Interview with GE

I had an interview with GE Aviation today. I arrived a little before 9AM and a few minutes later I was taken to a conference room where I met one of the HR managers. She and I spoke to about 45 minutes, and then I was taken to another conference room where I had a string of four interviews with four Engineering or Technical Managers. The last person was a Technical Manager, and he had worked for the Navy as a civil servant right out of college. His name was Stan and he was familiar with my background and the kinds of things I did on active duty. I spent almost two hours with Stan and had the opportunity to have lunch with him at the GE cafeteria. We were able to share a few stories about working for the Navy. Everyone seemed to like how I presented myself and my answers to their questions. GE Aviation is undergoing a restructuring and I was told that I was being considered for a couple of different positions. One of the interviewers said to me, "Often we will bring a candidate in for an interview and after talking to him or her, we realize that there is a better job for them in another department. There were two other department leads who wanted to talk to you, but were out of town today."

Before I left Stan said to me, "So do you have any questions for me?" I replied, "What is the hiring time line you have for this position?" Stan said, "Anything less than a couple of weeks would be an aggressive time line. The department manager is out of town today, and he will definitely want to speak to you. However, I know that you are interviewing elsewhere, so if you get an offer please let us know. Sometimes we can speed up the process if we know someone is looking at the same talent pool." I told Stan that I had a third interview with another organization on Monday, but in closing I said to him, "I was really impressed with what I saw here, and I think that I could do a great job for GE."

Bottom line: I did not get a job offer today, but all of the people who interviewed me seemed impressed with my background and experience. I will keep you posted as this progresses along.

Chemists & Mathematicians are cool!

I sort of opened up a line of discussion with a previous blog posting regarding my thoughts regarding the fact that there were no "skate classes" for me when I was forced to take classes in such irrelevant disciplines like Economics or Political Science or even worse English. However, Econ, Poli-Sci and English majors were given a "pass" when they had to take a class in mathematics or chemistry or physics or biology. Not that I am bitter...



A few of my non-science major friends were told me that while they sympathized with me, there was little they could do to change the facts: It is easier for a physical science major to do well in a social science than it is for a social science major to do well in physical science. I suppose I can feel superior after hearing such comments. OK, I won't feel that I am superior. I know that I am superior! If any of you social scientists can explain to me what these equations to the right of this text mean, I look forward to your explanation. I can certainly talk about Economics, Poli-Sci or English issues with you, if you like!

Well, tomorrow, all my hard work as a chemistry major might finally pay off. For those of you who have followed this blog, you know that I have started my search for gainful employment. Tomorrow, I have an interview with GE Aviation. The position's title is called "Engineer Manager 5: Manager of Technical Managers." Here is two of the the job requirements:

Qualifications:

* Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, or Computer Science.

This is one of the first positions I have found that specifically listed my undergraduate degree as a necessary qualification for the job. Life agrees with me.

Research and Background Checks

Earlier in the week when I received a call from the Red Cross, they told me that I would need to conduct a background check on me. I was given the URL of the company the Red Cross uses, went to the site and filled in some information about me and then clocked "Finished." Well, this morning I received an e-mail notification telling me that the results of my background check were available for my review. Of course, I was curious so I logged back on to the site and found that the review of available records showed that the previous addresses I listed were "clear" and that a review of arrest records for me was also "clear." Well, isn't that a relief! I suppose that whatever my youthful indiscretions which may or may not have happened, are not on file anywhere! All kidding aside, I would have been quite surprised if anything had been found amiss in this background check.

I spent most of Wednesday doing some research for my upcoming interview with GE on Friday. I have learned a lot about the company and I am quite interested in becoming one of their employees. I will spend more time today preparing for my interview tomorrow morning.

The Heisenberg Uncertainy Principle

As some of you know, I consider myself more of a scientist than a free thinker. I prefer to study the problem, look at the data, run a few experiments and then make an educated statement about a solution to the problem. This is a classical physics approach to looking at life and unfortunately, life is more quantum than classical. I was also trained as a Quantum Mechanic many years ago when I was in college, and one guiding principle to quantum mechanics is the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principal. In 1927 Ole Doc Heisenberg deduced that on a quantum scale (that is things at the atomic scale), the more you know about the velocity of a particle, the less you know about the particle's position. The converse is also true, that the more you know about the position of a particle, the less you know about its velocity. For everyone but the lawyers who are reading my blog, you will understand the equations to the right of this text is the mathematic representation of Doc Heisenberg's principle.

That is how I feel about my job search. There are times I feel that I know the direction I am heading, but I do not know where I am. Conversely, I also felt that I know where I wanted to be, but I was uncertain of the path I was following (hence, I did not know my velocity!). Yesterday, I heard from a few of the people I listed as a reference for the Red Cross job. The hiring manager was asking lots and lots of questions to see if what my resume says matches what my supervisors saw. I expected to hear from the Red Cross today and I felt that they were ready to offer me the position. However, while I was waiting for a call from the Red Cross, I heard from GE. I have an interview with a couple of the hiring managers on Friday at 9AM.

To further add a little more confusion to the mix, I received a cold call from a a recruiter from SOAR Careers. My resume has found its way to this company and in the span of about 30 minutes, I took three phone calls from two different recruiters who saw my resume and thought that I would be a great fit for a job in Oklahoma. I do not think that I am prepared to move to Oklahoma, but it is nice to be noticed.

Yes, uncertainty reigns. However, as the HR Maven keeps telling me: "Don't worry. It always works out in the end." I trust her guidance and I have to keep telling myself, I am not at the end. Updates to follow as conditions warrant.

And another thing...

Two of my former supervisors called me this afternoon and told me that a person from the Red Cross had contacted them today and asked for character and work ethic references for me. This is getting interesting...

More info from GE

I received an e-mail from Brian at GE this afternoon. He wants me to come in and meet him and interview for a couple of systems engineering and Here is an exerpt from his note to me:

We would like to know what day would work for you to come in and interview
with a couple of engineering groups? Areas of interest include your
project management skills and staff management skills.

I will keep the blog updated as this develops.

Call from GE

Late this morning I received a phone call from Brian at GE. I spoke for about 25 minutes with him and he is one of the directorate leads who works here in GR. I was able to tell Brian a bit about myself and my experience in system engineering and program management. The conversation went well and he told me that he was going to consult with one of his co-workers about me. I told Brian that I had applied for three positions with GE and he said to me, "The positions I have in mind for you are not advertised, yet." He said that he would get in touch with me soon to discuss these positions further.

Life continues to be interesting here in the Enchanted Mitten!

Uncertainty...

In the course of the next few days, I will hear back from two possible employers. I had my second interview with the Red Cross, and the Chief Executive Officer told me at the end of my interview that a hiring decision would be made sometime next week. I also have been pursing employment by GE. I applied for a couple of jobs and thanks to a few weird connections, I have been in contact with a person at GE who sent me the following e-mail yesterday:



Mr. XXX most familiar with the opportunities in our Directorate
- Computing Environments. He is out of town but is eager to talk to you. He is planning to contact you on Monday or Tuesday to discuss the details of what we have to offer.

GE is a leviathan, with approximately 320,000 employees and more than $172 billion in sales last year. I am willing to bet that GE's hiring process is glacial in its progress. The Grand Rapids chapter of the American Red Cross has 21 paid employees and approximately 750 volunteers. The Red Cross is a lot more agile in its hiring decision, as it has been less than two weeks since my first interview with the CEO, and they will make a hiring decision next week. I am confident that I could do the job for the Red Cross, but I want to keep my options open. Hopefully, I will hear from GE on Monday or Tuesday and have a sense of whether or not GE is interested in me.

MY SECOND INTERVIEW

On Wednesday morning I had my second interview for the position of Director of Readiness and Response with the GR chapter of the Red Cross. I was interviewed by the same people from my first interview, the Chief Executive Officer and the Volunteer and Employee Manager. The interview started at 1000 and morphed into lunch, as there were some local business people who came by to grab a sandwich and get a tour of the Red Cross facility. By the time lunch and the tour was over, it was close to 1PM, and the CEO wanted to ask me a few more questions. The interview was over at 1:30PM, so I immediately went home to wake up our dog, who was quietly sleeping in his kennel.

The Employee Manager told me before I left that they had received over 100 applicants for this position, but she also said, "We had people who were line cooks apply for this position. They were clearly not qualified to do this job!" From this pool of initial applicants, 8 semi-finalists were offered an interview and I found out yesterday that this field had been been pared down to 3. I was the first person to receive a second interview, and the CEO told me that the other two candidates would be interviewed before the end of the day Friday and that a hiring decision would be made sometime early next week. As most of you know, this was my first foray into interviewing for a job and I think that I was able to present myself pretty well. Of course, I had a lot of help and coaching from Deirdre, who interviews people for a living! She gave me outstanding assistance in helping me prepare for potential questions, as she literally had hundreds of questions that she has used in interviewing potential employees. Regardless of the outcome of this process, I learned a lot about myself and interviewing. It has truly been an enjoyable process!

Navy 1, Satellite 0

Good shooting! Full story here. Not only is the U.S. Navy the best navy in the world, we are the best Air Force, too!

SECOND RED CROSS INTERVIEW

Tomorrow I will have my second interview with the Red Cross. The field has been whittled down from the eight who made the first cut down to two or three people. I do not know the other people who were asked back, but I do know that I was asked back. My interview starts at 10AM and I will be interviewed by the same two people I met with last week.

However, as Mr. Gump's mother so prophetically said, "Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." David, the owner of the company who remodeled our bathrooms, did a project for a person who owns a company that does embedded design and production work. David forwarded my resume to the president of this other company, who does work for GE . Well, this person, whom I have never met, forwarded my resume to one of his contacts at GE and this person at GE wants to talk to me. Never a dull moment here in the Enchanted Mitten!

RED CROSS INTERVIEW

OK, I have been an absent blogger. Well, I have been busy. Yesterday, I had my first true interview with the Red Cross for the job of Director of Readiness and Response. I signed up for the first open slot (there were 8 finalists), as I wanted to be the benchmark by which all others would be judged. I think that the interview went well. I was interviewed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the chapter, as well as the Director of Volunteer Services and Human Resources. The CEO told me that they will be interviewing the other candidates through Friday and then she would pick 2 or 3 finalists to return for a second interview next week.

However, as Deirdre and I have learned, life is providential. This afternoon, my cell phone rang and on the other end of the call was a gentleman named Sean, who works for Alstom. Apparently, my resume (which was forwarded to a few HR people in that company), garnered some interest. Sean and I spoke for a while and he asked me if he could forward my resume on to a hiring manager for further consideration.

As Mr. Gump once said, "Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." Truer words were never spoken.

MY FIRST INTERVIEW

A few Sundays ago, there was an ad in the Grand Rapids Press that caught my eye. The GR chapter of the American Red Cross is looking for a person to be their Director of Readiness and Response. Here is a little about the job from the Red Cross website:

Responsibilities:

The Director of Readiness & Response, under the direction of the Chief Executive Officer, provides strategic leadership, direction and oversight to the development, coordination, and growth of the Service to the Armed Forces, International Services, Transportation Services, and Disaster Services and their volunteers.

Qualifications:

Applicants should have excellent communication and writing skills, computer skills including word processing and database management, excellent organizational skills, leadership and management experience with staff and volunteer teams, planning and budgeting. Experience in Emergency Management and/or Disaster Planning is a plus.

The other day I received a phone call from the employment director and she said to me, "We received almost a hundred resumes. The CEO and I reviewed them all and yours came up to the top. We would like to interview you for the job."

So, on Monday I will meet with the Red Cross and interview for this job. From this job description, whomever they hire is an ex-cop, ex-firefighter or former military. I think that I have a pretty good shot at getting this job. Updates to follow!

A new species: Canis Lupus Snowmoleius!

As some of you who follow this blog know, a few months ago Deirdre and I adopted a rescue dog named Samson. Samson, originally named Danson (a name neither of us liked) came into our lives in early November, Samson has been a "work in progress," as he was abandoned by his first family and was found wondering the streets of Grand Rapids last September. By happenstance, he found his way to the West Michigan Regional Lab on the grounds of Calvin College, and then he found his way into our home. The first few weeks with Samson were a challenge, as he was essentially feral. However, after a few weeks of intense training, Samson realized that we were his new pack.

Our beloved GSD angel, Allie, loved the snow. She frolicked and played whenever there was a dusting or more of snow on the ground. We sort of thought that Samson would be similar, and we were right. Samson LOVES the snow. However, Allie was a little more regal in her approach to snow. Allie enjoyed playing in our backyard when snow was on the ground, but when I took her out for a walk, she tended to stay on the snow cleared sidewalk. Samson is an entirely different animal. He loves to run alongside me in the snow. He also has this unusual habit of burying his snout completely into a snow bank, as if he is looking for a puppy treat. Thus, I think that Samson is not a member of the species Canis Lupus Familiaris, but rather he is a new species I have named Canis Lupus Snowmoleius. I will consult with a few local biologists before I publish my findings, but I thing that Samson is a new breed: A dog based snow mole.

Day 14: When it all comes together

Today was the day that the bathroom remodeling project was completed. Jim arrived at his customary time of 8:30AM and he immediately set to work. I helped him unload the new sink, as well as the glass shower door, from his truck. Jim carefully measured the opening on top of the new drawers and adroitly trimmed the countertop so it would fit into place. The since fit like a glove and Jim quickly attached the side boards, fixing them into place and then applying a bead of silicone and caulk along the top of the backsplash and side boards. He then attached the nobs and handles for the cabinet. His next task was to determine the best place to attach the hinges for the shower door.

The shower door is called a "Euro-Door," which means that it is designed to pivot both ways. Given how tight the opening is for the shower, Dee and I thought that this upgrade was worth the extra investment. Placement of the hinges is critical, as the door is carefully balanced to "rest" in the closed position, parallel to the axis of the hinge. Once again, Jim's persnickitiness showed through. He carefully determined where each hinge should go, drilled the necessary hole and started to install the hinges. However, he soon realized that two of the holes drilled would not support the weight of the door, as the holes did not go through a wood stud. Undeterred, he made a quick dash to a local hardware store to purchase longer fasteners. Within minute of his return, the new fasteners were married up with the hinges and the door was in place. These photos do not due justice to how great the new shower door looks in place. Jim left a little before 1PM, and at 2PM, Lance the plumber arrived. Lance quickly plumbed the sink fixtures and the toilet, and then he installed the shower head and handle. Lance was here for all of about 90 minutes and then the bathroom project was done.


I started documenting both remodeling projects back in December. I took literally hundreds of photographs, as I wanted to have a record of the transformation of these two old and tired bathrooms into the updated and modern spaces that they now are. Jim was the craftsman who did most of the "heavy lifting" for both bathrooms. His work was nothing short of fantastic on both projects.


A funny thing happened as I was taking all of these pictures. For the first few days, I never took a photo of Jim's face. There were lots of profile shots, but none showing his warm and relaxing smile. I suppose he was sort of like Wilson W. Wilson, Jr., from the TV show Home Improvement. As you might recall, throughout that TV show, Wilson's face was obscured whenever he was talking to Tim Allen. After a couple of days, I made it a point to not show Jim's face in any of my blog posts. Well, now that the project is done, I think that it is time to let the world see the face of Jim, the persnickity craftsman who did such great work on both bathrooms. I know that he is really looking forward to the tear out for our next project: the kitchen!

The sink is here! The sink is here!

Some of the frequent readers of semi-coherent ramblings of this blog know that the sink for our second bathroom was not properly made so a new one had to be ordered (the sinks are custom cast for the each bathroom). Well, I am happy to report that the sink arrived at HWC and later this morning our craftsman Jim will return to install the aforementioned sink, as well as the shower door. The plumber will be here around noon to plumb the sink, install the toilet and shower fixtures. Life agrees with us.

Mardi Gras 2008

Today is Mardi Gras, which is French for "Fat Tuesday." For Christians, this day mark the last day before Lent. Traditionally, Mardi Gras is a culmination of celebrations before the a period of fasting, prayer and reflection leading up to Good Friday and Easter. New Orleans has always been the center of Mardi Gras celebrations in the U.S., and as some of you know, I was stationed in "NOLA" from 2003-2005, and I was fortunate to be able to go to many Mardi Gras parades. Before I moved to Louisiana, I thought that there was just one parade on the day of Mardi Gras. I could not have been more misinformed. From the calendar day of the Feast of the Epiphany until Mardi Gras, there were were over 60 parades in the New Orleans metropolitan area.

In 2005, Deirdre and three of our friends (Mary, Margaret and Deb) came down for the weekend before Mardi Gras, which is when there are some major krewes "rolling" and we watched the parades from a balcony overlooking St. Charles Street. The five of us had a great time and we were able to see 6 parades over the course of the weekend and catch lots and lots of throws. Many people think that Mardi Gras is nothing but semi-naked men and women exposing various parts of their bodies for beads, doubloons and throws, but nothing could be further from the truth. Certainly, if you go prowling around Bourbon Street (see the photos to the right and left I took on Mardi Gras Day, 2005 on Bourbon Street) on the days approaching Mardi Gras, you will see a lot of drunk people, some of whom will expose themselves for beads. However, 99% of the stuff that goes on during these parades are family oriented. Families will traditionally set up lawn chairs for the adults, and ladders for the children, to watch the parade and catch beads. Dee, Margaret, Mary Deb and I had a great time during Mardi Gras 2005. Life comes at you fast. I find it hard to believe that it was three years ago when all of us were there gathered at our home in Metairie to take in the sights and sounds of Mardi Gras. Dee and I still have lots and lots of beads in bags in our basement, so if you ever need some beads to celebrate, stop on over and we will be happy to share some with you. Laissez les bontemps rouler!

P.S. Yep, we all had a great time at NOLAPP (The New Orleans Party Palace)!

A new experience for Samson

We made our first trip a veterinary emergency room last night. Samson is fine, but here is the story. Much like teething tots, young dog like to chew on things. Samson has a whole array of rubber and nylon bones to chew, but one of his favorite chew items are frozen beef bones. A few times a week, we will reward his good behavior with one of these tasty treats. We purchase the bones from our local D&W, where the butcher will saw a soup bone into one inch long chunks. We will then throw the bone pieces into the freezer, the marrow freezes and the bone becomes for all intents and purposes it becomes a bovine lollypop. Well, Samson had a habit of sticking his lower jaw and tongue into the bone and chewing on the bone so it encircles his mandible. Unfortunately, the bone he got last night was just a little too small and it became wedged on his jaw. He came to us for help, sitting by my feet while I was doing the dishes and looking up at me as if to say, "Can you please get this bone off of my lower jaw?" While he came to me for comfort, he would not allow me to manipulate the bone to get it off of his jaw. I gave him a few puppy treats in the hope that he would work to move the bone off himself, but it was to no avail. We decided that we needed professional help, so a little before 10PM we loaded Sammy into the Land Rover and took him to the Animal Emergency Hospital. Samson was doing OK, and he trotted into the clinic. A vet tech took him back to a treatment room, and a few minutes later a veterinarian came to us and asked us a few questions about his medical history. The plan of attack was to sedate him using a fast acting barbituate and remove the bone. About 15 minutes later, the aforementioned vet returned with the bone in a plastic bag. Her efforts were successful, and she said that in 15-20 minutes Samson would be able to go home. We settled our bill and just a few moments later, Samson came out into the waiting room. He was a little wobbly as the the anesthetic made him woozy. We walked him to the car, I picked him up and put him in our travel kennel. We were home by 11:30PM and Samson promptly put himself to bed. I am happy to report that when he woke this morning, he was back to his normal, goofy self

We learned a valuable lesson last night: No more bones so large that he can wrap his jaw around it!