I'm at 0, because some moron got offended that I think that the move to all web technologies is laziness on the part of programmers....java is easy, easy is lazy, I still stand by that, and refuse to make a new profile over that statement. (His citing of google's introduction of a way of writing native web apps was a saving grace, but then WTF do we have an OS for? Right native apps, they don't need to be run in a browser).

Ok, having my "Bad Karma" out of the way, I haven't seen anyone really answer your question of how to get an interview, and I'll say I have successfully changed jobs several times, and helped many friends to land interviews and jobs. First thing to understand, most big companies have taken the burdon of matching resumes to positions off the HR department, and onto the "candidate". You need to search their job database, and apply to the jobs you feel you are a good fit for. Not just make a profile, not just submit to 1 job, but all jobs you feel you are qualified for and interested in! I have done some recruiting events for the company I currently work for. On campus, we would not accept resumes. This is because it actually changes your legal status as far as the company is concerned, and makes them subject to many more regulations about being an EOE. Bottom line for submitting to a company directly, apply to as many jobs as you are interested in. Your resume will usually then heads straight to the desk of the hiring manager (not HR). If allowed/prompted, include a brief cover letter, I'll get to that in another section.

The resume: Keep it too the point. You should definitely include an objective. If you have a post-graduate degree, you will want to include your focus area. If you just took some interesting coursework as electives, or your college had some good ones as required coursework, you will want to include that under your education section. I personally used Numerical Analysis, Graphics Algorithms, OS, Digital Circuit Design and Physics. If your GPA is good include it. If not, don't. They will ask for it later, but it might get you in the door for an interview. Including a bad GPA often ensures you will not get an interview. The company I work for now will not bring in an entry level hire without a GPA of 3.3 or better! (Just a note, I graduated with a 3.39 from a large, well known university, but have helped friends with a 2.7 get interviews and jobs) You say this is an entry level job, so you aren't going to have a lot of relevant work experience. Still, if your last job was pretty steady, its good to include it just to show you aren't a job hopper, but if no work experience is relevant, limit it to one job. You will want a Skills section. This is really your keyword section. Include languages, IDE's, programming areas of study (graphics, networking, databases, specific APIs like GTK, QT, Java, MFC, Win32, OO, UML, etc), anything that seems relevant. If this hasn't filled up 1 page, you can also include something line an "Other Interests" section. List some of your hobbies, even irrelevant ones. This can turn off some employers, but of I have found that it either goes ignored as filler, or the hiring manager/interviewer finds a common interest, makes a connection with you, and is more likely to hire you just because they like you. This goes back to the it’s not what you know, but who you know aspect of things. If they like you, you get “the who you know” aspect on your side.

References! The company may never contact the people you put down for references, but they are important none-the-less. Usually they look for 3-5 references. You do NOT want them all to be in the category of college buddies, life long friends, and family. In general, depending on the number of references they ask for, its good to have 1 that is a peer (college buddy in the same major, or past colleague in the same field), one that was someone you worked for, and if possible a customer reference. Given that you are looking for an entry level position, the last 2 will be hard to find. However, you can substitute professors for the people you worked for, as you *did* work for them in that they can attest to your knowledge, work ethic, etc. I personally had some of our most tough professors and the chairman of the department as references for my first job. Along with a few professors, I had some of the sharper CS students, and former employer managers as references Depending on the company, and number of references they asked for, I would tailor which references I would send to them.

Cover Letter: People often think of this as some long drawn out writing they have to do for each job. Well, the each job part is correct, but the long, drawn out part really isn’t. A little writing, and a little research (and I do mean a little) can go a long way! If the name of the hiring manager is posted, use his or her name in the salutation. It’s a nice touch that shows you paid attention to details of the job posting. Don’t get it wrong though! I usually start by saying why I think the company would be a great place to work. This puts them first, shows enthusiasm, and makes it convenient to skip if the manager doesn’t like being “buttered up”. I usually cite things like their comprehensive benefits package, or them being on the top ### places to work, or just general reputation. If it’s a small company, cite the benefits of working for a smaller company! Regardless of the company name, size, benefits, etc, you are excited at the prospect of working there! No one likes a lackadaisical person! In the next paragraph, you will want to sell yourself. Match the required job qualifications to things on your resume, and explain your experience with them. Being in college, it will probably be an internship, or coursework. If you don’t have anything, you have 3 options. The first, and most simple one, is just ignore it, pretend its not even there. The second is to explain even the briefest experience with it. “I have heard that it is similar to XYZ technology which I am experienced with”. Something like that. The third, and most tricky, is if you know you are a quick study, Google it, and decide if it looks like something you could pick up fast. If it is, mention you have no experience with it, but that you are a quick study, and should be able to learn it in relatively short order. Don’t lie about that though. If you claim to be able to learn fast, and you can’t perform, it will lead to poor performance reviews, and possible termination long before you have gained the experience to really be looking for a new job…which will hurt you when looking for a new job. Trust me, its better to wait for a job you are a good match for than to take something immediately!

Lastly, please, be willing to relocate. No one really likes a mama's boy who can't leave home. College was different, you were probably still a dependant, and you flew/drove back for summer. You should have been preparing to move away from home, family, and your comfort zone. If you are in a small town, and looking to be within 3 hours from home, it might just not be possible. Even if there is a big company hiring in the area, they may have a better fit for you elsewhere. I know it would be nice to be working a professional job, and living at home, banking all that money so you can put a big down payment on your own house, and some are lucky enough to be able to do that. Others, on the other hand, have had to move for various reasons. I got the middle of the road. My family is only about a 2 and a half hour drive away, so I can visit on weekends if I want, but I don't get to bank all the cash from living at home. Oh well! There are exceptions to the not willing to move rule, but then, there's exceptions to every rule. If you live in LA, you might not want to, or have to move. The same thing is true with San Diego, Washington DC, NYC, and other major job hubs.

Required Travel: I usually put that I'm willing for up to 50% travel. Even though many jobs don't require travel, they like to see you are flexible. Unless specifically required by the job, usually 50% shows a real flexibility. Some jobs will say 75% or 100% travel. They can be especially fun while young and single, and very taxing when older and married. They often come with great experience (and sometimes with terrible experience as well, your mileage may vary :) ) Its a personal decision to apply to one of these jobs, and no one can help you with that. Just be ready though, even if the job doesn't specifically require travel, if you put down that 50%, they may be willing to take you up on it! Don't put it if you aren't really willing to do it for a few months straight!

I know this was really long, but its not that complicated, just needs a lot of words to describe the motivations behind the way things work! I have found that simply explaining to intelligent friends how it works rarely leads to them doing what is necessary. Explaining why they need to do things this way usually does lead them to follow the guidance, and subsequently get the interview and job. Its because we are smart engineers. Without the why, the engineer must dismantle the system to find out why, and usually make the same mistakes as their peers. Giving the why skips all that, and just gets them to do whats necessary to become gainfully employeed.

I hope you manage to find this in the slashdot sea, and I wish you the best in finding a job!

Thanks for the link to the real study. I always hate the CNN, WSJ, Fox, or other news oranization summaries...although the scientific articles may contain spin, at least getting it there doesn't have 2 or more levels os spin/"interpretation" on it. I will get a subscription to nature, science, and others eventually.....eventually :)

This again from the same wikipedia article...I know, its very much in biology terms, but the last few lines make it worth the read!

Fructose metabolism
All three dietary monosaccharides are transported into the liver by the GLUT 2 transporter [30]. Fructose and galactose are phosphorylated in the liver by fructokinase (Km= 0.5 mM) and galactokinase (Km = 0.8 mM). By contrast, glucose tends to pass through the liver (Km of hepatic glucokinase = 10 mM) and can be metabolised anywhere in the body. Uptake of fructose by the liver is not regulated by insulin.

Fructolysis
Fructolysis occurs in two steps. First, the two trioses dihydroxyacetone (DHAP) and glyceraldehyde are synthesized. Second, the trioses are metabolized either in the gluconeogenic pathway for glycogen replenishment and/or complete metabolism in the fructolytic pathway to pyruvate, which after conversion to acetyl-CoA enters the Krebs cycle, and is converted to citrate and subsequently directed toward ''de novo'' synthesis of the free fatty acid palmitate [31].

Metabolism of fructose to DHAP and glyceraldehyde
The first step in the metabolism of fructose is the phosphorylation of fructose to fructose 1-phosphate by fructokinase, thus trapping fructose for metabolism in the liver. Fructose 1-phosphate then undergoes hydrolysis by aldolase B to form DHAP and glyceraldehydes; DHAP can either be isomerized to glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate by triosephosphate isomerase or undergo reduction to glycerol 3-phosphate by glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase. The glyceraldehyde produced may also be converted to glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate by glyceraldehyde kinase or converted to glycerol 3-phosphate by glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase. The metabolism of fructose at this point yields intermediates in the gluconeogenic and fructolytic pathways leading to glycogen synthesis as well as fatty acid and triglyceride synthesis.

Synthesis of glycogen from DHAP and glyceraldehyde 3 phosphate
The resultant glyceraldehyde formed by aldolase B then undergoes phosphorylation to glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. Increased concentrations of DHAP and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate in the liver drive the gluconeogenic pathway toward glucose and subsequent glycogen synthesis. It appears that fructose is a better substrate for glycogen synthesis than glucose and that glycogen replenishment takes precedence over triglyceride formation [32]. Once liver glycogen is replenished, the intermediates of fructose metabolism are primarily directed toward triglyceride synthesis.

Ok, now read "as well as fatty acid and triglyceride synthesis." and "Once liver glycogen is replenished, the intermediates of fructose metabolism are primarily directed toward triglyceride synthesis." again and again, and decide if you think high amounts of fructose are healthy?

I had always thought fructose was metabolised into glucose somehow, and could be used by every cell in the body. This is CLEARLY STATED not to be the case. Glycogen is said to be for the liver only, and after that it goes to fatty acids. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triglyceride for an explanation of triglycerides...yeah.

Now again, tell me that HFCS is the same as sugar?

I cut out non-diet soda a long time ago, and have been working to find a good replacement to carbonated beverages, which have flavor, no carbonation, and no sugars of any kind, are easy to find bottled, or don't stain plastic...and a preference to no sweetener, but for now I'll take my chemical substitutes to make things taste good. Right now, the leading candidate....water....It meets all requirements except flavor :)

Though I have no .NET experience to base this on, it was based off Java, which routinely denies you access to an object of Gun, Foot, and Cartridge (bullet for the non-gun people) at the same time! (can you tell I'm a C/C++/Assembly snob? :) )

I think you need to provide references to said studies, and not ones funded by lawyers! The high malpractice insurance is NOT a recent thing. This has been going on since the 80's!

Its not about bad investments, its about the potential for a high payout. Insurance isn't a magical pot of money, it has to come from somewhere. Reguardless of whether the lawsuit was frivolous or not, doesn't play into the statistics when the insurance comapanies figure out how to cover the suits. It frustrates me that this should even need to be pointed out. A person could die in the OR, and a family sue for the persons earnings potential (rightfully so if he/she has a family and their income was expected). Since nearly ANY doctor at ANY time could have such a situation (outpatient procedures can be dangerous too, even a simple infection lanceing, not tested for say MRSA, causing late treatment and eventual death could put a family doctor at risk for one of these major lawsuits), the insurance companies have to manage that risk, and ensure they have the cash on hand to be able to pay out. Obviously thats oversimplified, they don't expect every doctor to have such a case at the same time, but they have a pretty good idea of the frequency, and how much money they need on hand to pay the suits. If there were reasonable limits on lawsuits, this pot of money the companies need to maintain could be less. They'd probably have to be beaten with the regulatory stick to actually do so, but thats a whole other issue.

Just remember, lawyers run the government, and lawyers stand to benefit most from frivolous lawsuits (and lawsuits in general). Not even everyone's favorite supposed idealist Obama is going to take money away from his peers' pockets! Thus this will never happen!

AMEN! Precisely the Moderate view right there. Why can't idealists on the left and right understand this one axiom IDEALISM NEVER WORKS! No, I don't want to see people bankrupt from medical bills, or people choose do I eat this month, or do I get the medicines I need, either way I'm screwed. Not even the extreme right wants to see that. However, Government run? Seriously? You think that sterile needle is expensive now, soon they'll be billing it out at $10 when the suppliers make buddy buddy with this president, or the next, or the next, the point is it is inevitable.

(And before someone calls me conservative, let me also say free market capitalism doesn't work. A simple study of the industrial revolution proves this. If that wern't enough, look at all the bubbles. Markets MUST be regulated. Comes down to the reason why idealism will never work, and that is that at least one person (and in this day and age, tons of people) will ALWAYS do the wrong thing. I could go on...)

Don't you love the political posts? I don't!