Confessions of an IT Manager_Phil Factor
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Section IV: Hiring, Firing <strong>an</strong>d other acts <strong>of</strong> Villainy 175<br />
Bogus resumes <strong>an</strong>d unblushing<br />
lies: navigating the database<br />
hiring waters<br />
First published 18 October 2005<br />
I have mixed feelings about selecting a team for a development project. I've<br />
been so long in the industry <strong>an</strong>d have played so m<strong>an</strong>y parts – from blushing<br />
young novice to hard-bitten contractor to harassed employer – that, in theory, I<br />
should find the process a simple, straightforward affair. In selecting the right<br />
people to work with though, I've learned that the more I know, the more I know<br />
what I don't know.<br />
One problem with selecting c<strong>an</strong>didates to undertake <strong>an</strong> <strong>IT</strong> role is that so<br />
m<strong>an</strong>y <strong>of</strong> them write bogus resumes, <strong>an</strong>d then during the interview lie<br />
unblushingly about their skills <strong>an</strong>d experiences. In a well-ordered universe, all<br />
references would be contacted, qualifications checked, <strong>an</strong>d previous employers<br />
phoned to check the story, but I have yet to inhabit this dream world. And even<br />
with these precautions, errors are made.<br />
Making false statements regarding qualifications on a resume <strong>an</strong>d thereby<br />
obtaining a job is a serious criminal <strong>of</strong>fence. I've only heard <strong>of</strong> prosecutions<br />
against teachers or doctors, but if the police were to turn their attention to the<br />
<strong>IT</strong> industry, our prisons would be overflowing. Quite <strong>of</strong>ten, when employment<br />
agencies call about a job they w<strong>an</strong>t me to apply for, I'm asked to rewrite my<br />
resume so it fits the job requirements more closely. Occasionally, they w<strong>an</strong>t to<br />
do it for me.<br />
The unworthy Wunderkind<br />
I once got a job as a SQL Server developer for a telecommunications<br />
comp<strong>an</strong>y. The pay was good, <strong>an</strong>d it was a restful job after the helter-skelter <strong>of</strong><br />
the dot-com boom. A month after I started, the <strong>IT</strong> director rushed in excitedly,<br />
holding a resume, saying he had just interviewed, <strong>an</strong>d hired, a most excellent<br />
fellow to be my team leader. Would I move my desk over to give him a cubicle<br />
commensurate with his qualifications? The name sounded vaguely familiar, but<br />
I shrugged <strong>an</strong>d thought fondly <strong>of</strong> my hourly rate – the perfect p<strong>an</strong>acea for stress<br />
in <strong>an</strong>y contractor.
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