Job posting titles and skill meanings

Laughin9m4n

Hello TechExam Members,
So I got my A+, Network+ and some technical support experience, I am currently looking around on Dice.com and Careerbuilder.com for some jobs and applying to what I think I fit into. But I don't know what some of the job titles mean for example desktop support technician and engineer what are the major differences between the two? I know engineer is on a higher level but what else is added on. Same with skills sometimes I will just see TCP/IP but what do they really want? Just general knowledge of it or how to set up a specific TCP/IP related application. Is there a site or wiki where I can just look up the differences between jobs titles or decipher what exactly employers want with skill sets?

Thanks,
Laughin9M4N

Repo Man

Titles mean nothing except they might make your resume look better

Look at the job requirements and responsibilities and if you feel comfortable with them or learning them then apply to it. A recruiter will call you if you are qualified and you can ask what specific knowledge is needed for the job.

cyberguypr

There's no standard set in stone. Desktop Support Engineer may mean answering phones all day in a call center. Some companies may call a password monkey a Helpdesk Techician. On the other hand years ago I was hired as Desktop Support Technician and administered Exchange, Win servers and some network equipment.

On top of that you may have HR writing position descriptions without knowing what things really mean. They will be looking for an ideal candidate but in its absence will evaluate candidates missing one or two requirements. Just go ahead and apply. That's the only way you'll know what they are really looking for.

Laughin9m4n

cyberguypr wrote: »

There's no standard set in stone. Desktop Support Engineer may mean answering phones all day in a call center. Some companies may call a password monkey a Helpdesk Techician. On the other hand years ago I was hired as Desktop Support Technician and administered Exchange, Win servers and some network equipment.

On top of that you may have HR writing position descriptions without knowing what things really mean. They will be looking for an ideal candidate but in its absence will evaluate candidates missing one or two requirements. Just go ahead and apply. That's the only way you'll know what they are really looking for.

So would it would be the same for Network Technician, Network Analyst, Network Administrator, and Network Engineer? I think this may have been asked before but what am I really qualified for with A+, Network+ and my experience? Help Desk? Desktop Support? Any entry level networking job? Thanks again.

Hypntick

Laughin9m4n wrote: »

So would it would be the same for Network Technician, Network Analyst, Network Administrator, and Network Engineer? I think this may have been asked before but what am I really qualified for with A+, Network+ and my experience? Help Desk? Desktop Support? Any entry level networking job? Thanks again.

When you say tech support what type of stuff did you do support for? Actual applications, network issues or password reset stuff? How many years of experience do you actually have? That's the kind of stuff you would need to answer, also, you never know you could get lucky and land in an awesome spot you're not fully qualified for but got because you're a good fit for the team.

Laughin9m4n

Hypntick wrote: »

When you say tech support what type of stuff did you do support for? Actual applications, network issues or password reset stuff? How many years of experience do you actually have? That's the kind of stuff you would need to answer, also, you never know you could get lucky and land in an awesome spot you're not fully qualified for but got because you're a good fit for the team.

About 2.5 years. It was at a JHS mostly imaging, basic troubleshooting installations/configuring machines, user issues, teaching them to use the software hardware, inventory, managing deliveries, escalating issues to help desk. Stuff like that no real corporate experience.

cyberguypr

Let me give you an example. of where I'm coming from. Look at these three job postings for Network Technician positions:

Find Jobs - Network Technician--Kokomo Jobs in Kokomo, Indiana - Ascension Health Information Services

Find Jobs - Network Support Technician Jobs in Holbrook, Arizona - Northland Pioneer College

Find Jobs - Network Technician Jobs in Richardson, Texas - Datalink

The first one has the strongest requirements and is more focused on network.

The second one seems more entry to mid-level.

Third one sounds like a Jr. Admin/Desktop hybrid.

It is up to you to judge your competency level against posted requirements. There are some things we can learn fairly quick if required. If a potential employers requires me to know Java, I won't even look at it because I hate programming. On the other hand, if they like me but mention my lack of SQL skills, I wouldn't mind expanding my knowledge in that area. Some companies are flexible if they really like the candidate. Again, If you see something that looks interesting and challenging, go for it. When I was younger I used to think "that job looks way too pro, they'll never call me". Good thing I was wrong.

Laughin9m4n

cyberguypr wrote: »

Let me give you an example. of where I'm coming from. Look at these three job postings for Network Technician positions:

Find Jobs - Network Technician--Kokomo Jobs in Kokomo, Indiana - Ascension Health Information Services

Find Jobs - Network Support Technician Jobs in Holbrook, Arizona - Northland Pioneer College

Find Jobs - Network Technician Jobs in Richardson, Texas - Datalink

The first one has the strongest requirements and is more focused on network.

The second one seems more entry to mid-level.

Third one sounds like a Jr. Admin/Desktop hybrid.

It is up to you to judge your competency level against posted requirements. There are some things we can learn fairly quick if required. If a potential employers requires me to know Java, I won't even look at it because I hate programming. On the other hand, if they like me but mention my lack of SQL skills, I wouldn't mind expanding my knowledge in that area. Some companies are flexible if they really like the candidate. Again, If you see something that looks interesting and challenging, go for it. When I was younger I used to think "that job looks way too pro, they'll never call me". Good thing I was wrong.

Thanks for clearing this up for me, I am gonna look at the Resume Do's and Don'ts sticky and try and get some call backs. Any good advice/tip on getting an entry level Networking job?