Looking to get started with HelpDesk...a few questions

I am currently in the process of getting my first set of MS certifications, the 70-680 (which I just passed today), and the 70-685. I know my way around the Windows environment pretty well and even have a very basic grasp of AD. I am nervous however that when I actually land an IT job, it won't be enough. I realize that when someone lands a job doing Help Desk or any IT position for that matter that it is expected that they know a thing or two, but do they just throw you in to the fire? Do these jobs typically provide training despite the fact that the applicant is certified? I would imagine that there is some sort of intro period to see whether an individual is going to cut it or not, how does that usually work? any info would be much obliged...

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CodeBlox

On the helpdesk I work on now, they prefer 1 year experience, A+ and Sec+ but still provide almost a whole month training. Half of that is in a classroom and the other is on the phones. For us they had us passively shadow calls (listen to experienced people take them) and after, we did active shadow where the experienced person just listens while we handle the call. Don't worry about not knowing how to fix stuff. When I first started, it seemed like everything I knew went out the window, all the notes I had written down in my notebook didn't help either haha. A few months and you'll probably be a helpdesk rockstar. There are usually technical lead and your fellow techs who you can seek for advice in fixing stuff if you're stuck. As for AD, you'll probably only use Active Directory Users and Computer Groups console and that will be to reset passwords and unlock accounts.

bugzy3188

Good to know, thanks..

rensational

I just started a help desk job a little more than a month ago, and my job does train. However, my training felt and was a lot like being thrown into the fire. They told me up front that they don't expect me to know everything. They just wanted someone with a technical background, i.e. obvious technical aptitude, and they asked me questions during the interview process to test my knowledge. So, that was good enough for them, and people at my job kind of have approached me during "training" as if I don't know much (which is good and bad).

My training basically was just having me go ahead and answer phones with someone beside me helping me for a month. Like CodeBlox said, it seems like everything you do know goes out the window, especially since I am more hands-on and am more used to being hands-on with helping people, not helping over the phone. Plus, I have found that it's less about what you know and more about knowing how your job wants you to do things/what typical issues they get calls about. Now that it has been about 5 weeks on my job, I am starting to feel more relaxed, have less brain freeze and be able to do a lot of things without someone helping me.

My "intro period" seemed to consist of having me come in on the same shift as another worker there, the one who was supposed to help me during calls. I am just now starting my own shift, so apparently they feel I'm going to work out. I am not sure, but I suspect that they'd been having regular meetings with the guy helping me to find out how I'm doing, and he had told me a few times that I'm doing fine (even though there have been plenty of times when I haven't felt this was true).

Would be happy to answer any other questions you have!

Akaricloud

I essentially got thrown into the fire for my first Desktop Support position. I was assigned anything and everything support related and was expected to know all of it.

Just get to know your coworkers, ask for help when needed and you'll be fine. While I don't agree that throwing employees into the fire is the nicest option, it does get you up to speed and give you experience very quick.

wweboy

I've worked in both situation sometimes you can get thrown in the fire others will train you. It really depends on the company culture there are places they don't care how you do and you either sink or swim. The company I work for now we train you the first few days is shadowing several help desk employees and asking questions. By the end of week one your getting password resets and BES setup / resets. Week two your doing some more shadowing and continue doing BES / Passwords and even can start taking calls and getting notes and passing the ticket off. By the end of week two to early week three you are on the phone and taking calls and we monitor how you do and then its on you to go from there. Everyone is always willing ot help each other but not every company is as structured about new people.

My first job I was the only help desk person so really it was just asking the two higher ups questions and taking everything as it came and and following back on my knowledge of computers and understanding where I fit in the company. Like others have said that they expect you to have at least one year of experience and like you said know your stuff but really anything can be trained and taught and in my opinion its up to you to show that you are willing to learn and do a good job with the knowledge you have gained.

Good luck in your adventure on the help desk. You will learn a lot that you can take with you further into your IT career.

rensational

Just wanted to add, reading other comments--if/when you get a help desk job, some other workers there might be helpful and some might not be. On my job, I already know there are certain people to ask for help and others I might as well not waste time with. Everyone seems to know what they're doing, but, unfortunately, for me, it's a matter of just one or two people being a little bit weird in terms of helping out. One person in particular seems like she's too competitive to help or something. Not to scare you, but, just be aware that there are different types of environments and you might have to figure out who is best to ask questions or observe. I actually spend time looking at other people's tickets, too, just to see what I can learn or if there is a particular issue I need to learn how best to resolve.

techdudehere

Depends on the company. My first job, I was left alone at night within the first month and of course that's when network chaos struck and the network administrator didn't pick up his phone resulting in my having to find the contact information for, call the VP of technology, and of course I knew absolutely nothing about the environment. In contract work, they generally don't want to spend any time on training so it will be a trial by fire for sure.

My advice for when you're stuck:
1) Try to ask yourself what are the possible causes and rule them out one by one. (EX: Email is not flowing. 1) Does mail flow internally 2) Do they use a SPAM filtering service or other SMARTHOST (could be rate controlled or an issue there) 3 Can I telnet to a remote mail server from the mail server (ie is port 25 outbound open) 4) Any recent ISP changes, what's the current public IP, load balancing/fail over issues? and so on...) 2) Try using google or internal knowledge bases 3) If all of the above has failed and you've spent more than average for the ticket times already then ask your mentor or the person most likely to know. As long as you make an effort before asking you should be fine but don't waste too much time before asking either.

bugzy3188

Hey thanks for all the responses guys...there is some great info here!

Another quick question, am I swinging a bit out of my league only having the MCTS in Windows Configuration (70-680)? I realize that more certs could never hurt and I am in fact working on my 70-685 right now, but none the less I am writing my resume as we speak and only having the one cert isn't gonna stop me from turning it in. Where were you guys at as far as education/certs when you got your first gig?

Akaricloud

bugzy3188 wrote: »

Hey thanks for all the responses guys...there is some great info here!

Another quick question, am I swinging a bit out of my league only having the MCTS in Windows Configuration (70-680)? I realize that more certs could never hurt and I am in fact working on my 70-685 right now, but none the less I am writing my resume as we speak and only having the one cert isn't gonna stop me from turning it in. Where were you guys at as far as education/certs when you got your first gig?

I had no education/certs but proved myself during my interview and when I started.

rsutton

A tip for excelling in a help desk environment: take all the work that no one else wants to do. Not only will your team members like you, but you will likely gain knowledge in areas that others are less familiar in. Also, the certs you are aiming for are good certs, but probably wont help you land an entry level help desk job.

*edit* I misread the certs you wrote, good pick!

jamesleecoleman

bugzy3188 wrote: »

Hey thanks for all the responses guys...there is some great info here!

Another quick question, am I swinging a bit out of my league only having the MCTS in Windows Configuration (70-680)? I realize that more certs could never hurt and I am in fact working on my 70-685 right now, but none the less I am writing my resume as we speak and only having the one cert isn't gonna stop me from turning it in. Where were you guys at as far as education/certs when you got your first gig?

I had the A+ and Network+ during my first unofficial help desk job (technology assistant). I was still working on my Associates degree at the community college. The job was a work study position at the community college too.

rep21

I'm currently working in a Help Desk role. Its my first and only IT position. I got it right after I had finished my Associate's degree. I think the certs you are doing are perfect.

Really, it just depends on the company as far as getting hired. The help desk team that I work at was incredibly desperate to find someone, so they were hiring people left and right with little to no experience or technical background. All of them ended up quitting after two days because they felt overwhelmed. Eventually they found me and hired me at the end of my interview. Now I am looking to move on to a non-contract position and the hiring process is a lot different at other places. They are all asking similar questions, though, some of which are customer related. So if you have any work thats customer related, make sure to highlight that and expect a few questions about that in interviews. Really though, I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding a help desk position once you finish a certification.

Good luck!