I know I can nail the technical questions but I’m worried that i look sleazy.
The additional context wasn’t necessary but I wanted to see how the photo posts are formatted for lemmy
Old guy here with some dad advice. Given that you’re concerned, I assume you don’t dress like this on the regular.
Wear it around, a lot, beforehand. Get comfortable so you act comfortable. Interviews can be nerve wracking enough without fidgeting because you aren’t used to the clothes you’re wearing.
There’s many a times this could have been useful for me and I’ll think I’ll store this away for the future.
I was an IT help desk manager for 10 years. Your attire is perfect, and it’s a good sign that you’re concerned about looking professional.
Here’s a pro tip - In your interview you will almost certainly be asked how you’d solve an issue that you have no idea how to approach. What they’re looking for is how you’ll respond emotionally. The correct answer is to assure the end user that you will find a solution, don’t panic, and then check internal documentation. “Have we run into this before?” Insist that the company should never have to solve the same issue twice because documentation is paramount. Never be afraid to say that you’d escalate the issue but KEEP OWNERSHIP. Ownership is huge to these people.
I’d be glad to go into more detail about what they’ll be looking for if it will be helpful.
I won’t wish you good luck because you’ve already got this!
I was never a direct manager, but I’ve been in on the hiring process for many candidates. Great advice, top to bottom.
When we interviewed we also liked to hear people say they’d Google it. It seems stupid but I want someone with the initiative to find the solution to a problem they’ve never seen.
Also the thing about ownership is key, and for us was always an indicator of someone who might want to move up later. Help desk folks who want to move up do everything they can feasibly do and offer their take on what they think the next level needs to do before escalating. If it truly needs to be handed off then it’s because of permissions. But the best help desk people try to hang on to the ticket as long as they can so they can provide the most consistency to the end user.
Yep I Google stuff all the time in my help desk type job. Usually when it’s windows being stupid for whatever reason.
I’m a senior-most IT engineer for a major company and most of my job is still Googling. The rest is learn.microsoft.com.
Every good engineer I have ever worked with googles things. To me it’s actually a red flag if someone doesn’t Google stuff. That tells me they think they know everything, or that they would rather punt than learn. I think googling is a critical job skill for IT.
I just want to second saying you’d Google it in the interview if it comes up. I got my first job because of this in software engineering a long time ago.
Interviewer: “If you didn’t know how to solve a technical problem, what’s the first thing you’d do?” Me: “Well… to be honest, I’d Google it…” Interviewer: “Oh yeah that’s actually exactly what we want!”
It did seem stupid to me at the time but it made sense after.
In your interview you will almost certainly be asked how you’d solve an issue that you have no idea how to approach
^ This completely. I am a tech support Tier 1/Tier 2 support hiring manager for a private tech company. Our software and hardware product is our own creation and we have no expectation you’ll know how to fix any of our stuff.
I ask someone a question troubleshoot a TV screen + generic PC that’s showing a blank/black screen. In the scenario both should be powered on and displaying our software, but it’s possible neither are at the moment. I ask how they’d approach getting things back up. My POV is that it’s a type of fault that everyone who’s ever worked a PC/ChromeBox/VCR/DVD/GameConsole/CableTVbox/etc has ran into and should be able to spitball an answer regardless of background.
What I am listening for is the steps you would take to work through a problem and why. I am also paying attention to if you are someone that can work through a problem, it’s a surprising number of people who just don’t seem able to.
Someone who I didn’t hire wasn’t sure and ended up suggesting we check the wifi.
Good luck on the interview, and the clothes look great. Anything business casual will almost always be accepted and if they ding you on no tie be glad you dodged that bullet
Anything that can happen will happen, and because the manual is finite, eventually the will be a situation that the company is unprepared for.
Take responsibility, yes, but don’t act beyond your authority. Tell the person that you’ll find out, and ask the appropriate person.
If there is time pressure, don’t take on more than you can reliably handle - don’t take info and promise to contact the person unless you can do that. It’s always better to give the person contact information and ask them to call or come back.
For years companies loved “I can” statements. “I can help you with that”, “I can find out for you”, etc. But I think that might have fallen out of favor, check with someone younger than me (lol!).
This is fantastic and great advice. Listen to this guy!
So much this. As someone who runs a technical call center, I don’t know is an acceptable answer but follow it with a plan to find out!
Never be afraid to say that you’d escalate the issue but KEEP OWNERSHIP. Ownership is huge to these people.
Your advice is great in general, but procedures may vary. When I worked in professional IT support, we have often transferred ownership to the next level group, together with the escalation.
But then our customers were all professional IT guys too, devs, admins, sometimes managers. No whining panicking end users :-)
If you want your shirt to be buttoned all the way to the top, I would recommend pairing it with a tie. In addition, I might consider a lighter shirt as the overall outfit is pretty dark.
Don’t stress it too much though, your outfit is perfectly fine! Go ahead and kill it!
As someone who has been on both sides of a helpdesk interview, 99.5% of the time a tie is overkill. OP looks dressed for the job.
I wore a tie to my first interview as a programmer. Worked there for 15 years and I got made ribbed for wearing a tie (that one time) for 15 years.
Sounds about right. lol
For my first helpdesk job interview, the recruiter sent the wrong information in the interview packet. The dress code she sent said “business formal” so I went in all suited and tied. Looked like I was interviewing for CEO. The managers interviewing me were wearing jeans and polo shirts.
Same. Although I would roll the sleeves. That’s how I interviewed for my latest help desk gig.
That’s how I interviewed for my current job, too! I work in media.
Rolled sleeves is perfect for jobs that are not overly formal. It’s manly, it inspires confidence and gives the idea of someone who’s ready to… Well, to roll up their sleeves and get to work
Yeah, that’s solid advice. And definitely never wear a short sleeve dress shirt. That’s like the most cliche thing you can do in IT (even if they are more comfortable). Rolled sleeves is like the acceptable middle ground and generally looks better.
I concur. A tie in an interview is almost always overkill, especially for help desk work. OP is perfectly dressed for what I’d expect for front-line IT. Hopefully their help desk has a more relaxed dress code, but it’s always good to go in looking professional.
I didn’t wear any ties to my interviews for higher level IT positions and it worked out well for me. Generally unnecessary in the tech world.
You got this dude 🤙🏻
HR person here that sometimes has helpdesk positions to fill as well. Absolutely appropriate. Like others already said, you are better dressed than most people we interview for such positions.
Piece of advice if you don’t usually dress like that: Wear those clothes for a half a day going grocery shopping and doing regular daily shit. Helps make you feel more comfortable in them. Just give them a check up to see if they got dirty afterwards.
On a personal note, great choice of colours too. Best of luck to you!
You look like an average human in nice clothes
You look fine, don’t overthink that.
Good luck!
Thanks. I got the A+ a few days ago and I already got an interview. I know I’m insanely lucky so I don’t wanna squander it.
It’s not luck. You did the work, you earned the badge.
Good luck! The best advice I can give for IT these days is to not be afraid of learning and certifications. Far too many people get complacent in their skillset. I started at an ISP help desk back in 2006 and today I’m senior management. 99.9% of the people I passed on the way here had a mentality like “well I used to install stage 1 Gentoo back in 2003 so therefore I am a master Linux admin” and just refused to take on new projects / new areas.
You’ve got this!
I have hired lots of IT staff: Your outfit is fine, but you might want to make sure your shirt is fully tucked in so you look a little more squared away.
Just relax, be yourself, and remember you are interviewing them just as much as they are interviewing you.
Yep, I agree with this. Ask what their training programs are like, do they offer opportunities to learn and grow? Certifications help, but actually being able to do stuff correctly and with understanding is far far more critical.
You’re better dressed than 90% of software engineers I’ve interviewed. Definitely not goofy
I would even tend to call him “overdressed”.
Whenever I had in-person interviews my go to was jeans, sneakers and a presentable t-shirt (plain color, or a small logo, no metal bands or similar). Everything in good condition and clean. An unbottoned casual shirt on top, if winter.
Usually “know your shit and don’t be an embarrassment” is the bar to clear in IT.
I think it’s actually just about right for helpdesk. Good job OP. Crush that interview.
I’d hire you in IT based on appearance alone. Let us know how it goes!
deleted by creator
You look fine to me! Only the belt is kinda strange. The pointy end should point towards your back, while the buckle should be aligbed with the zipper
You look really well put together and professional. Only advice is next time look for a shirt that’s not so baggy around the waist.
I would trust you with my technical questions! You look professional!
deleted by creator
