IT Job. Weird Job Posting

laptoplaptop Member Posts: 214
in IT Jobs / Degrees
I saw an IT job posting where at the end it asks to:

Tell us in your cover letter who would win in a fight and why: the American Alligator or the Burmese python


It's an IT company providing solutions. Company has nothing to do with animals.

Is this a trick or something?
Should I answer it in my cover letter?
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Comments

  • apena7apena7 Member Posts: 351
    Are they fighting on land or in the water?
    Usus magister est optimus
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  • laptoplaptop Member Posts: 214
    apena7 wrote: »
    Are they fighting on land or in the water?

    It doesnt specify. All of their job postings ask applicants to answer it in the cover letter. I find this very interesting.
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  • astorrsastorrs Member Posts: 3,139 ■■■■■■□□□□
    laptop wrote: »
    Should I answer it in my cover letter?
    Yes absolutely. I would answer it for two reasons:
    1. It shows you were thorough in reading the job posting and can follow directions
    2. It could provide an ice breaker for both parties when/if an interview comes up. Especially if you can throw a little humor and maybe a little IT savvy into your response.
    P.S. Neither wins: Python explodes after swallowing 6-foot alligator in Florida Everglades

    Good luck!

    Andrew
    twitter: @astorrs
    profile: linkedin.com/in/astorrs
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  • apena7apena7 Member Posts: 351
    Well, the python can kill the alligator and try to shallow it, but the alligator would be too big to digest and probably cause the python to explode.

    Edit: Astorrs beat me to the punch! Now I remember hearing about that on Discovery channel.
    Usus magister est optimus
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  • KaminskyKaminsky Member Posts: 1,235
    astorrs wrote: »
    P.S. Neither wins: Python explodes after swallowing 6-foot alligator in Florida Everglades

    There are some TE members that spend waaaay too much time on tinternet and amazingly, seem to remember every single url they go to. There is also one strange one that is physically and mentally wired into the TE database of posts but he has been a bit quiet of late.
    Kam.
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  • mikej412mikej412 Member Posts: 10,086 ■■■■■■■■■■
    astorrs wrote: »
    It shows you were thorough in reading the job posting and can follow directions
    +1

    It's a great way to weed out people just randomly shotgunning resumes.
    :mike: Cisco Certifications -- Collect the Entire Set!
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  • astorrsastorrs Member Posts: 3,139 ■■■■■■□□□□
    Kaminsky wrote: »
    There are some TE members that spend waaaay too much time on tinternet and amazingly, seem to remember every single url they go to. There is also one strange one that is physically and mentally wired into the TE database of posts but he has been a bit quiet of late.
    LOL, actually I was trying to find the job description online to see if anything else jumped out at me, but then I saw the 2nd link and went in a different direction ;)
    twitter: @astorrs
    profile: linkedin.com/in/astorrs
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  • bwcartybwcarty Member Posts: 422 ■■■□□□□□□□
    astorrs wrote: »
    Yes absolutely. I would answer it for two reasons:
    1. It shows you were thorough in reading the job posting and can follow directions
    2. It could provide an ice breaker for both parties when/if an interview comes up. Especially if you can throw a little humor and maybe a little IT savvy into your response.
    P.S. Neither wins: Python explodes after swallowing 6-foot alligator in Florida Everglades

    Good luck!

    Andrew


    I'd say that #1 is the primary reason for the request, but it can also demonstrate your ability to provide information about a situation you don't deal with day in and day out. A lot of IT isn't about what you know now - it's how quickly can you find a solution to a problem nobody has planned for.

    USGS Release: USGS Maps Show Potential Non-Native Python Habitat Along Three U.S. Coasts (2/20/2008 10:45:00 AM) has an image of such a fight along with additional information. That's just an example of bothing to look up the subject on Google/Wikipedia. If you want to take it a step further, you can add any number of qualifiers. An alligator hatchling would obviously be no match for a full grown python, and an adult alligator could swallow young pythons like spaghetti.
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  • ZartanasaurusZartanasaurus Member Posts: 2,008 ■■■■■■■■■□
    I would love to get this requirement as part of my cover letter.
    Currently reading:
    IPSec VPN Design 44%
    Mastering VMWare vSphere 5​ 42.8%
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  • ZartanasaurusZartanasaurus Member Posts: 2,008 ■■■■■■■■■□
    Who would win in a fight? Dr Doom or Batman?

    Nuklear Power Archive Episode 342: Hypothetically Speaking…
    Currently reading:
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    Mastering VMWare vSphere 5​ 42.8%
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  • unsupportedunsupported Member Posts: 192
    Sounds like they are trying to think outside the box like those famous Google interview questions (hhttp://digg.com/tech_news/Google_Interview_Questions_2).
    -un

    “We build our computer (systems) the way we build our cities: over time, without a plan, on top of ruins” - Ellen Ullman
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  • Paul BozPaul Boz Member Posts: 2,620 ■■■■■■■■□□
    Neither, zombies would win.
    CCNP | CCIP | CCDP | CCNA, CCDA
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  • Forsaken_GAForsaken_GA Member Posts: 4,024
    Besides weeding out those who don't follow instructions well, it's also a good way to see a candidates methods of reasoning. How a person works out a problem can tell you an awful lot about them. It'll also give them a good idea of how well you can actually write (ie, communicate), determine how well you can research, demonstrate whether or not you have a sense of humor, and see whether or not you can be persuasive when voicing your opinions.

    I think it's wonderful, wish more companies did something like that.
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  • jediknightjediknight Member Posts: 113
    mikej412 wrote: »
    +1

    It's a great way to weed out people just randomly shotgunning resumes.

    +1

    I had this happen to me in a different way. I was doing an online app for a company and the steps were as follows:

    1. Fill out online app
    2. Upload Resume
    3. WATCH COMPANY VIDEO
    4. Email Resume to posted email link

    Here was the catch, if you skipped watching the video and sent your Resume to the email link, your Resume was immediately trashed! At the end of the video, it had clear instructions to NOT email your Resume to the posted email link and provided another link to send your Resume to. Apparently I was the only one who could follow directions out of many applicants.

    Yes, absolutely answer the question in your cover letter! It shows that clearly you can follow directions and pay attention to detail. This will pretty much guarantee you at least a phone interview if you meet the requirements of the position.
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  • gbadmangbadman Member Posts: 71 ■■□□□□□□□□
    Paul Boz wrote: »
    Neither, zombies would win.

    I'm all for lateral thinking and that. But come on now.

    It would obviously be the carnivorous earthworms.
    [FONT=georgia, bookman old style, palatino linotype, book antiqua, palatino, trebuchet ms, helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, avante garde, century gothic, comic sans ms, times, times new roman, serif]A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties

    -[/FONT][FONT=georgia, bookman old style, palatino linotype, book antiqua, palatino, trebuchet ms, helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, avante garde, century gothic, comic sans ms, times, times new roman, serif]Harry Truman[/FONT]
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  • RouteThisWayRouteThisWay Member Posts: 514
    Paul Boz wrote: »
    Neither, zombies would win.

    I enjoy zombies as well. I actually went on a zombie kick and watched quite a bit of zombie movies over the long weekend (hurray for having MLK day off in the US).




    I just realized, by saying that I enjoy zombies, it has some serious deviant implications.
    "Vision is not enough; it must be combined with venture." ~ Vaclav Havel
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  • thomAZthomAZ Member Posts: 50 ■■□□□□□□□□
    Buddy here at my work said that down in florida they're having problems with the burmese python 'cause they reproduce very quickly. Ohh and they've been pwning the gators! Are they based in Florida? Maybe they want to see if you know anything about florida or if your from there.
    In Progress: Currently enrolled in WGU: Studying for Net+

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