[OPLINLIST] Opinions and experiences wanted: Hiring a library tech
Bob Neeper
neeperro at oplin.org
Fri Jun 21 09:10:31 EDT 2013
Where to begin ! Chad's post covered most everything so mine changed.
Determine your real needs, with maybe a few pie in the sky's.
Using that, do a salary survey to get an idea of the going pay & benefits for
that type position.
If nothing else call a few vendors for their hourly rates on some of the
potential work.
Form realistic education, work experience requirements vs. the pay & benefits
you offer.
I've seen many job offerings I'd never consider applying for, if I was looking.
Depending on the open position, dress may be office casual.
Inform the candidate in advance of what you expect for the interview.
If the dress is not close to that, question why.
Create a comprehensive interview process, don't just wing it.
If you lack technical experience ask someone in the staff, board, community,
friend, etc. to sit in.
There is no written rule that you need to do it alone.
Create a somewhat friendly interview environment. Maybe just sitting at a small
round table.
You don't want to over intimidate the candidate.
A little is good to see how it's handled.
Before starting turn on your male bovine manure meter.
Some meter activity is probably okay, but your socks should stay dry.
Just remember they will have a similar meter running on you.
You are being interviewed too.
After the introduction mention the highlights of what you will cover.
The candidate may be nervous but should look you in the eyes most of the time.
Is the candidate able to handle speaking to more than one at a time?
At some point have them meet 4 or 5 people in a relaxed environment.
Introduce Jim, Mary, Bill, Ann and have the candidate "take a couple of minutes
to introduce yourself".
You are looking for self assurance and how comfortable with strangers.
They may all need to work together so afterwards get their input.
See if they can communicate on a social level.
At some point have the candidate explain some procedure you know how to do.
Something like:
"I turned on the PC and it sounds like it's running but the screen doesn't
show anything. What should I do?"
You are looking for a logical troubleshooting procedure and if they can 'see'
without needing to be there.
You might ask them to write some 5 or 6 line procedure.
Look for clarity of thought and decent handwriting.
Even though we all use PC's, many times a note is faster.
Ask if they have provided training, chaired meetings, been on committees, etc.
Are they comfortable in the spotlight?
Before getting to deep in testing, make sure what you want to do is legal.
You don't want the ACLU calling on you for a rights violation.
Give then a tour and ask for questions and suggestions for changes.
The candidate should have something to say.
It might give you an idea if they will be a self-starter.
Have them describe their last position somewhat to get a feel for their
capabilities.
Ask them to go over some troubleshooting (good or bad) that they'll always remember.
Listen for common sense.
Do they check the simple things first or just start tearing everything apart?
Check some references, particularly technical ones.
Verbally is best. Keep the meter running.
There can be a lot more to look for, such as:
Can they work on other things besides PC's.
Specialist's or generalist's.
Are they willing to use open source or only an MS person.
Do they have varied interests beside work.
Are they 9 to 5'ers or flexible.
etc.
Bob
Email Signature
R. W. (Bob) Neeper
Community Library <http://sunbury.cool-cat.org>
44 Burrer Dr.Map <http://maps.google.com/maps?q=40.243961,+-82.863007>
Sunbury, Oh 43074
Tel: (740)-965-3901
cool-cat.org <http://info.cool-cat.org>
On 6/20/2013 6:38 PM, Chad Neeper wrote:
> 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 <tel:740-548-8070> (voice)
> 866-214-6607 <tel: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
> <mailto: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 <tel:%28614%29%20728-5252> (voice) | (614) 728-5256
> <tel:%28614%29%20728-5256> (fax)
> laura at oplin.org <mailto:laura at oplin.org> |http://www.oplin.org/
>
>
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