[MichaelCrawford]

What I'd really like to see, is a recruiter who actually looked at my resume from beginning to end before contacting me.

Finally, just a few minutes ago, I put a vacation response in my gmail account:

   Dear Friend,

   Thank you for writing, I'll get back to you soon.

   If you are an agency recruiter seeking to place me in a
   job or contract position, please be advised that I find
   my own work.  Please take me off your mailing list.
   Please delete my resume from your records as well.

   If you'd like to know why, please read this:

      Market Yourself: Tips for High-Tech Consultants
      http://www.warplife.com/tips/business/market-yourself.html

   Regards,

   Michael David Crawford, Consulting Software Engineer
   Solving the Software Problem
   [e-mail]

      Local Jobs, Local Candidates
      The Global Computer Employer Index
      http://www.warplife.com/jobs/computer/

[davidgerard]

Did it have any effect whatsoever on the flow of spam?

(I was nominally responsible for a Clearcase installation for six months in 2001. I mentioned it on my CV in 2002. I still get the occasional ping from those last, last few Clearcase shops, desperate for someone who will admit to ever having touched it.)

[ConceptJunkie]

I learned this the hard way as well.

If you've worked with some technology or product, but don't ever want to work with it again, don't mention it in your resume.

I mentioned doing some ColdFusion work because, well, that's what I did as part of a previous job, but when I started looking for a new job, I quickly found I wanted to take that out.

Of course, if word gets out you're a software developer looking for work, there are a whole slew of recruiters that will spam you for anything that even remotely involves computers. It's been 2-1/2 years since I was looking for work and I still get a couple e-mails a week spamming for jobs like a Linux Admin in Detroit or a Data Analyst in St. Louis (I live in Virginia and never had any intention of moving).

[MichaelCrawford]

I'm looking for work in Portland, Oregon.

The recruiters seem to be catching my drift in a rather oblique way, in that just since yesterday, they've been sending me inquiries about jobs in Portland, Maine.

[RogerL]

You match 50% of the requirements, that's better than the usual recruiter spam.

[scmoore]

I'm a week into a ColdFusion job (also in VA) and this is a little unsettling -- pretty sure I'll want to leave this stuff behind me when I move on.

[davidgerard]

I mostly find it hilarious. Of course, the flow of recruiter spam started as soon as I hit a magic 5 years' Unix experience and hasn't stopped.

[untog]

Well that's going to be annoying for anyone e-mailing you that isn't a recruiter.

[MichaelCrawford]

I have a private email addy for just friends, family and established clients.