[Picture]
Marc MERLIN

(atsign -> @)
Email: marc_www(atsign)merlins.org
Pager: marcwpage(atsign)merlins.org (please don't abuse these and keep in mind that I'm in PST/PDT = GMT -7/8)


Note to Freelance Recruiters:
Do not call me, do not page me, do not Email me: I have no desire to hear about whatever jobs you may have, for me, or unemployed friends you think I may have (BTW, I've always been amazed by recruiters who ask me to refer friends for free, when they would make several tens of thousand dollars with my referal)
I am more than happily employed and I don't plan to use a recruiter next time I need a job.
Yes, this sounds harsh, but trust me, I've had more than my share of calls from bad recruiters who would call me and page me several times a week, and nothing was worse than the ones who called me at home and woke me up early in the morning.

The one time I needed the services of a recruiter was for my first job in the Silicon Valley. I contacted 15 recruiters and none of them got back to me with a job because I asked for an H-1 visa and a green card, and because of the Visa I was not able to start working for 3 months. Apparently the recruiters were all interested in a quick buck (some went as far as to admit that to me) and didn't want to deal with people who needed visas
Do I blame them for only looking for people who are available to work right away and not bother with "more complicated" cases? Well, not too much except that it may be more constructive for recruiters to help talented people who need visas than to keep calling and disturbing people who are already happily employed, which I consider rather rude.
I hope you also understand that since I got no help whatsoever when I needed some, I have very little incentive to be helpful now.

Don't take me wrong, there are some good recruiters out there who don't disturb people who are already employed and do not want a new job, but then those are the ones you never hear from since they're doing a good job....