You develop in Linux and are looking for work, and are requested to provide CV as a .doc file - what would you do?

[Nadav Har'El]

On Sun, Aug 15, 2010, Omer Zak wrote about "You develop in Linux and are looking for work, and are requested to provide CV as a .doc file - what would you do?":
> Some of those companies (both placement and project subcontract work
> outfits) look for a Linux software developer AND expect you to E-mail
> them a MS-Word .doc file.

For some people who don't know better ".doc" or "word format" is a catch-all
phrase meaning "something I can read on my PC". If you send them a PDF file
(for example) and it just opens when they click it, they wouldn't know it isn't
a .doc file ;-) If you send them an OpenOffice file, and try to convince them
to install OpenOffice, and how much better, cheaper and free-er it is, they
will look at you with bemusement.

> But I would expect the subcontractors to have a clue about Linux
> developers/users (no MS-Word, in other words).

I'd also expect Linux developers to know that if they really wished, they
can easily create a ".doc" file with OpenOffice...

That being said, my CV is written in TeX, not OpenOffice, so I have to admit
that if somebody insisted to have it in .doc, I'm not really sure what I would
do... On the other hand my CV is also written in English, and I'm sure that
some of these companies that insist on .doc never heard of this language ;-)

> If YOU were looking for work now, how would YOU deal with such
> companies?

My only piece advice - remember that the practices of HR people in a certain
company may have something to do about the practices of the whole company -
but on the other hand they might not. The fact some HR person never heard of
Linux might not mean that there aren't interesting Linux-related (or just
Linux-friendly) jobs in that company.

-- 
Nadav Har'El                        |         Monday, Aug 16 2010, 6 Elul 5770
nyh at math.technion.ac.il             |-----------------------------------------
Phone +972-523-790466, ICQ 13349191 |May you live as long as you want - and
http://nadav.harel.org.il           |never want as long as you live.