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[Phillip Mills]

On Aug 22, 2004, at 8:09 PM, Ralph Doncaster wrote:

> I find it rather ironic when people complain about not getting an
> interview at a company due to stupid hiring practices.  If it's a dumb
> company, why would anyone intelligent want to work there?

If a company is doing interesting things with neat technology, it may 
not be a dumb company.  If it's of any size at all, it may have a 
"dumb" employee...or a smart employee who did a "dumb" thing.  (Let's 
see...have I *ever* felt as if I could be described that way?)

Also, no job description for a position with any creative scope ever 
survives contact with reality.  Within a month, the person getting the 
job will have modified it by applying knowledge that the hiring manager 
didn't have.  Even without that, in any technology-oriented company, 
people, projects, and goals change frequently.  (Which is why I shake 
my head so often at ads that insist on experience with "SomeDatabase 
version 13.04".)

Apart from discouraging capable candidates, the problem with 
ridiculous/impossible requirements is that a literal, checklist 
approach to screening responses gets the managers interviewees who have 
been selected for their ability to generate B.S.

........................
Phillip Mills
Multi-platform software development
(416) 224-0714

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