[thelist] Head Hunters, Staffing Agencis and Job Hunting Tips

[Hassan Schroeder]

David B. wrote:

> Sorry but I have to but in on this thread, you're giving bad advice IMHO.
>
>> And this is just silly. Someone staffing a reception desk in a
>> lobby has *no idea* what to do with your resume. None.
>
> Absolutely they do - I have to wonder just how much experience you have.

I got into the computer business in 1973, fixing keypunches for IBM :-)
The last big company I worked for was Sun. The smallest has been a
6-person startup. In between, a number of medium and small (~25-75
employees) companies.

> Uh huh, and what exactly does the Human Resources department in a
> company do

As I already said:
>> HR processes the paperwork for new hires when an offer is made and
>> accepted. Individual groups deal with filling positions.

> Wow - where do you work? Most enlightened companies have their HR, do
> the prescreen.

Well, I'd hope that "enlightened" companies empower the person
closest to the position -- the hiring manager -- to analyze resumes
for the required skills, rather than a non-technical HR droid.
And they typically do.

> Uh huh, and most businesses have vistors parking and signs as to where the
> reception is. Where do you think clients, salespeople go?

Obviously you're not from around here. :-)

Take Sun as an example, since it's a medium-biggish-sized company.

Where do you go looking for the "visitor parking and signs to
reception"? Sun has /several/ major multi-building campuses in the
Bay Area, plus many more single-building locations. The official
"corporate address" is on a different campus than the customer
visit center. Individual (scattered) sales offices have facilities
for client presentations.

And since we're talking specifics -- the people behind the lobby
desks (when a building *has* a lobby) are outsourced employees of
a facilities management/security company. Still think they know
what to do with your resume?

> IT departments at medium to larger
> companies definitely do not hire on their own. HR starts the ball
> rolling

Maybe this is a cultural thing -- you didn't say what area your
perspective is based on. But you seem to have this idea of some
perfect monolithic organization. "IT department"?? There isn't
*one* IT department in any reasonable sized company. There are
typically a number of groups within business units utilizing IT
and developer skills, and they most definitely initiate hiring
according to their own needs.

> No doubt you're tainted somewhat by relative inexperience.

Heh.

> It doesn't take any brains to answer an AD in a paper or use a contact.
 > If one is able to cold call,

Argument's slipping here -- it also doesn't take any brains to cold
call, either :-)

>                               and make an impression
> the "ole fashioned" way, /that/ will always mean more to an individual
> hiring.

Always? The impressions I'd get from a random stranger hitting me
up about a non-existent job opening are "clueless" and "annoying".

Whoa! I just realized that describes some of the people I've worked
with in the past -- they must have been using your system! Maybe it
*does* work sometimes! :-)

--
Hassan Schroeder ----------------------------- hassan at webtuitive.com
Webtuitive Design ===  (+1) 408-938-0567   === http://webtuitive.com

                           dream.  code.