Not saying that these are your qualifications, but I have seen ridiculous requirements for applicants, like 10 years of Java plus 5 years of .Net experience with C/C++/COBOL, requirements that noone could ever match.
I would rather hire good technical people with solid basic technical skills. They may not have the experience on the specific technology, but I would be confident that after a week or two of ramping up, they would probably be more productive than someone who has the specific experience, but poor general technical skills.
Again, not saying that this is your case, but I have seen this too many times.
I'm basically looking for basic skills and that is it. If your aren't colorblind, not physically impaired, and can read and operate a laptop and basic hand tools, I can make a technician out of you. If you can answer a phone, be nice, and operate a desk top I can make a cust svc rep. If you answer a phone, operate a desk top, and manage a workload database, I can make you a dispatcher.
We like to train people from the ground up when we can but we need basics to work with.
Agreed. Or in requiring a college degree for filling the entry-level counter job at Hertz when all they really need is well-spoken customer-oriented people who can read, write, do arithmetic and file papers.
I would rather hire good technical people with solid basic technical skills. They may not have the experience on the specific technology, but I would be confident that after a week or two of ramping up, they would probably be more productive than someone who has the specific experience, but poor general technical skills.
Unfortunately, employers with your common sense are outnumbered by those who are looking for ridiculous requirements. This forces people to lie about their qualifications. I've known people who have done it. They get hired. The employer realizes they did not get what they bargained for -- and sometimes lets the new employee go. Then the employer comes up with other ridiculous hoops, such as personality tests.
It has gotten bizarre. It doesn't even have to be poor technical skills. I applied recently for a position that required four previous implementations of Oracle Financials, including two of Project Accounting 11i. I have three previous implementations with two in Project Accounting, one of which was 11i. I never received a call.
"I would rather hire good technical people with solid basic technical skills. They may not have the experience on the specific technology, but I would be confident that after a week or two of ramping up, they would probably be more productive than someone who has the specific experience, but poor general technical skills.
Again, not saying that this is your case, but I have seen this too many times."
Agreed, I run a web-development/database marketing company. The "hot shot" tech guys with the major experience do not integrate well into business philosophy of customers and deadlines. Instead, I have found they will quit on a seconds notice with attitude and steal data assets. Now I go for the mid-level guys hungry for a permanent home that can actually help me produce a profit, not a headache.
The .NET experience requirement is a tip-off, that technology is not old enough for most to have 5 years experience, they are trolling just to be able to say they tried to get americans with the experience. They will then lower the requirements and seek employees overseas. In terms of experience, I have experience in all of those arenas, though not 10 years of Java, but 15 years of COBOL, 4-5 years with Java and I teach object oriented C++ at the college level in the evenings. Fortunately, I do not need a job right now, but there are plenty of americans with my experience and more who do.