«

What is wrong with people these days?

I have been trying to hire a technician for a few weeks now, and I am
thoroughly disgusted with applicants.

I am pretty well convinced I have these people nailed down by now. They
either A) do not want a job, and/or B) if you force them to take a job
they want tons of money, and not to have any responsibilities- or even
basic competancies.

Half the people have no resume- even after they call first and are told to
get a resume together and bring it in, they come in with no resume.

One guy brought in his resume on a disk- because he has no printer. He
expected me to print it out- "and oh by the way, can you print me out a
few more copies please".

Some of the resumes are clearly crap. Esthecially they have spelling
errors, formatting errors, and other stuff that makes them look like crap.

Other resumes are so damned padded it is glaringly obvious. Most of them
list some of their experienced skills as being able to confiure NetBeui.
Really? So, tell me, just how hard is it to configure NetBeui? Anything
else on these resumes are immediately dismissed as just so much bullshit.

Few of them have been on time for interviews. Most come in 15-30 minutes
late, but some coming in hours after the set appointment.

One girl had no experience, little training, and a very low skill set.
She wanted $15 and hour and full benefits.

One guy had not taken a bath in a while. His hair was very unkempt,
dirty, and oily. He smelled- bad!

One guy had shorts and sandals.

One guy does not have a closet. Well, I am guessing about that part
because his clothes were very wrinkled- so I figure he stores his clothes
on the floor- in a ball.

One guy weighed about 400+ pounds- and his clothes were for a 300
pounder. His shirt was straining at all the buttons, with the bottom part
of his shirt outside of his pants and his belly showing. His pants were
below his hips- because they did not fit up higher. He also came in
without a resume.

One kid was a high school student. He had no experience or training, but
he "knew everything about computers". He had no transportation, did not
get out of class until after 3pm (we close at 5pm), and he wanted 10 bucks
an hour. He failed the pre-employment questionnaire miserably. So much
for knowing everything about computers.

Two applicants spoke very little English. I asked one what he knew and he
told me Windows 95. I asked him if he had any certifications. "yes".
"What certs do you have?" "yes" "You are certified?" "Yes" "In what?"
"yes. Windows 95" "Really?" "yes" "you are certified in windows 95?"
"yes" "By who?" "yes" "Who certified you?" "Yes"

One guy lived about 90 minutes away, and had 6 kids. How in the hell am I
going to pay someone enough to travel 90 minutes one way, and be able to
support 6 kids and a wife?

So, here it is- in a nutshell. If you really want a job, here are some
hints for you all.

First, take a shower. Use soap!

Next, put on fresh clothing. Make sure they are clean and pressed. No, I
do not expect a suit, but I do expect a professional appearance. Do not
wear shorts. Do not wear a T-Shirt. You are appling for a professional
position. Dress the part!

Third, be prepared. Get a damned resume together. Proof-read it.
Correct any errors. Make sure you do not pad it. Most hiring
professionals can smell bullshit pretty far away. When you brag about how
good you are on NetBuei, I call that a clue. Chances are- you dont know
****. If you did, you would know that NetBeui is self-configuring, and
also not used much anymore!`

Fourth, know your stuff. Do not apply for a position your are not
qualified for. You are wasting my time otherwise.

Fifth, if you get a job, do not expect to make your first million in the
first few weeks. Expect to work hard.

Sixth- be on time! Do I need to go into this one?

Seventh, speak the language! Dammit, why is it so many immigrants to this
country refuse to learn the language? Why is it so many liberals want to
encourage this? I am *NOT* politically correct- sorry if this shocks
anyone here.. lol

Look- all of the above tells me about you. I have a few short minutes to
assess you for a position. In those few minutes, I need to see you are
sharp, reliable, intelligent, responsible, reliable, and professional. If
you cannot follow simple directions like "Bring in your resume" then you
will not be able to follow direction in the shop. If you come in looking
like a pig, then you have no self respect, or no respect for others. If
you cannot make it to the interview on time, you will not make it to work
on time.

Ghost,
Although I generally agree with the majority of your comments and posts on
this subject so please don't take this as a flame. I find myself wondering
if you are not causing your own problems.

Yes, I understand that there are numerous other costs outside of payroll to
you as the owner of the business which may or may not be covered by the
billable work of your shop. However, in order to attract and keep qualified
people you have to offer a living wage otherwise you will have a revolving
door of people working for you. Since you started this topic you have never
once said what the pay is for this position only how dumb and incompetent
the applicants are.

As for your hints on getting a job, number 5 "Fifth, if you get a job, do
not expect to make your first million in the
first few weeks. Expect to work hard." is out to lunch and if this is your
position when hiring it probably explains why you are having so much
problems filling your position.

I was unemployed for 6 months earlier this year, and had to deal with
companies offering non-livable wages and saying the same things you are
about not being able to find qualified applicants but not willing to
understand that in order to attract good people it is going to cost you
money. In my case I landed a network admin job with a company to replace a
braindumper who screwed everything up in his 9 months on the job, so I have
been cleaning it all up and after 2 months on the job and almost walking out
the door over poor pay, I got a $10,000 raise because they finally realized
quality people cost money.

"Ghost" <> wrote in message
news:user-2608032303350001@1.0.0.101...
> What is wrong with people these days?
>
> I have been trying to hire a technician for a few weeks now, and I am
> thoroughly disgusted with applicants.
>
> I am pretty well convinced I have these people nailed down by now. They
> either A) do not want a job, and/or B) if you force them to take a job
> they want tons of money, and not to have any responsibilities- or even
> basic competancies.
>
> Half the people have no resume- even after they call first and are told to
> get a resume together and bring it in, they come in with no resume.
>
> One guy brought in his resume on a disk- because he has no printer. He
> expected me to print it out- "and oh by the way, can you print me out a
> few more copies please".
>
> Some of the resumes are clearly crap. Esthecially they have spelling
> errors, formatting errors, and other stuff that makes them look like crap.
>
> Other resumes are so damned padded it is glaringly obvious. Most of them
> list some of their experienced skills as being able to confiure NetBeui.
> Really? So, tell me, just how hard is it to configure NetBeui? Anything
> else on these resumes are immediately dismissed as just so much bullshit.
>
> Few of them have been on time for interviews. Most come in 15-30 minutes
> late, but some coming in hours after the set appointment.
>
> One girl had no experience, little training, and a very low skill set.
> She wanted $15 and hour and full benefits.
>
> One guy had not taken a bath in a while. His hair was very unkempt,
> dirty, and oily. He smelled- bad!
>
> One guy had shorts and sandals.
>
> One guy does not have a closet. Well, I am guessing about that part
> because his clothes were very wrinkled- so I figure he stores his clothes
> on the floor- in a ball.
>
> One guy weighed about 400+ pounds- and his clothes were for a 300
> pounder. His shirt was straining at all the buttons, with the bottom part
> of his shirt outside of his pants and his belly showing. His pants were
> below his hips- because they did not fit up higher. He also came in
> without a resume.
>
> One kid was a high school student. He had no experience or training, but
> he "knew everything about computers". He had no transportation, did not
> get out of class until after 3pm (we close at 5pm), and he wanted 10 bucks
> an hour. He failed the pre-employment questionnaire miserably. So much
> for knowing everything about computers.
>
> Two applicants spoke very little English. I asked one what he knew and he
> told me Windows 95. I asked him if he had any certifications. "yes".
> "What certs do you have?" "yes" "You are certified?" "Yes" "In what?"
> "yes. Windows 95" "Really?" "yes" "you are certified in windows 95?"
> "yes" "By who?" "yes" "Who certified you?" "Yes"
>
> One guy lived about 90 minutes away, and had 6 kids. How in the hell am I
> going to pay someone enough to travel 90 minutes one way, and be able to
> support 6 kids and a wife?
>
> So, here it is- in a nutshell. If you really want a job, here are some
> hints for you all.
>
> First, take a shower. Use soap!
>
> Next, put on fresh clothing. Make sure they are clean and pressed. No, I
> do not expect a suit, but I do expect a professional appearance. Do not
> wear shorts. Do not wear a T-Shirt. You are appling for a professional
> position. Dress the part!
>
> Third, be prepared. Get a damned resume together. Proof-read it.
> Correct any errors. Make sure you do not pad it. Most hiring
> professionals can smell bullshit pretty far away. When you brag about how
> good you are on NetBuei, I call that a clue. Chances are- you dont know
> ****. If you did, you would know that NetBeui is self-configuring, and
> also not used much anymore!`
>
> Fourth, know your stuff. Do not apply for a position your are not
> qualified for. You are wasting my time otherwise.
>
> Fifth, if you get a job, do not expect to make your first million in the
> first few weeks. Expect to work hard.
>
> Sixth- be on time! Do I need to go into this one?
>
> Seventh, speak the language! Dammit, why is it so many immigrants to this
> country refuse to learn the language? Why is it so many liberals want to
> encourage this? I am *NOT* politically correct- sorry if this shocks
> anyone here.. lol
>
> Look- all of the above tells me about you. I have a few short minutes to
> assess you for a position. In those few minutes, I need to see you are
> sharp, reliable, intelligent, responsible, reliable, and professional. If
> you cannot follow simple directions like "Bring in your resume" then you
> will not be able to follow direction in the shop. If you come in looking
> like a pig, then you have no self respect, or no respect for others. If
> you cannot make it to the interview on time, you will not make it to work
> on time.

Ghost,
with an A+ cert. and some experience with computers, including building
and setting up my own computer, along with exp. with NT4.0 in my last job,
what can i get as a 1st time entry-level job in this field, maybe be an
assistant or techie at a small mom-pop shop?
Can ya help... thanx,

and ur right money isn't everything, experience and building
relationships, i think, is much more important, b/c money alone can't really
get you anywhere, well nowhere you really want to go, anyway.
Money is the root of all evils, although you shouldn't pay ur
entry-levelers 5 or 7 dollars/hr, i think 8.50 or better is good enuff for a
lil' while. It's a much more attractive rate than say, working at
mcdonald's, altho the more the merrier!!!

That's Florida for ya!
In Florida, 30 minutes late is considered as being on time.
In NYC, 15-30 minutes early is considered as being on time.

"Ghost" <> wrote in message
news:user-2608032303350001@1.0.0.101...
> What is wrong with people these days?
>
> I have been trying to hire a technician for a few weeks now, and I am
> thoroughly disgusted with applicants.
>
> I am pretty well convinced I have these people nailed down by now. They
> either A) do not want a job, and/or B) if you force them to take a job
> they want tons of money, and not to have any responsibilities- or even
> basic competancies.
>
> Half the people have no resume- even after they call first and are told to
> get a resume together and bring it in, they come in with no resume.
>

If you want resumes, run an ad on any Sunday in the Pacific Northwest. One
local contractor did that and got over three hundred responses to his one
day ad. That was after his admin assistant filtered out the obvious garbage
and the former execs who really aren't likely to want normal starting wages.

I work at a convenience store after working at two companies that imploded
and playing the application games. I work with an electrical engineer and a
HVAC tech, everyone starts at minimum wage, but minimum's better than none
even if it's a third of what I made two years ago and probably far less than
the guy with the BSEE was making.

I really dislike having to use elderly borders to pay the mortgage though,
especially blind people with colostomy bags. That's what I get for voting
for Bush I suppose.

Precisely the reason I never take walk in applicants. You send me a resume,
and then I will call you if I am interested. Usually takes the first half
of the shaf away from the wheat.

--
Kendal R. Emery, MCSE, Network+, A+, MCNGP #19
Systems Administrator
Coordinated Home Care

remove me to email to me
"Ghost" <> wrote in message
news:user-2608032303350001@1.0.0.101...
> What is wrong with people these days?
>
> I have been trying to hire a technician for a few weeks now, and I am
> thoroughly disgusted with applicants.
>
> I am pretty well convinced I have these people nailed down by now. They
> either A) do not want a job, and/or B) if you force them to take a job
> they want tons of money, and not to have any responsibilities- or even
> basic competancies.
>
> Half the people have no resume- even after they call first and are told to
> get a resume together and bring it in, they come in with no resume.
>
> One guy brought in his resume on a disk- because he has no printer. He
> expected me to print it out- "and oh by the way, can you print me out a
> few more copies please".
>
> Some of the resumes are clearly crap. Esthecially they have spelling
> errors, formatting errors, and other stuff that makes them look like crap.
>
> Other resumes are so damned padded it is glaringly obvious. Most of them
> list some of their experienced skills as being able to confiure NetBeui.
> Really? So, tell me, just how hard is it to configure NetBeui? Anything
> else on these resumes are immediately dismissed as just so much bullshit.
>
> Few of them have been on time for interviews. Most come in 15-30 minutes
> late, but some coming in hours after the set appointment.
>
> One girl had no experience, little training, and a very low skill set.
> She wanted $15 and hour and full benefits.
>
> One guy had not taken a bath in a while. His hair was very unkempt,
> dirty, and oily. He smelled- bad!
>
> One guy had shorts and sandals.
>
> One guy does not have a closet. Well, I am guessing about that part
> because his clothes were very wrinkled- so I figure he stores his clothes
> on the floor- in a ball.
>
> One guy weighed about 400+ pounds- and his clothes were for a 300
> pounder. His shirt was straining at all the buttons, with the bottom part
> of his shirt outside of his pants and his belly showing. His pants were
> below his hips- because they did not fit up higher. He also came in
> without a resume.
>
> One kid was a high school student. He had no experience or training, but
> he "knew everything about computers". He had no transportation, did not
> get out of class until after 3pm (we close at 5pm), and he wanted 10 bucks
> an hour. He failed the pre-employment questionnaire miserably. So much
> for knowing everything about computers.
>
> Two applicants spoke very little English. I asked one what he knew and he
> told me Windows 95. I asked him if he had any certifications. "yes".
> "What certs do you have?" "yes" "You are certified?" "Yes" "In what?"
> "yes. Windows 95" "Really?" "yes" "you are certified in windows 95?"
> "yes" "By who?" "yes" "Who certified you?" "Yes"
>
> One guy lived about 90 minutes away, and had 6 kids. How in the hell am I
> going to pay someone enough to travel 90 minutes one way, and be able to
> support 6 kids and a wife?
>
> So, here it is- in a nutshell. If you really want a job, here are some
> hints for you all.
>
> First, take a shower. Use soap!
>
> Next, put on fresh clothing. Make sure they are clean and pressed. No, I
> do not expect a suit, but I do expect a professional appearance. Do not
> wear shorts. Do not wear a T-Shirt. You are appling for a professional
> position. Dress the part!
>
> Third, be prepared. Get a damned resume together. Proof-read it.
> Correct any errors. Make sure you do not pad it. Most hiring
> professionals can smell bullshit pretty far away. When you brag about how
> good you are on NetBuei, I call that a clue. Chances are- you dont know
> ****. If you did, you would know that NetBeui is self-configuring, and
> also not used much anymore!`
>
> Fourth, know your stuff. Do not apply for a position your are not
> qualified for. You are wasting my time otherwise.
>
> Fifth, if you get a job, do not expect to make your first million in the
> first few weeks. Expect to work hard.
>
> Sixth- be on time! Do I need to go into this one?
>
> Seventh, speak the language! Dammit, why is it so many immigrants to this
> country refuse to learn the language? Why is it so many liberals want to
> encourage this? I am *NOT* politically correct- sorry if this shocks
> anyone here.. lol
>
> Look- all of the above tells me about you. I have a few short minutes to
> assess you for a position. In those few minutes, I need to see you are
> sharp, reliable, intelligent, responsible, reliable, and professional. If
> you cannot follow simple directions like "Bring in your resume" then you
> will not be able to follow direction in the shop. If you come in looking
> like a pig, then you have no self respect, or no respect for others. If
> you cannot make it to the interview on time, you will not make it to work
> on time.

While we are on the subject of employement, I have a general question for
those of you who are employers out there .

I recently obtained my A+ cert (working on Network+) and plan to get a few
others before I go to college(MCSE, CCIE, maybe Novell).

I am a homeschooled high schooler, and I have been looking around for
employment ( not nything really money making, just minimum wage for a little
extra $$ coming in). I have a person I know who built my PC for me, he runs
a little mom pop type shop, and he occassionally will take high schoolers on
for a summer internship. It's not paid, but what I lose in gas money I gain
in experience. My problem with it is, although I know this guy, have had
good dealings with him, and his wife said it is probably likely that I would
get an internship , he can't offer me a full time position or even part
time because he is a smaller operation.

I know that since I am just starting out, my prospects for employement are
virtually nil. However, I have done resumes before ( just for practice for
the real thing),and am genreally very comftorble with being "called on the
carpet" and having to explain myself and my qualifications, so I am
confident that if it came to that I could make a good impression. I also do
know the value of taking a bath before an interview and coming dressed
decently (i.e. no Warcraft forever T-shirts or ripped jeans).

Given all this, should I try for a job with one of these or just go it alone
like I have been doing? By which I mean just helping out friends with their
problems for 10 bucks here and there.
One plus I can think of is because I homeschool, I can be more flexible with
my hours, which might be of benefit to an employer.


Any ideas?

In article <BB33b.1527$>, "NerdBoy"
<> wrote:

> While we are on the subject of employement, I have a general question for
> those of you who are employers out there .
>
> I recently obtained my A+ cert (working on Network+) and plan to get a few
> others before I go to college(MCSE, CCIE, maybe Novell).
>
> I am a homeschooled high schooler, and I have been looking around for
> employment ( not nything really money making, just minimum wage for a little
> extra $$ coming in). I have a person I know who built my PC for me, he runs
> a little mom pop type shop, and he occassionally will take high schoolers on
> for a summer internship. It's not paid, but what I lose in gas money I gain
> in experience. My problem with it is, although I know this guy, have had
> good dealings with him, and his wife said it is probably likely that I would
> get an internship , he can't offer me a full time position or even part
> time because he is a smaller operation.
>
> I know that since I am just starting out, my prospects for employement are
> virtually nil. However, I have done resumes before ( just for practice for
> the real thing),and am genreally very comftorble with being "called on the
> carpet" and having to explain myself and my qualifications, so I am
> confident that if it came to that I could make a good impression. I also do
> know the value of taking a bath before an interview and coming dressed
> decently (i.e. no Warcraft forever T-shirts or ripped jeans).
>
> Given all this, should I try for a job with one of these or just go it alone
> like I have been doing? By which I mean just helping out friends with their
> problems for 10 bucks here and there.
> One plus I can think of is because I homeschool, I can be more flexible with
> my hours, which might be of benefit to an employer.
>
>
> Any ideas?



I think an internship could do you a world of good- much more than going
it alone... Forst, you will have a greater range of equipment with a
larger variety of problems, and more of them. Working for your friends
here and there will not give you the experience you need.

good luck!

Oh, and in my book, home schooling is a plus- we home school our kids...

In article <>,
wrote:

> On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 00:35:42 -0400, "Adam Ross"
> <> wrote:
>
> >Ghost,
> > with an A+ cert. and some experience with computers, including building
> >and setting up my own computer, along with exp. with NT4.0 in my last job,
> >what can i get as a 1st time entry-level job in this field, maybe be an
> >assistant or techie at a small mom-pop shop?
> >Can ya help... thanx,
> >
> > and ur right money isn't everything, experience and building
> >relationships, i think, is much more important, b/c money alone can't really
> >get you anywhere, well nowhere you really want to go, anyway.
> > Money is the root of all evils, although you shouldn't pay ur
> >entry-levelers 5 or 7 dollars/hr, i think 8.50 or better is good enuff for a
> >lil' while. It's a much more attractive rate than say, working at
> >mcdonald's, altho the more the merrier!!!
> >
> All of this also depends on the person's requirements for living
> comfortably...single, young, etc, is not the same as old and
> Married...with children.
>
> Ghost...have you had a candidate who almost made the grade, and could
> be worth a month or 5 weeks of hand-holding (maybe less if he/she is
> very keen)? A resonsible individual, lacking a bit of technical savvy,
> perhaps, but keen and honest? I'd hire a person like that in the blink
> of an eye. Sometimes a person's ability to research and dig is more
> important than having all of the knowledge right there.
>
> Tom

Absolutley I would hire someone with limited skills- as long as they have
abasic understandong of computers. They should know how to format a drive
or install windows or a modem- things like that. If they have a bsaic
knowledge, i can train them further.

Nice to see someone else that does I was seriously considering the
internship first and then a job for a while. What I would really eventually
like to do is start my own training/ consulting business, but I would have
trouble doing that out here because the local colleges offer PC courses at
like ten bucks a class, and I can't go much below that and still justify my
cost of operating, as far as I know. But that is a year or two (or more!!!)
years down the road.