Re: Why Microsoft certificates are only good as asswipes

My comments interspersed below:

Daniel Morgan

Joel Garry wrote:

> "Daniel A. Morgan" <damorgan_at_exesolutions.com> wrote in message news:<3C3F049D.EA0E728B_at_exesolutions.com>...
> > > (Jeff Cochran) wrote:
> > >
> > > >>If I was a hiring manager,I would give more weight to Linux / Comptia
> > > >>type
> > > >>exams than MS exams esp if the applicant has little or no experience.
> > > >
> > > > Perhaps that's one reaosn you're not a hiring manager... :)
> > > >
> > > >>At least the Linux dude knows basic stuff howeevr simple they may be
> > > >
> > > > All certification exams test a specific knowledge set. If that set
> > > > doesn't fit with the organization doing the interview, the exams are
> > > > irrelevant. I don't know any hiring manager that bases a hiring
> > > > decision on certifications, of any kind. After all, I don't hire
> > > > certifications, I hire people.
>
> Of course, try getting _to_ the hiring manager through the ring of HR
> filters...

Who goes through HR? And if so why? Go through friends ... go through recruiters ... go to restaurants and watering holes near the places of work. But HR is not your friend.

>
>
> And of course, many organizations _do_ hire certifications. In some
> cases, to their detriment.

Not to the best of my knowledge in this part of the US (Redmond, Bellevue, Seattle, Portland)

>
>
> > > >
> > >
> > > That's true. You just have to be a good judge of character.
>
> Man, with all the homo-necrophiliac child molesters out there, I
> really wonder how many people are good judges of character. Actually,
> I don't wonder, because I'm married to a clinical psychologist who's
> been specially trained to spot lying and denial, and even she gets
> bamboozled at times. In fact, the better liars can fool anyone. Even
> machines. At the extreme, even themselves.

If liars got caught ... there wouldn't be any. Case closed.

>
>
> > > I wonder how many companies out there that got bitten bad by someone that
> > > has lied on their resume?? Just curious.
> >
> > All of them. A resume' is a marketing and public relations document. Not a
> > sworn historical document.
>
> Actually, most companies these days tell you they will fire you if
> they discover you've lied on an application or resume. When it comes
> out in the media, they do fire you.

Of course they will. But they don't except in egregious cases. Because, after all, they won't even know you work there if you don't bring attention on yourself.

>
>
> >
> > And references are equally valuable.
> >
> > The only thing that matters is a good technical interview by someone that
> > knows enough to detect B.S.
>
> I've had a few interviews go wrong because the interviewer suffered
> from the incompetence paradox - he wouldn't believe me because he
> didn't know enough. So he thinks I'm BS'ing when I'm not. That
> really torques me off.

Or maybe the interviewer knew enough to see you as a threat.

>
>
> Maybe this from 5+ years ago is interesting, or even relevant:
> http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&th=566f08129270dbf3&rnum=3
>
> Note to Mr. Gates: Good troll!
>
> >
> > Daniel Morgan
>
> jg
> --
> Documentation is a powerful defense mechanism.
Received on Mon Jan 14 2002 - 16:20:27 CST