| Q31: Do you have ________ experience?
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The short answer is...
Recruiters, are you looking for a specific keyword? May I make it easier for you?
Please view my keywords page, and — on that page —
if you do see the _______ keyword, then I do have the ________ experience.
The long answer is...
Recruiters,
may I offer you some unconventional advice?
Be skeptical about job descriptions because, in my experience,
most job requirements — especially job requirements during recessions — are only wish lists!
Based on my 10 years of experience as a contract engineer,
when you see a long-long list jam packed with acronyms and/or names of specific tools,
then you have a prospective employer who is not serious about hiring.
They won't hire anyone because their quest for a "perfect candidate" is a quest
for a candidate that doesn't exist. This is not the way to get a contract!
But it is a good way to make recruiters and contractors run around in circles, and without any compensation!
Over-specifying job requirements:
In a testimony to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, Dr.
Norman Matloff (Department of Computer Science, University of California at Davis)
said, "Employers unnecessarily over-specify job requirements.
There is considerable skepticism about the validity of requirements
stated in most job postings."
Obsession with specific skills:
Dr. Norman Matloff said, "This obsession with specific skills
is unwarranted, akin to what would happen if Chevy dealers refused to
hire seasoned mechanics with experience on Fords. Refusing to hire
a C-language programmer to write Java code is like a Chevy
dealer refusing to hire mechanics who have only Ford experience,
and even such luminaries as Microsoft's Bill Gates have criticized industry
practice in this regard."
We're not looking for any specific knowledge:
Bill Gates said, "We're not looking for any specific knowledge
because things change so fast, and it's easy to learn stuff.
You've got to have an excitement about software, certain intelligence...
It's NOT the specific knowledge that counts." (Wall Street Journal,
November 8, 1994.)
Bill Gates has the right attitude:
Of course, Bill Gates has the right attitude.
Specific knowledge does NOT count.
Anyone who claims the opposite — e.g. in a manufacturing
environment "you need forty-three (43) specific skills
to be able to work for us" — has never worked in any manufacturing environment.
Who is the caller?
Over 90% of my incoming phone calls (and emails)
fall under one of the following eight categories:
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The Perfectionist. Caller appears to have some
very highly specialized and deeply technical work, but cannot
fill it because the prospective employer is too picky, too
fastidious, and my resume is NOT a good match,
not even close to the 110% perfection the employer demands.
Caller ignores my keywords,
because he knows my background
is not even close to the 110% perfection the employer
demands, but he confronts me anyway, "Tell me, for each skill
how do you fit the requirements?" Or, "Where is your
________ experience? I don't see it on your resume!"
This way he can A) blame the lack of match on me,
B) feel superior at my expense, and C) conceal the
fact he didn't view my keywords
before he contacted me. The Perfectionist won't get you a
contract, but he'll make recruiters and
contractors run around in circles, and without any compensation.
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The Optimist. Caller appears to have some
specialized, technical work, but cannot fill it because
my specialization isn't the same, not even close to the
specialization the prospective employer wants. Caller is an
optimist who believes if he just sends me a job description,
miraculously my resume will start saying, "Rob is
a Reliability Engineer"... "Rob is a Components Engineer"... "Rob
is an Analog Design Engineer"... "Rob is a Quality Manager"... or
"Rob is a Project Manager" -- the specialist the
prospective employer wants -- and the Optimist believes I'll
spend the next 24 hours of my life to completely rewrite my
resume, completely reinvent my employment history, and find
a way to mislead the prospective employer.
Alternatively, maybe the Optimist doesn't understand what it
is that I do, and believes all of these specialties
automatically are my specialties as well. The truth is, my
specialty is none of the above, and the truth is, I have no intention to
mislead anyone, not even one prospective employer. Often,
when I send the Optimist my standard resume, he confronts me,
and says, "Where is your _______ experience? I don't see it
on your resume!" This way he can A) blame the lack of match on
me, B) feel superior at my expense, and C) conceal the fact that
he didn't read my resume before
he contacted me. The Optimist won't get you a contract, but
will make recruiters and contractors run around in circles,
and without any compensation.
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The Penny Pincher. Caller appears to have a job,
but the job pays ridiculously
LOW wages in a high cost of living area that no one wants.
Or, the call is about a "permanent position" that I don't want.
This way he can A) blame the lack of match on my "high" rates,
B) feel superior (at my expense), and C) conceal the fact that he
didn't view my rates before
he contacted me. The Penny Pincher won't get you a contract,
but he'll make recruiters and contractors run around in
circles, and without any compensation.
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The Unproductive Beginner. Caller appears to
have a job, but cannot fill it because something is lacking on
her part. What is it? Courage? Skills? Experience?
Or brains? To bring together buyer and seller, she would need all
of these four things. To justify her existence, she creates a paper
blizzard, with long lists of questions. She forever writes, and
rewrites requirements, requires more references, develops more
detailed forms, and devises new tests. If I respond, she has
nothing for me, but more questions, more paperwork, more
messages, and more grief. With her on my side, I find
myself spending an increasing amount of my time to 1)
register and re-register at her web site, 2) read the large
number of junk requirements her site emails to me on a regular
basis, 3) fill out her forms and questionnaires, 4) rehash my
resumes, 5) rehash my answers to my recruiters FAQs, and 6) write
for her own use, additional, detailed justifications, as to why
my resume is a good fit with one of "her" jobs. The Unproductive
Beginner won't get you a contract, but she'll make recruiters
and contractors run around in circles, and without any compensation.
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The Friendly Freeloader. Caller is a
stranger who has nothing but a telephone and/or email account,
and dangles before me the possibility that perhaps someday she
might have a suitable position for me. She says something
vague, like, "I'd appreciate any referrals for this position."
Or, with the innocence of a little girl on her way to catechism,
she says she just wants to "network" with me. "Networking" is
her code for obtaining from me referrals, or recommendations,
or technical information, or all of the above, for FREE. The
Friendly Freeloader won't get you a contract, but she can
burn up your valuable time. Additionally, she can create some
serious competition for you; and competition is something you
don't need.
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The Resume Collector. Caller has nothing but
an email account, but dangles before me the possibility
that perhaps someday he might have a suitable position for
me. He says something real vague and non-specific, like, "Rob,
send a Word document of your resume so we can have an updated
copy." Or, "Rob, we have 'many positions'... please forward resume,
and I'll get to work." But, hold it for a second! Why should I
send anything to him, when the resume I could send him is the
very same document that he can find on my web site? And, why
should I send it to him, again, when my most recent resume is the
very same document that I sent to him 2 days, 5 days, or 15
days ago?
The Resume Collector won't get you a contract, but he'll
make contractors run around in circles, and without any compensation.
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The Inquisitive Investigator. Caller is
a con artist in recruiters' clothes; a fastidious,
nosey person who is obsessed about collecting information, my
personal information! He is also a stranger, an unknown information
collector, a beginner investigator with a large number of nosey
questions who wants to investigate me, at my expense and at the
expense of everything else. He acts like a one-person
government agency that "has to do" the combined investigation of
the DSS, DIS, and the Defense Department, but he cannot give me any
security clearance, and cannot assure me that my personal data
won't end up in India.
To justify his investigation, he dangles before me a nonexistent
job, and also stalls for time, "I'll tell you about the job
later". But he "forgets" and gives me nothing and sends me
nothing.
He is interested in collecting information, my personal information,
at my expense; or doing identity theft at my expense; or
collecting company names at my expense; or collecting references
he can use and abuse later on, at my expense.
Trust is a slow process that good recruiters build up over the years.
Trust is not something I give to the first unknown, unlicensed,
unidentified, self-appointed investigator who is able to dial my number
and make a surprise phone call to me.
The Inquisitive Investigator won't get you a contract, but
will waste your valuable time, and make you lose references. He can
also create some serious competition for you. He can also make you a
victim of identity theft, and make contractors run around in circles,
and without any compensation.
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The Reference Collector.
Caller is a con artist in recruiters' clothes who uses surprise, deception, tricks, intimidation,
and sometimes shills.
Depending on his personality, he can be overtly aggressive, or real subtle, friendly and charming.
He makes a large effort to get from me rate, identity and especially "reference" information, however,
he has absolutely nothing but a telephone, pen and paper, an 800 number and a long list of questions.
He wants to talk and pretends he has a job. He dangles before me this nonexistent, temporary job.
He promises to tell me about the job later, send me the job description later, or submit me later,
but he doesn't give me anything, doesn't send me anything, and doesn't submit me anywhere.
He gives me nothing but excuses, false and misleading statements, e.g. "I can't do that...
I can't tell you that... there is a job, but the rate is real low." Or, "we cannot submit you
(to our unnamed, non-existent client in a usually far-away location), because you say you want per diem,
and we don't pay per diem."
All of this is just an elaborate reference collector scam designed to get from you as much information as he
can, and prey on the most vulnerable potential victims — the increasing ranks of jobseekers and the
unemployed. This elaborate setup also allows him to call you up later, and pretend he is a "swell guy" who
keeps in touch with you every 30 days. By getting you on the phone every 30 days, he keeps hoping one day
you'll give him too much information, by volunteering to him names of hiring managers he doesn't dare to ask you
about. What he really wants are sales leads at your expense or identity theft at your expense. He wants names of
hiring managers at your expense, or "references" he can use and abuse at your expense.
However, trust is a slow process that good recruiters build up over the years. Trust isn't something
you give to the first stranger with a telephone, who has been able to dial your number twice in 30 days.
The Reference Collector won't get you a contract, but will make you lose valuable time and energy.
He'll also make you lose references, make you a victim of identity theft, and make contractors run
around in circles, and without any compensation.
Real recruiters:
If you're a real recruiter, DEFINITELY call me if something comes available for contract.
I'm pleased that you're considering my help for employment opportunities with you;
and would like to thank you for your interest in me, and in the work that I do.
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| Resume
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For Rob's resume, click here
or here.
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| Contact Rob
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For contact info, click here.
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