Recruiters, don’t be *this* guy
I’ve railed about the inanity of recruiters shooting out mass emails based on superficial database queries before. You find a key word somewhere, paste in a bunch of “please send me your resume” mumbo-jumbo, and poof! job offer, right?
Yeah, hardly.
Here’s one I got in my email today
Job Description: :
Required Skills
6–8 years of experience with GIS application development. Must have experience using the following technologies: ArcGIS Desktop, Open Source GIS, GeoServer, OpenLayers, Oracle Spatial, Glassfish, and UNIX. Requires experience with one or more of the following programming languages/frameworks: Java, JavaScript, Python, SQL, PL/SQL, Google Web Toolkit, PERL, Java Servlets, HTML, KML, and XML. Knowledge of enterprise database design and development and Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards such as WMS and WFS, required. Must have experience performing cutting edge research on the collection, use, and interpretation of Coastal Mapping Program data. Must have excellent written and oral communication skills and be able to work independently, or as a team member. Familiarity with NOAA NGS and the mission of NGS Coastal Mapping Program is a big plus.
What are the 3–4 non-negotiable requirements on this position?
Experience using the following technologies: ArcGIS Desktop, Open Source GIS, GeoServer, OpenLayers, Oracle Spatial, Glassfish, and UNIX. Experience with one or more of the following programming languages/frameworks: Java, JavaScript, Python, SQL, PL/SQL, Google Web Toolkit, PERL, Java Servlets, HTML, KML, and XML
Education
BS in GIS, Cartography, Computer Science, related discipline, or equivalent.
How did these guys find me? They probably did a search on some term related to GIS tools.
Here’s the actual statement from my resume that mentions the GIS project I worked on. Note the absence of the actual term “GIS”
Program manager and analyst for enterprise-enabled SQL tools used to conduct geo-spatial analysis of civil affairs data for the military. Led convergence effort to increase interoperability of three different systems by unifying data models, which dramatically increased accuracy of inter-application data migrations. System was deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Horn of Africa with US Army Civil Affairs and Human Terrain System teams.
Now, here’s the list of points from the job description that I DON’T have:
- 6–8 years of experience with GIS application development.
- Must have experience using the following technologies: ArcGIS Desktop, Open Source GIS, GeoServer, OpenLayers, Oracle Spatial, Glassfish, and UNIX.
- Requires experience with one or more of the following programming languages/frameworks: Java, JavaScript, Python, SQL, PL/SQL, Google Web Toolkit, PERL, Java Servlets, HTML, KML, and XML.
- Knowledge of enterprise database design and development and Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards such as WMS and WFS, required.
- Must have experience performing cutting edge research on the collection, use, and interpretation of Coastal Mapping Program data.
- Familiarity with NOAA NGS and the mission of NGS Coastal Mapping Program is a big plus.
What are the 3–4 non-negotiable requirements on this position - Experience using the following technologies: ArcGIS Desktop, Open Source GIS, GeoServer, OpenLayers, Oracle Spatial, Glassfish, and UNIX.
- Experience with one or more of the following programming languages/frameworks: Java, JavaScript, Python, SQL, PL/SQL, Google Web Toolkit, PERL, Java Servlets, HTML, KML, and XML
Education - BS in GIS, Cartography, Computer Science, related discipline, or equivalent.
Now, here’s the list of points from the job description that I DO have:
- Must have excellent written and oral communication skills and be able to work independently, or as a team member.
Seriously. This is a complete and utter mismatch to my resume at all. This is a lazy recruiter that is wasting his time (but he’s still getting paid for it) and mine (interfering with more valid options on my job search).
This sort of shotgun-blast email to a mass audience is one of the biggest time-wasting annoyances and frustrations in the job-hunting world. It’s stupid, it’s counterproductive, and it makes me never want to work with Mukul Nath at Softpath Systems LLC, because if you can’t be bothered to spend 15 seconds scanning my resume to see if it meets the basic standards of the position, what possible confidence could I have in you to know me well enough to represent me to the client?
Himani Harinkhede over at Xoriant sent me one last week whose job description included the following
- Microsoft .Net , SQL and MS Azure Development skills needed for the application migration project.
- Contribute in requirements elicitation, creation of application architecture document and creation of design artifacts.
- Deliver high quality codes, support activities related to implementation and transition.
- Interface with internal team and key stakeholders.
- Analyze and resolve issues to ensure high quality deliverables at each stage of SDLC.
Again, as I’ve written before, the last “codes” I wrote? 1986, in Atari LOGO. Yeah, it’s been a while. Pay attention people.
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