Subj : Re: Resume questions, how convey? To : comp.programming,comp.lang.java.programmer,comp.lang.lisp From : Tim X Date : Mon Aug 29 2005 12:56 am Ulrich Hobelmann writes: > Oh well, it's Sunday... > > Robert Maas, see http://tinyurl.com/uh3t wrote: > >> Were you the sole author of these papers > > Good suggestion. Here's the info: > > NMR - contributing author > > Robot - primary author > > DiffAlg abstract - sole author > > Others - unknown if any paper or not > > The DiffAlg was only an abstract?? And you seriously have no idea what > papers were published with you as an author, or where they appeared? > You didn't ask anybody? This is sooo ridiculous :D I agree and doubt that they were ever published in anything reputable or recognized. I also love the line where he says his supervisor may have asked him to sign something, but he didn't know what it was for - imagine that, signing things when you have no idea what you are signing away! > >> Its the only explination I can think of why you wold not know where > >> your paper was published. > > What if my supervisor did all the publishing arrangement? > > Can you think of that? > > And he didn't answer your question at all?? I published a couple of articles during my post grad work. Some were with my supervisor and in each case, we had to sign copyright statements, had some reviews and feedback from the reviewers and both recieved free copies of the books/journals. For me his story doesn't really add up. I suspect his "publications" were probably just technical reports or he was just a minor (and possibly not accredited). > > Having CGI that allows arbitrary Unix runnables > > (both native binaries and scripts that use native binaries) is > > different from Perl-only WebServers such as Tripod, and > > no-CGI-whatsoever WebServers such as Geocities. > > Here I actually agree. But most providers these days should provide CGI. The point I was making here and which Robert manages to twist by judicious quoting was his original assertion that CGI and Unix were linked. My point is that CGI is NOT limited to Unix environments. You have CGI support with most multi-purpose web servers, like Apache and they run on multiple platforms. I never made any statement that all web servers provided CGI, only that CGI is not limited to Unix environments. > >> they shallow level of description you have made me think you had next > >> to no database experience at all. > > And what kind of description would fit on one or two lines of a > > one-page resume that would convince you I had enough experience to do a > > job you wanted me to do? Robert, if I'm honest, I would now say that NOTHING you say would ever convince me of anything. > After reading this whole thread, and all your excuses for everything? > Hmm... > > > Or just forget the 1-2 line restriction. Let's say half my page is > > stuff about relational databases. What could I reveal in half a page > > to convince a skeptic that I really know how to write JDBC software? > > You could create or participate in an open-source project and mention that. > > >> MS Access is barely a database in the terms of what employers think > >> of when talking about a database. > > MS ACCESS is the only DB available via JDBC at De Anza college. > > Oracle was available, but only manually via keyboard/SQL interface, > > with no way to make tables or find out what tables were already in the > > database it connected to, hence no way to play with it either manually > > or via JDBC. > > Or you could again cancel your $20 shell account, get a used computer > for $50, get a free shipping of Ubuntu Linux, install that, install > PostgreSQL or MySQL or something else. For webspace and dialup > service there are cheaper alternatives than $20, too (at least in > Europe). I don't know about you, but I would be very reluctant to employ anyone to solve my problems who cannot even solve the simple problem of getting hs own reasonable computing environment together. > >> Get yourself an instance of postgres to learn with ... > > If you require me to do that, you'll have to provide the money to buy > > it for my Macintosh with only 17 megabytes unused disk space, or for my > > laptop with no working modem or diskette drive or CD-Rom drive, hence > > no way to install it without first fixing the modem. > > Or you could come up with some really innovative excuses... > > > If you won't provide the money to do what you want me to do, then don't > > order me what to do. > > Who the hell orders you to do anything?? Remember? You came here > asking for help with your work life (if we want to call it with those > two words). Precisely. Robert strolls in here and despite far too many people trying to help him out, he has an excuse for why every suggestion is no good. He has no ability to take responsability and really doesn't want help - he just wants an avenue to moan about how miserable life is. > >> stop referring to ove 20 years experience. You don't have over 20 > >> years experience > > That's a fucking lie! I do too have 22+ years experience at writing > > computer software. I love this bit! Robert has conveniently cut out what I wrote earlier about only commercial experience being counted and pretends that was not what the emphasis was on. > Then mention some practical key examples that are appropriate to the > job you're applying to. > > >> the only experience that counts is paid employment experiences. > > Fuck you! Most of my best work was unpaid. Heee Heee. Now he is feeling boxed in and has to resort to base poor language. He refuses to acknowledge that regardless of what you have done outside paid employment, it doesn't count. What he doesn't realise is there is a reason for this. Work you do on your own is generally not reviewed by anyone, not used by many people and therefore has no external evaluation, only his on subjective opinion, which to an employer is worth very little. Now, if he had spent the last 10 years working on some open source projects and atually developed a reputation, he may have something. As it is, he is now a bitter old man rappidly approaching 60 with no job. Initially, I did feel for his situation, but now I realise he is pretty much an obnoxious jerk who has got the life he deserves. Possibly a bit harsh, I guess I'm beyond caring. > Now you are ordering him to do things he might not want to do... > > If your unpaid work resulted in anything useful (that interests the > $COMPANY), just mention it. Watch out - he will order you to go and use is computer aided learning system for a few months just so that you can see how wonderful it is. However, don't bother suggesting he gets some sort of demo together which prospective employers can see how clever he is in under half a lifetime - he has already rejected that suggestion. > >> your skills don't match those of someone who has been doing it full > >> time for 20 years. > > You don't even know what my skills are! The total time I've spent > > writing computer software is at least equivalent to 22 years fulltime. He still misses the point that its not the time you spend, its what you produce. In the last 10+ years, the only things he seems to have produced are some pretty skanky CGi apps. > We know what you said they are. But we don't see lots of cool > applications that could have been written in that time. > > > Do you want more examples of my software solving real-world problems > > (college payroll, college class assignments, for example), or have I > > made my point with those first two? > > Don't know about him, but I don't give a rat's ass (well, I don't even > have one). Some potential employer might, though, if it involves some > for him interesting technologies. Nah, I'm beyond caring about robert anymore. As I said, he doesn't really want suggestions or honest criticism, he just wants a venue for moaning. No realisation that a job and working is a lot more than just being able to write code - there is a little something called personality and the ability to play well with others. I suspect to some extent, past employers and colleagues may have some of the blame - from all the things he has written, I suspect he has never been told the reasons why he lost each job he had. People can be very cowardly about telling people the truth if they think it will hurt their feelings and I think its very likely Robert has been given all sorts of made up reasons for why his jobs were terminated or contracts were not renewed rather than telling him it was to do with his personality and the fact he was difficult to work with. Its a pity really, given true feedback and the support to make the necessary changes early enough and he could have made positive contributions rather than just being another burden on the welfare systtem. My suggestion, ignore further posts and let the whole thread die the death it should have had way too long ago...... Tim Tim Cross The e-mail address on this message is FALSE (obviously!). My real e-mail is to a company in Australia called rapttech and my login is tcross - if you really need to send mail, you should be able to work it out! .