Attention, young people: learn some humility!
A few years ago, I worked for a very small Midwest company providing cool technology solutions for the business problems du jour, and, at one point, we went on a hiring binge to beef up our staff to increase our solution-delivering throughput. Being a higher-up on the technology totem pole at our organization, the loathsome task of interviewing candidates befell me. (As a small company, we had to wear many hats, and we didn’t have the luxury of a Human Resources department to take care of these tasks. However, by replacing “luxury” with “burden” in the previous sentence, you end up with a true statement also, so I guess it all balances out… I was glad to screen candidates myself instead of letting some attractive, mindless HR chick-e-pie decide.) Anyway, our company didn’t want to actually pay for qualified technical talent because that would impact our balance sheet in an undesirable way, so I was left with recruiting from the local community-college-esque educational institutions, hoping to pay minimal salary for maximal talent.
I recall when the roles were reversed. I recall being a stars-in-my-eyes, just-out-of college, hopefully-soon-to-be-employed job prospect. However I never recall being so full of myself as these candidates were full of themselves. I, you see, brought humility, along with my other qualities, to interviews, trusting that those interviewing me knew more about technology and their business than little ol’ me. Apparently, humility is no longer a desirable trait, as evidenced by the parade of seemingly-world-changing hotter-than-Sirius bargain-at-any-exorbitant-price losers with whom I had the unfortunate displeasure of not having been able to avoid sitting in the same room and interviewing.
Of course, I realized that these people were eager, enthusiastic and charged. I was too, when I was in their shoes. That is supposed to be good, right?
Well, around that time, we Americans were experiencing the height of the dot-com boom phenomenon, and internet technology companies were poised to take over the world leaving the Wal-Marts, General Motorses, Exxons and Boeings in the proverbial dust. Companies like CitrusZestersOnline, eDentalFloss, and SliceMyBread.com were poised to be bigger than Jesus, barging their way into the new millennium.
Like so many fads, the dot-com craze had its roots in California, home of the bizarre. Being in the Midwest, our company was looking for something different. And, by “different”, I mean “more”. We needed somebody to help take our organization to the next level, not some simpleton who knew the difference between a “bit” and a “byte” and therefore commanded a six-figure salary.
At the time, our organization, like many others, was in a transition period, contemplating the unthinkable step of abandoning the Windows 3.1 platform, in favor of a fully 32-bit compliant Windows 9x platform. Of course, Uncle Bill had been steering all of us in this direction for years, but, by necessity, business moves at a glacial pace with regard to technology, embodying the principle that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Now, being a technology junkie myself, I wished my company would take on more advanced projects; however, my gusto was tempered by the realization that my company’s customers– i.e. those who pay my salary– are cautious by nature, and therefore don’t embrace newness just for the exquisite unadulterated joy of it. This has been a hard lesson for me to learn, but, it is a fact of life, and I understand that this is where my bread is buttered.
So, I’m sitting in the conference room, talking to simpleton-candidate number n, and I’m trying to gauge his ability to work with “old” technology (i.e. Windows 3.1) as well as new technology (i.e. Windows 9x), as a talent with, and desire of both are both necessary for the future success of our company.
“How long have you been programming Windows applications?” I ask. His answer is the key to his employability within our organization. I listen with baited breath (whatever that means).
“Since the product came out!” he says, with great passion.
OK, this guy may be great. Let’s find out some more.
“And how long has that been?” I ask.
Simpleton-candidate says, with condescension, “Since 1995,” with an implied “Duh” at the end.
I finished with formalities, and showed him the door. You see, Windows 95 is so named because it came out in 1995. Fine. But, Windows has a history, to include Windows 3.11, Windows 3.1, Windows 386, Windows 2.03, and even the venerable DOS. I was merely trying to gauge where the simpleton-candidate fits into this timeline. Apparently, to this simpleton-candidate, computing history began with Windows 95, in 1995.
An understanding of old technology is necessary to the successful application of new technology. I hate to sound like some latter-day Grampa Simpson, but in my day, we had things like electronic mail, instant messaging, file sharing, and multiplayer games– in the 1980s. Today, in many people’s minds, these things are the bee’s knees. They are the wasp’s nipples. To me: I’ve been there, and done that.
Now, let’s fast-forward to today. I’ve recently started a new job with a new employer, performing highly-technical tasks in a large production environment, and often I find myself in way over my head. Yet, they chose to extend an offer to me.
Think about that: I was chosen for this technical role despite my (lack of) specific technical skills. In my interview, I made it abundantly clear that there were things I knew, and things I did not know, and I made no attempt to bluff my way through the process.
I have since heard a tale of one candidate who, with his élan to impress, explained that, while he lacked specific work experience with SQL Server, he had installed it at home, and he learned it in a day. Yes! SQL Server in one day. (If you don’t know what that means, replace “SQL Server” with “automobile maintenance” or “HIPAA compliance” and you’ll get the idea). I wonder what that guy is doing today; he’s certainly not working here.
Wisdom trumps intelligence and modesty trumps zealotry, and rightfully so.
In case you were wondering, I am, in fact, the world’s biggest geek.