Experienced people, analyze the interview for an SEO specialist?

Question

CMS

Hello. A long but necessary preface. So I started my journey to development.
Read to the end to understand what I am indignant about / what I don’t understand. You can drink. I need to figure out how to relate to all this and to myself.
Started as an SEO/Content Manager/Tester. Once I tried to study programming, but I didn’t mature in my mind at the time (although the mathematical faculty. The brain just swelled up for this. I just turned 27 recently. I was engaged in other things, I succeeded very well, but in real life it’s not really needed yet). I took it for granted that the butt would be everywhere. That is, I start with PHP because of the low threshold of entry, I also smoked a toaster / Google with PHP and OOP. I started to get acquainted with OOP - to understand OOP, they advise JS. Ok, I'm starting JS. And at the same time, ubuntu, at least to try out LAMP and make friends with Linux, finally (and on Windows I installed XAMPP and all components separately) , etc. So that time does not disappear, I try to get a job at those listed vacancies: SEO specialist, content manager (quite a spinal cord. I know how to Photoshop, I felt the Bitrix admin panel for 20 minutes and already began to understand why this CMS is scolded, although I’m not familiar with it closely.) , tester. Already invited to the tester(so for 11 refusals 1 invitation. In total I made 94 responses to everything connected with this, but without quirks, of course. That is, I don’t pretend to be 40-50k) to interview after doing homework, even with zero practice . And not even a sharaga, but a well-known service on the internet.
But SEO upsets me with zero experience. Please help me understand these cases so that I can understand how to treat this, including leaders. The fact is that vacancies for inexperienced people with SEO optimization (I studied it in theory, I caught the essence of spherical in a vacuum. Now I’m looking for where to apply it. I smoked the recommendations / requirements of Google, Yandex and moz)in Moscow go for the most part 25-35k. More precisely, I didn’t even look at SEO, but at the content manager, but they are trying to combine them everywhere, so I also got acquainted with SEO. Experience everywhere put 1-3 years. And away we go:

• Knowledge of WordPress content management system; 1CBitrix
  
• Knowledge of PHP, WordPress, MySQL; 1CBitrix HTML5+CSS3 PHP5+MySQL
  
• Knowledge of English at the level of pre-intermediate and above;
  
• Excellent knowledge of html, css, php, mysql, jQuery, JavasScript, experience with Ajax,
  
• XML, SOAP
  
• Experience with CMS Wordpress 1CBitrix for less than 2 years
  
• Experience with other CMS will be a strong advantage
  
• Knowledge of SEO basics
  
• Ability to write high-quality code;
  
• Ability to understand other people's code;
  
• Ability to solve non-standard problems with simple methods.
  
• Knowledge of HTML, CSS, PHP, MySQL;
  
• Ability to find and study independently the necessary information;
  
• Excellent knowledge of PHP 5 (OOP), MySql;
  
• Good knowledge of jQuery, JavasScript, experience with Ajax, XML, SOAP;
  
• Ability to write high-quality code;
  
• Ability to understand other people's code;
  
• Ability to solve non-standard problems with simple methods.
  

That is, in terms of tasks, this is not SEO, but + development, and even 2 years. Although knowledge of all this is useful (I'm talking about PHP, OOP, etc.). Well, I thought that the HR just copied and pasted what I found on the net, because. either you get 35k, or you know how to do it all, but both conditions are not met at the same time. But at the same time, I did not expect that I would have some kind of spherical task in a vacuum and therefore I am open to learning new things, because I will not get away from this anywhere.
In general, there have been two interviews for an SEO specialist so far.
INTERVIEW #1
Was on a Monday. Here is the list above - this was one of my 35k interviews. I have never talked about SEO yet, so I set myself up for the fact that 99% will not take me, but at least I will have an idea. Actually, what came true from the expectations of this interview:
1) Really move one site
2) Engage in filling content (Bitrix. I looked at it. Admin panel for housewives. However, like any other, everything is clear)
3) SEO
I hinted that the list is too "wide" given my lack of experience and of course there are priority requirements. They were not blind and not under mushrooms when they looked at the resume and the cover letter. I was given Bitrix and SEO. And then development. Ok, the first two points I can after feeling the patient. In general, according to the knowledge of theory, I gave out what I could. He honestly said that he didn’t work, but he didn’t say that Bitrix is ​​​​not so difficult in terms of content filling (well, I myself began to touch it all, so that there was practice). Why did I point this out? Because the interview was with a girl who hardly saw the Bitrix in the eyes and was waiting for the webmaster Ivan-Lyutoy. Or maybe I did, I don't know.
INTERVIEW #2 Traveled
today. SEO specialist. Without hellish mixtures / enumerations.
The requirements are generally adequate for an SEO specialist (working with popular CMS, promotion in Yandex/Google, understanding how a site is sawn from scratch). And they wrote about layout and web design that it would be nice to know the basics, but not to boil in this right. But when I started talking after the HR with the manager, who, from a technical point of view, is nibumbum (which he only said at the very end) , then I even strangled my not completely dead youthful maximalism, it seems :D in general, it turned out that:
1) The activity of the company is one, but they have partners who are engaged in completely different
things 2) It is necessary to promote from scratch 2 sites already made and 1-2 more sites (that's just these partners) start sawing from ZERO, while washing down promote and market.
Which is exactly what I did wrong. More precisely, what I did not do at all was not to ask who was doing this with me. But I didn't ask more because I was so confused about all the SEO crap. The leader himself was also on his own wave. I asked purely this marketing lobud about how much I could move the site in search engines, how much I would make a landing page from scratch, etc. In short, from the input data there was only infa about those 2 + 1 or 2 sites. Again, they were waiting for a fierce webmaster / developer and just an SEO specialist for other offices (or were they probing me?).
Now a question. Is it really going like this that you are an SEO specialist, a marketer, a developer, a site tester, and a bunch of other things you do? Or just someone has pens or just not quite in the subject or flies in his space (I'm talking about the leader)? Let me remind you that you can kick me for laziness, self-pity, etc. I need to understand the real picture so that future interviews will be more fruitful (one more tomorrow) . That is, I smoke SEO, SMM, SMO, PHP with personal belongings, OOP, software / web testing with personal belongings (version control systems, automated testing tools, etc., etc.) , practice, and this is not enough? How do I feel about such interviews / vinaigrette vacancies?
Thank you for your attention to such a very long text at this time. Peace for everyone. I just want to grow into a sane developer. But I don’t set myself tasks related to programming or web development, or SEO, so far, so I decided to immediately start looking for a job as a beginner. I get more information from practical classes, I start to sort out sites.

Answer 1

This is from the category you need a SEO specialist, sms manager, designer, content manager, programmer, system administrator, well, in general, a computer scientist. Small business is guilty of this.
Usually they find someone, work like that for a couple of years, achieve very mediocre results, spit on everything and go to the agency. If by this time the company has not yet closed.
From the point of view of the applicant, it seems to me that this is also an unenviable option: they will ask him for everything, but most likely they will not give real tools, i.e. tasks will initially be extremely difficult to accomplish.
There is usually no career ladder with such options. Direct reporting to the CEO/Technical Director.
Learning something is also unlikely to succeed: the theory will need to be studied independently, and practice on one project is usually too one-sided and threatens with serious distortions in the worldview, which will then come out sideways.
I would recommend going to specialized agencies for an intern coder, SEO specialist, or anyone. At the very least, they will teach. Well, a career ladder is possible.

Answer 2

such employers, which you described - generally ignore.
for a SEO specialist in terms of web development, they may require knowledge of html, css and CMS at the level of "understanding the admin panel and being able to fill in content" no more.
ps You can see examples of vacancies for a SEO specialist here: searchengines.guru/forumdisplay.php?f=62
where employers write everything to the point in most cases.

Answer 3

Well, I thought that the eycharka just copy-pasted what I found on the net

HR is looking for a person for a very specific position, not on a whim, but on an “order” from a manager or department. If the "order" is shit, then the vacancy will be the same.
So HR has nothing to do with it.
It happens. In essence, this means: you need to shove the hemorrhagic on someone. In such a situation, a little something is wrong - they will ask you. For example, the boss’s daughter can’t open Vkontakte on the phone, guess who will do it?)) The funny thing is that in this situation it’s very easy to make you feel guilty, since you most likely won’t be able to cope with your direct duties. But the leadership will "forgive" you.
If management values ​​you very much: you are underpaid.
To understand the picture - choose the direction in which you will develop. Equally shitty SEO/SMM/Developer/QA/Designer/Sysadm - needed in offices from the previous interview. In style - well, you are no one as special, but you can ennike for bread and water, and we will save your pathetic little soul.
If you want to be a vinaigrette slave - with joy, pride and self-sacrifice))