Help Desk Interview - Please Comment

teksource1984

Techies,

I went for my help desk interview with a non profit organization today. It was setup by a recruitment agency.

Anyway, the manager told me that I knew about help desk pretty well and that he really enjoyed having the interview with me, however, he also told me that my experience is light, I have 5 years of help desk experience.

Question: What does he mean that my experience is light ? he also told me that he will let my recruitment agency know by next week and he needs more time to think about it.

Does this mean that I probably won't be getting the job ?

albanga

I dont think 5 years help desk experience is light so it all depends on what you have been doing for 5 years and what help desk role you went for.

If you currently say work in an ISP, answering calls and running through a script of router reboots then this may perhaps be classafied to him as "light" experience.

If the role you have gone for is more desktop support and hands on then yes your experience of that particular role is light.

That being said 5 years is a long time and im sure you know your stuff, so if you interviewed well than you should be confident.

pennystrader

I have never worked on a helpdesk and not sure your employer is doing this but he may have "dropped" this line so that when they offer you the job, they can offer you a lower salary because of your "light" skill-set. I agree with the above posters that 5 years is not light but this may be a tactic for them for offering you lower money because you may not be exactly what they wanted. I am speaking from their viewpoint as I am sure if you are in these forums you are dedicated like the rest of us here at TE to be the best you can be in your field.

fly351

Depends on your experience, were 3-4 of those 5 years on a callcenter/tier1 helpdesk position? Or a full support helpdesk? It also depends on what they are looking for as far as support experience. For example, I have have minimal AD experience. My last system admin job was a full Novell NOS with NDS. So when I interviewed for a helpdesk/very low system admin position, I was told that the lack of AD experience would prohibit me from getting the position.

teksource1984

Well, I have strong Active Directory experience and the manager knows that as well.


I also told him that I was providing help desk / desktop support over the phone, in person and remotely.


I've basically been doing the same job (tier 1) over the past 5 years, however, im not consistent, been with 5 different employers, I think he commented during the interview that this wouldn't be a problem.


He also mentioned that his end user base is ethnically diverse; maybe he thinks that working for fortune 500 corporations don't actually provide working with a diverse end user community?


Perhaps, he didn't like what I wore for the interview, creased khaki's and a solid blue dress shirt ?

Forsaken_GA

any manager that thinks 5 years of help desk is light experience is out of touch with reality. I'm of the opinion that anyone who spends more than 2 consecutive years working on a help desk is lacking in either backbone, ability, or sanity

loxleynew

2 years of helpdesk tier 1 is all you need before moving up to tier 2-3 I would say... I got lucky and moved up at 6 months of doing tier 1. I mean really how much more of plug this in or reset their password can you take? Does it really take 5 years to learn that? lol.

What is the job description of the job you interviewed for?

CompuTron99

IMO.. If you get a second interview before any kind of offer, I would ask what he meant by "lite".

teksource1984

Here is the job description:




[FONT=&quot]General Objectives: Through analysis and problem solving, provide timely, quality technical phone and in person support with a high degree of customer satisfaction for all employees and identified customers. Provide accurate, timely, quality resolution to issues related to computers, access, software and identified supported products/systems. If you are highly customer service oriented, enjoy work in a fast paced and changing environment, take initiative, have strong troubleshooting skills and strong communication skills please apply. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Principal Duties and Responsibilities:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1. Troubleshoots network, software, and hardware issues while clearly communicating with customers and offering excellent customer service.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]2. Actively participates as a team member of the TS support group, collaborating with other team members and staff to provide timely, professional solutions to user problems ensuring problem resolution that meets or exceeds customer expectations.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]3. Researches, resolves, and responds to support requests received via telephone calls, electronic mail, printed requests, walk-ups, or escalations, and provides resolution utilizing current TS tools according to established standards.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]4. Acquires and maintains knowledge of relevant product offerings, current support policies, and methods of support delivery, in order to provide technically accurate and timely solutions to customers.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]5. Documents customer interactions and authors technical procedures and training materials.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]6. Is aware of and follows policies and procedures, including the electronic communication policy and code of ethics. Applies appropriate judgment to ensure ethical standards in work.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]7. Provide customers timely, professional, quality technical solutions for network connectivity, operating system, application, and hardware problems.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]8. Develop and provide technical coaching and support to other help desk and Technology Services employees.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]9. Lead or participate in team projects that enhance the quality or efficiency of support.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]10. Occasionally provide support during off-hours, on-call and pager support, or work another shift as needed.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]11. Perform other duties as assigned.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Desired Qualifications: 4-year technical degree in a computer related field or the equivalent in work experience required. 2+ years of experience providing help desk telephone support required. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]A solid understanding of the desktop computing environment, including but not limited to Windows XP and Vista(Security, standalone & networked, network protocols, file and print services), MS Office Products 2003-2007 (Word, Excel, Access, Outlook, Project) and a basic understanding of client-server configuration and related components required. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]An understanding of LAN/WAN/VPN concepts and the ability to troubleshoot problems that could be a result of networking issues. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Experience with VOIP (Voice Over IP) phone system, video-teleconferencing equipment and Blackberry/PDA support.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Previous experience providing customer support to a geographically, socially and ethnically diverse customer base over the phone and in-person. Strong analytical skills supported by a solid understanding of both business and technical processes and priorities. The ability to manage projects and contribute as a team member is required. Strong verbal and written communication skills. Ability to adapt to a changing environment. Experience in handling difficult or sensitive situations and confidential information. Proven effectiveness and ease in a multi-cultural environment.[/FONT]





And here is my resume




xxxxxxxxxxxx Jan 2009 - Jan 2010
Computer Support Specialist / Help Desk
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Active Directory / SMS Server administration
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Supported Microsoft Office 2007/ 2003
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Provided Technical Support via phone / remote connection
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Experience supporting desktops / laptops / Local Area Network
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Experience supporting 2000 + end users; 35+ tickets per day
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Extensively work Outlook, Excel, Word, Powerpoint
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Remote tool: Dameware
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Inventory control of laptops and desktops on SharePoint site

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx July 2008 – October 2008
Technical Support (3 Month Assignment)
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Responsible for an IT end user base of 250+ users in different states / time zones (delivered support via remote, in person, and over the phone)
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Performed basic to intermediate Microsoft Active Directory administration / performance monitor queries and tasks
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Supported Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook common issues and fixes
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Diagnosed network connectivity issues / remote networking / VPN support
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Diagnosed slow workstations, memory, hard drive failures, domain issues, etc.
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Active Directory / SMS Server administration
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Remote tool: Windows, some Citrix

xxxxxx February 2007 – February 2008
Help Desk – Tier 2 (One Year Contract)
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Supported over 3,000 users, workstations, desktops, laptops (on a 7 member team of Help Desk Specialists)
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Diagnosed & troubleshot internet and network connectivity
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Organized, tracked and monitored customer requests via Siebel ticketing system
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Delivered technical support via phone, in person, and remotely
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Resolved PC hardware/software issues Notes

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx June 2006 – December 2006
IT Analyst – Onsite and Remote Support (6 Month Contract)
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Provided desktop support/technical support to over 300 users in xxxx
facility
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Experience managing Active Directory user accounts, group policy, permissions, passwords, etc.
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Worked with internal groups: IT, vendors, operations, etc.
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Solved Microsoft Office 2003 on applications such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx June 2004 – February 2005
Help Desk Analyst 1
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Experience working in a corporate IT/Help Desk environment answering tickets via email and telephone (via the Remedy software suite)
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Diagnosed Internet/Network connectivity of Local Area Networks and supported Lotus Notes

loxleynew

Sounds like you have the right stuff for the job. Not sure what they mean by lite as that makes no sense. As per job description sounds like a typical tier 2 support position.