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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">Where to begin ! Chad's post covered
most everything so mine changed.<br>
<br>
Determine your real needs, with maybe a few pie in the sky's.<br>
<br>
Using that, do a salary survey to get an idea of the going pay
& benefits for that type position.<br>
If nothing else call a few vendors for their hourly rates on some
of the potential work.<br>
Form realistic education, work experience requirements vs. the
pay & benefits you offer.<br>
I've seen many job offerings I'd never consider applying for, if I
was looking.<br>
<br>
Depending on the open position, dress may be office casual.<br>
Inform the candidate in advance of what you expect for the
interview.<br>
If the dress is not close to that, question why.<br>
<br>
Create a comprehensive interview process, don't just wing it.<br>
<br>
If you lack technical experience ask someone in the staff, board,
community, friend, etc. to sit in.<br>
There is no written rule that you need to do it alone.<br>
<br>
Create a somewhat friendly interview environment. Maybe just
sitting at a small round table.<br>
You don't want to over intimidate the candidate.<br>
A little is good to see how it's handled.<br>
<br>
Before starting turn on your male bovine manure meter.<br>
Some meter activity is probably okay, but your socks should stay
dry.<br>
Just remember they will have a similar meter running on you.<br>
You are being interviewed too.<br>
<br>
After the introduction mention the highlights of what you will
cover.<br>
<br>
The candidate may be nervous but should look you in the eyes most
of the time.<br>
<br>
Is the candidate able to handle speaking to more than one at a
time?<br>
At some point have them meet 4 or 5 people in a relaxed
environment.<br>
Introduce Jim, Mary, Bill, Ann and have the candidate "take a
couple of minutes to introduce yourself".<br>
You are looking for self assurance and how comfortable with
strangers.<br>
They may all need to work together so afterwards get their input.<br>
See if they can communicate on a social level.<br>
<br>
At some point have the candidate explain some procedure you know
how to do.<br>
Something like:<br>
"I turned on the PC and it sounds like it's running but the
screen doesn't show anything. What should I do?"<br>
You are looking for a logical troubleshooting procedure and if
they can 'see' without needing to be there.<br>
<br>
You might ask them to write some 5 or 6 line procedure.<br>
Look for clarity of thought and decent handwriting.<br>
Even though we all use PC's, many times a note is faster.<br>
<br>
Ask if they have provided training, chaired meetings, been on
committees, etc.<br>
Are they comfortable in the spotlight?<br>
<br>
Before getting to deep in testing, make sure what you want to do
is legal.<br>
You don't want the ACLU calling on you for a rights violation.<br>
<br>
Give then a tour and ask for questions and suggestions for
changes.<br>
The candidate should have something to say.<br>
It might give you an idea if they will be a self-starter.<br>
<br>
Have them describe their last position somewhat to get a feel for
their capabilities.<br>
Ask them to go over some troubleshooting (good or bad) that
they'll always remember.<br>
Listen for common sense. <br>
Do they check the simple things first or just start tearing
everything apart?<br>
<br>
Check some references, particularly technical ones.<br>
Verbally is best. Keep the meter running.<br>
<br>
There can be a lot more to look for, such as:<br>
Can they work on other things besides PC's.<br>
Specialist's or generalist's.<br>
Are they willing to use open source or only an MS person.<br>
Do they have varied interests beside work.<br>
Are they 9 to 5'ers or flexible.<br>
etc.<br>
<br>
<br>
Bob <br>
<br>
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<pre class="moz-signature" cols="80">R. W. (Bob) Neeper
<a href="http://sunbury.cool-cat.org" target="_blank">Community Library</a>
44 Burrer Dr. <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=40.243961,+-82.863007">Map</a>
Sunbury, Oh 43074
Tel: (740)-965-3901
<a href="http://info.cool-cat.org"><img style="border: 0px solid ; width: 100px; height: 107px;" alt="cool-cat.org" src="cid:part3.02070706.06090104@oplin.org"></a></pre>
</div>
On 6/20/2013 6:38 PM, Chad Neeper wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote
cite="mid:CAN0kP14SvzxysYTQZQ=+Pv6M9Z3P3p-JqZQtVxiCBDPvWnmYdg@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">
<div style="">Cross-posted to: OPLINLIST, OPLINTECH</div>
<div style=""><br>
</div>
<div style=""><br>
</div>
<div style="">I went back to your August 2008 post on this topic
and reviewed what I said back then. It pretty much still holds
true, I think. Here's a recap/updated version from my own
perspective:</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Qualities
I find immensely useful in a tech (in no particular order):</span><br
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"> -
Self-motivated</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
- Able to independently make use of readily available
resources (ie the Internet) to solve a specific problem</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
- Abstract thinker when it comes to troubleshooting. (In </span><span
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">technology,
often two seemingly-unrelated pieces can greatly affect each
other.)</span></div>
<div style=""><span
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"> -
Good troubleshooting skills. (The troubleshooting process
matters far more than knowing the answer right away.)</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
- Excellent documentation skills</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
- Close attention to detail</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
- Good communication skills, preferably oral as well as
written.</span></div>
<div style=""><span
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"> -
Able to follow written instructions, even if incomplete or
incorrect (both unfortunately common). (Goes back to
abstract thinking, independent research, and
self-motivation.)</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br>
</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br>
</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Biggest
turn-offs and warning:</span><br
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
<span style="font-size:13px;font-family:arial,sans-serif">***
- Someone who pretends to be more tech savvy than they
actually are. This person often worms his/her way into the
IT position because (s)he has good social skills (and often
talks more than listens) and know just barely enough tech to
BS the non-tech person doing the hiring and keep their
position. I've run into this several times over the years.
It usually becomes pretty obvious after spending a short
time with a tech, and invariably, this type of person is no
good for the library.</span></div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>In fact, this one is a deal-breaker for me, especially when
combined with the opposite of the above useful qualities. I've
stopped working with one library that hired a tech like this.
No ill-will towards the library (nor the tech, really, for
that matter), but I just simply couldn't help him and it
wasn't worth my effort (or sanity!) to try. Without any of the
above good qualities, there isn't really any hope for a
positive change.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Things that may seem relevant, but I put a little less
emphasis on:<br>
</div>
<div style=""> - Knowing the answers right away to a
particular problem. There is far too much to know. It's much
more important that the tech be capable of finding the correct
answer using the available resources. The capable tech will
quickly build and expand his/her knowledge base covering
whatever situation he or she is in.</div>
<div style=""> - <span
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Computer
science, related degree requirements, or professional
certifications:</span> <span
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Having
had the fortune to work with several excellent self-taught
techs that don't have IT degrees or even any certifications,
I'd try not to place too much emphasis on those
requirements, if possible. Many hiring managers rely on the
certifications and degrees as a quick way to sort out
candidates. Unfortunately, some REALLY GOOD tech candidates
can fall through the cracks without a second glance.</span></div>
<div> -<span
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"> Written
job skills exam requirements: </span><span
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"> I've
been involved in the </span><span class=""
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">hiring</span><span
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"> end of
the </span><span class=""
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">hiring</span><span
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"> process
with and without a written skill assessment. <i>Some</i>
level of skill assessment is probably warranted, but for
advanced IT assessment, the test should be more about the <i>process</i> of
finding a solution to a problem rather than finding a
specific answer to a specific problem. In an advanced skill
assessment, there is a good chance the applicant will NOT
know the correct answer. It is more important to learn how
the applicant will go about troubleshooting and/or finding a
working solution.</span><br
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br>
</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br>
</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Advice?</span><br>
<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">-
Don't </span><span class=""
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">hire</span><span
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"> the
first person who seems to know more than you do (unless
you're an IT expert).</span><br
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">- To
weed out the "impostors", have the short-list applicants
talk to a trusted <u>real</u> IT tech (even if you have to </span><span
class="" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">hire</span><span
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"> your IT
consultant for a few hours). "Impostors" can easily snow a
non-tech director or </span><span class=""
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">hiring</span><span
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"> manager,
but will often fail a "real" tech's smell-test.</span><br
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">-
Take your time; your computer upgrade can wait. A poor IT
person will do much more damage than you can possibly
imagine and it can set you back years and many more times
his/her salary in getting back up to speed. This is <u>orders
of magnitude more true</u> if the IT person you're </span><span
class="" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">hiring</span><span
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"> is the
only IT person for your organization.</span><br
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
</div>
<br>
<div class="gmail_extra"><br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_extra" style="">HTH,</div>
<div class="gmail_extra" style="">Chad</div>
<div class="gmail_extra"><br clear="all">
<div>______________________________<br>
<b>Chad Neeper</b><br>
<font size="1">Senior Systems Engineer</font><br>
<br>
<b>Level 9 Networks</b><br>
<font size="1"><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="tel:740-548-8070" value="+17405488070"
target="_blank">740-548-8070</a> (voice)<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="tel:866-214-6607"
value="+18662146607" target="_blank">866-214-6607</a>
(fax)</font><br>
<br>
<font size="1"><i>Full LAN/WAN consulting services --
Specialized in libraries and schools</i></font><br>
</div>
<br>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Jun 20, 2013 at 2:20 PM,
Laura Solomon <span dir="ltr"><<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:laura@oplin.org" target="_blank">laura@oplin.org</a>></span>
wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px
0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div>
<div style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial">
<div>Hello all,<br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I am interested in finding out more about how
libraries go about hiring technology staff. <strong>
I'm looking for any/all of the following</strong>:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li> Opinions about what makes a good/bad tech
hire</li>
<li>Issues you have run into when hiring a tech</li>
<li>Any procedural changes you have made because
of a particular hire or experience </li>
<li>Stories, both bad AND good, about your
experiences working with tech staff<br>
</li>
<li>If you're a current tech, I'd love to know
what YOU think makes a good tech hire, and what
advice you'd give to non-tech administrators who
have to do the hiring<br>
</li>
<li>Any advice, from either the tech or non-tech
perspectives, that you would give to someone
hiring a library tech.<br>
</li>
</ul>
<div>You can respond to either/both the OPLINLIST
and OPLINTECH listservs, or to me directly if
you'd prefer not to send to a group. All names
and information will remain confidential; please
don't hesitate to ask me if you have any
questions. Thank you in advance for any
information you can provide me!<br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Laura<br>
</div>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><span name="x"></span>
<div>--<br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><strong>Laura Solomon, </strong><span
style="font-weight:bold;font-size:xx-small"
size="1">MCIW, MLS</span><br>
<span style="font-size:small" size="2"><em>Library
Services Manager</em></span>, <span
style="font-size:small" size="2">Ohio Public
Library Information Network (OPLIN)<br>
<span><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="tel:%28614%29%20728-5252"
value="+16147285252" target="_blank">(614)
728-5252</a></span> (voice) | <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="tel:%28614%29%20728-5256"
value="+16147285256" target="_blank">(614)
728-5256</a> (fax)<br>
<span></span><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:laura@oplin.org" target="_blank">laura@oplin.org</a>
|<span><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.oplin.org/" target="_blank">http://www.oplin.org/</a></span></span><br>
</div>
<span name="x"></span><br>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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target="_blank">http://aboutbooks.info</a> -- Search for
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