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Hiring technical staffThere are a lot of challenges associated with people, like you, hiring CNE's, MCSE's, CNA's, etc. The average business owner, faced with the barrage of acronyms and jargon spewed from the mouths of these engineers, will become so overwhelmed that she will anoint the smartest-sounding candidate as a genius, and then hand the keys to the computer room over to this unknown individual. This is not a good thing. The reality is that there are very few real technical geniuses out there. But there ARE a lot of techoids who have mastered a few pieces of software, or who are really good at building databases, or who know how to spell TCP/IP. I've seen more than a few company owners who, because George could write a database application, make some cool macros, assemble a spiffy web page, and fix his file-server, thought that George was a GENIUS. The real geniuses are teaching computer science at U of I or MIT and have their food thrown into their cages by specially trained teaching assistants. Be very glad that you don't have to deal with the REAL geniuses. When you're hiring, you need to be looking for an individual who knows the technology, can implement it, can learn NEW systems, has a good work ethic, and can solve problems. Those problems will likely be ones that he (or she) didn't learn during the CNE exam...but ones that are truly mysterious and frustrating. In addition, they have to be able to deal with other members of their species. Many "demi-geniuses" are fine when they're with other engineers, but lose their patience really fast when they have to interact with actual users who have not achieved their level of enlightenment. Since users are the ones having most of the problems, a healthy respect for them is important. If the individual thinks all users are idiots, can't be trained, and are obstacles on the path to true computer coolness, move on to the next candidate. As for certification, those acronyms that appear on resumes are a guide for minimum qualifications, almost like a college degree in other professions. But they should not be the deciding factor in your decision. In fact, if you find someone who seems like a good problem solver, is a people person, and knows her stuff, don't worry about the certifications. There are lots of companies that make a business of pumping out technicians with the certification du jour. But that piece of paper is hardly a guarantee that they'll be able to fix problems in the real world, or be able to explain the problem and solution to anyone else. I recently read an article by Paul Erling in "Chicago Computer Guide." He recommends that you beware of technicians who are technology bigots. If they are fanatical in their devotion to Windows vs. Apple, NetWare vs. NT, Compaq vs. HP, Word vs. WordPerfect, etc., then this devotion is possibly masking an insecurity about their knowledge of the hated alternative. Their feeling might be that it is better to hate it than to learn it. On the other hand, it might be based on a true understanding of the facts. Regardless, they should be open-minded enough to accept the fact that the alternative product might be useful, might have improved, or might even be better under some circumstances. If someone fanatically or automatically recommends one technology over another, look for another opinion. When you're hiring technical staff, look for the same kinds of things you look for in other workers. You need teamwork, people skills, detail orientation, problem solving abilities, and a goof work ethic. Information technology isn't magic. You don't need certified sorcerers with a secret supply of CNE dust. You need people who understand the technology, and can learn. Don't be blinded by the acronyms or the candidate's ability to speak in tongues.
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