My post on "Are there really ColdFusion jobs?" got a comment which was echoed by Sean Corfield on his blog (ColdFusion Jobs? Really?). It seems that I didn't answer my own question. In truth, I was using it as a jump off point but looking over the job attempts I've had recently, there are lessons to be learn in all of them. I'm not including things like my ongoing ColdFusion / SEO contract nor the emergency, server on fire calls I get. I'm only looking at the things I've actually sent my resume to:

1. A mid term city contract - This is through a nice headhunter and is a waiting game. City contracts can take a long time, from the initial call for resumes to finally choosing someone to finally starting up the job. Advice: Learn patience
2. Another city contract for some basic maintenance of a site with a few added features. The department was moving to .Net and wanted their current application to reflect some of the new features that would be in the final system. I was called in as a last minute, emergency resume by the same headhunter as above. When I was interviewed, the person must have been reading off of a script, and some of my responses were not the scripted, expected ones. In addition, I offered some advice for the server, trying to be helpful. I'm betting all of that lost me the contract. Advice: Learn when to shut up and just answer the questions simply. There are times when the interviewer expects open creativity and times when he expects set, standard responses. Know which time is which and control yourself.
3. A perpetual request from an ecommerce company who really wants to pay the rate of a kid right out of college. I don't even bother sending my resume to them, especially as I know them and they always want to pay nothing, even for emergency contracts. Advice: Know when to walk away.
4. A contract or two which I sent my resume into a few days after it was posted. Some really nice ones which I'm sure had been jumped all over in the first minute. Advice: you snooze, you lose.
5. A contract which was mislabeled as being in NY but was actually in another state. The interview was quick and nice but the bottom line was that I would not move and the posting was in error. Advice: It's not your fault if the ad is wrong.
6. One or two perpetual ads listed on multiple sites which are probably headhunters fishing for resumes. I bit. Advice: Sometimes an ad is just bait.
7. Another ad or two on a site which required signing up and signing in. This is a bigger scam than the resume fishing. The more 'real' people that sign up to a site, the more that site can advertise as reaching. The site can also advertise as having X number of resumes on file. It's resume fishing plus. And I've never gotten a response from one of those types of ads. Advice: A scam is a scam is a scam.

There are also ads that I've seen which I have not pursued due to what I perceived as a lack of skill. I don't think I have enough .Net skill to take a ColdFusion to .Net transformation project. Of course, I'd be morally against such a contract unless I was in danger of losing a limb or the like. Just because a contract asks for every skill in the book doesn't mean you actually have to have them. Putting into your resume or cover letter that you are "familiar" with a language or technology may get you the job. You don't have to be an expert in everything. You just have to judge when a job will need familiarity and when it will need real knowledge. Advice: Know what you know well and what you know not so well.

Finally there have been a few ads that I didn't send a resume to but did contact about location. A New Jersey job right across the river from New York is reachable by public transportation. A job in the New Jersey Pine barrens is not. I just missed a job in Staten Island because I waited too long thinking it was not reachable. It was actually a lot closer than I thought. Advice: Know where things are.

Again, these are just my suggestions based on specific cases and I'm positive that there are sites out there with this advice and more. Now all I have to do is find the time to look for and read these sites. :)

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:

1. Job Requirements
2. Current Resume
3. Salary Requirements
4. Cover Letter
5. 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.

This is a realization that has been thrust upon me over the years. I belong to the wrong ColdFusion religion. My religion is that ColdFusion was designed for clean, understandable applications written in a quick and easy style by people of all levels of programming skills. This is NOT the current religion of Frameworks and OOP.

I was burnt a while back when daring to suggest that a framework could be altered to fit a client. I see that I was right then and I feel I'm still right now. I'll use a framework when it's required and will only use parts when they're required. I'll use OOP when it's required and only parts when they're required. I'm not going to accept the dogma that says that frameworks and OOP are the one, true way to go.

And the new golden child, ORM? Well I'll use it when it looks right for a project and reject it when not. And when (not if) this opinion gets people upset, well...too bad.

Yes, the above is a rant and one that's been sitting in reserve for years. It was true then and is even more true now.

Pure Speculation

This is not reality. This is simply speculation. By looking at a few logical points, one can easily trace a path from Mark Drew and CFEclipse to a new open-source editor produced by Railo Technologies. As of now, such a product, let alone a concept, does not exist.

Points of Logic

The speculation leading to an open-source CFML editor follows a few simple points of logic:

• Mark Drew is currently the driving force behind CFEclipse.
• CFEclipse is an open-source CFML editor built on Eclipse
• CFEclipse has kind of stagnated due to the need for development resources.
• Mark Drew now works as the CEO of Railo Technologies UK.
• Railo is an open-source CFML engine produced by Railo Technologies.
• Adobe is creating a ColdFusion editor based on Eclipse code-named Bolt.

Tying It All Together

If Railo Technologies decided to put some resources behind Mark Drew with the express purpose of expanding out CFEclipse, they could easily do so. Such a product, which we'll refer to as CFML Builder, would be quick to market simply because it's built on a pre-existing codebase. This would be an open-source equivalent to Bolt, much as Railo is an open-source equivalent to the ColdFusion server.

How Do We Make It Happen?

As this is all speculation, we have no idea if Railo Technologies is actually doing this or not. But we can convince them that this is a good idea. Contact them. Ask them if there's any thought of such a product. Don't badger them, but put the idea in their heads. If 1,000+ ColdFusion programmers all ask about such a product, the chances of it becoming a reality are greater. The idea here is to show them that this is something that the community desires.

What I Want Out of It

I'm an unabashed HomeSite user. I've tried to use CFEclipse over the years, and just could not get into it, especially as it didn't do what I needed. If a few simple things were added to an editor, I would move. The main thing I use in HomeSite is the right-click Expression Builder. After that, I use the tag wizards and the help. I know all the tags; I know all the functions. But for some obscure ones, being able to see the exact spelling or arguments is useful. The ability to see things like the format options for dateformat(), timeformat(), and numberformat() is also a big reason for using the Expression Builder. I'm sure others have specific features of HomeSite which they truly enjoy, and you can find numerous posts from ColdFusion-Talk and various blogs discussing it. On the whole, I don't see the features that I want as being insurmountable, and I'm sure the features that others want would also be rather simple to put in. All that's needed is the resources to make it happen - resources that Railo Technologies could provide.

I am the subtle pen, the invisible editor. Few know me for my work but it touches many without their knowledge. I do not have the professional editorial eye of Judith or Dana and they rarely leave me anything to do. My eye is for the small modification to a sentence, the missing word that helps connect someone to what their reading. My eye is the eye of others and how to make what they are reading comfortable. My eye is unseen but watches all that we print.

A discredited and SYStematically CONniving magazine publisher has fired yet another salvo at Adobe today in their usual manner. This involves taking a blog post, re-branding it as coming from their "news desk" and altering the title to fit their vendetta. The post in question was BlueDragon Open Source - Launch Date Announced by Alan Williamson about how the New Atlanta team is working hard to get a public release ready for display at cf.Objective() 2008. Informative and straight forward. The re-branded version had the same title with a single alteration, a prefix of "ColdFusion Killer".

At no time did Alan say anything about the open source BlueDragon being a ColdFusion killer. It's not something that's been said by anyone...other than the publisher in question.

Really guys, this is getting old and stale. Just because Adobe stopped advertising with you doesn't mean you have to commit fraud to get back at them. Lame.

We're coming out with a Flex magazine along the same lines as the Fusion Authority Quarterly Update. One of the first steps in publishing a magazine is coming up with a good name. Flex Authority is a great name. Problem is, it's being squatted on and the squatters (a European company being represented by moniker.com) won't even talk to us unless we offer at least $5,000.

On one hand I'm rather pissed as they're just sitting on the domain with the idea that it'll be worth something and they can sell it. On the other hand, it's much like buying a piece of land to resell later for a profit. The problem is, while waiting to resell, that land is barren and not only looks bad but brings the value of the community down. The same applies here.

Flex Authority was once an Adobe Flex site. It gave value to the community. Now it's a vacant lot gathering weeds and makes the entire community look bad. Unfortunately, spending 5k for a domain name has no return for anyone in the community at the moment and the domain is just going to waste. I'd buy or trade for it but the squatters aren't interested in anything but cash. I've offered 2k, free advertising in the Flex magazine, a trade for www.satanstool.com and the result was silence.

If I knew that the name Flex Authority would add to the success of the Flex magazine then I'd think seriously about buying it but publishing is like buying grenades in an alley. You never know if you got a good one till you try it. :)

And I really don't want to encorage squatters by giving them any money. Schmucks

Lying is easy. Lying is fun. Lying is profitable. Lying is the way of life for those who want to hide the truth. The question is, how do you lie effectively? Let's look at an example of the best techniques in action. The company using these techniques at the moment does not have to be named.

The first thing you do when lying is to tell the truth -- not the whole truth, but just enough to make the lie itself seem true - a half or quarter truth. Truth: "I hate the auto-movie ads on the site as they blow my ears off or disturb everyone around me. The intrusive pop-ups are also a problem" Lie: "Michael Dinowitz doesn't want any ads on the site"

The second thing is to quote a person. Using some abstract entity in a lie is too impersonal. You need to give the lie a human face, make it feel like it's "one of us". Adobe is a massive company and is just too big and abstract for anyone to take personally. On the other hand, Michael Dinowitz and Sean Corfield are both people who can be identified with.

This brings us to the third point of a lie: Use named, recognizable people. You can use anyone you want in a lie to help make the lie more believable but if you use people whose names are well known in a community, then your lie becomes more personal and therefore, more believable. If you combine this with a half-truth (see point one) that might be heard from these people, then all the better. You don't even have to have the half-truth come from both as long as you group the people together. This makes the lie seem even more real as "they are both saying it," even though neither did.

Finally, take a disparaging quote against the named people from someone else and don't allow the quote to be challenged. This is the most powerful technique, especially if you can make the person quoted seem like an expert. He doesn't have to be, as most people don't bother to investigate who said what.

Oh, I almost forgot an important technique. Make your lie fit into a lie told by someone else. This falls under the theory that if something is said often enough, it is seen as true, whether it is or not. "ColdFusion is dying" is a lie told often enough to have gained a life of its own despite every fact that refutes the lie.

So there you have it. The techniques used to smear people and deflect blame. The techniques that should never be used against people who LOVE to expose lies for what they are. The techniques that fail when used against a thriving, intelligent community such as ours.

When will the company in question learn that simple fact?

Do you know the definition of Chutzpah? It's taking a magazine, destroying its content and quality, canceling it without warning and then saying that it's someone else's fault. Sys-Con is like an alcoholic who just can't admit they have a problem. Their latest insult to our intelligence is to try and salve our wounds by offering us a free subscription to one of their front-end technology magazines in place of their now canceled back-end technology magazine. All 17,600 subscribers to ColdFusion Developers Journal (probably 7,600 paid subscribers and 10,000 free ones) are going to get a year's subscription to either Flex Developer's Journal or Silverlight Developer's Journal.

But wait, this is not a year's subscription to a print magazine. No, that would be something akin to admitting that they've done wrong. What they're offering is a year's digital subscription to their magazine. That's right, you get the front-end technology magazine of your choice in digital format in place of the back-end technology magazine that you expected. And because Flex, Silverlight and ColdFusion are all so similar in Sys-Con's minds, they can repeat the canard that ColdFusion is dying. Of course, this is not true despite their best efforts.

Do they have any clue what these technologies are? Let me try to explain it to them in simple terms:

1. Ug want to make computer do work
2. Ug write back-end program to do work
3. Ug need to make program look nice for big boss who give Ug pretty stones
4. Ug uses pretty front-end technology to talk to back-end technology
5. Front-end technology look nice to boss
6. Boss not know what Ug do on back end. Boss see pretty pictures
7. Ug know difference between front-end and back-end
8. Ug laughs his caveman ass off for knowing what big publishing company not know
9. Big publishing company send Ug magazines Ug not want
10. Ug have supply of toilet paper

I really hope that helps Sys-Con understand the difference. Oh, and thank you for giving us all the new subscribers. We really appreciate it.

SYS-CON to Offer Free (digital) Subscriptions to ColdFusion Developer's Journal Readers

Fusion Authority Quarterly Update - The only ColdFusion journal in print

I was just looking over my post about CFDJ's shafting of the ColdFusion community when I noticed the date. Their press release about it is dated "Sep. 9, 2007 05:30 PM". My blog post (which broke the news) is dated "September 8, 2007 11:52 PM". I'm going to chalk the difference up to them not even being able to get the time right. :)