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Martin's Stories
Plant Tours, GM, and Levers
Over the years I have toured a number of manufacturing facilities and have gleaned a little bit of knowledge and experience from each tour. The current manufacturing favorites are 'LEAN' and the ERP 'Visual Manufacturing'.
In the late 80's GM coined or borrowed the term 'Synchronous Manufacturing'. At that time I toured a brand spanking new, JIT, Tier One facility that manufactured a complete automotive assembly that was shipped to the AMC (now Chrysler) facility in Brampton and GM Oshawa. The Plant Manager gave me a very detailed tour. The processes included; leading edge robotic welding, bar coded parts and automated assembly. The completed assemblies were packaged and carried by robot carriers and placed into waiting trucks. The trucks arrived JIT at AMC and GM to unload their cargoes so that the assemblies would be matched to specific cars that were travelling down the AMC assembly line.
The plant tour ended at the quality inspection station. I believe the quality program was the GM 'Targets of Excellence.' The overhead conveyor paused in front of this very tall, large woman. She visually and manually inspected each assembly which included a lever. The assembly's lever wouldn't budge. The Plant Manager looked at me smiled and said, "Martin, we have invested millions in this facility and have the latest technology however all is dependent on a Canadian Tire product" The Quality department lady picked up a large rubber mallet and hammered the lever with force. She put the hammer down and pulled on the lever which now moved easily.
In the 1390's a rhyme was coined that starts and ends "For want of a nail…….a kingdom was lost"
GM is now advertising that they are 'Reinventing Themselves' and will be 'The new GM'. I wonder where that mallet is.
Martin Harlick
President Applicants Inc.
Preparation and more Preparation
Today’s job market is fiercely competitive as companies have a wider selection of candidates to interview. It is up to you to prepare for each and every interview. I am continually surprised by candidates that do not do the required due diligence prior to the interview. I have listed below some common sense reminders of what to do before and during the interview.
Check out directions to where you are going and if time permits drive to the interview site prior to the interview
Investigate the company on the web including news articles, web sites and competitors
Review the job description or job advertisement
Write down the names of the individual (s) who will be interviewing you
Prepare some questions. The interviewer usually asks at the end of the interview, “Do you have any questions?” A poor answer would be “No you have explained everything” or the interviewer is met by silence. A positive answer could be “What are the short term expectations for the person in this role?”
Or “Will the company be implementing equipment, systems or software that could impact this position?”
Rehearse the answers that you have prepared on why you left your recent position or why are you looking
List your strengths and weaknesses and please be realistic. A weakness that might be perceived as a strength….’I tend to take on too much work’ or ‘I like to do it right’
Spring, Freda and the News
We finally got a taste of spring this week (Feb. 10th - 11th) the temperature soared a few degrees above freezing and the snow banks at the end of the driveway are no longer colossal pillars. A little warm sun goes a long way.
I'm trying my darndest not to read or listen to all the negative news. It's like a cold, dark, long winter pockmarked with bailouts and stimulus things. All we need is a little ray of sunshine in the news and people will start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
'It's amazing that the amount of news that happens in the world every day just exactly fits in the newspaper'. Jerry Seinfeld
We have a friend and her name is Freda and this Saturday (Feb 14th) she is celebrating her 80th and she is blind. I'm a wee bit of a church goer, Freda… well she has a prayer line, goes to church regularly, and doesn't drink. Her standard is well beyond my poor example. When we're together she gently teases me about what my life is missing. She is irritatingly pleasant, happy and a ray of sunshine; in her company she always makes you feel at home.
I wonder what the economic news would be like if Freda were composing and reading it. She's a realist and would tell it like it is however; it would be mixed with more hope, laughter, common sense and the warmth of soon to be spring.
Freda's news would most probably start like this. Freda's news would most probably start like this. "Hi everyone, it's so nice to be talking to you. Touching my apartment window the sun felt warmer on my face. It seemed a little brighter. Yes sirree I think spring is on its way. And now for the news."…….
Job Searching
So here are 12 days of New Year job searching Martin Thoughts/Tips/Opinions
1. Clean up your resume and have it retooled by a professional
2. Ask a colleague to interview you and find out how bad you are
3. Get a haircut, clean your shoes and suit
4. Interviews are like pearls so prepare, prepare and prepare and rehearse, rehearse and rehearse
5. You have a network so start talking to it or find it
6. Go find a part time or contract position ASAP while you’re job searching
7. Go to the library, get on the internet to learn and talk to colleagues about job searching
8. Keep notes and document your search
9. Attitude is 99%
10. Project a positive, polite aura when dealing with prospective employers and recruiters
11. Recruiters don’t find you jobs
12. Happy New Year
2 Fingers, 2 Kids and an Xbox
I hope you had an enjoyable summer. There has been some change with our small family. Our son has been working as an RN this past year and a half and now our daughter also an RN has started employment this September on the Psychiatric floor. You know the inside joke, 'living with us prepared her for this choice'. I wish them and your children well as they embark on their careers.
When I started (many moons ago) as a career recruiter everything snail mail was in vogue. I remember our first fax machine and Bob S, setting up our first on line computer. I still type with 2 fingers, put real 1st class stamps on all the Applidex envelopes, care about doing the right things for my clients, and hope the Toronto Maple Leafs will contend.
Both kids now have Blue Ray Xboxes and that's pretty cool technology.
It's tough keeping up with new technology. I try to stay current, in the loop, modern, with it, and hip. I silently lust for an IPod, IPhone or Blackberry but I'm not sure I need one. My cell phone keeps receiving marketing text alerts and I ask why. I try and check out all the things my phone does and when I experiment it costs me at the end of the month with surprise extra add ons to my bill.
I am a technological newbie who enjoys playing with the gadgets. Much to the chagrin of commuters and baseball fans I enjoyed snapping pictures this summer with my camera phone of Emily and me on the subway and at the ball games.
When I visit my son I'm going to ask him how the Xbox controller works. I have two very strong typing fingers; it's the thumbs I worry about. Cheers to snail mail to email, Pong to Halo 2, and Atari me and to my 2 kids who grew up in the technological revolution.
Martin Harlick
President
Applicants Inc.
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Canada is like your attic, you forget it's up there,
but when you go, its like "Oh man, look at all this great stuff."
Unknown
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