Job interview oddity #2

“YOUR CV lists skills in both C#/ASP.NET and Java. How does that work?” asked the headhunter.

“I specialise in software development and therefore use whichever technology is most appropriate for the software being written or fits better into the overall technology strategy of the company. It so happens that in my recent jobs, the companies had applications written in both Java and .NET, and I had to work with both technologies. In fact, I am employed as a C# developer but am asked to do Java work also because I am the developer with that versatility. In the previous job, it was the reverse: I was officially a Java developer, but I ended up doing quite a lot of C# development to help the team meet deadlines. I even had to brush up my C skills to write setup utilities at the last minute. In fact, I would consider it a strength to have knowledge and practical experience of both technologies. As for which one I would prefer to work with, I actually don’t have any preference. Java pays more and .NET development is a bit more exciting at the moment. So, send me job descriptions of any vacancies that you have, and I will see if they appeal to me,” I replied.

“Can’t we just remove Java from your skillset to make it easier on potential employers?”

And, just like that, I would erase ten years of Java development experience, voluntarily devaluating myself. Thanks, but no thanks. Really.

Thankfully, headhunters like this one are rather exceptional (at least, until now), and most others have passed on my CV to their colleagues who specialise in Java development roles.

Eddy.

Popularity: 35% [?]

Job interview oddity #1

“SO you have EIGHT years of experience with C# and ASP.NET?” asked the interviewer.

“Yes, I have,” I replied.

“But, I thought that C# was only six years old.”

“Well, it was released in 2002, but I started using it right from the beginning in 2001 with the ibuyspy.net sample application as a rough guide. Back then, it was still ASP+ and was a god-send to us VBScripters.”

That seemed to convince him, but I could imagine how other potential employers would question my claim along the same lines. So, although I have eight years of experience with .NET Framework, I’m having to quote only six on my CV.

I need to remind myself to always give out number of years of commercial experience. As if the time spent on learning stuff outside working hours did not count.

Eddy.

Popularity: 24% [?]