n00b here, looking for advice on where to start!

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You see Jargon about cabling and connectors on 1st line helpdesk roles? What roles are you looking at? General 1st line helpdesk, or like, 1st line network support type roles etc?

 

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I should have phrased that correctly, just stuff I was a tad confused with at first. I get it now, ha. I'm not wrong in thinking hardly anyone uses that sort of info, right?

 

People use that info and connecter names all the time, shame its generally in the wrong context lol.

 

Not for 1st line helpdesk, maybe if you are going for entry level desktop support you might get some q's like that.

General things they might ask is if you have used AD, call logging tools, worked in a call centre. I went to a couple of 1st line helpdesk interviews before I got a job and they were pretty much the only questions I got asked regarding any actual technical skills.

Most of your day will probably be taken up by resetting passwords in various systems, at least mine was. You may also be asked how you are with MS Office products but you can just say you are comfortable using all of them and that you have done so for x amount of time etc. If you know how to create/add/remove personal folders in outlook and how to add mailboxes etc then mention that (You will be able to find good tutorials for this sort of thing on Google I would think).

Most 1st line helpdesks are more concerned in my experience with having someone reliable turning up every day, on time, and being able to speak to customers in a confident well mannered way. If you can do that then the rest you could learn on the job in a week tops.

When I got my 1st line helpdesk role I had no IT certs etc(Still haven't), never used AD, never configured outlook mailboxes etc, nothing. All I had was call centre experience and customer service experience, other than that I just sold me to them, said I was hard working, quick learner and all the usual stuff. Explained how I was IT literate and had built computers myself and set them all up etc etc. Didn't need any qualifications what so ever, and neither did most of the other people working on the desk.

I was on the phone on my own within a week, promoted to 2nd line support in 4 months, offered a team leader role after 12 months but turned it down as I left shortly afterwards for better money/job etc.

 

I notice other people have left some great advice but thought I would offer some more.

1st what type of ICT job do you want to do? The A+ is the ground level cert for alot of IT jobs, and if you focus enough you can do it in a month or 2 with alot of spare time.

As for getting a job the best advice I can give you is get any IT job you can, or best of all look for an apprenticeship, a basic job like junior technician or something is easy to get without many qualifications.

Also if you search proffessor messer into google you can find his training videos, and you watch them all for free, and he covers all the criteria to pass the exam.

 

You followed my link from OCUK Welcome to CF

 

Oi oi.

Quick update; getting a new temp job until the end of Christmas has somewhat slowed down my learning, but I'm still reading through the book if I have any energy when I get home. Haven't really watched the Messer videos, might try get back on that as well.

Just looking through the job stuff speculatively, still doesn't seem to be much about that I could do that a million others can't. It's all the 'must have experience' thing once again that's knocking me off a little.

 

I have been working in 1st line for a while now, and want to move up the ladder but also like others I have no certifications just experience.

Experience has always been where I have wanted to learn things, but this is mostly procedure based for individual companies which doesn't really count you for other companies.

I am hopeful once I have some cert's under my belt (starting with the a+) then I can move onwards??

 

Apply for it, let them know about your A+ plans, regardless of whether you've passed it or your just self-studying.

The A+ is your practical experience

 

If you don't tell them... they won't guess it.

Make sure your CV looks good and you will stand more chance, just please no lie's... as you can at least put work in progress

 

A quick bump/update.

Due to landing a temp role completely unrelated to IT (but we all gotta work) I've had to stall off a bit. Ends this week so I'm going to get straight back onto the self study with the A+

Still, looking at the 1st Line jobs on Reed as a point of research and seeing 100+ applications is still somewhat harrowing with them all wanting the dreaded 'experience'. Argh.

 

Hold on, have I said I do have a little bit of IT experience in a school? It was fairly basic just running updates across every dorm and running inventory checks, but every little counts I suppose.