Subj : Re: SeekJob keywords
To   : comp.lang.lisp,comp.programming,comp.lang.java.programmer
From : Christopher Browne
Date : Sun Sep 04 2005 06:13 pm

>> If they list requirements I will make it INCREDIBLY easy for them to
>> see that I meet or exceed their requirements. If the company uses
>> someone who just scans the resume for keywords then most likely they
>> are scanning the resume for keywords relating to the requirements for
>> the position.
>
> You are obviously talking about writing custom resumes, a different
> resume for each job you see advertised such that you respond to
> it. It has been recommended that I apply for ten jobs per day,
> despite the fact that I haven't seen even one job I qualify for in
> the past ten years, and it takes a full workday of scanning job
> sites such as CraigsList just to find one or two jobs where I only
> half qualify.
>
> It takes weeks or months to compose a brand new resume from scratch
> without any base resume as a starting point. At present I have a
> half dozen general resumes and a half dozen specific-area resumes,
> any one of which might serve as a starting point for editing to
> yield a custom resume for a single job ad. Unfortunately general
> concensus is that every last one of my existing resumes is total
> crap and not suitable for using as a base for any custom resume. I
> don't believe adding a bunch of custom keywords to a crap resume
> would get me an interview, do you?

OK, so that seems to establish that it is hopeless for you to present
resumes to the sorts of organizations that post opportunities in those
sorts of places.

>> For example, if you apply for a job at IBM they have you do an
>> online application. The application will quiz you on your skill set
>> and level of experience. You will notice that all the technologies
>> they quiz you about are also listed in the job ad requirements.
>
> IBM actively discriminates against disabled people such as myself in
> their advertising of jobs available, so I'd just as soon not discuss
> them any further here.

Presumably they aren't interested in hiring a lot of people that are
going to be more costly than the "productivity" that they provide.
And if you're "disabled," there's definitely going to be some cost to
them to support you.

Unfortunately, that factor applies equally to plenty of organizations
other than just IBM.

Any company that is sufficiently large will have sufficient similarity
to IBM that they're probably hopeless for you to apply to for a job.

Unfortunately, smaller companies, that haven't got IBM's stunning
levels of bureaucracy, aren't likely to have a place where you'll fit,
either.  IBM has the "merit" that they're so enormous and
management-bound that they have rather a lot of room for people who
aren't productive to fit in without being noticed.

Small companies can't afford to hire people that offer the risk of
lack of productivity that your disabilities present.

>> If the company is not going to put forth the effort to know
>> assembler and assembly-language are the same thing then why would I
>> want to work for them. I'm willing to put a great deal of effort
>> into applying for a job but I expect the employer to put some
>> effort into it as well.
>
> I'm desperate for a job.

Unfortunately, that is unlikely to change.

Desperation is typically downright unhelpful in such processes; it
represents a further "disability," albeit one which can be cured.

Based on what you have said in the discussions you have participated
in, I know that I'd have grave reservations about considering you as a
candidate for *any* sort of job.  Unfortunately, for you, that seems
to be a common reaction.

I just can't see any likelihood of your entering a career in either
Lisp or Java programming, regardless of any unemployment office's
"aptitude tests" to the contrary.
-- 
(reverse (concatenate 'string "moc.liamg" "@" "enworbbc"))
http://cbbrowne.com/info/
If we were meant to fly, we wouldn't keep losing our luggage.

.