[TriLUG] OT: Job and request for help!

[Steve Litt via TriLUG]

On Sat, 27 Feb 2016 12:27:24 -0500
"Paul G. Szabady via TriLUG" <trilug at trilug.org> wrote:

> * Include link(s) to benefits information so that applicants can 
> estimate total compensation package, not just base salary.
> I may be naive, but this is something I would expect the applicant to
> do in their investigation of the position and it's entity. 

Reread the preceding two sentences, and think about what you're really
saying.

There are two kinds of technologists: The employed and the unemployed.
Employed technologists are too busy, and fielding too many offers as it
is. The last thing they'll spend time on is jumping through hoops that
could have been replaced by a few links. So the employed technologists
skip over your posting.

But what about the unemployed technologists? They've learned it's a
numbers game, with odds greatly stacked against them. They know that a
job ad is the first step on a path that usually ends with "we found
somebody better suited". Or sometimes the job ad is a legal
technicality to prove no Americans wanted the job, so the employer can
do what they really want and hire an H1-B they can enslave with the
threat of deportation. Those H1-B justifying ads often enumerate a
litany of disparate requirements, kind of like the UNC job ad.

So if a technologist answers an ad, of course it's a quickie resume
and cover letter, which might be interpreted as "will you hire me".
Because technologists long ago learned that the five hours
researching a company/posting could be MUCH MORE effectively used
getting out to user groups, meeting people, gathering information and
terminology, and giving and polishing up their elevator speech.

Once a prospective hire is invited to an in-person interview, I think
you'll be pleasantly surprised how quickly and completely "will you hire
me" turns into a discussion of how the two parties can help each other.
But until the interview, odds dictate they prioritize other things over
spending big time and effort responding to job ads: They often just send
the resume and the form letter.

You want to hire someone? Send one technological employee and one
management employee to a TriLUG meeting, to a Java meeting, to a few
other use group meetings and networking events. Ask for 5 minutes to
present the job opening, then be available at the end of the meeting to
field questions from prospective people. I predict you'll quickly
garner several qualified candidates. And better yet, those you don't
hire you can save for later, so when other positions come up, you don't
face this situation again.

SteveT

Steve Litt 
February 2016 featured book: The Key to Everyday Excellence
http://www.troubleshooters.com/key