Single White Programmer

Eleven years ago, as a starry-eyed fresh-out entering the professional world for the first time, I expected that world to conform to certain assumptions simply because those assumptions made logical sense to me. One of these was that job seeking was an employers' market -- any job opening short of something really esoteric would have many candidates applying and vying for attention, and the employer would have the luxury of choosing the most qualified candidate. Well, when it comes to Information Technology, either I was spectacularly wrong or things have changed a lot since then. Probably a bit of both.

I am realizing now that hiring a qualified engineer is more than a bit like trying to get a date. First, you post an ad and wait for people to respond. They don't. Or if they do, it's inevitably the desperate, misguided souls who change jobs every six months and who don't have a single skill that you listed as required. So you have to go out and start making contacts yourself. Perhaps even engage the services of a recruiter. Eventually, a great candidate emerges. You work diligently through the obstacles posed by mutually incompatible schedules and other problems until you finally manage to interview the person. Things go great. You work through more adversity to put together an acceptable job offer. When you do, the candidate, politely but firmly, turns it down, citing the familiar "I really enjoyed meeting you, thank you for everything, but, well... it's just not the job I am looking for right now." Sigh. But wait! There is hope -- though he is not interested, he has a friend, also available, who might be, so he sets you up. Excitedly, you call and leave a message. A couple of days go buy. Every morning, you get to the office hoping to see that voicemail light flashing, or that "New Mail" link highlighted on your computer screen. Nothing. Worried about appearing desperate and coming across as a pest, you eventually call again. Score! As the interview approaches, you get increasingly nervous, hashing and rehashing in your head what you're going to say so as to give them the best impression while gaining as much information as possible yourself, all in an atmosphere of congeniality and cooperation. When you can no longer stand it, you think about what tie you're going to wear. Sound familiar?

I am so glad I only have to deal with this on the professional level, and not the personal.