Would it be helpful to explain to HR about this framework or it could be considered rude?

Question

I applied for a QA position in which, among others, it was requested that I have, quoting, "Proficiency in Java + Selenium Webdriver".

In my XP I played with Selenium in Python, Java and JavaScript but I actually worked with LeanFT, which is a competitor for Selenium (and even has a wrapper over Selenium that enhances its functionalities).

That concerning Selenium itself, but as far as QA experience goes, my technical skills and even some management experience... let's just say I can take on any QA position and do a very good job.

HR responded to my application:

Thanks a lot for considering COMPANY as your next employer, we really appreciate you getting in touch!

Unfortunately, your profile does not fully match the requirements of this position.

I replied that I'm curious why, and they said

For the QA position that you applied one of the requirement is to be proficient in Selenium Webdriver and I didn't find that in your profile.

Would it be helpful for me to reply and explain the following?

Thank you for your reply. It is feedback like this that helps us improve.

For that purpose, I'd like to point out that, as can be seen in my experience at company X, I've worked extensively with LeanFT which, besides being a professional automation tool and which requires an advanced technical understanding in order to be efficiently used, it also provides a wrapper over selenium which, to use it, means you must know and work with Selenium.

I also explored Selenium in my spare time, out of passion, in JS, Python and Java SDKs and I was comfortable achieving whatever goal I had in my exploration, with any of its Webdrivers.

Lastly, in the profile requested by the position, it is requested to have "1-3 years experience in QA and automated testing" which, at least from my point of view, it's nowhere near what "proficiency" in a field represents

All in all, I strongly consider I would be a perfect fit and bring a lot of value to the company.

On one hand I think it would help to "teach" HR about LeanFT, but on the other hand I worry that it might be considered rude.

Honestly, the fact that they replied with what was wrong was an invitation for me to confirm/infirm that.

Answer 1

The email is terrible, don't send it.

Thank you for your reply. It is feedback like this that helps us improve.

Are you... a robot? How does that feedback help you improve? Better you write "thanks for your reply" with a "but of course, I'm disappointed with the outcome, and would like to convince you otherwise, because I really want to work with COMPANY".

For that purpose, I'd like to point out that, as can be seen in my experience at company X, I've worked extensively with LeanFT which, besides being a professional automation tool and which requires an advanced technical understanding in order to be efficiently used, it also provides a wrapper over selenium which, to use it, means you must know and work with Selenium.

This reads a little cludgy and a little hectoring, but it's ok. Maybe "I should have been clearer that when working with COMPANY X I worked extensively with LeanFT, which is a wrapper over Selenium. Using it requires very solid knowledge of Selenium, and involves using Selenium on a daily basis".

Lastly, in the profile requested by the position, it is requested to have "1-3 years experience in QA and automated testing" which, at least from my point of view, it's nowhere near what "proficiency" in a field represents

Heck no. Don't hector people with your opinions on "proficiency". It comes across as, well, everything HR people hate about IT people. If they think "proficiency" means 1-3 years, then so be it - when were you made Grand Poobah of the English Language As It Relates To QA?

Otherwise:

I also explored Selenium in my spare time, out of passion, in JS, Python and Java SDKs and I was comfortable achieving whatever goal I had in my exploration, with any of its Webdrivers.

You already know they don't understand the frameworks, but you double down adding about 200 other ones? Look, if I wrote a sentence with acronyms and terms you didn't understand, your eyes would glaze over in about 3 seconds flat. Importantly, this sentence really doesn't say anything... like, what were your "goals?". Maybe you added little hearts on all the i's*! Instead write:

I really should have mentioned that on top of my regular day-day activities using Selenium, I have created at least one novel new application each month in my spare time using Selenium. I really love using it. Examples include just mention 2-3 things you did that sound interesting and don't involve any techn-speak. ie instead of "i build with selenium a customised text testing parser using JDK 9 and JQuery on a PHP Android App" say "I built a tool to test if emails were formatted properly on an Android device".

On the question of "is it worth sending this email" then yes, it is. HR people, like all people, make mistakes. Politely pointing them in the right direction will be beneficial for you.

• *That's a lovely goal, by the way.

Answer 2

There is nothing wrong with the email. HR representatives are not IT people. They are not expected to know the ins and out of IT. Even people in IT have large gaps in areas outside their expertise. If you compose a well written email explaining your reasoning and politely ask to forward it to the IT manager requesting the position for consideration, you might get lucky.