October 26, 2012 at 10:38 am
I've seen job specifications that detailed. Sometimes a company has the perfect person already working for them in a different position and they want to move them up...but company rules require them to advertise the job as open and do interviews. So they put details like that in so nobody will match the position and then they promote the person from within. Happens a whole lot in government positions.
My wife was a government employee and she applied for a job where she met every requirement but one (can't remember what it was). The 'missing' requirement was so off the wall that she thought it was a joke...turns out a friend of the department head had all the requirements...so it let them hire that person. Basically, the position requirements were written so only that person would meet them.
-SQLBill
October 26, 2012 at 10:40 am
I forgot to mention the job description I recently saw for a full-time DBA that said the applicant would have to provide their own laptop.
If this trend continues, employees will be required to pay "rent" for the cubicle space they occupy while on the job.
October 26, 2012 at 10:51 am
Lee Crain (10/26/2012)
I forgot to mention the job description I recently saw for a full-time DBA that said the applicant would have to provide their own laptop.If this trend continues, employees will be required to pay "rent" for the cubicle space they occupy while on the job.
Supply their own equipment? I mean, phones I get. But laptops?
October 26, 2012 at 11:13 am
Brandie Tarvin (10/26/2012)
Supply their own equipment? I mean, phones I get. But laptops?
This is quite common for contract staff
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October 26, 2012 at 11:49 am
Perry Whittle (10/26/2012)
Brandie Tarvin (10/26/2012)
Supply their own equipment? I mean, phones I get. But laptops?This is quite common for contract staff
Not where I work it isn't. We have desk, cubicles, and PCs supplied to them.
October 26, 2012 at 12:12 pm
Here's an excerpt from a job posting I'm looking at:
___________
BS/MS in Information Systems or related field
3+ years of Database Management.
Expert in MS SQL Server 2005 and 2008, with knowledge of 2012
Excellent technical knowledge of virtual server systems, telecom networks, IP communications, SANs, and high-availability architectures
Server Virtualization using VMware products
Client and Cisco UCS Server hardware
Hitachi VSP and EMC Symmetrix SAN systems
Routing, switching, and security using Cisco products
H.323 and SIP communications
Experience setting up data centers, call centers, and operations centers is required.
Strong understanding of human resource management principles, practices, and procedures.
Proven ability to make complex technical and vendor tradeoffs producing top business value.
__________
Let's see, they want one person to be:
> an experienced SQL Server DBA
> a VMWare administrator
> a CISCO server, switch, and router administrator
> an Hitachi SAN administrator
> an EMC SAN administrator
> someone to set up complete data, call, and operations centers
> someone with HR management experience
> someone to make technical and business decisions based upon ROI
> someone with telecom knowledge and experience with H.323 and SIP
Did I leave anything out?
It's a contract job paying a maximum of $45 per hour.
October 26, 2012 at 12:15 pm
Lee Crain (10/26/2012)
Here's an excerpt from a job posting I'm looking at:...
Did I leave anything out?
Yes. You apparently didn't read the "fry eggs on the server surface" requirement that's buried in there.
Look closely. It's between the VM ware and the HR requirements.
October 26, 2012 at 12:21 pm
*groans*
Out of sheer morbid curiousity, I decided to shred this.
Standard Admin:
1. SQL Server (troubleshooting, debugging, tuning and optimization of SQL queries and stored procedures)
(repeated later) Assist development staff with the debugging, tuning, and optimization of SQL queries and stored
2. Database administration (Replication, design experience with RDBMS.
2. Ongoing database performance tuning and upgrades, including: monitoring and evaluation of all database patches and service packs. Assist setting up clustered SQL Server Environment
5. Provide operational support to the reporting database servers.
6. QA the server and do daily, monthly health check of the server (horribly phrased, fits here)
7. Setup and manage the maintenance and backup plans,
8. Setup jobs, give permissions, perform monitoring and tuning
14. Implement and enhance database security using proven methodologies.
15. Understand and maintain database replication health for all reporting environments.
(broken out of different line) Assist setting up mirroring and log shipping
HADR design admin:
3.DR: doing quality assurance of the database components released to production.
1. Will need to formulate a conseptual design for this team.
2. Design and implementation of database replication strategies for both internal and DR requirements procedures. Determine, implement, and manage database backup and recovery strategies, with focus on PIT recovery
16. Manage DR environment for the reporting servers.
QA/Rollout work:
3. Quality assurance of the database components released to production. Ticket deployments.
Architect work:
4. Enforce DBA standards to all the stored procedure deployed to production.
11. Database modeling and design functions. Create and maintain database ERD diagrams.
SSIS
10. Deploy and support DTS and SSIS packages.
9. Design and manage database import / export processes used to populate test databases and global data marts.
Architect/TeamLead
12. Research problems and recommend corrective actions. Assit management with resource capacity planning
13. Assist OLAP and Data Warehouse environment when assigned.
19. Mentor DBAs of a small team and provide guidance to all the production issues facing the team.
Oddball requirements:
4. Experience with additional RDBMS. (Why?)
17. Prefer background in Microsoft networking. (So, on top of EVERYTHING else, you want me in the network, too?)
VLDB Requirements:
6. Proven experience with SQL Server in VLDB environment.
8. Experience with MS SQL Server DTS with up to 100 terabytes enviroment.
9. Experience with MS SQL Server backup and recovery techniques in a VLDB environment.
Assist management with database and. (This is not a strong recommendation... they can't complete a sentence...)
Working with all Development, QA, BA teams that support these applications (WHAT Applications?)
This line alone would scare me away from the entire process though:
Making sure their group is maintaining the integrity of the production servers in order to maintain optimal performance is their mission critical task. This position was created for a backfill. This backfill will put them at the right amount of head count in order to run their operations effectively.
My personal rephrasing:
Get in there and cleanup your goldbrickers. We've got plenty of headcount according to our paper expectations, it's your job to get the whip and carrot out and get the damned work done from them even if our expectations are bald-faced lies.
The term '10-foot pole' comes to mind here.
Never stop learning, even if it hurts. Ego bruises are practically mandatory as you learn unless you've never risked enough to make a mistake.
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October 29, 2012 at 4:35 am
Thank you, Craig. I was wondering what you'd make of this one.
October 29, 2012 at 7:31 am
Lee Crain (10/26/2012)
I forgot to mention the job description I recently saw for a full-time DBA that said the applicant would have to provide their own laptop.If this trend continues, employees will be required to pay "rent" for the cubicle space they occupy while on the job.
I've got no problem with that, so long as they let me work via VPN from home and don't require my physical presence for anything. Don't need a cubicle, usually don't need to be in the building. Not like I'm sitting in front of the server, using a keyboard, mouse and monitor attached to it.
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October 29, 2012 at 9:18 am
I'm not actually looking for a job, BTW. I'm just posting interesting descriptions.
Here's one that looks reasonable and typical production DBA. At least according to my POV. Would the rest of you agree?
Top 3 Technical Skills:
1. Sound Knowledge on Backups/Restore Process.
2. High Availability – Log Shipping and Mirroring.
3. Familiarity with 3rd Party Tools like Data Domain, LiteSpeed, NetBackup
Good communication skills are very important.
Job Description:
•3-5 years experience as a MS SQL Server DBA in an enterprise environment providing production support.
•Experience with SQL 2005 and SQL 2008.
•Experience in Performing SQL Native Backups, Backups using LiteSpeed.
•Experience in Performing Tape Backup/Restore.
•Must be able to communicate clearly and concisely on Backups Process with Client & Application Team.
•Co-Ordinate with DBAs, TPMs and various teams to make sure the Backup Policy meets the retention policy required for the Application.
•Co-Ordinate with DBAs to make sure the Current backup policy meets the RTO & RPO set by the Application.
•Must have excellent organizational skills and must be detail oriented.
•Must be able to communicate clearly and concisely and be comfortable with client management.
•Must have ability to work under pressure to meet tight delivery timelines.
•Must be quick to adapt to a complex culture with various processes and procedures.
Ability to work well within a team located across geographic locations.
October 29, 2012 at 10:48 am
Everything looks pretty good except for one thing that red flags that job description:
"Must have ability to work under pressure to meet tight delivery timelines."
It reminds me of other job descriptions that say things like "must be able to work in a dynamic, fast paced, high-pressure" environment.
It's been my experience that the companies that post these type of job descriptions are "sweat shops" that ruthlessly demand too much from their employees or management doesn't know how to plan and every day is a scramble. When I've interviewed with them, I've walked away with those opinions confirmed. Their work environments are primarily reactive instead of proactive and they are predisposed not to listen to, or appreciate alternative ideas about to manage their processes.
One of the "already-always" paradigms about I.T., whether it be software engineering or operations, is that work cannot proceed in an orderly, progressive manner that consistently meets deadlines and budgets with people regularly working 40 hour weeks. Instead, the old-school vision still persists in many corporate cultures: that every day work must be a mad race to deliver and/or keep things under control involving lots of overtime to hold things together. Interestingly, my experience with Agile development processes has confirmed the resurgence of this old-school paradigm under a new name.
Ridiculous. I and many other professionals have proven otherwise.
October 29, 2012 at 10:55 am
Lee Crain (10/29/2012)
Everything looks pretty good except for one thing that red flags that job description:"Must have ability to work under pressure to meet tight delivery timelines."
...
It's been my experience that the companies that post these type of job descriptions are "sweat shops" that ruthlessly demand too much from their employees or management doesn't know how to plan and every day is a scramble.
Well, my first question would be "What are you defining as tight delivery timelines?"
I work in an environment that has on-and-off tight deadlines. Sometimes we have them, sometimes we don't. Depending on the job, I can do a tight deadline. But, as you said, sweat shop IT departments are a different story all together.
October 30, 2012 at 8:26 am
Had a phone call from an Agency a while back when I was looking for some contract work. They started off down their shopping list of requirements and I could honestly say yes to all of them. They then came to VLDB work, I said "Yes" "What does VLDB mean?" came the reply "No one else I've spoken to knows". I made my excuses and ended the call.
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October 30, 2012 at 8:41 am
I had a similar experience when someone who listed Integration Services and SSIS on the same job requirements. So I put "SSIS (SQL Server Integration Services)" to get the recruiters attention. It worked. The person in question called me back and during the conversation said "I had no idea what SSIS meant."
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