Was this conversation with a recruiter? I'm hoping this is a yes. That was... incredibly difficult to read.
ouch. it hurt me too
Facebook recruiting and Unix systems
11–20 of 497 posts
Re: Facebook recruiting and Unix systems
#12Somewhat on topic. Does anyone use actual Unix? Is it even something you can install anymore?
Re: Facebook recruiting and Unix systems
#13Somewhat on topic. Does anyone use actual Unix? Is it even something you can install anymore?
Absolutely, though it's a dying breed, and with the news of Solaris's EOL, accelerating all the time. BSD is the FOSS actual UNIX. On the commercial side there's AIX from IBM, HP-UX from HP, and probably a few other really niche-y ones I forget.
Re: Facebook recruiting and Unix systems
#14This is not the right attitude to bring in to the workplace. You'll have a range of people from executives, to clients to co-workers in other departments who don't know what UNIX, APIs and POSIX are. If you can't communicate technical matters nicely then you have not yet developed the right attitude for a professional working environment. It's the same thing with doctors when they create metaphors to explain complica…
Nah, they were pretty patient - updating their resumé so that they weren't lying, yet still giving the recruiter what they thought the recruiter wanted.
Presumably they were worried that the resumé wouldn't just be seen by a recruiter, and a more knowledgeable person might flag it.
Re: Facebook recruiting and Unix systems
#15This is not the right attitude to bring in to the workplace. You'll have a range of people from executives, to clients to co-workers in other departments who don't know what UNIX, APIs and POSIX are. If you can't communicate technical matters nicely then you have not yet developed the right attitude for a professional working environment. It's the same thing with doctors when they create metaphors to explain complica…
Verbatim exchange:
Thanks for the quick response and clarifications. Experience with Linux and other UNIX-like operating systems is largely transferrable thanks to the standardization that resulted from the POSIX specification. As a result, the terms "POSIX" and "UNIX-like" by-and-large refer to the same thing.
My experiences are in particular with developing software for Linux platforms, which are the most popular of the UNIX-like operating systems. I also have experience using POSIX-specified APIs to ensure consistency and portability. Beyond software developers who have programmed in the 1970s, most people do not have experience with a true UNIX OS, and I would find it hard to believe that such outdated technologies are underpinning Facebook's advanced innovations.
I've updated my resume to indicate my familiarity with Linux, POSIX, and UNIX-like systems. Please let me know if there is anything else you need.
Thanks for your time and consideration, Stanley Zhang.
Response:
Hi Stanley,
Thank you for the tutorial. We're looking for experience working on Linux and Unix.
If you do not meet the above, please let me know if there are other roles you'd like to rank.
Best, ________
I'd love to see you defend why the guy who wrote the first half is bad at technical communication and needs to develop a professional attitude, and the recruiter -- who copies and pastes the same incorrect response over and over, showing no indication that they read a single word -- is a professional communicator with a good attitude.
Re: Facebook recruiting and Unix systems
#16This is not the right attitude to bring in to the workplace. You'll have a range of people from executives, to clients to co-workers in other departments who don't know what UNIX, APIs and POSIX are. If you can't communicate technical matters nicely then you have not yet developed the right attitude for a professional working environment. It's the same thing with doctors when they create metaphors to explain complica…
The problem here is the that person thinks they are talking to a technical person when they are actually talking to a non-technical recruiter.
IMO the recruiter should have basic understanding of the technologies they are recruiting for. But it's the norm for them to have no idea.
Re: Facebook recruiting and Unix systems
#17Recruiter: We're looking for someone to fix the pipes. You: Yes, I'm a qualified plumber and can do the job. Recruiter: Sure, but can you fix our pipes? You: Off course, that is is what I was trained to do. Recruiter: You keep saying you're a plumber but we need someone to fix our pipes You: I can do it. Recruiter: we need someone who have worked with pipes. You: I have worked with those. Recruiter: Sure, but we need…
So it says here you've worked with pipes in large commercial buildings and small residential buildings.
But this position is primarily for pipes in park bathrooms. Do you have any experience with that type of pipe?
Re: Facebook recruiting and Unix systems
#18Were they begging the OP to lie? Or perhaps it was a chatbot?
No it was a non-technical recruiter just looking to check off their box that the person had "UNIX" experience.
Re: Facebook recruiting and Unix systems
#19Recruiter: We're looking for someone to fix the pipes. You: Yes, I'm a qualified plumber and can do the job. Recruiter: Sure, but can you fix our pipes? You: Off course, that is is what I was trained to do. Recruiter: You keep saying you're a plumber but we need someone to fix our pipes You: I can do it. Recruiter: we need someone who have worked with pipes. You: I have worked with those. Recruiter: Sure, but we need…
Good one! Sounds like a Monty python skit!
I would add that in this case they wanted someone with 'clay' pipes experience. He only had 'regular' pipes knowledge.
Re: Facebook recruiting and Unix systems
#20Facepalm. Somebody show this to Zuck. Change needs to begin at the top.
EDIT: Is it possible that they actually want people with actual UNIX experience? They are recruiting students. Maybe they want someone who has used an actual UNIX system on some kind of emulator for some sort of secret retro initiative.