4 Oct
2011
4 Oct
'11
2:08 a.m.
>>>
You really think not using outlook
makes me fit the asshole category!
<<<<
Suppose I was using "Mail" (on a Mac) instead of Outlook and wanted to
apply, then in the section of my application that directly addressed the
stated requirements I would say something like: 'I prefer to use "Mail",
but
I have tried Outlook and am capable of using it if required'.
Preferable take the time to ensure that this is a true statement :-)
(certainly if offered an interview take that time!)
If I have a philosophical objection to using Microsoft (or generally
non-free) software then ramming it in the recruiters face _is_ being an
asshole.
Being retired, I haven't sat on either side of the recruiters desk for 5
years but during 30+ years in computing services at a university have spent
many a day as one of the panel doing the interviewing.
Universities, not surprisingly, tend to give a lot of weight to degrees* and
yet we have been through essentially three periods of recruiting:
In the earliest, the ideal candidate (even if we didn't publicly admit it)
was someone who failed their (typically Maths or Physics) degree because
they got addicted to computing;
Then came the period when degrees in some form of computing were common and
the PC era had not yet started. In this period we managed to recruit a
remarkable collection of highly qualified people (1sts from a good
University, sometimes even a PhD);
Finally, in the PC era, it became apparent that we didn't need high
qualifications from staff - more the "people skills" to explain how to use
simple software to even simpler students :-( So we went for people with help
desk experience and didn't look at their formal qualifications at all.
I don't think I ever interviewed Tony**, Jules, or any other of the
prominent UK members of this list - but if I had they would probably
remember one of their claims being questioned down to a very detailed level.
In the third era I did similar questioning with a different purpose ... to
see if the candidate would at some point say "I don't know" - if they
continued bullshitting when they should have admitted such they were almost
certainly OUT!
* Apart from anything else, it is so much more difficult when trying to get
a promotion for someone if they don't have a degree and are being compared
to a lower-paid lecturer with a PhD.
An advantage we did have was that for any 'obscure' degree we could just
ring up the Admissions Office to ask "How would a degree from <name your
third-world university> compare to one from a mid-range UK institution?" and
get a meaningful response.
** I'm sure I would remember Tony if I had interviewed him :-) He might well
have got a job from us in the first or second era ... not a chance in the
third.
Andy