[ale] Linux Administrator opportunity

[James Sumners]

I understand all of the views expressed previous to this one. But this
is one is in line with my position. If I can't research the company
beforehand, why would I apply to work there?

2008/9/9 Michael B. Trausch <mike at trausch.us>:
> On Tue, Sep 09, 2008 at 12:06:20PM -0400, Stephen Benjamin wrote:
>> Indeed, I find the same issues job hunting.  Staffing agencies can be
>> frustrating but you just got to play the game. Unfortunately, many don't
>> have the experience or knowledge to identify good hires: they'll see someone
>> with a B.S. and Linux+ cert and prefer them over someone who's been working
>> with linux for many many years without a degree (e.g. me!).
>>
>> But you put your feelers out there for the jobs that you're best qualified
>> for, and hope some bite.
>
> This is precisely why I don't take the bait that headhunters lay out.
> Often, they'll claim that they are qualified to make a decision, but
> will get totally confused when they give you these stupid
> questionnaires.  On more than one occasion, I've been selected as a
> potential person for the job, and then they ask these dumb questions, I
> provide answers, and they're like "Well, that's not what's here..."
> because the answers they have on their little keys are one sentence or
> less, when the correct answer is more than that.
>
> If they _were_ able to figure it out on their own, and could hold up a
> technical conversation on the topic of the job, then I'd be much more
> inclined to give them a second thought.
>
> To be fair, the blame does not rest *fully* on staffing agencies:
> Companies are vague in giving job descriptions to the agencies to
> fulfill.  So, they can't answer your questions, and they won't give you
> a contact to a person that *can* answer your questions (and often won't
> even give you the name of the place until you agree to interview, which
> is a no-no for me; I won't even think about working for a place that I
> am not allowed to know about, because that is information that is
> pertinent to my decision!), and they usually won't go out of their way
> to find out for you---they'll just move on to the next person that is
> more willing to work with far less information.
>
>   --- Mike



-- 
James Sumners
http://james.roomfullofmirrors.com/

"All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts
pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it
is magnetic to the corruptible. Such people have a tendency to become
drunk on violence, a condition to which they are quickly addicted."

Missionaria Protectiva, Text QIV (decto)
CH:D 59