How to impress my boss (and his boss)

loss4words · July 2009

Hey guys,

I guess I have kind of a weird question but I'm always worried. Basically I was a hired as a temporary worker about a year ago, and yesterday I learned that my contract was renewed for the second time. The reason my agency says this company can't keep me permanently is because of the bad economy and layoffs that the company recently went through. My question is what can I do to impress my boss (and hopefully also his boss whom I rarely see at all) even more. I really really enjoy working for this company and want to stay. A friend suggested I go for more certs but I already have A+, Security+, 70-290 and 70-640 and I usually utilize the knowledge I gained studying for A+ and not so much the other three.

My current role is of a Desktop Support tech but I also have access to their DHCP and DNS servers and they often have me do certain things involving them. They are not on Active Directory. I would really love to hear any suggestions/opinions on this.

Thanks!

GAngel · July 2009

I'm a complete sucker for someone who asks me what I think them learning would help them do the job better. Them going out and attaining it is even better. You could finish off your MCSA or obtain the mcdst or itp equivalent. Shows initiative and that's something I remember.

You may not currently use the other certs but you will in the future. And if another position opened up in the company you would be positioned with the inside track.

rwwest7 · July 2009

Get your MCSE and CCNA. I know it seems like a long road but well worth. You may not use the knowledge everyday, but you will really impress your boss when you're able to make great suggestions on how to make things in your organization better using what you learned in your studies.

Daniel333 · July 2009

Best thing you can do softskillswise is to make your boss look better. Find things that you can do to make their jobs or benchmarks look better.

Skillwise you should probably not slow down on your certs until you have the RHCT, CCNP and MCSE:Messaging/Security all under your belt.

ilcram19-2 · July 2009

start by setting up AD

ServerProvides · July 2009

I'm not trying to rain on your parade...or any other tired cliche for bringing you down but I have been in a *similar* position and would like to share my experience.

I was hired on as a temporary worker for a health care company that was upgrading their record system to a "paperless" system. At the time of hire, I was told that there was a good chance I would be brought on as a permanent employee. Naturally I worked hard to impress my bosses and did the best job that I could. When the project ended I was told that they simply didn't have the resources to keep me but that they appreciated my hard work. (They wouldn't write me a letter of recommendation because of legal purposes.)

Long story short is don't invest *too* much into this job. Do the best at work you can but don't bend over backwards trying to please your employers. No matter how shining of an employee you are, your boss is more concerned about the budget. Just make sure to keep developing a skill set that will make you a more valuable individual and always look for the bigger better deal.

msteinhilber · July 2009

From the sounds of things, if you were there for nearly a year and your contract was renewed (how long for?) they probably don't have any desire to bring you on as a permanent employee regardless of how good of a performer you are. If you want to focus your energy on something though, work for certs. Those will show initiative that may or may not come in to play with the possibility of being brought on as a permanent employee, but if they don't then you are at least better equipped for other opportunities as well.

I personally wouldn't go well out of my way to make my boss look good or to make their job a lot easier. I would do my job and do it well, and I would try to help out in other areas to gain some hands-on as well. If your primary goal is to be a Windows system admin and they are not utilizing AD then you really aren't going to stand much to gain that will really benefit you much in a role with another organization IMO, so I would question if I would really want to spend a great amount of time there as a permanent employee or not - unless of course you could pitch to them the benefits of using Active Directory.

malcybood · July 2009

ServerProvides wrote: »

your boss is more concerned about the budget.

I couldn't agree more with this.

My advice is continue to develop your skill set and look out for the next opportunity.

Kaminsky · August 2009

malcybood wrote: »

I couldn't agree more with this.

My advice is continue to develop your skill set and look out for the next opportunity.

Completely agree.

I was a contractor for 4 years and although you like where you work, you have to keep in mind that you are a contractor and can be gone at a whim. That's what you signed up for and that's why you are paid more than a permanent person in your role. You may be lucky down the line where they will take you on but your money will drop if they do regardless of how well you do or gain certs.

With no AD you should really be keeping up with your certs and looking for the next move.

Staying there and hoping for the best may leave you kicking yourself in the future.

loss4words · August 2009

Thank you everyone for all your replies. I actually had two really bad days on Thursday and Friday at work right after I was told I was being extended. Some problems I couldn't figure out in time and it was escalated to my boss who wasn't really happy

I decided to continue with my certs and bought some CCNA books recommended on these forums and started reading. It's really a lot of stuff and there's no way I could take the exam and pass by the time my new contract expires though. The book (CCNA Study guide by Todd Lammle) is great though so far and I'm having a lot of fun reading it.

I am also continuing my job search in hopes of finding something more permanent. I always worry what I'll be doing in few months because I never know if the company decided to keep me for longer. I've been trying to apply for jobs in the last 2 months but no luck.

Dr IT · August 2009

Well dont worry dude - i am also in a similar situation as urs - a temp contractor trying to impress my boss - until i realised that improving m skillset has a better benifit then impressing my boss and am cracking on my cert list at the minute..

Keep ur Head up and trying nailing ur certs and continue learning............Good Luck.......

msteinhilber · August 2009

Dr IT wrote: »

Well dont worry dude - i am also in a similar situation as urs - a temp contractor trying to impress my boss - until i realised that improving m skillset has a better benifit then impressing my boss and am cracking on my cert list at the minute..

Keep ur Head up and trying nailing ur certs and continue learning............Good Luck.......

I've never been a temp contractor trying to get onboard full-time permanent, but I have been down the road to try to impress my boss before. Fortunately, I finally came to my senses and ceased that routine since it is fairly pointless.

Now I just focus on trying to expand my skills and try to become expert in the areas that interest me and fit my career path. One of the things that really took me away from trying to impress my boss was when the economy tanked and we had salary cuts and cuts in the time worked which also lowered our take home. When push comes to shove, it doesn't matter how much you impress your boss or any of your bosses higher up's.

Focusing on your own skills and knowledge will enable you to perform your job better which will in a way impress your boss, without focusing your energy on just trying to impress your boss. You also have the added benefit of making yourself more marketable should you have the need or desire to move onto greener pastures.

How to impress my boss (and his boss)

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