Top help desk interview questions to prepare for (and how to answer them!)

A help desk operator is the employee assigned to provide technical support to users facing issues with their computer software and hardware. They are the first point of contact for computer users needing assistance.

Preparing for your interview

Do not treat your help desk operator interview as just any other interview. Do your research on the company and the services they offer, as well as other information you think may be relevant to your line of work. If it is a virtual interview, still dress to impress, log in at least ten minutes before the scheduled interview, and check your environment is conducive to a serious interview.

Help desk interview questions to prepare for

To prepare for your interview, you need to do your homework. Basic questions like “Tell me about yourself” or “How did you know about our company?” will most likely come up. However, you need to prepare for the other less common questions.

1. Have you provided remote support before?

Companies are looking for independent and flexible agents who are comfortable with working remotely. As part of the new normal, work from home and other unconventional work arrangements are not going away anytime soon.

2. Tell me about the time you went the extra mile for a customer.

Competition is tough, so if you have any help desk experience where you went above and beyond for a client, make sure that you come up with a way to tell that story in an engaging manner. However, if this question wasn’t asked, still try to work this extra mile moment into the conversation.

3. In which IT areas do you consider yourself to be an expert?

Find out what IT area does the company get a lot of questions on, and include that area into your answers. Also talk about how you’re keeping your knowledge into these areas current, and the ways how you’re learning more about the areas that you’re admittedly not on expert on.

4. How can/do you describe a solution to someone who doesn’t understand technical terms?

You will get a lot of calls looking for solutions in a help desk operator job. Most likely, almost half of these callers will have no knowledge of technical terms. It is one of the toughest challenges in the career of a help desk operator.

Your answer to this question will let the interviewer see if you have the patience, skill, and willingness to exert extra effort for a customer in need. Answer this question by showing that you have empathy and talent of turning technical terms to simple words when explaining a solution.

5. How do you handle criticism and pressure?

This line of work will put you in a high-pressure environment where feedback can be given by different types of customers, engineers, and other colleagues. Handling constructive criticism well and working in a high-pressure environment are necessary skills to thrive. If you have that, let your interviewer know that you are open to learning and improving from constructive feedback without taking them too personally.

6. Situational questions

Situational questions are common in every job interview, but it’s still best to be prepared. Interviewers will ask questions like:

• How are you going to deal with an angry caller?
•  If someone’s internet connectivity is down, how will you fix the problem?
• Your supervisor makes a decision that you do not agree on? What are you going to do?

Final tips

How you answer these questions will say a lot about you, so put your best foot forward. Be on-time, conversational, honest, and knowledgeable. First impressions matter so make a good one in front of your potential employers. Good luck!