IT BS thread

Yeah, not having any certs is something I have been thinking about the last couple weeks. I'm gonna knock out A+ and Network + cause I know I can get those pretty quickly.

 

Well . . . lets count the things he did wrong:

1. He didn't fill the application out all the way. I would have put him in the no interview pile on that alone, but the other screener liked his resume. My feeling is that filling out the application is the first assignment of the job. If you can't do that simple task correctly how in the world can I hope you can do any, more complex, assignment later?
2. He was late to the interview. Really?
3. After showing up late he interrupts the introductions, and challenges the CIO to an arm wrestle for the job. He seemed serious.
4. We do a troubleshooting role play with one of the interviewers playing the part of a technically challenged user. This question covers two areas, how well he can trouble shoot and how he communicates with users. The question sounds like, "my son, who is really smart with computers, was helping me yesterday. When I came in today my computer doesn't work." IMHO this is a softball question that should be so simple to troubleshoot. But no, apparently checking cords and drivers is too hard for this guy. His solution is to replace the computer and let someone else figure it out. (BTW that question comes from a real life trouble ticket.)
5. Dropping of the f bomb and other swear words. Really, it's a professional environment and you're swearing? Oh, I can hardly wait to get the complaint calls about that!
6. Not listening to the questions and then trying to BS the answer.
7. Not answering the question and telling long winded racist stories that complained about former employers.
8. Being difficult when I tried to pull the stories back to the interview. I love me a good story, but you were late and now we are running behind.
9. Being unable to explain his work history as it is shown on the resume. Something wasn't right, and a little creepy in the way he answered.
10. When asked when you can start (like there's a chance of that happening) saying the next day. Leaving your current employer high and dry. Oh yeah this guy had a job. Will he give me the courtesy of a 2 week notice? It doesn't seem like it.

When some people blow an interview, I feel sorry for them. This guy had me looking for a hidden camera to record our reactions because he covered all the bases, BS, late, incomplete work, swearing, racism, laziness and incompetence. Afterwards the CIO and I couldn't quit laughing, nobody could be that awful could they?

 

Someone with 15 years of experience interviewing for an entry level helpdesk position should have been a huge red flag.

 

Wow, I have no words. And I thought I interviewed poorly...

 

All things being equal I'd agree with you, but that's hardly equal. I'll take someone with a degree and no experience over no experience and no degree. A BS degree shows that a person can start and complete something hard. And getting a degree and getting experience is not mutually exclusive. I did it and there are 5 people in my group doing it right now. A BS degree vs certs with no experience is a harder question. Both would tip the scale to getting an interview. In recent history I haven't had that happen because the BS degree people have all had certs too. However, a cert, degree or killer resume only get the interview, they still have to know their stuff in the interview.

If you want to be an idiot and go into management degrees are pretty much a requirement.

 

Yeah, I agree. But like most large organizations we have an HR department and their rules must be followed. Mostly for good reason, because if we didn't interview this guy we could be sued for being biased. The silver lining is the best worst interview ever.

 

^ This (well for the most part).

I applied for a Desktop Tech position but didn't get it. They wanted me to come back and interview for a Help Desk position and I got it. Went from Help Desk to Help Desk Team Lead and now currently in Desktop Support. I'm fine where I'm at. No plans to move to server/network/database administrator at this time.

 

My problem with many certs is I know guys who just memorize banks of test questions and answers and pass the test without really knowing anything beyond those specific questions. Sometimes, they find out they can't pass because enough questions changed and they didn't really know the content. Of course, that can't happen so easily on a test with any sort of lab element to it, but many of the lower level certs don't have that.

I have some degree of bias because I have an A.S. and I've been doing this for 7+ years and I don't think my degree helped me much at all--it's just a piece of paper.

 

Well said sir!

I also have a A.S. degree. Been with my current employer for 11 years (in November). The piece of paper might "help" get your foot in the door (depending on employer) but the experience/knowledge is where it's at.

 

Sooo I'm a Linux user (Debian), somewhat familiar with FreeBSD, and usually help people fix their Windows machines. Do I qualify for any IT jobs?

 

^^ This.

Even with high level certs that require labs (ie CCIE) doesn't mean you end up with a qualified engineer. I have hired and fired several CCIEs because they were completely lost when working on other customers networks. This isn't to degrade the cert as for the most part someone who has their CCIE is a good engineer. But it does go to show that just because they have a high level cert doesn't mean they are good.

I personally have very little certifications but I have proven myself to my employer and to our customers in such a way that they don't even question if I am qualified or not.

I also hold a BS in Telecommunication and Network Management though this degree has not gotten me a single job. All my jobs have been via networking and people I know. This degree did help in getting promoted to a management position at one point which I did for 2 years and then went over to Sales Engineering in the same company.

 

I don't have many either. There are a bunch I could get without much of any effort or studying because it's stuff I know. But I'd have to pay for them and they expire. If I were to leave, they'd help me but I don't plan on leaving any time soon.

 

I think that's the 80% rule for finding any job, or at least the tech ones. Past 3 jobs were based on friends I knew or people who I had worked with before.

 

I would say so definitely, Look into LPI Certifications (Linux Professional Institute).

 

Since i feel preachy today:



Don't be afraid of the stepping-stone job, even if that means a do-over.


I started with a contract job out of college, getting paid slightly above minimum wage. My work environment was a broken desk in an un-insulated room above a smelly production floor, which made earplugs mandatory. I upgraded to a closet in the server room.

However, that put me in contact with a consultant, where my career took off - I changed jobs, my paycheck shot through the roof, I got my own office, and I started flying around the USA to visit clients. If I was still with them, I would have probably been making close to 6 figures by the year 2011 with a base salary + commission. I was part of a lay-off.

Instead of moping about or expecting the world owed me a job that was no less prestigious, I accepted a big step down to a contract job as a testing monkey. I spent my day growing old, and spent evenings making my LinkedIn profile badass while scouring jobs. That lasted 6 months before I scored another 'real' job. Neither that position, nor my subsequent careers have been as high-paying as that big fish job, but the key point is I recovered, I'm still making a really good income, my business cards are back to having a formidable title on them, and I'm a FTE with solid job security.



Meanwhile, I have a friend who landed a well-paying contract job out of college doing testing monkey work for a large corporation. He's had at least 6 contracts since then doing variations of the same thing - there's no chances for promotion, FTE hiring, or increase in skills. His most recent contract has ended, and he's back again to being unemployed. I'm thinking this is the end of the cycle this time, since the company he contracted for all these years is doing massive downsizing.

Despite the writing on the wall, he expects something to happen. His resume has a continuous string of 'tester, 1 year' not showing any progression. I tell him he has to make his own success, and try a job with a smaller company that might not have the deep pockets, but has growth and learning potential to springboard.

However, he refuses to look at anything that would pay any less than what he's used to. Completely ignoring his job history, he bemoans how the university he went to gave him a "crap degree" and hasn't helped get him something like what I have (FYI - we've been out of college for 10 years, my degree came from a podunk tech college while his came from the 2nd largest university in the state. No one's asked about my degree since the George Bush Jr. administration).

 

I call these guys paper tigers. Early in my management career I hired one of them, what a mistake. He had all the buzz words down, but couldn't actually solve a problem. Fortunately he was hired away by another fool company for more money.

Aren't certs, degrees and resumes all just pieces of paper? I think of them more as advertising brochures than actual proof of competence. (I learned my lesson with the paper tiger) Great advertising gets you into the interview room, but what you do in there gets the job, or not.

I'm a bit biased too because I have 2 BS degrees and a couple of certs. The first isn't tech related at all and the second IT degree is so out of date as to be completely laughable. But I know for a fact both have gotten me interviews and then jobs. The non-tech degree got me an interview because the boss was sick and tired of one dimensional tech nerds and thought maybe I might be different. When I went stupid and decided to go into management the IT degree, even as out of date as it is, is pretty much a requirement.

 

The convo gets deep in here lol

 

Anyone have an account with Forrester? Need to do some research on Organizational Change Management. Was curious if the content/quality warrants an account.

 

WARNING......... this is a generalized statement based on my experience



the reason is that most network engineers are asshats and once they achieve the CCIE level, they are king-asshats.

 

Thank you for all the replies and info.

I have a couple interviews coming up.

Would you guys mind posting questions you ask during interviews for a help desk position? Or have been asked if you are not a hiring manager?

I have googled interview questions, I am just trying to prep myself as much as possible, so I can hopefully nail the interview.

Thank you!