JobFairy.com Weblog: 08.21.2005

8.27.2005

The myths and inaccuracies of online tests

"Having recently found myself looking for a new position yet again. Well let's face it a true Fairy never stops looking but with the increase in my focus on the job search I am finding the request to take online tests yet again. The online test is quickly becoming the norm in the search for a tech job but be prepared, this test will not determine your true skills, and in most cases, they won't test on the skills they say they do.

Facing one of these tests yet again and it being the same test I took just a few weeks ago I knew what to expect. If I wrote a book on C #and ADO.net, you would think I would pass this test with flying colors right? Wrong try 60% at least that is what my friend who did write a book on it got. These tests are filled with questions that could only be answered in the classroom with 1 or 2 years of theory and has little or no bearing on actually programming.

Then there are the questions that do nothing more then show you have used other languages. It asks if what is the right way to declare something and it gives you choices from C#, VB, and I think Java so unless you program in the same language everyday and don't touch the others much this one will trip you up.

What do you do to beat the test? Simple make sure you have your resources, a good textbook and if you have a friend or two you can use as a lifeline and of course since most tests lock your browser and second computer to search the internet for your answer. Afraid this is cheating ask yourself what resources would you use on the job... Would you call that friend? Would you have a textbook to check? Would you consider looking on the web? If yes then I say it is fair for the test.

Brain bench, Prove it, some other ones out there don't be disappointed when you don't get the high score you feel you should or when you come out of the test shaking your head wondering why you feel that you don't have any skills. The people who write the books don't know this stuff. These tests must be written by those so sunk in to theory they don't know what is used in the real world." - The Teal Fairy

To clarify, Teal recently took some online tests to prove her programming knowledge. Her best friend, who *wrote* books on programming in the languages on which she was testing, accompanied her. Their score was 60%. I feel that these tests are used as a bargaining chip; no one tests "well" on them, so recruiters feel perfectly free to say, OK, you didn't test very high, but I will still present you to the client... at a "different" bill rate, of course. As if they're doing you a favor. How sweet of them. Really. I think that the new official JobFairy position on online skills assessments is that they're a scam, just like resume blasting services. They serve no purpose and should be avoided like the plague. Just say no!

posted by Shocking Pink # 9:13 PM 0 comments

8.25.2005

Front Range OpenSolaris User Group (FROSUG) meeting

When: Tuesday, September 20, 2005, 6:30-8:30pm

Where: Sun Broomfield campus, Conference Center #1/Bldg #1

If you want to map it out, the address is: 500 Eldorado Blvd Broomfield, CO 80021

Topic: NFSv4 and OpenSolaris

Food: Yes, sandwiches and drinks!

In addition to the speaker, there will be several Solaris engineers in attendance to help answer any questions you may want to ask. Please RSVP (send your first and last name) to lisa(DOT)week(AT)sun(DOT)com by September 16th so we know how much food to get! Thanks and hope to see you there!

Join the "frosug" mailing list at: http://opensolaris.org/os/community/os_user_groups/discussions/

posted by Shocking Pink # 9:08 AM 0 comments

8.23.2005

September RM3UG Meeting - September 13

Topic: Dynamic positioning control within Flash
Date: Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Time: 7pm - 9pm
Place: University of Denver Campus
Strum Room 253
Map: http://www.du.edu/maps/sturm.html

Reserve your space
There is no cost for joining the RM3UG, but we do ask that you register for meetings so that we can arrange refreshments and facilities. Please register on the web site (http://www.rm3ug.com).

About the Presentation
For those of you brazen enough to dynamically position graphical elements on the stage using Flash MX2004, you certainly have struggled with the constant headache of trying to use the properties of relative objects to place and size other objects, and you are likely to agree that the _height, _width, _x, and _y properties of other objects are not always what you expect.

This presentation will show you how to use a variety of smart "wrapper" methods to ensure your user-interface objects are telling other user-interface objects what they want to hear, thus guaranteeing your vast amounts of user interface objects can all exist in harmony.

(This presentation expects a limited understand of AS2.0, as well as how to go about extending the built-in MovieClip Class using external Class files.)