Professional Development

Who’s Going to Hire You? Seriously.

Professional Development
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I got my start in the hospitality business by working at distressed properties.  Distressed is the polite term that hotel management companies use when a hotel is in financial trouble, has health violations, and nobody in their right mind would stay there.  Thankfully, there are a lot of tourists who are not in their right…
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Today BrentOzar.com Turns 10 Years Old

Blogging
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Happy birthday to my first post from May 7, 2002. BrentOzar.com circa 2001 1,782 posts and over 12,000 comments later, I feel like I’m still winging it, but it’s time to stop and think about the lessons I’ve learned over the last decade.  This web site has turned into a consulting company that supports three…
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From a trip to DC

What 2012 Work Scares You?

Professional Development
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Right now, this very moment, there’s an ugly piece of work tapping on your shoulder – and I don’t mean your boss. Or bacon. Bacon works too. You agreed to do it months ago during the 2012 planning sessions, but you never really expected January 2012 to arrive.  Now that it’s here, you’re starting to…
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Consulting Lines: SQL Server Needs a Dog

Consulting Lines
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SQL Server isn’t lonely, but it needs a dog.  In today’s Consulting Lines series post, I’ll share my very favorite consulting line of all – one that makes people laugh while illustrating a point. The Situation: Bob the Button Basher My Blitz script helps me quickly spot SQL Server settings that have been changed from…
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3 SQL Server Book Review Short Takes

Book Reviews
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Here’s what I’ve been reading lately on the SQL Server front.  I’d like to thank all three authors and publishers for providing these books for review. Securing SQL Server by Denny Cherry Paperback – Kindle Denny’s a jack of all trades, and a Microsoft Certified Master of SQL Server to boot.  I’ve had the pleasure…
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Sample DBA Resumes

Professional Development
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Nobody knows who I am. Yes, I know, you think I waltz into restaurants without a reservation, get the best table in the house, and Rick Bayless brings the food out himself. In reality, sooner or later, everybody asks for a resume.  (Except Rick Bayless.  He just asks for money.)  Managers don’t read blogs, so…
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One of my early presentations

Define Your Presentation’s Attendee

Writing and Presenting
15 Comments
When I first started submitting abstracts to conferences, I wrote bland, technical descriptions of what I’d be talking about.  Later on, I thought being a good speaker meant having lots of people in my sessions, so I wrote spammy abstracts: “SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!  COME SEE THE MOSTEST SPECTACULAREST DISPLAY OF SKILLZ EVER!  EVERY SINGLE DATABASE…
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Land a Dream DBA or Developer Job: Seven Questions to Ask

Looking back over all my years of interviewing and being interviewed, I realize that there are simple secrets to getting a great job offer. The big secret is just this: ask great questions. Interviewing Goes Both Ways Asking thoughtful questions in your interview process, from screening to salary negotiations, makes you more powerful. It shows…
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Brent Ozar Unlimited® Adds Another MCM

Nope, we didn’t clone Brent. I am honored to say I’ve earned the Microsoft Certified Master SQL Server 2008 certification. Seriously honored. I feel awesome. What’s the SQL Sever MCM? “MCM” stands for “Microsoft Certified Master.” As Microsoft describes it, “the MCM program is the highest level of technical certification; it helps recognize and validate…
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