http://www.lifebeyondcode.com/2005/07/23/ways-to-distinguish-yourself-30-watch-the-shelf-life-of-your-skills/ Personal and professional development for technology professionals. Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:57:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1-alpha-10188 hourly 1 http://www.lifebeyondcode.com/2005/07/23/ways-to-distinguish-yourself-30-watch-the-shelf-life-of-your-skills/comment-page-1/#comment-173 Anonymous Wed, 24 Aug 2005 19:28:59 +0000 http://www.blog.lifebeyondcode.com/2005/07/23/ways-to-distinguish-yourself-30-watch-the-shelf-life-of-your-skills/#comment-173 Many times when the subject of employability comes up, the notion is that it's all up to the candidate. If it were only up to him, then the candidate could do the ultimate -- hire himself! However, just like candidates have certain faults that need correcting, so do employers. What paralyzes employers galore today is their overblown fear of making a hiring mistake. Along with job security disappearing, there is this massive push by employers that a person has to know everything about the latest and greatest right here right now. A person is not expected to stay long term, so there is no tolerance for learning curves whatsoever. With product cycles becoming shorter, employers feel they cannot take a chance on someone unproven. This is very pronounced in high-tech fields, where hiring managers are as obsessed with keywords as are dispassionate electronic resume readers. Many candidates are employable as is. They do everything right in terms of staying current in their fields. They've been into the concept of "lifelong learning" long before that appeared on any employers' screens and job postings. If they don't know a certain kind of information by heart, they know where to look it up and who to call. However, to state at a job interview that one is willing to learn and come up to speed is to eliminate oneself from further consideration. The employer reasons they can't take a chance, yet a position remains open for months when somebody could have jumped in, contributed, and become the new expert for that employer. Employers have to get over their fear of making a hiring mistake. Employers have to also become more welcoming of the notion of "transferrable skills." Despite technology changing so fast, certain core concepts persist over time. If you have those basic skills down, picking up any form of knowledge, including the cherished ones employers crave is easy. Worse than making a hiring mistake, it's a bigger error to let the right candidate slip by to a competitor who's more of a risk taker. Many times when the subject of employability comes up, the notion is that it’s all up to the candidate. If it were only up to him, then the candidate could do the ultimate — hire himself!
However, just like candidates have certain faults that need correcting, so do employers. What paralyzes employers galore today is their overblown fear of making a hiring mistake.
Along with job security disappearing, there is this massive push by employers that a person has to know everything about the latest and greatest right here right now. A person is not expected to stay long term, so there is no tolerance for learning curves whatsoever. With product cycles becoming shorter, employers feel they cannot take a chance on someone unproven. This is very pronounced in high-tech fields, where hiring managers are as obsessed with keywords as are dispassionate electronic resume readers.
Many candidates are employable as is. They do everything right in terms of staying current in their fields. They’ve been into the concept of “lifelong learning” long before that appeared on any employers’ screens and job postings. If they don’t know a certain kind of information by heart, they know where to look it up and who to call.
However, to state at a job interview that one is willing to learn and come up to speed is to eliminate oneself from further consideration. The employer reasons they can’t take a chance, yet a position remains open for months when somebody could have jumped in, contributed, and become the new expert for that employer.
Employers have to get over their fear of making a hiring mistake. Employers have to also become more welcoming of the notion of “transferrable skills.” Despite technology changing so fast, certain core concepts persist over time. If you have those basic skills down, picking up any form of knowledge, including the cherished ones employers crave is easy.
Worse than making a hiring mistake, it’s a bigger error to let the right candidate slip by to a competitor who’s more of a risk taker.

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