|
I am taking poo poo for the level of technical detail I put in my proposals, as people are having issues understanding it and just want a high-level overview. Apparently I should tailor what I say to my audience. Every time this has come up as an issue has been because somebody forwarded an email of mine outside our group to someone in sales, and then sales forwarded it straight to the customer. Nobody can understand how there is no way that I can tailor an email to any possible recipient that a message might be forwarded to. Should I start writing choose-your-own-adventure style messages?
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2017 14:17
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 19, 2024 23:19 |
|
|
siggy2021 posted:I've been looking at jobs now that I've got a couple of years of IT experience and a couple of certs. Why does every "Network Administrator" job I come across have every IT Admin thing possible listed in their responsibilities section? I'm assuming that these are places that think they need a network administrator but really are just looking for "An IT Guy," or do they all just list the same thing in every IT job posting they do? It's likely a small department where workload is shared, so they list everything you might be doing. The key is to define what you're best at in the interview, and in the first month of the job really take the reigns of that thing. If you show up 'ready for whatever' you will get all of the poo poo tasks like helpdesk and log monitoring and virus cleanup. Thanks Ants posted:I am taking poo poo for the level of technical detail I put in my proposals, as people are having issues understanding it and just want a high-level overview. Apparently I should tailor what I say to my audience. Every time this has come up as an issue has been because somebody forwarded an email of mine outside our group to someone in sales, and then sales forwarded it straight to the customer. But that's precisely the job of sales! They are there to know the customer, take technical details and tailor relevant high level overviews to the customer. Sales is not an email forwarding service. Judge Schnoopy fucked around with this message at 14:28 on Jun 19, 2017 |
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2017 14:23
|
|
|
Thanks Ants posted:I am taking poo poo for the level of technical detail I put in my proposals, as people are having issues understanding it and just want a high-level overview. Apparently I should tailor what I say to my audience. Every time this has come up as an issue has been because somebody forwarded an email of mine outside our group to someone in sales, and then sales forwarded it straight to the customer. This is a common issue on the sales side of IT. Engineers often have trouble turning technical writeups into executive summarys, which is basically all a proposal/RFP needs to be. I have found the sweep spot is to start high level and only get technical where required or requested. In my visios I will have 1 or 2 high level diagrams and pages of deeper technical diagrams. In my documentation and emails I follow a similar format where early on is more of a high level summary. Sales will almost always forward my stuff straight over and I rarely get push back
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2017 14:35
|
|
|
Thanks Ants posted:I am taking poo poo for the level of technical detail I put in my proposals, as people are having issues understanding it and just want a high-level overview. Apparently I should tailor what I say to my audience. Every time this has come up as an issue has been because somebody forwarded an email of mine outside our group to someone in sales, and then sales forwarded it straight to the customer. What sales is doing is absolute bullshit, and what I'm about to suggest is absolutely going to take more effort on your part, but it's the solution with the least amount of murdering salespeople. When you write your proposals, write the technical details, then after that, go back and put a high-level overview at the start, making sure to reference (with internal links if possible) the technical details so that sales can't simply snip out the details without making the high-level overview nonsensical. Stuff like "we will do this, in the manner explained in paragraph 2 of the expanded proposal".
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2017 14:38
|
|
|
siggy2021 posted:I've been looking at jobs now that I've got a couple of years of IT experience and a couple of certs. Why does every "Network Administrator" job I come across have every IT Admin thing possible listed in their responsibilities section? I'm assuming that these are places that think they need a network administrator but really are just looking for "An IT Guy," or do they all just list the same thing in every IT job posting they do? There is no standardization whatsoever in IT job titles, so one company's Network Administrator is another's Computer Janitor. It makes job hunting fairly obnoxious. Completely anecdotal, but I do find Network Administrator to often be code for "sole IT person at a small business, doing network but also servers, desktops, phones, etc". If you want to actually just work on network gear all day, that's more likely to be posted as Network Engineer.
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2017 14:40
|
|
|
My title is Network Administrator but I'm one of the sole people answering phones for end users, so I'm more like to be troubleshooting user issues than loving around in Cisco or VMWare.
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2017 14:45
|
|
|
Vargatron posted:Sir, the term is computer janitor. That's a system admin.
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2017 15:20
|
|
|
How do I know that I.T. titles are meaningless? I am a vice-president.  Tony was also once a vice-president. 
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2017 16:27
|
|
|
Dick Trauma posted:How do I know that I.T. titles are meaningless? Does your pay at least reflect your title? 
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2017 16:45
|
|
|
Thanks Ants posted:I am taking poo poo for the level of technical detail I put in my proposals, as people are having issues understanding it and just want a high-level overview. Apparently I should tailor what I say to my audience. Every time this has come up as an issue has been because somebody forwarded an email of mine outside our group to someone in sales, and then sales forwarded it straight to the customer. I do mine in three parts: 1: super simple, your mother could understand it 2: more detail - 'normal' people should be able to grasp the concept 3: all the detail - what I'd email to a fellow IT worker. that way, Directors can read part1, managers part2 and people that matter, part3.
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2017 16:57
|
|
|
Thanks for the info everyone. I guess I'll just start slinging my resume around. I haven't had an interview in about 6 years, so maybe I'll get a few and get some good practice in. I not only need to get out of this toxic place, but I'd also like to go somewhere where I can actually apply the skills I've learned recently and get some actual real world experience with them and I"m not going to get that here. We recently put up a new building with all new Cisco switches and will be doing the same at our main facility later this year, but all of the configuration and management was outsourced. It's awful I have to send an email to a guy every time I need any little thing changed even though they are things I not only know how to do but am now certified as being able to do.
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2017 17:18
|
|
|
I'm currently a Network Admin, which in my company means I'm the mid-tier guy in a small IT department and seemingly the only person who understands what a VLAN is
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2017 17:36
|
|
|
I'm an IT Manager (and sometimes my boss calls me an IT Director), and I do literally everything from budgets to server and network maintenance to help desk.
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2017 17:50
|
|
|
I should point out that despite my jumped-up title I am never referred to as "vice-president of I.T." It's always "the computer guy" or "our I.T. guy" or "the guy that does our I.T."
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2017 17:52
|
|
|
beepsandboops posted:I'm currently a Network Admin, which in my company means I'm the mid-tier guy in a small IT department and seemingly the only person who understands what a VLAN is I keep getting asked this in interviews and it seems so basic i feel like its a trick question. The correct answer is 'a logical network partition to segregate network traffic without separate hardware' correct?
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2017 17:57
|
|
|
Colonial Air Force posted:I'm an IT Manager (and sometimes my boss calls me an IT Director), and I do literally everything from budgets to server and network maintenance to help desk. I'm the IT Manager, I don't have a department budget, and stuff is done by the project. We once had someone ask to see the CIO and they were directed to me. We don't have a CIO. Almost all of the conversation was them trying to see me labor and get my yearly budget. The CFO is the one that directed them to me, then they left for the day. You had the correct person before! I can't tell you anything about how much we spend yearly because at that time I'd only been there 4 months. Hell I couldn't even tell you now, some years I struggle to get even 5 grand, some years I get 50,000 in projects approved. (This does not include on going monthly or yearly fees)
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2017 18:01
|
|
|
RFC2324 posted:I keep getting asked this in interviews and it seems so basic i feel like its a trick question. A method a separating broadcast domains within a switch.
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2017 18:19
|
|
|
Collateral Damage posted:"Network Administrator" sounds better than "Computer monkey" in the ad. Many regulated industries use this generic term in the examination materials. Banking and healthcare, to be specific.
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2017 23:33
|
|
|
If your title is director and you aren't managing managers you are mistitled.
|
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2017 23:48
|
|
|
milk milk lemonade posted:If your title is director and you aren't 35+ you are mistitled. ftfy
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2017 03:00
|
|
|
I agree with both of those. I have met Directors in departments of 3 with job duties that rival the most junior member of my team. Gotta love title inflation. The term Director conjures a certain level of professionalism in my mind, and it's not really something you can bullshit your way through. It's a professionalism which, come at me bro, comes with being 35+ as mentioned above. It is possible for a 29 year old to have an authoritative presence. More likely you're just going to come across as a dick. MC Fruit Stripe fucked around with this message at 04:53 on Jun 20, 2017 |
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2017 04:50
|
|
|
I am legally the director of a technology consulting firm. I have no one to direct
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2017 04:52
|
|
|
My company has several "Leads" who have no one to lead.
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2017 07:16
|
|
|
That's some of the most bizarre ageism I've ever seen lol
|
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2017 11:00
|
|
|
Methanar posted:I am legally the director of a technology consulting firm. A director doesn't direct people, they direct the business. Or more accurately, they direct their department to be in-line with business needs. An IT Director should be focusing on the technology needed to drive the business, and then let managers manage the people to accomplish that.
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2017 12:26
|
|
|
A couple of our directors are 26/27 or thereabouts. (I'm 34.) At least one of them has made serious fuckups due to lack of experience, resulting in our company being name and shamed in a local newspaper article. To compound that, the CEO responded directly without legal etc. filtering him or taking the questions. It's hilarious.
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2017 13:21
|
|
|
poo poo like that is how I know I'm not ready for management responsibility yet.
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2017 13:46
|
|
|
My title is IT Director and has been since I was 28. I manage one guy. But hey, at least they pay appropriately for the title. 
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2017 14:06
|
|
|
Old people with lots of experience gently caress up all the time in management positions. Really kind of a reach to imply it's an age thing
|
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2017 14:06
|
|
|
I'm 36 where is my title 
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2017 14:10
|
|
|
milk milk lemonade posted:Old people with lots of experience gently caress up all the time in management positions. Really kind of a reach to imply it's an age thing I guess, in theory, older people have hosed up enough and seen enough fuckups to know better. In theory. Oh who am I kidding. We're all doomed.
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2017 14:11
|
|
|
Woogles posted:I guess, in theory, older people have hosed up enough and seen enough fuckups to know better. In theory. Better at CYA.
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2017 15:20
|
|
|
Just got back from a long vegas weekend. I show up extra early because I am still on vegas time and I come to work in a good mood. All that changes because as soon as my rear end hits the seat in my office an EVP of sales walks in furious that the executive conference room is missing equipment and he can't do his meeting. I send one of my desktop folks out to take a look and sure enough, the keyboard, speaker system, and the conference room computer are all missing. Were we robbed? Is someone playing a joke? Lucky enough this is the only conference room we have a camera in. I fire up the recording and sure enough, someone in marketing, a middle manager, decided to come in and take the items. After calling him, he said he needed the equipment for a work function for a marketing event. I ask him why he feels that these items are to be used how he sees fit, considering that this is the conference room used by the executive officers of the company only and the only reply I get it "Well its the nicer equipment." Whatever. This camera system is worth its weight in gold. A vendor is taking me out for drinks at noon and this place isn't going to get me down.
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2017 15:38
|
|
|
Sickening posted:Just got back from a long vegas weekend. I show up extra early because I am still on vegas time and I come to work in a good mood. All that changes because as soon as my rear end hits the seat in my office an EVP of sales walks in furious that the executive conference room is missing equipment and he can't do his meeting. I send one of my desktop folks out to take a look and sure enough, the keyboard, speaker system, and the conference room computer are all missing. Were we robbed? Is someone playing a joke? That man has to have photos of a C-Level with a dead woman or a live animal to think they can get away with that  .
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2017 15:49
|
|
|
Sickening posted:After calling him, he said he needed the equipment for a work function for a marketing event. I ask him why he feels that these items are to be used how he sees fit, considering that this is the conference room used by the executive officers of the company only and the only reply I get it "Well its the nicer equipment." A favorite of mine from probably 5 years ago was the developer who plugged in a store bought router which started acting as a DHCP server, messing things up for one side of a building. We confronted him. The conversation was basically "You can't plug those in because they're affecting everyone else's access" "Well we needed some more ports" "Right but it actually knocks other people off the network" "We just needed some more ports" "Yes but you can't just plug in your own devices" "Well we needed to get some more network ports" Dude, I swear to god, if the next words out of your mouth aren't an apology and "I won't do it again", jesus christ. We're going to take such good care of you, there's going to be a hub here, you're gonna have ports, it's not going to have DHCP putting people on the wrong network, it's going to be beautiful. I just need you to come a liiiittle bit in my direction and acknowledge that you shouldn't just plug devices into the network on your own, can you give me that much? MC Fruit Stripe fucked around with this message at 16:30 on Jun 20, 2017 |
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2017 16:28
|
|
|
MC Fruit Stripe posted:I always love the non-apology, non-apology, mea culpa. The "I'm not even sorry, I'm just explaining why I did this, and I don't seem to be understanding that I was wrong" explanation. Well his excuse has turned into basically "I didn't know I couldn't do that" when what he did just didn't make any sense in the first place. I have personally sent emails to the entire company letting people know that taking equipment from the conference rooms was not acceptable. We have 5 other conference rooms besides the executive one. Can't you at least thieve from them first? Like they already have clear rules that you aren't suppose to use the room unless you are a C level. Why he believed he had the authority to take anything is loving ludicrous to me. "I got fired today honey" "Why?" "I took equipment that didn't belong to me like a loving moron"
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2017 16:34
|
|
|
Sickening posted:Well his excuse has turned into basically "I didn't know I couldn't do that" when what he did just didn't make any sense in the first place. I have personally sent emails to the entire company letting people know that taking equipment from the conference rooms was not acceptable. We have 5 other conference rooms besides the executive one. Can't you at least thieve from them first? Point me to where in the employee handbook it says I'm not supposed to borrow spare equipment (that's not even being used!) from the C-level conference room on a Tuesday at 2:34pm 
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2017 16:38
|
|
|
MC Fruit Stripe posted:We're going to take such good care of you, there's going to be a hub here, you're gonna have ports 
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2017 16:43
|
|
|
Collateral Damage posted:I hope you literally dug a dusty old 10mbit hub out of a dusty corner as well.  Just some little 8 port unmanaged switch will do you just fine in a situation like that. You need drops? I got drops!
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2017 16:44
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 19, 2024 23:19 |
|
|
But it would have been suitable punishment to give the person a hub.
|
|
#
?
Jun 20, 2017 16:47
|
|