Essential Help Desk Interview Questions

The Essentials Of Help Desk Interview Questions

Finding the right help desk candidates can prove more challenging that many interviewers first think. Certainly, these prospects need to have the right technical abilities and aptitude to assist their clients and their team. In addition, they may function in a vital customer service roll, so they must also possess good soft skills to handle impatient or frustrated callers. Consider these essentials of help desk interview questions to uncover the best people for the job.

Essential Help Desk Interview Questions

Of course, many companies have different tiers of support systems. Tier One serves as first-line customer support. Companies may want these people to have a good technical understanding and aptitude, but soft skills will matter the most.

At Tier Two and Three, the held desk professionals may spend more time diagnosing issues than interfacing with the public. They should still have good teamwork and communication skills, but soft skills may not be as large of an issue.

In any case, these are some essentials that can help an interviewer gauge the communication and technical skills of potential new employees.

HD Communication Questions

First introduce yourself and then ask your job prospects to tell you a bit about themselves as well. Pay attention to word choices, clarity, and how well the candidate makes certain that you’re engaged in their story.

Come up with a very simple tech problem, like downloading a mobile app or finding a file on a hard drive. As the candidate how they would explain this process to somebody who possesses no technical knowledge.

Ask candidates about their written communication skills. Hopefully, there will be a sample of their writing skills in the form of a resume or cover letter. Since most help desk people have to create logs and send emails, it’s also fair to ask for other samples. It might not be fair to put them on the spot, so the candidate might be allowed to send the sample in after the interview.

Tech Savvy Questions

Naturally, the position or tier might determine the level of tech savvy needed. Also, many companies don’t expect new hires to already know everything about their own particular systems and just need to hire people who have a good aptitude. Either way, these are good tech questions to consider.

Ask the applicants what they already know about your company. Even if they’re not familiar with the entire tech suite, this question can help learn which job prospects did their homework before asking for the job.

Also, it’s a good idea to query a job prospect about technical websites that he or she visits commonly. Some common answers might include Stack Overflow or even the social feeds of tech influencers. There aren’t always right or wrong answers to this question, but the answer can show how engaged the person actually is.

Ask some basic technical question to gain insight into the applicant’s level and ability to communicate about it. Depending upon the nature of the job, this could vary. For instance, it might be relevant to ask questions about word processors, content management software, networking protocols, or databases, depending upon the job..

Ask Questions To Determine Problem-Solving Skills

The type of job and prior expectations may determine the sorts of questions to ask to determine problem-solving abilities. A simple question might start with what the applicant would try to do if their PC wouldn’t turn on. This is another of those questions that doesn’t always have a right or wrong answer. Consider the analytical approach and tone of voice as the candidate supplies an answer.

Another kind of problem-solving question has nothing to do with a particular technology. For instance, ask how many passenger cars there are in the United States. Obviously, nobody would expect the candidate to know the answer. However, the way he or she approaches the question can prove illuminating. For example, the candidate might estimate the number of people and decide there’s an average or one car per person.

Ask Questions To Determine Customer Service Soft Skills

If support people need to help customers or employees, the business will expect them to provide polite service. Of course, the business may also provide further training. At the same time, these questions can reveal an aptitude ready to offer the sort of support the business wants to provide.

Ask the candidate about a good experience with customer service. This could be an experience with a help desk, but it could also be about a bank, restaurant, or department store. See what kinds of things the job candidate truly values because that will show how they will provide support when it’s their turn.

Ask candidates how they would work with angry, impatient, and frustrated clients. Obviously, these sorts of calls are bound to happen in any help desk situation. In particular, Tier One Support people must have the skills to diffuse negative situations.

Ask Questions To Understand Teamwork Skills

Of course, help desk people don’t just work with clients. They must also work with their team, different support tiers, and of course, their bosses. If they get promoted to supervision or management, they will also need to work well with the people who report to them.

During this part of the interview, it’s a good time to ask about scheduling expectations, situations when they’ve had to handle challenging employees, or how well they’ve dealt with criticism from their boss or other members of the team. As with many other questions, most answers won’t be right or wrong. The answers should demonstrate how the job candidate has thought about these issues in the past.

Why Is Asking The Right Help Desk Interview Questions Important?

With most companies, the help desk has one of the highest levels of attrition. It can be a stressful job, and the typical employee may have to deal with disgruntled people each day. The job requires good soft skills and of course, excellent problem-solving skills. These help desk interview questions may not all have right and wrong answers, but the way that they’re delivered can tell interviewers quite a bit.