Looking for Helpdesk Position

I have been searching in the area I am in for the last year and a handful of months, and I have had 100+ applications sent out within a 20 mile radius and I have had 40+ interviews where I have been passed up for other people with their bachelors or Net+ certification. As I am making my 3rd attempt for my Network+ (I scored 700 on the second attempt), I am really trying to find something in the field for the experience in my resume. I am kindly asking if anyone knows of anything within the Northern California Area of Chico that has openings or will for this type of position.

I have had great interviews, and then get the "thank you for trying" email/letter/phone call. It is a great demoralizing factor in the job hunt, I just want to see if anyone has anything for entry level IT.

Thank you all for your time.

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mikey88

Landing that first job can be the hardest part. Best bet would be to look for temp-to-hire contracts and make a good impression.

Also, as a side note, work on your interviewing skills and know how to sell yourself.

EANx

You don't get turned down after 40 interviews for help desk without there being a reason. Looking back, what can you do different? Did you call people sir/ma'am? Did you indicate you were extremely competent (arrogant)? You say you're on your third attempt at Net+, what certs do you have? A+? Sec+? Other? Maybe you need to take a little time to pass a couple of exams and come back hard charging.

NetworkingStudent

The resume is landing you the interviews, but you're not able to close the deal. This is happening to me too. I'm a tad past entry level.

I would say visit your local Work Force Center and mention the issue with the interviews. The Workforce Center should be able to give you some advice regarding the interviews..

Also, see if the workforce center or your school can schedule a mock interview with you, at least this way you might be able to figure out what you your interview weaknesses are.

My questions:

Do you have a college degree? AAS or BA

Have you looked at volunteer IT potions?

Have you worked with any IT recruiters?

Have you done any mock interviews?

Do you send email and surface mail thank you cards after the interview?

Please look over this document as it has helped me in the past:

Preparing for the Job Interview

http://mikenation.net/files/Preparing_for_the_Job_Interview.pdf

Good Luck!!

scaredoftests

40+ interviews and no response? hmmm, I'd say ramp it up a bit during the interviews. Invest in a nice briefcase/notebook combo. Research the companies you are interviewing with. Write down questions to ask during the interview. Practice.

Chevel

scaredoftests wrote: »

40+ interviews and no response? hmmm, I'd say ramp it up a bit during the interviews. Invest in a nice briefcase/notebook combo. Research the companies you are interviewing with. Write down questions to ask during the interview. Practice.

Agreed your resume is working, practice a few interviewing sessions. Help desk jobs are dime a dozen.

ITSpectre

Here are my tips:

1. Are you having issues with the technical part of the interview?
2. Have you tried a field tech position then get on the help desk?
3. How much "hands on"

To get on the Help Desk you may/may not have to go through a recruiter.... Try looking at Robert Half or search on linkedin for jobs... Be careful about careerbuilder.... they just call you to make contact and then nothing happens afterward.

redsteel

It sounds like there is tons of opportunity.
First, I would hate to be vain, but appearance is key. You need to look good. Get a haircut, wear a suit or at the very least a sharp shirt and nice tie/slacks and dress shoes. I know it can suck spending the money on something you might use once, but it could be worth thousands of dollars. I'm pretty sure I landed a job once just because I was wearing a nice suit (I bought it a closeout shop after Hurricane Katrina since all the malls flooded and they had to unload their merchandise).
Second, is your attitude/demeanor. Unfortunately, our society is shifting towards doing just enough to get by. Look at the tips these others have given. Your attitude needs to be that you will WORK. That it is okay not to know something, but you are going to research it and figure it out at all costs. Employers want someone who is willing to learn new things over someone who knows everything but isn't willing to do them.
Here is a very recent article (last week?) from a wise hiring-manager for tech positions. Good Luck!
https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/2025714-this-is-why-you-didn-t-get-the-job?source=start&pos=38

ReonBalisty

All are good questions, I have answers to them all:

I enter very formal, suit, tie, even the shoes. (Had a Shriner help me out with the whole getting ready look-wise for interviews).

I am very confident going into interviews, I mention my schooling through University of Phoenix (Which I got my AA in IT Sec this last January).

I mention I am currently enrolled in online classes through WGU.edu for my Bach in IT-sec.

More recently (April 2017) did I get my A+ certification. And am Attempting my third try @ Net + here in 7 days (17th).

The opportunities are slimmer now that I have my A+ as I have had interviews where they asked if I had my A+ and Net+ and I told them that I was in process of attempting them through the WGU program.

I have been told last year that one of the jobs I applied for passed me up because I was lacking the AA and the certs.

Now that I have at least the AA and the A+ I have had a total of 2 interviews. And neither got past the first phone interview.

My hands-on EXP is 17-18 years of working with workstation/SOHO systems as a freelance troubleshooting break-fix tech.

I am a member over at Fieldnation and have not taken a job yet because none of them are worth the travel vs pay against my current full time employment at the medical office where I work on medical records.

I see maybe one posting for "help desk" once every 3 months. So this area is lacking with less than 120k in population within a 20 mile radius.

During interviews I answer the technical, and the psychological questions well and I always ask the salary, # of systems that are potential single point of failures, etc.

Might be that my resume is only picking up the 40+ interviews but not the others due to how it looks or reads. I have the classroom exp, hands-on exp since win98SE.

scaredoftests

NEVER ask about salary. Very taboo (and a HR person told me that once).

LeBroke

Honestly, this part rubs me the wrong way:

"I am very confident going into interviews"

There's a very fine line between confidence and arrogance, and it's very easy to cross depending who you're talking to.

Keep in mind that helpdesk is basically a customer service role, so they'd often prefer to have someone that's less experienced but who comes off as good with people. You're not designing Google's cloud systems here, you don't need to be super competent for helpdesk, but being nice means everyone comes out way happier in the end, even if it takes you 2-3 times as long to resolve a problem.

ReonBalisty

For the most part I can avoid asking it until they ask if I have any questions. 90% of the places I have interviewed for have not stated and or posted the compensation hourly or salary.
So I inquire what they are paying for the position, and I glorify my question with the fact I have 3 other dependents that require that I make money doing something.
They have no problem with telling me once I explain my situation. I do relay that I have reliable transportation and that I would be willing to work once I give a 2 week notice to my current employ.
Pretty sure that every place I have interviewed for (minus a specific 1) I have came out feeling that I nailed the interview. I have had mock interviews with other people within the industry that question my resume, a good chunk of my resume is vague in some parts due to keeping it down to 1 page (I have had staffing agents look at it and ask questions why I hadn't put X on there). I have also had interviewers tell me that if they get more than 1 page resumes, they do not even look at it. So again, it may be my resume, could be the interviews.
I am leaning more towards not having the AA till this last Jan and A+ in April. In which I have had a total of 6 interviews this year, 2 of which were post my A+ certification. I have been at this for close to a year and a half with no results other than "Thanks for applying."

ReonBalisty

LeBroke wrote: »

Honestly, this part rubs me the wrong way:

"I am very confident going into interviews"

There's a very fine line between confidence and arrogance, and it's very easy to cross depending who you're talking to.

I do go in wanting them to ask my technical questions. And half the time it is about my past experiences, in which I have to explain situations regarding SOHO installs/troubleshooting.

As for customer service, before I was medical records, I was in patient care scheduling colonoscopies for 3 years. The customer services questions are pretty simple in their entirety. I am feeling I am either Over selling myself or Over qualified.

LeBroke

Overqualified is also entirely possible if you've been doing this type of work for a long time.

But seriously, don't talk about salary. You don't have to take the job if they low ball you, but don't ask about salary. They may act understanding in the interview itself, but behind your back they'll be like, "We're not even sure if we like this guy and he's already asking how much he'll be making."

Mr.Robot255

i can only dream of having 40+ interviews

i was also told never mention salary,holidays etc that all makes you look bad, even tho its something everyone wants to know.This will all be discussed when /if offered the position as discussing it beforehand could like your'e only there for the money/perks.

If asked about salary try and put the onus back on them if possible (i too would be uncomfortable naming my price as i wouldn't want to overprice or undersell myself but as it stands i would basically work for pennies just to get my first position in the tech field)
if they ask how much would you want to earn etc try and put it back in a pleasant way that you would be happy with the companies standard pay for that position(i think also do some research on the area/company to see what average pay is for that position) I think this applies to people like me/you who are trying to get foot in the door. I suppose for more advanced Techs they could probably start throwing numbers at them.

Good questions to ask if asked if you have any questions are things that look like you would be committed to the company
i.e is there room for you to grow in the company, is there any further training /education /courses while you work there to further your career in that company. Research the company check their web page, if things like further employee training courses are mentioned you could ask about it specifically it shows them you have researched them and are interested in them.

All the stuff i mention has been told to me by either employment services courses where i am and also an ex hiring manager at Dell who was teaching a course on CVs/employment where i studied.

I wish i had your confidence tho , i had a mock interview recently and completely clammed up on aspects on my CV. Really basic questions just picking words on my CV like "explain what a VPN is" or "LAN" i really wasn't expecting the questions and lost my run of thought for a few minutes. Everyone i know is non-technical minded so i rarely get to have proper conversation relating to anything Tech/networking so having someone ask me really threw me off lol
so i have now written out a sentence about each individual word on my CV ,just something brief so ever asked again i will have it memorized to spit out and get my brain working in tandem with my mouth haha

ReonBalisty

In an interview last year, I was asked what I was making and what I am expecting to make at the place if I was to be hired. I did not hesitate on the pay scale given vs what I expect. But from what I am reading I am to just state a my current rate of pay, and then state that I would like something close to that rate of pay without going too under as needed for the dependents and myself.

ITSpectre

Honestly.... why did you not get through the phone interview???? did they ask technical questions??? Here is some advice

1. For Help desk roles they care more about your personality then certs...
2. Don't boast about education or experience... you may be/seem overqualified for the role if you do
3. NEVER ask about salary, wages, vacation, sick leave at all until you have signed the offer letter
4. If they ask about salary I always say "well what is the average rate for this position..."
5. Number of systems really don't matter... Your there to sell yourself but it seems like you are trying to oversell yourself....
6. Let them ask about education. Its on your resume and they will ask for it.
7. Focus more on troubleshooting steps, methologies, etc... they want to know if you have basic troubleshooting skills
8. Don't walk into interviews thinking you know everything

ReonBalisty

Thank you ITSpectre, I will take those greatly into consideration.

As for the phone interviews, I have no idea what happened. I am under the impression that those specific businesses were after something else entirely. One of them I called back and tried to get HR to even answer the phone regarding if that position was still available and it I was still being considered. And it has been months since the phone interview and I stopped trying after week 3 because at that point someone else must have gotten the position since HR never called back.

scaredoftests

After you call once (or leave a message), that is enough. Follow up with a email and that is it. If they want you, they will call.

ITSpectre

ReonBalisty wrote: »

Thank you ITSpectre, I will take those greatly into consideration.

As for the phone interviews, I have no idea what happened. I am under the impression that those specific businesses were after something else entirely. One of them I called back and tried to get HR to even answer the phone regarding if that position was still available and it I was still being considered. And it has been months since the phone interview and I stopped trying after week 3 because at that point someone else must have gotten the position since HR never called back.

I treat finding a job like trying to start a relationship with a Woman....
Call and send your info to them....
Then they respond.
If you call too much you scare them off. If you contact too much you will scare them off. I live by that rule. There are times where the job will just never reply and that's ok. But just like in getting to know a Woman.... a job will contact you if they want you. The same way a woman will contact you if she wants to chat and get to know you.

scaredoftests

ha ha, being a woman, I can relate. HOWEVER..some men scare easily too. <now back to the topic>

ITSpectre

Here are some good questions to ask AFTER the interview....

1. What is the room for growth within your company
2. What constitutes success at this position
3. What are the available resources available to me as a potential employee as far as training, and learning
4. What is the best thing you like about the company
5. Can you walk me through a typical work day within this role
6. What is the office environment like in this position

scaredoftests

and how do you measure performance? Also, how was the economy affected your economy? What are the challenges to this position? What is the first project to be addressed? etc..etc.

Bokeh

He who talks about compensation first, usually looses.

If they ask what you are looking to make, turn it around on them. Ask them what someone with your experience and schooling would expect to make at their company?

If they ask if you have any questions, ask them what they like about the company, how long have they been there - people like to talk about themselves.

Ask if the position is new, replacement, why is it open?

Ask if they have any reservations about you preforming the duties of the position? (This could give you some good feedback)

Mr.Robot255

Bokeh wrote: »

He who talks about compensation first, usually looses.

Ask if they have any reservations about you preforming the duties of the position? (This could give you some good feedback)

i really like this one and hope i remember it if i ever get an interview. It really does show that you want the job and plus it gives you a chance to show/explain how you would fulfill your duties in the position, Even if for example you fit everything requested on the Advert , you meet all expectations except maybe you don't have a microsoft ECDL or something that they would deem as "desirable" you could then say altough i don't have that particular cert i am skilled in using office and its various other packages or something of that nature. (even if you have to go home and just grind that until u know it) and plus it does let you know where abouts you stand on getting the role. (maybe not a great example but yeah def like that question)

ITSpectre

I cannot stress this enough.... RESEARCH the company!!!! I like to create at least a page of data on the company.... Learn the 5 Ws
Who - Who is the CEO, managers, etc...
What - What does the company do
When - When did the company start
Where - Where are they located, how many offices they have, where did they start and where will they be in a few years
Why - Why do you want to work for the company, why you would be a good fit (sell yourself)
How - How does your experience line up with the job description. How would you be an asset to the company, how will you help the company meet their needs

Again... this is basic relationship 101. going on a interview is like going on a first date....You have to show the other person (the hiring manager) why they should hire YOU above every other candidate they will interview or have interviewed already.

Also the best way to answer "Why should we hire you" can be easily answered by tying in how YOUR skills match with the Job description....

Useful tips.

1. Arrive 15min early to the interview
2. Bring copies of your resume in a nice leather portfolio.... (you can get one from walmart)
3. Bring a pen
4. Bring a copy of the job description and be prepared to refer to it during the interview
5. Always ask about security, parking, signing in with the front before the interview (its usually provided but its good if you ask first)
6. Study basic troubleshooting steps before the interview.... Know how to troubleshoot office 365, Outlook, IE, Chrome, Safari, etc...

A question I have been asked is "describe a time when you had to deal with a angry or irate customer how did you handle it" Use this time to talk about how you calmed down a user that was upset and empathized with them, took control of the situation and solved their issue

Another question you may be asked is "Why did you apply for this position" - This is the time to tie in your company research, and the job description, and mash it all together to explain how you would be a good fit for the position.

LordQarlyn

ITSpectre wrote: »

A question I have been asked is "describe a time when you had to deal with a angry or irate customer how did you handle it" Use this time to talk about how you calmed down a user that was upset and empathized with them, took control of the situation and solved their issue

This. It's a question I always ask potential candidates, because, we do have customers, internal and external, who can be (well okay often are but I shouldn't talk bad about my customers lol) very difficult. I have my own prepared replies when I get asked this question, all based on my actual experiences.
For my helpdesk team, I go a step further and also ask one or two scenarios involving problematic customers to get an idea how they will handle rude, annoying, or clingy users.

ITSpectre

LordQarlyn wrote: »

This. It's a question I always ask potential candidates, because, we do have customers, internal and external, who can be (well okay often are but I shouldn't talk bad about my customers lol) very difficult. I have my own prepared replies when I get asked this question, all based on my actual experiences.
For my helpdesk team, I go a step further and also ask one or two scenarios involving problematic customers to get an idea how they will handle rude, annoying, or clingy users.

The best way to tackle this question is honesty....

There was a time when a user called in about said issue... the outlook profile was corrupt... I empathized with them, told them I will fix it for them... remoted into their workstation and fixed it.

Managers and hiring managers especially on a help desk team care about TEAMWORK!!!! They want to hire someone that thinks like a team player.... They don't want someone who is too independent because your on a team when you do help desk work. Another thing to point out about getting a help desk job is simplicity... They want you to be able to explain complex things in laymans terms 24/7. trust me you will find yourself explaining how to fix Office 365 so that a 10yr old can understand it.

More advice:

Watch out for the personality questions and be prepared for them or off the wall questions such as,
- What makes you cry
- if you had 100,000 what would you do with it. (trust me the answer is NOT to work on the Help desk. this question is to see how helpful you are... if you would give to help OTHERS!!!)
- If you could do anything you want to do in IT what would it be (use this question to tie yourself into the company to grow, learn, and build with them)
- if you had your own help desk how would you run it (again try to tie in the company in your response)
- How would you handle a network outage or power outage (this is the "take control" question. they want to see if you will take control of the situation and rise to the occasion)

Hope this helps you. My motto is "Always go in with a full clip because you have more ammo that way"

kurosaki00

40 interviews and no bites? Err... there is something going on. I suggest to contact someone you know and have them mock-interview you, or find out if someone you know, knows someone that works on IT and ask for a favor and have them mock-interview you.

ReonBalisty

kurosaki00 wrote: »

40 interviews and no bites? Err... there is something going on. I suggest to contact someone you know and have them mock-interview you, or find out if someone you know, knows someone that works on IT and ask for a favor and have them mock-interview you.

Mind you, I did state that 4 of them were POST my attaining my AA from UoPX, and another 2 interviews after that were POST attaining the A+ certification.

scaredoftests

I don't think that makes a difference. The interviewers knew that when they brought you in.