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Want 30 Job Offers a Month? It's Not As Great As You Think

An anonymous reader writes: Software engineers suffer from a problem that most other industries wish they had: too much demand. There's a great story at the Atlantic entitled Imagine Getting 30 Job Offers a Month (It Isn't as Awesome as You Might Think). This is a problem that many engineers deal with: place your resume on a job board and proceed to be spammed multiple times per day for jobs in places that you would never go to (URGENT REQUIREMENT IN DETROIT!!!!!, etc). Google "recruiter spam" and there are many tales of engineers being overwhelmed by this. One engineer, fed up by a lack of a recruiting spam blackhole, set up NoRecruitingSpam.com with directions on how to stop this modern tech scourge. Have you been the victim of recruiting spam?

142 of 227 comments (clear)

  1. Every Damn Day by t0qer · · Score: 2

    I get these every damn day. You would think these folks might take the time to look at where I live (it's on my resume) and compare that to where they want me to work. Never happens.

    1. Re:Every Damn Day by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      If you were smart you would have used a throwaway email address.

    2. Re:Every Damn Day by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Use your own auto-reply form letters.

      Dear $PROSPECTIVE_COMPANY_NAME,

      Thank you for your interest, however I am not currently for hire. I will keep your information on file in the even that I become available in the future.

      Regards,

      $SCANNED_IMAGE_OF_SIGNATURE
      $FIRST_NAME $LAST_NAME
      $CURRENT_JOB_TITLE
      $CURRENT_COMPANY_NAME

    3. Re:Every Damn Day by notsoclever · · Score: 1

      All of the spammy job postings I get are for things like "DB2 admin in Podunktown, Anywhere" when my resume hasn't even listed DB2 in well over a decade.

      --
      There are 10 kinds of people: ones who understand ternary, ones who don't, and ones who think this joke is about binary
    4. Re:Every Damn Day by MouseR · · Score: 1

      I get 1 new recruiter request per month. What typically follows is spamming of job offers because one keyword matched in their database. Such as "programming". I've had some pretty interesting offers once in a while. Perhaps not interesting enough to jump ship after all the advantages I have for working 18 years in the same house, but some came very close. But on the average of 10-15 offers a month, most are totally irrelevant to what my profile lays out in terms of specialties and experience.

      The problem boils down to the recruiters not understanding the core technologies they're being tasked as manning. So they shoot all around hoping for a positive hit because they want their fees and will go as far as sharing their fees with a sign-in bonus.

      Can you imagine a 500$ sign-in bonus would have an 18 year veteran jump ship?

    5. Re:Every Damn Day by rnturn · · Score: 1

      I started receiving office management job ads partly, I assume, because my resume contained "administrator" and "manager". The laugh-out-loud ad was for an administrative assistant. For some reason I'd also started receiving near-daily ads for legal jobs, utility jobs (I used to know the lyrics to "Wichita Lineman" but I doubt that experience counts), and transit jobs (bus driver and cabbie jobs). Idjits.

      It wouldn't surprise me to, one day, receive an email for an urgent job for which my experience with "the" makes me the ideal candidate. Oh, and it'll be halfway across the state to boot. Five hour commute each way? I've actually had a few recruiters wonder why I thought that might be a bit of a problem.

      --
      CUR ALLOC 20195.....5804M
    6. Re:Every Damn Day by rnturn · · Score: 1

      I wouldn't go as far as setting up some sort of auto-responder. But I do have a canned letter that I started using to cut-n-paste into a reply to emails that were for positions outside my desired geographic location. Essentially, it read "Thank you for contacting me about the [fill-in-the-position-name] position. While my background appears to be a good fit for this position, I am not currently considering positions outside the [current city] vicinity." Some of the replies generate a nice "Thank you. I'll keep your information on file..." response. Others are ignored and they continue to send me emails about "long term" 3 month contracts (not even C2H) for jobs that I'm barely qualified for that are halfway across the country.

      --
      CUR ALLOC 20195.....5804M
    7. Re:Every Damn Day by jeff4747 · · Score: 1

      You think that because you think they actually are interested in you.

      They aren't. They're interested in justifying an H1B visa. So they send out emails to people they know are not interested, and place conditions that they know will cause the "candidate" to reject them (ie. It's not where you live and they refuse to pay for travel to a required, on-site interview).

      Do that to 100 people, and you can go claim you need an H1B because you could not find someone already in the US to take the job.

    8. Re: Every Damn Day by cthulhu11 · · Score: 1

      Why do you care where the employer is?

    9. Re:Every Damn Day by toddestan · · Score: 1

      You might throw them off-guard, but ultimately it won't work because they'll just come up with some other reason to reject you.

    10. Re:Every Damn Day by RockDoctor · · Score: 1
      Pretty much every day for me too, since I got an account with Linked-In (of course I don't let them rape my address books!)

      Every one gets blocked with a flg of spammer, and a rude return email to the effect "you didn't read my CV you fucking incompetent idiot. Because it says clearly and in black and white "I am not job hunting and will report any recruiters who contact me as being spammers."

      About one in ten actually apologise ; the rest I take it, really are spammers.

      --
      Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
    11. Re:Every Damn Day by al0ha · · Score: 1

      I hear you, and what really gets my goat is many of the young *recruiters* are idiots. Virtually every message opens with a line saying my LinkedIn profile is impressive or some such nonsense and I know they are lying right off the bat as they can only see my job title and where I work, and while I agree that fact in itself it is somewhat impressive due to gobal cache of my employer, they know nothing of my skills or experience, but *have a great opportunity for someone with your skills*

      Get a clue millennial - you're not as clever with technology as you've been led to believe.

      --
      Did you ever wake up in the morning, with a Zombie Woof behind your eyes? -- FZ
  2. I deleted my LinkedIn profile over this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    If it's a job worth having, they'll find me.

  3. (URGENT REQUIREMENT IN DETROIT!!!!!, etc) by rcrodgers · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Really? It's an example and all, but as developer born and raised in Detroit (the city proper) and a current resident of the city, is it necessary to kick the place even more? Any way, recruiter spam is a constant pest for me as well; one recent one was trying to get me interested in a "Live Chat Customer Service"' opportunity somewhere... I think I'll be taking a peek at NoRecruitingSpam.com .

    --
    The sharpest blade is no match for the sharpest mind.
    1. Re:(URGENT REQUIREMENT IN DETROIT!!!!!, etc) by Warphammer · · Score: 2

      Agreed! It's a great place, seriously. In fact, I'm trying to get there! I'm having trouble getting responses from there, but ohhhhh boy do the local Bay Area recruiters love calling me five times a day. At least most of the calls are decently targeted, but having to repeat 'no, I'm really not looking in this area' five times on each call is a drag.

    2. Re:(URGENT REQUIREMENT IN DETROIT!!!!!, etc) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      "Detroit" could also mean Metro Detroit, which means Detroit's suburbs, which also means some of the most affluent areas in the US.

      OP is a fucking idiot.

    3. Re:(URGENT REQUIREMENT IN DETROIT!!!!!, etc) by Ronin+Developer · · Score: 1

      The Live Chat Customer Service opportunity is probably with Comcast in Philadelphia. Initially, I received the request from some recruiters I trusted. Then, a week or two later, it seems like every other opportunity is an exciting op with them. Like the guy who set up the norecruiterspam.com site, I have been working on ways to screen these dups out as well as identify the harvesters as well as deal with UEC and their requirements as well. Yes, I AM on the job market after my position was eliminated last month. It sucks.

    4. Re:(URGENT REQUIREMENT IN DETROIT!!!!!, etc) by rcrodgers · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I wouldn't go as far as to say the OP is an idiot; he could've used any random city or even a fictional one. Detroit was just an easy target and the OP probably didn't think he'd offend (even mildly) anyone, but you're absolutely right, most metropolitan areas are simply referred to by the major city's name, so he inadvertently inferred the entire Metro Detroit area.

      --
      The sharpest blade is no match for the sharpest mind.
    5. Re:(URGENT REQUIREMENT IN DETROIT!!!!!, etc) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Born and raised in South Detroit? And did you recently catch a midnight train to anywhere?

    6. Re:(URGENT REQUIREMENT IN DETROIT!!!!!, etc) by bastardfish · · Score: 2

      Whew, I clicked this article in a hurry, all ready to be incensed about the unnecessary comment targeting "A place you would NEVER move to!" As the Golden Girls say, thank you for being a friend. I cannot speak directly about the job opportunities offered to a tech worker, but, for Bob's sake, it is inaccurate, passe, and just about rude to use Detroit as a whipping boy, especially in a way unrelated to the article at hand. The connotation here is clear, that nobody would relocate to Detroit because Detroit is Detroit. How dare you use an out-dated stereotype as a significant talking point of your summary? Detroit as a city and Detroiters as Detroiters are picking themselves up by their boot-straps and it is glorious. Large companies are championing the city; for example, friends of mine are working downtown for Quicken Loans. That company is actively encouraging employees to live in city limits in various ways, one of which is practically paying their rent entirely with subsidies. Shinola is proud to be more involved in the city. I am not necessarily a fan of the casino industry but we are known as a top 5 US destination. Ah, and from my morning Fox2 news, here is a more nationally recognized entity that hasn't felt like kicking those who are down and trying, and doing great- http://www.freep.com/story/ent... Detroit, #3 of 10 of up-and-coming restaurant cities. I can't lie, being a Detroiter out of state gives you a certain notoriety, even in metropolises like Chicago, but we are not just the background for Robocop. Things are happening here, going great, and I am just so proud to be a part. There is so much positive action happening here in south-east Michigan period in so many ways, & the fact of the matter is that a disturbing amount of people with stereotypical bad things to say about Detroit weren't even a twinkle in their parent's eye when the events happened here that gave them their impression. The riots are over. My parents were young at that time. Detroit is not the Wild West. Act right, and you'll be so pleasantly surprised by the neighborly attitude that Detroiters present to one another, including strangers. Get real. Drop the effing snide tone. Come by.

    7. Re:(URGENT REQUIREMENT IN DETROIT!!!!!, etc) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      If you're on the market, try consulting. One guy is pulling in 5-figures per week. Don't believe me? Read the source.

    8. Re:(URGENT REQUIREMENT IN DETROIT!!!!!, etc) by ultranova · · Score: 1

      It's an example and all, but as developer born and raised in Detroit (the city proper) and a current resident of the city, is it necessary to kick the place even more?

      Losers need to be made look bad at every opportunity, otherwise the winners might start wondering just what kind of society lets such things happen to innocent people. I mean, they might even suggest government should help pull them up from the ditch, and that's blashphemy against the Invisible Hand and the Church of Free Market.

      Don't take it personally, it's not really Anonymous Coward speaking, but the voices - internalized memetic structures - in their head fighting for survival and territory.

      --

      Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.

    9. Re:(URGENT REQUIREMENT IN DETROIT!!!!!, etc) by pepty · · Score: 1

      "Detroit" could also mean Metro Detroit, which means Detroit's suburbs, which also means some of the most affluent areas in the US.

      OP is a fucking idiot.

      Used to mean, but not since the recession:

      http://www.theoaklandpress.com/general-news/20100924/oakland-plummets-on-list-of-wealthy-counties

    10. Re:(URGENT REQUIREMENT IN DETROIT!!!!!, etc) by i_want_you_to_throw_ · · Score: 1

      Lighten up Francis.

    11. Re: (URGENT REQUIREMENT IN DETROIT!!!!!, etc) by senatorpjt · · Score: 1

      There is no South Detroit, unless you're talking about Canada.

    12. Re:(URGENT REQUIREMENT IN DETROIT!!!!!, etc) by Joey+Vegetables · · Score: 1

      Agreed. I'm very impressed with the efforts Detroiters (of all races, in case that matters, which IMO it shouldn't) have made to take back their city from the scumbag politicians who ran it into the ground. There is still a mismatch between the skills of the populace and the skills needed in the job market, but that's a problem throughout the U.S., hardly limited to the Detroit area. I am very happy where I am (Lakewood, Ohio, about 6 miles from downtown Cleveland), but if I had to relocate for whatever reason, then Detroit, owing partly to its proximity and reasonable cost of living, would be on my short list of places I would actually prefer.

  4. Just as bad in Medicine by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Same thing happens with doctors and nurses, quite frankly.

    --
    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  5. Hit Up by Recruiters by BeemanIT · · Score: 1

    I keep getting hit up by IT Recruiting agencies. Almost got screwed over by one of these agencies after I looked over the contract. I get hit up about 10 emails a day by various automated job systems.

  6. professional looking disposable addresses by i.r.id10t · · Score: 1

    Get a professional sounding/spelling domain and create your own emails on it. Get creative with your extended addressing and use that address only for job hunting. When you aren't on the hunt, either kill the address until you need it again or just send the mail it receives to /dev/null

    --
    Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos
    1. Re:professional looking disposable addresses by LetterJ · · Score: 1

      Same goes for a phone number. You can get a local number from Twilio or similar for $1 mo and route it to web code (install OpenVBX and you don't have to write anything) that lets you take control of what gets through and what goes 100% to voicemail. Only put that phone number on your resume and you can filter the phone calls just like the emails.

    2. Re:professional looking disposable addresses by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      While I'm glad that this is possible, it makes me sad that it's necessary. :(

  7. PROTIP by cosm · · Score: 1

    Find a few local recruiters, make friends with them and touch base every year. When they get tired of your coy nature, rinse and repeat. They need your money and will hang on long enough that if you do ever get laid off, you have at least one starting point. Saved me once.

    --
    'We are trying to prove ourselves wrong as quickly as possible, because only in that way can we find progress.' RPF
    1. Re:PROTIP by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 1

      does not work anymore unless you are very generic.

      recruiters now work for THE COMPANY. they are hired by them, often exclusively, and they ONLY hunt for them or a few others. they don't work for you (they never really did, but they used to be more independant).

      I have recruiters I've known for 20 years and yet, when I'm out of work, I call and its 'sorry, nothing to fit your quals right now.'

      does that sound like someone who 'works for me' ?

      you hunt for a job, you apply for that job and the guy-in-the-suit that is assigned to that job calls you, if even that. you don't go to generic recruiters anymore; they wont even waste any (real) time with you unless you are an instant match.

      --

      --
      "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
    2. Re:PROTIP by RabidReindeer · · Score: 2

      Find a few local recruiters, make friends with them and touch base every year. When they get tired of your coy nature, rinse and repeat. They need your money and will hang on long enough that if you do ever get laid off, you have at least one starting point. Saved me once.

      Unfortunately, the actual recruiters (people) around here have a very high turnover rate.

      The recruiting company itself may endure (or be purchased), but they don't have any retained knowledge of what I might bite at. So I get useless offers, blow them off, then they don't think about me when something more interesting comes along.

  8. Re:Make me an offer by MobSwatter · · Score: 1

    You must be here in the US on an H1B visa, if not; why sure they will be glad to interview you but that is a simple process they have learned to use to set the benchmark in the H1B visa candidate selection they make.

  9. Re:Fits and Spurts by Grishnakh · · Score: 2

    Curb the H1B problem, we probably will curb the recruiter spam problem

    I disagree. These Indian recruiters all live in India, they aren't H1-B workers. Basically what's going on is a bunch of Indian companies have figured out that there's a good demand for engineers in the US, and that recruiting isn't exactly rocket science, you just have to have people who speak passable English and can sit on the phone for hours calling candidates and companies and matching them up. The recruiters don't even have to be very good, as long as they have an acceptable success rate to justify their pay. Since they're in India, they're not paid much relative to US salaries.

  10. Re:Make me an offer by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I've even asked 'is this a real job? are you willing and able to hire a local?'

    the look of shock on their faces when asked this very direct question is priceless.

    usually, they lie. no, I'm wrong. they ALWAYS lie. and they fucking waste my time, collect my resume and my salary (a $100 data point, I'm told) and then I'm persona non-grateful (sic) to them.

    --

    --
    "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
  11. Almost... by Sigmon · · Score: 2

    Every... Day.... :-/

    1. Re:Almost... by swillden · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Every... Day.... :-/

      I have a polite canned reply, which basically says that unless the recruiter's client is looking for developers to work 100% remotely, AND that their pay scales are likely to exceed Google's by a significant margin, AND that they do really cool stuff, then I'm not interested. Oh, and I don't do referrals of friends (they get plenty of spam themselves).

      I don't actually mind the recruiter spam. It only takes a couple of keystrokes to fire the canned response, and there's always the possibility that someone will have an opportunity that meets my criteria. Not likely, but possible. I'm not looking for a new job, but if an opportunity satisfies my interest requirements, I'm always open to a discussion.

      However, when they keep pushing even when they know their job doesn't fit my requirements, then I get pissed and blackhole their agency. That also takes only a couple of keystrokes :-)

      --
      Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
    2. Re:Almost... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I was sitting in training with a couple layers of my management and was getting a ton of recruiting spam that day. I sent out my canned response that I was available for $400k/year. One of my bosses asked if anyone responded. As he asked on of the recruiters stated trying to negotiate with me. Although he only offered to come up to 60K.

    3. Re:Almost... by itzly · · Score: 1

      I have a polite canned reply

      I have a Delete button.

  12. Only 30? by Sarusa · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I get these every day even though I've had the current job for five years. For things that aren't anywhere near anything on my resume. Recruiters are just bottom feeding scum, and it's gotten a lot worse since people in India (and Africa, and Eastern Europe, etc) have realized they can just browse LinkedIn then shotgun resumes to companies. The hit rate is tiny, but all they need is one. Local firms are bad as well, with apparently every single person from TCC contacting me about the same job.

    LinkedIn is no better - 'Jobs you might be interested in: Mechanical Engineering Manager in Baton Rogue'. Really. I'm not an ME, I specifically say no management roles, and I specifically say unwilling to move. Maybe you should contract me to rewrite your jobs candidates engine, because I think I could do better in 2 days with 300 lines of python.

    So why are you still on LinkedIn, you might ask... well, it is fairly amusing, and I can handle one or two a day. And if I ever need a job my profile will be there.

  13. Just blacklist their mail servers by gnunick · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I don't know about the "jobdiva" site mentioned at the "norecruitingspam" site, but I can certainly relate to getting too many unsolicited requests for my latest resume for "amazing opportunities" somewhere across the country. Obviously you didn't read my resume, asshole--it links to my web site, which always features... my latest resume!

    Once I get more than one such email from the same domain, I just add 'em to my Postfix blacklist (surely I can't be the only engineer who still runs his own mail server?).

    Sometimes I'll even add them after the first email (if there's any legit recruiter named "Satish Kumar", I'm sorry about the unfortunate coincidence).

    Here's what my blacklist looks like at the moment:

    panzersolutions.com 550 Your mail server has been blocked due to abuse.
    intellisofttech.com 550 Your mail server has been blocked due to abuse. Satish Kumar.
    intellisoft.com 550 Your mail server has been blocked due to abuse. Satish Kumar.
    adaequare.com 550 Your mail server has been blocked due to abuse. Satish Kumar.
    talentedit.com 550 Your mail server has been blocked due to abuse. Satish Kumar.
    bzm.mobi 550 Your mail server has been blocked due to abuse
    zoniac1.nmsrv.com 550 Your mail server has been blocked due to abuse
    epro-consulting.com 550 Your mail server has been blocked due to abuse (sending the same message twice to the same user on one day). Arunkumar.D

    Also, anyone who clearly hasn't read my resume (I know nothing whatsoever about Informatica... I just worked at a place with "Informatica" in the name) gets blacklisted. If you don't read my resume, you're lazy, and you're spamming. If you do read my resume, you'll also see the bit (in the first paragraph) about having little interest in working outside my city limits, and absolutely no interest in relocating. That alone has greatly reduced the far-away recruiter solicitations.

    I used to work with big outfits like Tek Systems, but I've asked them to leave me alone (unlike the spammers, they will actually listen). Nothing wrong with them; I just decided I'd rather support local businesses. I've found two local recruiters, working for local companies (or self-employed) based here in my city. Both of them have gotten me great jobs. Any persistent out-of-state recruiters (who aren't named Satish Kumar) get a polite response explaining that I'm not looking for new recruiters. Any half-way decent company will respect that. I really don't get that many unsolicited offers anymore, and the ones I do get tend to be more interesting.

    --
    I have no special gift, I am only passionately curious. --Albert Einstein
    1. Re:Just blacklist their mail servers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Hi, my name is Satish Kumar and I used to be a recruiter. You got me fired from 5 agencies now. Then my wife left me and took children. Then the bank foreclosed on my house. Now I live under the bridge and give out hand jobs for crack money and it is all your fault.

    2. Re:Just blacklist their mail servers by ldobehardcore · · Score: 1

      Wheeew, for a second there I thought you had inherited USD 12.53 Million dollars US, and that you very important tax reason to move your US 12.53 Million USD in USA so you could give me 150 USD US USA US Dollars money wiretransfer Western Union. But no. You were just complaining about how some guy you were fucking with ignored you and your shitty boss fired you for being ignored. XD

      --
      Hectice, baby, Mercator says hello to you
    3. Re:Just blacklist their mail servers by ArsonSmith · · Score: 1

      I almost always reply with slightly unreasonable salary requirements and/or relocation bonuses. I have no desire to move but if a place would pay me 50% more than I make now and give me a $50k relocation bonus then I'd probably do it.

      I do the same thing with local stuff. I'm not really interested in leaving my current position, but if someone's willing to give me a 25% raise then I may be willing to move on, so I reply with:

      I'm not actively seeking new employment but would consider anything at $1XXk. If that is within the scope of this job then I would be willing to discuss further. The number is usually about 25% more than I currently make. If everyone did this it may bring salaries up as they wouldn't be able to say they can't find people. They would be turning down people because of pay.

      --
      Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
  14. many recruiters are hired off the street by davecb · · Score: 1

    A sister company did recruiting, and a then colleague said "I asked for a MVS and Unix person in a particular state with experience in a package", and got hundreds of names, none of whom knew all those things". The didn't know the difference between "and" (3 candidates) and "or" (3000 unqualified candidates). I still get requests for things I only ever did once, with co-requisites of things I've never done...

    --
    davecb@spamcop.net
  15. How I manage these calls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I have over 25 years experience, and a lot of recruiters call me or email me. All the time.

    For phone calls, I drive the conversation. I live in the SF Bay Area. Since I'm not willing to relocate (and it says that on my resume and LinkedIn profile), first thing I ask about is the location. If they can't be specific, are not familiar with the Bay Area, or don't live here, I tell them I'm not interested.

    If the caller has a heavy accent, or has trouble understanding me, I tell them I'm not interested. If they can't communicate effectively with me, why would I want them representing me to a potential employer?

    Then I ask them to be specific about the job and the company. If they are vague, or if the job is not in my niche, I'm not interested. Any contract-only position, likewise. Then comes line of business: Anything in eCommerce, banking, insurance, marketing, game development: not interested.

    Then I ask about compensation. If it's below what I'm making, not interested. I don't tell them what I'm making now, or if I do I inflate it by 30%. Some stranger calls me on the phone and starts asking personal questions? None of their business.

    Emails are easy to cull. Anything with a subject line intended to catch me eye or trick me into reading it (like when a stranger sends an email with subject like "long time no see") gets immediatley deleted. Anything which doesn't include the job location, or is a location I'm not interested in, gone. And anything that looks like it was sent by an algorithm (e.g. anything from CyberCoders).

    Remember, there are a lot more recruiters than relevant opportunities.

    1. Re:How I manage these calls by ewhac · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Sounds like my algorithm.

      Very very occasionally, if the description sounds interesting, I'll paste the description/requirements into Google. Most of these spamming third-party recruiters just copy-paste from public job postings, so Google can usually find the original posting on the employer's Web site.

  16. Job Diva is the worst........also lay off Detroit by i_want_you_to_throw_ · · Score: 2

    Job Diva is the WORST of all. Hell they don't even hide that they use a harvester. Just Google them and there are numerous tales of their horrific nonstop spam. I get Detroit (which is a fine city IMHO), Fort Wayne, Billings and every other place I'd never move. Bravo to these guys for finally doing something, I'm signing up now.

  17. Bubble by manu0601 · · Score: 2

    Too many offers remind me of the last months of the dotcom bubble...

    1. Re:Bubble by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      Too many offers is a result of more demand for programmers than supply of programmers. This can happen because of a bubble, or it can happen for other reasons. You can't automatically conclude it's a bubble.

      Look for valuations to become unreasonable, that is the true sign of a bubble.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    2. Re:Bubble by ILongForDarkness · · Score: 1

      I question how many people get offers from recruiters. Getting an email from a recruiter saying "we have this great position, pays $75k a year contact me if you are interested" != "We want you and are going to pay you $75k/yr contact us with details of where to deposit the check".

    3. Re: Bubble by DaMattster · · Score: 1

      I left a career in systems engineering for truck driving. When I would apply for IT jobs I would get inundated with software engineer jobs. The infrastructure jobs aren't plentiful and it is a race to the bottom dollar. I pray these roaches never discover the critical shortage in truck driving, so far so good.

  18. Job market dynamics suck by hwstar · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I've been unemployed for 6 months and the job market in San Diego CA for electrical engineers is the worst I've ever experienced.

    1. It's mostly recruiting companies doing the hiring. There seems to be a lack of direct company recruiting going on (At least in San Diego, CA).
    2. If it is companies doing direct hiring, they want "new college grads" at all times of the year
    3. They want master's degrees at a minimum.
    4. Thay want someone who can speak Mandarin.
    5. The list of skills required is so detailed and complex, it would be very difficult for someone to be a master of everything on that list, and one would have a terrible time maintaining any degree of focus to ensure a good result.
    6. They whine to congress about the H-1B cap.

    Fortunately for me, I have plenty of money in the bank and in investments, plus I have rental income. I'm 54, and not sure I'll ever get to be employed as an engineer again. I'm mostly keeping my self occupied with personal engineering projects and code. I'm hoping things eventually turn around, but am prepared to retire if they do not.

    1. Re:Job market dynamics suck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      Same with Austin:

      1: Got an interview as a Linux admin, and the interviewer demanded what an example ASA config was, and how long have I had my CCIE. When I reminded them that Linux != routers, I was shown the door.

      2: I get bombarded by places asking for five years of Apple Swift programming.

      3: When asked about my visa status, I mention, "US citizen", and get the reply that they want a number and a form with my US visa's expiration date or else they will not hire. Even a US passport, a birth certificate, and that, they want something reflecting my visa status. So, I give up and tell them, "MY FSCKING VISA IS MAXED OUT!"

      4: Of course, I get the interviews where the person asks if I have a current TS/SCI clearance, or a CISSP, and with neither, I get shown the door.

      5: Of course, there are the assholes that say they have jobs, make for a face to face interview in downtown Austin where parking or a taxi is $20+... then say that they were just doing interview pre-tests, and really sell interview services, so one has wasted a day.

    2. Re:Job market dynamics suck by sconeu · · Score: 1

      It's DOD work, but you might check L3, up by the 5/805 junction -- I don't know if they're hiring, though...

      --
      General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
    3. Re: Job market dynamics suck by Aryeh+Goretsky · · Score: 1

      Hello,

      Yes. ESET is downtown (Little Italy) and hiring. No EEs, I'm afraid, since it is a software company but there are some dev positions open.

      Regards,

      Aryeh Goretsky

      --
      Dexter is a good dog.
    4. Re:Job market dynamics suck by bkmoore · · Score: 1

      So they want a foreigner with a soon-to-expire Visa and a current TS clearance?

    5. Re:Job market dynamics suck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      50yo PhD physicist here in the NE who quit his job at a large defense contractor who shall remain nameless after years of witnessing waste and fraud and has now been unemployed for 3 months. I'm kind of in your bucket - plenty of money saved up, but frankly would like to work in physics, and have been seeing a trend of jobs requiring mandarin. So you know what I did? I took a month and learned mandarin. Rosetta Stone, lots of helpful free sites on the web, dead tree books from the library. I'm not fluent by any means, but if someone wants to chat with me conversationally at an interview I'll cruise through with flying colors. I've enjoyed it so much that if nothing employment wise comes up in the next couple of months I'm going to take a trip to China in the summer. I've also started learning Russian just because it has always fascinated me as a language. Unemployment may be the best thing that has ever happened to me.

    6. Re: Job market dynamics suck by pepty · · Score: 1

      Lots of smaller high tech operations, especially in fields related to biomedical and defense research. Be one of the first hires at a microfluidics startup, join a big fast growing company like Illumina (next generation DNA sequencing), or an old company like General Atomics (predator drones). Plenty to choose from these days.

    7. Re: Job market dynamics suck by cthulhu11 · · Score: 1

      #1 sounds like all the interviews I've had with Google.

  19. Here's an inconvenient truth.... by i_want_you_to_throw_ · · Score: 1

    I get recruiting spam at my dedicated dice.com email account (a sister site to slashdot). Awkward.

    1. Re:Here's an inconvenient truth.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      I got recruiter spam at my last job's e-mail address at a Fortune 500 company, which was odd because I really only used it for internal communications and didn't submit it anywhere. I actually got on the cases of a couple of them, telling them that it's unprofessional to send recruiting mail to someone's work address. Their response was the same: then add me to your junk mail list. So I did--I blocked it for the entire e-mail architecture.

  20. RTFA by mrsam · · Score: 5, Informative

    The norecruitingspam guy himself spammed news.admin.net-abuse.email a few days ago with this. All he's offering is an email filtering service that blacklists the Jobdiva spambags.

    He posted his screed in a Usenet thread that I started over five years ago, that's archived by Google, at apparently has a pretty high ranking when someone is searching for more information about all the spam they're getting from the Jobdiva spam factory. Over five years ago I happen to notice that every recruiter spam that I received turns out to have come from the Jobdiva spam factory. Ever since then, once or twice a year someone finds that thread in Google Groups, and post a "me too" to the Usenet group. Which I find pretty funny.

    After figuring out where all my recruiter spam is coming from, it was a simple matter of adjusting a few settings on my mail server, and, poof!, it was all gone. Originally I never thought much of it, and only posted the first message in that thread as a means of sharing my thoughts, and nothing more, but apparently someone else now discovered effective email filtering and thinks it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. As Benny Hill would've said: biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig.... deal.

    One good thing here is that now that he's got a good link from Slashdot, and, presuming that his web site is still up (haven't checked), because all his web site now only contains a big rant against the Jobdiva sleazebags, this will shine a bit of a brighter spotlight on those vermin, and perhaps shine some well-deserved sunshine on these sleazebags. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.

    1. Re:RTFA by i_want_you_to_throw_ · · Score: 1

      As long as it works, who cares? Seriously. What I discovered, especially about jobdiva was that you can't filter it through gmail no matter what and they have about the best spam filters going IMHO. Sounds like some sour grapes because you didn't get a slashdot link. Wahhhhh....

    2. Re:RTFA by mrsam · · Score: 1

      Grow up. I have no competing mail filtering service to advertise through a Slashdot link.

    3. Re:RTFA by i_want_you_to_throw_ · · Score: 1

      Any search of how to filter out the "via" proxy on Gmail yields the same thing, it can't be done, which is something that I have scanned for first hand. At least this guy is offering a solution. Your contributions by comparison only smack of petty jealousy. Perhaps you should be the one growing up.

    4. Re:RTFA by mrsam · · Score: 1

      I've grown enough to figure out how to work-around Gmail's piss-poor filters. Too bad you can't claim the same.

      And you should've known that, if your comprehension skills meet at least the 8th grade's level; since I mentioned that in my initial post.

  21. It's not just IT, but lots of technical fields by cashman73 · · Score: 2

    It's not just with IT jobs. It's prevalent in other scientific and technical fields, too. I'm a PhD computational chemist and I constantly get bombarded with recruiter spam from addresses like 1000018179_10007281@jobbank301.com that have subject lines like, "JOBOP - Drug Discovery - Medicinal Chemist - Medford, MA". Gmail sends these all straight to my spam folder. Seriously? If there's a 301st "job bank", what's in the first 300 job banks? Does anyone check email send from an email address that starts with eighteen random numbers? I really don't think any of these recruiters know what in the hell they're doing, as I have never gotten a job from one of them. Ever. All of the jobs I've worked at since receiving my PhD have been from direct contacts and personal references. JOBOP emails are completely useless in a job search,. . .

    1. Re:It's not just IT, but lots of technical fields by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      In my field (Control Systems in a particular energy sector) we get a lot of recruiters as well, although less of it is outright spam than it is companies you have already worked for, direct competitors, or your own customers looking around to find some way to not have to pay your current company for your services. They almost always expect to pay you less with worse benefits for tougher work. I'm getting bombarded IN A DOWN MARKET. It's good for your feeling of job security but pretty obnoxious when they start asking your coworkers to recruit you for them while they are trying to recruit them as well.

  22. Re:I work in Detroit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Apparently you have know clue whats going on in detroit. Its an absolutley huge town for engineers. Hello auto industry (fca, gm and ford) with all the car infotainment and mobile devices and tech being put into cars lots of jobs. Plus a plethora of many other industries. Detroit over the last 5 years has had a renaissance of revitalization and companies are paying big cash for top talent to work and live in Detroit. Living in the midwest and make +6 figures with the cost of living is an absolute goldmine. But if you feel that way stay away and I am happy to take those jobs!

  23. don't call these offers. they aren't by bzipitidoo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This article is about spam, not real offers. If they were real offers, it would give the lowdown-- location, skills, duties, and pay. It would be an actual employment contract, and all the candidate would have to do is sign up, or not.

    So often, these so-called jobs are fake. There isn't a real job, they're just harvesting resumes. Or maybe there is but they've already settled on a candidate, and everyone else has no real chance, the employer is only going through the motions to satisfy EEOC rules.

    --
    Intellectual Property is a monopolistic, selfish, and defective concept. It is "tyranny over the mind of man"
    1. Re:don't call these offers. they aren't by ray-auch · · Score: 1

      Bingo - they are no more job offers than the 30 emails I get every week from allegedly beautiful young Russian women who have "seen me online" and would really like to meet me and want me to look at their pictures (in the attached .zip file or the included .ru link).

  24. Re:If SPAM is a problem, you aren't meant for IT by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    No, I won't get an account at an ad brokers which collaborates with the NSA and which spends millions on lobbying away your privacy. You total idiot.

  25. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 1

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  26. Re:Make me an offer by PopeRatzo · · Score: 2

    collect my resume and my salary

    What happens if you don't give them your salary? I've never, ever given a prospective employer my current salary. But my prospective employer days are behind me. Maybe things have changed and this is de rigueur now.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  27. I had one guy who had unbelievable chutzpah by sconeu · · Score: 1

    This asshole cold-called me... AT THE OFFICE.... When I don't have a direct line, and he had to go through the front desk to get to me.

    I told him to never call me again.

    Apparently, the asshole was scraping LinkedIn, because the next day, he called about 90% of the office. You'd have thought he'd have got a clue when the secretary started hanging up on him.

    --
    General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
    1. Re:I had one guy who had unbelievable chutzpah by Harlequin80 · · Score: 1

      And if he had called you with your dream job?

      Calling through reception is OLD SCHOOL recruiting. That is how you did it before linkedIn and CV databases made it relatively easy to find out who had a certain skillset.

      If a recruiter has been given the task to find someone with a certain skillset they will take a number of steps. First is to advertise, this picks up some of the people who are actively looking for a job, next is to contact their networks and people they know from their database, next is to mine networks like LinkedIn and finally if that fails is to target competitors who use that type of people and try and talk to them.

      And why shouldn't they call through reception? That company isn't their client. People are generally always interested in good opportunities. Sometimes you will get people who are rude to you. But most of the time the response is - sounds interesting, here is my mobile give me a call at 6pm to talk.

    2. Re:I had one guy who had unbelievable chutzpah by ILongForDarkness · · Score: 1

      I agree it is one of those awkward but necessary parts of being in the job market. When working at one place I went on "vacation" to Fort Worth for an interview and then a few months later toGermany for another one. I wasn't open that it was an interview but when I came back with an offer and had my chat with my boss he pretty much said, "yeah I figured, it's a good opportunity you should take it". Anywhere that that isn't the type of response is not a place I want to work, and if they were jerks about it I'd have no sadness taking recruiting calls on my lunch break or whatever. I try to do the best job I can and leave things in a good state when I leave. In exchange I expect either more responsibilities as my skills improve or no problems moving somewhere else where I'd be of better use. I'm not willing to allow loyality stale my career at whatever round hole they happened to find to put me in.

      We are professionals with goods to sell, namely our skills per hour. How silly it would be to allow one business owners feelings (your boss, who is trying to make a profit) prevent you from marketing your own businesses goods (for better pay, benefits, location, experience etc). Mah that is just my opinion your mileage might vary.

  28. Same for Mechanical Eng Too by 0100010001010011 · · Score: 1

    I deleted my Linked In after getting endless recruiters and head hunters that didn't even read my resume and just blindly sent out requests.

    I have 10 years in industry in a very niche market and I'll get jobs in manufacturing or other random area that just require a Mechanical Engineering degree.

    It got to the point where I'd have boilerplate nastygram about actually reading my resume and getting back to me.

    1. Re:Same for Mechanical Eng Too by superflippy · · Score: 1

      Yes. The recruiters who troll LinkedIn must just search for one specific skill and spam everyone who has it. I always get offers for jobs I'm either not qualified for or would never willingly do.

      --
      Your fantasies contain the seeds of important concepts.
  29. Re:Enjoy it while it lasts by i_want_you_to_throw_ · · Score: 1

    I'm in the DC area, so no, recession doesn't matter here since it's all government.

  30. Re:If SPAM is a problem, you aren't meant for IT by ohnocitizen · · Score: 1

    Read the article: "Anyway, I thought, 'AHA! I'll just set up a filter and screen all "@jobdivabk.com" '. No luck. Gmail only lets you screen on certain headers and jobdiva's emails were being relayed "via" on gmail."

  31. Re:If SPAM is a problem, you aren't meant for IT by i_want_you_to_throw_ · · Score: 1

    You can't filter the "via" on Gmail.
    Moron.

  32. You Got H1b !!! by mpapet · · Score: 4, Informative

    You are compliance chum for their H1b hire. They need to go through the motions of looking for an American and somehow never find anyone.

    Tons of published tech jobs are h1b compliance chum.

    --
    http://www.maxineudall.com/2010/02/should-economists-be-sued-for-malpractice.html
    1. Re:You Got H1b !!! by jandrese · · Score: 1

      Is that what those "5 years of experience in every technology ever invented, must be willing to relocate, starting salary $30k no benefits" jobs that litter job listing sites are?

      --

      I read the internet for the articles.
    2. Re:You Got H1b !!! by ILongForDarkness · · Score: 1

      Must be willing to relocate, haha. I think for me it was relocate to San Diego actually. First word out of the phone interviewers month: "we don't cover relocation costs." I hadn't asked, we hadn't discussed the particulars of the job/my skills etc. Literally, "Hello, thanks for making the time. We don't cover relocation costs. Are you still interested?"

      How the hell would I know if I'm interested I have no idea about the company or the particulars of what exactly you need me to do. Talk about bad at sales. "Our product has the crappiest guarantee in the industry, still interested?" Years of experience for a new technology is classic. I think recruiters are very bad at getting the details of positions correct. The client says "mid level position for someone with Swift experience" and they translate it into a posting/interview question "do you have 5-10 years experience with Swift?".

    3. Re:You Got H1b !!! by rnturn · · Score: 1

      ``I hadn't asked, we hadn't discussed the particulars of the job/my skills etc.''

      The classic is when the recruiter calls about a [generic job title] position and the first thing out of the recruiter's mouth is "How much are making?" before even telling you what the job's requirements are.

      --
      CUR ALLOC 20195.....5804M
    4. Re: You Got H1b !!! by cthulhu11 · · Score: 1

      Some of my interviews with Amazon have smelled suspiciously like this

  33. Got more offers by not being interested by superflippy · · Score: 2

    Last year I realized that I'd never changed my LinkedIn job profile info to "not interested" after starting my new job a year earlier. I'd been getting a lot of pings from recruiters, and I thought that might discourage them. Nope. Saying I wasn't interested made the recruiters even more interested in me!

    Which would be great if any of them had a job better than my current one, but they never do. Everything is more boring work I'm less qualified for, for less pay.

    --
    Your fantasies contain the seeds of important concepts.
    1. Re:Got more offers by not being interested by ILongForDarkness · · Score: 1

      Yeah that really bugs me. Recruiter messages me with a job opportunity at a cool company. After reading for a page I realize it is an entire stack I have no experience with. I think it is reasonable to apply for a job where there are a couple things you need to learn as you go, but when it is completely different (ex. I do db/web services dev and I get one that is all javascript CSS, but hooks me because it is $120k a year to work at Google in the subject) ... very annoying. Heck I get recruiters offering me jobs in India. Why the hell would I want to outsource myself to India so I can earn $7/hr? My first years salary would be the plane ticket ;)

  34. Re: Make me an offer by Martin+Blank · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I had one a couple of years ago for which I expressed interest as I wanted to move to the area anyway. The guy wanted all kinds of info that was already on my resume, but also wanted my SSN, and when I refused to give him that, he wanted the last four digits. I don't know if it was an attempt at identity theft or he was just stupid, but that ended things right there.

    Another one went but better at the outset but insisted that the interview had to be done over a video link. I kind of figured, OK, fine, whatever, but when I asked about Skype, he said I had to go to some particular office that was about 40 miles away and use their setup. I couldn't download software and use my camera, because it absolutely had to be done at one of the offices they contracted with, and I was to wear a suit and tie. That really broke it--there was really no need to do that when so many other options for web conferencing were available.

    A friend did recruiting for a while. He's transitioned to a technical role now because he can't compete with the resume mills. I don't know what it will take to get past them and get some decent recruiters back into the fray, but it can't come soon enough.

    --
    You can never go home again... but I guess you can shop there.
  35. everyone gets spam by tverbeek · · Score: 1

    "Have you been the victim of recruiting spam?"

    I have an account on LinkedIn, so ... yes.

    Which is funny/sad, because there is nothing in my linked-in profile that suggests that I'm particularly qualified for any in-demand jobs. So the spam I get is for garbage jobs, and positions for which I am obviously neither qualified nor interested.

    --
    http://alternatives.rzero.com/
  36. Do you get SEO spam? Do you get App Dev Spam? by Harlequin80 · · Score: 1

    Then all people working in SEO and App development must be crap, shoddy and useless.

    Some programmers are crap. Some programmes are excellent. Some system administrators are crap. Some system administrators are excellent. Some recruiters are crap. Some recruiters are excellent. See the pattern?

  37. Re:Make me an offer by MobSwatter · · Score: 2

    The fact of the matter is US politics has sold out US business on it's own people, if you are not H1B visa available for half price then you are not a candidate, you are a benchmark. Not like I have to quote how many jobs were sold to China over the last 40 years, or that China would like to have our war planes constructed as suggested by them over there now as well. Selling out the US is de rigueur now, not unlike pre WWII Germany.

  38. As a "Federal Sales Engineer" by AcquaCow · · Score: 1

    I get hit with 1-2 job opportunities every day or two from LinkedIn alone...

    Some are good, some are cruft... it all becomes noise since I'm not looking for a job right now.

    --

    up 12 days, 22:30, 2 users, load averages: 993.20, 994.21, 994.56
    *makes note to limit user processes...
  39. Re:If SPAM is a problem, you aren't meant for IT by ILongForDarkness · · Score: 1

    The problem is sites like LinkedIn and equivalent. You are there to be visible but recruiters use it to effectively spam you because they send messages through LinkedIn that ultimately land in your real email box because you don't want to use a fake one because you have networking you do want to use the site for.

    You could try filtering out messages that look like recruiting spam from those sites but hard because their "you were endorsed by x", "congradulate Bob for his work anniversery" messages and the like are very canned and look "spammy" too. I read the subject of my emails then mark all read and call it a day. It is 30s of my day and every once and a while something jumps out.

  40. Re:I work in Detroit by jblues · · Score: 1

    uh.... it's *detroit* /nuffsaid

    Oooh, sounds divine! According to the internet the city that I live in has a quality of life Index of 30.57, while Detroit scores 184.59. (Larger number is better) :)

    --
    If it acquires resources on instantiation like a duck, then its a shared_ptr<Duck>
  41. Re:I work in Detroit by jblues · · Score: 2

    uh.... it's *detroit* /nuffsaid

    Oooh, sounds divine! According to the internet the city that I live in has a quality of life Index of 30.57, while Detroit scores 184.59. (Larger number is better) :)

    Oh! But get this. . . My 3rd world city has a health-care score index of 'High', while 'Detroit' scores 'Moderate'. Translation: city in the USA has worse than 3rd-world standard of healthcare. I'm guessing its not the only one.

    --
    If it acquires resources on instantiation like a duck, then its a shared_ptr<Duck>
  42. Re:It's not untrue by ILongForDarkness · · Score: 1

    Yeah and it isn't just recruiting it is the whole industry. I'm constantly questioning. Are we using the right tools? If we are are they tools that are common enough that I'll be employable somewhere else? Then recruiting messages come in and they have a few languages or whatever I'm not using: should I spend time learning them just in case I decide to move? We have no stability in this industry. A surgeon that learns how to replace a knee can do the surgery the same way for a couple decades before being forced to do it a different way. Us every 6 months or so one of our languages/servers/OSs etc change and we need to re-evaluate everything again.

  43. Re:Poor babies by tompaulco · · Score: 2

    It must be rough, having dozens of people throwing money at you.

    It's a lie. These are not job offers, they are job spams. They are required to "look" for an American candidate before hiring a cheaper H1b, so they send out spam emails and try to act as scummy as possible in the hopes that no one will replay so they can hire the H1B of their choice. If you do reply, they will ask for you visa number. Yes, their application will literally ask you for your visa number. It won't ask if you are a citizen. If you don't fill in the visa number (because you don't have one because you are a citizen), then it goes in the round file.

    --
    If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
  44. CareerBuilder AND Monster are Job Spammers by Khyber · · Score: 2

    Seriously, their 'smart' systems suck balls. CareerBuilder gives me programming jobs from my horticultural resume. Monster gives me retail jobs from my culinary resume. Neither can figure out my IT resume so I get shit from security guard to administrative assistant.

    All they're doing is selling you out to data harvesters.

    --
    Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    1. Re:CareerBuilder AND Monster are Job Spammers by RabidReindeer · · Score: 1

      I know an architect who was going nuts over stuff like that. All he got was "computer architect" jobs, and since that became a code word for "IT person not in India", it got completely out of hand.

      I also receive brain-dead harvesting in my inbox. I'm open to remote work, but half the stuff coming in says "No Remote accepted" and half the remainder says "Must be able to work with remote (e. g., offshore) teams".

      So much for "intelligent agents".

    2. Re:CareerBuilder AND Monster are Job Spammers by Megane · · Score: 1

      Keyword leeches are the worst. I have (or at least had, not sure if I aged it out) some assembly language experience in my resume. One recruitard send me an offer for what I think was an IBM 360 assembly language job because of the way Assembler was used like a holy word in the description, and another time I got an offer for PC board assembly at the nearby university tech labs. Not that I couldn't have done that, and the pay was pretty good for what the work was, and the commute would have been great too, but I was already making $50+/hr as an embedded systems programmer.

      --
      #naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
    3. Re:CareerBuilder AND Monster are Job Spammers by rnturn · · Score: 1

      ``IF THE JOB DOES NOT CONSIST MOSTLY OF DOING MATH AND REQUIRE THE WORKER TO BE LICENSED BY THE STATE, IT IS WRONG TO TITLE IT "ENGINEER!"''

      You forgot the people who actually drive trains. An old friend of mine is that kind of engineer.

      The argument over who should be called an "engineer" has been going on since the '70s. At least. It's only gotten worse over those 40+ years. Lately, it seems to be the job-title-enhancer of choice by employers who aren't willing to offer a higher salary. "Maybe they'll like a fancier title... We'll call them an engineer."

      --
      CUR ALLOC 20195.....5804M
    4. Re:CareerBuilder AND Monster are Job Spammers by Khyber · · Score: 1

      "You forgot the people who actually drive trains. An old friend of mine is that kind of engineer. "

      That still requires primarily math and a license requirement by the state, though.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  45. Re:Make me an offer by Darinbob · · Score: 1

    These aren't really offers I don't think. I get recruiter spam, but no one sane is going to give me an offer without at least an interview, except maybe for past employers.

    They are annoying to get though. Some may be decent jobs, but at the moment I'm not looking so I skip them all. But even the ones that look good are going through recruiters and that's a bad sign to me. Maybe I'm out of touch but I just don't get a good feeling about recruiters, they often seem utterly clueless about the companies they recruit for (even when they work for the company itself!), they don't know how to find a good match, they don't have my interests at heart at all, etc.

  46. Re:Make me an offer by Daemonik · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You have that a bit backwards. US businesses have paid off US politics to sell out US workers. Wal-Mart did more for China than any US policy ever could.

  47. Plenty of them here too by NormalVisual · · Score: 2

    I usually get one or two of these spammy mails every day. My favorite was one I got several years ago, which described an interesting opportunity, but I wasn't (and still am not) willing to relocate. So, I wrote back and asked the guy if the gig could be done via telecommuting. His response was "yes, but they require that you work from the office. Will that work for you?". I wrote back asking if he knew what "telecommuting" meant, and never heard back.

    --
    Please stand clear of the doors, por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas
  48. Not job offers by iamacat · · Score: 1

    Having 30 solid offers per month for even entry level programming jobs would be reassuring if nothing else. These are just generic position postings though, with no special inside track to get an actual job.

    Having said that, I got a new job by replying to one of LinkedIn recruiting e-mails a couple of years back, and got a nice salary hike as well as more interesting project and less stress than my previous gig. After that, I usually reply by declining politely and thanking the recruiter for asking. If someday myself or a friend needed a new job, I would probably have a slightly better chance with recruiters who had a positive experience with me before.

  49. the list of skills is only a general idea of words by raymorris · · Score: 1

    > The list of skills required is so detailed and complex, it would be very difficult for someone to be a master of everything on that list,

    The list of skills isn't things you need to be a master of. In fact, most of the time only about half of the listed words are things you'd be doing on the job. You should, however, know what most of the keywords MEAN. If most of the listed words are in your vocabulary, you can then talk to the hiring manager to find specifically what the job is.

  50. I understand too well by Coldeagle · · Score: 1

    I'm a Salesforce.com developer and am constantly getting hit by recruiter spam. In the last week I have gotten 15 requests, only 5 of which are in my area. The rest? Over 500 miles away at the very least!

    Whenever you are working with a popular technology set, you are going to get hit up by non stop recruiters. The part that drives me nuts is the non intelligent ways that they shotgun blast. In my current position (I work for a major non IT recruiting company), I'm working with a Salesforce based recruitment engine. I KNOW what options are available to many of these systems. It seems like they do not utilize any intelligence beyond a keyword search. In the engine that I've aided in developing, we have many different options available to better target appropriate candidates. For example, something simple, like a zip code radius! Heck we even incorporate state based filters if you don't have zip codes.

    Unfortunately, there is not much that I can think of to combat this other than unsubscribe. The only issue there is you might later miss out on a legitimate job opportunities. I mean heck even terrorists manage to get lucky at times in action movies, and these folks might get one in 200 right :P

  51. Have you been the victim of recruiting spam? by TheTrueScotsman · · Score: 1

    No. Because I don't place my resume on a job board.

    If I did (presumably because I wanted a job), I'd be pleased to be getting 30 offers a month. (Is that all?)

    1. Re:Have you been the victim of recruiting spam? by ldobehardcore · · Score: 1

      They aren't actually offers. Nearly all of them are Companies who will ONLY hire H1B workers, and if you're a citizen AND honest, almost certainly don't have a chance at getting the job. They're just required to "look" for American workers before going the H1B slave route. The law doesn't strictly say that they can tailor their job opportunities to have practically unmeetable requirements, then email exactly what to input to trigger the system to the person they actually want to hire in India or wherever. This spam aren't offers, it's CYA bullshit that's required by law before the companies can have their slaves shipped over.

      --
      Hectice, baby, Mercator says hello to you
  52. Re:Make me an offer by notsoclever · · Score: 1

    I love how lately people are trying really hard to look like they're reading my LinkedIn profile before contacting me (and going so far as to contact me via an email address listed on a site linked to from said profile), but they don't even bother to get my first name right or proofread to the extent of even noticing red squiggles underneath obvious tpyos.

    --
    There are 10 kinds of people: ones who understand ternary, ones who don't, and ones who think this joke is about binary
  53. Re:Make me an offer by SuricouRaven · · Score: 1

    One of the jobs I applied for years ago even got me to the interview - but I learned later that the whole thing was a sham. They promoted someone internally, and had always intended to, but there was some legal requirement that they consider external applicants equally. So they interviewed a bunch of outsiders to put on a show and appear to comply with the law.

  54. Do I? by Oligonicella · · Score: 1

    Hell, I've been retired for over eight years and I still get spammed.

  55. just cc the CEO by dr_blurb · · Score: 1

    I usually send a standard reply along the lines of "please take me off your mailing list".

    When that doesn't work, after 3-4 mails from recruiters from the same company I send a longer reply, this time cc'ing the CEO, CTO, etc. of the company, making sure to include the names of the recruiters.

    Works like magic.

  56. Re:If SPAM is a problem, you aren't meant for IT by RabidReindeer · · Score: 1

    If you're that paranoid, you encrypt your mail and let them make do with the meta-data. Or better, route it through an anonymizer.

    The main advantage of not using [big name company like Google] is that the US Government isn't likely to have a permanent anchor right there in the data center where they can essentially harvest at will a la AT&T's Room 415. A private server would require them to put "boots on the ground", so you'd at least be aware that something was going on.

  57. Re:Quit LinkedIN by Kazoo+the+Clown · · Score: 2

    Without even signing up for Linkedin I could tell they were a spam factory. I was getting incessant sign-up emails because a friend was listed and made the mistake of giving them emails of his friends. I yelled so loud I think Linkedin must have put me on their blacklist, as I've not seen a peep out of them since, and that was several years ago. Recruiters are just another form of telemarketer. I remember a good one or two back in the 1980s, but if they still exist they're well hidden. Fortunately, I've been around so long I have no need for such foolishness-- I know enough people now if I were to need it, I can find out about good jobs via word of mouth or personal email. Certainly any place that only wants fresh grads is going to be a place only an actual fresh grad would ever want to work, and even then only long enough to build up a resume.

  58. Same here by tomhath · · Score: 1

    LinkedIn's business model is collecting resumes for headhunters to spam. I deleted my account and still get emails from them.

  59. Re:Make me an offer by jellomizer · · Score: 2

    Many of these offers are for temporary positions. Where they want you to make this program and then you are out of work. Sometimes they are jobs for pie in the sky type of projects. "The killer app!" Without much understanding on the limited functionality of computing, or the practicality.
    These jobs are career poison, and should be avoided.

    Also these spam jobs are an attempt to try to pickup a low ball offer. Sr. Software Architect for 60k.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  60. Re:Make me an offer by r1348 · · Score: 1

    It's also a question of too low salaries: outsourcing to China allows businesses to pay very small salaries to local employees (they would be anyway able to buy Chinese products) and pocket the difference. Wonder why you won't get hired without a H1B? Look at the CEO income.

  61. Re:Poor babies by tompaulco · · Score: 1

    Visa number are only 8 digits , so a SSN would not fit.

    --
    If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
  62. Find "a guy" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

    No. Those were different positions.

    Folks - the industry considers software development an entry level job. It is only the companies making obscene profits which pay $100K+ for software people and they think over-35 yrs old is over-the-hill - most of the time.

    If you want to pick and choose a software job, you've got to become extremely well-known inside an industry, speak at industry conferences, and find a recruiter who cares enough to learn what you want.

    Most recruiters are like ugly men trying to get laid at 1am in a bar. Numbers. numbers, numbers.

    Having my time wasted by 20 "recruiters" taught me early to find one who took the time to understand my wants before bothering me. He learned my interests, my rates, my travel requirements and which jobs I'd be willing to travel 80% or relocate over.
    Taking a 6-12 month vacation every few years is nice too, while my "guy" searches for the right job.

    * US$120K+ - I'm a F/LOSS solutions architect with 25 yrs experience; 10 yrs cross-platform C/C++.
    * Never in Cali, NY - cost of living and lifestyles in those places don't agree with me.
    * Jobs within 5 miles of my house or telecommute, I'll work for less.
    * Nothing north of Tenn - I've lived enough north of there to know 6 months is beautiful weather - 6 months sucks.
    * I'd love to work on 6-12 month overseas contracts which include nice housing, local language training, not living in a shack, solid electricity, internet, and time off for regional travel.
    * Aircraft or space industry jobs and I'll pack. Former rocket scientist with avionics development experience here.

    Since I have my FU-money already, the overseas work is less about pay and more about experiences.

    I would move for an Airbus job in France on June 1. However, I would NOT move to Cali for a SpaceX job. Don't get me wrong, visiting Cali is fine - just don't want to live there. ZERO interest in living there. Send me to Uruguay first.

    1. Re: Find "a guy" by cthulhu11 · · Score: 2

      My experience in the CA silly valley is that everyone and everything is "on" 24/7, nonstop racing and contention, where $125k/yr lets you rent a shitty apt an hour from the office.

  63. Re:Make me an offer by MouseR · · Score: 1

    If you can't be bothered creating an account or resetting your lost password, you can forget about any meaningful offer.

  64. I've only skimmed the article so far... by rnturn · · Score: 1

    ...but it seems the author isn't really talking about receiving 30 job offers. I can easily imagine receiving 30 calls about job openings a month. I've gotten as many as ten calls -- not emails, calls -- in one day. Granted, several of those wind up being for the same job but those calls are not offers. They're not even a guarantee that you'll be selected for a phone screen let alone a face-to-face interview.

    --
    CUR ALLOC 20195.....5804M
  65. Re:Make me an offer by MobSwatter · · Score: 1

    Exactly, the people are not getting the representation, only corporations and the mob through strong arm tactics and gaming the system are.

  66. Re:Make me an offer by radicimo · · Score: 1

    I withheld my salary history from Google when I applied for a position around 2009, and have every reason to believe that's why I failed my self assessment. I couldn't even get an interview. Nothing else in the assessment was out of order. Just a hypothesis, but there are only so many ways to fail a "self assessment" when you have insiders in your corner and a good skill match for a position.

    --
    100 REM PISS OFF CODE FASCISTS 200 GOTO 100
  67. Re:Make me an offer by Martin+Blank · · Score: 1

    This happens a lot, and it's in the name of fairness and eliminating nepotism. It doesn't really work, though, if it's just a formality, and it wastes a lot of time and money on a pointless process.

    --
    You can never go home again... but I guess you can shop there.
  68. Victim? No, but it's annoying. by mcvos · · Score: 1

    I wouldn't call myself a victim for having skills that are highly in demand. Still, a lot of recruiters seem woefully incompetent, for sending me offers from completely different countries (when I'm even losing interest in working outside the city; commuting by bike is definitely a perk).

    But even relevant positions come constantly and when I still have plenty of project to work on. I wish I could pass them on to my unemployed non-programmer friends.

  69. Re:Indian Recruiters... by mcvos · · Score: 1

    In Netherland, there's a surprising number of British recruiters active. No idea why.

  70. Re:Email by DrVxD · · Score: 1

    Who reads email anymore?

    The NSA?

    --
    Not everything that can be measured matters; Not everything that matters can be measured.
  71. It Is About Time by PoliteTia · · Score: 1

    I am an IT Professional. It took time to list all of my skills on one resume. I now have my resume posted on only two websites. Why? Because I have NEVER performed a job search out of a 15 mile raduis from my home. I live in Maryland. The state abbeviation is MD. It is important to mention at this point. I receive solicitations for jobs in North Dakota, ND; Montana, MO; Delaware, DE; Virginia, VA; Pennsylvania, PA and the like several times a week. What really is painful is that I am contacted from two or three recruiters from the same company. The job offers are for a two or three month duration. Really?

  72. Not like that by eric_harris_76 · · Score: 1

    But I do get an occasional one for something which isn't an especially good fit. Maybe every six months or so, fortunately.

    One outfit -- Craps or Job Roulette or Dice or something like that -- once sent me one based off an ancient resume that was completely off. I hadn't been even a part-time Oracle DBA in literally decades, or anything like it. (It might have been unrealistic in its geographic positioning, too.)

    --
    There's no time like the present. Well, the past used to be.
  73. Why is this on slashdot now? by lightbounce · · Score: 1

    The Atlantic article this slashdot article is based on is dated Feb 27, 2014. It's old news. Why is this a slashdot story today?

  74. Switch your career to Quality Assurance... by MoarSauce123 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ....and you get zero job offers....or jokes like 3 month contracts at the other end of the continent.

  75. Resume grab by Rastl · · Score: 1

    Between the spam emails and the phone calls from people who have such thick accents I can barely understand them I get far too many of these every week. They're out to get your REAL resume and I believe they get a bonus for every one they receive. There are no jobs - only headhunters.

    I never opt out of the emails because then I would be confirming that they're going to a real, active email address and the spam would increase exponentially.

    So I clean out my mailbox every day and have stopped accepting calls from unknown out of state numbers. They go right to voice mail. If they bother to leave a message I delete that too. Too many calls and they get added to my blocked list.

    It's annoying, time consuming, and never going to stop.

  76. recruitment message != job offer by mr_mischief · · Score: 1

    People hearing "may I submit you?" are not getting job offers. They are getting recruitment contact. It takes several more steps than that to actually be offered a job in most cases.

  77. Please make it stop... by greywire · · Score: 1

    This is a big problem, but one which I often get dirty looks from people when I complain about it. Because they think I should be grateful to have job offers..

    I'm at the point where I just have to turn off my phone sometimes.

    Once in a while I will answer just to explain to them, hey, you might want to check a map of the United States and see that this job is a thousand miles from my home. And not to sound racist, but, I swear, the moment I hear an accent of any kind, I know its BS and I hang up.

    But even the valid jobs, in my area, for skills I actually have, are sometimes so excessive I cannot conduct normal business on the phone. I've had to literally delete my accounts on job boards after landing a job to slow them down.

    --
    -- Senior Software Engineer, Attorney appearance services, locallawyerapp.com.