On Sat, 13 Jun 2009 18:26:35 +0100, Orchid XP v8 wrote:

>> Sure you can.  How do you think I got my first job doing systems admin
>> out of school?  I didn't learn NetWare systems administration in the
>> classroom, I am entirely self-taught, and after two years, I co-wrote
>> what is still thought by many as the definitive book on troubleshooting
>> the directory service for the platform.  That led me to a job where I
>> taught people what I'd written about.
> 
> I'm puzzled as to how somebody with no formal qualifications gets to
> write a book.

Well, I said "co-author".  My co-author asked me if I was interested 
because he was impressed with my level of knowledge.  We've done 3 books 
together (though the last one I didn't contribute directly to due to a 
conflict of interest with work projects - he used material I'd written in 
the previous edition so I had to be credited).

>>> I sound good to you guys because you know what I'm actually like. On a
>>> CV or a job application, there isn't much space to communicate stuff,
>>> and I fear I don't have the magical words that make me look
>>> impressive.
>> 
>> That's why we've helped you.  You still think you sound unimpressive,
>> but I can tell you that if I were a hiring manager looking for someone
>> with your abilities, I'd hire you on the spot.
> 
> Based on what you know about me from this forum? Or based on the 300
> word description in a text box on a web application form?
> 
> If there's a box asking what qualifications you have, and another box
> asking what commercial experience you have, it's very hard to convey
> that you're not just some loser kid who wants a job, and that you
> actually know stuff about stuff, even though you don't have the
> credentials "on paper" to prove it.

The 300 word application box is a foot in the door.  It's not the entire 
interview process.  They learn the details after the first step is done.

>> I've kept my eyes open
>> internally, in fact, for something that would be a good fit, but (a)
>> our nearest office to you is in Bracknell (about an hour south of you
>> IIRC) and it's not  primarily a development centre.  We have an office
>> in Dublin, Ireland as well, but your expressed desire to stay in or
>> near MK really limits the opportunities, certainly with my employer.
> 
> Yeah, that's the wonders of the Internet - most people you talk to live
> nowhere near wherever you are. ;-)

Yep.

>>>> Well, we'll see - if they do for some reason, then it's on to the
>>>> next opportunity.  And the next.
>>> Sure. They do grow on trees, after all...
>> 
>> If you'd expand the scope of your search, that would certainly help.
> 
> Such as...?

Broader scope of locations for a start.  If I limited myself to 
businesses within a 4 block radius (not saying you are that restricted in 
your scope, but I live in a larger city), I'd probably have a hard time 
finding something, too.

>>> Well I can't see any contact details on their website at all. (Not an
>>> uncommon occurrance, actually.) I suppose I could just drive round
>>> Oxford until I see a fricking big building with Wolfram written on
>>> it...
>> 
>> Try Google.  Search for "Wolfram Oxford Location" (without the quotes).
>> I did, first result gave a location AND a phone number.
>> 
>> As good as you are at research (and you are good at it), it's sometimes
>> shocking you miss the easy route.
>> 
>> Further, if you go to the wolfram.com website and drill into the
>> company pages, there's an application page (different than the one you
>> filled out, more specific to Mathematica it seems) and there's a
>> contact e-mail address listed at the bottom of the page:  resumes (at)
>> wolfram (dot) com.
> 
> You're looking at Wolfram Research Inc. I applied to Wolfram Alpha LLC.
> Different company. ;-)

Same company, different department/division.  There's a high probability 
they're in the same building, and if they're not, there's also a high 
probability that the person you talk to at reception at the number on the 
site I found (or via the e-mail address I found) can point you in the 
right direction.

> IIRC, Wolfram Research does have a little more contact info readily
> available.

Yes, and that's a starting point.  Call the number and say you'd like to 
speak to someone about your submitted application on the Wolfram|Alpha 
site, and if that person is in that office location, they'll connect 
you.  If they're not, then ask if they have a phone number that you can 
call for the other office because you'd like to follow up on your 
application.

That shows initiative (and follow-through), and employers like that.

Jim

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