Employers asking for too much...

[Phrass]

A very simple explanation for these crazy ads that we sometimes see is this:

In many companies, the HR department is responsible for recruitment, and handles the posting of job ads etc. They are supposed to work with the managers whose departments are seeking to fill the positions, but sometimes, beaurocracy and politics messes up the communication, and badly constructed (and badly worded) job ads get put in the paper.

Unfortunately, some HR departments don't have a clue.

true that.. an half the time the job title sounds good but it's not even near to what you'll be doing or being paid for

[BlackCryptoKnight]

when I spoke with HR they told me about the any “other duties” clause.

They should outlaw this clause. Too many employers use it as an excuse not to properly resource their departments.

I didn’t mind the extra work, even though I wasn’t being paid for it I gained a lot of experience and my resume shined.

That's right! It benefits you, but it ultimately hurts the organization. When you leave, they will be hard-pressed to find someone who can perform at the level you did when you left. Sometimes, it is only at that point when employers hire 2 or 3 persons to do the work, as they should have done long before...

A friend of mine (just turn manager) did the same thing when he was hiring somebody to fill his old position. He told me that he wanted somebody who could function as the Network Admin/Programmer/whatever in case one of his staff was sick for a day or two.

Why is it that in this day and age, non-IT managers are not expected to perform line-staff duties, yet IT managers are expected to perform sysadmin/programmer/networkadmin/helpdesk functions? People can't see the silliness in that approach?

true that.. an half the time the job title sounds good but it's not even near to what you'll be doing or being paid for

Yeah, because the people constructing the ad don't have a clue about what IT jobs are really about. Some have old outdated Job descriptions which don't take into account changes in technology, or even more importantly, changes in the business and its needs and goals.

[RachieBabie]

BCK....
I disagree with ur point about non-IT managers not being expected to do line-staff duties... it couldnt be farther from the truth for hotel/marketing/restaurant+bar/ and other such hospitality fields. no matter how high up u are in ranks, its expected u will get into the grit of things wen things tite etc... if u dnt u are not admired for it.

and ye... that other duties clause should reeeeeeeli be outlawed, permanently. no-one should be expected to sign on or any kind of job/contract with the open notion tht something else just may come up, which u will be obligatorily expected to deal with..just bcawz of tht clause

and certainly the HR dept does need to spend more time preparing proper job ads... but even more so.. the dept heads need to properly prepare job descriptions and duties, as well as requirements in order to effectively guide the HR team

but still, even tho its not accepted or acceptable, businesses will operate in their own sense of perceived efficiencies and profit maximization. afterall, they are in the biz to fatten the pockets of the one in charge of it all

[BlackCryptoKnight]

BCK....
I disagree with ur point about non-IT managers not being expected to do line-staff duties... it couldnt be farther from the truth for hotel/marketing/restaurant+bar/ and other such hospitality fields. no matter how high up u are in ranks, its expected u will get into the grit of things wen things tite etc... if u dnt u are not admired for it.

I stand corrected. However, there is a situation which frequently plagues IT departments whereby there is a problem with separation of duties. Separation of duties just means that you have different individuals assigned to do different functions so as to minimize the risk of fraud and also to prevent the single point of failure problem. Many IT departments just don't do separation of duties very well. It comes up in IT audits constantly. IT projects fail because of it (limited resources loaded up with too much work). One such manifestation of it is when IT managers are writing code, administering networks, and helping people to print - and this isn't even just when things get tight, this is the norm in many environments. When an IT manager is doing all of this, what time is there to do management things like:

1. Motivate your team.
2. Deal with team HR issues.
3. Manage your department's budget
4. Develop/implement your department's strategic plan
5. any other management stuff

[RachieBabie]

1. Motivate your team.
2. Deal with team HR issues.
3. Manage your department's budget
4. Develop/implement your department's strategic plan
5. any other management stuff

truss mi tho..... all those apply str8 cross da board..... but i can certainly say the newer breed of management should b able to tackle these a lot better. the traditional managers/ management teams... irrespective of dept/ industry needs to get sum refresher courses. and some are waaay to strict an by the book (which is usualy a very old book indeed).

[Ghetto_Nerd]

That's right! It benefits you, but it ultimately hurts the organization. When you leave, they will be hard-pressed to find someone who can perform at the level you did when you left. Sometimes, it is only at that point when employers hire 2 or 3 persons to do the work, as they should have done long before...

That’s the fortunate/unfortunate situation. 6 months after I left the company I was still receiving a salary as a consultant, as they hired 3 new persons who knew diddle squat about the customize UNIX system they had. All because I wanted a pay increase and they refuse to give it to me.

[BlackCryptoKnight]

That’s the fortunate/unfortunate situation. 6 months after I left the company I was still receiving a salary as a consultant, as they hired 3 new persons who knew diddle squat about the customize UNIX system they had. All because I wanted a pay increase and they refuse to give it to me.

Ah so it go. Those who can't hear will feel.

Morale of the story: Take staff retention seriously.

[DigitHead]

Same thing in the US "unrealistic" expectations

[Yung_Jah]

What does CCIE stands for and what is it all about?

[recursion]

What does CCIE stands for and what is it all about?

http://www.google.com.jm/search?q=CCIE