Even in this economy, hiring someone is a challenge

Believe me, I sympathize with both sides - I own my own server management company in addition to my manager's job and I have to constantly "apply" for work on a daily basis.

I came from Corporate IT where I made a 6 figure salary. After all the lay offs I had to completely re-invent myself, my expectations and my budget to start my company and also take on a gig that pays barely above minimum wage.

What's surprising is that even though I make a fraction of what I made in corporate IT, I swear we are better off financially. Working from home, as an indy contractor w/ the deductions (standard, nothing creative) and we actually have more money each month than we did when I was living in hotels constantly. I never realized how much I was spending on dry cleaning, Starbucks, taxi's, eating out every meal - even with an expense account I calculated almost 45,000 dollars in un-reimbursed expenses my last 2 years in Corp and that's not counting all the extras that were never expended.

I know how it feels to have every employer ask you how much you want and know that on one hand if I tell them my last salary was 100k+ they won't consider me (afraid I'll leave to pursue a better gig) and wanting them to know how much my skills and education are worth.

A lot of us need to reinvent ourselves even if it means swallowing pride and being willing to work 20 hour days here and there if needed. (I'm working 4-5 per week doing all my "jobs" and trying to help make the company I'm managing a lot more successful with new projects).

Originally posted by ecoparity
I'm currently working as the support manager / system operations manager for a medium sized hosting company.

For a couple of months now, I've been trying to hire remote support techs. (Online work from home, basic linux skills required - Bash shell command line, US resident).

edit on 19-10-2011 by ecoparity because: spelling errors

Well they get further than I would because a lot of people (ME, for one) don't respond to work from home because a lot of times they are scams and/or they want your info to use it for credit fraud, etc.

PS. I will be doing Linux next semester...so then I will have some schooling in it...I would be happy to do it for some experience creds.

reply to post by ldyserenity


Well, I'm not advertising via email or craigslist or Monster - mostly we post ads on hosting industry forums where remote support techs who work from home are very common / standard. It's one of the few genuine telecommute jobs (so are call center phone workers, telephone sales and yes, 900 number "operators").

Unfortunately not just anyone can do it, you do have to have a very specific set of skills and the ability to work weird hours and deal with people you'd prefer to shoot than assist.

reply to post by ecoparity


Out of curiosity not to derail did you do freelance while you were corporate? I struck out on my own at the start of the year with no prior freelance experience only corporate. Looking back I feel that my poor little start-up was doomed to burn from the get go. Thinking perhaps I should have brought on some pros for the managing and pr stuff and concentrated on the heavy lifting.

reply to post by ecoparity


I will be able to do the hours, I won't be finished with Linux though until probably in March, but like I said I need some experience so any pay would be great because it's really the experience I am looking for. I don't really know what all your req's are though, I have been attending school now for IT Admin. since March 2010 and have a high GPA. I am quick and I keep weird hours and I also dealt with the public all my life as a cashier in retail since I was 16, bad customers are something I deal with constantly when I had a job.

Originally posted by afroPunk
reply to post by ecoparity

 

Out of curiosity not to derail did you do freelance while you were corporate? I struck out on my own at the start of the year with no prior freelance experience only corporate. Looking back I feel that my poor little start-up was doomed to burn from the get go. Thinking perhaps I should have brought on some pros for the managing and pr stuff and concentrated on the heavy lifting.

My first IT job was as a web developer and project manager for a global telecom company. The software I worked with there led to a niche I was able to get into that turned out to be very lucrative due to the demand for skilled architects and a lack of experienced people in the industry.

After that round of lay offs I worked as a consultant for several "temp" agencies - Computer Science Corp, Compuware, etc. I worked for quite a few different industries in 6-12 month contracts, built my base salary up from 50k to 100k and became an "Information Architect".

Eventually I was recruited by the major software company who built the applications I worked with the most. I ended up doing exactly the same thing I'd been doing as an indy consultant. Only now I was an employee and the clients were much larger corporations and the projects very high profile.

After 10+ years of living out of a suitcase and my youngest child being "afraid" of me when I came home on my once per month, 48 hour visits because she didn't really know who I was I said to hell with this. When the lay offs came this time I put myself in for separation from the company. I had enough saved to live on for a year and wanted to find something else to do.

I'd rather take less money and be able to see my kids every day. Even if I'm busy working at home it's still "home" and I can stop and play with them anytime I feel like it. It beats being a 1000 miles or more away and having to settle for a phone call. Starting a business right now is tough but the only way out of this recession / early term depression is to return to small business providers. We need to rebuild the "village economies" and support local suppliers. Local suppliers need to work smarter and pioneer sustainable, green solutions.

Wall street and Silicon Valley could drop off the face of the Earth and we could still take 100, 1000 or a million people and built a sustainable, self supporting economy where we'd be much better off financially, health-wise and ecologically. If you can maintain hope and resolution there is ALWAYS a solution. It might take time, effort or imagination but there is always a way out...

reply to post by ldyserenity


The techs I'm looking for would be on 40 hour work schedules with flexibility to split shifts and work different schedules on different days if needed / wanted. We can find a schedule to fit most anyone's needs.

I'm looking for basic linux command line skills. You should know the basic shell commands, how to use SSH and be somewhat familiar with how web servers work. I'll provide the training for everything you need with documented how to's w/ screenshots and copy / paste Linux commands when needed. We've built custom web apps that allow our techs to manage things easily and perform a lot of work with 1 click. We use a centralized SSH server so you only need 1 login to connect to all the various servers for SSH. Most of the work will be using online apps - cPanel, SolusVM, WHMCS - all easy and you don't have to have experience w/ any of them to start.

We're looking to take level 1-2 support techs and train them to be solid level 2-3. If you have the base linux skills shoot me a PM and we'll set up a phone interview. We need to hire someone before the end of next week.

I'd really like it if we found someone from ATS. That would be really cool.

reply to post by ecoparity

Seeing as how you are hoping to recruit someone (I don't seriously expect you could or would hire a European residnt), what does this job pay? Per hour or per month. You also must realise that a lot of people might already have the skills necessary so the promise of "an education" to level 2 or 3 might not mean much to everyone here. If you want a school-leaver then I can imagine its not something suitable for everyone.

reply to post by afroPunk

I did the freelance thing (pure by luck) for 9 months. It paid 9000+ a month or so, which qualified me for the 51% tax bracket. Due to the job being far away (4-5 hours travel each day, home to work and back) I was more or less forced to eat out every night as getting home so late and then having to prepare a meal and clean up afterwards was just a no go. After the freelance thing it seemed like no regular employer would touch me. Almost 3 years down the line now, all that extra money has gone on nothing but living costs. Unemployment benefit/Social security is a minimum wage type of thing here so I have burnt all that (extra) money on rent for a property I cannot afford but also cannot leave quickly.

PS I have never had the money to afford my own house, ever. Most regular jobs paying as little as possible. Now I have the undiluted pleasure of informing my rental company that I cannot pay the rent next month. I imagine eviction from this property with possibly police/bailiff force will not be long in the waiting. I did the best I could and guess what, it never seemed to be enough. Currently I cannot afford to turn on heating or use too much electricity so confine myself to a solitary and cold existence in the hope I qualify for social housing. Time will tell, but winter is fast approaching and I need to sit in the house fully clothed, coat and blanket wrapped around me to stop shiverring. Its 12 C outside and about the same inside. It drops to almost freezing at night. Ain't life just a beach?