A Note for Recruiters

Background

Over the years since I first put a resume online, I've received hundreds of messages from recruiters who have pulled an email address from my resume. I've had to change that address repeatedly, because from time to time the spam, mostly from sloppy recruiters, gets excessive.

I call that mail from careless recruiters spam because it is just that. Having my resume online is not an implicit invitation to job offers and is not even evidence that I am looking for work. At present (mid-2010) I am not, having thankfully found a great job in August 2008. That resume is documentation. I have a bit of a public profile but not enough that others would bother to write anything about me. I leave my resume online to provide an open answer to the question of why I consider myself qualified to have opinions in various technical fields. In a profession where many formal credentials are meaningless, one's work history can play a less iffy certification role.

That is not to say that the address on my resume page must never be mailed, but if you mail it I will expect you to have read and understood this page. If you clearly haven't, I may respond quite negatively.

What is welcome at my resume address

If I've made a typo or have a bad link or have made some other error you notice, I'd be grateful for your mail.

If you have advice for a way to make my resume more attractive or expressive, I'd be grateful for your mail.

If you are a recruiter with job reqs to fill and don't want to waste your time and mine, please consider the following important issues that are central to whether I consider any career opportunity. Note that some are grounded in my family situation as the father of a child with severe disabilities, so they are not easily negotiable, and others are grounded in the fact that I have a job which I have no desire to leave:

1. I live in a near-northeast suburb of Detroit and I am unable to relocate at any time in the foreseeable future.
2. I am unable to travel on a regular basis.
3. I am unwilling to work in a "start-up mode" job that requires long hours for below-market pay in the hope of being a part of the next Google.
4. I value flexibility very highly. A position that allows for no telecommuting and has a rigid schedule is unlikely to interest me.
5. I value stability very highly. A position that is expected to only last a few months is unlikely to interest me.
6. I have an excellent job that fits me well, where I work for and with people I like, trust, and respect. Any opportunity that could entice me to leave that would have to be something truly special.
7. I have had the good fortune of being specifically recruited into my last 3 jobs by my bosses-to-be, 2 of whom previously knew me only through my participation in various technical fora. As a result I may be a bit spoiled from the point of view of professional recruiters. Solicitations that don't seem to me to be specifically meant for me (rather than for anyone with the right set of buzzwords on a resume) are not going to get a positive response.

If you have read all of this and still think it is worth your time and mine to discuss an opportunity, please mail me at the address on my resume.