More than likely it's the web guys who aren't provided useful/timely info. Right hand not knowing what the left is doing, and vice versa...

Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

After 6 years of experience (2 years in structural & facilities design, 2 year of field construction and administration and 2 years with a utility for facilities and transmission tower and foundation design, I saw and ad in the paper for a position that offered me 50% above my salary.

It was very strange since it required a hand written resume. - Apparently, to avoid professionally prepared resumes with all the catch-words. I applied and 2 weeks later, I got a call to have a interview. The interview took about 15 minutes and the man asked me how soon can I start. It was made clear to me that I had to get registered (I was an EIT at the time) and I had to become active in ASTM, ACI and all local regional engineering groups in addition to some national associations for experience and education. I later foundout by talking to some professionals in the local area,they had been sent my resume and asked for comments. One was the owner/principal of a local(7 offices) materials testing and soils firm, another was a principal in a large architectural firm and one was engineer that was president of a large general contracting firm that did projects up to $15,000,000.

It turned our well for the 20 years I was with the firm (it was sold and I did not have resources). Some long and strange hours, but rewarding and educational and I was supported in technical activities. Because of the nature of the position, my summers (June, July & August) were not as demanding as the remainder of the year. I had to take my vacation in the summer, so I took the company car and credit card and took 2 weeks and took my family to the 4 or 5 day summer association meetings at some fine resort locations - Greenbriar, White Sulfur Springs, Broadmore, etc. My kids also got a great education in geography and life.

Sometimes ads can be very interesting and beneficial.

Dick

Engineer and international traveler interested in construction techniques, problems and proper design.

Could be like us and constantly looking out for people but rarely (maybe never) have an 'immediate need' or a specific position to fill. When someone comes along who is qualified and a good fit then we'll hire regardless of our workload. If not, then we won't, again regardless of our workload. Same goes for letting people go. If someone isn't working out, we'll cut bait regardless of how busy we may be. If someone does great work and fits in well, then we'll try to keep them around regardless of how busy we may be.

Perhaps frustrating for people looking for a job, but I don't think it's unethical. We may not be looking to hire as much as other guys when times are good, but that also means we don't lay off as much when times are tough. No one got laid off during the recession, for instance.

If someone is trying to hire foreign individuals on an H-1B visa, you have to first demonstrate that you couldn't find a qualified American worker to hire. Perhaps these adverts are being used to meet the legal threshold needed before they can hire those non-American workers.

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

It would seem that most companies trying to hire for H-1B visas advertise jobs at an hourly rate that is much lower than the going rate.
B.E.

You are judged not by what you know, but by what you can do.

Quote:

If someone is trying to hire foreign individuals on an H-1B visa, you have to first demonstrate that you couldn't find a qualified American worker to hire.

I don't believe this is correct. Companies cannot lay off existing workers to hire H1-Bs and they must make good faith efforts to recruit US citizens, but they do not have to demonstrate they couldn't find a qualified US citizen for the spot. While these advertisements may be intended to satisfy the 'good faith effort' part, the notion that H1Bs cannot be hired if there's an American who wants the job and is theoretically qualified is not true.

Phony jobs are rampant within the indeed website.

I am getting variations of the following ad in my email.

Quote (Fraudster?)

Hello [drawoh] from HR manager of Sensible Sales Ltd Corporation.

We are considering your application of the position of Customer Service Representative at our brand-new workplace in your city.

The main idea of the firm is connected with offer an escrow, financial protection and lawful support for any kind of contracts, related with purchasing or selling anything.
For this reason we are working to offer a good system of storerooms both nationally and internationally. Each location includes a warehouse building, distribution sector, value assurance sector and buyer or seller provision division of its own.
We need to connect stated divisions and that is the key role for Customer Service Manager.

The Customer Service Manager is a fascinating chance at the mid supervision level.
The main duties include supervision of delivery, stuffing and value monitoring departments.
Every work shift continues for 8 hours, 5 days a week. The salary starts up from $4800, and the total amount will include extras.

We have already considered your CV online. Your Candidature looks suitable for this role and we would like to read your filled CV. Please, send it by email as a DOC or PDF attached file. You can send us a Cover Letter as well or any more papers that you consider may be relevant and what may help us to make a correct choice. If your CV is passed, you will move on to the telephone interview, during which you may learn about this job.

The offer is valid only for the Canada offices. At the moment we have no open positions in international offices. If you are interested in a career at Sensible Sales Ltd, please answer to this message.

We will wait to having you on our company asap.

Best regards,
[Fraudster?]

I was looking for work recently, so I am registered on job search sites. I thought I disabled this, but I do not know how disablable they are. The emailer is called claws, which probably is a version of the mail program I am using. This indicates that the email may have been typed in manually.

I have no qualifications to be a contract manager, and I have learned from painful experience that I should not work in sales.

--
JHG

Seems to be a bit unusual in its language, and bits are barely Sensible.

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers Entire Forum list http://www.eng-tips.com/forumlist.cfm

Long ago, I would see job offerings in the automotive industry. They were VERY specific in the software that the person must have used, the type of materials the person must have worked with, and the qualifications of the applicant. Then at the end, they'd give a salary range which was maybe appropriate for a grad fresh out of college, but well below what you'd expect for anyone that met their qualifications. It finally dawned on me, they weren't writing ads to hire anyone, but to show that no one was available- for the visas.

JStephen,
Yes my favorite from an HR dept is: " Designer wanted , must have ten years experience in the use of Solidworks 2017.".
B.E.

You are judged not by what you know, but by what you can do.

berkshire,

I went recently to a job interview where they specified SolidWorks and Mechanical Desktop. I asked if they were serious about Mechanical Desktop. It appears these job descriptions get written, and then re-used.

--
JHG

Drawoh,
Right !!!!!!!
B.E.

You are judged not by what you know, but by what you can do.

Good eye for noticing things that aren't quite right. As some of these replies have shown, there may be some plausible explanations for aspects of what you describe. Still, if something looks rotten, smells rotten, feels rotten, and sounds rotten,,, it's probably rotten. You don't need to understand a scam and it's profit structure to know you should avoid it. You will always find the bad players by following the money, though that may have some difficult aspects.

Best of luck !

.

(Me,,,wrong? ...aw, just fine-tuning my sarcasm!)

I just talked to my company's production manager on behalf of a friend who seemed to suit a job opening, according to the qualifications on the job ad.
That's when he told me about the "other things" they're looking for, which aren't in the job ad.
Grrrr.

STF

It's a plane to hire someone ( usually an individual they already know). it's not uncommon to list specific classes the individual has taken and/or experience on some obscure software.
When online adds weren't so common there were adds in magazines like Engineering News Record ( a civil/ structural construction magazine ) for verify specific computer electronics jobs.

It's like any sole source justification; there are the generic requirements, and then there are requirements that can only be met by one particular piece of equipment (or person). This is typically how H1B visas are justified as well.

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers Entire Forum list http://www.eng-tips.com/forumlist.cfm

Quote (WARose (Structural) )

Anybody else notice some of these advertised jobs for companies when you know they aren't trying to fill a position? I live in a major engineering hub .....plenty of guys on the street right now.....and there is one outfit near me that has had some slots open for about a year. And I know at least half a dozen people who have applied to them that would fit the bill easy. Another firm near me is laying off (for lack of work)....while simultaneously advertising for some of the positions they are letting go.

I've noticed more and more of this over the years (especially with the web sites that let these guys post jobs for free, including their own)......does anyone know the reason? Is it to give the appearance of a healthy company? Getting resumes in case the work load picks up? Or is it just testing the waters to see what kind of salaries people want?

Do you think it's ethical?

Nothing to do with ethics. Appears to be a lack of business acumen by the people placing the ads. Let me give you an example.

This particular ad: https://www.startwire.com/express_apply_jobs/MjEyN...

has actually been placed and rerun for at least 10 years now.

I interviewed for the position 6 years ago. I was told that they were looking for someone that had worked for the City of Chicago for approximately 20 years and would be able to bring them business. Note the phrase in the ad: "The Project Manager will have a Midwestern US network of water/wastewater connections"

There are numerous ads similar to this. The people running this ads are basically interested in a business merger not an employee, but they are too stupid to know it.

If only obtaining business in this manner was as easy as hiring someone (the term for this someone is "Rainmaker"). Why would anyone with the ability to shift work around to a new employer would ever work for them. If the person had any brains, he would take the work and start his own company.

I always liked the ads - New grad wanted, PhD or higher. Need 5 years experience in cutting edge emerging technology (will work for peanuts)

Quote (WARose)

plenty of guys on the street right now.

A really good reason for choosing a different profession. The vagarities of employment seem to strike engineers, first.

Dik