I see nutTINK!

   Remember what I wrote earlier about lack of information?  Since then, I got a phone message that takes that to the extreme.  Transcript:

Hi, this message is for David.  Hi, David, this is Sekar calling from a company called Bridge Technologies and Solutions.  This call is regarding for a job opportunity.  If you are interested, kindly call me back at 208 968 0712.  I repeat my number is 208 968 0712.  Thank you.  Have a nice day.

   Um, yeah.  Right.  Sure, I'll waste my time on something that's probably going to be utterly unsuitable.  My resume, web site, and assorted profiles, make abundantly clear what I'm looking for... and yet by my wild guesstimation, 80% of the recruiters who call, and 90% of those who write, are essentially spamming.

   Sometimes they're touting permanent positions.  I haven't been interested in those for a year and a half, since deciding to go freelance.  (Okay, some are using old data... but this guy called a more recent phone number, and wrote to a more recent email address.)  Sometimes it's the wrong job entirely.  They've contacted me for anything from system administration (which is at least some kind of IT so I chalk those up more to appalling ignorance than spamminess), to insurance sales and train conducting.  (I kid you not!  Yeah, I'll be putting up a Hall of Shame eventually.)  Sometimes it's the wrong location -- I'm not open to relocation, so it must be either within a reasonable commute, or (preferably) remote.

   But this putz takes it to a new low.  No information whatsoever about the job.  For all I know, Bridge Technologies and Solutions could be looking for a bridge construction worker.

   But wait!  There's more!  Shortly thereafter, I received an email (my address changed to protect the relatively innocent, at least in this matter):

From:    sekar <sekar.mp@bridgetechsolutions.com>
To:      XXX@YYY.ZZZ
Subject: Job Opportunity: RoR developer in Portland, OR
for 6 Months Contract

Hi David,

We are looking for RoR developer in Portland, OR
for full time position.
 
RoR developer
Responsibilities:
3-5 years building applications with experience
in agile software development methodologies
1-3 years web development using Ruby on Rails
Great verbal and written communication skills
Strong consumer-oriented mindset
Curious, problem-solving attitude
 
Thanks and Regards


Sekar
Bridge Technologies and Solutions
Desk: 208-968-0712
Email : sekar.mp@bridgetechsolutions.com
www.bridgetechsolutions.com

   Yup, sure enough, at the very least the wrong location -- unless he's also being stupid enough to omit that they're willing to take remote workers.

   Then there's the possible conflict between "6 Months Contract" in the Subject line, versus "full time position" in the text.  Yes, "full time" really means, to anyone thinking logically about it, approximately 40 hours a week, as opposed to much less.  But recruiters, in their infinite "wisdom", often use that term, and likewise the word "position" (as opposed to "contract" or "project"), to mean "permanent".  (That's long been a particular pet peeve of mine.)  Maybe he's actually more logical about it than most, rather than just being as inconsistent as I've come to expect.  But what are the odds?

   Then there's the XXX@YYY.ZZZ above.  The YYY.ZZZ part is one of my several domains.  The XXX part is the last part of something that all legitimate addresses there (except for a few standards like postmaster, webmaster, etc.) end in.  It's part of my spam protection -- if you send email to an address at YYY.ZZZ, that doesn't end in .WWW.XXX (yes, WWW is another constant string), and isn't one of those few standard addresses, I can be assured it's spam, and just dump it in the spam folder.  Yes, indeed, the spam folder is exactly where I found this gem.

   So... a phone call with no useful information, followed by an email to an invalid address, about a gig in the wrong location (unless he's making another stupid mistake).  Brilliant.

   Congratulations, Sekar, you're the idiot of the day.