Advice for new IT techs...

hugolucky

... from a new tech whos been slapped down a few times

0. In the pursuit of knowledge dont forget, if need be, to sometimes put the book down and/or turn off the device in which you are currently enamoured, walk into the other room, and say 'I love ya hon', and give her/him a big hug, a nice kiss, and a bit of your time. In my experience giving just 10 minutes of your time in this manner can easily produce hours of good vibrations, often avoiding any possible bad vibes that can sometimes lead to household stress, which in turn can lead to distraction away from your pursuit of IT glory.

1. Never ever put down the network if youre not the one of the people maintaining it, because the people who really have to deal with the issues that are bugging you, will not like it.

2. Yes, sysadmins can be arrogant jerks at times, but always keep the following in mind.....
- they are often under an enormous amount of pressure
- most of them by far, really know their stuff, and it came from years of experience and study
- they get alot of dumb questions from IT techs, such as myself. The general rule to follow here is the first time you ask a question you are a student, the second time you ask that same question you are a pain in the ass. Dont be a pain in the ass, document every solution/answer that you encounter.
- when sysadmins toss turds down hill at ya, throw some back up at em every chance ya get, but always do it without disrespect, because from my experience sysadmins often like being messed with, and a good laugh can be much appreciated while under pressure

3. This one is kinda benign and doesnt really solve problems, but, it may be useful in avoiding the occasional spoonful of IT crow. When assisting a particular end user for the first time, either in person or on the phone, try to avoid assumptions on the skillset of the person you are assisting. This is what happened to me yesterday....

an instuctor called in, she was an elderly woman, the first thoughts that came into my mind were....

- Windows
- Outlook/Outlook Express
- Internet Explorer

after speaking to her a bit i put away the kid gloves that im sure she was sensing, and after giving her the SSID of the secure network, she was more than happy to talk to me about...

- her running Linux Fedora, and the several PC's multibooting various OSs in her office
- her web browser she developed herself almost a decade ago in VB
- her email client... OAK

this lady was into IT when i was in 3th grade playing with GI joe and thinking computers were flashing lights that talked to you in a sexy voice.

please feel free to add your own thoughts and/or experiences, and have a great day

taktsoi

4. Work as a TEAM. NOT INDIVIDUAL.

5. PLAY smart when necessary. and PLAY **** even when NECESSARY.

6. Take a day off once a while for him/her. He/she is the one who supports you in your life. He/She needs you a moment TOGETHER.

networker050184

Don't think you know everything because you read it in a book. It really peaves me when the new guys straight out of school think they know everything. Learn from the people who are experienced and have done this many times. Don't tell them "well the book says....." this also peavs me. The books are not all encompasing and real world situations sometimes call for real world solutions. Most important if you don't know how to do something say so, don't say you do and mess it up and I (or your boss) has to come through and fix it all. If you just admit you don't know how to do it in the first place, I would be happy to walk you through and show you how to do it (which is a lot easier than trying to figure out some one elses huge cluster f**k).

BigTone

shut up and listen.... Alot of times just smiling and nodding will keep the guys higher than you talking and you learn some interesting stuff.

deneb829

Even some of the most basic users can teach you something. If I had a dime for every time an administrative assistant showed me something new in Excel, I'd have ... well, probably a couple of bucks - even know some of these people didn't know a CPU from a monitor. If you get all high and mighty on your users, you'll end up on missing out on some valuable nuggets.

Techs sometimes have the tendency to come off as real arrogant. We don't need to be. Very few people understand what we do and they think it is some kind of black magic. Acting like an elitist donkey doesn't make what we do any more mysterious, it just makes us look like a bunch of creeps.

Plantwiz

hugolucky wrote:

... an instuctor called in, she was an elderly woman, the first thoughts that came into my mind were....

****
this lady was into IT when i was in 3th grade playing with GI joe and thinking computers were flashing lights that talked to you in a sexy voice.

please feel free to add your own thoughts and/or experiences, and have a great day

Careful on the age you decided to consider 'elderly'. While she may have been 70s....she was probably more likely 50s


****

Listen. Get to know the sounds of the hardware (if you want to pursue hardware), notice how things smell.

Learn to know what 'hot' really is before assuming something is overheating. Generally heat is not good...but there will always be some heat so know the ranges and maybe carry a thermogun to shoot the ambient temps.

Schluep

I can already see this thread starting to get ugly so hopefully some civility will be maintained with a discussion focused on the topics at hand. I don't see anything wrong with trying to provide some helpful tips to people. Personally I agree and disagree with some of the tips, but I don't expect to agree with everyone and certainly have never met a single person I agree with on everything.

Unless you have been in the other person's shoes be very careful with generalizations (have seen them going both ways about IT Techs and System Admins in this thread already). Even if you have been involved in both places not everyone will treat their work the same way you do so even then large generalizations are not helpful as I see it.

I strongly disagree with the concept "play smart" and "play dumb" as it was stated. If you have the neccessary knowledge for perform a task then by all means don't be afraid to say that you do. If not however it is much better to either do some additional research or ask for some help than to pretend to know something that you do not. Consequently, pretending you have less ability to perform or less knowledge is dishonest as well the way I see it. There have been many times where I disagreed with upper management where I work. I clearly outlined these issues in e-mails and argued in favor or what I believed to be the best course of action. Sometimes they changed their minds and others they didn't, but it saved our company a lot of money and wasted resources many times in the long run. Had I played dumb it would have been a dis-service to those who might otherwise not appreciate my long-winded e-mails. Everyone I work with would prefer an honest and "down to Earth" over someone who acts differently depending on every circumstance.

networker050184

I can already see this thread starting to get ugly so hopefully some civility will be maintained with a discussion focused on the topics at hand.

I don't think anyone is getting out of hand here. Maybe you just don't realize when people are joking. Not everyone is sooo serious all the time.

blargoe

From my experience...

1. Those that talk the most know the least.
2. You never stop learning from day one until the day you call it quits. The day that you think you know it all, will come shortly before the time that you are shamed and served a huge foot with a side of crow.
3. If you're not sure, search and listen. If you disagree, discuss respectfully. If you are dead certain, stand your ground. But all in humility.
4. Don't look down you nose any anyone. That jr. tech might be bugging you, but you were there not too long ago. That one user might seem ignorant, but from their perspective you probably seem ignorant of their area of expertise as well.

binarysoul

It's a good idea to keep some episodes of The Simpsons or your comedy of choice and also let your boss know about them. After hours of stressful work, you deserve to laugh. Boss won't mind; it's only productive

taktsoi

Schluep wrote:

I strongly disagree with the concept "play smart" and "play dumb" as it was stated.

No offense taken first. I do apologize if there has anything misinterpreted to you.

What I mean "play smart and play dumb" DOES exist in a heavy politics workplace. Yes, I do agree that if you have certain knowledges, stand strong for your stuffs. However, this never applies in a politic world. With a jealousy, hatred, know-it-all, igrorant, individual players involved in a politic workplace, how do you survive if you stand strong? This is why "play smart, play dumb" comes into play. "Play smart, play dumb" doesn't necessarily mean you don't stand strong; You do and you maintain your coolness while avoiding politics. If you have any other solution, let me know. My friends and I really need to learn about it.

Sometimes. The more you stand strong, the more you look bad, then the sooner you be gone.

Hey dude, you are lucky that you are working in a non-political environment. Wanna switch the job?

sprkymrk

binarysoul wrote:

It's a good idea to keep some episodes of The Simpsons or your comedy of choice

SNL's Nick Burn's, The Company Computer Guy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNEJHpThhH8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7RuolTf9ho

Plantwiz

sprkymrk wrote:

binarysoul wrote:

It's a good idea to keep some episodes of The Simpsons or your comedy of choice

SNL's Nick Burn's, The Company Computer Guy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNEJHpThhH8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7RuolTf9ho

"AOL is NOT the INTERNET" I remember catching one skit a long time back and since I rarely watch SNL since (it sucks so bad now) that I didn't know who was in it. Very cool Thanks

binarysoul

sprkymrk wrote:

binarysoul wrote:

It's a good idea to keep some episodes of The Simpsons or your comedy of choice

SNL's Nick Burn's, The Company Computer Guy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNEJHpThhH8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7RuolTf9ho

Many thanks to you for sharing this I had never seen this. Is it still being broadcasted? I really like his way of getting impatient and saying MOVE!

Good job

seuss_ssues

Plantwiz wrote:

hugolucky wrote:

... an instuctor called in, she was an elderly woman, the \

Listen. Get to know the sounds of the hardware (if you want to pursue hardware), notice how things smell.

Learn to know what 'hot' really is before assuming something is overheating. Generally heat is not good...but there will always be some heat so know the ranges and maybe carry a thermogun to shoot the ambient temps.

I can definately vouche on this one. If you are doing HW diagnostic it is essential. I spent a year working onsite and inhouse at a "repair shop" and was lucky enough to have a manager over me that definately knew his stuff. It didnt take long before i learned all the right and wrong smells, heat, and sounds. Knowing it can cut a diagnosis down from several hours to several minutes. Just another great post from another great TE forum moderator.

I dont come around your world much Plantwiz, but i actually read a few of your posts. Great job!

KGhaleon

If a customer thinks s/he knows what the problem is, have an open mind and give their suggestion a try. I've known people who went in to repair a computer(completely ignoring the user), and ended up wasting time...realizing that the customer was correct.

other times the customer is just stupid.
(lady once cut the cables to her keyboard/mouse thinking it would become wireless)

People aren't born with tech knowledge, so they shouldn't be expected to know much. Treat them with respect and you might learn some things(even if they aren't IT related). It takes a lot of experience to be able to identify a problem without looking at it. I knew instantly what was wrong with a hard drive when customers called me and said, "it won't go into windows and is giving me an error." I'd then ask, "is it telling you to insert a disk and press r?" "Yes, that's right." etc

KG

networker050184

other times the customer is just stupid.
(lady once cut the cables to her keyboard/mouse thinking it would become wireless)

Wow, I've never heard one quite that bad!!!! I'm glad I don't have to deal with end users much anymore. I use to hate printers with a passion

Schluep

taktsoi wrote:

Hey dude, you are lucky that you are working in a non-political environment. Wanna switch the job?

Haha, I wish that was the case where I work. Politics are usually the reason I have to send those long-winded e-mails in the first place because people start doing things they shouldn't. If we want to work somewhere without politics, I think it will need to meet two conditions: No co-workers and no customers. I don't know of any way to make money without involving people, so politics will always exist. I just try to do my part and not contribute to it any more than already happens.

Even if you own a business with no employees KGhaleon points out a great example of the "Customer Being Right." with the wireless idea.

From what I see at the large office where I work is that a number of people (including several in Management and department heads) will not even mention an issue they are directly aware of or point out a problem with a proposal by the Owner or Vice President to stay on their good side. When another individual or team of people come up with an enhancement however they are often the first to try and take credit for it looking to get theit pat on the back. Just because it happens doesn't make it right, and I have held up many long meetings being the only dissenting voice. Even though I may be ignored in some cases, it would be a disservice to just be quiet and let them proceed since they are likely going to make that decision anyway.

networker050184 wrote:

I don't think anyone is getting out of hand here. Maybe you just don't realize when people are joking. Not everyone is sooo serious all the time.

Thankfully it didn't. It looked to me like it was going to turn into a System Admin vs IT/Network Tech thread where both sides are on the offense against the other. I am glad I was wrong because this thread is a very interesting one regarding situations everyone encounters and the different approaches to them.

jad75

1. Use the right tool for the right job.

I've seen way to many people choose the wrong tool for the job because it was "cool and geeky." People using qmail on OpenBSD in a situation where Exchange on Windows would have been a much better fit. Using a Perl script when a simple batch file would have been a million times easier to implement and maintain. Etc.

*Before anybody gets mad, I'm not saying there is anything wrong with qmail, OpenBSD or Perl. I was just using those as examples.

andygee

Like others say use the user or customer a quick chat will tell you about the enviroment near the equipment (ie the mains power problems they had) the ongoing fault they have had.

keeping the customer in the loop can help you solve the problem, but also stop it reoccuring again. If you show them what to so a fault doesn't occur it may save you coming back now again. Fixing it and dissapearing leaving the customer in the dark helps no one. If its a simple fix show them how to do it, if needed write a step by step guide most people will happily sort the problem themselves.

Sometimes a fault is also in the head of a customer, there is anothing wrong but you need to convince the customer and or show them how to use the device or application correctly. No point saying theres no problem here as it will happen again and if not dealt with they will think you don't know your job the device/ application is no good.

five/ten mintues working with the customers may save you a lot of hassle.

Do they have the user manual if not can you email it to them or print it out for them?

Is there something they need to know or which bugs them about the device or application? Don't ask outright unless you are a guru, but pick up clues and see if you can find a solution. If the customer has had to go round the houses to perform a everyday task and you show them a way of doing this task more quickly and efficently you will have made their day.


Fixing the customer is as important as fixing the physical problem. I can leave a customer with the problem still to be cured, but they know its being dealt with and trust me so don't worry.

moss12

other times the customer is just stupid.
(lady once cut the cables to her keyboard/mouse thinking it would become wireless)

ROFL

seuss_ssues

jad75 wrote:

1. Use the right tool for the right job.
Using a Perl script when a simple batch file would have been a million times easier to implement and maintain. Etc.

*Before anybody gets mad, I'm not saying there is anything wrong with qmail, OpenBSD or Perl. I was just using those as examples.

I dont prefer one over the other, but what problem could use a simple batch script over perl script and be a million times easier? In my experience scripting; is well scripting. There is a thousand ways and languages to do the same thing.

Pash

I can't beleive no1 has mentioned what im about to say. Please always document and label EVERYTHING you do, including changes! For people who saw me moan about documentation and operating procedures in support roles a while back, I take it all back.

If you or one of your colleagues is off sick or on vacation, spare a thought for the troops you leave behind. They often won;t know what stage you were at on something, they arent mind readers after all.

Of course, the delicate side of this is making sure your company knows your importance, if you label and document everything and pass on your knowledges then they will think they could hire any ducky to come in and do your job. However, id like to think that they realise you do a good job on this front and don't assume anybody can do it.

This is critical!

hugolucky

some great advise here... thanks for the replies

Ive been doing IT temp work since i got laid off from a noc tech 1 job last march, this week will be my second week at my third 'permanent' IT tech job since early 2004, at this point i now have almost 3 years of experience. The position is at a company with ~70 people over two shifts, and whats cool about this job is that im the first tech at thier second office, they have IT people at their founding office in FLA but the plant manager here in NY has been doing the IT stuff with alot of hand holding, bridge conferences, and the occasional fly-in. But they finally got to the point where they need a permanent IT tech in this office, without a doubt, a great learning experience is what ive fallen into here

anyway i have 2 more tips to add to mine.....

4. Consolidate equipement/docs/media in one place and know what you have. People tend to not want to put things away, or will even hide things, especially when busy or just plain lazy, and its your job to keep it all together. This past week, my first week, i made dozens of trips back and forth to the IT room and the various nooks and crannies around the building. Every peace of IT whatever and whereever thats not being used is now in one room and organized.

My boss this week ordered 2 powerconnects when they already had 4, they didnt know they already had some because they were hidden under a table behind some phones in the shipping room. Consolidate, know what you have, and maybe you can rise above the flock and earn some IT glory without having to kiss butt or throw someone else under the train, youre simply doing your job and you know your facts and gave em when they were needed. I did it and saved these people a few hundred bucks my first week by simply consolidating all their stuff and having a pair of eyes.

5. Dont BS about your actual skillset at the interview because you may actually be a good enough liar to get away with it. Youre better off waiting for a better fit than getting away with lying and then finding yourself maybe looking foolish. Besides, IMO lying on a resume or in an interview is stealing if you get away with it, people are a expecting a certain skillset level for their money, and someone with that skillset just might deserve that job, not you because youre a good liar, and people for whatever reason were not able to sift you away.

My interview for my new job was an example of how just being honest can actually work in your favor if you find yourself coming up short on skillsets during the interview, my interview went something like this.....

DO YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE MAINTAINING SERVERS?

no

DO YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE TROUBLESHOOTING DIALERS?

no

DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT IS? (pointing to what i later found out was the PBX)

no

DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT IS? (pointing to what i later found out was the MUX)

i thought.... well i know Verizon dont make mini fridges so its def not a refridgerator.... ahhhh... no i guess

DO YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH CROSS CONNECTS?

no, but i did short out a cable pair with a key once on my noc job, does that count?

AHH, NOT REALLY, LETS GO UPSTAIRS AND HAVE A VIDEO CONFERENCE WITH THE IT GUYS IN FLA

ok, im thinking.... man i already feel like a dumbass and i havent even talked to the IT people yet

[THE CONFERENCE STARTS]

BLAH, blah, BLAH, blah, BLAH, blah..........................

SO.... HOW YA DOIN'?

feelin' a little inadequate, im 0 for 5 in the closet here

HA HA

BLAH, blah, BLAH, blah, BLAH, blah.......................... for ~5 minutes small talk on the workstation and data side of things which is much more familar ground for me, so from here on i was ok............

[ON TO THE PIVOTAL QUESTIONS OF THE INTERVIEW].....

SO.... WHAT DO YOU THINK OF VISTA?

its pretty (in a slightly dismissive tone)

HA HA HA (major points were scored here)

SO.... DO YOU DO ANYTHING IN LINUX?

1. i practice UNIX commands
2. i remind myself that i have choices in life and do not need to be a slave to certain companies, who will remain nameless, but are headquartered in a place called remond

HA HA HA HA HA HA (game over, i knew at this point the job was mine, i just knew)

.......
.......

anyway, they called back and offered me the job that same day, the guy said they liked three things about me

1. I was honest
2. I had a sense of humour
3. I was a 'clean slate' with a basic, but solid enough, IT foundation, and thats all they really need, they will train on whatever they need to

........
........

Anyway to sum it all up i would add.....

- Consolidate and organize, save people from themselves, they need it
- Be honest about yourself, in funny and often unpredictable ways, it is always the best policy

jahman182

hugolucky

Some enlightening stuff you put forward here, kudos on the interview, to me it sounded like it was going south very quickly but you aced it without trying to be a know it all, so I quess the quote earlier "PLAY smart when necessary, and PLAY **** even when NECESSARY", does make some sense.

If you had pretended to know the equipment they had asked you about and were wrong in your descriptions you would have really looked like a "DUMB ASS" and the results would not be as sweet.

Those that contributed to the discussion made some valid points too.[/b]

andygee

Pash wrote:

I can't beleive no1 has mentioned what im about to say. Please always document and label EVERYTHING you do, including changes! For people who saw me moan about documentation and operating procedures in support roles a while back, I take it all back.

If you or one of your colleagues is off sick or on vacation, spare a thought for the troops you leave behind. They often won;t know what stage you were at on something, they arent mind readers after all.

Of course, the delicate side of this is making sure your company knows your importance, if you label and document everything and pass on your knowledges then they will think they could hire any ducky to come in and do your job. However, id like to think that they realise you do a good job on this front and don't assume anybody can do it.

This is critical!

Good point about the documentating what you have done or doing.

As well as keeping records accessible by those who cover you or with the equipment.

Worth keeping a little diary or notebook and after each job or after a day noting down what you did or learnt. You may never read it again but it helps you review what you did straight afterwoulds.

Schluep

Pash makes a great point about documentation. Proper documentation is absolutely critical not only for in the event that you are not available or someone new is brought onto the scene, but also if anything goes wrong later on or a legal issue arises over something. You can't write up documentation after a situation occurs and expect it to be worth anything, but keeping it in advance is critical.

I will add however that it is possible to over-document. There is one programmer I work with who keeps three log journals (one electronic which is then printedand two handwritten) to ensure that nothing is missed. She logs down to the minute what she is doing with her time every day and every single thing she works on or does. The electronic versions contains copies of the new code she writes during those time blocks and she cross-validates them at the end of every day to ensure nothing was missed. This is in addition to documentation within the specific programs and she prints a paper copy of absolutely everything she does. To me this seems a bit over the top, but we all know not to question her. I must admit though, she is probably the best programmer here and if she were ever gone that documentation would be invaluable.

jahman182 wrote:

hugolucky

Some enlightening stuff you put forward here, kudos on the interview, to me it sounded like it was going south very quickly but you aced it without trying to be a know it all, so I quess the quote earlier "PLAY smart when necessary, and PLAY **** even when NECESSARY", does make some sense.

Actually, maybe it is just me but I thought that story contradicted the original quote referenced. He didn't succeed in that interview by playing smart or playing dumb. He was just honest with his level of knowledge and gave very straightfoward and honest answers. Clearly being honest was the right decision. In my opinion even if you don't get what you are looking for by being honest at least you have your character and integrity at the end of the day. To me, this is worth far more than any position, title, or contract.

Kaminsky

moss12 wrote:

other times the customer is just stupid.
(lady once cut the cables to her keyboard/mouse thinking it would become wireless)

ROFL

That even had my mrs laughing..

Kaminsky

hugolucky wrote:

some great advise here... thanks for the replies

Ive been doing IT temp work since i got laid off from a noc tech 1 job last march, this week will be my second week at my third 'permanent' IT tech job since early 2004, at this point i now have almost 3 years of experience. The position is at a company with ~70 people over two shifts, and whats cool about this job is that im the first tech at thier second office, they have IT people at their founding office in FLA but the plant manager here in NY has been doing the IT stuff with alot of hand holding, bridge conferences, and the occasional fly-in. But they finally got to the point where they need a permanent IT tech in this office, without a doubt, a great learning experience is what ive fallen into here

anyway i have 2 more tips to add to mine.....

4. Consolidate equipement/docs/media in one place and know what you have. People tend to not want to put things away, or will even hide things, especially when busy or just plain lazy, and its your job to keep it all together. This past week, my first week, i made dozens of trips back and forth to the IT room and the various nooks and crannies around the building. Every peace of IT whatever and whereever thats not being used is now in one room and organized.

My boss this week ordered 2 powerconnects when they already had 4, they didnt know they already had some because they were hidden under a table behind some phones in the shipping room. Consolidate, know what you have, and maybe you can rise above the flock and earn some IT glory without having to kiss butt or throw someone else under the train, youre simply doing your job and you know your facts and gave em when they were needed. I did it and saved these people a few hundred bucks my first week by simply consolidating all their stuff and having a pair of eyes.

5. Dont BS about your actual skillset at the interview because you may actually be a good enough liar to get away with it. Youre better off waiting for a better fit than getting away with lying and then finding yourself maybe looking foolish. Besides, IMO lying on a resume or in an interview is stealing if you get away with it, people are a expecting a certain skillset level for their money, and someone with that skillset just might deserve that job, not you because youre a good liar, and people for whatever reason were not able to sift you away.

My interview for my new job was an example of how just being honest can actually work in your favor if you find yourself coming up short on skillsets during the interview, my interview went something like this.....

DO YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE MAINTAINING SERVERS?

no

DO YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE TROUBLESHOOTING DIALERS?

no

DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT IS? (pointing to what i later found out was the PBX)

no

DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT IS? (pointing to what i later found out was the MUX)

i thought.... well i know Verizon dont make mini fridges so its def not a refridgerator.... ahhhh... no i guess

DO YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH CROSS CONNECTS?

no, but i did short out a cable pair with a key once on my noc job, does that count?

AHH, NOT REALLY, LETS GO UPSTAIRS AND HAVE A VIDEO CONFERENCE WITH THE IT GUYS IN FLA

ok, im thinking.... man i already feel like a dumbass and i havent even talked to the IT people yet

[THE CONFERENCE STARTS]

BLAH, blah, BLAH, blah, BLAH, blah..........................

SO.... HOW YA DOIN'?

feelin' a little inadequate, im 0 for 5 in the closet here

HA HA

BLAH, blah, BLAH, blah, BLAH, blah.......................... for ~5 minutes small talk on the workstation and data side of things which is much more familar ground for me, so from here on i was ok............

[ON TO THE PIVOTAL QUESTIONS OF THE INTERVIEW].....

SO.... WHAT DO YOU THINK OF VISTA?

its pretty (in a slightly dismissive tone)

HA HA HA (major points were scored here)

SO.... DO YOU DO ANYTHING IN LINUX?

1. i practice UNIX commands
2. i remind myself that i have choices in life and do not need to be a slave to certain companies, who will remain nameless, but are headquartered in a place called remond

HA HA HA HA HA HA (game over, i knew at this point the job was mine, i just knew)

.......
.......

anyway, they called back and offered me the job that same day, the guy said they liked three things about me

1. I was honest
2. I had a sense of humour
3. I was a 'clean slate' with a basic, but solid enough, IT foundation, and thats all they really need, they will train on whatever they need to

........
........

Anyway to sum it all up i would add.....

- Consolidate and organize, save people from themselves, they need it
- Be honest about yourself, in funny and often unpredictable ways, it is always the best policy

I would have hired you too!
Most important thing in any IT department is a sense of humour under preassure.

Everything else can be taught !

Kaminsky

Some of mine from 15 years in..

1) No matter how stressfull it's getting or how inundated by work you are... there is nothing that a Jam Doghnut can't fix. (a jam doghnut with hot chocolate for those extra special emergencys.. really...... Seriously... try it..... WOW!)

1b) Maybe your colleagues would enjoy Jam doghnuts and hot chocolate too.... (This is where lifetime friendships are built)

2) Always maintain a good sense of humour among colleagues but, if they are busy, shut up and bring them coffee/hot chocolate/jam doghnuts! Sit near them (still shutting the f up) and learn! Everyone loves to brag when they done good... Listen to their bragging and take notes as to how they fixed it!

3) Always ask the user how busy they are. Human nature dictates that we love to b.itch about how bad our own situation is and if you give anyone the opportunity to b.itch about their troubles, you will be their friend for life.

4) Always, always, always do your password resets immediately as they arrive. You will win friends and influence people... [ never ever be condescending and always say that you are always forgetting yours even if you never do ]

4b) Always look at your call stack and sort them in order of easiest first (no matter what your managers tell you what to look at first) ... do these IMMEDIATELY (Don't worry about the harder ones.. yet!). Then, work on the trickier ones and get them out of the way next .. (still... do not even look at the harder ones... Yet!) Now that you have got the c.rap calls out of the way, you NOW have a lot of time to spend on the hard ones. This simple concept is what they call "Time Management" !

5) Divide the number of calls you have by the maximum user base of your organisation and then times that by 100 ..... That's the percentage of your users who have a problem.... Maybe your not as busy as you thought!

6) If a particular user pi$es you off... never, ever hesitate to disable their login for a minimum of two weeks. After two weeks, set their new password to a 40 character one beginning "Once upon a time I was very naughty and upset the IT guy....". A staff member parked in my parking spot once.... They didn't do it again !

7) No matter how complex the systems you support and however vital to your organisation they are.... if the email breaks... fix it ... top priority!

8 ) No matter what you are actually like personally, Never, Ever be shy face to face with the users! You are the hero remember. Live the dream !

9) As an IT pro, never forget you can walk into another job even if it's contracting.

9b) Always remember, HR/Personnel are neutral. They will happily kick your manager's a$$ when they get out of line with their staff just as they will happily kick your a$$ if you get out of line. Don't ever assume they will side with your manger.... HR/Personnel love to reign managers back in when they get a bit power mad.... It's one of the perks of thier job (same the world over)

10) Always, always think about how you are personally percieved in the user base. The IT Departmental line is good BUT, always cut a little niche for yourself out of that....

11) Once, when the department was particularly down and sullen, I went out at lunchtime and brought a huge, mega chocolate birthday cake and brought it back to the office. They asked who's birthday it was and I replied.. "No idea ... but it is bound to be sombebody's ... let's celebrate!"... Although they laughed initially.. they still dug into the cake and the rest of the week was much happier in the department. Remember the team you work with! Supporting them is your TOP Priority.