Question to Kirt - RF Cafe Forums

The original RF Cafe Forums were shut down in late 2012 due to maintenance issues - primarily having to spend time purging garbage posts from the board. At some point I might start the RF Cafe Forums again if the phpBB software gets better at filtering spam.

Below are the old forum threads, including responses to the original posts.

-- Amateur Radio
-- Anecdotes, Gripes & Humor
-- Antennas
-- CAE, CAD, & Software
-- Circuits & Components
-- Employment & Interviews

-- Miscellany
-- Swap Shop
-- Systems
-- Test & Measurement
-- Webmaster

mshafer
Post subject: Question to Kirt Posted: Thu May 04, 2006 5:31 pm

Colonel

Joined: Thu Aug 04, 2005 3:49 pm
Posts: 29
Location: Overland Park, Kansas
Agree with you whole heartedly on kicking recruiters off this forum, but I think there might be real benefit to allowing folks like myself who need RF talent to speak directly to folks in this forum - not only about jobs I have open, but to share with folks how to best prepare for interviews, grow their skillsets, ect.

A recruiter is really out for themselves, while most engineering managers, like myself, have a goal of finding people who will be happy, successful, and productive on their teams. Managers truely want a "win win" as a result of discussions here and don't profit directly like a recruiter would.

Thoughts?

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If you love CDMA, you have to come join my team!!!!!!!

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Kirt Blattenberger
Post subject: Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 11:57 am

Site Admin

Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2003 2:02 pm
Posts: 308
Location: Erie, PA
Greetings mshafer:

I apologize for not seeing your post until now - don't know how I missed it since I'm on the forums often each day.

To answer you question, I used to allow and encourage open postings of job opportunities on this Employment forum but have determined empirically that doing so benefits no one. My conclusion is based on the fact that for about three years many – and I mean many – employment agencies and companies wrote to me asking permission to post openings on the forum, with a promise of providing some sort of gratuity if someone was placed. Not a single penny or even a word of thanks was ever received. So, if we assume honest recruiters, then my conclusion is reasonable.

Here is a direct test of my theory*: Have you, in your months of posting here, ever hired anyone as a result of this venue? If the answer is “no,” then once again my theory is confirmed. If the answer is yes,” then…well…you get the picture.

I work a full-time engineering job and provide RF Cafe as a service to fellow engineers and hobbyists during evenings and weekends. Many, many of my hours are invested weekly to keep RF Cafe as useful and efficient as possible – including eliminating predators on the forums (not referring to you). Just as Sprint expects a return for its professional services, I expect a return for my services – sometimes in cash, sometimes in gratitude – that’s what motivates everyone to work hard.

This not is not an attack, but merely a full and honest repose to your question. The fact is that you have provided good responses to some posts, albeit most are understandably Sprint-centric. Maybe we can work a deal. If you would agree to be the official Moderator for the Employment form, whereby you monitor and provide feedback to posters (as time/expertise permits), I will allow you to conduct your Sprint-related recruiting efforts here. I think visitors would definitely benefit from an employer‘s perspective, as well as vice versa. What say ye?

Thanks for writing.

* Please be sure to answer my question in your response.

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- Kirt Blattenberger
RF Cafe Progenitor & Webmaster

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mshafer
Post subject: Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 12:05 pm

Colonel

Joined: Thu Aug 04, 2005 3:49 pm
Posts: 29
Location: Overland Park, Kansas
I have hired directly 4 individuals through the use of RF Cafe' and have tried to contribute the best advice I can give to fellow RF Engineers regarding their future employment regardless of if it's with Sprint....My time, like yours is limited, and I am unfamiliar with the LOE to moderate a group.....maybe you can educate me on that a bit.....I encourage all of my engineers to actively participate in RF Cafe' and to share key learnings with their fellow RF Engineers worldwide.....love the website and the loyal following....I would like to know how RF Cafe', potentially Sprint, and other companies could partner to help influence the applicability and depth of certain curriculums offered by Universities across the country? I review 500+ resumes per year and it surprises me how varying new grads are prepared for the world of RF, CDMA in particular...some schools do a superb job, others don't even touch it....thanks again for your hard work and dedication to this site....it's a goldmine of very talented folks

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Kirt Blattenberger
Post subject: Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 4:29 pm

Site Admin

Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2003 2:02 pm
Posts: 308
Location: Erie, PA
Greetings mshafer:

Thanks for the insight about your success through this forum. Unfortunately, it kind of confirms my suspicion that some of those who claimed to never have received any useful leads were being "less than honest," to put it in a kind way. I know from feedback of RF Cafe visitors that they have received job offers as a result of contacts made here - that is a big part of the reason that I cut off posting by recruiters. It is a sad reality that even people who deal in our profession would willingly expolit the hard work of others and not offer up any form of gratitude. It goes a long way in explaining the disgust that most engineers have with recruiters.

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- Kirt Blattenberger
RF Cafe Progenitor & Webmaster

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Kirt Blattenberger
Post subject: Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 4:38 pm

Site Admin

Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2003 2:02 pm
Posts: 308
Location: Erie, PA
Greetings mshafer:

Sorry, I forgot to respond to the part about what kind of useful information you could offer here. One bit of information that I am certain many people would like to see is a list of schools that you, in your experience, are exceptionally good at preparing engineers for a career in the wireless telephony field. You alluded to such a list in your posting. A list of those that are particularly bad would also be useful. I get e-mails from students - sometimes still in high school - wanting to know which schools will help prepare them best, and similarly which ones are the most highly esteemed by employers. Any insights into what's "inside the head" of an employer/hiring manager is valuable to prospective employees.

There are probably inane laws or company regulations that prevent you from posting such a list in an identifiable manner (due to your public affiliation with Sprint), but there is nothing keeping you from exploiting the anonimity of the Internet and posting under an assumed name.

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- Kirt Blattenberger
RF Cafe Progenitor & Webmaster

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shettysaab
Post subject: concur with MikePosted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 10:30 pm

Lieutenant

Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2005 6:40 pm
Posts: 3
Kirt,
I concur with Mike with the effectiveness of this forum for recruitment. I am very good example for that. This forum not only helps new grads like me meet recruiter but also gain valuable knowledge related to the field.

Just a small piece of information...I dunno if you are aware of this but the thread i started about Qualcomm Interview is the most watched thread. I started under anonymous name of "GOOGLE" seems somebody changed that to Qualcomm Wannabe.

Manoj Shetty

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Kirt Blattenberger
Post subject: Re: concur with MikePosted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 12:27 am

Site Admin

Joined: Sun Aug 03, 2003 2:02 pm
Posts: 308
Location: Erie, PA
shettysaab wrote:
Kirt,
I concur with Mike with the effectiveness of this forum for recruitment. I am very good example for that. This forum not only helps new grads like me meet recruiter but also gain valuable knowledge related to the field.

Just a small piece of information...I dunno if you are aware of this but the thread i started about Qualcomm Interview is the most watched thread. I started under anonymous name of "GOOGLE" seems somebody changed that to Qualcomm Wannabe.

Manoj Shetty

Greetings Manjo:

Thank you for letting me know about you being the original poster. I changed the name from "GOOGLE" in order to avoid a terms of use violation that could exist due to the presence of the advertisement that appear on the website. The very prominent "GOOGLE" could be construed as an endorsement that does not exist. If you would like me to change it to your registered screen name, "shettysaab," I will be glad to do so.

You definitely started a popular thread and I thank you for it. Let me know what your preference is.

_________________
- Kirt Blattenberger
RF Cafe Progenitor & Webmaster

Posted 11/12/2012

Webmaster:

Kirt Blattenberger,

BSEE - KB3UON

RF Cafe began life in 1996 as "RF Tools" in an AOL screen name web space totaling 2 MB. Its primary purpose was to provide me with ready access to commonly needed formulas and reference material while performing my work as an RF system and circuit design engineer. The World Wide Web (Internet) was largely an unknown entity at the time and bandwidth was a scarce commodity. Dial-up modems blazed along at 14.4 kbps while tying up your telephone line, and a nice lady's voice announced "You've Got Mail" when a new message arrived...

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