Now that I my 100th post has been published by Tony Green

100 posts to this blog and going strong!

I have written this blog on a part-time basis for over four years. When I checked the amount of views via Google Analytics five posts seem to resonate more than the others as measured by the number of views and comments received.  

I thought it might be interesting as this is my 100^th posting to provide bit of insight into the reason why I created the posts which wound up generating the most interest.

1. Professional Certified Marketer (PCM)

I drafted the first of these posts upon passing my PCM exam in January of 2007. After attending some marketing events it appeared some were not as impressed with the certification as I believed they would be. The reason was obvious when I examined the question thoroughly. Marketers are created by either completing some formal education in marketing with on-hand experience or bring placed in a marketing function and learning through trial and error. Would was I to think with only a certification I could call myself a marketer?

2. Sell this pen               

Upon my initial sales interviews the interviewer asked me to sell the pen which he gave me.  I did not know at the time this was a common sales question. Once I had the writing implement in my hand I took the bait by talking before I thought about what I would say and rambled about how pleasing it appeared to the eye, how well it wrote, etc. I failed to ask the probing questions to determine why the need for the pen existed. Who knows the prospect might have needed a mechanical pencil or maybe the best solution may not involve using a pen. Naturally, I did not get the call for another interview. After picking up some books on sales interviews I got a better sense for what the interviewer wanted to hear. Never mind the job I did not get concept of asking probing questioning would be a lesson learned which would be very helpful going forward. 

3. The path from Ex-Navy Nuke to an engineer

The creation of this posting resulted from the fact most Navy Nukes do their stint and attend college afterwards on the Montgomery GI Bill. Naturally, many go on to earn engineering degrees. In my case, I did the opposite (why I enlisted and did not pick up an officer program is another story) and became a nuke after completing my undergraduate engineering degree. There were commonalities I thought my insight be useful to those going through the nuclear pipeline afterward.  

4. Gallup Sales Personality Test

I wrote this post after I took this test as the first part of sales interview process nearly five years ago. I failed to impress them enough to be granted another interview, which would have enabled me to speak to a live body over the phone or meet someone face-to-face because my answers were not specific enough.  This was for a sales position and in many instances selling is about relationships, which made this test even less logical as a tool for measuring the effectiveness of sales people.  To protect the guilty I will not name the company.  I will say they are in the medical equipment profession and were growing at 40% a year before the recession.

5. Looking at a green career: I should be fine right?

I wanted leverage my background into an alternative energy position for a long time. After trying to network with those in the industries and framing my past experience I felt I had met the prerequisites to be hired. This posting was my reaching out to get the feedback of the blogosphere if I had truly done the right thing. As this point no one has told me I had lost my mind, at least not yet.

I will continue to jot down my thoughts in my spare time for the entire world to see.  I believe any idiot can publish on the Internet and why should be no different. I wonder what postings will create a buzz from those who will stumble across them to read them. Perhaps we will visit this topic after my 200th blog. Until then greetings to the blogosphere and thank you for taking the time out to read this, what is a blog without readers?