a resume rewrite

A few months ago, I began an experiment. 

I paid to have my resume rewritten. The experiment was worth it, in that I had a fresh set of eyes looking at my resume.

Another benefit was that I was able to do some comparison between my old resume and the rewrite to determine if the choice of wording, layout, etc. would have any effect on the response rate.

In short, it didn’t.

The rewrite is something that I was never really happy with, because it was not “My” voice, nor did it reflect me the individual. The rewrite is pretty generic and while it is “true” it is also boringly high level.

I have a pretty good command of English. Many would say that my use of English is better than most. The wording in the rewrite is convoluted, (some might say tortured ) English. When I first read the rewrite, I thought that the writer had simply opened a Thesaurus then stuck their finger down the poor tome’s throat to induce vomiting.

The paragraphs are needlessly complex, using words that while technically correct, give the appearance of desperation, and someone trying impress, by putting lipstick on a pig.

Nonetheless, despite my discomfort, I used the rewrite. My reasoning was that the search engines are looking for keywords before even presenting a resume for consideration. You have to get your resume in front of a live person to get the interview.  Because I didn’t know what those keywords were… I deferred to someone who was supposed have that knowledge.

I’m terminating the experiment. The rewrite has garnered no interviews of any kind and in fact has generated less interest even amongst the spammers.

So over the next few days I’m going to rewrite my resume from the ground up. I’ll incorporate the elements I like from the rewrite, merging old and new into a resume of my own creation. 

Hopefully, writing something in my voice will make me more comfortable about the resume in general, and be more demonstrative of my intellect and experience. After all, any company that hires me, should hire me, not someone that knows nothing about me, my experience, my industry, or my abilities.

I’m pretty damn articulate all on my own. I tend to speak plainly and my writing reflects that. I’ve always believed that my resume, as a reflection of my career and abilities should stand on it’s own merits.

My philosophy is that the hiring manager should be able to get a sense of who they’re interviewing, and hopefully hiring, from the resume so they can dedicate the interview time to asking relevant questions. I personally hate spending interview time reiterating what’s printed in my resume. Ask specifics about this position, or that particular skill. 

I know that’s old school, just because something is old school doesn’t mean it’s wrong.

After all, I’m looking for a position that I want to excel in and the hiring company is looking for someone who can do the job well, and be happy doing it. 

It seems like a simple enough equation.

I wouldn’t say resume writers aren’t worth the time or money. This is especially true if you have a hard time writing. I would suggest that if you choose to use a firm, choose carefully. Vet them thoroughly and see what value they provide. 

Frankly, I think it’s time for us to stop treating resumes like web pages, stop applying SEO to them. How about hiring managers actually reading a resume?

When I was a hiring manager, I’d read the resumes of my employees word for word. This simple act gave me the ability to mentor, allow for growth, and properly task my direct reports, so that they could be successful. I’d ask them to give me updated resumes once a year. That kept me apprised of new abilities and skills attained by my group, enabling me to better manage and foster growth.

There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing an employee’s face light up because you give them a task they’ve never done before, using something they’ve worked hard to learn over the past year.

Just a thought, again old school.