What credentials do I need to work at Geek Squad?

Iristheangel

Yeah... a CCNA seems suspect for that kind of job. I once turned my online application in at the Fullerton Best Buy for a season job and was told by the manager when I called to inquire that I was overqualified with my MCSA at the time and that could have been halfway applicable to what I would have been doing

tpatt100

Back in the day CCNA was considered entry level during the great "certification rush" at the tail end of the .com days. I got mine working the help desk, most of us did because our employer sent every-single-person to a boot camp. Cisco raised the bar later when it seemed like everybody had one just for the heck of it and kept raising the passing score. I could have sworn back in 2001 or 2002 it was in the low 700s? The split into the CCENT made sense imo. I think there is still this idea out there that the CCNA is entry level though.

100k

They are in-store agents and you have those that go to small business to setup up networks n such. It's more than what you see in the store. If you have a need they can service it. There are different levels. So some need to have the certs.

W Stewart

Yea but how many businesses are going to call geeksquad to set up their cisco routers and switches? Plus most small business I've seen can't afford cisco equipment and usually go with a cheaper solution like microtik or just a plain old linksys router. CCNA probably would help in terms of basic networking knowledge but I can see a lot of the cisco related knowledge going to waste working at geeksquad.

100k

I am just telling you what I know and have seen not gossip. They do alot more than what people think and give them credit for. But to your point about 60% of the staff are not qualified to even plug in a computer...

DexterPark

100k wrote: »

All the guys that do the in house repairs are certified CCNA and A+ at a minimum.

Really? I don't see it high on Best Buy's In House requirements --> Ccna

Heck, I don't see anything good at there corporate either! --> Corporate Campus Information Technology Jobs

100k

Yes really all of them that I have meet have it and state if you want the position you better have it or have alot of experience. As for there corporate office, I dont know they are completely separate things but they do get paid very well to do whatever its is that they do. I am just defending the facts cause I have seen it first hand. They are not perfect just doing the job that they get paid to do by upper-management like the rest of us. If boss man says sell services and solutions to keep the company afloat and keep your hours then that's what you do.
I feel for them cause they were great before best buy took them over and changed the scope of work to $$$$.

W Stewart

Yea sometimes I wonder if it's not really incompetence but just the pressure to make sales that has given geek squad such a horrible reputation.

SteveLord

^ It's both.

N2IT

A+ should put you in the running.

Cisc0kidd

Yes there is a ton of incompetence at GS. They bork people's computers right and left. At least they make people appreciate non-GS computer support.

tpatt100

I think it's easy to mess up home computers. PC vendors are churning out new models every six months, if a PC is older than three years you have to do some serious Googling to even find a manual sometimes. So many different types of consumer level hardware/software to mess with and vendors stop supporting their hardware less than a year after release.

I would probably want to shoot myself trying to work on personal computers now a days.

sratakhin

I want to shoot myself when I have to support over the phone my clients back from the days when I worked as a PC tech...

NetworkingStudent

SteveLord wrote: »

There's a video on YouTube. Granted it is a little old.
computer repair service put to test geek squad staples scamming - YouTube

I love GS for 1 thing. Their known brand and high prices. Everyone knows them....so pretty much everyone hates them. Makes it an easier sell for me to make extra money.

When I was at BB last week picking up an XBOX controller, I overheard one telling a person on the phone about how the "iPad Mini has a Retina screen alright, but not a pure Retina screen. But yeah it is still better than the iPad3's."

And that was only being in the store for 10 minutes.

I agree with Steve

I love best buy, because they give me business and help other computer repair store owners/techs set their prices. I recently started a computer repair company(for extra cash), and I have plenty of customer’s that don’t want to pay Best Buy’s/Staples prices.

If anyone ever questions my prices, I always say state well Best Buy charges way higher for the same service.

To the original poster
If you want to learn the following, then work at Geeksquad:
Screw customers over and overcharge for services offered
The ability to sell parts, products, or services a customer doesn't’ t need.
The ability/skill to make a customer’s problem worse or not even fix it at all.
Ability to not fully diagnose, or troubleshoot a computer problem.

Honestly you should check the computer gigs/technical support, or system support section’s on craigs list. Usually shops will post jobs on that site. Also, checkout technibble Computer Technician into a Computer Business Owner - Technibble , they will help you become a shop owner/technician. Good Luck!!

N2IT

Don't the geeks just run a diag software on the machine and then bring it back to the store?

YFZblu

^ Yeah, I was told a large part of their troubleshooting revolves around diagnostic software.