It’s 2009.  We have a new president in powe of the free world.  One of his goals is to get the U.S. off of fossil fuels as much as possible.

He’s planning on giving tax breaks to corporations that adopt green technology and procedures.  He’s also planning on funding many startups who are targeting the green industry.

Just out of curiosity…how many of you are on board with this idea?

Do you recycle all of your trash (or as much as possible)?  Do you bring your own bags to the store to reduce plastic bag wastes hitting the landfills?  Are you driving or planning to drive an alternative energy vehicle (hybrid or all electric)?  Are you even conscious of your carbon footprint that you’re leaving on mother earth?

I’m not here to blow the big green megaphone and say, “Well why aren’t you!?”.  I’m here to just gauge what impact does all the news feeds and articles floating around have on us?

I’ll admit, I’m not as green as I should be.  But, when I throw out garbage, I do watch what I put in the trash, in the recyclable bin, and the compost bin.

I do pledge to do better and I hope you do too.

I was thinking about this date that I was on recently.  I remember doing all the “gentlemen” duties a sophisticated man is supposed to do on a date to impress the lady.

You know what I’m talking about.  Opening doors, pushing in her seat, helping her don her jacket/coat, and most importantly paying for the meal.

But, it got me thinking about the reasons behind these social ettiqutte mannerisms that we are subject to.   I know that when we hear the word, “chivalry” we think of medieval times.  Knights, shining armor, great white steeds, lances, shields, dragons, saving the damsel in distress.

Today, though, the meaning bears little semblance to it’s original meaning.  I found the image above to be very intriguing.  I read it and thought, wow,  we as men today, don’t abide by even 50% of what we are supposed to.

What do you guys think?  Do you think we as men need to “up” our chivalrous nature?  How would you feel being the only one standing in the restaurant each time a woman leaves the table?  Socially awkward?  Up to the task?

EEEEK!  Yeah, that’s probably what went through your mind when you were told by the hiring manager, “Be sure to block off 2-3 hours of your day for the interview.  You’ll be meeting with myself and your (x number) of co-workers.  We’ll be interviewing you together”.  I think this panel style process is becoming more and more prevalent with the shrinking job market and hiring managers becoming increasingly pickier.

Some of the things that I’ve done in the past to make sure that I don’t stumble upon my words and I say the right answers, is to do some recon.

I’ve asked how many people will be on the panel, what are their names and titles, and duties.  Remember, you’re there to interview them and vice versa.  If you can’t get any extra information prior to the meeting, ask for it up front during the meeting.  That way you will have an ad-hoc plan in your head as to how to answer to your strengths to the proper person.

The other thing I’ve done was to ask who I will be reporting to.  The hiring manager isn’t always the person you’ll be reporting to.   The hiring manager could be bringing you in to interview you to see how well you’ll be on the team but working under one of his other subordinates.

I’ve also taken the time to befriend the receptionist.  He/she is a very valuable asset when it comes to filling in the blanks when you need to send individual thank you notes to the panelists (of course you’ll be reiterating how well you fit the job description).

Anyone else have any other tips on how to handle the dreaded, “panel style interview”?