Wanted: Systems Guru. For small businesses, hiring the right geek is a special challenge

http://www.businessweek.com:/print/magazine/content/04_27/b3890451.htm?sb ^

[Texas Eagle]

For small businesses, hiring the right geek is a special challenge

Maybe it would be easier if they didn't refer to them as geeks.

Just a thought.

[what's up]

For $50,000/year they want all that? Dreaming.

[LizardQueen]

"IT people are very capable of pissing off everybody they're supposed to support."

And the users usually return the favor, if they didn't start it in the first place. ::lol::

LQ

[mattdono]

Or, they could hook up with a company who specifically works with small companies to fulfill their technology needs.

I won't put it on this page, but I, ehem, know someone whose business is specifically focused on that. I "think" there's a link on my profile page to that wonderful company. [wink] 8^)

[elbucko]

"Maybe it would be easier if they didn't refer to them as geeks."

"Geek" is netter than "Nerd".

I'm not bothered by what people call me, as long as the context is lucrative.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

"I didn't need an IT snob," she says. "IT people are very capable of pissing off everybody they're supposed to support."

I've met those. Thankfully my current IT person is not like that.

The last step: Before hiring a new system administrator, smart managers insist on criminal background checks. "They're the gatekeepers for the whole system," says Phil Conein, president of Techead, a Richmond (Va.)-based technical staffing company.

This would have been my former sysadmin. He decided that he would try a little fraud.

[azcap]

For $50K you get a geek. For $100k they'll let you call them whatever you want.

[Don Corleone]

Al Gore is currently out of a job.

[VOA]

bump

[elbucko]

For $100k they'll let you call them whatever you want.

Exactly. For even more, you may call me worse.

[hunter112]

"I didn't need an IT snob," she says. "IT people are very capable of pissing off everybody they're supposed to support."

Part of the problem is the people who are attracted to IT. I graduated a year ago from a tech school where 90-95% of my fellow students wanted to get a state job (school was in Olympia, WA) sitting in a cubicle, not interacting with any humans who were not as tech savvy as they were. Even speaking out in front of their fellow networking students was enough to make their pits sweat! In my Systems Analysis class, I was hopelessly lost, but the few of us who were networkers in the class were more than willing to do the research on our group project, as long as I would be the only one to present it to the class with a Powerpoint presentation! Being as I like talking in front of groups, this worked great for me. Even though I screwed up some tests and assignments, the A's I got from my group work allowed me to enjoy a "B" out of the class!

As far as pay goes, $50,000 seems like a lot of money. I'd be happy to start out at a job that let me take home $2K a month, with health benefits, if I didn't have to drive more than a half hour away from home.

[Cicero]

What this says about networking is important. It's very important to develop a network of friends with whom you can chat, trade tips, and ask advice on difficult problems.

[thoughtomator]

Does this mean I shouldn't call the folks in the office "end-lusers"?

[BlazingArizona]

For $50,000/year they want all that? Dreaming.

In today's market, for that they'll get a seasoned professional who will be only too happy to take off his apron and paper hat and get back in front of a computer again.

[glorgau]

In today's market, for that they'll get a seasoned professional who will be only too happy to take off his apron and paper hat and get back in front of a computer again

The market is definitely not that bad. For 50K you won't get much.

[SauronOfMordor]

In 2001 I was making 200K as the head of my own little consulting group. Last fall I took a job where I'm making $65K, and was grateful to have gotten it. The last few years have been ugly, but it looks like things are improving

[Sunnyvale CA Eng.]

As far as pay goes, $50,000 seems like a lot of money. I'd be happy to start out at a job that let me take home $2K a month, with health benefits, if I didn't have to drive more than a half hour away from home.

I hope you never repeat anything like this when negotiating your salary. $2K take home with full benefits will give you somewhere around a $40K gross. Know what the market pays for your skill and experience level and try hard to find out what the company pays (approx. range) without directly asking. Shoot for the high end and be willing to negotiate in small increments if needed. Nobody will ever offer you more than your stated salary requirements - you are listing your max possible starting pay when you give them that number.

[hunter112]

Your title tells me where you live, and hence, you can expect more. Me, I live out in the boondocks of Western Washington, and there are Redmond-wannabes all around me. My big job is convincing a future employer that I'm not going to take off for the bright lights of the Seattle area as soon as the economy gets better, that's how I convince someone to give me a job that I'd like to do for the rest of my life.

Somebody can get a nice house where I live for $125K, so I don't need too much. Thanks for the advice, though.

[glorgau]

In 2001 I was making 200K as the head of my own little consulting group. Last fall I took a job where I'm making $65K, and was grateful to have gotten it. The last few years have been ugly, but it looks like things are improvin

Ahhh, and if opportunity arises, how loyal are you to that 65 K job? My guess is probably about 2 weeks notice and the offer to "consult" afterwards. No slander intended, but I'm sure that if the pay scale rose - say to the 100K level - long term loyalty would be more likely.

For myself, I've run across many situations where the in-house staff would purposefully not document or automate processes so that they could achieve "job security". It is the fault of the owner/manager for allowing those kind of situation to arise. As in most things, you get what you pay for.