Recruiters can be really frustrating. That is as true now as it was back in 2006. I don’t mind getting called, emailed, or messaged on social media by recruiters, but they really need to up their game if they want me to take them seriously.

Even when not actively looking for a job, I like to keep up with the job market in the area. I’ve been able to find companies that seem interesting. And through those companies, I’ve been able to network with and meet some pretty awesome developers.

I really despise the ‘spray-and-pray’ method recruiters use.

If a recruiter truly wants to build a relationship with me, they need to show that they ‘get’ me. When sending a posting or telling me about a potential job opportunity, just a one-liner is fine. I don’t want a long-winded and buzzword-filled description that was approved by an HR department somewhere. I want to see something like:

• “The company was breached recently and want you to help improve the security practice of their development team”
• “They saw you are in the top 10% on StackOverflow for SQL and this will give you the ability to work with a guy who is in the top 5%”
• “The company was outside of your commute range, but the pay is excellent and they are open to working from home a day or two a week after your initial probation period”
• “The software they make is used heavily in the [entomology/forensics/robotics/etc] field and it seems like something you would have fun working on”
• “You can bring your dog to work and not only do they know what the Joel Test is, but they score a 12 on it”

If you are a recruiter that understands what I’m looking for and is willing to put in the effort, well, now you’ve got my interest. You don’t need to wine-and-dine me. But show that you’re willing to earn your commission and I’ll work hard to show your clients that you’ve got access to quality talent.

I make it very easy for people to get to know me and what I tend to look for in companies.

The majority of my experience is with VB.NET front-ends and SQL Server back-ends. I’ve done a few smaller projects in C# and have very limited experience on the ASP.NET development side. I’m not opposed to taking on a C# or ASP.NET position — I’m just not coding in that on a day-to-day basis like I am VB.NET, so there would likely be a bit of an adjustment period needed.

I prefer in-house development, rather than developing in external client environments. Unlike a lot of developers that constantly want to start fresh with their own design, I generally enjoy building upon existing systems. I’ve got plenty of experience building everything from the ground up, too, though.

Any company that I’d work for really needs to be able to capture my interest. Most of my prior employment has been in the healthcare field, but I’m also open to software shops, security companies, etc. There doesn’t need to be a large development team, but I would like to have at least a couple other good developers to work with. Small-to-medium companies would be ideal. Somewhere large enough for a competitive salary but small enough for minimal red tape.

Travel time is important to me. If Google Maps says it’s more than an hour commute between the location and where I live, it probably won’t work out unless telecommuting is an option a day or two a week.

Lastly, I have zero interest in contract-only or contract-to-hire. I am only interested in full-time permanent positions.

I’m pretty much an open-book, folks. If you are a recruiter and want to build up your connections, feel free to contact me. Even when I’m not actively looking, I’ll at least listen to what’s out there and might know someone who would be a great fit. But if you don’t want to put in any effort into the communications, well, you’re going into my Spam folder :)