Bringing online docs to an interview

Subject: Bringing online docs to an interview
From: geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 15:30:28 -0500

Chuck Martin reported <<I once had sometell me that the
person in charge of the department did not take floppy disk
from strangers because he was afraid of viruses. Needless
to say, I took offense, and decided that I did not want to
work for a person who evidenced such an attitude.>>

This is not a flame, but it is a criticism and a solution:
the manager might well have been right. I've stopped
counting how many "professionals" I've worked with don't
know the first thing about viruses, and who won't spend the
time to at least download a shareware program. How can
someone who doesn't know you personally tell whether you
are one of these professionals? Granted, the interviewer
should have his own antivirus software, but that's not
always an option in big companies with weird
bureaucracies... I've twice had to find and install my own
software (without anyone's permission) until my employer
came up with a corporate solution. Whether you want to work
for such a company is another issue entirely.

My suggestion: Next time you bring a disk to an interview,
make sure you inform the interviewer that you checked the
disk for viruses that very morning, with the latest version
of (whatever software you use). This both reassures the
person that it's OK to use your disk, and reinforces your
image as someone who cares enough about the concerns of
your clients or prospective employers to go the extra mile.

--Geoff Hart @8^{)} geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
Disclaimer: Speaking for myself, not FERIC.

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