IT & desktop support engineer interview questions and answers

IT Support Jobs

Technical IT & desktop support interview questions and answers

What is the purpose of Device Drivers? Device Drivers are the software required to run hardware components. What is one of the latest Co puter !rocessors "C!#$? The Intel Pentium Quad Core Intel I3, I5 and I7 processors. What does #S% stand for? niversal !erial "us # the current version is $.%. It allows the connection of peripherals without the need to shut down the computer. Which desktop operating s&ste s are &ou fa iliar with? &ou will need to have familiarised 'ourself with the s'stem used (' the or)anisation 'ou are hopin) to *oin. +ocus 'our answer on those s'stems, (ut also mention other s'stems with which 'ou have e,perience. What are the disadvantages of using i aging software? This question is desi)ned to test 'our familiarit' with ima)in) software. Descri(e ima)e testin) and the attri(utes of particular software to show 'our familiarit' with ima)in). Define 'ard(Disk !artitions? -ard dis. partitions divide the hard dis. drive into smaller se)ments to ena(le (etter space mana)ement. /ach partition on the dis. can then (e considered as a separate dis. allowin) different file s'stems to (e used on each. What is the difference between )*+ and ),+? 012 stands for 0andom 1ccess 2emor'. It is used for the temporar' stora)e of data that is (ein) wor.ed on. 032 is 0ead43nl' 2emor' and is used for permanent stora)e of data that should never (e chan)ed, li.e "I3! for e,ample. If the audio for &our co puter is not working- what would &ou check? Chec. the followin)5 !pea.er volume, ca(le connections, power to the spea.ers and device drivers. What are the lights on a +ode ./*0 Card and what do the& indicate? The li)hts are5

4 Power li)ht # indicates if the power is on. 4 6in. li)ht # indicates if the modem is receivin) (road(and or Internet si)nals from the I!P. 4 Data li)ht # indicates if the Internet is wor.in). 4 Connectivit' li)ht # indicates if the modem is connected to a computer. What are so e of the !orts available in a co puter? Common ports are5 P!7$ ports, for .e'(oard and mouse. !"ports. !ound ports.618 or /thernet ports. 9:1 ports. What does D'C! stand for and what is its purpose? D'namic -ost Confi)uration Protocol # it assi)ns d'namic IP addresses to networ. devices allowin) them to have a different IP address each time the' are connected to the networ.. What does D0S stand for and what is it used for? Domain 8ame !ervice ;or !'stem or !erver< # it translates domain names into IPaddresses. /ist five +icrosoft ,ffice applications1 2! =ord, 2! /,cel, 2! PowerPoint, 2! 3utloo. and 2! 1ccess What are so e versions of Windows 2!? >P Professional, >P -ome, 2edia Centre, Ta(let PC and 2o(ile What co ponents are needed to set up a %asic 'o e 0etwork? 0outer7-u(, 618 cards and 618 ca(les. What is the purpose of %,,T1I0I? "oot.ini is used to decide which operatin) s'stem options are displa'ed durin) the start4up process. Identif& a few 3irewalls1 There are two (asic t'pes of firewall # networ. la'er, which ma.e decisions (ased on source and destination addresses, and application la'er, which are hosts run on pro,' servers and allow no direct traffic (etween networ.s. Comodo and ?one 1larm are two commonl' used firewalls.

!ersonal IT & desktop support interview questions and answers

'ow do &ou feel about &our abilities as a anager? +ocus on how 'ou achieve results while maintainin) )ood staff relations. se e,amples of 'our successes and how 'ou have learned from mista.es. /mphasise 'our ener)' and e,perience. What is &our st&le of anage ent? Tailor 'our answer to the mana)ement st'le of the compan' to show that 'our st'le will

complement it. 1 )ood ma,im to remem(er is @tas. needs, )roup needs and individual needsA. &ou mi)ht also mention motivation and dele)ation. What qualities do &ou look for when &ou hire people? 2ention a(ilit' and e,perience and interpersonal s.ills. &ou should also mention initiative and future potential. In our industr&- what are so e i portant trends that &ou see? This question is intended to test 'our .nowled)e of the industr'. &ou will need to have done some homewor.. &ou mi)ht loo. at topics li.e technolo)ical developments, economic challen)es and chan)es in the mar.et. What are &our reasons for leaving &our previous.present 4ob? "e honest and (rief (ut avoid answers su))estin) personalit' conflicts or that 'ou were dismissed. Tr' to present the move in a positive li)ht. 'ave &ou ever had to fire so eone? If so- wh& did &ou have to do so- and how did &ou approach the situation? 2ention that the tas. was not pleasant (ut that 'ou )ot throu)h (' e,plainin) the position and reasons for dismissal to the individual and (ein) as s'mpathetic as possi(le. 5our resu e shows that &ou a& be over(qualified for this position1 What is &our opinion of this? &ou hope to wor. lon) term with the compan' and hope that )ood wor. performance will open up new opportunities within it. &ou can mention that stron) companies alwa's need well4 qualified staff and that with 'our qualifications the emplo'er will see a )ood and rapid return on his investment. What- in &our opinion- is the ost difficult aspect of being a anager or e6ecutive? Identif' one of the most difficult tas.s as (ein) the motivation of staff in tr'in) circumstances.&ou can include plannin) and completin) o(*ectives on time and within (ud)et. What do &ou feel is an appropriate salar& for this position? !alar' is a delicate question. &ou can answer in several wa's. &ou can )ive a fi)ure (ased on industr' norms for the position or else 'ou could sa' that 'ou cannot )ive a realistic answer until 'ou .now more details of the *o(. Do not undersell 'ourself 4 'ou will re)ret )ivin) a fi)ure that is too low. /quall', if the fi)ure is too hi)h, 'ou will put off the emplo'er. It is (est to avoid (ein) too specific (ut do not )ive the impression that salar' is unimportant. 'ow do &ou re ain abreast of new develop ents in technolog&? &ou could mention seminars, courses, trade *ournals and technolo)' ma)aBines. &ou could also mention the value of social networ.in). Describe &ourself professionall& in a few words1 This is not an invitation to )ive 'our life stor'. :ive a (rief mention of 'our hi)hest education level, sa' where 'ou have wor.ed and 'our role focussin) on 'our most recent, and then refer to

'our future )oals. &ou should devote no more than one sentence to each aspect. If &our previous anager was in the roo with us- what do &ou think he would have to sa& about &ou? 1lwa's tr' to (e positive. :ive answers li.e5 C The' would sa' that I was an enthusiastic, hard wor.erD or C I was the most relia(le and efficient mem(er of the teamA or CI was an e,cellent pro(lem solver.D What are so e questions &ou would ask to help isolate a user7s proble ? This question e,amines 'our pro(lem4solvin) a(ilit'. &ou could sa' that 'ou would as. the followin) questions5 4 Descri(e the pro(lem. =as there an error messa)eE If so, whatE 4 -ave 'ou had a similar pro(lem or other pro(lems (eforeE :ive details. 4 =hat were 'ou doin) when the s'stem failedE 4 -as an' new hardware (een added to the s'stemE 4 -as an' new software (een added to the s'stemE 4 -ave 'ou downloaded an'thin) from the InternetE 4 =hat, if an'thin), have 'ou done to fi, the pro(lem 'ourselfE 4 1re 'ou the onl' user who has access to the s'stemE What is &our favourite aspect of desktop support? The question is a test of motivation. &ou need to match 'our answer to the *o(. 2ention aspects li.e the challen)es of wor.in) with new s'stems and meetin) new people. 'ow capable do &ou think &ou are at handling stress? -ere 'ou need to ac.nowled)e that sometimes wor. and life can (e stressful. &ou need to show what techniques 'ou use to reduce and control stress # careful time mana)ement, e,ercise, time out, settin) priorities are all methods 'ou could discuss.

Scenario interview questions and answers

* custo er co plains that his co puter is working slowl&1 What things should &ou check? Chec. the followin)5 4 Is start4up time lon)er than usualE 4 Is it slower with one particular application or slower overallE 4 1re there an' viruses, malware or sp'wareE 4 1vaila(le -ard Dis. space. What is &our troubleshooting process? The (asic trou(leshootin) process is5 4 Identif' the pro(lem. 4 Consider li.el' causes. 4 Test theories to localise the cause. 4 +ormulate and implement a plan to solve the pro(lem.

4 9erif' that the pro(lem is solved and ta.e steps to prevent a reoccurrence. 4 0ecord 'our findin)s, what action 'ou too. and the outcome. What is &our least favourite aspect of desktop support? This is desi)ned to see how well 'ou will fit with the present team. 1 )ood answer would (e alon) the lines of (ein) una(le to solve a pro(lem due to factors outside 'ou control, li.e hardware failure for instance. Describe a situation where &ou have had to deal with a difficult person and how &ou handled it? Do &ou think &ou should have done an&thing differentl&? This question is (est answered (' reference to a successful outcome to a difficult situation that 'ou have encountered. In )eneral terms, 'ou could sa' that 'ou understand the frustration of end users and that )ood communication often )oes a lon) wa' to resolvin) issues. Would &ou describe &ourself as a proble solver? If so- wh&? Can &ou give an& e6a ple &ou should o(viousl' )ive a positive answer. &ou should )ive e,amples that show that 'ou can thin. criticall' and hi)hli)ht 'our s.ills.

The co pan& interview questions and answers

What do &ou know about our co pan& and our products? To answer this question, 'ou must have done 'our homewor. and to show it. &ou will need to .now what the compan' does and somethin) a(out its products. &ou will also need to (e aware of recent developments and .now a little a(out the leadin) fi)ures in the compan'. Wh& do &ou want to work for this organisation? 6et the interviewers .now that 'ou have done some homewor. (' sa'in) that in 'our *o( search their compan' stood out from the rest (ecause CF.D &ou should also mention the compan'As histor', products, philosoph', reputation etc. What are &our reasons for wanting to work with us? +rom 'our research on the compan', 'ou should (e a(le to spell out what has attracted 'ou to appl' for the position # perhaps the' focus on an area of research that 'ou en*o' or would li.e to (ecome involved withG ma'(e the' offer opportunities that competitors do notG or possi(l' the' are active in a field that interests 'ou. "e careful, thou)h, do not pretend to have an interest in somethin) that 'ou do not # 'our deception will (e noticed.

Career IT & desktop support interview questions and answer

What are so e things that &ou look for in a 4ob? Tailor 'our answer to the interviewersA compan'. Tal. a(out challen)es, *o( satisfaction, opportunities and wor. environment.

3or what period of ti e do &ou e6pect to sta& with us? !a' that 'ou are loo.in) for a career in the or)anisation (ut will need to remain challen)ed. What long(ter goals do &ou have? 0elate to the *o( description and the compan' and descri(e what pro)ression 'ou would li.e to see in that environment. So far- how successful do &ou feel have &ou been? -ere 'ou need to )ive an air of quiet confidence. !a' that 'our career pro)ression to date has (een quite )ood ;)ive e,amples of how 'ou thin. 'ou have (een successful<. Describe three of &our acco plish ents over the past few &ears that &ou are ost proud of1 Identif' three of 'our (est achievements and sa' wh' 'ou are most proud of them # 'ou can consider the difficulties, the outcomes etc. In two or three &ears fro now- what do &ou see &ourself doing? This is a test of 'our am(ition and possi(le lo'alt'. &ou should (e clear a(out what 'ou hope to achieve and could as. the interviewers if 'our o(*ectives are a possi(ilit' with their compan'.

What to 86pect in a Job Interview for Desktop Support Job?

&ou can hardl' find a compan' without a sin)le computer nowada's. =hile 'oun) )eneration is quite s.illed in solvin) software4related pro(lems the' face while doin) their dail' *o(, older generation need a helping hand with si ple tasks , such as updatin) the s'stem or disa(lin) a firewall when needed. That is the reason wh' des.top support positions (ecame so popular and wh' 'ou can find plent' of *o( openin)s with similar *o( titles on ever' ma*or *o( (oard. The co petition in this interview is not as high as for e,ample in an interview for mar.etin), sales or mana)ement *o(s. 3n the other hand, the handful of applicants 'ou need to outclass in 'our interview are t'picall' s.illed and .now to do their *o(. Therefor, in order to succeed, it is )ood prepare for the practical interview questions in advance , as well as to learn some unique interview tips to (e a(le to sell 'ourself in an interview. Team of Des.top!upportInterviewQuestions.com hopes to help 'ou with 'our preparation. =elcome to our we(siteH

What happens during an interview for desktop support position?

/ver'thin) starts with several t'pical interview questions. Interviewers use it not onl& to break the ice- but also to test &our co unication skills and assess &our otivation to get a 4ob . 1 )ood des.top support wor.er does not onl' need to .now how to solve the pro(lems, (ut also how to co unicate with the non(it personnel in a co pan& . -e needs to .now to e,plain difficult thin)s in a simple lan)ua)e that ever'one can understand. ThatAs wh' 'ou should not underestimate this first part of 'our interview. Tr' to listen carefull', spea. to the point and use simple terminolo)' when answerin) the questions. Ieep the e'e contact and do not hesitate to as. additional questions, if somethin) is not clear. Doing this- &ou present &ourself as so eone with good personalit& for this 4ob. 6etAs have a loo. at the questions.

%ehavioral questions
=hen wor.in) in des.top support, &ou will often need to deal with difficult situations and talk to unhapp& or even angr& people1 Interviewers t'picall' )ive 'ou few (ehavioral or situational questions to see how 'ou acted in various wor.4related situations in the past, in order to estimate 'our (ehavior in same situations in the future. The lo)ic is simple5 If a person acted in situation A in some way, he will most likely act in the same way in the same situation in the future. 6etAs have a loo. at (ehavioral questions the' use for des.top support interviews.

Technical questions
Des.top support is primaril' a technical *o(. While &ou can create a ver& good position in an interview with good answers to t&pical and behavioral interview questions- in order to get a 4ob &ou will need to do well in a technical part of the interview1 It is the most difficult part. Technical questions can differ from compan' to compan', dependin) on the networ.in) solutions, operatin) s'stems and wor.in) environment the' use. -owever, the followin) list of questions should )ive 'ou a )ood idea of what to e,pect.

&our )oal is to update the 3! in 3% computers, in the entire networ.. Descri(e the steps 'ou would ta.e to finish the tas. in the shortest possi(le time. It is possi(le to do this without interruptin) the wor. of the othersE 3ne of the wor.ers 'ou are supportin) )ives 'ou a call and tells his computer is ver' slow for the last three da's. Descri(e the process of trou(leshootin) in this case. =hat are the wa's of resettin) user passwords in =indows JE &ou .now the (usiness activities of our compan'. =hat software components would 'ou recommend to useE Can 'ou trou(leshoot these componentsE 3ne of the computers stops wor.in) and reports that the virus was detected. -owever, the virus scan shows no infections. =hat steps would 'ou ta.eE =hat could (e the pro(lemE -ow could 'ou disa(le the firewall in =indows JE In what cases should 'ou do soE

3ne of clientAs PCs needs a reinstall. "ut 'ou need to (ac. up all received emails in 3utloo.. -ow would 'ou do itE =hat command prompts do 'ou .nowE =hen did 'ou use it to solve the pro(lemsE =hat would 'ou do to secure =indows server files in case of a need of some dan)erous operation or updateE -ow would 'ou control the operation of users of des.tops in our compan'E Do 'ou .now an' tool that can handle thisE Define the steps of installin) a pre4e,isted printer on users des.top. Descri(e me a confi)uration of 'our own computer. 1ll the details.

Conclusion
The *o( interview for des.top support positions is not the most difficult interview. The competition is also not so hu)e. T'picall', there are ma,imall' two rounds of interviews. -owever, to underesti ate &our preparation would be a costl& istake9 =e su))est 'ou to thin. a little a(out the questions 'ou *ust read a(out, to spend some time on the we(site of potential emplo'er and to practice a little (it of trou(leshootin) (efore 'our *o( interview. =e wish 'ou )ood luc.H