The big news today was IBM’s purchase of SPSS. The implications are big in the predictive analytics space and for business intelligence in general.<\/p>\n
But there is another reason for this post. Back in 1994, I had interviewed at SPSS. My father suggested I send Jack Noonan a resume directly. It worked. I was in the door and interviewing for an inside sales position. This was 1994. There was a recession. Being a new college graduate, interviews were tough to come by. I was pumped and over anxious. I even remember the receptionist telling me to relax before when I arrived. The face to face went great, and I was asked for a secondary phone screen to test my phone skills. I crushed the interview. I thought. When asked if I had any questions I said simply with overconfidence, “Well, how did I do?”<\/p>\n
“You said the word ‘like’ 37 times and the ‘ya knows’ are not what we are looking for.” I was told. I was crushed. Stunned. Deflated. Important lesson. I never forgot it.<\/p>\n
Congratulations to Jack Noonan and the SPSS team. Thanks for that lesson many moons ago.<\/p>\n