Re: [xml-dev] Urgently need a reality check on the job market forXMLdevelopment

[Ronald Bourret <rpbourret@rpbourret.com>]

Michael Brennan wrote:
> 
> One thing you will find a critical shortage of -- even in this job market --
> is developers who don't just know particular APIs and technologies, but
> really understand sound software development lifecycle practices and how to
> align systems with business processes.

Add to that a proven ability to quickly learn new skills. Personally, I
wouldn't want to work for a company that hires based on skill set,
except at a minimal level, nor have I ever hired anybody on that basis.

HR departments generally seem incapable of understanding this -- they
tend to screen for specific words that they don't even understand (XML,
Java, Fortran, Widgety-Wodgety 2000 Bobble Processor) -- but a good
engineering manager knows it, so try to route your resume around HR if
at all possible.

(The best candidate I ever hired had about a three sentence resume, but
that included a Bachelors degree in Physics with a minor in Computer
Science and a Master's in Creative Writing. I only got his resume --
along with a stack of others -- after my boss pleaded with HR for a long
time to get the resumes they had refused to forward as being
unqualified.)

Also, the job dates on your resume should tell the reader more about the
economy than you, and anybody who dings you for it probably isn't worth
working for.

-- 
Ronald Bourret
Programming, Writing, and Training
XML, Databases, and Schemas
http://www.rpbourret.com