Congressional leaders promise action on tech issues

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Extremely long vacation...

"Now, do the math here, people. By the end of this February, I will have been out of the tech sector for THREE YEARS! And, yes, I know that potential employers seem to frown on it when you've been out of work for a while."

It's the same here in Colorado. I got laid off from my last full-time job in software development in June, 2001. Since then I've had no luck getting even a contract job doing it, and I have 6 years general experience in the field. Not that this matters to anybody. Employers want work experience in very specific skill sets.

Keeping in touch with people you used to work with can be helpful as well, if they're employed somewhere. I know a developer who was unemployed for 1-1/2 years, and had 12 years work experience prior to then, who found a job locally, but only because a project manager he used to work for was working at the place where he is now. He had work history with him, and that's much more valuable than what you put on a resume. But, sometimes contacts don't help, if they're employed at companies that aren't hiring at all. You can say you have contacts, but it isn't going to help if the company isn't willing to look at new people, or if those contacts are not in management positions that have direct influence over hiring.

General experience hasn't counted for squat these days. You can look at what they say they want in their ads, but be prepared for them to ask for more skills that they didn't even list when you go in for the interview. Some tips: Apply for positions as soon as you see them appear (if you think you qualify), and don't be surprised if the interviewer poses a problem for you to solve during the interview (should you be lucky enough to get one). In what few interviews I've had, just about every one has asked me to "solve this problem". Microsoft used to be famous for this, but apparently lots of employers do this now. Look for the employer to give you a coding test either before or during the interview. If they place major emphasis on this test, it's a good sign. If they don't, it's a sign that they're looking for a senior engineer. Another sign they're looking for a Sr. Eng. or to fill a management position is if they ask you a question like, "What's the most difficult decision you've had to make?", or, "Has anyone gotten you to change your mind? If so, why?"

The trend of the last 2 years has been to hire only senior engineers, those who have work experience working on requirements, design, coding, and testing experience. Basically, they've needed to be able to work by themselves with minimal supervision or input from others. I've heard some talk lately from employers that they're looking for college students. So there's been some opportunity, but not much.

I had the opportunity to interview for a software developer position in late 2002. The ad appeared on Monday. They had already started interviewing people by Wednesday, and finished interviewing on Friday. They hired the person they wanted by early the next week. I showed some equivocation in the interview, so I didn't get the job. I got the "vibe" from the interviewer that I was going to have to put up with a lot of crap there, so that dampened my enthusiasm. But if I had waited to apply until Wednesday or Thursday, it's doubtful I would've even gotten called. Jobs go extremely quickly. I wouldn't even look at job ads that are more than 3 days old. Even if they're still listed, they're duds.

I've managed to do some tech projects here and there, but I've either made very little money doing them, or more recently, I've been working with a friend for free on a software project he's doing, and making money doing odd jobs (non-technical, that is).

I missed most of the economic downturn of the early 90s, but it sure seemed similar to this while I was in it. I graduated with a CS degree in May, 1993. Most jobs were only looking for people with 5 years work experience in a skill set. I found temporary work a year later, but didn't find stable work until late 1994. That seemed rough enough at the time. I remember that companies that interviewed on campus in 1992-1993 were only taking "the cream of the crop", the top 3% of the class. If you didn't have at least a 3.5 overall GPA, you might get interviewed, but unless you really wowed them, you weren't getting a programming job anywhere, at least until the economy recovered.

Posted by: Mark Miller   Posted on: 01/14/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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