Concerning Keep an eye open during interviews (part 1) Please take me off your email listings. I work in the Power Department.
[name withheld]
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Huh?
I did take this person off our mailing list. We never want anyone to get our emails that do not want them.
Jim
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Hi Jim,
About a month ago I stopped getting your weekly newsletter. Is there a site I can go to in order to get back on the list?
Thanks
Dave Hatfield
Kodak
Dayton, Ohio, USA
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Of course, Dave. In fact, I'll personally put you back on. One of the matters one needs to watch for is the vigorous IT Department that chooses what Spam is for you. In my opinion Spam is in the eye of the beholder (see letter above). Of course, once they take us off the approved list, you have to notice we are gone in order to take action. The proactive step you can take is make sure, now, today that we are on the approved list (if you want us). For our three publications, this means you accept email from the following addresses:
Nip Impressions: nipimpressons@emarket.bondware.com
PaperMoney: papermoney@emarket.bondware.com
Capital Arguments: jthompson@taii.com
So, if you work for a large company and just read this, I suggest you asked your IT Department to "whitelist" these addresses right now.
Thanks,
Jim
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Hi Jim -
As Joe said "You are a good one!". I find your articles extremely insightful and it is refreshing to see such candid expression of opinion.
Keep plugging away, and thank you for the free subscriptions! I might have to sign up for the "Private Letter" too. Your words are like fresh water to my thirsty mind.
Kind Regards,
Darin Jensen
Liberty Paper, Inc.
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Jim:
I hope this note finds you well. I have been reading your columns for some time now and find them interesting and insightful. Keep up the good work. I just noticed that you added a translator for certain languages. Being of Spanish speaking descent, I selected the Spanish translator and noticed that while you might get what you are trying to communicate, it follows English syntax which is opposite to Spanish. Also, it does not take into account gender. Furthermore, some English words translated into Spanish might not mean the same (dive, as in jump right in was translated as “scuba diving”). Maybe you should add a side note that explains while not perfect; it enables you to read your column in your native language. Please do not take this as criticism but an observation.
Cheers,
Ricky Marrero
Viking Fibres, Inc.
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Thanks for the comments. Being a dumb American and speaking only one language fluently (I find it embarassing that we have such poor language skills here), I was wondering how this was working. We'll keep it up, for we want to show respect and be as helpful as we can to all of our readers around the world. If any of you know of any better automatic translation programs, we would sincerely appreciate hearing from you.
Thanks again,
Jim
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Just read your commentary on interviewing. I was in the interviewing market back in 1983, looking for work in the paper industry as a Pulp Mill supt or Production manager position.
I interviewed with a company and thought to myself that this was the dirtiest mill I have ever visited. It was old, dating back to 1941, but had some modern equipment mixed in. Had it not been for the renovations that happened in the early 80's no doubt this mill would have been gone by now.
As I was shown around the mill, in my best suit no less, I was led through the basement, (ground floor) of the pulping area in spilled pulp, (freshly and old) about ankle deep, though lime spills crusted over from recent rains and other filthy area that made me nausaus (sp) to say the least. But the people that were showing me around and who had met me early on, were happy and appreciative that I followed them and saw the areas they managed.
Needless to say, the mill manager's office was on the 4th floor of a 4 story building looking out through windows toward the mill. He could see most of the mill from his office, which was large, but delapidated.
I was offered the job and accepted. Overheard the production manager telling the mill manager that it would probably take at least a year for me to know enough about the mill to be productive. I proved him wrong, by starting a clean-up campaign in the pulping area which included the recovery boilers, evaporators, kiln and recausticizing and woodyard in addition to the pulping, both batch and continuous, and a 5 stage bleach plant. I purchased cleaning supplies that were not in the storeroom and encouraged the operators to clean their control panels, control rooms and work area. We started a spill improvement project around the old jitter bug screening area to prevent spills, and so on.
I was brought in in October and went to work preparing a budget listing for the next year, which surprised the production manager and mill manager, many of the projects were implemented within two years.
Also did some studies on improving production through put at the area all while working out of a 8 X 10 dusty office located in the middle of the mill with one secretary and 3 area assistants. These assistants had never had a person like me in this position but were very resposive to suggestions and ideas. No one before seemed to care was the usual response.
Appearances can make an impact and I believe that other candidates turned the job down based on what they saw first, a very dirty, unkept mill.
Tommy Surles
Panama City, Florida, USA
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Tommy, I am glad this worked out for you. No doubt your own skill set had a lot to do with it. Now, twenty-five years later, budgets to do the kinds of things you did are often not available and upper management, unfortunately, is sometimes not supportive and sometimes just plain clueless.
Jim
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