Robert Stanke’s Blog

I always like to hear and share stories about successful professionals in the Twin Cities.  That being said, I am even more excited to share some news about a Twin Cities entrepreneur who is also a member of the Twin Cities Networking Group (she is the one to thank for setting up all of our meet-ups as well!), Lisa Hendrickson.  Lisa is the proud owner of “Call That Girl” - a one stop shop for all your computer needs!  What makes Lisa’s story a good one is that she is living the “American Business Dream” right now, working hard as a business owner and realizing an important step for any business owner… she has officially opened up her very own store front!

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Lisa has done what many of us are doing now - slaving away in cubicle land.  But realizing she had a skill many people needed, she took the bold step to start her own business.  From the outside looking in, it looks like she is doing very well!  I really like Lisa.  She has a catchy personality which is what I believe makes her business a success.  I got a chance to meet her in person a couple of months ago and have had several phone calls with her.  I wish her the absolute best in her new store front.  I encourage you to visit her store, visit her website, or give her a call.  I have included her contact information below.

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Robert Stanke

http://www.robertstanke.com

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Call That Girl

Owner: Lisa Hendrickson

Website: http://www.callthatgirl.biz

Address: 2110 Nicollet Ave. #270, Minneapolis, MN 55404

Phone Number: 612-865-4475

One of my goals for 2008 was to start managing my personal productivity differently.  To be honest with you, I tend to get so caught up in so many things (most being fairly unproductive!) that I miss opportunities to take advantage of other things.  I procrastinate a lot.  I forget things.  I take bad notes.  But we all have faults, right?!?

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One of the ways I wanted to improve was through one of my most active forms of communication - email.  I get swamped in email every day.  Sure, some is spam, but I am also involved in one of the Twin Cities’ largest networking groups, I am part of several recruiting and technology forums, and social networking activities.  Managing email has become a second job.  When it was getting to the point where it was keeping me up extra late every night, just to keep it under control, I knew something had to change…

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A couple of years ago, I had heard about this “Inbox Zero” concept, developed by Merlin Mann.  I bookmarked it and never checked it out again.  Then, a couple of weeks ago, I watched one of my favorite video podcasts, CNET Live, where Tom Merritt interviewed Merlin about his concept.  I was so intrigued again that I decided to give it a second look.  Over vacation I read up on the topic, watched the video on it, and read all of the blog posts.  Implementing the process has been easy, and it does work if you follow the rules you create.  Just as an example, when I got back from vacation, even though I was checking it daily from the cabin, I had over 350 messages waiting for action.  Using Merlin Mann’s action-based email tips, I am down to 43 messages.  But the best part is, those are mostly informational emails or are waiting for someone else’s action and my daily email count is zero at the end of the day.

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Here is a link for you to check out.  It is Merlin Mann giving a presentation on Inbox Zero to Google employees:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9UjeTMb3Yk

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- Robert Stanke

http://www.robertstanke.com

I was talking with a friend on the phone last night when I came to the realization that I am just a mere 40 days away from turning 30 years old.  I have mixed feelings on this, but overall am pretty excited about getting a fresh start with a couple new digits…

People at work have been giving me a hard time because when I mention that they need to start planning my birthday lunch because of my big “3-0″, they mention how young I still am.  The team I work with is an awesome group of ladies who I love to death, and since they are all older than me, it is always fun to joke around with them.

Earlier this year, I thought a lot about what I was going to achieve this year, seeing that I was reaching such a big milestone and all.  See, stuff like that is a big deal for me.  I like to plan, draw up goals, and think big picture type stuff.  I am realistic - I know that I will most likely not achieve all my goals, and I adjust them throughout the year, but it is just the idea of shooting for something.  Because of my January planning, I have had some great experiences so far this year, but still have some work to do.  Overall, no complaints.

See, my fiscal year runs September 6th to September 5th, so this is a new beginning for me.  It just will be a special one because I keep hearing that 30 is the new 20…

Robert Stanke
http://www.robertstanke.com

In a lot of cases, phone interviews can actually be more difficult than an in-person for a couple of different reasons. First, you might be too relaxed if you are conducting the interview at home or in your PJs, or secondly, you do not get a chance to recognize visual cues on how you are doing because you cannot see the interviewer. Finally, most chances are that you are phone-screen-competing against many other candidates, so you really have to make yourself standout from the rest.

All that being said, in my opinion, there are a couple of things to remember when conducting a successful phone interview:

• Smile during the phone call. Put on the whole face-to-face presentation for yourself. Often, people on the other line can distinguish if you are happy, delightful, crabby, angry, or lazy, just by the tone in your voice - and your tone is set by your body actions.
• Focus completely on the conversation. Make sure you are in a room by yourself where no one can bother you or interrupt you. Sometimes, I have even heard of people getting somewhat dressed up for a phone interview, but as crazy as it sounds, it makes sense. If you are at least presentable, you can focus better on what you are trying to do - win a job!
• Do not eat, chew on things (pen caps, etc.), or smoke during your phone interview. The interviewer will notice, trust me.
• Turn off your call waiting on your phone, also turn off the TV, radio, appliances in the kitchen, etc. Again, being in an isolated room is often the best option.
• To avoid awkward silences after the person asks you a question and you need time to think it over, simply state, “Let me take a minute to think about that.” That is completely acceptable and often appreciated because potential employers want you to give the best answer possible, not just a long-winded rambling answer.
• Try not to pace while you talk. This can often lead to distractions and you are more likely to start saying more “ums” and “uhs“. I pace when I am thinking or brainstorming - not when I am interviewing.
• Give a nice, professional wrap-up at the end of the interview. Make sure to thank the interviewer(s) and always reflect how you are interested in the position and would be happy to come into their office for an in-person interview. If they try getting off the phone before saying what their next steps are, make sure to ask.

If you have any other questions regarding phone interviews or interview preparation in general, please feel free to contact me, Robert Stanke, through my website at: http://www.robertstanke.com/.

Good luck with your future phone interviews!

Robert Stanke

In years past, I probably would have never admitted something like this, but I just can’t deny it anymore - even to myself…

I am starting to feel a little bit burned out right now.  It is truly time for a vacation.  Which is exactly what I am going to take - starting today.

I have been thinking about this vacation for some time now.  A couple of months ago, I started to notice that I was just starting to slow down professionally, which in turn was affecting my personal life.  It was nothing serious, and actually not really affecting my every day performance, but was starting to take a toll on my mind.  I know that when I normally take a week off, which is usually just once a year, I always come back refreshed and ready to go.  That is exactly what I need right now, so northern Minnesota - here I come!  So since it has been 11 months since my last week off, it is long overdue!

Everyone needs a break - even those who are currently battling a tough job hunt.  I have noticed, especially over the past several weeks that more and more of the people I know are in this position.  The stress of finding a new career opportunity can really take its toll on some one’s life.  I have been through it twice, so I know.  My father was the one who reminded me on my first job hunt to make time to go for a walk or run, or work on a hobby.  Interviewing and endless phone calls take a lot of time, so a break is deserved.  Remember - looking for a job is a full-time job!  Make sure to take breaks when you need them!

I will probably blog more about this later, but I am definitely excited about getting a fresh start when I return from vacation, including trying some new things to help me keep stress to a minimum.  Things like email management are the types of things I need to adjust to better help me from getting burned out.  I listened to two great podcasts on CNET over the past couple of months about “Inbox Zero”, which I am thinking about implementing upon my return from vacation.  I will explain more about that in my next posting.  Now it is time to pack…

- RS

http://www.robertstanke.com

The great State of Minnesota has been in the news a lot over the past month or so in regards to the technology world.  For example, when the Google Street Car made its way through the North Oaks neighborhood, city officials and residents went ballistic (http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/19416279.html)!  They filed a formal complaint to Google requesting that due to the city being privately owned, Google was trespassing, and they wanted all of the images on Google Maps to be removed.  Oh come on North Oaks!  Are you not open to technology and the purpose it serves?  Are your multi-million dollar homes that important that no one can see them?!?!?  I know you all own the streets, but honestly, Google was not trying to cause trouble…

Then there is the story about the Minnesota musical icon Prince.  So Prince does a cover song of a Radiohead number at a concert.  In this day in age, tons of people have cellphones with cameras and video, so of course someone records it and posts it on YouTube (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/05/30/prince-vs-radiohead-in-yo_n_104270.html).  Prince goes crazy and insists that it be taken down.  But the kicker is, it was not even his song!  At least Radiohead understands the power of the Internet, because they petitioned to have it put back up on YouTube.  Prince, just a word of advise - you are not going to beat the Internet and Web 2.0, so you might as well embace it!

Sure, these stories are starting to wear off, but I think it raises a bigger issue with our State and how we embrace the coming of the social web.  The social web is not here yet, but it is coming, and slowly each and every day more web functions involve the social interaction components.  It is time for us to open up and become more transparent.  It is only going to allow us to be more advanced within our own nation and even the world.

For true Minnesotans who have lived here for awhile, the “Prince” is in all of us.  We shy away from social interaction over the web.  And this coming from a State known for being one of the most polite (some would argue passive-agressive) communities in the world!  But we can’t let a company take photos of streets?  There are really only a handful of us who embace the tools and applications used to interact socially.  Sure, we may miss some of the face-to-face time because a lot of our networking is virtual, but that is the way the world is becoming.

I started the Twin Cities Networking Group for two main reasons.  First, I believe that we all are able to interact and grow our professional and personal lives by giving and receiving.  I just did not see the vehicle to make this happen.  Most groups were set-up incorrectly or not being utilized to their full potential.  Secondly, I saw this as an opportunity to start not only a networking group, but a social networking group.  There is a big difference there, and I wanted to introduce that to those who don’t understand its power.  It will be a difficult bridge to cross for us because of our culture, but I know we can do it.

Now I am not expecting North Oaks or Prince to change their ways, but with enough pressure from all of us, we can grow into social networking for the future.

If you are interested in joining the Twin Cities Networking Group, you can do so in two ways - either by joining the LinkedIn Group: http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/60614/6AD0FF58108C or by sending me an email at robert@robertstanke.com.  Membership is free and the value is unbelievable.

-RS

Twitter has just about gotten to the point of being unbearable for me to deal with.  And all of this after I spent the time to make sure Twitter was directly integrated with my website (http://www.robertstanke.com).  But with its recent troubles like being down so much lately and not being able to view replies from others, it is starting to become a real pain.

What really tipped me over was last night, when I was downloading and installing the newest beta release of Flock.  I had all of my feeds plants in and was ready to go.  All of my services were updating as Flock was instructing them to do: YouTube, Facebook, Flickr, etc.  But the poor Twitter service was not updating…

But poor should not be the word to describe Twitter now-a-days.  After all, they just got a huge infusion of cash ($15 million to be exact: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-9981717-17.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20) which they have already said they would use to help stabilize their system.  Well, I hope that is the plan.

In fact, I hope our friends at Twitter are on the phone with their CDW reps right now, buying whatever equipment they need to improve their service.

Now, I do often make the comment to others who complain about Twitter that it is a free service and you get what you pay for.  But now, I am making the argument that if they want to keep their buzz, they are going to need to start getting back on track.

This very thing got me thinking about social networking in general and if I should be making a switch to FriendFeed any time soon…

http://www.cnettv.com/9742-1_53-50002674.html

- RS

The Twin Cities Networking Group is off to a rockin’ start for the summer.  We have had two get-togethers already and have been fairly active on the discussion board.  Our first get-together was on Thursday, June 12th at Bennigan’s in Bloomington.  Being the President of the Twin Cities Networking Group, natually I was a little worried that the event would be a bust.  That I would be the only one there, networking with my cell phone over a tall Leine’s Honey Weiss.  But that was not what happened at all!  There was close to 30 people at the event and ultimately was a huge success!  From the people I talked too, everyone was very happy with how it turned out and were anxiously asking about when the next event would be.  Whether good business leads were exchanged or not really did not matter for this first event.  It was really just a good chance to meet up for the first time and put a face to the often-seen emails we get in our email boxes.  If that was the purpose of the first meet-up, then I would say it was a success…

 From left-to-right: Lonny Gulden, Robert Stanke, Mike O’Neil, Lisa Hendrickson, Adam DesAutels

Because of this success and the great turnout for the event, we will be having another meet-up on August 7th.  The location has not been determined yet, but we are hoping for the same kind of attendance.  More details to come!

This morning, a few of us from the networking group met up for an early morning breakfast at Peter’s Grill in downtown Minneapolis.  This was a smaller group which worked out really well.  Unlike the get-together at Bennigan’s this meet up was more detailed and personal.  Each of us got to speak about what we do, what kinds of things we are looking for, and offer opinions on future morning networking sessions.  I really liked this format and strongly believe that the benefits are awesome.  More of these events will be scheduled in the near future as well.

Over the last several weeks, I have heard at least a dozen stroies of how networking has helped people in numerous ways: find new jobs, connect with old friends, and open new doors to dreams.  Networking works, and it is my goal to show people the proof.  Over the next couple of months, I will be sharing some of these stories here on my blog.  Hopefully they will really show why I believe everone should take the time to network!

-RS

This might not sound like a big deal, but it is really starting to cause me some problems… my own name! Just so you get an understanding, here is a brief history of my name…

I was born “Robert William Stanke” on a very hot September day in 1978. But almost from the moment I was born, my parents and extended family referred to me as “Bob”. I guess I never have really asked my parents why they chose to call me by the common nickname of Robert, but regardless, it stuck. From 1978 to late 2005, almost everybody I came in contact with knew me as “Bob Stanke”. The only time I used “Robert” was on formal documents, college exams, etc. My entire family, grade school friends, high school friends, college friends, and co-workers all knew me as “Bob”. Life was good.

Then when I lost my first job in September 2005, I did the normal job hunting tactics: posted my resume, went on interviews, and networked with others. To be consistent, because I was meeting so many new people, I was going by the name on my resume, “Robert”. After a few weeks on the hunt, I landed a new job, and everyone there knew me as “Robert”, so it stuck. Three years later, everyone I know from a professional standpoint knows me as Robert.

Here is the problem, ocassionally, some of my business contacts will ask me if I prefer Robert or Bob. I usually say that is doesn’t matter, and maybe because they see that I am a laid back kind of guy, they start calling me “Bob”. Well, that was fine in the beginning, but now I am starting to get confused how to refer to myself when I call them! If I sign my emails or introduce myself as “Bob” around the office, everyone looks at me weird and says “You are not a ‘Bob’!” Then I have to explain that some people still call me “Bobby” and that 95% of all of the people I have met in my life know me as “Bob”!

Obviously this is not a huge deal, but has got me thinking a lot about my name.

And honestly, I really don’t mind whether you call me “Robert” or “Bob”. After all, I am sure I have been called much worse!

-RS… or BS I guess.  Depends what you want to call me…

Several weeks ago, I had posted a blog (which unfortunately no longer exists because I blew it away by accident) about how I was going to go completely paperless.  Well, I am happy to report that I have made it well over a month now without using paper or pen!  It really has not been that hard because I had a system well planned out that really allowed me to rely on technologies I already had been using on a daily basis, just not to their full capacity.  So far, so good.  Now I have started to get questions like “what, are you all environmental now?” or “are you going green?”.  Ummm, no, that was not really the point of going paperless, but I guess it was a nice add-on…

Then I had a little incident at the bus stop last week that has me re-evaluating myself.

See, I was having a bad morning.  Nothing in particular, just one of those days where every little thing was kind of upsetting me.  Throughout downtown, I had noticed that everyone I saw was taking their last puff on their cigarette and then throwing it on the ground.  Littering.  Now I don’t know if this was just coincidence or what, but I literally saw five or six people do this on my walk down Nicollet Mall from 8th Street to 9th Street.  Normally I probably wouldn’t think anything of this, but that morning, I was not in the mood.  Not but 10 minutes later, I am standing at the bus stop on Nicollet and 9th Street when the lady next to me, just like all the others, was happily finishing her cigarette.  She proceeded to take three steps forward, drop her still-flaming filter on the ground, and then step back next to me.  Less than 20 steps away was a trash can, but she never acknowledged it.

Now perhaps I was just in a weird mood, but for some reason, all of the frustrations in my life were all rolled up in that cigarette on the ground, about three feet away from me.  Looking over at her, she had no care in the world, and it made me think about why she stepped ahead to drop it.  Perhaps she was too good for it, or was she being polite to me?  I wasn’t sure, but for once and for all, I was not going to let it slide.  Because this is not who I typically am, and am trying to move past the immature action I took, lets just say that she got her property returned to her when we got on the bus, followed by me sanitizing my hands afterwards.  Besides her going postal on me on the bus and giving me some choice words, my actions had no impact at all on her.  She still does the same routine every morning, just now including a dirty look directed my way.

Look, I really don’t care if people smoke.  Really, I don’t.  I am cool with that, and once in a while I even don’t mind the smell in small doses.  But what I don’t like is people who litter.  Downtown Minneapolis is starting to look like a real trash pit, thanks to people like her.  It’s not just smokers, believe me I know this, but also people who throw wrappers and such on the ground.  Com’on people, think about it for a second.  Last week, my cousin from Chicago and I had lunch in downtown.  It is embarrassing to think that you have to dodge trash on the sidewalk when walking on a nice sunny, warm day with your cousin.  He probably is used to in Chicago, but it would be nice if out-of-towners could come to Minneapolis and enjoy what we are known as: a nice, clean city.

Sorry, I’m getting off the soapbox now, but it has been bothering me because now I am noticing it a lot more often.  Again, this story does not mean I am going completely green or anything like that (whatever it is that entails all of that), but I do think we here in the Twin Cities should start having some respect for others.

Best case scenerio, at least don’t drop a cigarette in front of me.

-RS