The Computer Wizards

Ok - So the move to our new hosting was a huge success and was fairly painless! Many thanks to the folks at VWI and their Web Hosting partners for all their help.

So - while I'm on my "off hours" - I decided to wander through a couple of the 150+ pending e-mails that I had. One caught my attention - as it was from a headhunter firm - looking for a Senior ColdFusion Programmer... So I wandered to the link provided, which is actually a link to the advertisement on their customer's site... After reading it - there was no way I was going to recommend any of my network of friends for the position... To say that the person who wrote it was uninformed and antagonistic would be an understatement... The ad read as follows:

---

"Cold Fusion Programmer needed as soon as possible. This job is not for a beginner. Please be thoroughly knowledgable in MS Sequel and HTML and Java.

Must do work here on site - will consider part time if you are knowledable and will work with us.

Please do not bother applying if you cannot walk into this office. We need people HERE."

---

Ok - If you are going to ask applicants to be "thoroughly knowledgable" in "Cold Fusion" and "MS Sequel", then YOU should at least know that the areas you want them to be "thoroughly knowledgeable" in are REALLY "ColdFusion" and "MS SQL" - and you would probably want to spell check your ad so that typos like "knowledgable" and "knowledable" don't come through for the whole world to see.

I can see, as well, that you have probably tried to hire telecommuters that did not live up to your expectations. It's pretty much a given by the way you reiterate the point of "Must do work here" and "We need people HERE" - OK, OK, OK... Got THAT part... However, was it really necessary to add the "Please do not bother applying if you cannot walk into this office" part? It really comes off as antagonistic and rude - given the failures on your part to even know what ColdFusion and MS SQL are (or at least how to appropriately identify them in writing).

Ok, enough ranting on that one... Here's a clue for Tech Staffing agencies and headhunters: Know your subject areas, do not portray yourself as something you are not, and have phone staff that can at least speak English... If I had a nickel for every headhunter I have called/talked to/etc that I had to ask to repeat themselves (at least 5 times because I could not understand a word they were saying due to heavy foreign accents and/or their lack of understanding of basic English) - I could buy a cup of coffee at Starbucks (and for you Starbucks fans - you KNOW how much money THAT is :-}).

Don't tell me your name is "Bob" when your e-mail address demonstrates that your real name is definitely NOT "Bob" (sorry Rashid)...

Lastly, don't e-mail me about a ColdFusion position and then hit me with a position that has absolutely NOTHING to do with CF programming... While I am NOT looking for a new job - I know quite a few programmers that are - but I am not going to recommend them to you if you cannot meet at least these basic criteria.

{end rantmode}

Sorry about this, folks, but after the deluge of these things that I see/hear/get on a regular basis - I just had to say something. I have several friends and contacts in reputable, responsible, staffing companies - and I get tired of the "fly-by-night" places and folks looking to hire "Cold Fusion" programmers that don't even really know what they are looking for...