No matter how big or small the companies are, they always need an effective help desk person/team to provide excellent service to their users. If you are a newbie to help desk positions, we will provide you a few entry level help desk jobs along with applying tips. Hopefully, this article will help you land the right spot!
Table of Contents
What Is Helpdesk?
First of all, let’s talk a bit about the word ”helpdesk”…
Is helpdesk an imaginary knowledgeable desk you reach out for help or support?
Well, the helpdesk is a resource intended to provide end-users assistance and support management service (known as queries) related to a company’s or institution’s products and services.
Depending on the size of institutions, a helpdesk can consist of one person only or a group of experts helping to troubleshoot problems or provide guidance about certain products such as computers, software, electronic equipment, food, etc.
Entry level helpdesk jobs. Source: Pexels
Where Can You Apply For A Helpdesk Position?
As we mentioned before, every company needs a helpdesk person or helpdesk department. For more information, you can go to sites like the information center, computer support center, resource center, IT response center, customer support center, IT solutions center, and technical support center, etc.
Searching for entry level helpdesk jobs. Source: Pexels
Entry Level Help Desk Jobs
Queue Manager
A Queue Manager can be called a dispatcher or a queue supervisor. Their primary task is managing the incoming requests, often known as “issues”. They monitor the queues, assign incident tickets to resources to one of the specialized teams based on the type of issue raised, and follow up with the engineer until the tickets are closed. They make daily reports and summary reports on incidents, changes, and problem tickets.
A qualified queue manager should know about SLA metric, incident categorization, technology-specific SME for Tech assistance, Inter Supplier Support Scope & Queue Name, and Inter.
Median annual salary: $74,079/year
Working as a help desk analyst. Source: Pexels
Help Desk Analyst
The Help Desk Analyst, also known as help desk technicians, is the first contact for computer users with technical problems. This position is a common entry-level role in the tech industry since it can help you understand the IT world and give you a great view of other IT and business departments.
You will be ultimately responsible for troubleshooting and documenting the requestors’ technical problems; tracking the whole process thoroughly from request to confirmation of the resolution such as:
- Carrying out analysis, diagnosis, and resolution of complex technical errors for end-users, suggest and implement effective solutions.
- Monitoring and troubleshooting the technical facilities at the company, for example: software, projectors, printing/scanning devices, peripheral devices, etc.
- Updating and maintaining the computer inventory and equipment.
- Answering incoming calls, emails, and/or Help Desk tickets related to desktop errors in the company.
- Working with third-party support and PC equipment vendors if needed.
Besides, you also ensure optimal customer assistance to the staff and affiliates, for example: providing accurate information for all tickets and using non-technical communication that helps the users understand easily.
As a Help Desk Analyst, you might be required to work outside office hours and take night and/or weekend shifts in case of emergency needs.
The recruiters often look for candidates who have a good understanding of computer support, Microsoft Windows operating systems, and Office. Usually, Network and Microsoft certifications are preferred.
Median annual salary: $53,470/year
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Help Desk Specialist
The work required is the same as that of a help desk analyst. However, to be called a specialist somehow requires you to be proficient in various computer systems, software, hardware, mobile devices, and other technical products. You should have the ability to analyze and quickly debug issues through diagnostic techniques and questions via phone, email, remote sessions, etc.
Typically, recruiters expect the candidates to have at least two years of paid work experience in a help desk, technical, or customer support position.
They want to see your degree from an accredited institution of higher education in a technical field or one current technical certification (for example, CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+) to prove your proficiency.
Median annual salary: $54,021/year
Online Chat Advisor
We have mentioned three IT Helpdesk jobs for you; now we would like to introduce you to a helpdesk job with more customer contact. This job is needed in every enterprise that mainly provides services or products.
As an online chat advisor, you are expected to deliver an excellent client experience on the phone, via email, or over the live chat service. Your responsibilities include responding quickly to multiple queries from taking payments, chasing shipments, reviewing orders, or advising on different products.
Since you will function on the front line of customer service, employers want to see your excellent written and verbal communication skills as well as your attention to detail,
You can work under pressure, manage your time and know which queries to prioritize. Ideal candidates are those who have knowledge of the products or services that the company is providing and some customer care experience.
Median annual salary: $23,500 – $34,500
Read more: 5 Things You Can Do To Stop Hating Your Job
HR Helpdesk Advisor
In this role, you will have to deal with multiple HR queries & problems and provide resolutions. Therefore, you should provide clear, trustworthy HR advice to the colleagues in the enterprise, covering the whole colleague lifecycle and support excellent colleague experience. Through this job, you are contributing to creating excellent working relationships between colleagues.
To perform well in the job, you should understand the need for confidentiality regarding documents processed and access to confidential material within the HR community. You show the customer (in this case, the colleagues) respect and appreciation by constantly interacting positively and prioritizing their needs.
Recruiters recommend that you have good listening skills and use questioning techniques to clarify colleagues’ problems and identify efficient solutions. Finally, you can articulate advice/resolution in a way that your customers could understand easily.
Median annual salary: $44,058/year
Legal Assistant
Your work can vary depending on what kind of assistance the Legal Help Desk Department requires. You might work with clients and collections agencies via phone, emails to obtain documentation of settlements and help them tackle questions.
Or you might review documents sent to the office by both clients and collections agencies and make sure they meet the given criteria.
Obtaining a Law degree or degree in any field and equivalent experience is preferable.
For many lawyers, working in New York is the ultimate goal as the most prestigious enterprises in the world are located here.
Therefore, you should give yourself some golden opportunities. Don’t hesitate to go online and type ‘‘Legal assistant jobs NYC” or ‘‘Personal assistant jobs NY”.
Median annual salary: $50,573
Working as a legal assistant. Source: Pexels
What To Notice When Applying For A Helpdesk Job
When applying for an entry-level job, recruiters advise you to always look for customer support positions, i.e., the help desk.
Helpdesk is one of the most common positions that beginners often apply for.
Very high turnover rate, good pay, very easy to advance, not so tricky job!
However, that does not mean you do not have to put much effort into the applying process. Please read on below to grab more tips.
What to notice when applying for entry level helpdesk jobs – entry level help desk jobs. Source: Pexels
Use A Staffing Agency
It consumes a lot of time to hire entry-level positions; therefore, company HR departments aren’t willing to put their time into finding out low-level workers. (We are sorry, but that is a bitter fact). Instead, they outsource that work to staffing agencies. The Computer Merchant and Robert Half are popular agencies, but thousands of staffing agencies are still out there for you to reach out to.
How Do You Reach Out To A Staffing Agency?
- First, get yourself a professional resume.
- Second, contact the staffing agency. They will probably ask for your resume and “sign up” on their website. I know it is a bit tiring – but it’s all free, so please go for it.
- Third, tell them that you want an entry level helpdesk job.
- Finally, don’t be too picky; any offer to you is an opportunity.
Direct-hire Listing Is Not For Entry-level Jobs
A direct hire is a position that reports directly to the employer, not to an agency. You often encounter these as newspaper ads, monster.com ads, and so on. If this is where you were looking for entry-level work, sorry, you’re looking in the wrong place. Direct-hire jobs are usually for advanced positions. Someday you’ll be experienced enough to apply for these jobs – but not now.
Use The Star Method To Answer Interview Questions
When conducting an interview, there will probably be some questions that panic you at first glance; however, with the STAR answer format we provide you here, you will answer with more confidence:
- Situation: Quickly describe the event or situation that you might be in. For example, I enrolled in a programming club.
- Task: Explain the tasks you had to complete, highlighting any goal or specific challenges you had. Think of this as telling a story with Who, What, Where, When, Why, etc.
- Action: Describe how you worked to tackle the challenge. Be very specific, listing the steps you took to solve the problem. That is what employers want to hear from you.
- Result: Close with the results of your project. You should explain the impact you made or the lessons you learned.
Use The Star Method To Answer Interview Questions – entry level help desk jobs. Source: Pexels
Sum Up
In short, if you want to develop your technical skills, love helping others, have lots of patience, and the ability to work in stressful situations, helpdesk positions can be the perfect job to get you started in any service field.
Happy job hunting!
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