What to expect from a SharePoint job position.

Question

What can I expect from a "SharePoint" job? I have an offer from a company which is into SharePoint development. I'm wondering whether it is only about configuring standard SharePoint widgets or whether it is also about real development and programming. What are your experiences with SharePoint?

Answer 1

Without additional context, this could be anything from end-user training to minor site customization, to webpart creation and configuration, to custom workflow development. It could even be system administration with backup and recovery planning and execution. If you'd prefer to do a more narrow aspect (as I suspect most everyone would), I would try to get more clarification from the hiring managers. One of the SharePoint dangers is that it's a humongous product and not all managers know how big it really is and that one person can't really be an expert in everything. You risk being asked to be all things to everyone if this isn't pinned down a little more. If they're unwilling to narrow the scope of the job, then you might raise your eyebrows and think harder about this position.

Answer 2

Lots of pain :)

It really depends on what the company needs from its Sharepoint site. If it's simple site provisioning, using the built-in templates, you'll have an easy time of it. For more complex work such as non-trivial workflows, you'll end up doing a lot of custom programming, and here's where the pain starts - and don't get me started on testing and deployment!

Answer 3

The question is, do they even know. I mean, I have seen companies that just say "WE NEED SHAREPOINT". Then, you tell them what it is, and they are like "YES, ALL OF THAT". These are the companies that are a b**** to contract for.

So, if it was me, I would find out the job specs (in detail) first. Could be a great gig, or could be the worst job in history (not an exageration).