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"...send me a copy of your most current resume with a list of three to four professional references; please include your references' name, professional title, company name, company location, and contact phone number."
This reference BS annoys me most of all.
Plus you can go ahead and add
Herding in dozens of "candidates" for interviews, most of which have little to no chance of getting the position, you just want to have that flexibility.
Come on, save the people who are barely qualified and have little to no shot the time. People have to take off work, or rearrange their schedules for this.
I don't get the emphasis on very specific skills that aren't difficult to master. I'm in IT as well, and have seen want ads stating something like:
Visual Studio 2010, C#, Asp.net, SQL Server, Entity Framework, and must be familiar with Subversion source control
What? You want a programmer but you're going to eliminate people based on their experience with a certain source control system? Anyone familiar with any source control system would get the basics of Subversion in 20 minutes and be fairly competent in a couple days. I don't get it.
i run across that frequently. i don't get it either. sometimes the requirements don't even make sense.. i.e., 10 years of experience wanted with a particular tool that has only been around for 3 years.
i interpret job descriptions very, very liberally. HR is often a bureaucratic barrier between a firm, and good workers.
7 - Insist on a Bachelor's Degree (or more) for positions where you also insist on least 5-6 yrs experience, often more. Speaking for the IT field at least, FYI by that time the degree they have probably has little if anything to do w/their being qualified for that job, the possible exception being developers in that it introduced them to a particular language/OS/etc. But that's ALL it did. Their real qualification(s) for the job are in that 5-6+ yrs of experience, so if they have that, having or not having a degree should mean little. Yet most still insist on it
5. Ask for information which is excessive if not outright irrelevant from a prospective employee. For example:
"...send me a copy of your most current resume with a list of three to four professional references; please include your references' name, professional title, company name, company location, and contact phone number."
Titles are a dime a dozen to say the least; I don't recall most of my own "official" titles, let alone others'. A name and phone number, and perhaps the company name, should be plenty. If you really perceive a need for the rest - and you shouldn't - call them and ask. In fact, if you're going to call, confirming/establishing my relationship with them SHOULD be the first thing an HR/staffer/whatever asks anyway.
PS: you don't need my address unless you're hiring me. And CERTAINLY not my SSN, unless you're going to run a credit check - and I'll want that in writing. One staffer company insisted they needed it just for "their database." I applied for the job with another staffing agency.
So don't apply when asked these type answers or answer has you have here. Bet that is the last you hear from them tho. They will hire someone else.
Well duh. I play the game as needed. That doesn't stop it from being idiotic though.
Annnnnnnd #8:
Ask vague, ambiguous and generally stupid questions with no clear answer at all, let alone "best" answer...ie could be interpreted many diff. ways depending on who's reading it. eg I got this one for a govt job (figures). "C" is the only obvious "bad" answer. Any of the other 3 could easily be "best" (although I opted for D given the "independently" bit). Other questions were even worse.
1. Are you able to pay attention to detail? A I am able to organize and perform standard IT duties accurately and collaborate to plan and complete complex assignments. B I am able to perform standard IT duties accurately, collaborate on complex assignments, and identify trends and patterns to recommend new policies or procedures. C I am able to plan and organize work to perform standard IT duties under the direction of a mentor, team leader, or supervisor. D I am able to independently plan and organize work to perform standard IT duties completely and accurately.
This doesn't necessarily impact finding good candidates, but for crying out loud......LEARN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. Here are just a few examples, all of which I saw just today. These are vertabim except where I deleted the company name or other data (in italics).
These people are employed, but I'm not. OK......
Quote:
(Company) was founded in (year) and headquartered in NJ, It is recognized as one of fastest growing IT consulting, IT services and software development Company.
Quote:
Please forward your updated copy of resume to (email), one of my senior recruiter will surely contact you.
Quote:
Our valued client*s includes fortune 500 companies, Government Agencies.
Quote:
Currently we are looking for a qualified individual to work as a Technical Writer with one of our direct client.
This doesn't necessarily impact finding good candidates, but for crying out loud......LEARN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. Here are just a few examples, all of which I saw just today. These are vertabim except where I deleted the company name or other data (in italics).
These people are employed, but I'm not. OK......
Weren't you the one who wrote that a few typos on a resume should be OK?
First off, you're twisting my words. I didn't say it was "OK," only that, within reason, it shouldn't automatically dismiss a candidate.
And in that light, another big diff is that I wouldn't (and didn't) dismiss a staffing agency or potential employer because of that - as many hiring staffers do with candidates. Further, I'm not talking minor typos or errors, but glaring and numerous ones.
Anyway......rounding out my top 10:
10 - Get overly wrapped up in how they look. And again, within reason. It's one thing if someone walks in wearing a tank top and sandals, but God forbid someome come in looking nice and professional, but not be in a suit or what have you. I have heard stories of how people were eliminated due to that. Unless you're hiring models, this is also idiotic.
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