Get a Pay Raise [How To]

Looking for some other posts?

• How about the most popular dog breeds?
  
• What to do with an employee who has a great resume, was great during the interview, but isn't performing now that you've hired them
  
• Some general tips on what to and not to do at a career fair
• Find out if you should you put an objective statement on your resume

It's a great thought to try and get more money, but what do you do when you ask, and you get told "no"?

Me personally, I don't take rejection well. And if it were from an employer, I'd not feel very confident about my standing with the company.

To that end, I asked three times very strongly for a raise with a particular employer. Each time only to be told that I had to do more and more to get the raise. Each time I did, but with no promised raise coming. So I left the company, I had no other choice. They made it clear they didn't value my services properly.

Here are some tips on how to go about asking (make sure you have your back up plan in mind though!):

Get a Pay Raise [How To]

via Lifehacker by tamar weinberg on 1/20/08

Do you feel that you're working more than you're worth? It might be the right time to ask for a pay raise. Before you make the request, though, do your homework and ensure that your roles and activities—not your job title—are consistent with what you should be paid. If you're confident that you deserve more, build up the courage and ask, but do it with grace. Rehearse your pay-raise request and make sure that your case is articulated clearly and without negative emotions or threats to quit. Ensure that the timing is right: don't request a raise when your manager's stress is high and the workload is overwhelming. Otherwise, your request might be perceived as a distraction and may not be received well. You also need to be honest with yourself. Do you deserve the raise? Was your past performance up to par? Did you exceed expectations? If the answer is yes, it's time to take the plunge.

How to... get a pay raise [Times Online]

MD get the Gist of winning

YES!!! How do you spell win? "UNC" it is!

















THIS is a signature win. THIS is a win that makes up for American and OH-IO losses.


Boom hit what may end up being the most important shot of the season. His "seal down" of Hansbrough, the ball control (sigh of relief), and then the leaning bank shot, amazing. I was yelling at the play went down, I had no confidence, no faith. Now?

MD overcame its previous miscues, and at least one abysmal call by a referee (the last second call to give UNC the ball). The best reaction to these types of calls? None. Don't react, just play; and MD did.


















And maybe the best part? ALL the shots of Tarheel fans CRYING. Beautiful. I also caught a lot of boos and angry fans, I think the Terps (aka Grievious) were hootin' and hollerin' and the locals weren't happy with it.


Takeaways:

• MD showed that its stalwart defense is for real.
  
• UNC showed that there are chinks to the armor that are for real.
• Gist gave a biiiiig "F YOU" to those who question his skills and leadership
• Grievious showed that his play this summer was for real, and he's able to keep the play going.
• MD's bench showed it can play in the ACC.
• MD's Freshmen showed they are for real, and can play in the ACC.

The key to UNC is to throw multiple people at Hansbrough. You need to have a bruiser and an athletic player, both of whom have to play him tough on all plays. You need to press each and every shot, box out, and force them to work hard on both sides of the court.


PS: I'm po'd that the MD win didn't make the front page of WaPo, but primaries did. Weee, elections! Not like we don't get inundated with that crud 24x7 anyways...

Most popular dog breeds?

The American Kennel Club has a list of the top 10 breeds in the US.

10) Bull dogs, making pugs look cute since 1210.

9) Mops are popular?

8) The poodle, really? A very smart breed, but smart enough to know it looks really really stupid?

7) Everyone loves a weiner! (is that in bad taste?) Great dog, but it looks like they took a normal looking cute dog and stretched it out. Which I guess means you get extra dog. I'll take it, no mustard please.

6) Boxer. I have no witty comment

5) I'm perfectly ok with a beagle being #5

4) I demand a recount!!! Golden retrievers should be at wort 2 in this list

3) Great, a dog that is as warm and friendly as a German. Good choice people

2) Ok, I'll admit the Yorshire Terrier is small and cute, and my Aunt had one (Muffin). But this is a mini-mop. And very yappy

1) Everyone loves a big dumb Lab, I concede that one

Check out some other dog posts I have:

• One of a dog that loves football
• One of a dog that looks like a robot
• The robot dog speaks!
• A cute dog taking a nap

Meals in advance, a tasty way

The Simple Dollar offers a good tip on making (tasty) food in advance:

I generally like most of the prepackaged skillet meal offerings, I just wish they were healthier - and preferably cheaper. As a frugal parent, I’d like to find a better solution to this situation. I’d like to have a healthy and tasty meal that I could prepare quickly.

My solution? Make a whole bunch of them in advance.

All you have to do is find a good skillet meal recipe, quadruple the recipe, prepare all of the ingredients, then fill four freezer bags with the meal. Then, when you’re ready to eat them, get that bag out of the freezer, thaw it, and then cook it in the skillet until it’s nice and warm. Done!

You can find countless skillet recipes online. My usual technique is to cook the meat in advance, then add all of the needed ingredients to the ziploc bags.

I make my lunch in advance, but rarely is it tasty.

"Watch Out For Fake Cox Emails!" - you're telling me!

Oh, Cox. Riiiiiiiight.

Google updates mobile for iPhone, 98% of mobile users don't notice

Dearest Google,

I love you, I use so many of your products - I have a blogger account! I have a Reader account! I use Gmail! I use Gcal! I use Gdocs! - but can you really please stop focusing your mobile efforts on the less than 2% of the world's mobile users?

While the iPhone is the hip mobile phone, for now, it will be surpassed soon enough. And probably by your own product!

Thanks

Bowie, Maryland

Greivis Vasquez surely wins the "Hamburger Helper" boxscore stuffer award tonight (22pts, 6 boards, 8 assists, 2 steals), but it was Adrian Bowie who was the real difference maker.

If you check out the stats, Adrian has a respectable night (10 pts, 8 boards, 2 assists, 3 steals). Nothing that says "WOW!" But the power of his performance was the spark he provided in the second half (multiple steals off the inbounds, then pumping up the crowd), but he also provided Vazquez with some relief from handling the board and grabbing rebounds.

Boom also had a good night, with only a few miscues at times (like slamming the ball into the bottom of the hoop). Gist's 6/6 from the line saved a poor shooting night, but his 8 boards and 4 blocks were big.


The theme we see? When MD spreads the offense and defense out, they can win in the ACC (against a less skilled team playing on a lot of heart).

No Wikipedia in college papers

Good point by Mr. Scoble, Professors can control the quality of the papers they receive by . . . grading harder!

While pursuing my MBA, I noticed that to get an A you had to do decently high quality work. But almost anything passed for a B grade. The saying "B is for Business School" sure seemed accurate.

But the point to students should be that it should be obvious that copy/paste from Wikipedia produces a very poor paper. Now using the references, that can be gold.

 

 

Sent to you by ckstevenson via Google Reader:

 

 

In my day…

via Scobleizer -- Tech geek blogger by Robert Scoble on 1/14/08

I remember back when I was going to West Valley Community College in the 1980s that a few professors at other schools (thankfully not at West Valley) had banned those “newfangled Macintoshes.” They thought that typing on a typewriter made for better thinking processes (seriously, that’s what a few of them thought). Probably so, but I knew then that these folks were stuck in the mud and that we should have, instead, banned the professors from ever setting foot in a classroom again.

I have the same feeling about professors who ban Google and Wikipedia.

If I were a professor and I wanted my students to go deeper than “first level Google searches” I’d just grade tougher. Really, is it any more difficult than that? Geesh.

 

 

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to Scobleizer -- Tech geek blogger using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

 

 

Did I miss the Scoble feed blog?

No. I did not.

I found myself not having to wade through a ton of articles and blogs on random web companies that won't make a spit of difference in my life for, at best, the next 5 years.

But, there are those few posts of his that are worth it, some pithy comment on starting a company, or some blog he read that is worth it for me.

At a minimum I find it worthwhile, and it just barely meets my threshold for retaining it on Google Reader.


PS: I am a Scoble friend on Facebook, and he "stole" my personal information. I don't feel that by being a friend of his I granted him access to my birthday etc. Interesting subject.

Want to help me paint some closets?

If so, I will gladly give you my address.

PS: I have beer.

Dear Blogosphere, forgive me for I have sinned

This is my first Blog confession:

I have actively rooted against VT tonight. I dislike a lot of the VT fans that I work with, or happen upon on a regular basis (though I am friends with a bunch that are great people).


But BOY do I enjoy Kansas' mega-fat coach, and his puffy face and ultra red cheeks

Dear Jessica Simpson, please travel to Seattle on Saturday

Dear Jessica,

You have provided so amply for us to date (is that a pun?), and so in our Redskins hour of need (part 2), all we can ask is that you travel to Seattle and use your . . . h hair for good against the evil Seahawks.


If need be, please feel free to invite Matt Hasselbecks' sister-in-law

Are the Jayhawks the bad guy?

If Virginia Tech is facing such an emotional end to its season (which is true), then would Kansas be the "bad guy" if they were to beat Tech?

I wish both teams well, and Tech has faced a lot over the past many months, but a lose for the Hokies doesn't mean they have failed anyone.

Let's retire a phrase - "Here's a ..."

Here's a guy ...

Here's a team ...

ENOUGH. NO MORE!

Every stinkin' sports commentator, journalist, author, broadcaster, or other such idiot uses this phrase all the time.

Here's a guy who is tired of this dumb phrase!

ENOUGH! NO MAS!

Let's "turn the page" on "here's a..." It has more than "jumped the shark".

WaPo - Reality Check: The Fat Won't Just Disappear

I will say at the outset, that sometimes your BMI is not reflective of your true health. Anyone who has a lot of muscle knows their BMI says they are fat, but they aren't.

BUT, wow, parents don't know their kid is fat? Most of the comments are worth reading though.

Reality Check: The Fat Won't Just Disappear

via On Parenting on 1/3/08

We've talked about the issue before: A significant percentage of children in the United States -- 35 percent according to national figures -- are obese. But who would have thought that their parents don't know it? That's the crux of research out of the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. The hospital's poll states that 15 percent of kids ages 6 to 11 are obese, as classified by their parent-reported height, weight and age, which was then calculated into their Body Mass Index. But 43 percent of their parents said their child was "about the right weight." Parent perception changed as their children aged. Of overweight kids ages 12-17 (they number 10 percent), many more of their parents classified them as "slightly overweight" (56 percent) and "very overweight" (31 percent). "It suggests to me that parents of younger kids believe that their children will grow out of their obesity,

Jerry Rice, a whiny little girl?

When Tom Brady and Randy Moss connected for two scores this past game, Moss trumped Jerry Rice for the all time WR TD record.

But in his post-game press conference, Moss managed to turn the topic du jour away from the record and onto his scorn of the media.

 

Prior to setting the record, Jerry was in the media letting everyone know (everyone he could get to listen to him?) that he'd congratulate Randy on the record.

 

We still know Jerry was the hardest working WR ever (with Walter Payton being the hardest working RB). And we know Randy is still an amazingly talented and gifted receiver. So what have we learned from this? First and foremost for me, Jerry Rice is a whiny little girl. Mr. Rice, the record is no longer yours, and it is no longer about you. I get it, you feel slighted, but you know what? You ARE slighted. Moss BEAT YOU. He is now better in this area. And for you to let a no class punk like Moss get you upset, shows you are a bit too self-involved.

 

Second, we learn that Jerry also has poor listening skills. Moss wasn't even dissing Rice, it was a slap at the media. If you're inclined to get your knickers in a twist, then you may mishear what Moss said.

 

 

First day back at work

And within 30 minutes someone told me I look like crap.

Happy 2008!!!!

160# and 19.9%

Starting out so bad, how can it get worse? (knocking on wood, rubbing a rabbit's foot, heck a whole rabbit)


No resolutions, only to keep on truckin' by improving things as I realize they need to be. BUT, there is one goal:

12% body fat by February 27th.

The Frank that keeps on giving, and don't stop believing it

You know who you are, and you have magically transported 15 years into the future to star in this video as the tutu clad singer: