April 18, 2011 at 8:20 pm
alen teplitsky (4/18/2011)
a lot of the listings are fake and are just head hunters looking for resumes for their database
Ah, now there's something I've also noticed: the same job description popping up week after week, month after month. A position seemingly never to get filled. That's a red flag in it's own right.
Steve.
April 18, 2011 at 9:24 pm
Fal (4/18/2011)
alen teplitsky (4/18/2011)
a lot of the listings are fake and are just head hunters looking for resumes for their databaseAh, now there's something I've also noticed: the same job description popping up week after week, month after month. A position seemingly never to get filled. That's a red flag in it's own right.
Steve.
Job boards like Dice and Monster have devolved into resume harvesting/aggregation services. So, I don't even bother with job boards anymore. I leverage my network - mainly via LinkedIn. Let them find you. Make them earn their keep.
James Stover, McDBA
April 21, 2011 at 11:06 am
Great article Craig! I've been put off by job postings that have the SQL God requirement in the past. I'll never look at job postings in the same light again.
How about the jobs that list a bunch of SQL Server skills and then add .Net? What the heck to they mean by that?
Todd Fifield
April 21, 2011 at 11:14 am
tfifield (4/21/2011)
Great article Craig! I've been put off by job postings that have the SQL God requirement in the past. I'll never look at job postings in the same light again.How about the jobs that list a bunch of SQL Server skills and then add .Net? What the heck to they mean by that?
Todd Fifield
I had one just like that this week. They clearly need a senior for the role and they know it. All admin stuff all the way, very clear and well presented, then at the end they add 3 years .net web dev :w00t:.
ADMIN <> web DEV
April 21, 2011 at 12:49 pm
tfifield (4/21/2011)
Great article Craig! I've been put off by job postings that have the SQL God requirement in the past. I'll never look at job postings in the same light again.How about the jobs that list a bunch of SQL Server skills and then add .Net? What the heck to they mean by that?
Todd Fifield
One of two things usually. First is the good reasoning: They want someone who's at least done SOME programming so they can talk to the coders intelligently, even if they can't do their job. The other is they want an actual coder who can do all these SQL tasks as well, because they don't realize the workload or expertise is different.
Sadly, the latter of those is the more common. It really only works in very tiny shops that don't have a lot of work in general, or they need the rare change to the interface/software but mostly they need the data maintained.
Never stop learning, even if it hurts. Ego bruises are practically mandatory as you learn unless you've never risked enough to make a mistake.
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April 21, 2011 at 12:56 pm
Ninja's_RGR'us (4/21/2011)
tfifield (4/21/2011)
Great article Craig! I've been put off by job postings that have the SQL God requirement in the past. I'll never look at job postings in the same light again.How about the jobs that list a bunch of SQL Server skills and then add .Net? What the heck to they mean by that?
Todd Fifield
I had one just like that this week. They clearly need a senior for the role and they know it. All admin stuff all the way, very clear and well presented, then at the end they add 3 years .net web dev :w00t:.
ADMIN <> web DEV
I hate those. "We need x, but we want the kitchen sink." I call them shotgun postings (among other, less savory names). You can tell they dang well need an *X* person. They still slam everything on the wall hoping to find someone it'll all stick to for 1/2 the price of the guy who ONLY does what they really needed in the first place. :rolleyes:
Never stop learning, even if it hurts. Ego bruises are practically mandatory as you learn unless you've never risked enough to make a mistake.
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April 21, 2011 at 7:05 pm
Sometimes in large organizations - particularly government - you will see jobs advertised with very specific skills and experience. I've never been able to prove this, but I am almost certain these jobs are written for either 1) the person already in the job who has to re-apply for whatever reason or 2) the person who already works, wants the job and is required to apply the job along with everyone else. Basically, the manager writes the job spec so that nobody else other than the person they want in the job is qualified. I'm not saying it's good or bad, just that I'm certain it happens.
James Stover, McDBA
April 21, 2011 at 10:13 pm
Yep, seen that in CA State positions often.
April 22, 2011 at 11:57 am
James Stover (4/21/2011)
Sometimes in large organizations - particularly government - you will see jobs advertised with very specific skills and experience. I've never been able to prove this, but I am almost certain these jobs are written for either 1) the person already in the job who has to re-apply for whatever reason or 2) the person who already works, wants the job and is required to apply the job along with everyone else. Basically, the manager writes the job spec so that nobody else other than the person they want in the job is qualified. I'm not saying it's good or bad, just that I'm certain it happens.
A perfect example of what I've nicknamed a "Job for Bob" scenario. I personally usually see these in Visa Renewal situations, but the government doing it too doesn't surprise me.
Never stop learning, even if it hurts. Ego bruises are practically mandatory as you learn unless you've never risked enough to make a mistake.
For better assistance in answering your questions[/url] | Forum Netiquette
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April 22, 2011 at 10:20 pm
Craig Farrell (4/22/2011)
James Stover (4/21/2011)
Sometimes in large organizations - particularly government - you will see jobs advertised with very specific skills and experience. I've never been able to prove this, but I am almost certain these jobs are written for either 1) the person already in the job who has to re-apply for whatever reason or 2) the person who already works, wants the job and is required to apply the job along with everyone else. Basically, the manager writes the job spec so that nobody else other than the person they want in the job is qualified. I'm not saying it's good or bad, just that I'm certain it happens.A perfect example of what I've nicknamed a "Job for Bob" scenario. I personally usually see these in Visa Renewal situations, but the government doing it too doesn't surprise me.
"Job for Bob". I like it!
James Stover, McDBA
May 9, 2011 at 7:43 am
James Stover (4/21/2011)
Sometimes in large organizations - particularly government - you will see jobs advertised with very specific skills and experience. I've never been able to prove this, but I am almost certain these jobs are written for either 1) the person already in the job who has to re-apply for whatever reason or 2) the person who already works, wants the job and is required to apply the job along with everyone else. Basically, the manager writes the job spec so that nobody else other than the person they want in the job is qualified. I'm not saying it's good or bad, just that I'm certain it happens.
in government yes
by law all government jobs have to be advertised for some amount of time. so if someone likes you and wants to promote you into a better job they have to advertise the job first to give other people a chance. to get around it they write the skill set to what you can do so that they have eliminate others
May 24, 2013 at 2:12 am
Great article! Some really good pointers there!
May 24, 2013 at 3:24 am
When I saw "visionary Database Administrator" I would have thrown my hands up and run screaming. That means, "We break all the rules, regularly, sometimes even on purpose, we know it, and we really don't care. Your job is to cover our asses so we all come out smelling like roses. But not you."
I already had that job. A couple of times. I don't want to do it again.
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
- Theodore Roosevelt
Author of:
SQL Server Execution Plans
SQL Server Query Performance Tuning
May 24, 2013 at 4:57 am
Funnily, I remember reading this article when it was first published! 😛 Its truth is still spot on today, as it was then. Nothing has changed in the world of recruiters, or companies that don't understand what they're asking for.
I'm surprised they didn't correct the "then" issue on this new publish, especially after the drawn out discussion about it. It is irrelevant to the discussion, but I have no control when my brain grinds to a halt, mid sentence, for a tiny recompute. Don't worry, it doesn't bother me, I'm no grammar or spelling expert, and I should care less about such things. That said, my reading flow gets interrupted, like a cat walking over your keyboard while you're trying to read something. 😀
May 24, 2013 at 6:02 am
Great article.
I think I almost applied for that job in Colorado when I was looking earlier this year.
One thing I have found over the last 18+ years of working with SQL, is that the required and wanted skill sets change with the economy. When the economy is good, the job postings tend to be more "focused" in what they need, when the economy is bad they throw everything at the wall and hope they can find an expert senior DBA for a junior or mid level price.
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