Experience with SQL Server 2008! Must be 2008!

[Mich the Tester]

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."

Agent: "Is that milli-second, micro-second or nano-second?"
MTT: "all three, but haven't you guys moved on to pico-seconds yet?"

[Gentile]

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.

It's only the IDE that's changed, the .net namespaces for Windows Forms themselves haven't been updated since Framework v 3.0 (released on 6th November 2006).

WPF is a bit more tricky to use than Windows Forms, but you'll understand the relevance of all that XAML in place of designer files if you have/do get into Silverlight. The common XAML approach brings WPF closer to the Silverlight web technology that Microsoft hoped to promote, than Windows Forms ever was to either ASP.Net or ASP.Net MVC.

Whether or not Silverlight itself will survive is another debate: that'll depend on whether there's ever a killer website for it that means people willingly install it as a matter of course, in much the same way as YouTube did for Flash. It's a chicken/egg thing : developers aren't using it, because users aren't using it, because...

[Mich the Tester]

Don't numpties realise that beyond some level of specification the more silly demands they make the more likely they are to get some chancer who's good at bluffing?

[Mich the Tester]

It's only the IDE that's changed, the .net namespaces for Windows Forms themselves haven't been updated since Framework v 3.0 (released on 6th November 2006).

WPF is a bit more tricky to use than Windows Forms, but you'll understand the relevance of all that XAML in place of designer files if you have/do get into Silverlight. The common XAML approach brings WPF closer to the Silverlight web technology that Microsoft hoped to promote, than Windows Forms ever was to either ASP.Net or ASP.Net MVC.

Whether or not Silverlight itself will survive is another debate: that'll depend on whether there's ever a killer website for it that means people willingly install it as a matter of course, in much the same way as YouTube did for Flash. It's a chicken/egg thing : developers aren't using it, because users aren't using it, because...

Right ho! I've printed that and I'll take it with me.

[Gentile]

Agent: "Is that milli-second, micro-second or nano-second?"
MTT: "all three, but haven't you guys moved on to pico-seconds yet?"

The agent I spoke with this morning couldn't even tell me which version of Visual Studio they were using. It's amazing how often you find that degree of lack of awareness alongside an unreasonably-narrow job spec.

[tractor]

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.

This is the real unfortunate thing. When you get to the highlighted part, anyone would be on to a loser. This aptly demonstrates the real disconnect between us and the contracts we are going after. There are far too many layers in the process that don't add any value, worse in fact, they detract from the original requirement of getting a resource to do the job. How do these great unwashed in 'talent management' think applications used to get developed in the heady days of the first few versions of VB/access/SQL Server/ORACLE? When even the software manufacturers couldn't get their heads around the technology they developed?

I am empathetic. I am sure many of us face this daily whether it's with 'talen management', HR or the first 3 layers of Agency gopher. I have no idea what the answer is lol.

[vetran]

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."

aw Bless!

The very young don't always understand what they are told.

[Mich the Tester]

There are far too many layers in the process that don't add any value, worse in fact, they detract

In that part-sentence you might unwittingly have encapsulated the economic troubles of the entire western world.

[jmo21]

I don't know how many times I've had a conversation along the lines of:

Agent: You have experience of C#?
Me: Yes, 10 years, asp.net, winforms etc
Agent: And what about .Net
Me: sigh

[EternalOptimist]

Tell them you have ten years of sql 2008 with five of those working on the beta root nodes