Subj : Re: How much should I charge for fixed-price software contract? To : comp.programming From : Chris Sonnack Date : Fri Aug 19 2005 03:53 pm Richard Heathfield writes: >> I will say that *I* would never trust my resume to someone's >> personal HTML renderer, line wrapping, settings, etc. > > I was never that concerned about the exact appearance of my CV. That's fine. I have some background in the arts, so I see it as an opportunity to express that part of my training, plus that same training makes me care (a lot) about how it looks. It's a personal thing. >> [HTML is] TOO portable. Too prone to mis-rendering. > > Does that matter? To, me, yes. I still have some regard for the fact that HTML was originally intended to be marked up *content* to be rendered as the viewer deemed appropriate (which I thought was a very cool thing). In the case of *my* resume, I'm selling content AND appearance. > If someone is so scared of not being thought adequate to the > job being advertised that they go into control freak mode and > decide they need the exact appearance on the page to be Just > So, then they will send you a PDF file, which you accept. Or a nicely printed copy (I'm moved to take (minor) issue with your emotional freighting here ("so scared" and "control freak mode"). Other points of view are just as valid and not "lesser" than yours.) > But are you really claiming you will /reject/ a CV simply > because it's presented in a format that its author thinks > will be intelligently interpreted by any decent browser, and > trusts you to have a decent browser around without insisting > that it's, say, IE5 or better? Let's be specific here. We don't accept URLs to online resumes, and we *ask* *for* PDF or Word when submitting electronically. I don't know of anyone who's ever *submitted* an HTML file, but if it opened normally (double-clicking or whatever) for the hiring manager, it would probably be fine. To me *PERSONALLY* it would have the effect of submitting a CV drawn on butcher paper with crayon, and whether you like it or not, I would indeed take points off (and would never consider submitting one for reasons I've detailed already). There is also the issue that, if I've asked for one thing and you've given me another, you've either displayed (a) an inability to follow directions, (b) a willfulness that might be a problem on the job, (c) a great deal of initiative. How I react depends on many factors, reasonable and not. And I don't figure I'm totally alone in that. So, given that I only apply for positions I want, it just seems to me a good strategy to cover as many bets as possible (heh, not unlike checking for NULL input in low-level routines, per our other thread--it's just a point of view...when I choose to do a job, I try to do all things humanly possible to insure the success of that task). >> And, in this case, portability just isn't an issue. Every PC in >> the entire company is guarenteed to have certain tools available. > > I don't see how that's relevant - It means it's not a reason to *favor* HTML or Word or PDF. >> If applying to some other company, I'd find out what they prefered >> and that's what I'd give them. > > Or you might decide that it's too much like hard work. I have nothing against hard work if it increases my chance of success. > For example, if they wanted your CV to be painted on banana leaves > from Botswana, one letter per leaf, and sewn together with your > own hair, then you might just decide that the company is too > brain-damaged to even consider working for. Or extremely, extremely interesting! I don't know if it's fair to say this is a difference between us, but I think I'm much more willing to meet halfway on stuff like this. If they want it on banana leaves, fine. If I want that job because of the *job* or the *company*, then banana leaves seems a trivial issue. I would not "throw out the baby with the bath water" over their resume policy. Badness or weirdness in one part of a large company doesn't necessarily extend to the whole. > In the same way, I would not want to work for /your/ company. Because of what we've discussed in this thread? > We all have our limits. [shrug] Mine do extend far beyond how I do my resume. >> Indeed, and I agree. But this isn't about you or me (who are far more >> savvy about such matters). It's about corporate managers and corporate >> perceptions (who ain't). > > I wouldn't want to work for a non-savvy corporate manager who was daft > enough to refuse CVs from bright people just because he has an aversion > to HTML format. I think you're overstating the case a bit here. (-: -- |_ CJSonnack _____________| How's my programming? | |_ http://www.Sonnack.com/ ___________________| Call: 1-800-DEV-NULL | |_____________________________________________|_______________________| .