Dear silicon.com...Naked CIO, silver skills and ID card anger…

Reader Comments of the Week

What's got silicon.com readers reaching for their keyboards this week? Reader Comments of the Week showcases how our users are responding to the latest tech news and views on the site...

Getting naked
The Naked CIO: Recruitment nightmares

Many more of us are becoming specialised in so many ways and that makes it much harder to find the perfect someone for a particular role.
-- Bagpuss, Bagpuss & Co

"No longer any loyalty to the job"

Loyalty is something to be earned. If your employees feel they are treated as short-term contractors, then expect their loyalty to be to their pay packet.
-- Anonymous, Hampshire

Editor's choice

silicon.com editor Steve Ranger flags up his picks on the site this week...

♦ Video Cheat Sheet: Femtocells
♦ Photos: Heathrow's T5 tech ready for take-off
♦ The Naked CIO: Recruitment nightmares
♦ Legal Eye: High Court's patent sense
♦ Video: Bill Gates bids London farewell

Just for once will someone acknowledge there is some real talent aged up to 70 and possibly beyond who work hard, make few mistakes, have eons of experience, have seen why things go wrong and stop it happening, who do not suffer from hangovers or take sicky off and who will deliver. Will they then start to look seriously at these applications? At the very least, can us drooling shuffling people who can outwork younger colleagues, get some sort of proportional representation in the job application industry?
-- Philip Thomas, Woking

Loyalty is an interesting point. Over the last 10 years, many IT employers have taken the view that IT staff can be easily replaced with cheaper alternatives.

As with any relationship, trust and loyalty is a two-way thing between employer and employee.
-- Anonymous, London

I think the market needs to shift towards the direct recruitment model. We stopped using agencies for all our permanent recruitment and we have been more successful than ever in expanding our team.

If candidates can deal directly with companies recruiting and get the honesty they deserve then hopefully they will repay the favour.
-- Michelle Flynn, London

Identity debate
ID cards? One in four says no!

How do you eat an elephant? The government is adopting a "divide and conquer" approach.

They target relatively small (compared to the total population) groups and apply significant pressure on that group to adopt the ID card, then when that group succumbs they move on to the next.

So how do you eat an elephant? Apparently it's one mouthful at a time and if you are careful you can eat most of it before it reacts
-- Karen Challinor, UK

Responding to Karen's comments... hopefully there are not too many elephants in the UK!

People do need to pull together though if they are to stop the government and their sneaky ways!
-- Richard Davies, North Yorkshire

I don't oppose the principle of ID cards - I have major issues though.

First, why do I need a biometric passport, photo driving licence and an ID card, each of which I have to pay for separately? Why not combine them all?

However, my biggest issue is that given its appalling IT track record, I have no confidence this government can implement such a scheme on time and/or budget. Neither do I have any faith that they would be able to operate and maintain such a system effectively.
-- Secret Squirrel, West Byfleet, UK

ID cards are a good idea. The problem is that as usual anybody pointing out the pitfalls - such as proof, data protection, misuse and so on - are ignored. People in general are concerned at the side effects and unwanted consequences, not the idea per se.

And a major factor also ignored is the enormous cost to implement and burden on every individual who has to pay over and above this!
-- Nick Cole, Scotland

ID cards would be a great convenience for people if it were possible to choose what information was stored (which could include blood group, gym membership ID, bank account numbers, etc.), for what purpose, and how each piece of information was secured (by password, PIN, bio-signature, or a combination). All information could be stored on the card and backed up privately, not in a remote database. Each item of information could be secured separately, and retrieved only in the presence of the holder.
-- Edward Leigh, Cambridge

Silver skills
IT skills shortage hits 10-year high

What IT skills shortage?

I have applied for 30+ IT vacancies since October 2007 and have not been offered one interview.
-- Allan, Hampshire

Perhaps HR "experts" are reading the wrong Bebo profiles?
-- Richard, UK

I'm glad I'm not the only one with this problem.... I've applied for jobs on a lower salary, I've been honest in phone interviews, I've even tried stretching the truth - all to no avail. I'm beginning to think local government has tainted me into an unemployable 31 year old with 14 years real world experience! I might just bail out on IT and try something different.
-- Matt H, Staffs, UK

I feel that employers/agencies are trying to find candidates with specific software/application experience and passing over potential candidates with real world experience and proven records for getting IT to work, whatever the latest trends. I've seen adverts for experts in software/systems that have just released... crazy.
-- Anonymous, UK

Please note, comments may be edited for clarity, grammar, spelling, punctuation and style. The views expressed are not necessarily the views of silicon.com. You can write to silicon.com by posting a Reader Comment below, or emailing editorial@silicon.com.