Dear job seeker,
I will keep this page short and to the point. Here’s what I have for you today:
In the eBook, you will find multiple great answers to each of the following questions:
- Why do you want to work as a help desk specialist (technician, assistant, etc)?
- How do you imagine a typical day in work in this job?
- Describe a situation when you went above and beyond with your service (for example for a person who called you seeking assistance while experiencing a technical issue).
- Describe a time when you had to deal with an angry client. What was your reaction to the situation?
- Describe a time when you struggled to communicate something to your boss, colleague, or to a client (for example guiding them in a process of addressing a technical issue).
- Imagine that you are already back home from work, and a client (based in a different time zone) calls you, having a serious issue with their desktop, seeking your help. What would you do?
- Your task is to install the same operating system on twenty computers, all of them in the same network, all of them having the same basic configuration. Define the main steps you will take to carry out the installation with as little interruption of the workflow as possible.
- One of the users calls you complaining that their computer has been extremely slow for the past 48 hours. Define the process of troubleshooting, step by step.
- What will you do to secure Windows server files, dealing with an operation that can result in losing these files?
- You can not boot your Windows 10, because some files are missing. What will you do in this case?
- … and twenty other tough questions you may face in your interview for any help desk job.
Check the sample to see how this eBook can help you:
Sample from the eBook
Q: What do you consider your greatest weakness when it comes to help desk?
Hint: You have a few options for a good answer. First one is claiming that you believe to have no significant weakness as a help desk specialist—and that’s exactly the reason why you chose the profession (and not another one).
However, you should always elaborate on such an answer—to not look overconfident. Mentioning some weaknesses you have outside of the job (weaknesses that do not matter for it) is a good idea.
Second option is picking a weakness that matters (such as weaker analytical skills, struggling with explaining technical things to people without technical knowledge, lack of experience in the field, etc). Again, you should elaborate on your answer, ensuring the interviewers that you try to improve on your weaknesses, following your desire to be successful in this profession.
The third option, a rather creative one, is saying that you can’t really tell and have to do the job for a few weeks first, to see in which areas you struggle.
You should elaborate on your answer even in this case, saying that you are sure you’ll struggle in some areas, but believe in your learning abilities. Showing some humility is always good in the interview…
Sample answers
– I do not want to sound overconfident, but I do not think I have any major weakness as an aspiring help desk specialist. If I thought I had such a weakness, I would not apply for the job. I struggle with physical labor, and I am not that good in leading a team of people, but in my view these things do not matter for good IT support.
– I believe that I can improve on my analytical skills, and on my communication skills, especially when talking to people who have little technical knowledge. I have to learn to deliver my message without adding unnecessary professional jargon. People have to understand me first to be able to follow my instructions. I am aware of my weaknesses, and hope that I will improve on them.
– I would also love to know the answer to your question. This is my first job application in the field. I believe in my abilities and I studied the job description carefully, but only time will tell whether I struggle in some areas of the job. If I do struggle, I will try my best to improve on my weaknesses.
Q: Describe a time when you had to deal with an angry client. What was your reaction to the situation?
Hint: Overwhelmed with their personal problems, or with heavy workload, people are often angry, sad, or irate when their computers stop working. Or they can get angry simply because you are the tech guy, and they are angry on the entire world of technology.
Interviewers try to understand if you count with this behavior, and if it affects you somehow in job.
Tell them that you try to stay calm and relaxed and that any inappropriate behavior won’t distract you in your work (or at least you hope it won’t).
You will try to calm them down, and focus on the solution of the problem, and not on their emotions.
Sample answers
– In my previous job at AT&T, I was always confronted with irate customers. People were not satisfied with their invoices. I always calmly explained them, in a simple language, why the numbers differed from their expectations. I spoke in a friendly voice, and I even showed sympathy—if I felt it was the right thing to do. It worked well in most cases, as the clients calmed down, understanding I was just an employee doing their job. And if it didn’t work well, I simply got over it and focused on another call.
– I recall a business client who got extremely angry when a certain issue with their servers repeated several times. He called me incompetent, and threatened to leave us. But I stayed calm, apologized to them, and briefly explained the complexity of an issue, and why we weren’t able to address it permanently to that point. I didn’t let their anger to affect me in any way. I simply did my job, trying to offer the best possible assistance within my capacities and options that we had in the company.
– This is my first job application, so I do not have such an experience. But I understand it can be extremely irritating when your computer isn’t working properly, and you have a huge pile of work on your table. That’s the part of the job. I will never respond to their anger with the same reaction. Oppositely, I’d stay calm and I’d focus on the solution of the problem, and not on their emotions.
End of the sample
These were just two questions. You will find 30 in the eBook, including difficult behavioral questions, and twelve technical questions. But that’s not all.
To ensure you will get the job, I included in the book six principles you need to understand before you can ace your interview for any desktop support job.
Without talking too much about them, let me show you another sample from the book:
Sample no. 2
Principle no. one: Do your homework
A typical picture from an interview for a help desk job: After first ten minutes you know that the candidate applied for five other jobs with different providers, call centers, etc, and that they know virtually nothing about your company.
Now, does it actually matter to know something about the company where you want to work in help desk? To know something about their corporate values, working culture, core products, most common support issues, or organization of their help desk department?
In terms of your readiness for the job (your technical and communication skills, personality, your attitude to work and ability to learn), it does not matter much. Because you will learn about these things during your training and once you start working for the company.
But in terms of connecting with the interviewers, and showing them that you care, it matters a lot. And you definitely want to connect with them.
You should do your homework. Try to research particularly about the following:
- Brief history of their company, why they exist, their corporate values, goals and vision (big corporations always have this formulated on their website, and small often do).
- Anything you can find about the organization of their help desk department, and scope of duties of help desk assistants/technicians/specialists (LinkedIn can help here, look for all employees of the company, check the roles they have).
- Things that make the place unique, reasons why employees should choose to work there (and not in some other company from the same field). Excellent training can be one of the reasons, or employee benefits, good shift patterns, great working environment, etc.
- Reviews former employees left on them, in regards to company culture, management, and the training they received (Glassdoor is a great place to find the information).
- The type of technologies and operating systems (or clients, devices) they work with, things you’ll likely troubleshoot distantly in your new role.
- Any other information about the job or your future place of work.
Luckily we live in 21st century, and you won’t have to consult dozens of people to find the answers. FaceBook, online reviews, local news articles, social networks such as LinkedIn—all these tools, and obviously Google and the website of the company, will help you with your research.
Make notes, print them, and read them before the start of your interview.
Good research will help you in many ways.
It will help you find good answers to particular interview questions (questions that relate to the company, your working duties and technical skills needed for the job), to calm down before your interview (since it is always easier if we feel somehow familiar with the place and the people), and to come up with a good question, once there’s an opportunity to ask something.
When you know a lot about the company, or even about the people in the interviewing panel, you will always find something interesting to point out, or to discuss with them.
Ignorant candidates who rely only on their qualifications and IT skills, and do not even study the website of the corporation before their interview, are rarely hired.
Do not make the same mistake. Spend enough time researching about them. Make the unfamiliar familiar. It will help you immensely in your interview.
End of the sample
So that’s it. I do not want to waste your time with lengthy sales pages, and imaginary discounts or fake reviews, like many other people do on their websites, while trying to sell you something.
You have read the samples, you know what the eBook is about, and surely you can tell whether it will help you.
I sincerely believe it will. And you can read it easily in two to four hours, it’s 12,500 words. Only things that truly matter, no secondary content.
Plus, of course, like with everything else we sell here on InterviewPenguin.com, you have a risk free sixty days money back guarantee. If you don’t like this eBook for any reason, or no reason at all, just let me know (email me at matthew[at]interviewpenguin[dot]com) within 60 days and we will give you a full refund.
Quick Summary
- Brilliant answers to thirty difficult questions you may get in your interview for a job of Help Desk Specialist/Technician/Assistant.
- Several sample answers to each personal and behavioral question, so you can choose one that reflects your values and experience (including answers for people with no working experience).
- Six principles of acing the interview, things you simply need to know in order to make the right impression on the hiring managers.
- Instant download, .PDF format (you can read it on any device (mobile, kindle, PC), and you can easily print it).
- Secure and simple checkout with PayPal, you can pay with your credit/debit card, or with your PayPal account.
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(After the payment you will be directed back to our website, to a protected page, to download your eBook. You will also receive a download link and instructions to your email, just to ensure that you will get the book without waiting, even if the redirect fails.)
That’s it. Your interview does not have to be stressful, or difficult. You can interview with confidence, and give brilliant answers to all tough questions. Download the guide today, and succeed in your interview.
Sincerely,
Matthew Chulaw,
Your personal job interview coach
P.S. Send me a message if you have any questions. I try my best to answer all emails within twelve hours (matthew[at]interviewpenguin[dot]com).
