[kohanz]

> would it be reasonable to claim 1.5x "years of experience" with a given technology during that period

As a general aside, every time I see a resume with something along the lines of: "Java (2.5 years), C++ (5 years)", I cringe a little. Please don't do this. There is something about denoting the exact amount of time you have spent with a specific technology (which we can generally deduce from your work experience anyway) that, at least to me, broadcasts a lack of confidence in your own skills.

[bbcbasic]

Ah the old guess the signal/filter cv game. So kohanz cringes, that is one data point, but will the company you apply to cringe if you do it, or cringe if you don't?

[panic]

If "cringe" is a factor in reviewing resumes, you're doing it wrong anyway. Judge people on what they've done, not how they present it.

[kohanz]

Sure, if you're hiring for a position where written communication skills are unimportant.

[mod]

We're analyzing anticipated cringe.

It's widely held that most people ARE doing it wrong.

[Zyst]

In my country HR specifically asks for 'x' years of experience with 'Y'.

I don't have it in my resume, I just spread the skills between an "Advanced" and "Proficient" subsection, but I've been asked at least once why I don't specify the number of years with each technology.

[bobisme]

I think it's stupid too, but every job posting lists required years of experience.

[msbarnett]

That a lot of job postings make a mistake does not mean you must duplicate it on your resume.

Most places (and probably all places that aren't incompetently managed/places you would want to work at) do not filter resumes on the basis of "Our posting said 5+ years of C++ and nowhere on this resume does it say C++ - X Years! Rejected!". If you break your resume down along the lines of "At FooBar Corp I was directly responsible for frobnitzing the blahblahblah with C++", "At Quux Labs my primary achievement was using C++ to cromlify the flux capacitor" etc, most places won't even bother to total up the years involving a given technology.

X Years with Y are a vague wishlist item that job posting writers unthinkingly cargocult around as a rough signal of whether they want a junior engineer or someone more senior. Don't give them too much thought, never let them convince you to disqualify yourself from a job without applying, and definitely don't cargocult along with them.