Have you got 4-year Java/J2EE experience or one year repeated 4 times?

Some employers and recruitment agencies seem to put more emphasis on quantity (i.e. number of years of experience) than quality (i.e. calibre of the candidate). Some candidates are more pro-active and passionate about their achievements, skills and widening their horizons while the others get into a comfort zone performing repetitive tasks.


So the point I am trying to make is that the recruitment process (at least the initial screening) should be qualitative not quantitative. For example:

• Initial assessment should be via phone screening, written tests and/or coding, aptitude test of all the applicants.
  

• Followed by face to face technical & culture fit interview of the short-listed candidates. Written code can be reviewed in addition to other technical interview questions.

Q. What are the benefits of the above approach?

• Lieing or exaggerating: Candidates won’t be tempted to lie or exaggerate in their CVs.


• Nature of the experience: Employers can potentially identify who has 4 year experience and who has 1 year experience repeated 4 times in the earlier stage of the interviewing process.


• Effective CV: High calibre candidates won’t be penalized for lacking marketing skills i.e. failing to write effective CV. I can hear some of you saying that isn't that important part of any job hunting process? Yes that is correct but CVs can lie or exaggerate also look at my next point.


• Large vs. Small Company? Also CVs can be assessed not based on achievements but based on the number of years of experience and the type of the organization (e.g. large multi-national). It shouldn't matter, which company you worked for but what matters is what you did there and your achievements. For example: My first Java/J2EE role was in a large financial institution (i.e. a stock exchange) where I was screened via a technical test, a technical interview and a HR interview. The type of project I worked on and skills I gained there was more like repeating 1 month 6 times. So I decided to move on after 6-7 months (lucky me it was the Internet boom time). I moved on to a small software development house where I was fortunate enough to work with some of the top-notch Java/J2EE developers & architects. It was a mission-critical project for a telecom client and was like acquiring 2 years worth of skills & experience in 6-8 months. This assignment not only boosted my career prospects but also my confidence. But when I applied for my future jobs, my experience with the large finance company (i.e. a stock exchange) stood out to my prospective employers & recruitment agencies. That is when I decided to change my CV to more skills & achievements driven.


• Peaking at the right time: Some employers and recruitment agencies put more emphasis on your past academic (e.g. grades in your degree, high school etc) achievements, which is not a bad thing but I have worked with talented Java/J2EE professionals who peaked at the right time in their career. These are the candidates who get through their schooling and degree as an average student and develop a passion for their chosen career. These candidates will be pro-active, hard-working, studious and take pride in their achievements.

Finally, in my opinion all come down to whether employers want to hire the top-notch Java/J2EE professional or someone who can just do the job. This can make a big difference to the quality of the code written, ability to meet deadlines and achieving the project goals. For example there are companies like ThoughtWorks who take recruitment process very seriously to hire the top-notch Java/J2EE developers.

This little blog is not going to revolutionize the recruitment process. So how do you stay ahead of your competition?

• Learn to market your skills, achievements and experience through an effective CV. Also never under estimate the power of networking. Keep in touch with your former colleagues. Free CV guide

• Acquire the knowledge, skills and experience in sought after Java/J2EE related technologies & frameworks. Highlight those skills and experience in your CV. For example, I saw an online banner advertisement saying "Java/J2EE developers required Spring & Hibernate a plus." Free tutorials on sought after technologies/frameworks

• Get certified if they are well received by your prospective employers in your country or if you thing it can add value to you. Do your research first.

• Prepare for your interview. Brush-up/learn/familiarize yourself with Java/J2EE fundamentals and FAQs.400+ Java/J2EE interview Q&A

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