Re: Re[2]: another OCP question -- help me guys

From: Rachel Carmichael <wisernet100_at_yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 07 Jan 2004 07:19:25 -0800
Message-ID: <F001.005DBFC8.20040107071925@fatcity.com>

Michael Abbey once said (I'm paraphrasing here) "the resume and OCP get you in the door. It's your experience that gets you the job and keeps you there"

We've had numerous discussions on this list about interview questions. I've been on interviews where I spent an entire day (9-4) and talked to 11 different people, both non-technical questions and technical ones in and out of my area of expertise. and this was AFTER a 90 minute phone technical interview. I've been on interviews where there was no DBA on site, so the technical aspect of the interview was more an informal consulting session (how would you handle this problem, when I could tell it was one they were currently having)

I'm not interested in how much you've memorized. Or how well you take standardized tests. I do ask questions that pertain to skill set and creative thinking.

Unfortunately these days, personnel departments do the initial screening and they use a keyword search on "college degree" and "OCP". Wherever possible, I try to do the initial search and interview myself and THEN pass a candidate along to HR. That way I can at least argue for someone really good, even if their resume doesn't hit the keywords.

Oh yeah -- how does having a college degree in art history make a person a better DBA? how does my degree, which is in computer science but which is 28 years old, have anything to do with current programming and database work?

And while we definitely need people who know a little about everything (the "primary care physician" as it were) we still need experts in specialized areas. I wouldn't necessarily urge people to study lots and lots of things, that usually ends up meaning they do none of them well.

Okay, can you tell you poked one of my pet peeves? Off the soapbox for now :)

my $0.02, for what it's worth (which is less and less these days!)

Rachel

• Ryan <ryan.gaffuri_at_cox.net> wrote:
  > A small but growing number of employers want certification.
  > Considering the
  > job market, I recommend anyone who is not at Rachel's, etc.. level to
  > get
  > certified as both a developer and a DBA. I'm doing Java also, just to
  > have
  > it. The java test is a total joke. You only need to get 52% right and
  > its
  > just one test, but people want it. You really don't even need to know
  > java.
  > Just object-oriented programming and memorize a bunch of fairly
  > useless
  > information.
  >
  > Getting a good salary is more about your resume and how well you
  > speak than
  > it is about your skill set. I've had alot of technical interviews and
  > they
  > all seem to ask the same easy questions. They are interested in:
  > years of
  > experience, degree, where your degree is from, certification, and in
  > some
  > cases where you worked before. There is some bias in the DC area for
  > 'top 5'
  > consulting. I think that means Booz Allen, and Ernst and Young. Not
  > sure who
  > the other 3 happen to be.
  >
  > People don't seem to be all that interested in whether you can
  > actually do
  > the job. They just assume your better than someone else if you have a
  > nicer
  > resume.
  >
  >
  > ----- Original Message -----
  > To: "Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L" <ORACLE-L_at_fatcity.com>
  > Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 9:34 AM
  >
  >
  > > I didn't mean to scold... you post way more information than I
  > usually
  > > do!
  > >
  > > And I answer whilst eating breakfast at times too :)
  > >
  > > Richard *is* right, the problem is, the sql statement is misformed
  > but
  > > the answer key says it will work. Which is yet another reason I
  > dislike
  > > the OCP exams.
  

  ---

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Author: Rachel Carmichael
  INET: wisernet100_at_yahoo.com

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Received on Wed Jan 07 2004 - 09:19:25 CST