For those who think that there is a skills shortage, let me tell you about my Google job interview

[Ruby the Liberal]

48. I don't discount that there is an issue with that,

but you also have to take into account that a job is not automatic just because of skills or training. Companies hire people that they know will be able to function in their environment and on their teams - especially companies like Apple and Google.

Interview skills are a lost art - don't discount the importance that a first impression gives. If you go into a job interview with a prepositioned chip on your shoulder over how the world is screwing you (and those like you in the same circumstances), it is going to shine through and overtake your presence.

Take this or reject it, but creating a list of potential questions and having a friend or family member role play an interview with you prior to the actual meeting can really help you focus and put your best foot forward - and make the greatest impression on the potential employer as to what an asset you will be to their organization. Go in with a mindset about how you are about to be screwed because of H1Bs and it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

In other words - be pissed about it, but mentally compartmentalize and keep your activism and your interview lives separate.