Are there really ColdFusion jobs?
Are there really ColdFusion jobs out there or are they teasing us?
As of today, I'm married 14 years. This means that I've been using ColdFusion for 14 years and 1 week. In those years I've done everything from create some of what is considered best practices to helping build a framework to consulting with Allaire and Macromedia on the development of the language. Basically, my resume is stacked with ColdFusion. So if this is the case, why can't I get a ColdFusion job?
Let me rephrase that. Why are there so many ColdFusion jobs out there that never seem to be filled even though qualified people post to them? I've seen jobs come up on job boards and I've seen people post to them (sometimes including myself). I've seen the same jobs come up again and again, week after week, even after resumes are sent in. So what's up? Are the resumes being ignored? Is there a sinister plot out there to make ColdFusion job hunters feel rejected?
Rather than suspect that people are against us, lets instead wonder if we're to blame. Most job postings request one or more of the following:
- Job Requirements
- Current Resume
- Salary Requirements
- Cover Letter
- Code Sample
Job Requirements
Just about every job posting has requirements. It's not enough to be skilled in every requirement the job mentions, you have to explicitly state it and give examples. Do you know SQL? Then make sure one of your resume items mentions the SQL work you've done. Also, make sure your resume's skill set not only says SQL but mentions specific, high level features such as stored procedures. Assume that whoever is reading your resume can not make any assumptions.Current Resume
Many of us have not updated our resume in a while. We may only list full time work we've done along with a vague "consulting" instead of detailing every contract. We may also list things that are outside of direct work, such as sites we do for free or as a community service. This isn't good enough. Every resume sent to a job has to be unique. Some past jobs should be removed. Others should be exemplified. The resume should read like it was written specifically for the job...because it was.
Oh, and if a job posting says to send your resume, send it. Don't include a link to is in Google Docs or on a site. If they're expecting an attached document, make sure it's there.
Salary Requirements
This tiny little feature is usually skipped by many job respondants. They either have no clue what to ask, are afraid of giving a number, or are too focused on the other parts of the job offer. My advice - Never skip this and never under bid. Judith just missed an editorial contract because she gave a realistic assessment of what the job would require and what it would be worth. The message she got back was that her offer was too low. If you're a professional then it's better to overbid than underbid. This shows them that you think your worth it and gives you room to negotiate. Just don't go too far over what you think is expected.
Cover Letter
This is where I usually fall down. What do you say in a cover letter? Hi, I want this job
? Rather than hear me speak about it's requirements, let me have Judith tell you what she thinks.
Judith's words on Cover Letters
Cover letters are more important than most people realize. They are the best way to make a first impression and distinguish yourself from the job-seeking horde (your competitors for the job). A cover letter must pull your reader in and convince him or her that you are something special. It's your "elevator sales pitch". It should be short (no more than three paragraphs maximum) and targeted to the specific job. It should highlight what makes you, the job seeker, the best candidate for this job. It should make them want to read your resume. Many recruiters read the cover letter and don't even bother reading the resume if they're not impressed.
Code Sample
This is the one place where technical people fall down. They want to send some sweet code that just makes them look like God's own prophet. Well your holiness, think about it first. Does the code have anything to do with what the job post is about? Are they looking for a SQL guru and you're sending them the most perfect site scraping code around? As with the current resume above, make sure they're getting a code sample that fits exactly what you think they want. Take it one step further and try to make the code sample solve part of the job requirements. It'll make them think they're getting a bargan as you've already done the same type of work.
In Closing
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to resumes and if you're looking for a job you should read up on how to write an effective one. And to paraphrase Chris Rock "If you have to give a friend a ride, get a white (collar) friend". You should never send off a resume without having someone else look at both the resume and the cover letter to make sure it fits the job. And finally, to quote Rodney Dangerfield "When you're using the name, don't give it a bad name". You're representing ColdFusion when you respond to a job. If you look bad, it reflects on ColdFusion and its users in general.
Well posted and presented. Good solid advice for any job seeker, whether new or veteran (I've been in the CF world for about 11 years or so). You didn't really get around to answering your initial question, though: why does it seem to be harder to get CF jobs? Do you think we in the CF world have a tendency to do worse on these resume / application areas than people in other technologies? Is it simply that CF folks tend to be jacks-of-all-trades (BA, PM, architect, DB guru, and developer) and perhaps that makes it harder to present a 'picture' of who we are? Or are other technologies simply hiring everyone that sends in a resume, regardless of the quality across these 5 areas?
Just curious on your take, since it seems like you've been watching some specific positions and responses and the cycles they seem to get stuck in.
I may not be getting the position because my cover letters usually suck. I don't follow the rules I mentioned about, but then again I just wrote them yesterday. :)
I'd say that you are correct about the general skill set of a CF developer. We've had to do everything and it's reflected in a general resume. This is why I say to 'focus' your resume on the requirements of the position. I may be proud that I did a contract that required 3 months of math to codify business logic but a client might not care and might see it as a lack of focus.
Always such a challenge ... good luck on the hunt, and thanks for codifying some of your thoughts on how we can help ourselves pull this kind of stuff together.
Part of our issue is that the recruiter we use to find people doesn't seem to know where to look. I'm the one who took the initiative and poste jobs to CF-TALK and asked Ben Forta to give a mention. I don't know where this recruiter was finding people, but most of the ones found (and there were only a few) were barely mid-level CF developers.
I would have jumped at the chance to bring you in here and show these people how ColdFusion can be done.
and what I call fishing (farming) for CVs. They are then stored on database
for future use.
If you ever phone them up they are very cagey about releasing any info
about the jobs advertised, presumabably becuase they dont exist.
Not sure its coldfusion specific
After eight months of waiting/looking - I was just hired last week, three hours after the interview, which is very rare - and quite an honor too. They already knew "something" about me, because someone on the team recognized my name from the CFUG. They skipped the phone interview altogether, and scheduled the in-person interview. It is as valuable as having a friend put in a good word for me; even though I do not know the individual who recognized my name. What an honor, too, to have your name be recognized by those who you haven't met yet. Dare I say, it is more powerful than being ColdFusion Certified; I am not. They are more than happy to take for granted that after X years of working as a CF Developer that you can code - but they take comfort in interviewing and hiring, if someone on the team has heard of you; knows something about you.
I can't recommend enough to CFers to get involved and participate in your local Adobe ColdFusion/RIA User Group. AUGs are everywhere! And if not in your town, then start one. The time you spend volunteering is unpaid, but the dividends from doing so are more than worth it. I have a wife and five kids and I "make" time to manage our RIA Community called KCDevCore. (Yes, I still spend time with my wife and kids too.)
The CF Market seems to be a bit dry this year, especially in Kansas City, but there are still many employers using ColdFusion, there just aren't opportunities right now. It is all money-related. Follow the money trail. Where there are funds, there are projects. Fortunately for ColdFusion, is it preferred by government institutions on all levels from local, to state, and National. Still there are small businesses in booming fields like security and medical, who use ColdFusion. Follow the Obama stimulus money to find opportunities for ColdFusion.
If I know Company ABC uses CF and I think I would like to work there, I'm going to check out their website or inquire with them directly to see if they have any CF openings. But, if they're using a recruiter, many times they won't have these open positions listed on their website because they're expecting the recruiters to handle everything. I, in turn, may see the job listed by a dozen different recruiters, but never apply for it because I don't know it's with Company ABC and I don't want to deal with the recruiters.
In the end, we both lose. Company ABC because they only wanted to deal with recruiters, and me because I wouldn't deal with recruiters.
@Justine - My innocence is showing here. I didn't even think about resume farmers and I've known one or two from the ColdFusion Jobs list.
@Jim - I've found networking to be great when getting contracts in the past but it's not so great now, at least in NY. I used to run the NYCFUG but gave it over to Clark and Ben a year back so I could focus on other CF community things. Problem is, those other things are not so bound to my name as my managing was no matter how good they may be.
@Eric - we need a CF-Recruiter. :)
I've been on the other side of the table a few times over the past few months -- hiring developers and others for our large, large organization. The fact of the matter for us is, for a single job posting, we might get 300 to 400 applicants. Some people keep their resumes on file with us, some are internal applicants, and some are applying just for that job. Our issue is that we don't know where they come from.
When we open up your folder (which includes the info from the HR site you would have inputted, your resume, and other supporting documentation that may have been submitted), you have about 30 seconds to impress me. Often, I will first scan the resume for key words that I am looking for... things like ColdFusion, Java, MySQL, SQL Server, etc. Some of these keywords are mentioned on the job posting, some are not (often, if I request a special skill in a posting, like ColdFusion, I better see that word used LOTS of times in the resume).
If you make the first cut, which about 10 - 15% do, I will read everything in your resume, cover letter, and all the supporting stuff. These is where I have to make the decision if you are trying to BS your way into this job, or you really know something. I will also read your resume and cover letter very closely to see if you are a team player, and what type of background you really have. If you hold some of the secondary skills that I might be looking for, you instantly float to the top of the list. If you mis-use terminology, or did a poor job at communicating WHY you want the job in either your resume or coverletter, then your application goes to the 'compost drawer'. From this group, I will often pick about 10 or so to interview.
Before I call the people to do the interview, I will do some basic research on you. I will do the general Google search, look at some people in the community to see if they know you, and verify educational backgrounds and security clearances (if you mentioned them. It's amazing how many people flub on educational and security stuff -- they are soo easy to verify). Often times, this will reduce the candidates to 6 or 7. From this group, I start making phone calls, and emails.
Our interviews are often two hours, and are with at least three people (including myself), in the same room. We will have a set of standard "scorable" questions that we ask each candidate, and a set of questions that are specific to each candidate (questions about experience, resume, etc). Each question is scored, and a matrix is made. We then have to submit the matrix with our hiring decision to our HR department to generate the offer letter, etc.
So, as you can see, the cover letter and resume is VERY important. Think about it as your search engine ranking -- heavy keyword loading that are specific to the position that you are looking for. A custom, clean and readable resume is worth more than 20 years of experience when trying to get a new job (not that that candidate is any better, but they got their foot in the door). Also, being realistic and truthful is also very important. Don't say you know a language when you read an article about it, but say you know about it. Bonus points to those who know the difference.
I am a Corporate Recruiter and I have been seeking a CF Developer for the past frew months and I have been unsuccessful. Please review the following job description and if you have a interest please provide me with your resume.
The preferred candidate will be a self-starter who works well in a team environment supporting our Front-Office Systems (RecruitMax) and our Web Properties administrating our network infrastructure. He/She should possess the discipline and stress management of meeting challenging deadlines within a large-scale enterprise. Strong communication skills are a must as client and internal interaction is an essential component of the position.
Ideal candidates will be hands-on web application developers / engineers who are able to jump in and make a difference immediately. Candidates must have three years of experience in ColdFusion and must work well in a fast-paced, open, team-oriented environment.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
• Architect / Develop new products and enhancements.
• Maintain and upgrade existing installed products
• Debug and test all work
• Gathers feedback from design and technical staff on application development needs.
• Builds user interface applications and back-end databases using various programming and scripting languages.
• Authors complex Web-based applications.
• Assists in project planning and Application design.
• Creates prototypes and functional specifications for software projects.
• Creates technical methodologies for engineering solutions to Web-based development problems.
• Meets with engineering personnel on specifics of projects, new technologies, and deadlines.
• Determines new Web technologies to utilize, such as browsers, languages, and plug-ins, based on company's needs.
• Conceptualizes long-term needs of application development, and plans and manages related projects.
• Makes suggestions on creating Web-based technical standards for specific applications and the company as a whole.
Position is on site no telecommuting available. We will provide a relocation package.
Candise.Baker@onassignment.com
We've advertised a few CF positions in the past, and always found that because of the relative rarity of CF Developers, those that apply either have extremely high salary demands (i.e 3 or 4 times the cost of a PHP developer), or they live so far away that relocation costs would make it unfeasible.
That said, the job market is rapidly changing - especially in the programming sector. More companies are outsourcing to freelancers than ever before, and this is where the opportunities lie for CF Developers. An employer will realize that project cost will be higher than having someone 'in-house', but they also have less risk - and less overheads.
The freelance CF marketplace is very empty right now - sites such as Elance rarely get quality CF developers. Freelancing is the way forward, together with an improved awareness of the language.