Desktop Support Interview Thursday

I know this has been a topic in many threads before but most of those threads got very few usful answers in them.

What are some of the questions I may get asked?
In the initial phone interview with the recruiter she asked how comfortable I would be about being asked break/fix questions. What are some break/fix questions others have been asked or asked of others in interviews.
Most of my experience has been in straight hardware repair/upgrades, cleaning out viruses, finding out what is causing slowdowns in HD performance (most cases just required a defrag or something as simple as that) and basic slowdowns in PC performance. Mostly really basic things.
Any help would be appreciated.

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veritas_libertas

xmalachi wrote: »

I'm sure something will come up soon man. You are a pretty thorough guy and know your stuff pretty well. If this one doesn't work out I'm sure something will come through.

Agreed, something will come your way soon!

earweed

Got hold of my dell recruiter. The place I'm interviewing for has no affiliation with that recruiting agency that contacted me about the help desk intervew.. Apparently the recruiter heard about Dell recruiting and is probably trying to get his people shoved in there.

earweed

I've contacted the recruiter twice since sending my thank you email. They talked as if they were in a hurry to fill these positions but they're apparently undecided as of yet.Last week the recruiter said they were still deciding and this week he said the decision will be made sometime next week.
I've had 2 phone interviews since this and am waiting to get live interviews from them. I also have interest from the ATT call center and should be hearing from them soon. Got a letter Saturday for a state job (desktop support) which will lead to an interview in the next few weeks. The state job is very iffy since there are 66 candidates vying for 1 position but I doubt all 66 will actually interview for the job. I'd have to relocate for the state job as it would be an hour and a half commute each way.
Right now I'm still doing my night non-IT job and I've got my P/T job repairing HDTV's and I have a few clients I've gotten doing my private sort-of-consulting thing repairing comps and setting up samll networks. I've set up 2 offices (not totally done) and using one setup as my project for the WGU capstone. If I could make enough consulting to do it full time I'd really like it as I don't really have a boss just clients and it seems to be a lot less political.

powerfool

earweed wrote: »

That seems to be the case where I interviewed also. They are an all XP shop and use Citrix/Xen for thin clients.
I'm still doing the job search while waiting. I'm an extreme pessimist so I'm not waiting around for this job to contact me. It is said that there are 2 types of people 1) Those who see the glass as half full and 2) Those who see the glass as half empty well I'm the third kind, I see the glass as half empty probably lukewarm and full of germs..lol

Devilsbane wrote: »

Some say that the glass is half full. Others say that it is half empty. I say, "Are you going to drink that?"

There are three types of people in the world 1) Those that think the glass is half full, 2) those that think the glass is half empty, and 3) those that think the glass is twice as big as it needs to be (an engineer's perspective).

powerfool

As far as desktop support interview questions... I would ask someone to diagnose a computer that users cannot use to login to the domain, while their accounts work on another computer.

I would look for several different options of what the problem could be, with more options presented as getting a higher score.

1) Network connectivity to a DC is down (whatever scenarios that could be) and credentials aren't cached.

2) The computer's domain trust account is hosed and needs to be reset or rejoined to the domain.

3) The computer was never on the domain, or was disjoined.

If someone went that far, I would be pretty satisfied. If they went further, I would be really happy... like the "Netlogon" service was running, or something.

earweed

Didn't get this job. I have an interview Wednesday for IT Support Specialist with a state agency and I go for testing at ATT Saturday at the call center. Hopefully one of these works out. I also have this online job possibility which is like helpdesk but would be only on weekends and only pays $9/hr with a company called alpine express.

rogue2shadow

earweed wrote: »

Didn't get this job. I have an interview Wednesday for IT Support Specialist with a state agency and I go for testing at ATT Saturday at the call center. Hopefully one of these works out. I also have this online job possibility which is like helpdesk but would be only on weekends and only pays $9/hr with a company called alpine express.

Sorry to hear the first didn't go through. With your skills I'm sure one of them will grab you soon enough.

eansdad

One of the question asked for my current job was "How do you set up a printer?". Me being the ever so smart *ss that I am and not in need of the job (was currently employed, only trying to get something closer to home) I said "How do you want it set up?". The network admin who asked the question looked over at the supervisor and said..."That's a first, no one ever asked HOW we wanted it set up". My qualifications are a little lacking on the degree and cert side but apparently I stuck out simple because I asked a question. Sometimes it is the small things that get you noticed. Don't be afraid to have them clarify a question if it seems overly vague or give them multiple answers to different questions.

jahsoul

@earweed

What part of Alabama do you live in? If you were close to Montgomery, my employer (for 4 more days) is looking to hire 100 people before the end of the year working help desk on Maxwell-Gunter AFB.

erpadmin

eansdad wrote: »

One of the question asked for my current job was "How do you set up a printer?". Me being the ever so smart *ss that I am and not in need of the job (was currently employed, only trying to get something closer to home) I said "How do you want it set up?". The network admin who asked the question looked over at the supervisor and said..."That's a first, no one ever asked HOW we wanted it set up". My qualifications are a little lacking on the degree and cert side but apparently I stuck out simple because I asked a question. Sometimes it is the small things that get you noticed. Don't be afraid to have them clarify a question if it seems overly vague or give them multiple answers to different questions.

One of the "cute" answers I gave at the last interview was what do my I coworkers think of me. Just to be funny, I said, "They think I'm such a nerd." I got a few laughs but it was really a stall tactic until I said something I was comfortable saying a "interview answer". Also, I wanted the answer to stick in their subconcious...no matter what I said (I said my coworkers respect me blah blah blah), being called a "nerd" implies that you are smart and know how to tackle a problem. That one was going to resonate more than the standard interview answer.

earweed

jahsoul wrote: »

@earweed

What part of Alabama do you live in? If you were close to Montgomery, my employer (for 4 more days) is looking to hire 100 people before the end of the year working help desk on Maxwell-Gunter AFB.

I live north of Birmingham but we're looking to relocate. I'll be in Montgomery interviewing with a state agency on Thursday.
Yeah that's right another Thursday interview. This one is for IT Operations specialist though.

erpadmin

earweed wrote: »

I live north of Birmingham but we're looking to relocate. I'll be in Montgomery interviewing with a state agency on Thursday.
Yeah that's right another Thursday interview. This one is for IT Operations specialist though.

EW, just wanted to say good luck tomorrow! Remember, positive thoughts.

rogue2shadow

Good luck man! Update us!

earweed

Interview went OK. They basically said I was overqualified but I said well hire me anyway

Basically it is very entry level as in they asked zero technical questions.
A 2 hour drive (each way), suit and all to be told that I'm overqualified. I did ask them a question they'd never been asked before and that was if I could study while at work

It's working with a mainframe (dinosaur; their word for it) and primary responsibility is changing tapes and sitting staring at a console all day. The interview took about 40 minutes.

TheMechanic

moot point but here in NYC you'd be making a good chunk of money working in a good capacity. Must be tough i Alabama >_< Hope you get something closer to home man your certs speak volumes

earweed

If I get something that far away the wife and I will definitely move. 4 hours driving a day would be really ridiculous. I've been expanding my search to different parts of the state lately so as to catch more opportunities.
The only reason I could have for even wanting the job I interviewed for today would be that I could get to know the people who could hire me for the jobs in a state department that I might actually like. All the big state offices are located within a small area there in Montgomery and I would definitely be networking to get a better job if I got this one.

willhi1979

Congrats, hope it helps you get your foot in the door.

Selfmade

Don't worry dude, you'll get the right job for you, I'm not one of those "it's fate" people, but I do think that the right opportunities do come along for those who work hard at it, and I think that you have.

I wish you all the best and many positive thoughts.

Why don't you try to get a CCNA? It might open more doors for you, especially if you want to do networking at some point.

earweed

That's (CCNA) actually kind of in the long range plan. I have to finish the MCITP:EA for WGU right now. That should be done by November and then I'll see what's next.
That job today wasn't a very good one anyway. They pretty much told me I was overqualified and would be really bored with it. I'm actually hoping to hear something back from jahsoul since I sent him a resume for a job opening at the Air Force Base down there. It's just a call center but they would get me a clearance which would be good. I had a secret clearance while in the Navy but it's "inactive" which is basically saying expired but a security clearance could open up the job opportunities down there and elsewhere.
I'm actually on the registry for some state IT networking jobs but our states economy is so f'd up that there isn't much hiring going on in state agencies. I had actually thought that the interview todaywas for the desktop support type job that I really wanted. I've been on that job registry for quite a while now.
I have to go take a test at ATT Saturday for a call center job. Right now I'm willing to jump on the first offer I get. Put in some time for experience and jump ship if I don't get advanced at that job fast enough. I'll have my BSIT soon which should help me move up faster.

N2IT

powerfool wrote: »

As far as desktop support interview questions... I would ask someone to diagnose a computer that users cannot use to login to the domain, while their accounts work on another computer.

I would look for several different options of what the problem could be, with more options presented as getting a higher score.

1) Network connectivity to a DC is down (whatever scenarios that could be) and credentials aren't cached.

2) The computer's domain trust account is hosed and needs to be reset or rejoined to the domain.

3) The computer was never on the domain, or was disjoined.

If someone went that far, I would be pretty satisfied. If they went further, I would be really happy... like the "Netlogon" service was running, or something.

I would of said 3 because that jumps out at me. You see it all the time in a laptop heavy environment. Tech reimaged a refreshed machine and send it on his way. The business user says I can log into my old machine why can't I log into my new one. Well sir your credentials haven't been cached yet and you aren't on the network.

Speaking of which what is your policy of machines off the network? I spoke with our 3rd level desktop support team and we all came to the conclusion over 30 days off the network that machine needs to be reimaged unless specific situations. Like if it is hosting an enviromental database or it has insane software that can run 65,000+.

Just curious.

earweed

As to this weeks job search progress.
The interview for Thursday should have not been bothered with. After handing them my updated resume they said I was overqualified and they were sorry I had made the trip. Got my rejection letter from them on Saturday, they must have mailed it the same day as the interview for me to get it already.
I was supposed to take a test at the ATT call center on Saturday but the "computers were down" was the excuse the receptionist had as they sent us home after taking our contact info for a rescheduling.

veritas_libertas

earweed wrote: »

As to this weeks job search progress.
The interview for Thursday should have not been bothered with. After handing them my updated resume they said I was overqualified and they were sorry I had made the trip. Got my rejection letter from them on Saturday, they must have mailed it the same day as the interview for me to get it already.
I was supposed to take a test at the ATT call center on Saturday but the "computers were down" was the excuse the receptionist had as they sent us home after taking our contact info for a rescheduling.

Just a thought, and maybe I'm wrong, but you could just drop your resume to only: A+, Net+, and MCTS:Vista. You could use this method for desktop support, and Help Desk jobs only. Then when you want to target SysAdmin jobs you could give those the whole package.

earweed

The job interview Thursday was entry level work with a mainframe and my main responsibility would have been "hanging tapes". After they described the job I didn't much want it anyway except maybe as an "in" to the state IT department. They promote mainly from within and have had practically a hiring freeze for the last 2 years. My soon to be degree and certs would be a way to move up quickly.
I didn't list the Server 2008 certs on the resume I gave them.

veritas_libertas

earweed wrote: »

The job interview Thursday was entry level work with a mainframe and my main responsibility would have been "hanging tapes". After they described the job I didn't much want it anyway except maybe as an "in" to the state IT department. They promote mainly from within and have had practically a hiring freeze for the last 2 years. My soon to be degree and certs would be a way to move up quickly.
I didn't list the Server 2008 certs on the resume I gave them.

That is very odd. Since when is CIW and CompTIA certs beyond entry-level?

I'm sure you will find something soon

earweed

veritas_libertas wrote: »

That is very odd. Since when is CIW and CompTIA certs beyond entry-level?

I'm sure you will find something soon

I don't list my CIW certs. I don't want anyone asking me to do any Javascript without a reference book handy..lol

earweed

I've been getting some bites this week. I have an interview next week and 2 phone interviews for later this week.
I got contacted about a possible job in Montgomery which is 2 hours away so it would mean relocating but I'll do it for the right opportunity. The wife is all for relocating down there as it would make us closer to her mother and sister so she could visit more often. The Montgomery job would have been mine today if Ialready had a secret clearance. I have an inactive one which basically just means that I don't have one but they wouldn't have to check as far back on me to get a new one. The Montgomery one is thanks to jahsoul..THANKS dude!
Still hoping one of these pans out.

veritas_libertas

earweed wrote: »

I've been getting some bites this week. I have an interview next week and 2 phone interviews for later this week.
I got contacted about a possible job in Montgomery which is 2 hours away so it would mean relocating but I'll do it for the right opportunity. The wife is all for relocating down there as it would make us closer to her mother and sister so she could visit more often. The Montgomery job would have been mine today if Ialready had a secret clearance. I have an inactive one which basically just means that I don't have one but they wouldn't have to check as far back on me to get a new one. The Montgomery one is thanks to jahsoul..THANKS dude!
Still hoping one of these pans out.

Good luck with that! You know we are wishing you the best!

erpadmin

earweed wrote: »

I've been getting some bites this week. I have an interview next week and 2 phone interviews for later this week.
I got contacted about a possible job in Montgomery which is 2 hours away so it would mean relocating but I'll do it for the right opportunity. The wife is all for relocating down there as it would make us closer to her mother and sister so she could visit more often. The Montgomery job would have been mine today if Ialready had a secret clearance. I have an inactive one which basically just means that I don't have one but they wouldn't have to check as far back on me to get a new one. The Montgomery one is thanks to jahsoul..THANKS dude!
Still hoping one of these pans out.

My line in Vegas still has me ahead that you'll get an IT job before you graduate WGU!

Best of luck, EW. I'm definitely rootin' for you.

rogue2shadow

Go earweed go!

jahsoul

earweed wrote: »

I've been getting some bites this week. I have an interview next week and 2 phone interviews for later this week.
I got contacted about a possible job in Montgomery which is 2 hours away so it would mean relocating but I'll do it for the right opportunity. The wife is all for relocating down there as it would make us closer to her mother and sister so she could visit more often. The Montgomery job would have been mine today if Ialready had a secret clearance. I have an inactive one which basically just means that I don't have one but they wouldn't have to check as far back on me to get a new one. The Montgomery one is thanks to jahsoul..THANKS dude!
Still hoping one of these pans out.

It's no problem man. I just try to look out for everyone that I can. We all are trying to work our way up. I just know once you get that clearance, the sky is the limit. (especially in Montgomery on Gunter)