Did I read this wrong?

dazberry

Expertise and experience in .NETdevelopment.
Expertise in structured database design and development, in particular using SQL Server over a minimum of 2 years.
Proven expertise in Microsoft tools Excel, MS Query etc.
Proven experience in end user computing tools such as Crystal reports.
Good technical knowledge and experience in the selection, installation and maintenance of computer software programmes and operating systems
Other technical development skills in the Client/Server environment are highly desirable.
Experience of financial services/banking is not essential but would be an advantage.

So I applied for a job based on the above specification, and interviewed today. Interview didn't go great tbh - the interviewers were fine but it all just felt off beat for lack of a better description. By wrap up time I knew it was foobar but it was my turn to ask a couple of questions?

[Q ]What .Net languages do you use?
[A] VS2005 but we're moving to VS2008 soon
[Q] but what actual languages, C#, VB.NET?
[A] oh no we out-source all our development
[Q] eh [stutters], ok, but for the inhouse development what methodologies do you use?
[A] oh no we out-source all our development

Having spent the previous 45 minutes talking about the likes of design patterns, OPF/ORM, OO design etc.

So that begs the questions - why the fup was I there???? Someone please tell me that that the specification (in the most part) looks like a development role????

D.

figs86

that's fubar, not foobar

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FUBAR

jimmycrackcorm

It's most likely maintenance of the finished outsourced work.

dazberry

figs86 wrote: »

that's fubar, not foobar

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FUBAR

It was a play on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foo.

D.

AARRRGH

This bit would have been the warning sign for me:

Good technical knowledge and experience in the selection, installation and maintenance of computer software programmes and operating systems

It seems very odd that they didn't explain what the job is...

figs86

dazberry wrote: »

It was a play on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foo.

D.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touché

AARRRGH

figs86 wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touché

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LOL

dazberry

AARRRGH wrote: »

It seems very odd that they didn't explain what the job is...

Indeed, I didn't get the "this is what we do and this is what we're looking for speech" at the start, which didn't help matters. In retrospect I think it would appear to be primarily a business analyst / MIS (reports and database) position - another level of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell

D.

Stacksey

Let me guess, Bank of Scotland?

Worked there for about 14 months and it always puzzled me that they outsourced the development to Ergo(useless)

They also outsourced most projects which was fine till it all went belly up a couple months later and the contractor was long gone, if you ask me Use the inhouse resources and none of this **** will happen

dazberry

Stacksey wrote: »

Let me guess, Bank of Scotland?

Yeap.

Worked there for about 14 months and it always puzzled me that they outsourced the development to Ergo(useless)

They also outsourced most projects which was fine till it all went belly up a couple months later and the contractor was long gone, if you ask me Use the inhouse resources and none of this **** will happen

I can't personally comment about Ergo in that capacity - although I would be concerned about these new breed of companies that think they can just waltz into the development space from where-ever they came and actually deliver these projects.

The real problem is a gross inability to manage projects fullstop, regardless if the project is outsourced or in-sourced. Quite often the actual benefits of these projects are vastly out-weighed by some political and/or self promotional agenda. It all reminds me of the Dick Jones quote:

I had a guaranteed military sale with ED 209. Renovation program. Spare parts for 25 years. Who cares if it worked or not?

D.

Jaysoose

That spec actually looks more like a test position to be honest, more and more specs coming to me inbox are looking for specific knowledge of different languages, tools etc.