PC tech being asked to do more than able.

[bb_wolfe]

What is the name of your state? South Dakota

I work for an organization that hired me as a PC support technician. I repair PC's, help with troubleshooting, etc. Before this I was a consultant to companies who ran classified websites. I did media buys for Google AdWords for these companies as part of my duties. Not exactly Search Engine Optimization, but rather web marketing. I was given a budget and keywords, and I bought the ads.

Now, my company is buying a new website from a 3rd party and they have limited funds, so they asked the IT department if anyone had experience with SEO. My boss indicated I had. SO they bring me into a meeting and ask about blogs and SEO. I tell them I've never blogged and
that SEO is a big business that other companies specialize in. They said "isn't it in your job description?" I said, "no, it's not".

A day later they bring me into a meeting and say that it is now in fact part of my job description, and I will do it or be fired. I didn't say anything about money, but had they offered a raise, I would have accepted. Instead, I left feeling like WTF just happened.

I'm not trained in marketing, SEO, or anything like that. Can they now demand that I do it or fire me?

I'm up for learning, but that takes a lot of time and they won't pay for a class/course so I'm kind of at a loss.

Do I have any rights outside of getting my resume ready? FWIW, I'm looking for a new job tonight, but in case they don't wait that long, I wanted to throw this one out.

 

[ecmst12]

Not fair, but they're perfectly within their rights to fire you and hire someone who knows how to do what they want.

 

[HomeGuru]

What is the name of your state? South Dakota

I work for an organization that hired me as a PC support technician. I repair PC's, help with troubleshooting, etc. Before this I was a consultant to companies who ran classified websites. I did media buys for Google AdWords for these companies as part of my duties. Not exactly Search Engine Optimization, but rather web marketing. I was given a budget and keywords, and I bought the ads.

Now, my company is buying a new website from a 3rd party and they have limited funds, so they asked the IT department if anyone had experience with SEO. My boss indicated I had. SO they bring me into a meeting and ask about blogs and SEO. I tell them I've never blogged and
that SEO is a big business that other companies specialize in. They said "isn't it in your job description?" I said, "no, it's not".

A day later they bring me into a meeting and say that it is now in fact part of my job description, and I will do it or be fired. I didn't say anything about money, but had they offered a raise, I would have accepted. Instead, I left feeling like WTF just happened.

I'm not trained in marketing, SEO, or anything like that. Can they now demand that I do it or fire me?

I'm up for learning, but that takes a lot of time and they won't pay for a class/course so I'm kind of at a loss.

Do I have any rights outside of getting my resume ready? FWIW, I'm looking for a new job tonight, but in case they don't wait that long, I wanted to throw this one out.

**A: there is abundant information on the subject online and in books. You could learn the stuff outside of work.

 

[Beth3]

What is the name of your state? South Dakota

I work for an organization that hired me as a PC support technician. I repair PC's, help with troubleshooting, etc. Before this I was a consultant to companies who ran classified websites. I did media buys for Google AdWords for these companies as part of my duties. Not exactly Search Engine Optimization, but rather web marketing. I was given a budget and keywords, and I bought the ads.

Now, my company is buying a new website from a 3rd party and they have limited funds, so they asked the IT department if anyone had experience with SEO. My boss indicated I had. SO they bring me into a meeting and ask about blogs and SEO. I tell them I've never blogged and
that SEO is a big business that other companies specialize in. They said "isn't it in your job description?" I said, "no, it's not".

A day later they bring me into a meeting and say that it is now in fact part of my job description, and I will do it or be fired. I didn't say anything about money, but had they offered a raise, I would have accepted. Instead, I left feeling like WTF just happened.

I'm not trained in marketing, SEO, or anything like that. Can they now demand that I do it or fire me?

I'm up for learning, but that takes a lot of time and they won't pay for a class/course so I'm kind of at a loss.

Do I have any rights outside of getting my resume ready? FWIW, I'm looking for a new job tonight, but in case they don't wait that long, I wanted to throw this one out.

They can demand that you take over the accounting function if they want to. Making stupid business decisions is not against the law.

While I know you're not pleased with the situation, you just might want to take a step back and decide if you're up to the challenge and the learning curve. This might be a golden opportunity to enhance your abilities and knowledge that could lead to a bigger, better job elsewhere down the road. Getting thrown into the deep end of the pool on a project can be daunting (I've been there) but it can also prove to be a tremendous career experience.

 

[Betty]

In at-will employment whatever you are asked to do (as long as it isn't illegal) you are required to do or you can be terminated.

It's your decision whether you want to learn on your own how to do the work & give the job a try or not.