Just landed a Help Desk role

Success101

Finally. Been looking for something to gain some experience...anyway for those still trying to "get a foot in the door" don't give up. I had to apply to countless companies, been to numerous interviews, and I finally found something.

On another note - anyone have any suggestions for the first week? Tips?

Thanks.

erpadmin

On the first day...show up early and hungry (and I don't mean for food...in fact, make sure you have a good hearty and healthy breakfast that day.) Buy yourself a notebook. You want to take notes on whatever processes you need to so that you can hit the ground running. Show interest, but don't do it in a dweebish/kiss-assy sort of way. After the first week, if you have the opportunity to volunteer for tasks, jump on that.

Feel out your team, and do your best to not get suckered into the politics. Since you are brand new, you want to do more listening and less talking. When your day is over, go home and relax and then head back into the office and repeat. When you find yourself getting frustrated, that's when you smile/grin, and hit the ground running harder.

I also recommend that you don't hang out with anyone at work for a good couple of months. You don't want to get pigeon-holed into the wrong camp, but that's part of the "listening more" so that you try to feel out everyone's point of view without being suckered in.

Aside from that, just do your job with a smile and don't get into any arguments with users. Customer Service is a #1 priority; soft skills are just as important as knowing what port 1433 is.

Best of luck.

Essendon

Sage advice there by erp. Follow and thou shalt not falter.

Vik210

Good suggestions by erpadmin..
Be nice to customers and work hard. Also, prepare for some certifications; this will help in long run.

Congrats and Good luck;)

mguy

start executing plan B immediately

Figure out how to use this position as leverage.

Most of the time this will mean certs or an active pursuing of experience in chosen technology branch.

whatthehell

Congratz on the new position! Best of luck and I agree with everything erpadmin said. Want to add one more thing --- don't be afraid to put in unsolicited overtime, showing that you are willing to work hard and go the extra mile to help out and be a real asset to the team. Obviously, don't make it the norm, as you will get burned out, but it is good from time to time, especially when your boss is looking for someone to volunteer.

NotHackingYou

Awesome! Be committed to learning. Take EVERY chance to learn something!

netsysllc

Keep in mind that if you have an 8-5 attitude then you will net get far. This industry unfortunately requires numerous extra hours and sometimes having to give up lunches, evenings and weekends. Your willingness to put in the extra effort should help you.

MiikeB

erpadmin wrote: »

On the first day...show up early and hungry (and I don't mean for food...in fact, make sure you have a good hearty and healthy breakfast that day.) Buy yourself a notebook (or, if you got an iPad or Android Tablet, have a notebook app like Evernote.) You want to take notes on whatever processes you need to so that you can hit the ground running. Show interest, but don't do it in a dweebish/kiss-assy sort of way. After the first week, if you have the opportunity to volunteer for tasks, jump on that.

Feel out your team, and do your best to not get suckered into the politics. Since you are brand new, you want to do more listening and less talking. When your day is over, go home and relax and then head back into the office and repeat. When you find yourself getting frustrated, that's when you smile/grin, and hit the ground running harder.

I also recommend that you don't hang out with anyone at work for a good couple of months. You don't want to get pigeon-holed into the wrong camp, but that's part of the "listening more" so that you try to feel out everyone's point of view without being suckered in.

Aside from that, just do your job with a smile and don't get into any arguments with users. Customer Service is a #1 priority; soft skills are just as important as knowing what port 1433 is.

Best of luck.

Agree with all of this except I would never take an ipad/tablet/ipod to work on the first day. Just bring a notebook and maybe a tech related book to read if there is down time waiting to meet people etc. Bringing a tablet could be a violation of policy and the last thing you need is people thinking you might be playing games etc on your first day.

Just go along with things and observe, ask smart questions but don't rock the boat until you have a firm understanding of everything.

erpadmin

MiikeB wrote: »

Agree with all of this except I would never take an ipad/tablet/ipod to work on the first day. Just bring a notebook and maybe a tech related book to read if there is down time waiting to meet people etc. Bringing a tablet could be a violation of policy and the last thing you need is people thinking you might be playing games etc on your first day.

Valid concern. I would stick with the notebook then. I do use my tablet at meetings to take notes with Evernote, but this is quite valid.

I will edit my response accordingly.