Re: So what if 8i is outta support ?

From: DA Morgan <damorgan_at_x.washington.edu>
Date: Sun, 24 Oct 2004 20:50:56 -0700
Message-ID: <1098676206.600564@yasure>

Howard J. Rogers wrote:
> Well, as I said, there are jobs where restriction of applicants is
> appropriate.

Agreed.

>>And if there are plenty of viable candidates 
>>that do have this experience ... and there were. Why would you waste
>>your time interviewing people that wouldn't know a quorum file if it
>>bit them on the lip?

>
> In general, because they might know all sorts of other stuff that I would
> find equally desirable,

Agreed. But not necessarily for that particular position.

such as being able to get on with clients, being
> able to problem-solve. Being able to explain GC_FILES_TO_LOCKS. That sort
> of thing.

If they don't know RAC I would find any knowledge that gc_files_to_locks is a parameter.

> If the recruitment environment is "We need somebody who can start yesterday
> with no ramp-up, no training... s/he just needs to know the product X and
> get on with it", then I can understand drafting an advert demanding
> experience of product X, and only interviewing such people. But that sounds
> like an emergency situation being resolved, not an approach for general,
> normal recruitment.

And that is almost always the situation.

> Again, the issue is "define the term viable". You define it (or seemed to in
> this thread) as "knowing product X". My point has been (and I think it was
> David Sharples' as well) that to define it thus is missing out on a lot of
> perfectly good talent.

True. But I can't hire every perfectly good talent: Only one. So why not reward the one that worked hardest to get to where they are?

>>You seem to be advocating investing time training people in place of
>>finding people that have invested their own time and money in training
>>themselves.

>
> Quite right too. Unless you advocate employing someone with skillset X from
> day one and never intending to add to their skillset.

That is reading in something I never said and given my profession a bit of a stretch even for the sake of an argument (which this isn't). If I just wanted a DBA I'd have searched for a DBA: Different thing entirely. I wanted someone to manage RAC nodes so, given lots of available talent with RAC experience why not go for the best?

You seem to assume that you are such an expert that you can train people in what they don't know. I assume that by hiring the best I can find those who can train me and improve my skills. It is a two-way street.

> There are more ways of displaying self-motivation than learning version X of
> product Y.

Agree. But you should be willing to admit it is still a damned good one.

-- 
Daniel A. Morgan
University of Washington
damorgan_at_x.washington.edu
(replace 'x' with 'u' to respond)

Received on Sun Oct 24 2004 - 22:50:56 CDT