Followup to "experience required/survival tips" posting

[Geoff Hart <geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA>]

     Dear Techwhirlers:

     A kind and ethical net citizen pointed out (politely, in private
     e-mail) that my early posting might have been misconstrued to mean:
     "Do anything, including lying, to get a job." That's not what I meant,
     although ethically, there's a problem.

     It shouldl be obvious that you're a fool if you tell an employer that
     you're an expert in some software when you aren't; the truth will show
     up pretty quickly when you report for work. But that's a purely
     practical consideration; the accusation that this is unethical
     remains, and is harder to dodge.

     What I was getting at, and what I still defend, is that it doesn't
     take long to become basically proficient at using most software, and
     that "three years of experience required" usually means only that the
     employer doesn't want to teach you the basics. So yes, you're lying,
     because you're not an expert, but no, you're not defrauding the
     employer because you'll meet the expectations. (If you can't meet this
     part of the contract, don't say it.) I can live with those ethics.

     --Geoff Hart    #8^{)}
     geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca

     Disclaimer: If I didn't commit it in print in one of
     our reports, it don't represent FERIC's opinion.