Experience with SQL Server 2008! Must be 2008!

[Mich the Tester]

There's no major differences between 2005 and 2008 that any tester or developer would need to worry about.

I had a similar thing this morning. Someone asking for Windows Forms development experience alongside SQL Server. The conversation went:

Recruiter: "This role really needs Windows Forms. I see you've got that, but it's been four years since your last project with it."

Gentile: "Yes, I know how to use that technology. That project was a fairly major development with over 400 users, and I was the lead developer on it. Most people have asked for web development or WPF in recent years, but I still know Windows Forms inside out. Between ourselves, it's one of the easiest types of development you can do in .Net"

R: "But they're really looking for experience with recent releases of Windows Forms."

G: "Well they wont get any more recent than that. It's been replaced by WPF. Anyone building Windows Forms now is using the exact same core technology as I used in 2008."

R: "Yes, but that was four years ago."

G: "How many years has it been since you passed your driving test?, and what car did you pass it in? Ten years and a Micra? I'm guessing that you still know how to drive Micras even though you've been driving other cars since, would that be fair to say?"


She agreed to forward the CV, but I don't hold out much hope with someone that technology unaware presenting it.

Your mistake is in trying to educate the numpties. Just lie!

[d000hg]

Yeah, but beyond the obvious please.

Thanks, turns out you're right too.

Oh, I thought spatial only came in in 2008. Turns out I was right only by coincidence but I'll take that

[darmstadt]

I get that type of thing all the time but I think the best one is when they ask me about my experiences with Tivoli and I point out that Tivoli is a basically a brand name under IBM for 100's of system management products running across different platforms. I then start to reel them off until I'm interrupted and asked if I know a certain type of product on a certain type of platform which isn't in my profile at all. Many agents really are numpties, I mean would you speak to a car salesman and all he could tell you about was a model from 10 years ago? Agencies should have agents who specialise in areas so that not only can they talk to us contractors and have a modicum of knowledge but they could talk to their customers with a bit more authority about their needs. A win-win situation for everyone, but no, they continue to employ barrow boys and dolly girls who are more interested in the loot than doing a good job.

[Mich the Tester]

Oh, I thought spatial only came in in 2008. Turns out I was right only by coincidence but I'll take that

It doesn't matter much anyway unless you're a DBA (the size of the DBs can get pretty huge with spatial data); for Devs and Testers it's basically about whether you speak SQL. If you don't, then you should get a job as an agent or HR numpty, if you do then you can do that part of the job.

[Gentile]

Your mistake is in trying to educate the numpties. Just lie!

No, sir, your mistake is in not "educating" them. What you should do is go onto the Wikipedia article that no doubt constitutes their entire knowledge of the subject matter, and insert a surprising and eye-catching 'fact'. e.g.:

"Owing to the new WHIZZBANG data type, NVARCHAR data can now be represented by a TINYINT, thereby effectively at least quadrupling the storage capacity of a SQL Server database for the same size hard drive"

Then make sure you ask them if they're using WHIZZBANGS™ in their design. You'll be well placed to wax lyrical about it in a way no other candidate can.

[Mich the Tester]

No, sir, your mistake is in not "educating" them. What you should do is go onto the Wikipedia article that no doubt constitutes their entire knowledge of the subject matter, and insert a surprising and eye-catching 'fact'. e.g.:

"Owing to the new WHIZZBANG data type, NVARCHAR data can now be represented by a TINYINT, thereby effectively at least quadrupling the storage capacity of a SQL Server database for the same size hard drive"

Then make sure you ask them if they're using WHIZZBANGS™ in their design. You'll be well placed to wax lyrical about it in a way no other candidate can.

Thanks, trick for next time. CV is already edited and sent.

[escapeUK]

R: "But they're really looking for experience with recent releases of Windows Forms."

G: "Well they wont get any more recent than that. It's been replaced by WPF. Anyone building Windows Forms now is using the exact same core technology as I used in 2008."

R: "Yes, but that was four years ago."

Id get this role, Ive been using Windows Forms using VS2010 since the day it was released. So obviously much more recent experience and in the latest release!

I looked at WPF and thought oh look a new Microsoft idea that wont work properly, has less functionality than I need so ill be spending loads of time coding around its short comings, will be slower than what it replaces and they'll drop in a few years. So didnt bother with it after that.

[Mich the Tester]

It´s a bad sign, it means that the market is so dire that they can reduce the hundreds of CV´s by being even more specific than they need to be, think of it as "because they can", Reminds of an answer some rock star gave about why do rock stars go out with gorgeous models, "because we can".

You're too generous to them. It's because they don't have a fooking clue what they should ask to find good candidates, so they just narrow the search down to some random subset of some random set.

They asked me if I live within 60 km of the client, so I said yes, as usual. Now to check out B&B's near clientco, which is only about 180 kms away.

[nomadd]

She agreed to forward the CV, but I don't hold out much hope with someone that technology unaware presenting it.

I work in low-latency messaging. You should try explaining that to an Agent! Usually goes something like this:

Agent: "Do you have any low-latency messaging experience?"
Me: "Have you read my c.v."
Agent: "Er..."
Me: "Try looking at the most recent role..."
Agent: "Oh, yes. Great!"
Agent: "Is that milli-second, micro-second or nano-second?"
Me: "You're just reading this from a sheet, aren't you?"
Agent: "Er, yes."
Me: "Would you like me to explain?"
Agent: "Er, no. I take it's that a no then - you don't have it?"
Me: "Well, it's not that simple..."
Agent: "OK, I think we best just skip this role. The client is very specific."

[DimPrawn]

So you've got SQL Server 2008 experience have you?

Think you're getting in do you?

Well I've got news for you, we want experience of SQL Server 2008 R2 so piss off!