One of the things that I caution people about when I talk about the Modern Resume is that they want to be sure that their appearance, the impressions they make, are good for the most part. I use a story that my wife told me, with the idea that you get more than one chance to make a good impression, but that doesn't mean that you want to disregard any of your changes and make bad impressions.

This week two posts caught my eye. One was How to Answer a Stupid Interview Question, and the other was from Buck Woody (blog | twitter) on being nice. The first one talks about questions that you might get from an interviewer that don't make sense. In the example, someone asking what is the largest bye measurement, might leave a potential DBA wondering if they want to work for this person. However as the post discusses, you don't need to confront the person in an interview. Every interview question ought to be turned into a chance to make yourself look good. This is an art, and perhaps this is a session that we ought to put on at some live events.

Buck's post talks about the importance of being nice to people, and not being snide or rude. He looks at the various ways that someone can respond to a posted online, or even in person, by having a little tolerance and understanding for the other person's point of view. This is something I try to do in the SQLServerCentral forums, and while I'm not sure I'm 100% successful, I do try to remain professional and helpful.

Brent Ozar noted this as a mistake he made in a presentation he gave at TechEd. I have to admit that I've done the same thing as Brent in the past, I'm not proud of it, and I do try to remain more positive when I talk. I applaud Brent for admitting the mistake, and I hope that others learn something.

A big part of our jobs, and of our lives, is getting along with each other. To do that successfully takes respect, patience, tolerance, and practice. I hope you remember that as you progress through your career as I know that it will help you.

PS: One other note, PASS is looking to hold an event in the springtime on the East Coast. Read about the preliminary plan and be sure to add your suggestions and comments to it.