Claiming to be an "expert" in C++ is one of the biggest red flags I can see in one's resume. The majority of people I've seen making that claim think of C++ as "C with classes", hence not even having a clue about the scope of C++, and most likely will create a massive number of memory leaks in the face of exceptions that they don't ever imagine ("hey, I put delete there! It'll get freed for sure!").
Frankly, it's often schools' fault to teach students C++ early, creating that genre of expert C++ programmers, by instructors who generally don't know better.
To be fair though, CVs are often written for HR people and not for Techs. And if, even though you have 20 years of experience, you still, correctly, state you know "some" C++ but are not an "expert", you're out. Because HR people are looking for "experts". That word means something entirely different to a regular person than it does to some hardcore developers.
I wouldn't suggest listing "some" or "expert". Just stick to facts and not self-assessment. We can assess in an interview. If you want to emphasize one skill over another, list it more prominently/frequently, or quantify it with years of experience.
People that put expert on a résumé are just asking for a beating in interviews when the hiring company has a strong team.
Also CVs are often vandalised by recruiting agents. I'm considering starting a policy of swapping CVs at the start of an interview so that they can see the CV I gave to the agency and I can see the CV the agency gave to them.
Understood, but I'd disagree with that point. Perhaps I wasn't clear. I don't know of any recruiters or HR people who would be likely to base their decision to interview someone on a self-assessed "expert" listing on a resume.
Fair point. I'd still just put "20 years of C++ experience" or some other objective fact ("wrote a compiler".) If that is not enough then it is rather safe to assume the company is not a good fit. Disclaimer: I admit I'm probably in the top percentile of c++-expert-cringeness :-)
Sounds like another example of toxik behaviour to me. I've been working in C++ for 20 years, yet ther are certainly advanced techniques that I could not roll off without errors on a whiteboard and corner cases you catch me on during an interview. What should I put down in my CV? 'vague knowledge of C++?'
I fail to see how 'taking the gloves off' and 'washing their mouth' is substancially different from 'feigning surprised.' It's the same contempt.
Frankly, it's often schools' fault to teach students C++ early, creating that genre of expert C++ programmers, by instructors who generally don't know better.