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Bernhard Barker

 Discussion on question by S. Dre: I f…

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Bernhard Barker
Jun 10, 2022 02:48
@S.Dre Significantly changing the focus of the question after it's received this much attention isn't generally the best idea. It would invalidate a number of the answers. If it's a distinct question that hasn't already been addressed as part of this, asking a new question would be a better idea. There may be an on-topic question somewhere in there, but I'm not sure what that would be. That said, there's plenty of disagreement about what belongs here and what doesn't, and this question was well-received enough that it likely won't remain closed for very long if it ends up closed.
Bernhard Barker
Jun 10, 2022 02:48
I'm voting to close this question because being less flexible (in terms of where you work, or with regard to anything else) is always technically a drawback and shrinks your job pool, but it may be an acceptable drawback for you. Predicting how much of a drawback it would be in the specific field and location that you work, and predicting how this would change over the next few months and years, would be really hard to do. We also can't really tell you how easily you'd be able to adapt to remote work, or whether a coworking space would be an acceptable solution for you.
 

 Discussion on question by Pelgriminal…

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Bernhard Barker
Jan 3, 2022 12:06
As a side note, software developers are in quite high demand in many places in the world (probably including Canada, although perhaps not so much in smaller cities or towns). At entry level it may be a bit more difficult, but you still probably shouldn't have too much difficulty getting interviews for jobs vaguely matching what you studied and requiring, say, 2-3 years experience or less (and passing interviews involves knowing the company, knowing how to answer interview questions and usually knowing algorithms as well).
Bernhard Barker
Jan 3, 2022 12:06
I'm voting to close this question because finding motivation and setting goals seems more about psychology than the workplace. Although I think there is potentially a good question or two that can spin off from this one, like "How much time should I spend per job application?" or even "How can I best approach a job search?" (which is quite broad, but might be okay). Also, for searching vs applying, spending a minute or two reading the job spec should give you a reasonable idea whether you'd be a decent fit - from there you can read it in more detail to confirm this and start the application.
Bernhard Barker
Jan 3, 2022 12:06
The best goals are ones that work best for you personally. Some people may be able to apply for 30+ jobs a day, others may have a hard time apply for 1 a day (although if you're applying for 30 a day while you have another job or while you're studying, then you're probably barely even reading the job description, which may make sense if you're desperate). See how many you're comfortable applying to a day, then set a goal based on that.
 

 Discussion on question by Iván Sánche…

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Bernhard Barker
Oct 29, 2021 12:36
It's quite frustrating that so many people act as if closure is always intended as a death sentence and editing a question isn't even an option.
Bernhard Barker
Oct 29, 2021 12:29
@MichaelMcFarlane If the question would simply be a duplicate of a generic "my job is not what I thought it would/should be", then the question should be edited extensively, because it currently heavily focuses on the data science aspect (which should possibly be removed entirely). Probably the main reason we can even close questions is to allow them to be edited to be on topic. Simply leaving it open because there's an on-topic question in there somewhere is not how Stack Exchange works.
Bernhard Barker
Oct 27, 2021 15:25
I’m voting to close this question because it appears to be a role-specific question, not a general workplace question (none of the existing answers address the role-specific aspect, so it could probably just be edited to make it on topic).
 

 Discussion on question by Rahul: How …

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Bernhard Barker
Sep 29, 2021 22:00
@user3067860 (Personal) "entertainment" may not directly be reimbursable, but they may still provide a daily allowance that accounts for that. You can't expect an employee to just sit in their hotel room staring at a wall for the how-many-ever hours of free time they have, you can expect entertainment to generally be quite a bit more expensive than entertainment where they live and, if they're not spending excessively, it doesn't seem particularly reasonable to expect employees to cover this difference (because that would make being sent on a business trip both a financial and a time burden)
Bernhard Barker
Sep 29, 2021 22:00
"Some kind of daily allowance [or budget]" is pretty much how companies handle miscellaneous expenses on business trips (outside of "direct" business expenses like paying for dinner with a client). Although there are different ways this can work and the first step would be finding out what they'll already provide to you.
 

 Discussion on question by el-cheapo: …

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Bernhard Barker
Sep 28, 2021 23:37
I’m voting to close this question because this is really more a question of why application performance tracking is a good idea (which seems a bit too technical for this site). I suppose there's also the more general (and quite broad) issue of how to have a constructive disagreement with someone, and what to do if that doesn't work. They presented reasons why they think it's unnecessary, and you need to rebut those. "You don't trust us" is tangential to the actual problem.
 

 Discussion on question by Popiko123: …

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Bernhard Barker
Sep 22, 2021 16:35
If you want to semi-anonymously brighten people's days, have you considered online forums? On Reddit, for example, there are at least one or two subreddits dedicated to words of encouragement, and comments with such words are generally also welcome on most other subreddits. There is also at least one subreddit (and probably plenty of other places) to find penpals.
Bernhard Barker
Sep 22, 2021 16:35
@Popiko123 If there's an uncomfortable silence after you give a complement, that might be a problem with what you say, when and to whom you say it, how you say it and what you say afterwards (or the silence might not actually be as long as it appears, but rather it could just be some level of anxiety over whether they appreciate the complement). It might make sense to discuss or practice that with a close friend or therapist.
 

 Discussion on question by hovenor: Co…

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Bernhard Barker
Sep 20, 2021 00:28
@paulj If you have an answer, I would suggest posting it as an answer instead of a comment. Although I can't imagine what asking your coworker why they're not able to complete tasks during assigned working hours would accomplish, other than to potentially create animosity (this may make more sense to do if you're their manager).
 

 Discussion on answer by anotherdave: …

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Bernhard Barker
Jul 30, 2021 18:15
@nick012000 Either way, that has little to do with how interviews are typically conducted. Interview assignments rarely need to be prioritised (in the sense of doing some tasks and not doing others), they usually need to be completed in full. When candidates do need to prioritise (like if there's a hard deadline they can't meet), it's usually left up to their discretion how they do so (but being unable to finish usually means they won't be invited to the next stage).
Bernhard Barker
Jul 30, 2021 18:15
@nick012000 If you think demonstrating that you know prioritization exists (by asking how to prioritize, which doesn't actually demonstrating the ability to prioritize yourself in any way, or by prioritizing yourself) will be more important to the potential employer than actually being able to understand and follow clear instructions, finish a task and demonstrate work ethic, I suppose that's fair enough. It's not going to be the case for the vast majority of employers, but maybe you're looking for that one rare employer who would be on the same page as you on that.
Bernhard Barker
Jul 30, 2021 18:15
@ChrisH If I say "complete this task" and you ask "should I only complete a portion of this task", I would very much question your ability to understand and follow instructions. If you say "it will actually take a lot longer than the rough estimate you gave, do you still want me to complete it, or just get as far as I can", that might be a different story. Although I still wouldn't expect them to give an answer other than "complete the task", if that's what they said initially, or to tell you to only spend "about 2 hours" on it, and then very likely heavily mark you down for not finishing it.
Bernhard Barker
Jul 30, 2021 18:15
@Nelson I'm not making any judgement about whether it is reasonable to give a candidate such a task, or what that might say about the company, but rather that this email, as it's written, seems likely to decrease the candidate's chances of getting the job. Your argument also seems to imply that the person reading this wouldn't actually want the job, but should we really be making that decision for them without their knowledge or consent by recommending a response that very likely doesn't align with their goal in interacting with the company in the first place?
Bernhard Barker
Jul 30, 2021 18:15
@ChrisH Nothing in this email implies it will require "a full day of work". It's quite plausible that any candidate with the appropriate knowledge and skill for the job will be able to finish it in "about 2 hours" (we only have one person's opinion that it will take significantly longer, and another person's opinion, in the potential employer, that it won't). This email doesn't simply ask how to proceed, but rather stronger suggests that the candidate would not be willing to spend more than 2 hours on it (and likely only because the company originally said that's how long it would take).
Bernhard Barker
Jul 30, 2021 18:15
If any candidate sends me an email like this, that would be a pretty significant mark against their ability to understand and follow clear instructions. They said about 2 hours, and this response seems to be treating it as a hard deadline. It disregards the fact that the candidate was presumably asked to complete the task, not to get as far as they can in 2 hours. It also implies that the candidate is unwilling to spend even a minute more than 2 hours on the task, which doesn't send the best message about their work ethic.
 

 Discussion on question by wsdookadr: …

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Bernhard Barker
Jul 21, 2021 12:21
Is it normal for people to sometimes forget their wallet at home or is it normal that they would ask a coworker to help them out instead of presumably just not eating lunch?
 

 Discussion on question by user216856:…

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Bernhard Barker
Jul 16, 2021 19:28
"He accuses me of not being a team player and working in silos" - this shouldn't be the end of the conversation. You should ask him why he thinks that or what he means so you can actually challenge that view (and so you can better justify your own view). Accusing others is not expressing disagreement well, but still: someone expressing a differing opinion isn't you running into a wall. It only becomes a problem if they refuse to listen, and this is to your detriment.
 

 Discussion on question by lara400: As…

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Bernhard Barker
Jul 16, 2021 04:43
"if anyone has problems just advise him and HR (this is not school, I don't need to advise anyone if I am honest and not sure what anyone can do anyway)" - employees who don't treat others with decency and respect (or who do other objectionable things) can be reprimanded and/or fired. If anything, one typically has a much greater ability to do something about bad behaviour of fellow employees than the ability one would have to do something about bad behaviour of fellow students.
 

 Discussion on question by Gray Sheep:…

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Bernhard Barker
Jun 26, 2021 03:17
Asking how to reduce overrunning or unnecessary meetings is probably a better fit for this site than asking us to evaluate a particular solution you have in mind to achieve the same. The former should give a fair comparison of the best possible solutions to the problem (and you can even mention your proposed solution there if you want to make sure it's included in the comparison), while with the latter the answers may focus more on why your solution is or isn't reasonable instead of motivating or explaining better solutions. Related: the XY problem.
 

 Discussion on answer by nick012000: A…

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Bernhard Barker
Jun 2, 2021 17:27
@nick012000 If they decide they strongly desire/need to shift to remote work or get rid of their long commute and their employer is unwilling or unable to provide this, then that's not "finding a slightly better company", it's having their current employer not meet their standards/requirements/needs. Neither of us can really know how important remote work is to OP, although they do seem to be willing to quit over it (so it's presumably fairly important). The "finding a slightly better company" thing usually applies to people who move around for 10% raises.
Bernhard Barker
Jun 2, 2021 17:27
Many companies have no issue with getting rid of employees that don't meeting their standards at any point. Employees should have the equivalent right, i.e. leaving companies that don't meet their standards. The employer-employee relationship isn't one-sided. Ethics probably come into play more if we talk about leaving a company because you found a slightly better one, especially since companies don't really do the equivalent, i.e. replacing employees with better ones they found.
 

 Discussion on question by Chris: Conv…

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Bernhard Barker
May 7, 2021 13:35
Related: How can I debate technical ideas without being perceived as arrogant by my coworkers? (The top-voted answer focuses heavily on the asker's situation, but there are a lot of other answers that more generally address how to best approach disagreeing with others.)
 

 Discussion on answer by Old_Lamplight…

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Bernhard Barker
May 2, 2021 15:58
No worries.
Bernhard Barker
May 2, 2021 14:59
Why do you seem to be taking the fact that I'm saying anything at all as a sign that I'm digging in my heels at a point I made before, even though what I'm saying is completely unrelated to that?
Bernhard Barker
May 2, 2021 14:56
@Old_Lamplighter You mean my opinion from a few dozen comments ago, that I haven't brought up since? You know your very first reply to me was a perfectly fine response, except for the part where you said I mistake examples for emphasis (which I still don't understand), but instead of just letting that lie, you just keep digging at something I'm not even arguing about. Why are you so obsessed with proving some random person on the internet wrong?
Bernhard Barker
May 2, 2021 14:44
@Old_Lamplighter Oh, it's a blatant insult then? My apologies. Carry on.
Bernhard Barker
May 2, 2021 14:42
@Old_Lamplighter Again you resort to your subtle insults.
Bernhard Barker
May 2, 2021 14:39
@Old_Lamplighter How can I "prove" a lifetime of anecdotes? Why are you asking me for a greater burden of proof than what you provided? You, let me remind you, being one who posted the answer.
Bernhard Barker
May 2, 2021 14:30
You've proven time and time again that you simply seek to prove me wrong and have no interest in actually engaging in a discussion, so I'll give you your wish and stop trying to have a discussion and just leave you believing you're right.
Bernhard Barker
May 2, 2021 14:25
@Old_Lamplighter To quote myself: "Your hypothetical is flawed because it ignores how many candidates are eliminated for lacking technical skills or other good reasons, and creates the entire-unsupported impression that most candidates aren't eliminated for such reasons"
Bernhard Barker
May 2, 2021 14:23
So, roughly speaking, you replied to my first comment 14 times while largely ignoring everything I've said since then.
Bernhard Barker
May 2, 2021 14:22
@Old_Lamplighter And you do realise I only originally replied to you to address me apparently mistakenly reading emphasis where none exists, yet you've spent the last 14 comments further emphasising just how important it is, with me saying it's not important exactly 0 times after my first comment.
Bernhard Barker
May 2, 2021 14:15
I'm sure you can find plenty of people online to explain to you why one shouldn't answer a loaded question, especially not when it's presented in a way that seeks to undermine one's own point.
Bernhard Barker
May 2, 2021 14:13
@Old_Lamplighter "save face"? So still trying to prove me wrong instead of actually having a discussion, then. I'll go back to what I said in my original comment: in your experience, perhaps. Not in my experience.
Bernhard Barker
May 2, 2021 14:07
@Old_Lamplighter Why are you asking me a hypothetical that takes as an assumption the very core of the only point I tried to make? That's almost certainly a logical fallacy that exists only to invalidate someone else's argument. Surely if you assume my point, then we're done here?
Bernhard Barker
May 2, 2021 13:54
@Old_Lamplighter "Perhaps I misread the condescension ... and the general tone" - you did.
Bernhard Barker
May 2, 2021 13:53
@Old_Lamplighter Your hypothetical is flawed because it ignores how many candidates are eliminated for lacking technical skills or other good reasons, and creates the entire-unsupported impression that most candidates aren't eliminated for such reasons.
Bernhard Barker
May 2, 2021 13:47
@Old_Lamplighter And I'm sure insulting others reflect a lot better on you than trying to calmly and reasonably point out where they're going wrong.
Bernhard Barker
May 2, 2021 13:42
@Old_Lamplighter You seem to have a problem of vaguely pointing out that other people have problems. While it's not in any way helpful, I'll give you that it's probably a lot easier than actually engaging in a discussion and giving a well-reasoned counter-argument.
Bernhard Barker
May 2, 2021 13:35
@Old_Lamplighter I'm not mistaking anything for anything else. It makes up most of your answer. I can't see a reasonable interpretation of your answer that leads anywhere other than "you were most likely rejected for something you can do nothing about, and it was probably a petty reason too". In fact, you seem to think it's so important that even in a reply to someone pointing out the unjustified emphasis you further emphasise how important it is (while trying to say you're not emphasising it?).
Bernhard Barker
May 1, 2021 17:07
The amount of focus this answer puts on petty and unreasonable rejection reasons seems a bit misleading given that, while those certainly do happen, most of the time candidates will be rejected for much more reasonable reasons like a lack of technical skills or knowledge, poor interpersonal skills or a lack of motivation. Or maybe you just have experiences mostly dealing with particularly petty people. Although energy can be a reasonable rejection reason, assuming they want a fun workplace. The "leapfrog" reason also seems like a reasonable concern.
 

 Discussion on question by Pelgriminal…

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Bernhard Barker
Apr 30, 2021 10:56
I'm voting to close this question because it seems a bit too broad for this site, although it is a good question to be contemplating. The way to find out what you'll be doing will probably largely depend on the role, the answers you get during the interview (and thus what follow-up questions you might ask) and what exactly you want to know.
 

 Discussion on answer by Kilisi: How t…

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Bernhard Barker
Apr 29, 2021 21:34
@Old_Lamplighter In your opinion, given your circumstances, and the specific job you had, fair enough. But I don't think it's fair to suggest everyone else should make the same decision when we know basically nothing about them, their circumstances, or the job (other than this one interview tactic that we seem to be assuming is basically the worst thing a company can ever do and nothing can possibly salvage that).
Bernhard Barker
Apr 29, 2021 20:51
@Old_Lamplighter It's an exaggeration to demonstrate the point that everyone's situation is different and blindly giving the "don't take the job" advice is not helpful to many people who actually need help. It seems that either this answer is assuming the company is such an abysmal place to work that even homelessness is better than working there, and this is pretty much an objective truth that we can say is true knowing only this one interview strategy, or it's assuming the person reading it will have better job options. Neither assumption seems justified.
Bernhard Barker
Apr 29, 2021 20:51
Would you give the same advice to someone who is, say, unemployed, been looking for work for months/years, who's on the verge of homelessness and starvation with a family to support and would be willing to take pretty much any job? This seems to be directed at a very specific demographic without considering who else might be reading it.