Firedog Interview

jryantech

Well Circuit City lives up to its stereotype for having sales people behind the counter of the Firedog desk.

My Interview was 45 seconds long...

I will sum it up:

Interviewer: "Hi [My name] I'm [His Name], I'll be your first interviewer. What position did you apply for?"

(Boy did I want to say "THE POSITION I APPLIED FOR ON THE APPLICATION!!")

Me: "Hello [His Name], I applied for the Firedog PC Technician opening."

Interviewer: "Ok well [Managers Name] needs to set up a second interview with you, so he will call you, also you most likely will start off on the sales floor for 2 months is that ok?"

Me: "Yeah sure that sounds great."

Then he ended the interview right there...

Anyone else ever had a interview like this before? : :

astorrs

That's ridiculous! Talk about wasting peoples time... The job of the first interviewer must be like that of a skill testing question - to confirm it's not a monkey applying for the job.

Too bad they didn't implement this years ago before they hired the rest of the staff.

undomiel

In my experience when searching for entry level jobs sadly this type of situation is the rule not the exception. Don't let it get you down jryantech, just be ready to wow on the interview with the manager!

Kasor

They don't want a PC Tech... They need a sale on the floor or that guy just want to get you off his radar... Maybe that guys want to hook up his buddy... U know it happened all the time.

Did you try Geek Squard.?

jryantech

Geeksquad is almost like Firedog... You put your application online and they will call you whenever, it's basically luck to get an interview.

I went to all my local Best Buys & Circuit Citys and all of the managers I asked for told me to apply online. Most if not all said they were not hiring as of now.

Geeksquad in my opinion has a better image then Firedog, but I got to take whatever I can get.

dynamik

They want to make sure you're good at sales before they move you to a tech position. Once they move you there, selling AV, utilities, etc. to the customer is going to be half of your job.

jryantech

I don't have a problem doing sales for a few months at all, it will allow me to gain a few more certifications. But I just posted because they basically wasted my time with a 45 second "interview" if thats what you can even call it.

Aldur

I just don't have what it takes to do sales, I've tried to do sales before but it just wasn't my personality. But you gotta do what ya gotta do to get exp in the IT field.

dynamik

jryantech wrote:

I don't have a problem doing sales for a few months at all, it will allow me to gain a few more certifications. But I just posted because they basically wasted my time with a 45 second "interview" if thats what you can even call it.

It's not just a few months. You have to sell once you get the tech position. That's why they make sure you're good at that before they put you there.

Are you really prepared to tell some sweet little grandma that she really needs an $89 upgrade/utility/etc. for her machine to run better when that's really not true? I couldn't do it. I think there's a reason why the manager of that department at my local Best Buy looks like an inmate.

jryantech

dynamik wrote:

jryantech wrote:

I don't have a problem doing sales for a few months at all, it will allow me to gain a few more certifications. But I just posted because they basically wasted my time with a 45 second "interview" if thats what you can even call it.

It's not just a few months. You have to sell once you get the tech position. That's why they make sure you're good at that before they put you there.

Are you really prepared to tell some sweet little grandma that she really needs an $89 upgrade/utility/etc. for her machine to run better when that's really not true? I couldn't do it. I think there's a reason why the manager of that department at my local Best Buy looks like an inmate.

Lol!

Unless a manager was right there next to me I would never make a unnecessary recommendation, actually even if he was I would turn to him and say "Well what do you think?" so he has to make the move

I mean I looked around the Circuit City today and the prices were just horrible... I mean come on TigerDirect and Newegg just smash these stores...

So basically no matter what I sell I'm lying right of the bat because I should be recommending to go online and buy whatever it is!

dynamik

I'm pretty sure they track your sales, and you'd probably feel pressure without a manager standing next to you. Those places are shady. They're interested in selling things, not helping people.

jryantech

dynamik wrote:

I'm pretty sure they track your sales, and you'd probably feel pressure without a manager standing next to you. Those places are shady. They're interested in selling things, not helping people.

Very true.

I just really have limited choices for an entry level job being in college because Help Desks/Call Center/Tech Supports normally require huge flexibility and have garbage shifts like 10am-7pm, 11am-8pm and 12pm-9pm. I just can't deal with that until I'm out of school.

Maybe I'll send my resume to the $11 an hour with a free LA Fitness membership company. If I'm the only applicant for a period of time, I'm bound to get that interview!!

Daniel333

Just like Geek Squad was. Sadly, get in and get out. They are not interested in earning customers or employees for life, just the quick sale. So your skills are not a factor in their hiring.

Anonymouse

I applied for Firedog a few years ago before I had an A+ or even knew anything about computers. A manager went and grabbed a Firedog tech and they took me into some room in the back and grilled me about how I would troubleshoot and fix specific problems. I didn't know what to say lol. They ended up wanting to give me a second interview because I had a year previous retail experience before that. I ended up taking a paper pusher desk job for a little more money.

I've interviewed for Geeksquad twice before. Once was to be an in-store tech, those ones are bullshit. Low pay and they expected me to help out around the store. I was told by the person interviewing me that I would rarely ever work on computers. Second time I applied I was called into the district office for an in-home tech position. There really wasn't an interview, the guy sat me in front of a computer and had me take a test that was hard compared to taking the A+. I totally failed that. Sadly the desktop support contract I'm working right now is coming to an end and I'm scrambling for a new job, I got a call today and scheduled another interview to be in in-home Geeksquad tech...hard time finding a job nowadays haha.