When you’re attending an interview for a desktop support position, a hiring manager may ask you various questions to assess your compatibility with the role. They may use certain questions to assess your technical knowledge and soft skills like communication. Understanding how to answer specific questions can improve your chances of receiving a job offer.
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In this article, we list nine desktop support interview questions and provide example answers to the study.
9 desktop support interview questions
Here are nine interview questions a hiring manager may ask you during an interview for a desktop support position:
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1. Tell me about yourself
A hiring manager may ask this question to learn about your ability to perform well in the expected role. You can use your response to highlight relevant qualifications and experience in the role. If you’re still attending school, you can explain your situation and show how you’re gaining experience while completing your studies. If you just graduated from school, you can discuss any internships that you’ve completed or are currently completing. When you’re describing yourself, summarize the job responsibilities you’ve had and the traits you’ve implemented, as these details can persuade a hiring manager that you’re a suitable candidate.
Example: “I’m a college student who’s one semester away from completing my computer science degree. I’m passionate about how computers work and enjoy offering assistance to people who may not understand them so they can complete their job duties and go about their days normally. Right now, I have an internship with a financial technology company in an IT support position. I handle network issues and ensure computers stay connected to the company intranet and the internet.
I’m actively working toward obtaining two industry certifications so I can further my knowledge in the field. Thanks to my technical experience so far, I understand you need someone who not only has the technical skills but also interpersonal skills to work with different individuals in any situation. As someone who can work late into the night to ensure employees can resume work with no computer hardware glitches in the morning, my goal is to use my skills to make the organization run in the best way it can.”
2. Why did you choose a career in desktop support?
This question can provide a deeper insight into what motivates you as a candidate. The hiring manager wants to know if your motivation to perform well in the role comes from the desire to help solve problems for clients and meet the company’s goals. As a candidate, this is an opportunity to show your interest and knowledge of the industry and what you can provide if you receive an employment offer.
In your answer, you may discuss a passion for troubleshooting computers or applying your profound knowledge of programming and its applications. You may also discuss your desire to pursue a higher-level position eventually. When a hiring manager learns that you want to become a database administrator or a network administrator, they may appreciate your ambition and want to enlist you as a long-term employee.
Example: “I chose a career in technical support to pursue my love of computers and solving people’s problems. Some may take technical knowledge for granted, but it can be an essential foundation for clients’ businesses and company operations. I believe a role as a desktop support technician can offer me the opportunity to make customers’ lives and businesses easier while allowing me to do what I enjoy doing most.”
3. Why do you want to work for this company?
An interviewer may ask this question to assess your familiarity with the hiring organization. You can prepare your answer to this question by studying the company’s vision, mission, and values. Learn what the company hopes to accomplish. In your answer, you can discuss what was attractive about the company when you first applied for the open position. Explain that you love the company culture or employee development programs. You can also mention if the organization supports an environmental or public service initiative that resonates with you. Use your response to show genuine passion and dedication to the organization.
Example: “I applied to this company because I appreciate how it provides desktop support services to health care employees. This company’s commitment to ensuring hospitals, doctor’s offices, and medical clinics can resume operations efficiently when technical problems occur is very inspiring. I feel like working here will help me make a major difference in the world and add more meaning to my career, as I will be able to indirectly help healthcare patients get the care they need.”
4. What is your troubleshooting process?
This is another common IT desktop support interview question because your job involves helping untrained computer users solve their technical problems. Your answer can show an understanding of the common issues admin users face and the best way to solve them. The troubleshooting process involves identifying a problem by gathering facts, diagnosing the issue to determine the cause, and deploying a solution. Regardless of your troubleshooting process, make sure your approach is easy to adapt to multiple scenarios to ensure fast and effective resolution of issues.
Example: “First, I get as much information about the problem as possible. This allows me to identify and verify the issue quickly. Next, I deploy common solutions. If the issue persists, I use advanced tools to diagnose the issue and conduct more research. When I resolve the issue, I implement necessary repairs or replacements and perform rigorous tests to ensure the problem doesn’t exist anymore.”
5. What forms of support communication have you worked with before?
A hiring manager may ask this technical interview question to determine what level of training they may need to provide. If you can show you’re a versatile candidate with experience in multiple support methods, you may make yourself more employable. In your answer, be honest about the experience you have. If your experience is limited, you can state your willingness and enthusiasm to learn.
Example: “I have two years of experience in telephone support communication and one year of experience in email support communication. When I was applying for this job, I noticed that the team mainly relies on email and live chat communication support. I believe that I will learn this company’s procedures for email support communication quickly because of my past experience. If I receive the available role, I’m eager to begin the training process for live chat support and ask questions so I can learn as much as possible.”
6. What do you know about the NTLDR error?
A hiring manager may ask you technical questions to determine if you know how a computer network or operating system works. You can prepare for technical questions like these by studying desktop support resources. Ask employees about the problems they encounter most frequently. Research solutions and test them for yourself to ensure you fully understand why they work.
Example: “The NTLDR is the network loader and it is vital for loading the system OS. This error shows when the file is missing from the OS. To resolve the issue, I will install a new version of the file on the system and reboot.”
7. Was there a time you could not resolve a technical problem yourself? How did you manage the situation?
Good candidates know their limitations, and it shows their ability to work with others. If a hiring manager asks you situational questions like this one, give an honest answer. There may be times when you can’t solve an issue with your current troubleshooting skills or an internet search. An experienced employee may be able to help you solve the issue timely so the user can access their system. Use this question to show your ability to collaborate and consult your colleagues when you encounter challenges. Your interviewer may see asking for help when you need it as a desirable quality.
Example: “A couple of months ago, I was trying to format a system that was infected with dangerous malware. I used all the advanced tools with which I was familiar but the system was still infected. The problem was complicated because the hard drive had been compromised, but there were sensitive files on the system. When I told a fellow employee about the situation, he suggested a tool I didn’t know about, and I was able to eliminate the malware safely without losing any of the files on the computer.”
8. Are interpersonal skills or technical knowledge more important in a desktop support role?
Besides technical expertise, part of being a successful employee is getting along well with others. To provide a satisfactory answer to this question, describe the importance of technical knowledge and interpersonal skills and how they help you deliver optimal performance on the job. Depending on the nature of the role, you may choose to prioritize technical expertise. In your answer, you can still state the importance of being able to reassure someone whose system crashed suddenly at the end of completing an important project.
Example: “I believe both skills are vital to delivering a satisfactory experience to users. Having technical expertise to solve people’s IT problems and promote the security of the computer network in an effective and timely fashion. It can also promote productivity for myself and any clients I assist.
As important as technical knowledge is, interpersonal skills are the basis of all relationships. Actively listening, effective communication, and empathy are some skills one needs to begin and maintain relationships with users. Interpersonal skills also help you work alongside others in the event that you can’t solve an issue on your own due to its scale or complexity.”
9. When do you need to backup data and what are some different types?
A hiring manager asks this question to determine if you know the importance of protecting a company’s digital assets. In your response, you can provide a couple of reasons why backing up data is important. You may also list a few methods for backing up a data file and when you’d use each one.
Example: “Backing up data is essential in the IT industry, as it helps a business protect its digital assets from natural disasters, power failures, cyberattacks, internal security issues, and human error. A couple of different backup types are differential backups and incremental backups. A differential backup includes all the data that’s transformed since the last comprehensive backup. An incremental backup only consists of the data that’s transformed since the most recent backup. A desktop support employee may choose a differential backup over an incremental backup because it’s less time-consuming to restore the involved data.”
I hope you find this article helpful.
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