Job Offer I Got Today

[cokane]

So I have been going to school for computers for the past 2 years, about 1 year of school left. I am A+ and Windows 7 certified. I have been searching for a job for the past few months and haven't had much luck until today.

I am not sure if I like the job description because it sounds like I will be on the phone a lot. SEE job description below

Good points about the job is they want a 1 year contract, want to mold/mentor new techs, so they are committed to the long term which is good. They also said on the phone that I am a 100% match for they type of employe they are looking for, so I am pretty much a shoe in.

I am not sure on pay or hours yet, I still have to interview for the job.

What is your opinion about the job??? I will most likely take it, as long as the pay is at around 40K a year.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Our client is looking for a technical contractor who can field technical problems phoned in from internal associates. This person must be able to guide internal staff through problem resolution and elevate to next level for Desktop Support. IT Service Center Technician duties: * Interprets, evaluates and resolves, if possible, telephone inquiries pertaining to the functional operation of all installed application hardware and software products supported by IT * Provides first point of contact for all technical support issues at an enterprise level * Provides exceptional customer service, technical support for all supported business groups, and products, troubleshooting, triage, and management of the incident lifecycle * Provides cost effective first-level IT support by applying known solutions to problems or performing basic research * Escalate issues to next level support when the solution is unknown or cannot be found within 20 minutes * Resolves 80% or more of incidents at first point of contact * Achieves performance goals and increases productivity * Utilize internally produced knowledge articles, the internet or seek advice from peers to help resolve issues

The following skills, knowledge and experience are required for this position unless noted otherwise: * 1-3 years of First-level Technical Support experience * Demonstrated strong knowledge of supported products and platforms * Strong written and oral communication skills * Exceptional Customer Service skills * Demonstrates strong problem solving and troubleshooting skills to allow efficient and effective problem identification and apply appropriate solution * Illustrates high attention to problem description, detail and impact * Self-motivated and goal-oriented, capable of working in a fast paced and changing environment * Good analytical and communication skills, sound judgment, and the ability to work effectively with business partners and other support areas * Familiarity with Aventail, WebEx and other company used software (FieldNet, Prism, Platinum, PAAR) is desired

 

[smarteyeball]

That's quite a buzz-word laden description for a help desk position.

Go for it, it's a paid foot in the door job if nothing else.

 

[fseal]

Well I guess the question is, what are you going to school for (What are you learning about computers?).

This is a low level tech support position. If you are studying to become a programmer or IT technition then this job will not help you further or even start your career.

That said, a job is a job and if the pay looks good for you and you don;t mind handling calls from customers, then you just might want to jump on it.

I actually had to do this /while/ being a programmer for a small company for a while, and the job isn't bad. I felt good helping people out and most of the problems were theirs not ours so we weren't like getting non stop hate calls

 

[seavixen32]

I agree with smarteyeball.

You don't say where you live, but 40K if US dollars or GB pounds is not to be sneezed at.

You get a year's fault-finding experience and it'll improve your CV.

I would have thought that in the present economic climate, any job is better for your future employability than no job.

 

[whs]

I would recommend you complete school first and look for a decent job then. This here is not a desirable job. It is pretty dead ended. And 40K$ can be little if you live in NYC or California but maybe a lot in North Dakota. When I was running software development labs (up to 800 professionals), the guys (on average) made more money - and that was 20 years ago.

 

[cokane]

I am going to school for computer system engineer technician. This past summer I did a paid ($15 a hour) internship in a small data center helping the data center manager. Someday I would like to be some kinda of data center, system admin, or other higher level of tech support, or I am also interesting project management.

I am not sure how much the job will pay, I just through out the 40k number for shits a giggles. The job is in the Springfield MASS area.

Overall I think the job is a good start to where I want to go because it will give me some real work/enterprise level experience. So I will most likely take the job unless the salary is really low.

 

[The Howling Wolves]

Go to the interview with a lot of questions like:

While working, will the company pay for you to finish your schooling?
Can you work and get night classes to finish your degree?

I am on the same wave WHS is on. Get your degree first.
THW

 

[strollin]

Your thread title mentions "Job offer" but in reality you haven't even interviewed for the job so there can't have been an offer made, especially since you don't know the particulars on pay. Quite often a 3rd party recruiter will call you, make it sound like you are a shoe-in for the job then you never hear from them again. When you try to call them you won't be able to reach them and, if you leave a message, they won't return your call. I've seen this happen many times. My theory is that these recruiters are looking for people to "throw" at the client, hoping one will stick and the client will agree to interview them. If the client doesn't show any interest they will move on and not waste anymore time on the person. Hope this isn't the case for you but I hope you haven't gotten your hopes up too high either.

 

[Anak]

I have to agree with my esteemed members, but for God's sake I hope you did not use your 7Forums Members name.

I would also be careful if you have any Facebook or other Social Sites memberships.

 

[profdlp]

I'd venture a guess that strollin has it right and this is a headhunter looking to fill a position. That 1 year contract might mean that if you quit before the year is up then you are on the hook for the headhunter's fee. (Which could be thousands of dollars.)

Consider this, too: In today's lousy economy, why are they having to recruit employees? If the job was even halfway decent they would probably get enough applicants that they wouldn't need to resort to an agency to find someone to fill the position.

I'm not saying that it might not be a good opportunity, just to be careful and not sign anything until you're sure what it is. I'd also strongly agree with all those who suggested you make finishing school your top priority. A little money now may still be a "little" money twenty years from now. Finishing school is going to mean "big" money for the rest of your life.

 

[whs]

A little money now may still be a "little" money twenty years from now. Finishing school is going to mean "big" money for the rest of your life.

That is exactly the point. Without a degree you will have a hard time to advance. This job is at the same lavel as flipping hamburgers at McDo - only sounds a bit fancier.

 

[mjf]

I've worked in large labs here and in the US most of my life and been involved in research and recruiting research and support staff. Unless you are starving I suggest you finish your degree as a priority.
If they want to give you some part time work which doesn't interfere with your studies then I would think that was fine.

 

[cokane]

strollin IDK if this helps but it was a Kforce recruiter. I think you might be on to something. During the phone conversation I had today the recruiter failed to mention what exactly the job really was, and keep saying I was a really good fit for the position, nor did he mention the name of the company who is hiring... I emailed him after the phone to setup an interview, but have not heard back yet.

Sounds shady I know, I do not plan on signing any contract until I have all the facts.

The finish school then go to work theme is very popular. I want to go to work because I think its the best environment to learn about computers. Another reason why I want to go to work is, out of the last 5 years I have been unemployed for 2.5 years and not working sucks... I'd like to have healthcare and a steady pay check. As far as paying for school, I am on the GI Bill so that part is taken care of.

 

[strollin]

You can work and go to school at the same time. I worked full time during the day then was a full-time student at night. Took me about 5 1/2 years but I finished school while supporting a wife the whole time. Can't recommend it for everyone but it worked for me. The point is, follow through and complete school.

 

[cokane]

They just called back so I asked a couple more questions... Pay is only $14.00 per hour or 29k so I told them no thanks.

 

[The Howling Wolves]

They just called back so I asked a couple more questions... Pay is only $14.00 per hour or 29k so I told them no thanks.

Good choice cokane!
Now hit the books and finish your education. While doing this make sure you keep your
feet in the water to see what else is out there.
Best of luck,
Dennis

 

[cokane]

EMC just emailed me about their Leadership Engineering Accelerated Program (LEAP) program. Apparently I have been submitted for an internship, which is cool because EMC is a legit place.

 

[The Howling Wolves]

EMC just emailed me about their Leadership Engineering Accelerated Program (LEAP) program. Apparently I have been submitted for an internship, which is cool because EMC is a legit place.

Congratulations cokane!
Dennis

 

[Layback Bear]

You said you were on the G.I. Bill, that's good. Have you tried your County Veterans Service Office. They maybe able to help guide you in this job hunting. Of course if you qualify it's free. In the State of Ohio we have one in each county.

 

[cokane]

Another place called me today, they are looking for help desk / junior admin part time 20 hours a week $20.00 an hour. Good thing I held my cards and didnt fold on the $14.00 job.