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Re: To Perl or not to PERL.

by ruzam (Curate)
on Jul 14, 2010 at 14:37 UTC ( [id://849534]=note: print w/replies, xml ) Need Help??


in reply to To Perl or not to PERL.

I grew up in a computing environment where everything was an acronym. Programming languages like COBOL, RPG, PL1. Heck everything was done on telex terminals, most times you didn't even have a choice of caps (everything was upper case). Project names were acronyms, software tools were acronyms, equipment names were acronyms, parts and services were acronyms. Nobody thought twice about what was caps and what was lower case and only a pin headed manager would be anal enough to get worked up over it.

When I started learning Perl it was just another acronym language. It even says so, right in the introduction: Practical Extraction and Report Language. I didn't think twice about it. I wrote PERL, I used PERL, I put PERL on my resume, I love PERL. Then one day I got a response back from a job I applied for. The reply was "If you're going to put Perl on your resume then at least spell it right. It's Perl not PERL". I mean geez, if you're that bent over the capitalization then don't even bother with a reply because there's no way in h... I'm going to work in that kind of environment.

So now I use Perl/perl instead of PERL and blend in with the crowd. Call me assimilated. I won't hold a grudge against anyone who calls it PERL, I don't think it's even worth pointing out. But I will hold a grudge against anyone who feels it's more important to get Perl/perl right than to actually learn the language.

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Re^2: To Perl or not to PERL.
by chromatic (Archbishop) on Jul 14, 2010 at 15:50 UTC
    If you're going to put Perl on your resume then at least spell it right. It's Perl not PERL".

    I don't care if you're a poor speller. I care if you have attention to detail. Spell it "Pearl" and your resume loses a point with me, same as if you write "C Sharp" or "C/C++" or "Ur-Lang".

      You say that, but I can very well seeing people spelling it 'Pearl' to get past a recruiter/HR person who is searching for a 'pearl programmer'. And the same thing goes with 'C Sharp' -- and even more so, as I suspect that many of the resume search engines strip '#' character.

      Resumes tend to be written for the gatekeepers and not the people that are trying to learn something from them. When your gatekeepers can't spell, how can you fault the writer for adapting to their requirements.

        You say that, but I can very well seeing people spelling it 'Pearl' to get past a recruiter/HR person who is searching for a 'pearl programmer'.
        Do you really think the HR people are that bad?? I mean, they get a stack of resumes in and most of them spell it "Perl", so they reject those in favor of the few spelling it "Pearl"?? Or that they are all entry level clueless people -- that there are not any people in HR with a few years of hiring experience or have a clue and can do their job done out of the gate? Or that they can't read the description the hiring manager sent them, with "Perl" in it?

        And speaking of the hiring manager, what do you think happens when HR brings him your resume? He will likely 1) pass on it and 2) clear any misunderstanding of "Pearl" vs. "Perl" at that time.

        The other way that HR issue gets resolved is a couple weeks later when the hiring manager checks in with HR to find out why hardly anyone is applying for the job or why HR is passing on so many applicants, where the spelling issue will likely be resolved.

        Sorry, but you are better off spelling the language name correctly, because odds are if there is an issue at the HR level it will be caught, corrected for, and likely not made again. And if they do keep making it, is that a company you would want to work for?? And do you really want to tailor your resume for those types of companies?!?

        Elda Taluta; Sarks Sark; Ark Arks

      It's not a case of poor spelling, is a case of acronyms and capitalization. "Pearl" would be just plain wrong, and could even imply a completely different language.

      When faced with a stack of resumes, it's reasonable to weed out the candidates based on some criteria, even if the approach takes on a Perl vs PERL evaluation. Employers are entitled to use what ever methods they feel meets their needs. If an application doesn't meet the criteria, move on or issue the standard "thanks but no thanks" form letter. Just don't waste the company or the applicants time with condescending "spell it right" crap.

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