Get Java Jobs!

Recruiters seeking Java folks - I highly recommend checking out Get Java Jobs:

http://www.getjavajobs.com/employers/registration.php


It's a free place to post your reqs and they have an awesome Twitter following, which will bring even more exposure to your postings. Also, on August 6th, they're having an "email job fair", which will email out all their postings to their registered job seekers, so if you have your free posting done before that date, you'll get even more exposure to your postings.

Recruiting pals, take advantage!

Miss Recruiter

Seeking Java UI Swing Developer

Startup Staffing is working to fill key positions for our client, a major multinational electronics corporation with offices in Nashua, NH. We are seeking an experienced software engineer to help our client develop their award-winning storage management user interface. The successful candidate will have proven technical skills - employing new technologies to solve difficult problems; working with senior staff to plan and size individual projects; prioritizing and designing enhancements; and producing high-quality, well-tested code. In this role, the individual will be responsible for delivering new features and functionality in this Java-based storage management user interface.

The successful candidate must have a track record of delivering commercially available software using Java. They should be able to demonstrate proficiency in design, coding, and software architecture for this environment. Particular emphasis will be placed on experience in building and delivering stable, serviceable solutions in an independent fashion. The candidate should have the exemplary communications skills needed to interact effectively with members of the various technical teams within the engineering organization.

This individual must have 5 or more years of software development experience in Java, preferably in the context of network, device, or system management. Additionally, the candidate MUST have the following:

Experience with Java Swing UI components
Strong object-oriented design skills (OOD/OOP)
Proven experience with multithreading, sockets and network programming
Knowledge of common web technologies, such as HTTP, XML, XSL and SOAP

Optionally, the following skills and knowledge will be useful:

Storage management concepts and standards
iSCSI and networking
SNMP applications
VMware Development
J2EE technologies (JDBC, JMS, servlets, etc)
Development experience with Java frameworks (Spring, Hibernate, etc)
C++, C#, .NET

If interested in having an exploratory conversation regarding this position, please send me a copy of your updated resume as a Word document and let me know a convenient time to contact you. Otherwise, I would greatly appreciate any referrals you might have.

Miss Recruiter
mhall@startupstaffing.com

New Mac Book Pro

Fresh off the boat from Shanghai - my spanking new Mac Book Pro. Huan ying diàn nǎo!

Miss Recruiter

Don't Be That Guy!

Note - great friend Petri Darby, PR Genius, is quoted in this article. Second, be sure not to say stupid stuff like this or you'll be posted to the Recruiters Hall of Shame forever and surely blacklisted in your town! (I mean, who *hasn't* been drunk from the night before at a job interview at one point or another, but you're not supposed to fess up to it!!) ;)

Miss Recruiter

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/worklife/07/22/cb.you.said.what.interview/index.html

43 weird things said in job interviews

• Story Highlights
• Hiring managers reveal some of the really weird answers heard in job interviews
• "My parents told me I need to get a job so that is why I'm here."
• Left my last job because "I have a problem with authority."
• "I get angry easily and I went to jail for domestic violence. But I won't get mad at you."

Rachel Zupek
CareerBuilder.com writer

"I'm not wanted in this state."

"How many young women work here?"

"I didn't steal it; I just borrowed it."

"You touch somebody and they call it sexual harassment!"

"I've never heard such a stupid question."

Believe it or not, the above statements weren't overhead in bars or random conversations -- they were said in job interviews. Watch man sing his resume to get an interview »

Maybe you were nervous, you thought the employer would appreciate your honesty, or maybe you just have no boundaries. Whatever the reason, you can be certain that you shouldn't tell an interviewer that it's probably best if they don't do a background check on you. (And yes, the hiring manager remembered you said that.)

We asked hiring managers to share the craziest things they've heard from applicants in an interview. Some are laugh-out-loud hysterical, others are jaw dropping -- the majority are both. To be sure, they will relieve anyone who has ever said something unfortunate at a job interview -- and simply amuse the rest of you.

Hiring managers shared these 43 memorable interview responses:

Why did you leave your last job?

"I have a problem with authority." - Carrie Rocha, COO of HousingLink

Tell us about a problem you had with a co-worker and how you resolved it

"The resolution was we were both fired."- Jason Shindler, CEO, Curvine Web Solutions

What kind of computer software have you used?

"Computers? Are those the black boxes that sit on the floor next to the desks? My boss has one of those. He uses it. I don't have one. He just gives me my schedule and I follow it." - Greg Szymanski, director of human resources, Geonerco Management, Inc

What are your hobbies and interests?

"[He said] 'Well, as you can see, I'm a young, virile man and I'm single -- if you ladies know what I'm saying.' Then he looked at one of the fair-haired board members and said, 'I particularly like blondes.'" - Petri R.J. Darby, president, darbyDarnit Public Relations

Why should we hire you?

"I would be a great asset to the events team because I party all the time." - Bill McGowan, founder, Clarity Media Group

Do you have any questions?

"If you were a fruit, what fruit would you be?" - Megan Garnett, Articulate Leadership Team, Articulate Communications Inc.

"What do you want me to do if I cannot walk to work if it's raining? Can you pick me up?" - Christine Pechstein, career coach

"I was a Chamber of Commerce Executive once hiring a secretary. [The candidate asked] 'What does a Chamber of Commerce do?'" - Mary Kurek, Mary Kurek, Inc. Visibility Consulting

"Can we wrap this up fairly quickly? I have someplace I have to go." - Bruce Campbell, vice president of marketing, Clare Computer Solutions

"What is your company's policy on Monday absences?" - Campbell

"If this doesn't work out can I call you to go out sometime?" - Christine Bolzan, founder of Graduate Career Coaching

"How big do the bonuses really get once you make associate? I hear it's some serious cash." - Bolzan

"[The candidate asked,] 'Can my dad call you to talk about the job and the training program? He is really upset I'm not going to medical school and wants someone to explain the Wall Street path to him.' The dad did call. Then that dad's friends called and I ended up doing a conference call with a group of concerned parents ... long story." - Bolzan

"If I get an offer, how long do I have before I have to take the drug test?" - Bolzan

"When you do background checks on candidates, do things like public drunkenness arrests come up?" - Bolzan

"Can I get a tour of the breast pumping room? I heard you have a great one here and while I don't plan on having children for at least 10 or 12 years, I will definitely breast feed and would want to use that room."- Bolzan

"So, how much do they pay you for doing these interviews?" -- Jodi R.R. Smith, Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting

Why are you leaving your current job?

"Because I (expletive) my pants every time I enter the building." - Abbe Mortimore, Human Resources Manager, True Textiles, Inc.

"I was fired from my last job because they were forcing me to attend anger management classes." - Smith

Why are you looking for a job?

"Cigarettes are getting more expensive, so I need another job." - Pechstein

"My parents told me I need to get a job so that is why I'm here." - McGowan

Why do you want to work for us?

"Just for the benefits." - Jennifer Juergens, JJ Communications

"My old boss didn't like me, so one day, I just left and never came back. And here I am!" - Matt Cowall, communications manager, Appia Communications

"I saw the job posted on Twitter and thought, why not?" - Rebecca Gertsmark Oren, Communications Director at The Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity

What are your assets? (as in strengths)

"Well, I do own a bike." - Pam Venné, principal, The Venné Group

What are your weaknesses?

"I get angry easily and I went to jail for domestic violence. But I won't get mad at you." - Pechstein

"I had a job candidate tell me that she often oversleeps and has trouble getting out of bed in the morning." - Linda Yaffe, certified executive coach

"I am an alcoholic and do not deserve this job." - Deb Bailey, owner, Power Women Magazine & Radio Show

"I'm really not a big learner. You know ... some people love learning and are always picking up new things, but that's just not me. I'd much rather work at a place where the job is pretty stagnant and doesn't change a lot." -- Michaele Charles, Voice Communications

When have you demonstrated leadership skills?

"Well my best example would be in the world of online video gaming. I pretty much run the show; it takes a lot to do that." - Rachel Croce

Is there anything else I should know about you?

"You should probably know I mud wrestle on the weekends." - Venne

When can you start?

"I need to check with my mom on that one." - Bolzan

Use three adjectives to describe yourself

"I hate questions like this." - Katrina Meistering, manager of outreach, National Fatherhood Initiative

Tell of a time you made a mistake and how you dealt with it

"I stole some equipment from my old job, and I had to pay for its replacement." - Meistering

Have you submitted your two weeks' notice to your current employer?

"What is two weeks' notice? I've never quit a job before, I've always been fired." - Meistering

Random responses

"One guy [said] 'it would probably be best' if I didn't run a background check on him. Of course, I did, and learned all about his long, sordid past of law-breaking. Our client actually offered him a job as a staff accountant, but quickly retracted the offer when I had to tell them all about his recent arrest for a meth lab in his basement." - Charles

"[A] guy said he did not have a mailing address, as he was living in a gypsy camp at the airport." -- Sandra L. Flippo, SPHR

"I went into the lobby to pick up a candidate. As he stood up, his trousers fell to the floor! [He said] 'Oh, my gosh -- they told me I needed a suit for the interview. I've got no money -- so I borrowed this thing. It's too big!'" - Beth Ross, executive and career coach

"Wow -- I'm not used to wearing dress shoes! My feet are killing me. Can I show you these bloody blisters?" - Bolzan

"May I have a cup of coffee? I think I may still be a little drunk from last night." - Smith

(During a telephone call to schedule the interview) "Can we meet next month? I am currently incarcerated."- Smith

"[A candidate] was asked whether he could advocate impartially on behalf of the various universities he would be representing since he had attended one of them. He responded, 'Well, I don't like to poop where I eat, but I thought my education sucked, so I certainly wouldn't put that school above the others.'" - Darby

Twitter

I have joined the masses!! Let's try out this Twitter thing and see if I can locate some stellar candidates for my client. Follow me!

http://twitter.com/merihall OR @merihall

Miss Recruiter

AWESOME ARTICLE

Have you ever received one of those emails that promises riches while working from home in your PJs, and wondered if it was too good to be true? I'm going to bite the bullet and say that about 95% of the time, it is definitely NO GOOD. A person that's been out of work for a long time or really just praying for a sign of life out there could really be at risk of being taken for a ride. Read more below about this topic to avoid being scammed yourself...

Miss Recruiter

http://www.therecruiterslounge.com/2009/07/17/how-to-spot-fake-job-ads/

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If you’ve ever posted your resume on sites such as Monster, CareerBuilder, HotJobs, or Craigslist, you’ve probably received emails in response to your resume, no matter how highly targeted your resume was written, or at the other end of the spectrum, how badly it was written.

In fact, sometimes it doesn’t even have to be a resume! I had a recent blog post where I outlined some of the biggest mistakes in posting your resume on Craigslist. I decided to also post that as an article in the RESUMES section of Atlanta Craigslist, since that was where I got my inspiration for the article and wanted to help those people who were making those specific mistakes.

This was an article, not a resume, so I was a little surprised (or was I?) when I started receiving emails “responding to my resume on Craigslist”. Craigslist does try to fight fraud by including the following in every email sent through their system:

** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY — AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY
** Avoid: wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home
** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping
** More Info: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html

So here’s what happens. Some companies search through resumes posted online, not because they are seeking candidates for “legitimate” jobs, but to build their email lists and also for recruiting purposes for Network Marketing and MLM business opportunities. Many of the Network Marketing and MLM opportunities are, in fact, legitimate, but not exactly what most people are seeking when they post their resumes.

I’ll address the latter one first. If you get an invitation to a meeting about a “business opportunity”, to “get in on the ground floor” or something similar, it’s likely to be a network marketing or MLM opportunity. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, provided of course that the opportunity is a good fit with your goals, skills, and desires. What I don’t like is the ones who are vague about the “opportunity” and don’t tell you what company it’s for or anything in advance of the meeting. In my opinion, being up front about an opportunity is crucial. It gives the person a chance to look into the opportunity further before investing, spending, or wasting their time (depending on their viewpoint and the opportunity) traveling to a meeting and sitting in a packed (or nearly-empty) conference room in a cheap hotel with other people who were led to the meeting by the same purposely vague invitation method.

Worse are the scammers who prey on the desperation of frustrated job seekers who are at the point where they’re open to ANY opportunity that comes along. These often include “work-from-home” opportunities and money transfer opportunities.

First, a disclaimer: these are actual responses I’ve personally received, and while I have changed the company names and other contact info, I cannot absolutely guarantee that the “job opportunities” below are not actually legitimate opportunities and assume no liability whatsoever. That being said, each one I’m including in this post has at least one major thing about the ad that, to me, looks like it is fishy at best; an outright scam at worst. The point of this post is to encourage you to exercise your own critical thinking as part of your job search so that you don’t fall victim to one or more of the many scams out there, and don’t waste your time by pursuing fake opportunities that are designed to part you from your money.

Exhibit “A”:

After reviewing your resume at XYZ website (site name changed) we are sure you fit our requirements for a financial manager position.

My name is Rip Meoff (Name changed) and I am working in Money Transfer Ripoff Opportunity Inc. (Company name changed)

It’s a large company, headquartered in the USA. Main field of our business is financial services, including escrow services provided for customers of online auctions.

Position we offer is part-time, with flexible schedule. You are to spend 2-3 hours on average a day (except Saturday and Sunday, no tasks during weekends) working at home.

We require: Internet access and e-mail availability.

Money Transfer Ripoff Opportunity Inc. covers all expenses, no need to invest your own money!

After we sign the contract, you’ll be employed for a month of a trial period. During this timeframe, you’ll receive all the necessary instructions and training from your supervisor. One week before the trial ends, supervisor will be making his/her decision regarding the employee. Termination of contract can be recommended.

During the trial period you’ll be paid 2.3k$ a month. Also you’ll keep 8% from every money transfer processed. Total income, considering the current volume of clients, will be up to $4500 per month. After you successfully pass the Trial Period, base salary will be increased up to $3000 per month. Furthermore, you may ask for extra hours or even a full time job.

If you are interested in this job offer or would like to learn more, please forward your filled form to our e-mail: GiveMeAccessToYourBankAccountSoWeCanRipYouOff@stealmymoney.com (email address changed)

==============FORM===FORM================

First name:_______________________

Last name:_____________

Country of residence:_____________________

Contact phone:____________________

Preferred call time:____________________

==============FORM===FORM================

We promise to reply promptly!

We found your resume at (name of site where you posted your resume). This letter confirms that your resume has been duly processed and your skills completely meet our requirements for the Financial Manager vacancy.

Regards,

Rip Meoff, Chief Ripoff Artist

My take:

• Obviously, this looks and smells like a rip-off. As the old saying goes, if it looks like a duck, and smells like a duck, it’s probably a duck.
• It’s EXTREMELY unlikely that the resume of anyone but a Financial Manager would “completely meet our requirements” for a real, legitimate Financial Manager job opportunity.
• Another tipoff: the sender asks you to send information that they should already have from your resume (clue #1) to a gmail, yahoo, hotmail, or other non-corporate address (clue #2). Now a gmail or other free account doesn’t necessarily mean the opportunity isn’t legitimate – many hiring managers choose to keep the company confidential until the talk or meet with you, for various reasons (such as looking for a replacement for an existing key employee who doesn’t know they’re going to get axed).
• This type of response is often from companies that either have acronyms for names (though, again, this is not a true test of the validity of the job – IBM, CBS, ABC, and many other real, solid companies use acronyms as company names) or some legitimate-sounding name that sounds like either a name you’ve heard or one you might have heard. Common words used in these company names (though, again, this isn’t a true test of legitimacy) are National, American, Federal, Global, and other words that sound big, strong, or important.

Exhibit “B”:

Your resume was reviewed and passed on to our office. Your experience as (your most recent job title) was of interest. If you are still seeking a professional or executive career in the Business Development sector or other fields, with pay between $60,000 and $500,000, please update your information here…(link to their site)

Regards,

My Take:

• Firstly, I hadn’t posted an actual resume!
• Secondly, the sender didn’t include any real information about the “job opportunity” and the pay range listed is so wide that my internal scam detector alarm went off so loudly that my house nearly started shaking.
• The link wasn’t actually directly to their site – it went to some link with a long series of numbers and letters after the beginning of the URL – obviously a tracking link so they’d know you visited the site even if you didn’t enter your information once you got there.
• The only clue they provide about the type of position is “professional or executive career in the Business Development sector or other fields.” One can get a little more vague than that, but not by much.
• No company name, no recruiter name.

Exhibit “C”:

Dear Jobseeker,

After viewing your resume on (job site), we have decided to contact you regarding an offer. We are looking for a Representative in the United States.

The Representative will work closely with our Financial Department to manage and process payment orders and to serve as the key conduit for those requirements.

§ § Representative will be tasked to receiving payments, processing these transactions and keep records as well as making the necessary money transfers

§ § Opportunity to work at home: maximum one hour each business day

Requirements :

§ § Attention to detail and organized, with good communication skills both verbal and written

§ § US citizen or permanent residence/green card holder

§ § Clean criminal record

Benefits:

§ § Attractive bonuses and commissions with each order

§ § No contact with our clients

Salary and commissions:

§ § Guaranteed commissions totaling up to $6000.00 every month + $1,600.00 basis monthly salary + 10% commission from every processed order

Please let me know if you are interested.

Hiring Department

My Take:

• Again, Payment Processing positions are EXTREMELY likely to be scams designed to get you to give your bank account details so that the scammers can steal money from you.
• “Representative” is too vague – Account Representative, Marketing Representative, and so on are much more common in the real world.
• “Representative” is more commonly used in client-facing positions – after all, a “representative” is representing their company, and if there’s “no contact with our clients,” what’s the point in calling you a “representative”?
• “Guaranteed commissions” ?? BIG red flag.
• “totaling up to $6000.00 every month” – “up to” is purposely vague and designed to stimulate your greed gland, make you salivate and respond to them. If they do guarantee commissions in the first place, how much do they actually guarantee? This sounds really fishy to me – especially with a “maximum of one hour each business day.”
• Guaranteed commissions, plus a monthly salary PLUS 10% commission from every order? So you’re getting 2 commissions? One guaranteed and one based on each order? Even fishier.
• Bad grammar, e.g. “Representative will be tasked to receiving payments,” is another clue, though bad grammar and spelling are so prevalent that misspelled words and grammar mistakes alone aren’t a true indication of the validity of an opportunity, but excessive mistakes can be a tipoff.

Exhibit “D”:

Hello

We currently have a position available.

If you are intrested (sic) in taking the job please contact (email address) for further information.

Thank you

(name of company)

My Take:

Send this one straight to your trashcan!

• They don’t say anything about what kind of job.
• Though you can’t see it because I removed the email address and company name, it was a free email account and the address didn’t match the name of the company – it was a company with an acronym in the name, and the email address had a slightly different acronym.

I do hope this helps all you job seekers out there. There are lots of great opportunities out there, including some legitimate “work-at-home” opportunities, but also a lot of bad people who will do anything to steal your money, your identity, or whatever they can get their slimy little paws on. Or in the case of “work-at-home” scams, they’ll steal your time, labor, and effort for their gain, not yours.

It’s a jungle out there – know how to spot the snakes and you’ll have a better chance of not getting bitten.

To your success,

David B. Wright
Author, Get A Job! Your Guide to Making Successful Career Moves
www.thegetajobbook.com