i wonder if i'll ever get another job in this valley

[rone]

(Before you panic, i am still gainfully employed and have no reason to doubt this will continue for a while.)

I was recently contacted by a recruiter who found my résumé on the Web.  The dotcom's job req began: "You're smart, you're fast, and most importantly, you always get it done.  Admit it, you're a rockstar."

I had to suppress the urge to backhand my craptop's screen.  So instead i wrote this and asked the recruiter to pass it onto the responsible party:

This is embarrassing.  I wouldn't hire someone who calls himself "a rockstar" any more than i'd want to work somewhere that looks for one.  It sets the wrong tone for this sort of work, implying that this person is going to hog the spotlight. The only worse term i can imagine is "cowboy".

You know what?  Systems administration is hard work, and it gets harder every day.  Companies want you to know at least a bit of everything and to be awesome at something.  The line between network and systems administration has blurred, and the line between DBA and sysadmin is blurring as well.  Staying current is a tough chore, especially when you've been working all day.  So spare me your "rockstars" because the last thing i need is to deal with some strung-out narcissist with root access.

Comments

BAD epithet! No cookie!

[madmerle.livejournal.com]

I have also seen this boilerplate, and not just for sysadmin positions. Never blew my skirts up either...

Damn straight sysad work is hard. I'm a Tier-1 in a SMALL company and although I feel I've ingested a colossal amount of information in the past 9.5 months, I still know I've only seen the tip of the iceberg. Hell even the sysads who've been there 5 years confess they don't know *everything*, and yes all those lines you mention are definitely blurred, at least from what I've seen in my limited experience.

We wear many hats and those who depend on us often expect us to A) work miracles, B) work them in "Scotty-time" (faster than light speed), and C) work many miracles simultaneously, as if we had 5 clones with eight arms and 3 heads each. Oh, and don't forget the kick me sign attached to your back. Does that sound descriptive of what most people would think of as a "rockstar"? Mmmm... i think not...

I'm also a HUGE believer that a good Ops team is worth its weight in gold. A team who knows the objective is never self-glorification, but quality support and improvement of service for the good of all involved, possibly beyond.

:)