IT desktop support career help required !!

[toblarone45]

evening all,

does anyone here happen to have any advice on how to get a IT desktop support roles with no previous experience??

any mangers have any ideas what you'd look for? do courses like MCSE, MCITP make a significant difference? what would you see on a cv / application that would make you take a risk on someone inexperienced?

i really want to get my foot in the door so to speak, I've studied IT at A level and GCSE level and apart from friends and family PC repairs, upgrades, fixes, etc I have no real experience. I'd eventually love to get into computer forensics, however, without a degree or a lot of experience I fear that may be impossible.

 

[bJN]

I was in your shoes this time two years ago.

I "got in" by contracting as IT Support for a project for the NHS for 6 months, which rolled into 9 months, at which point I was offered a permanent position.

Experience and qualifications will only get you into the "maybe" pile, the rest is selling yourself in interviews.

It might be worth looking at agency websites (such as Reed) and having a chat with one of their staff as they will be able to tell you exactly what you need as they fill these types of roles every five minutes

 

[jsmoke]

You might want to look at the A+ it's fairly well respected.

 

[d_brennen]

Back in the day it used to be a case of blagging a first line support role and climbing the slippery pole. Once you are "in" you are far more desirable to other companies... Actual skill and experience takes the back seat to interpersonal skills. Of course, knowing what your doing goes a long way too

 

[gman1981]

I'm an IT Manager (albeit a 3rd level/infrastructure team). I'm not sure what gets people thru CV wise, but I would say that oonce a candidate has got thru to interview stage our helpdesk manager looks for good interpersonal skills (phone manner etc) and coming across like you know your stuff (IT wise). So you may want to read up on common IT issues in the workplace, like printer set ups and problems, account lock outs etc.

Putting on your CV that you have helped out family and friends with IT problems is good imho, especially if you have concrete examples. It may come across a bit nerdy but that's what I would look for when employing!

Not sure if that helps, but that's what we look for where I work.

 

[Schlong&Stable]

Don't expect to get into a desktop support role right away, unless you get lucky you're going to be competing with a very high number of applicants. If you've no prior experience and no qualifications, your chances are slim.

The best thing to do is get into a first line role in a call centre, get a bit of experience in 'technical support' whilst working on some qualifications on the side. A foundation qualification in ITIL would be the one I'd aim for moreso than an actual MCP etc. MCP's are very expensive but frankly not that impressive. Look on job sites and you'll see demand for ITIL is increasing rapidly and it will make you a much stronger candidate as it's a requirement in many sectors.

A year or two at the bottom of the ladder with some customer service and technical experience, married with ITIL and perhaps an A+/Network+ will put you in a very good position.

In short: Don't expect to get where you want right away!

 

[Sin_Chase]

There are many ways in, from qualification to sheer chance it and get your foot in the door.

However, I should say, there is no such thing as a career in desktop support. Good place to build some experience and get some quals, but not somewhere you want to stay for life.

 

[Skeeter]

Non technical skills are as important as technical skills. Remember you will be talking with users who know naff all about computers and just want stuff fixed. You need to have good communication skills and an ability to talk to people meaningfully across all levels of knowledge. There are varying levels of seniority too. You could get the Finance Director screaming down the phone at you because something isn't working and they have a meeting in 5 minutes, so you need to be able to cope with that pressure too.

Find a small company looking for someone to train up and get your foot in the door. Experience will be key, and you can then stepping stone up from there.

But as Sin_Chase said, generic IT Desktop Support is not a career, it becomes a dead end very fast. You need to either specialise or move towards projects or management to have a career.

 

[ubern00b]

You could get the Finance Director screaming down the phone at you because something isn't working and they have a meeting in 5 minutes, so you need to be able to cope with that pressure too.

Directors talking to 1st line? Well I never!

 

[Third Opinion]

You might want to look at the A+ it's fairly well respected.

Agree, it will probably land you a junior position which you can work up from.

Depending on age an apprenticeship is another good way to get your foot in the door. Forget the NVQ, once you prove yourself then the qualification matters little.

 

[toblarone45]

Thanks for the help guys it's much appreciate

You might want to look at the A+ it's fairly well respected.

Okay will do thank you

I'm an IT Manager (albeit a 3rd level/infrastructure team). I'm not sure what gets people thru CV wise, but I would say that oonce a candidate has got thru to interview stage our helpdesk manager looks for good interpersonal skills (phone manner etc) and coming across like you know your stuff (IT wise). So you may want to read up on common IT issues in the workplace, like printer set ups and problems, account lock outs etc.

Thanks for the insight hopefully i've been in hospitalilty for a few years (hotel recption, functions, bar, etc) and i'm in a office now temping doing customer care, so phone manner and interpersonal skills i'd like to think i'm not too shabby at. it's just trying to prove and showing that i can!

Find a small company looking for someone to train up and get your foot in the door. Experience will be key, and you can then stepping stone up from there.

But as Sin_Chase said, generic IT Desktop Support is not a career, it becomes a dead end very fast. You need to either specialise or move towards projects or management to have a career.

A small company would be ideal, i just have to try and find one and try and stand out.

Do desktop support jobs have a high staff turnover then for that reason if it's not a career path??

 

[Sin_Chase]

Do desktop support jobs have a high staff turnover then for that reason if it's not a career path??

Depends on the company. Support can vary GREATLY. Approach, whether they implement "lines" (First, Second etc), whether they follow ITIL or other models.

I have done support jobs in small companies where I effectively did everything and only had a single manager above me. It meant you got hands on in all the server stuff, desktop stuff, development etc.

I have worked in outsourced support and have got my hands in all sorts of pies also. Basic software/hardware all the way up to Business Continuity hardware building, deployment, VM configuration and networks. Very varied.

I have also done large corporate, which is probably the worst place for experience gaining. Fully ITILed up the behind, you do 1st line, on the apps the company supports, and nothing else. Effectively you answer the phone, fix what you can fix on the phone up to a certain level. That could be not MUCH more than password resets and software installs/patching. Many things you could fix you cannot as you pass it on the second line.

 

[Crizzy]

If you're going to do A+ check out some of the aps on either android or apple stores. Really handy to swot up if you find yourself with a few minutes to spare now and again.

 

[buy_my_cookies]

I was recently in a very similar position to you, looking for my first IT job,

I had done an IT course at collage probably the same sort of level as your A level, I have worked in retail so I used that experience to really push my customer service skills, I currently work in an office doing admin/data entry type stuff which gave me office experience to put on CV whilst at the office I ended up becoming the adhoc IT guy for my floor because it was quicker for people to ask me then wait for our IT dept to fix it!.

I studied and passed the Comptia A+ i'd highly recommend you do this, not only does it cover the techy stuff but it also covers a lot of the customer service, troubleshooting steps, helpful hints on communicating to end users etc etc, which is very helpful come interview time. after this the N+ compliments it well.

On my CV I chose to list related soft skills before my tech skills as I felt these were more important for the type of roles I was looking at - 1st line, helpdesk, desktop support etc etc. Oh and apply for everything!! I have sent out a lot of job applications whilst looking.

Anyway I have just recently been offered a IT role which I start in about 3 weeks! so it is possible.

good luck

 

[buy_my_cookies]

oh and if you do decide to do the a+ check out the professor messer website, he has a whole series of videos for the a+, its a great resource.

 

[toblarone45]

Depends on the company. Support can vary GREATLY. Approach, whether they implement "lines" (First, Second etc), whether they follow ITIL or other models.

I have done support jobs in small companies where I effectively did everything and only had a single manager above me. It meant you got hands on in all the server stuff, desktop stuff, development etc.

I have worked in outsourced support and have got my hands in all sorts of pies also. Basic software/hardware all the way up to Business Continuity hardware building, deployment, VM configuration and networks. Very varied.
.

That sounds like the stuff i'd like to try and get into to start with. It'd be good to try the hardware, software, networking and development side and then hopefully choose a speciality from there. I'm guessing for that reason small companies must get in undated with applications though.

If you're going to do A+ check out some of the aps on either android or apple stores. Really handy to swot up if you find yourself with a few minutes to spare now and again.

oh and if you do decide to do the a+ check out the professor messer website, he has a whole series of videos for the a+, its a great resource.

Will do thanks. looks like the A+ is at least a good place to start!

 

[toblarone45]

I was recently in a very similar position to you, looking for my first IT job,

I had done an IT course at collage probably the same sort of level as your A level, I have worked in retail so I used that experience to really push my customer service skills, I currently work in an office doing admin/data entry type stuff which gave me office experience to put on CV whilst at the office I ended up becoming the adhoc IT guy for my floor because it was quicker for people to ask me then wait for our IT dept to fix it!.

I studied and passed the Comptia A+ i'd highly recommend you do this, not only does it cover the techy stuff but it also covers a lot of the customer service, troubleshooting steps, helpful hints on communicating to end users etc etc, which is very helpful come interview time. after this the N+ compliments it well.

On my CV I chose to list related soft skills before my tech skills as I felt these were more important for the type of roles I was looking at - 1st line, helpdesk, desktop support etc etc. Oh and apply for everything!! I have sent out a lot of job applications whilst looking.

Anyway I have just recently been offered a IT role which I start in about 3 weeks! so it is possible.

good luck

Thanks, sounds ideal.

 

[Boycie]

I got in by getting a job in the department next door (Imports/Exports/Brokerage). Worked my way through various roles in the department then applied for the next 1st line helpdesk job that came up. I had no previous experience in a similar role or qualifications. I was given the job based on my technical knowledge and my knowledge of how the company operates which to our IT department is particularly important since its not a typical helpdesk role. I guess its a sideways way of getting in.