Interviewing with a beauty company

KGhaleon

I'm in LA and was asked to interview at a beauty company that needs an individual to come in and handle tech support. I'll be repairing computers, printers and other devices...as well as managing the server and network equipment. There's about 60 users in the company so it's fairly small. The important thing is that I'll have access to the servers and network.

This is my chance at an administrator type job and $20/hr.
If I'm responsible for the servers and network, I don't know why they don't call it an admin job unless they wanted to avoid the cost of highering an experienced administrator.

I may be asked to troubleshoot with exchange and VOIP though. I'm not sure which version of exchange they are using, but I'll be watching all the videos on exchange at Itidiots.com.
Any tips or useful advice for troubleshooting or working with exchange and VOIP? I'm not too familiar with them.

I also have this list that DarbyWeaver wrote:
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Get familiar with a Sniffer and learn about delta times and round-trip time RTT.

Get a program like MRTG so you can see what is up and what is down, when and for how long - wait, have them buy you PRTG.

What are you using now? I know Solar Winds is nice... and rocks... but you did not say if you have cash.

First things first fix speed and duplex issues. If you are experiencing CRC's -find out why - whatever it takes and resolve them.

Get a Packeteer even if it is a demo.

Get some Fluke Hardware - even if it is only demo...

Draw diagrams if you do not have them.

Learn to characterize what is on your network.

Find every server and make each admin tell you what ports are in use.

Find the Firewall admin and find out what it going where and why.

Get the Network Admin / Engineer and get rules wrote to match what the SysAdmin and the FWAdmin told you.

Get with management to get some teeth.

Stress policy - if there is none make it a point.

Baseline everything - before and after.

Backup everything - before and after.

Always be willing and ABLE to roll back.

Read design books and articles.

For heaven's sake - BASELINE - know what it right and what is wrong.

Do not be afraid to set thresholds on ICMP, Multicast, Broadcast traffic.

Learn why Static ARP can be a good thing.

Learn what a jumbo and runt is and everything in between.

Oh yes, DHCP, DNS, WINS, LDAP, NTP etc...

Make sure they work 100% as advertised... they could be performance issues and everyone is too proud to admit their DNS/WINS is broken...

Did I tell you to get a Syslog server yet... Let your equipment complain to you - it will.

Did I forget about an NMS SNMP-based Alerting System?

Let me know when you plow through this, I'm sure I got book-loads more... that you ever wanted to know...
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Assuming I get the job, is there anything I should understand or ask from them aside from documentation? The guy that runs their place right now is a developer who got stuck with the job...so I'm fearing that the place will be very disorganized.
It's a learning experience...but I'm hoping it doesn't go over my head too quickly.

JDMurray

KGhaleon wrote:

I'm in LA and was asked to interview at a beauty company that needs an individual to come in and handle tech support.

Is this a The Devil Wears Prada-type beauty company? Or more of a Queen Latifah's Beauty Shop-type beauty company?

Just curious...

cgrimaldo

lol at Murray...

KGhaleon

...hey, if they are going to pay...I'm not going to complain. <_< >_>

c0d3_w0lf

Hahahaha...just make sure they don't try experimenting new looks on YOU!

networker050184

Are the going to let you gossip with the girls

Just kidding, good luck! Sounds like some great experience coming your way.

Schluep

Be sure to paint the servers and printers seasonally to match the current fashion trends and you will be a shoe-in for life.

On a more serious note, congratulations and good luck on your interview. I know you have been looking aggressively since you moved and it sounds like this could be a good opportunity for you.

JDMurray

c0d3_w0lf wrote:

Hahahaha...just make sure they don't try experimenting new looks on YOU!

Oh, oh, oh, so true! I have a friend who went to work for a catalog company as an executive secretary and they ended up also using her as a body-part model (mostly hands) for their catalog photos as well. KGhaleon, if the beauty people need a 22yo, 5'6", 130-140 lb. white guy to experiment on they'll grab you in a second!

BigTone

i would think of free cuts and color as a perk....


Plus don't discount the occasional pedicure sans polish.

KGhaleon

JDMurray wrote:

c0d3_w0lf wrote:

Hahahaha...just make sure they don't try experimenting new looks on YOU!

Oh, oh, oh, so true! I have a friend who went to work for a catalog company as an executive secretary and they ended up also using her as a body-part model (mostly hands) for their catalog photos as well. KGhaleon, if the beauty people need a 22 old, 5'6", 130-140 lb. white guy to experiment on they'll grab you in a second!

Almost dead on. Guess someone found my photobucket.

I think I got the job. I was told that they were impressed and thought I was the best for the job. I don't know if there were any other candidates for this particular position. Only thing they were worried about was transportation.

My friend has been driving me, but it seems he is going out of town soon for a project and may not be around much. I've got to find a way to get to work(10 miles away)...maybe taxi, bus, or buying a vehicle. None of these things are available to me at the moment since I'm broke.

I'll be on call, so if the servers go down I need to rush there and get it fixed right away. Without a vehicle this is going to be bad. I'm panicking...

snadam

KGhaleon wrote:

Almost dead on. Guess someone found my photobucket.

I think I got the job. I was told that they were impressed and thought I was the best for the job. I don't know if there were any other candidates for this particular position. Only thing they were worried about was transportation.

My friend has been driving me, but it seems he is going out of town soon for a project and may not be around much. I've got to find a way to get to work(10 miles away)...maybe taxi, bus, or buying a vehicle. None of these things are available to me at the moment since I'm broke.

I'll be on call, so if the servers go down I need to rush there and get it fixed right away. Without a vehicle this is going to be bad. I'm panicking...

dude, if you land this job, you hit the jackpot. The beauty industry is generally full of...beauties!

I work in the construction industry...its filled with....well....construction workers

take your pick...

all seriousness, I hope you land this job!

dtlokee

Sounds like good news!

I bet you could make it there in 20 minutes on a 10 speed

stlsmoore

Get a little moped or scooter for the time being

Sepiraph

snadam wrote:

KGhaleon wrote:

Almost dead on. Guess someone found my photobucket.

I think I got the job. I was told that they were impressed and thought I was the best for the job. I don't know if there were any other candidates for this particular position. Only thing they were worried about was transportation.

My friend has been driving me, but it seems he is going out of town soon for a project and may not be around much. I've got to find a way to get to work(10 miles away)...maybe taxi, bus, or buying a vehicle. None of these things are available to me at the moment since I'm broke.

I'll be on call, so if the servers go down I need to rush there and get it fixed right away. Without a vehicle this is going to be bad. I'm panicking...

dude, if you land this job, you hit the jackpot. The beauty industry is generally full of...beauties!

I work in the construction industry...its filled with....well....construction workers

take your pick...

all seriousness, I hope you land this job!

It depends as it can be the beauty company's lab where all the products are made ...

But yea go to the company's party and events lol.

leefdaddy

nice bump of a dead thread

KGhaleon

I work for a completely different company now, but yeah, it was mostly a lab. Though they did have models and various other types of people there to have products "tested" on.