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metavisual posted:References can oftentimes be more important than the skills listed on your resume. For example, I have a reference that is an associate professor at a university. (He was my manager at a startup 10 years ago). I've listed him on occasion when I know that high level people in a company I'm pursuing have attended said university, etc. That tends to give me a leg up, since they trust his judgement because of his position, so when he says he loved working with me, etc, etc, they feel confident moving forward. The consulting company I worked for was pretty awful. Frequently, my clients would say things like "you know, we hate your company but we like working with you". When I'd give this feedback to my manager, he'd always blow it off, and say the clients are idiots. So when they'd fire us, I'd have to go onsite and gather up whatever stuff we left, and the customers would always apologize to me and say it's nothing personal but whatever. I always make it a point to get their information, and ask them that if I ever looked for another job could I use them as a reference. It's worked really well for me so far, especially since they can vouch that I really worked hard to make them happy and keep them as customers for as long as possible.
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Apr 14, 2015 14:54
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Just finished an interview. Heard "As far as I know, you are the only candidate we have interviewed", which is either a good sign, or something that will make me very mad if I don't get an offer.
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Apr 14, 2015 16:43
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CLAM DOWN posted:I'm slowly starting to go insane from Dell Support's hold music. Help. Try calling vce sometime.
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Apr 14, 2015 17:15
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Listening to Blue Angel for hours on GoDaddy hold literally killed my soul.
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Apr 14, 2015 17:27
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CLAM DOWN posted:I'm slowly starting to go insane from Dell Support's hold music. Help. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g4dkBF5anU You're welcome.
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Apr 14, 2015 18:56
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Dr. Arbitrary posted:I like when the hold music has a brief pause where it sounds like you're getting connected and then a recorded voice lets me know that my call is important. I think it was Blizzard Account Support I was on hold with once, and after so many "Please hold, you are in a queue etc" the moment a human spoke up I panicked, lunged for the phone and fell off my chair sending the phone across the room.
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Apr 14, 2015 19:21
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Quick someone get the Roboditty music that is default with Asterisk. I'm at work on a locked down network and I can't get it myself.
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Apr 14, 2015 19:39
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I think something's wrong with me, because I've always really liked that Cisco hold music. It sounds like it could be a good atmospheric or liquid drum & bass track but alas, all we've got is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ_sAVM3Wmg
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Apr 14, 2015 20:28
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I had a job interview today (my boss recently moved to another dept in the company) It's a reasonably senior position and the HR manager conducting the interview seem to have an agenda against my former boss in terms of he worked from home more than he perhaps should of and missed meetings he should have been at (amongst other criticisms) On the one hand she had valid points however I would suggest a job interview was not the appropriate way to air this opinion which is quite disappointing to hear from someone equally senior as the role I'm applying for and she did say there would be feedback after the hiring process so I hope that can be a 2 way deal On the other hand we recently mobilised a major contract and lived in the same hotel for about 6 months so we know each other quite well so maybe she thought it was ok to talk like that with me.. Actually no!
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Apr 14, 2015 20:47
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angry armadillo posted:she did say there would be feedback after the hiring process so I hope that can be a 2 way deal Nope!
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Apr 14, 2015 22:29
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The ISP I worked at years back had five or six songs on rotation as the hold music, which got played for internal calls too, so if I was trying to pass a call to another dept / supervisor / etc or call someone for a bit of advice, I got to hear the music too. I did tech support for about two years, and must of heard the songs thousands of times. It was an old Aspect phone system and they were in some real low bitrate so sounded like a 500th generation casette copy. Anytime I hear one of the songs on the radio, I am instantly transported to the late 1990s and loving dial up. Not to mention that they were in the same order all the time, so anytime I hear 'set adrift on memory bliss' by PM Dawn, I expect it to segue into 'Brown eyed girl' after an audible click where the track changed. Still, the job was great 
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Apr 14, 2015 22:45
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MJP posted:I think something's wrong with me, because I've always really liked that Cisco hold music. You're not the only one. http://m.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/516/stuck-in-the-middle?act=1#act-1
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Apr 15, 2015 01:08
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angry armadillo posted:I had a job interview today (my boss recently moved to another dept in the company) HR having an axe to grind?!
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Apr 15, 2015 03:50
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Working in IT. I don't know how many of you saw Red vs Blue, the Halo machinima. I saw 7 or 8 episodes and thought it was hilarious, but it was also nothing that really grabbed me and made me feel like I need to see everything. So anyway, I've seen 8 episodes, and that was 10 years ago. But there is a scene that is burned into my brain (although what I'm about to post, I googled, so I could get the other wording right). My point is, every time I have to deal with something ridiculous - not necessary stupid, not cruel, but a total lack of planning and foresight, my brain goes right back to this old Red vs Blue scene (at 3:30) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7UFQkH25vw&t=211s Church: Well, enough gabbing out of us, let's take this bad boy out for a spin. Go ahead and hop in, Tucker. Tucker: Me? I can't drive that thing. Church: You're telling me you're not Armor Certified? Tucker: I ca- I don't even know how to use the loving sniper rifle. Don't you know how to drive that? Church: No! Holy Crap! WHO IS RUNNING THIS ARMY!? My point is - it turns out that someone has provisioned a node so large that it can be the only VM on its ESXi host. One host, one VM. This VM does not need to be anywhere near this big. Holy crap, who is running this army??
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Apr 15, 2015 05:44
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MC Fruit Stripe posted:My point is - it turns out that someone has provisioned a node so large that it can be the only VM on its ESXi host. One host, one VM. This VM does not need to be anywhere near this big. That's bad, but one nice thing is that you'll have high availability in the case of a host failure. I heard through the grapevine about a major company that has been going through a virtualization effort. They've been using a 1 server per host model for a huge number of servers because apparently someone important just doesn't get the point.
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Apr 15, 2015 05:56
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Dr. Arbitrary posted:That's bad, but one nice thing is that you'll have high availability in the case of a host failure.
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Apr 15, 2015 08:29
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Had a meeting with a company that's interested in me. It will be my 1st real IT job. Meeting went really well. at one point they asked me what i think i'd make. I said I presume a starters salary. they pushed for a number. I tried redirecting saying what they give starters. That didn't work. I gave out a number that was just a little bit too high (2000/a month after taxes). They immediately were like uhh i'm not sure thats a starters salary. then |I caved in, said what i truly expect to make. which is about 2000 before taxes. Did I gently caress up? The company looks awesome to work for. good work benefits. Car from the business.
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Apr 15, 2015 11:00
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Sefal posted:Had a meeting with a company that's interested in me. It will be my 1st real IT job. Meeting went really well. at one point they asked me what i think i'd make. I said I presume a starters salary. they pushed for a number. I tried redirecting saying what they give starters. That didn't work. I gave out a number that was just a little bit too high (2000/a month after taxes). They immediately were like uhh i'm not sure thats a starters salary. then |I caved in, said what i truly expect to make. which is about 2000 before taxes. Yes. Any time a company pressures you to give out a number and you give them one then you've hosed up. Had the same thing happen to me during a phone interview a month or so ago, only she was pressing for a range that I was looking for, and I told her that the range that would definitely get me aboard was between $65-95k. There was silence on the line for a few seconds and she goes "well, that's a bit high for the position." I stayed quiet for several seconds and let her stew. "You asked. I answered. Now perhaps you might give me the range the position is actually offering and we can discuss it like adults." It wasn't even close, so I suggested that next time she actually look over my resume, specifically the top of the professional experience portion, and call me when she's not looking for someone to fill an entry level helpdesk position.
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Apr 15, 2015 12:31
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Salary negotiations are always such a pain in the rear end. Over my most recent job switch (a few months ago) I spoke with a lot of places who wanted ridiculous levels of skills. You're seeing a lot of this "Devops" stuff now. A lot of co's are really looking for IT/Dev skills mix. That's not the problem, they can look for whatever the gently caress they want, right... ...but then they come back with "Oh no, sorry, this position only pays 80K" wait what?! (In the Boston area, no less...) I've worked and interviewed at places that will lowball because they think they can. What I've always done is a bunch of salary research, coupled with the knowledge of what I want to make to be willing to leave my current position. Then I try to feel out the people I'm interviewing with about the job description for what it REALLY entails. You'll get places that seem to be paying a lot of money for say "Windows Admin" Then you realize that their version of a Windows Admin would be a Director somewhere else, so you aren't making a huge bump in salary, you're getting a little bit more salary with MUCH more responsibilities (Some of which you probably don't know very well). But they think they are getting a deal because they don't have to pay a director salary, and then everything falls apart. A good gauge on how a company will treat you later on is how they come in on Salary when you are negotiating. I've had quite a few companies come in slightly over what I asked for on Salary. (More than likely because I came in under budget for what their cap was, but still way over what I was currently making or felt I needed to make). Those companies I've tended to stick with because they value people. On the inverse, I've taken jobs at companies that have come in lower than what I asked. Mainly because I've been dumb enough to give a range. (When a co. IMMEDIATELY goes to the lowest end of your range, it's typically a bad sign). I've always left those jobs after a year or two because they don't treat people right.
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Apr 15, 2015 13:21
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That whole "resting wrists" thing -- how do you pull that off when your desk was designed for some kind of giant? When I relax my shoulders and wrists a la typing class, my fingers are JUST under my desk. The "employee appreciation" part of our budget is now $8 per head per month, so I don't think they're going to spring for a new shortie-friendly chair. Would one of those silly cloth booster seat things help? If so, does anyone have a suggestion for one?
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Apr 15, 2015 15:11
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meanieface posted:That whole "resting wrists" thing -- how do you pull that off when your desk was designed for some kind of giant? When I relax my shoulders and wrists a la typing class, my fingers are JUST under my desk. Go to HR and say you need a taller chair / standing desk / whatever. Don't do anything else until you have a firm "no." Seriously. If your HR department is anything other than community college dropouts, they should make it happen.
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Apr 15, 2015 15:35
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I moved between departments within the same University so my new manager could look up my exact salary (and since I'm a public employee anyone can look it up anyway). So when he offered me the job he told me 10% raise which I just took blindly because I was so desperate to get out I didn't think I could negotiate convincingly (and also I'm an idiot and it didn't even occur to me). Turns out they were kind of desperate and I could have easily pushed to get at least a few percentage points more, to at least push me over $70k.
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Apr 15, 2015 16:07
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Note for job seekers, make sure you try to get a handle on the cost of benefits. When I moved to this job, the cost of health insurance more than doubled. It took up a depressing percentage of the 20k raise. If I had known in advance, maybe I'd have tried to get another 5k to make it up.
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Apr 15, 2015 16:19
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Sefal posted:Had a meeting with a company that's interested in me. It will be my 1st real IT job. Meeting went really well. at one point they asked me what i think i'd make. I said I presume a starters salary. they pushed for a number. I tried redirecting saying what they give starters. That didn't work. I gave out a number that was just a little bit too high (2000/a month after taxes). They immediately were like uhh i'm not sure thats a starters salary. then |I caved in, said what i truly expect to make. which is about 2000 before taxes. Unless you're outside the US it's weird to give paycheck figure in response to this question as well, you're not a day laborer and they don't care about your tax situation
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Apr 15, 2015 16:46
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Sefal posted:Had a meeting with a company that's interested in me. It will be my 1st real IT job. Meeting went really well. at one point they asked me what i think i'd make. I said I presume a starters salary. they pushed for a number. I tried redirecting saying what they give starters. That didn't work. I gave out a number that was just a little bit too high (2000/a month after taxes). They immediately were like uhh i'm not sure thats a starters salary. then |I caved in, said what i truly expect to make. which is about 2000 before taxes. Considering 2k per month is 24k per year, which works out to like 12 bucks an hour, I'd say you're likely getting underpaid.
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Apr 15, 2015 16:49
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Dear certain clients of ours, I am fully aware of how you don't think IT work is real work because it involves sitting down and thinking instead of lifting heavy stuff, but whether you like it or not it's an integral part of your business. Telling us you don't trust IT people and don't want to spend any money since you only just bought a new server (5 years ago) is fine, but it won't change the situation you're currently in, which is 'imminently hosed'. Lots of love, me.
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Apr 15, 2015 16:50
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I'm really confused about what sort of company provides a company car to (I'm assuming here) tier-1 support, but pays them less than 30k.
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Apr 15, 2015 16:51
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Japanese Dating Sim posted:I'm really confused about what sort of company provides a company car to (I'm assuming here) tier-1 support, but pays them less than 30k. I was wondering that. I skimmed the post at first and I assumed the 2K was bi-weekly until I reread it a few times (I'm guessing sanchez did the same thing). Monthly is a weird way to put that, though.
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Apr 15, 2015 16:58
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hur
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Apr 15, 2015 17:18
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Maybe field service? I got a company vehicle, but I was making 2k after taxes, not before.
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Apr 15, 2015 17:21
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One of my first IT jobs was doing DSL installs for Verizon and I got a company truck, in that, when I got to work every morning I got in the company work truck and used that all day and then went home in my regular car. I was making I think $12/hr. Also, we were outsourced by Verizon to do the installs and the name of our company was Outsource, Inc.
mattfl fucked around with this message at 18:21 on Apr 15, 2015 |
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Apr 15, 2015 18:19
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KillHour posted:Considering 2k per month is 24k per year, which works out to like 12 bucks an hour, I'd say you're likely getting underpaid. I live in the Netherlands. So it's in Euro. but making 1600 euro's a month is a starters salary as far as I know. I don't know how it is in the US. Maybe a experienced dutch goon can elaborate? I'm really just finally starting to work in the legitimate IT Business. Last job was almost a scam.
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Apr 15, 2015 18:26
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I think the biggest part of confusion is that a starters salary is different everywhere. Not necessarily geographically, but also company wise. I've worked at places where Datacenter Admins (read: Cable Monkeys) make 11/hr. and helpdesk guys make 60K+. (I would venture to say in this environment the DC Admins were actually much smarter/more efficient workers, but just weren't recognized because "Out of site, out of mind") (In a year and a half or so, one of the DC Admins was promoted to network engineer, and one was promoted to Jr Unix Admin, at which point both went to making well over what even the sr. Helpdesk guys were bringing in.) I've worked at other places where 1st Level Support techs get paid 55K, and Helpdesk guys only get paid 40K. So it really depends on the company, the sector they are in, the area, if they are a startup, number of users. If it's internal or outside facing IT, etc, etc. I agree that you're probably underpaid if you're bringing any sort of tech skill to the table. (or I'm just way off for your area.) My first Tech Support Job (In 2000-2001 mind you) paid 31K per year. I had ZERO on-paper experience, but I knew some Linux and Windows stuff, etc. (I came from a data entry and mobile electronics background). So my point is, many people I know who had ZERO experience (or schooling) were making more than 24K per year in their first job 15 years ago. Before inflation and all that tasty stuff. Edit: Payscale says the Median for Help Desk Tech in the Netherlands is €35,020 per year You have experience. You've interned, which means you've had boots on the ground so to speak. I would dig around, talk to local people in the field, and look at some other companies to see where their salaries/positions are at. If you are in an area where a lot of places are hiring for your skill set, you can usually hold out for more money. metavisual fucked around with this message at 18:44 on Apr 15, 2015 |
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Apr 15, 2015 18:34
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metavisual posted:Edit: Payscale says the Median for Help Desk Tech in the Netherlands is €35,020 per year. If one could only move to Europe on a 2-year degree.
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Apr 15, 2015 18:59
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Today, on this edition of Microsoft Windows: https://technet.microsoft.com/library/security/MS15-034 quote:Vulnerability in HTTP.sys Could Allow Remote Code Execution 
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Apr 15, 2015 19:05
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Tab8715 posted:If one could only move to Europe on a 2-year degree. OR Boston - Help Desk Technician in Boston, Massachusetts - MEDIAN: $39,512 CLAM DOWN posted:Today, on this edition of Microsoft Windows: Thank you for just reminding me why I do not regret for A MINUTE leaving my last job. They are probably in full panic mode right now! edit: at least it doesn't seem to affect Windows 2003..which is what 90 percent of their servers still are... 
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Apr 15, 2015 19:09
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Well I guess I gotta do maintenance tonight on the windows cluster I manage anyway. Might as well take care of it during that window.
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Apr 15, 2015 19:34
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Why is it I get offers on the jobs that I don't really want to take
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Apr 15, 2015 19:39
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Arista switches: good? They're substantially cheaper than Cisco for 10g access/distribution layer applications.
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Apr 15, 2015 20:56
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go3 posted:HR having an axe to grind?! PCjr sidecar posted:Nope! I wont say it that plainly obviously. angry armadillo fucked around with this message at 21:32 on Apr 15, 2015 |
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Apr 15, 2015 21:29
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