Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Who Knew That I Knew So Much?

I don't know what I would do without LinkedIn.

Before this amazing website came along, I was pretty sure that my software skills could be described as:

1. Oracle PL/SQL: excellent
2. SQL: just OK
3. Database Design: well, sort of
4. HTML: dangerous
5. XML: really dangerous
6. Java: pitiful
7. Everything else: nothing going on

See, I am probably the most narrowly specialized high-tech "expert". I know PL/SQL and that's really about it.

At least, that's what I thought I knew. According to my endorsements on LinkedIn, however, well....I will let them speak for themselves:



Now all LinkedIn has to provide is a tool that takes these endorsements and constructs an iResume.

5 comments:

Jeffrey Kemp said...

What a shambles. I hit "x" on all the endorsements that I know aren't true. And I only endorse others when I know first-hand they have the skill. Feels like a losing battle though - the endorsements thing seems to be losing its value (if it had any in the first place).

Steven Feuerstein said...

Ah, right, I can remove endorsements. Never crossed my mind. Thanks....now it is a bit closer to reality.

iudith said...

Well ... chapeau to Jeff Kemp :)

I also use to do the same and remove endorsements that some colleagues who wanted to be nice to me have added ...

Unfortunately, our world is too strongly based on both self-declarations and recommendations that do not require any proof ....

Regarding what does it mean "to know" something ... there are people who knowing 5% from something will already add it to their knowledge list, while others who know 95% will not add it because of the missing 5% ...

For really appreciating people's knowledge, a common measurement unit should be used.

For me, the best possible one is the PL/SQL Challenge :) :) :)

If everybody was that sincere and responsible, the LinkedIn was not full of "super-specialists" that would make even Tom Kyte to become envious ...

Thanks a lot & Best Regards,
Iudith Mentzel

iudith said...

Well ... chapeau to Jeff Kemp :)

I also use to do the same and remove endorsements that some colleagues who wanted to be nice to me have added ...

Unfortunately, our world is too strongly based on both self-declarations and recommendations that do not require any proof ....

Regarding what does it mean "to know" something ... there are people who knowing 5% from something will already add it to their knowledge list, while others who know 95% will not add it because of the missing 5% ...

For really appreciating people's knowledge, a common measurement unit should be used.

For me, the best possible one is the PL/SQL Challenge :) :) :)

If everybody was that sincere and responsible, the LinkedIn was not full of "super-specialists" that would make even Tom Kyte to become envious ...

Thanks a lot & Best Regards,
Iudith Mentzel

Scott Wesley said...

I'm the same as Jeff, although weird endorsements never make it to the official list. Anything I haven't defined myself gets a different set of prompts - or the button is worded differently, anyway.