On Wed, 15 Jan 2014 19:11:31 +0000, Stephen wrote:

> On 15/01/2014 6:42 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> On Wed, 15 Jan 2014 08:56:10 +0000, Stephen wrote:
>>
>>>> Apply for a job through me with one of those in your hand and I would
>>>> be willing to give you a hearing. Come to me and say "I'm good but I
>>>> can't be arsed to prove it"
>>>
>>> Sad really that, that attitude still exists.
>>
>> Boy, does it.  3 years, still looking for a full-time position because
>> I don't have that damned piece of paper.
>>
>>
> It is getting more prevalent here than it was when I was younger.
> Fortunately, there is still the "proven track record" and "industrial
> experience" routes that allows my CV to get past the hurdles. After the
> Y2K slump I was desperate to get a permanent job but was never able to.
> Now I frequently get asked by agencies if I would consider one. I am not
> tempted to do the same work for lesser money and without the security
> permies had years ago. It is quite common for SAP consultants to be made
> redundant if their company cannot find them a new position within six
> months of finishing their last assignment.

The challenge here, especially with larger companies, seems to be that to 
not get eliminated early on, you have to have the degree, or your CV is 
never even reviewed by a human.

So I have to take my advice to Andy repeatedly - trying to find an 
insider to walk my CV to the appropriate person so they actually *see* it.

I found a position posted a couple days ago with a well-known online 
retailer that I'm pretty excited about - it has to do with an internal 
certification program that's being developed, and I've got the exact 
skill set they're looking for.  But I suspect that if I go in through the 
front door, the right person will never even see it, so I'm mining my 
professional network for a connection that can help (I know one person at 
this company, which is weird considering how large they are).

Because if I can get past that first automated screening hurdle, my 
experience and proven track record are what they really need to see to 
know that I'm exactly the person they're looking for.

Jim

-- 
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and 
besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw

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