Received this email from a friend today… poor guy

All -

This is a reminder that employees are expected to report to work if our facility remains open.  (Our building always remains open during inclement weather).  If you cannot or choose not to report to work due to hazardous weather conditions or a comparable emergency situation, you should notify your manager.  Employees should record missed time to either vacation or leave without pay.

Please exercise your usual good judgment.

Thanks,

JOHN (removed)
Business Office Manager

I finally got around to watching Tim Ferriss’ Trial by Fire show on the DVR.  Pretty cool.  Tim took five days out of his life to learn an ancient Japanese art that normally takes years to accomplish.  At the end of his five days, he had his ‘trial by fire’ - he either passed or failed.  In this case, he passed a test that could take you or I a year to do.

So I guess you could say Tim has a year’s worth of experience in the art of yabusame, right?

Today I had a short phone interview with a recruiter who is looking for a person to fill a senior SEO position at a major travel company.  The first few questions were normal, what’s your salary requirements, will you relocate, etc.  Then she asked about my experience.  I’ve only been doing SEO for about three and a half years, so that’s what I told her.

As soon as I said that, she might as well just hung up.

She asked nothing about the websites I run, the rankings I’ve achieved, or the happy customers I’ve created.  Once I gave her a number, she pretty much decided I wasn’t who she wanted.

In her book, Tim Ferriss would have 5 days experience at yabusame, and I have 3.5 years worth of SEO.  It’s not what you can do, how much you can learn, or what you can achieve, for her it comes down to time.  IMO, that’s a mistake.

My company Lighthouse Technologies is now in need of a part time intern. I’m looking for someone who is interested in and understands basic web design and wants to learn SEO. Candidate would be willing to work in exchange for knowledge transfer of Web Design skills, Internet Marketing and SEO.

Applicants do not need to live in the Saint Louis area, but must be actively online and respond to email/IM in timely manner. All work will be done virtually.

What you must have…

• A serious interest in web design
• Knowledge of web editing software (Dreamweaver preferred)
• Working knowledge of PhotoShop
• Knowledge and understanding of Search tactics
• An interest in marketing and social media
• Honesty, integrity and a willingness to learn

What we offer…
This is not a paid position, however there are many benefits:

• The chance to develop your talents and portfolio.
• Experience that will look great on your resume. Our web site has an excellent reputation, and potential employers will be impressed.
• A progressive management style that allows you to take on a great deal of responsibility and provides a supportive, stimulating and fun interactive environment.
• Letters of reference for future job opportunities.
• The opportunity to gain significant knowledge in the Internet Marketing field

Possible assignments include…

• Build new pages for various industry web sites.
• Assist in the development of new websites.
• Offer input and assistance with new design ideas for these sites.
• Potential revenue sharing on
• Create landing pages for SEO campaigns
• Participate in split testing

How to Apply…

Send your resume, the URL of at least one web site that shows your editing skills (be specific about the role you played in developing the site, versus what was done by others) and a cover letter that answers the following questions:

• What are your career goals and how would this internship help you achieve them? What do you hope to gain from this internship?
• What kind of coursework and/or experience do you have that would make you a valuable intern?
• In what areas are you most interested in attaining experience through this internship?

From the applications, we will select interviewees. Deadline for applications is November 28, 2009.

Mail cover letter/resume to:

Lighthouse Technologies
1243 Water Tower Place
Suite 180
Arnold, MO 63010

You may also email us your resume to sales@techlh.com. Please use the subject line INTERN JOB. We will reply with a confirmation of receipt.

If you want to really impress me, email your items then follow up via direct message at twitter or Yahoo! IM. ID at both of those locations is ‘techlh’