I'm now contemplating some kind of Markov-chain CV/resume generator that uses feedback from recruiters to evolve new versions of its output....

This sounds like an interesting exercise. I'd love to see your results. Getting meaningful negative feedback from recruiters might be a neat trick.

And some HNers say that the right to be forgotten isn't justifiable.

I legally changed my name over a year ago, and I still get calls from recruiters once a week or so asking for my old name.

Why? Because they have an old copy of my resume from before my name change. This also leads to me explaining that I don't work at my previous employer anymore and that I've found a new job that I love. They just don't give a shit about having up-to-date records.

My entire name was changed: first, middle, and last, and my new name doesn't resemble my old one in the slightest. It's very awkward having to explain to them that the name they asked for isn't my legal name anymore (and I'm half-tempted to be glib and say "he's dead", but I won't because that could get me in big trouble if they believe it and it gets back to the authorities that I've been using my name change to fake my death).

It's especially awkward, because it forces me to out myself to them as transgender, since my old name was unmistakeably male, and my new name is unmistakeably female. Hell, I'm very much out and proud, but it's just plain awkward to have to tell a recruiter over the phone when they're not expecting it and when it's my very first communication with them.

Where is the national do-not-call list for clueless tech recruiters?

I maintain one at http://www.rogerbinns.com/blocked_recruiters.txt

My resume has a "note to recruiters" attached. It is very clear if a recruiter has made any effort to read any of that. The clueless ones end up in the list above. http://www.rogerbinns.com/recruiters.html

Priceless. That ought to be a thing like the 'GPL' or other licenses, a 'license to contact'. Consider making it available under CC so others can use it too and maybe the cumulative effect would be enough to make some real changes.

I might add pierpoint.com to that list. A few hours ago, I got an email from them asking me if I was interested in a job with my immediate previous employer (which is kind of a mu question to ask, as I'm so interested in that idea that I've actually secured a start date there in less than 2 weeks--let's just say that I really liked it there and regret leaving).

If the guy there had done anything more than scrape LinkedIn for .NET stuff (which I can do and have done), he'd know that I would not need assistance in returning to $FORMER_EMPLOYER.

Oof, I recognize one of those, from an email today. I'd thought I was talking to an internal recruiter... Incidentally, you have some duplicates.

Sometimes they are so egregious I have to add them twice!

I'm guessing it occurred due to doing a batch update, and having multiple emails from the same spammer.

> Incidentally, you have some duplicates.

Nice catch. I guess that either he doesn't check for duplicates or he is doubly irritated by the duplicate ones :P

I don't know. And half of appear to be operating out of India anyway, judging by the noise in the background on the lines.

>You're going to give me nightmares. I still get emails like this from a six-year-old version of my resume.

The first time I read that, I thought it said "emails like they were from a six-year-old". Which is probably also true.

The six-year-olds I know have a better grasp of grammar.

I still get occasional emails like this about a ten-year-old, straight EE version of my resume. Someone out there really wants to hire me as a facilities engineer. :P