Need help from the Pros - Helpdesk Tier1 Interview

SixtyCycle

I have an initial phone interview for a Helpdesk Tier1 position. The ad states they prefer 1-2 years in desktop administration, helpdesk/tech support, PC/Mac OS, Office 365 administration, Mac product support and MS Office applications. My resume clearly states that my experience is in the medical field, zero IT experience however I'm in the process of taking the A+ (end of month) and CCNA ( Feb at a community college that has Cisco routers for lab). I've taken C++ and Visual Basic before, VMware VCA certified and have a good basic understanding of hardware & software (I've build/ configured my own computers before). What can I do to give myself an edge from others who may be interviewing too? Is there anything I can learn online for office 365 or Active Directory that gives a basic knowledge required for the position that if asked I can say this is what I know at the moment rather than saying I don't know? Thanks in advance.

olaHalo

When you say your taking the CCNA in Feb do you mean a class or sitting the exam?
Most helpdesk jobs are entry level so dont worry about the 1-2 years experience. Every job posts that they want X number of years experience.
The VMware VCA will likely look really good but probably not be used at a Tier 1 position.

Honestly the hard part is already over. Getting the interview is half the battle.
If youre not familar with AD you should watch intro videos on it. All you will be expected to do at Tier 1 will be to login to the domain controller and change passwords most likely.
Introduction to Active Directory Infrastructure in Windows Server 2012 - YouTube
The office stuff will likely be really general knowledge.
Good luck!

SixtyCycle

Thank you ola. I will be taking an accelerated CCNA class offered by a local community college. It is usually 2 semesters but compressed into 3 months. MWF 4hours each class/lab. I honestly don't want to take it yet (prefer to self study the Net+ first) because it might be too advanced for me however it is a free program from the government for underployed/ career changers so I didn't want to miss the opportunity.

Fidelity

At tier 1 I doubt you'll be doing any sort of domain management tasks. You will most likely be doing things like fixing Outlook and making sure their computer is plugged in.

Tier 1 is very, very simple at most companies and most people have no education or work experience in the field. So you are already ahead of your peers. Nobody with 2 years of IT experience is going to apply to tier 1 unless that are desperate. They'll be trying to get into Tier 2 or 3.

My advice to you is just make sure you're familiar with setting up an e-mail account in Outlook. Know simple commands like ipconfig /all, /release, and /renew, /flushdns and how to clear cache and cookies for Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.

SixtyCycle

Thanks for the heads up Fidelity. I've set up email accts in Outlook and know how to setup/config familiar browsers however I'm not too familiar with those commands. I have zero professional IT Networking experience. Are those DOS commands for PC networks?

coreyb80

Those are basic commands for networking in Windows. You may be asked about those so I would brush up on them, especially IPCONFIG /all which is normally used to locate IP and/or MAC addresses along w/ some other things as well. Good luck on the journey!

SixtyCycle

I found out this info is on Ch.22 on the A+ book. I haven't reached that part yet. I may be familiar with the hardware but this stuff is all new to me. I'll brush up on the networking part. Thanks coreyb80.

tier~

For entry level roles; willingness to learn, enthusiasm for technology and a friendly presence tend to outweigh experience come interview time. For the average enterprise desktop role, if you can do general break/fix and system configuration you've got a decent start and can be trained on the specific procedures of the department once you're in.

More important is your demeanor to act professionally, remain calm under pressure and be able to confidently help everyone whether it's the janitor or the CEO. You may not always know the answer, but if people can trust you to know that you'll find it then you're well on your way. I'm not sure what you did previously in the medical field but if you have client facing experience those skills should transfer nicely.