Sharing what I know

I am not a theoretical physicist, but I do love to daydream so this is what popped into my head one hazy night.

Axioms:

• There are 3 states of being, 0 1 and (0 and 1). 0 being nothingness, and 1 being the state of being, and (0,1) both at the same time.
• In order for nothing to be defined, and therefore exist, there has to be a state of being, so we can not talk about 0 without there being a 1.

Theory:

If there cannot be nothing without there being something, then it makes sense that reality spontaneously came into being with a chain reaction of nothing, triggering something into being and in return more nothing to balance out the equation. For the case of (0 and 1), I call those divergence breaking points in reality where it can go either way but it is much more efficient (less energy) to keep doing what was done before. So if in the links of the reality chain, before (0 and 1) there was a 0, then there is a greater chance of (0 and 1) acting like a 0. It can still act as a 1, but that would be a divergence point where a new chain of reality is born.

I put together this list when I was thinking of buying a new/used/lease car. I hope it helps!

• Know the invoice and MSRP price
• Ask for the price through their internet site first
• Find  rebates
• Research your cars, list the dealers and prices for each car. Print them out. Make sure salesmen knows you have that list.
• Go towards the end of the month, midweek early morning.
• Do not buy on the first visit.
• Make an offer on the car and put a deadline on the offer. "I will buy it for x$ but my offer is valid until I walk out of this place."
• Before finalizing the deal, get up, walk away and call your spouse/talk to whoever is with you and come back asking for more discounts.
• Have a print out list. That is not the only car you can buy. That is not the last car on Earth.
• Ask for the final price, everything included (tax + paper work + Delivery charges, titling fees, and other closing costs)

Also, consider buying this book: "Don't get taken every time"

In case any international STEM students in USA are considering to apply to LinkedIn and will also need to apply for the 17-month STEM extension before getting an H1B, don't. Even though LinkedIn shows up as e-verified on USCIS database, I have been told by a university recruiter that they are not. Either apply while you have time in your OPT and get an H1B or ask for an H1B directly.

I love the Parse platform, used it in my previous project so I wanted to apply for their open "Software Engineer (Platform)" position. They give 2 options: You can send in your resume+cover letter via email OR... send a POST with relevant info to https://www.parse.com/jobs/apply

OK, first of all second option is more fun, and I will learn some new things. But the problem is, how do I make my job application unique? Why not make an android app to send the job app via the job app API, a la app-ception :) Eureka!

Here is the plan:

1. Pull profile from LinkedIn
2. Form a JSON just the way Parse wants it using that profile
3. POST json to URL

HOW

Go to developer.linkedin.com, sign in with your LinkedIn account and create an app. Under "OAuth User Agreement", find "Default Scope" and check "r_basicprofile, r_fullprofile, r_emailaddress, r_contactinfo". Once created, note down the OAuth Keys. You will need them.

LinkedIn uses OAuth, so you will need https://github.com/fernandezpablo85/scribe-java. Read the instructions, download all the required libraries. There is also linkedin-j, but I preferred Scribe.

Create your android application, I use Eclipse, and import the libraries. Now you got all you need to start.

You can find my code for the app @ https://github.com/madmed/ParseJobApplication_App

If you need any help, let me know and I will do my best to explain. In the mean time, enjoy!

A few days ago I heard that Google Recruiters' were holding a google+ hangout on May 13th at 1300 CST and I thought this was a good opportunity to see how my resume would hold up against their advice. It finished a little while ago, and I strongly recommend watching it (Tech Resume prep), if you are thinking about applying to any Google position. Until then, here are the highlights:

• Show your "Googliness". Google's motto is "don't be evil" so show that in your own way, show that you contributed to open source projects, show your passions outside of your work, show your projects outside of your "obligatory" work projects, show your contributions to your community, show that you have a knack to solve the "impossible". Write something so that when they ask themselves: "Would I want to work with this guy?" the answer is  yes.
• When you are deciding on which position you are going to apply for, think carefully. Remember the volume of applications they receive; apply to the position most relevant to your interests and skills so that process goes smoother. Otherwise, even if you are picked, it might take some additional time until they route you to the correct recruiter.
• Resume
• Don't need objectives at the top.
• Start with your education, list classes relevant to the position.
• Put most recent and relevant work experience to the top. If you have a long list of experiences, try to shorten it to the most recent, unless you have been working in the same field for the last ~20 years.
• Try to keep it at most 2 pages, but if you have a long list of patents, publications, etc. put them on the third page and on.
• First page should be the most recent experience.
• Remember that recruiters don't necessarily have a degree in CS so don't explain things too technically.
• Explain what you did not what your company does.
• When you are explaining, it is better to "show" not "tell", so use real life examples such as projects in your explanations.
• ABSOLUTELY NO SPELLING/GRAMMAR MISTAKES.
• Throughout the process, everyone you are going to deal with will have your resume. That is  your first point of contact. Make sure you know it very well. 
• Cover letter didn't sound like a must but useful in situations such as explaining a long gap in your resume.
• You can connect to Google Recruiters through Google+, Linkedin, Google events. Also, there seems to be a "Happy Hour"(?) this friday. It won't "give you a leg up" but help you connect with them.
• TopCoder was suggested for interview prep. Make sure you know the basics very well.

These were my notes. I hope it helps. I apologize in advance if there are any mistakes. If you attended, and want to add anything to this list, let me know and I will add them here with a reference to you.