The 1:1

Mathew Zannoni–a software engineer–joins us for this episode of The 1:1 Podcast.

We talk about the job market, stigma around being a 1099 worker, mentoring, and code quality for small development teams. We also reminisce about the good old days of Front Page and Dreamweaver. 

00:00 - Intro

00:43 - Applying for jobs

02:14 - Take home assignments

04:57 - Code tests

06:07 - Challenges of time commitment required to interview

08:31 - Leveraging LinkedIn

09:31 - Evolving expectations around contract work

10:26 - Is it easier or harder to apply for jobs after being laid off?

13:03 - War stories 

13:53 - Mentorship

18:29 - Removing ego from development

19:31 - Going back to being an IC after being a manager

26:25 - Flipping the interview script

28:36 - Code quality for small dev teams

36:02 - How do you learn something new?

41:53 - Advancements in tooling

48:53 - Final thoughts

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Toby Kraft–an Engineering Manager for a marketing automation company–joins us for this episode of The 1:1 Podcast.

We talk approaching 1:1s, goal setting, and career growth. We also answer a question we get asked a lot: why is this podcast called The 1:1 when there are two of you?

00:00 - Intro

02:39 - Yes person vs. complainer

05:59 - Approaching a 1:1 with someone who complains a lot

08:45 - Approaching career growth with someone when you can't engage them on an issue that's important to them

12:17 - When a manager is not invested in your success

13:41 - Why is this show called The 1:1 when there are two of you?

15:12 - When someone is disengaged from goal setting

20:51 - Useful goals vs company-mandated goals

26:13 - Companies following their values

30:44 - Managing through big company changes

40:01 - Final thoughts

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Rose Sadler–an Engineering Manager for a healthcare company–joins us for this episode of The 1:1 Podcast.

We talk about what it’s like to be a new mom in tech, pumping at work, mom guilt, how parenting shapes leadership, and more…

00:00 - Intro

01:11 - Being a new mom in the tech industry

03:09 - Support after returning from maternity leave

05:28 - PTO policies

08:46 - Pumping at work

15:04 - Mom guilt

16:58 - Dad guilt

20:00 - Asking for accommodations

22:38 - Attending a conference while pumping

24:41 - Dealing with pushback

29:46 - Working vs. staying at home

35:13 - Rusty’s Covid layoff story

38:44 - How parenting shapes leadership (and vice versa)

42:06 - Final thoughts

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James Williams–a former Senior Manager who has been on the job market for about a year now since being laid off in August 2023–joins us for this episode of The 1:1 Podcast. We talk about what it’s like to be a GenX “industry veteran” in this job market.

00:00 - Intro

01:36 - Being on the job market for a year

04:32 - How has your job search evolved over the past year?

07:22 - Have you picked up hard skills in your job search?

11:08 - Finding new mentors during a job hunt

19:33 - Withholding information

25:08 - Confidence vs ego

28:57 - GenX + age discrimination

36:21 - Culture fit

42:48 - Parting thoughts 

BBC article mentioned during the podcast is here:

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20240320-gen-x-workplace-ageism

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Christian Boylston–a machine learning engineer for a startup–joins us for this episode of The 1:1 Podcast.

He answers the question “Should everyone be learning AI?” plus we try to figure out if ChatGPT can make a proper cocktail.

Chapters:

00:00 - Intro

01:04 - Should everyone be learning AI?

03:22 - How to avoid dumbing yourself down while using AI tools

05:57 - Is it fair to say AI is always machine learning, but machine learning isn’t always AI?

10:36 - If someone is thinking about coming into the machine learning field… should they?

13:46 - How do you think workers can prepare for these changes?

16:21 - What can companies do to ensure these technologies are developed responsibly?

18:05 - What are some of the other security concerns you’d warn people against?

19:18 - Prompt quality (leads into learning to prompt ChatGPT to return a good cocktail recipe)

23:11 - How worried should we be about AIs teaching themselves their own languages that humans can’t read?

26:15 - What is the ROI for a company hiring ML engineers?

30:52 - Are ML teams the first to go in a layoff?

31:53 - The interview process for ML engineers

37:09 - What’s the next big thing in AI/ML?

40:43 - Parting thoughts

–

ML Definitions / Glossary

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZqbdgpIvI9fE054E6B4ZZj4lep-IlZB0aB4ZxxdqlUc

–

Bonus! Here is the David Lynch Dune-inspired cocktail recipe Christian mentioned which ChatGPT created:

Ingredients

2 oz Rye whiskey

0.5 oz Amaro Nonino

1 tsp Apricot preserves (adjust to taste for sweetness)

0.75 oz Fresh lemon juice

1 tsp Allspice Dram

A pinch of sea salt

A thin lemon wheel (for garnish)

Instructions:

If the apricot preserves are quite chunky, mix them with a little hot water first to create a smoother consistency.

Combine the rye whiskey, Amaro Nonino, apricot preserves, fresh lemon juice, Allspice Dram, and sea salt in a cocktail shaker filled with ice.

Shake vigorously until well-chilled. This will help incorporate the apricot preserves into the drink.

Double strain the cocktail into a rocks glass over a large ice cube (the double straining will help catch any chunks from the apricot preserves).

Garnish with a thin lemon wheel.

Enjoy your cocktail!  It should have a unique texture and rich apricot flavor from the preserves.

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Elena Sayage–Talent Acquisition Specialist at Loyal Health–joins us for this episode of The 1:1.

She dispels some common resume misconceptions, offers some tips for selling yourself to recruiters, and shares some stories about applicants she immediately knew would get offers and talks about what set them apart.

Chapters:

00:08 Intro

02:17 Working in manufacturing 

04:17 Transitioning to the tech industry 

07:56 Have hard skill requirements changed in this market? 

10:35 How to sell yourself

16:52 One page resumes

18:51 Resume with .6 font

19:53 White texting

24:23 Gaming the system with AI

29:44 Cover letters

33:47 LinkedIn Open to Work

36:02 LinkedIn EasyApply

40:50 How do you know in the first 6-30 seconds if someone will be hired?

47:27 Closing

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