First IT Interview / Rosetta Stone / Product Support Specialist

xD Lucas

Does anyone have any experience with Rosetta Stone? I have a phone interview tomorrow (or Thursday) for an IT position of Product Support Specialist, and was curious as to whether anyone would know what I should expect. I've read some interview experiences via Glassdoor, but none of them were for the position in which I've applied.

Note: I applied for the exact position in April, 2015, and was quickly denied. I completed my MTA in May, 2015, and after applying again, they've returned my call. People say the MTA doesn't amount to much, but that's all I needed was an interview, and it paid off.

xD Lucas

Okay, I had a phone interview today and they emailed me about an hour later asking that I come meet them in person for a second interview tomorrow. After doing some research, I'm looking in the $20/hour range, but the starting shift is second shift. I'm not big on second shift, but the pay more than makes up for it.

Either way, I'm sure I'll have an update after the interview tomorrow.

chanakyajupudi

Best of luck!

xD Lucas

I had a panel interview today, and I think it went extremely well. I got drilled by an engineer with technical questions, followed by two supervisors, and finally a manager. Overall, I believe I had a good rapport with all of them. We talked about everything from football to the deer I hit last year. It's a good environment, and I hope to get the call back soon with good news.

xD Lucas

As I mentioned, it's a good environment, and I want to work there, but at this point, I'm not sure if I can.

I received an offer for employment today, but it was much lower than expected. According to another website, the same position at the same center had them earning over $40K per year. I was offered approximately $26K.

I countered, but I'm currently employed looking at a raise in August. I'm not in a hurry to accept a low offer.

srabiee

"Product Support Specialist" doesn't really mean anything to me. What are the specific job duties? Almost sounds like phone-based tech support to me.

Also, $26,000 is quite a low salary for an IT position, especially in a state like VA.

Do you happen to have a college degree?

If the job happens to be entry-level, in-bound technical support, then either:

a) Use it to get your foot in the door, accrue a bit of experience, and gain leverage to land a higher paying position elsewhere, or....
b) RUN the other way and keep looking for something better. From my personal experience, these low-paying, phone-support IT jobs are dead end soul suckers.

I could be wrong though. Can you post the actual job description and responsibilities?

xD Lucas

Job Profile Summary
* Leveraging customer service experience and technical knowledge to provide world-class, friendly support over chat, phone, tickets, and social media channels
* Use intermediate knowledge of Windows XP/Vista/Windows 7&8(8.1) to troubleshoot hardware and develop a plan for continual growth and knowledge of these systems
* Develop a basic knowledge or continue to build upon knowledge of internet technology, mobile devices, and Mac OS X systems (desire to learn is required, previous experience or knowledge is preferred)
* Work closely with customers with the ability to interact with each comfortably and fluently
* Develop a strong understanding of Rosetta Stones’ internal tracking system and use for interaction with various departments within the company

Responsibility Qualifications
* Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent years of experience – most importantly, you have an excitement for learning more and realize there are always new technologies and processes to learn – this excites you!
* Computer savvy to use and even make recommendations around systems and processes in place
* Strong work ethic and excellent attendance – you have a passion for what you are doing and are not satisfied unless you have given it your best shot
* Customer Service or Technical Support experience – you understand the power of quality customer service and strive solve whatever problem/issue you can
* Ability to troubleshoot with a calm sense of urgency the both reassures the customers and resolves the issue quickly
* Previous experience providing customer chat support is a plus.
* Your services will include order management queries, light technical remediation so some technical proficiency/aptitude is required, and general “how to” questions within the solution. You yourself will become a user of our products!
* Other duties as assigned.

When I had the interview, they stated it was a tier 2 phone-based technical support position. I have a college degree in a different field, but have some experience in IT; communications, specifically.

The problem I have is that they have a requirement for a bachelors degree, but offer such a low salary. Frankly, it makes me hesitant to proceed in the process. As I mentioned, I did counter, so they could make up for it.

srabiee

I share your concerns. A bachelors degree requirement for an IT position with such low pay, throws up a lot of red flags. Plus, IMO, a purely phone-based tech support role really sucks. If you're anything like me, you will hate your life after 6 months.

I would keep looking.

xD Lucas

srabiee wrote: »

I share your concerns. A bachelors degree requirement for an IT position with such low pay, throws up a lot of red flags. Plus, IMO, a purely phone-based tech support role really sucks. If you're anything like me, you will hate your life after 6 months.

I would keep looking.

Well, the problem I'm having now is that I'm currently a Corrections Officer. Do you want to talk about hating life? That's all I see is the negative aspect of life.

The IT position at hand, while is phone-based technical support, it's a Monday-Friday, weekends and holidays off, position. I'll reconsider my situation if they can meet my salary requirements. If not, there is no point in even having this discussion.

markulous

Ah, so this is your first IT job? I'm guessing it's quite a step down in pay from a CO? I know you aren't supposed to be picky, but I think you can get a bit more money, especially if the area you're in has a high cost of living.

xD Lucas

No, I worked in technical support about five years ago, then got a job in corrections for a better salary. If they can match my pay, I'll go, but they're not even close right now. Frankly, I think it's a low-ball offer.

markulous

I'd probably move on to somewhere else then if they are going to pay that low. You can get an interview somewhere else with better pay. Although, be prepared to answer why you switched careers and now want to go back.

xD Lucas

I never received a response to my counter, so I emailed human resources. I received a response nearly 20 minutes later saying "We don't currently have any flexibility with the Product Support Specialist position, and it's a fairly entry-level position with the company." I responded saying, "I interviewed for the Product Support Specialist II position. Is that also at $13 per hour? Online resources show that current employees at the same location for the exact same position are earning much more."

I haven't received a response. I believe they're going to be hard-pressed to find an IT graduate jumping on a $13 per hour position.

scaredoftests

A tech 2 position with that low a salary? Pooh on them.

xD Lucas

Well, I haven't gotten a response from them which indicates one of two options; (a) they've moved on in hiring another candidate that won't question them about the low pay or (b) they're doing research as to which job I actually interviewed for. I know which job I interviewed for, but I'm hoping there was a breakdown in communication somewhere within the company.

Mow

You mentioned you're in corrections, have you tried state IT jobs? Since you're in the state system already, I think you would keep your seniority, etc if you move to another position. At least, that's how it works here, I believe.

xD Lucas

I'm one of the few that don't want to work for the state anymore. Their salaries are typically lower than the private sector and they don't keep up with the cost of living.

Mow

I get that. I just thought it might be an easier get for you, in order to build up almighty experience.

xD Lucas

Well, they haven't responded, and frankly, I think they ended up going with someone else that would be willing to work for virtually nothing. I completely understand I'll have to possibly take a pay cut in the future to "get my foot in the door," but I can't take that much of a cut. If they would offer $15 per hour, I could manage, struggling, but manage. You have to sacrifice to make it sometimes.

At this point, I've not even motivated to want to work for them. They're really left a bad taste in my mouth, and it's not even really the pay. It's the fact that their HR department failed to keep in contact in potentially hiring a new employee. What else does that say about the company?

markulous

It's likely they have moved on. Either the job itself isn't very technical and/or they just wanted wanted to underpay someone. I wouldn't worry about it. You can find something better. Keep plugging away at your certs and trying to apply.

xD Lucas

I'm not too worried about it. Of course, I wish it worked out, but it's all good.