How I Got a New Job By Backing Up My Computer

My name is Gary Dietz. I’m the new Product Marketing Manager for  Acronis True Image - best backup software.  The following story is true and the names have not been changed to protect the innocent. (Although, as you’ll see, data was in fact protected.)

After my first phone interview with Acronis, I installed a trial of Acronis True Image 2016 and ran two backups as a test. (Job seeking tip: Try out a tech company’s software before the job interviews start.) One backup was my entire laptop and the other my D: drive, on which I stored all of my data in a big-ol’-mess of folders.

After a few Skypes, I was invited to the office to chat in person, and I wanted to bring my portfolio. The night I was going to make select copies of my portfolio to a thumb drive, my main laptop didn’t boot.

No worries, I thought. Dead battery. So, I plugged it in. Still nothing. Not fazed, yet. I removed the battery and let it sit for a while. Then I re-inserted the battery and plugged in the power cord and heard a faint “POP!” and the strong, acrid smell of solder, smoke, and desperation appeared in the air.

Uh-oh. (Well, “Uh-oh” wasn’t my exact word choice.)

My job interview was the next morning. And I hadn’t event ironed my shirt yet! Not to mention my photos, personal writings, and scanned legal and tax documents were MIA. If my significant other found out about it I would be DOA!

But I had the two backups I had prepared with Acronis True Image. I then installed True Image again on a new Windows laptop I surreptitiously unwrapped from the Christmas present pile and quickly recovered all of the data that had lived on my old D: drive. It took about an hour. Acronis True Image and its tools do a lot more, but this single, simple thing rescued my professional and personal derriere.

I quickly copied my recovered portfolio files to a thumb drive in time to iron my shirt and get to sleep at a reasonable hour. And even though Frank, my new boss, didn’t end up asking to look at my portfolio (thanks Frank) he did mention how neatly my shirt was ironed. I ended up getting the job.

Lessons learned?

1. Back up your computer.  It really isn’t hard and someday it will save your behind, too.
2. Learning a few simple backup tips, like the 3-2-1 rule will save your professional and personal life someday. (Can you imagine telling a spouse or Grandparent that you LOST all of their digital pictures?)
3. Acronis True Image can recover files fast: Fast enough to leave you time to iron your shirt and still get to bed at a reasonable hour.

For many of us, our photos, videos, documents, and emails can be as valuable as our physical possessions. In the case of my professional portfolio, which I keep on my laptop, protecting my files had a dramatic impact on my employment opportunities!

I sleep better knowing that my digital life and the stories and memories they represent are always safe and regularly backed up. So back your stuff up. Who knows, someday the files you save may help you get a job!