Yahoo, which adds several technical people a month, gets hundreds of resumes a week. Cisco Systems, with 700 job openings worldwide, gets 2,500 resumes a week. Companies say they can't take time to train prospective employees because technology moves too fast. However, critics say that companies are sometimes too selective. Norman Matloff, a computer science professor at the University of California at Davis, slams the computer industry for refusing to hire older programmers who just need to add a new skill or two.
Some longtime programmers agree.
There were just two I didn't have, but I understood exactly what they were looking for. They say any roadblocks lie with the the skills and attitudes of older job seekers. It has to do with the skill set,'' said Jim Colby, regional human resources director for Sony Electronics in San Jose. Some company officials acknowledge that there are problems with the hiring procedures of many Silicon Valley firms. Recruiters sometimes don't understand technology or the actual skills needed for tech jobs.