Re: Any jobs here?

> > On Tue, 15 Mar 2005, Adam bultman wrote:
> > I've got the ACS career page "pagepan"ed (http://www.pagepan.com,
> > something I worked on in a class) so I know when it changes - and I
> > noticed that. They wanted more experience than I had - bollucks!
>
> Arthur:
> I hear this a lot from guys on this and other lists. I think all of you who
> are either looking for a opportunity to either break into an IT career or
> advance in it should keep a few things in mind.
>
> If you see a job you're interested in, apply for it. *Regardless* of whether
> or not you think you're qualified. The fact of the matter is that many
> companies over-spec job requirements, partly out of hopeful optimism, partly
> just to cover all their bases. Other companies have their job requirements
> set by human resource departments that don't have the first clue what's need
> to fill a position.
>
> The practical reality is that almost no position gets filled with a candidate
> that's a perfect match. Compromises are the rule, not the exception. Another
> practical reality is that educational requirements can usually be substituted
> for experience. Even certifications can be negotiable in many situations.

I'll agree here, as I think most people who've been on the other side of
the table will. A description that has "required" and "desired" means
that the closer to (or exceeding) the "required" list you are, the more
likely you'll get the job. "Desired" means bonus points. A description
that says "5 years experience with <x>" and you have been doing it for
the last four years - apply! If you did it for three years, two jobs
ago, now that might be a bit iffy :-)

The state site, Workplace Alaska, has a nice feature - there's the "big
10" - questions that are job-specific and highly desirable. That's what
you'll be dealing with in the job. Then there's the "minimum
requirements" section - that's what it takes to be considered for the
position. In the Big 10 section of a networking position it might ask if
you have three years administering Solaris-based servers, three years of
NT/2000 domain management, two years of Active Directory admin, three
years of TCP/IP based network admin and troubleshooting, etc., while the
minimum requirement is one year of administering a network. (I kid you
not - that's not hypothetical...) So, if your resume clearly shows me
that you spent a year doing network support, then you can apply and be
considered. Obviously, if you have none of the experience desired, your
chances are pretty slim, but you can still apply!

One final example. About three months after I hired on at the state as a
technician II, a specialist I position came up (next step up the
ladder). I didn't apply - while I made the requirements, my experince
was pretty thin compared to the Big 10. After doing the interviews, my
boss came to me and asked why I didn't apply. When I told him, he said
that compared to the rest I probably would have gotten the position...
*Nobody* was qualified for it! When he re-advertized it, I applied, and
finished #2. The guy that got it hadn't applied for the first one, and
fit about 80-90% of the "desired" list... Me, I was under 50%...

-- 
Tom <thogland@alaskatech.org>
---------
To unsubscribe, send email to <aklug-request@aklug.org>
with 'unsubscribe' in the message body.