Topic: Hilarious job screen

[scottws]

I still haven't found a job in FL just yet.  I've had some phone interviews and a couple in-person interviews and spoke to seemingly thousands of recruiters, but overall my lack of a degree and certifications is holding me back.

So today I had a phone screen with an HR person.  These can be pretty funny at times, but today takes the cake.  So she's asking me about my experience...  "Have you used 'network hardware and software'?" was the first question.  The second question I don't think I will ever forget: "Have you used 'TCP/IP'?"

I was stunned for a few seconds and said, "Yes, I'm very familiar with the concepts of TCP/IP".  She said, "Well, have you actually used it?"

It took everything I had to keep myself from laughing.  Thankfully I wasn't face-to-face with this person or it would have been over.

[Quemaqua]

Haha, that's a great story. Good luck with the hunt, man.

[Cools!]

Haha. That's hilarious! Hope you find something soon.

[Xessive]

Haha that's awesome, man! I sometimes wonder how bored we'd all be if it weren't for the technology-illiterate masses

"Hello? Tech support? Yeah, my cup holder stopped working!"

[Cobra951]

I've had my own experience with the illiterate children who screen you away from the real interviewers by "axing" you stupid questions like that.  The result is you may never get a real opportunity to impress your prospective employer.  It's imperative to get around them.  Good luck, Scott.

[sirean_syan]

Yeah... I don't understand. I think I've "used" TCP/IP before when I setup networks in the past as I felt like there were choices in what protocol I could use. I'm guessing that's just the incorrect usage, but I don't know exactly what makes it incorrect.

[scottws]

Yeah, you used to have the option to use IPX/SPX but that was strictly for LANs and was just not scalable for Internet use.  AppleTalk is also another network protocol.  TCP/IP has basically completely phased both of them completely out.

Anyone who uses any kind of modern computer network, including the Internet, "uses" TCP/IP.  I think the deal was that the hiring manager wants candidates to be familiar with TCP/IP in the sense that they understand the concepts of IP address, subnet mask/subnets, gateway, DNS, common service ports, maybe even how TCP/IP works at a core level (the various headers).  But of course the idiot HR person has no idea.

By the way, it sounds like I'll get an interview out of this one.