Geek Squad

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i have read the posts about this but am draggin it up yet again! i have been invited to the "Apprentice like" Assessment day that these guys hold for a "Counter Intelligence Agent" its a 5 min walk from my house which is the good point. the down point is its part time, £7.20 p/hr so £195 a week BEFORE deductions. they will send me on 3 weeks training prior to starting the role. Is it worth me wasting a whole day for is what im asking myself?? If you were a corporate firm and you saw this on my CV would you discredit me for it? Plus i dont think im too happy about the you may have to help out on sales if their busy remark.
Really dunno what to do!

 

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I personally wouldn't go. I dislike them as IT professionals and as customer service agents. It's all a bit gimmicky and odd which is going to be hard to translate into something meaningful when talking to a strong corporate hiring manager at the interview table. I dislike the whole it takes an entire day think and three weeks training? seriously.

Then there is the job titles...

If you need the money, go for it because it's money. If you already have a job and are thinking this is your entry into the IT world, I'd probably have a long think.

 

I couldn't agree more on this topic. Geek squad is definitely something that I would not do unless I was in a pinch and needed a job/money. THe thing to remember with geek squad is that since you work for best buy, you're still responsible for making sales. You are somewhat split between salesman and geek. So you won't be recommending cameras or tv's for people, but you'll be trying to get them to pay for services/hardware that they won't need in order to meet your quotas.

 

Personally, if i saw this thread I would 'discredit' you by dropping your resume into the bin

Wasting a whole day? to potentially get your foot in the door somewhere? doesn't seem like a waste to me, hell I would go just for the experience, if you take the job or not
is it gimmicky? maybe, but it attracts customers, which when given the pitiful competition in the UK (disclaimer: I worked for DSGi) is only a good thing. Best Buy corporate have one of the best working cultures of any retail outfit in the country (USA) and I applaud them for the efforts they have made in that area, even if they are unable to roll all of that culture out to the shop floor

As for assisting with the sales effort, I can assure you, a job description in IT is about as fluid as an IT persons coffee supply, and having to pitch in for the company to attain it's goals is nothing new, nor will it ever go away, get used to it, Best Buy is a sales company, a retail sales company no less, so pucker up your customer service face, because that's who you are dealing with, your customers in this case are just the general public, rather than the other corporate staff (who trust me, are just as whiny and aggravating at times!)

 

Ive told them i wont be attending. I am not going to waste a whole day that i could earn £100 to "Audition" for a £7 hr job. If they need people to pretend they are on the apprentice thats up to them but when its quite clear from my cv that i have the skills needed for the job then i am not prepared to lose out for them to treat me like a puppet. Unless Lord Sugar was interviewing me im not pretending to be on the apprentice! End of.

 

Im on Phoenix side on this one, any role with IT responsibilities is worthwhile when it comes to a career in IT, I personally would look at a CV from someone who had worked here and see they were determined to start even from the bottom and work their way up, I would also assume they have excellent customer facing skills and be able to sell people on the philosophy of the IT department.

Also with regards the sales, everyone who knows your in IT will asks for advice on what to buy when it comes to computers/mp3 players etc, so I would see that side of it as an extension of what being the IT guy in your group of friends/family is.

If youve ditched this opportunity through snobbery then bad decision, if you genuinely think it wasnt for you then fair play.

 

Are these part of carphone warehouse?

I have a mate who went to work there after working being made redundant at orange - he's pretty nifty with computers, but he just wants a job - i think he enjoys it there.

Either way, experience is experience whichever way you look at it.

 

You have got totally the wrong attitude towards this job and any others, so because you have some certifications your better than this opportunity and other people???

Going from your post on here its a good thing your didn't turn up, good luck in the future, your are going to need it!

 

Before the assumptions are thrown all over the place, what skills, qualifications and experience do you have alexdc12?

 

I would say it's not the best job in world but it's a start !! Only 5 min walk from house is big plus and any experience you get will be beneficial for your next job.

 

err, it's in his sig m8 !

Let's NOT descend into personal attacks on the forum please.

 

They are recruiting around Milton Keynes as well - I have also applied. However not getting my hopes up as with previous application nothing got back to me.

But I will definitely be snapping it up if they (or anyone else) offer me any position. It may not be a solid IT Analyst or Technician position but it will definitely lead to one.

 

Theres no point in me taking it as the pay is not enough, its part time and even if it was full time its not enough and i can earn more money just doing what im doing at the moment. I believe i have made the right decision. Seems a lot of you think im stupid for doing it but thats your opinion and your entitled to that but it doesnt make me a bad person cos i snubbed a job or unemployable in the future because of it.

 

Nothing wrong with a bit of snobbery when it comes to your career. I turned down a senior job with a well known bakery as they wanted to make me work in the shop for 2 weeks so I pulled out after the 2nd round of interviews as I found it humiliating for my job (not the job itself for people who work doing that). Also if a job doesn't feel right then as long as your covered financially and working then don't take it. Again I learnt the hard way in working for a well known IT company (that also makes sauce) because of the money and the job was a joke. I now make 10k less and am much happier for it to climb back to that salary doing jobs I like and won't make the same mistake twice.

 

Hi Apexes,

Thought I'd join this forum to say yeah I do enjoy it here , We now have another ex Orange employee in town and an ex CMTS from Plymouth in another store.

The job is what you make of it, it's far more tech support and customer service than sales. I think I've sold one case in my year here so sales is very much the exception rather than the rule.

 

heh, i was at Orange but got made redundant - i went to Plymouth for 4 weeks and trained up the CMTS staff there beleive it or not! small world