[OPLINLIST] Opinions and experiences wanted: Hiring a library tech

Thu Jun 20 18:38:42 EDT 2013

Cross-posted to: OPLINLIST, OPLINTECH

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:

Qualities I find immensely useful in a tech (in no particular order):
   - Self-motivated
   - Able to independently make use of readily available resources (ie the
Internet) to solve a specific problem
   - Abstract thinker when it comes to troubleshooting. (In technology,
often two seemingly-unrelated pieces can greatly affect each other.)
   - Good troubleshooting skills. (The troubleshooting process matters far
more than knowing the answer right away.)
   - Excellent documentation skills
   - Close attention to detail
   - Good communication skills, preferably oral as well as written.
   - Able to follow written instructions, even if incomplete or incorrect
(both unfortunately common). (Goes back to abstract thinking, independent
research, and self-motivation.)

Biggest turn-offs and warning:
***   - 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.

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.

Things that may seem relevant, but I put a little less emphasis on:
   - 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.
   - Computer science, related degree requirements, or professional
certifications:  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.
   - Written job skills exam requirements:  I've been involved in the
hiring end
of the hiring process with and without a written skill assessment.
*Some*level of skill assessment is probably warranted, but for
advanced IT
assessment, the test should be more about the *process* 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.

Advice?
- Don't hire the first person who seems to know more than you do (unless
you're an IT expert).
- To weed out the "impostors", have the short-list applicants talk to a
trusted *real* IT tech (even if you have to hire your IT consultant for a
few hours). "Impostors" can easily snow a non-tech director or hiring manager,
but will often fail a "real" tech's smell-test.
- 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 *orders of magnitude more true* if the IT person you're hiring is the
only IT person for your organization.

HTH,
Chad

______________________________
*Chad Neeper*
Senior Systems Engineer

*Level 9 Networks*
740-548-8070 (voice)
866-214-6607 (fax)

*Full LAN/WAN consulting services -- Specialized in libraries and schools*

On Thu, Jun 20, 2013 at 2:20 PM, Laura Solomon <laura at oplin.org> wrote:

> Hello all,
>
> I am interested in finding out more about how libraries go about hiring
> technology staff. * I'm looking for any/all of the following*:
>
>    - Opinions about what makes a good/bad tech hire
>    - Issues you have run into when hiring a tech
>    - Any procedural changes you have made because of a particular hire or
>    experience
>    - Stories, both bad AND good, about your experiences working with tech
>    staff
>    - 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
>    - Any advice, from either the tech or non-tech perspectives, that you
>    would give to someone hiring a library tech.
>
> 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!
>
> Laura
>
> --
>
> *Laura Solomon, *MCIW, MLS
> *Library Services Manager*, Ohio Public Library Information Network
> (OPLIN)
> (614) 728-5252 (voice) | (614) 728-5256 (fax)
> laura at oplin.org |http://www.oplin.org/
>
>
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