5 posts tagged “rants”

I've been approached about the same job at JP Morgan about five times now. It's not one I can do given the requirement for 'solid banking experience' (I work in publishing, it's not the same dammit). OK I know I can do the job because the one highly clueful recruiter (hi Marcus) I deal with has told me what's involved. But I'm obviously not going to get it because I'm not from a banking background.

But... I've just been phoned by a recruiter who has just told me that I'm clearly not up to the job because I have no "XPath 2 schema development" experience. When I pointed out that there is no such thing as an "XPath 2 schema" I was told that is what the client asked for so I obviously don't know as much as I think I do.

Whatever drugs she's on, remind me to avoid them. What is it with the mental unfiltering that goes on between manager -> HR -> recruiter? Many recruiters seem to garble the requirement to the point of imbecility. I wonder how many jobs I've decided not to apply for on the basis of a garbled advert.

So... I just got a linked-in invite from a recruiter who shall remain nameless. It says...

SOME RECRUITER* has indicated you are a person they've done business with at A RECRUITMENT AGENCY*

 
Hello,

I’ve seen your details on linked in and would like to find out if you considering a move a present.

I’m seeking a senior designer in kent – would you be interested?

Please let me know

So... I've never dealt with this agency before (they're in a part of the country I don't frequent - Bristol).  So... that first would be, well, a lie. Then she apparently has seen my details on 'linked in'. OK, so if she has seen my details why does she think that I might be looking for a job as a senior designer? I can't decide if this particular recruiter is more stupid,  more inept or more what than usual. Argh.

* names changed to protect the guilty.

The announcement that the government intends to encourage teenagers to swear an oath of fealty to the crown has me spitting blood (again). I hope, by the time that Owen (and the little brother to be) are old enough to have the choice, my republican beliefs have rubbed off and they give this farcical idea the response it deserves.

I've never understood the American oath of fealty thing (my ex-wife told me about having to do the whole flag thing at high school). It makes a little more sense in a monarchy but monarchy is hideous archaism anyway.

People don't owe anything to the state in terms of loyalty. We create the state; it *is* us. If anything the state owes us loyalty. The state serves us, we should not serve the state. We have allowed the modern state to turn into something quite frightening and I don't know if there is any way back out.

I'm not the world's most experienced windows user these days. I have to use XP at work. It hurts. It's fiddly. Why?

Now.. I was coping ok until I tried to search for a file. I wanted a search dialog. Why did I get a fucking puppy?

So, past 40 now. Not a big deal. I always thought that I would mellow with age. I seem to have gotten angrier as I got older. When I was 21 I was a pretentious young leftie who felt that Marxism would save the world and those who didn't agree must be just, ooooooh, so stupid.

Now, I find myself disgusted by socialism and revolted by capitalism. Religion isn't the opium of the people (except perhaps to certain members of the Church of England); religion is a poison. I despair of the human race ever growing up sometimes. How can we still be acting like children?

No matter how angry I am, though, my own life is all that I could want. I have a wonderful wife and child. I enjoy my work and I have wonderful friends. I might be an atheistic anarchist but I'm a happy one :) Definitely older, not sure about wiser.