Looking for Highshool IT Intern
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@Michaelnp500 said in Looking for Highshool Intern:
@scottalanmiller I would appreciate that. Also, as for customer service experience, I have 10 years experience in a few different types of companies. With that experience I should be able to get a chance with a somewhat larger company such as Best Buy, but it has yet to happen. I can reapply, but at some point I need to apply elsewhere which I have been.
So in a dream role, say with Apple, woudl you be hoping to be "in store" support, or remote support from the call center? Just trying to get a feel for the end goals.
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@Michaelnp500 said in Looking for Highshool IT Intern:
@scottalanmiller Starting out, my short term goal with AT&T is increasingly gaining experience in their sales department, helping customers out in the store. My long term goal would be working with customers over the phone in a call center or via email and live chat, being a problem solver for questions and or issues they are experiencing.
The same would have to go for Apple, but because we do not have an Apple store here, gaining experience elsewhere would be great to show on my resume, and to get references that can discuss my personality when it comes to customer service as that is what Apple is seeking for employees. I currently have volunteer experience helping Apple product owners on a forum, totally voluntary as I am also on there asking my own questions. I have owned Apple products since at least 2006 if not a year or two before then. I now have experience with more in depth questions when it comes to fixing Apple iPhones, not your basic issues. Technology is something I most definitely enjoy, as well as customer service.
Call centers are where you will gain lots of experience, but a true call center will kill your soul. Forewarning...
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@thanksajdotcom said in Looking for Highshool Intern:
@scottalanmiller said in Looking for Highshool IT Intern:
Hmmmm... the last intern's name was Michael. Well, I guess it still is Michael, in fact. I wonder if that is going to be a requirement for interns?
The friend I told about this...his name is Michael too actually...ROFL
Oh good, well then he might qualify.
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@thanksajdotcom said in Looking for Highshool Intern:
Call centers are where you will gain lots of experience, but a true call center will kill your soul. Forewarning...
Even fake ones.
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@Michaelnp500 said in Looking for Highshool IT Intern:
@scottalanmiller I would appreciate that. Also, as for customer service experience, I have 10 years experience in a few different types of companies. With that experience I should be able to get a chance with a somewhat larger company such as Best Buy, but it has yet to happen. I can reapply, but at some point I need to apply elsewhere which I have been.
First off, you should go and take this:
https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-testIT is a field with many options. Some are pure customer-facing, others are little to zero customer interaction. If you have ever talked to a lot of engineers, you understand why they are often not allowed, and I do mean that, to engage customers directly.
Before you pick a career path, or even pick a goal, know yourself. Are you looking for something more technical, or more customer-facing/customer-service oriented?
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@scottalanmiller said in Looking for Highshool IT Intern:
@thanksajdotcom said in Looking for Highshool Intern:
Call centers are where you will gain lots of experience, but a true call center will kill your soul. Forewarning...
Even fake ones.
Also true...
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@scottalanmiller Right. Just being with Apple would be great, but remote support or working in store also. To get a job with them though, I can't just walk into a store. We don't have one here, but they do hiring all starting online.
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@scottalanmiller said in Looking for Highshool IT Intern:
@thanksajdotcom said in Looking for Highshool Intern:
@scottalanmiller said in Looking for Highshool IT Intern:
Hmmmm... the last intern's name was Michael. Well, I guess it still is Michael, in fact. I wonder if that is going to be a requirement for interns?
The friend I told about this...his name is Michael too actually...ROFL
Oh good, well then he might qualify.
He might be better as a GS intern. He wants to either do programming/CS or digital art. He's actually a decent artist, so if @Minion-Queen was looking for a marketing intern, he'd probably be perfect.
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@thanksajdotcom said in Looking for Highshool IT Intern:
First off, you should go and take this:
https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-testAlways a great place to start.
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@thanksajdotcom Customer-facing/customer-service oriented, but in a technical business aspect. Working with phone and computer devices, in store customer support or call center. I am also applying to jobs outside of this field but still in a customer service field. All jobs are customer service, but I am applying to different types of jobs for now. I just need very good experience to show on my resume. The companies I am waiting on would be good ones to stay with for the long-term, but the waiting game is still here.
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@thanksajdotcom said in Looking for Highshool IT Intern:
@scottalanmiller said in Looking for Highshool IT Intern:
@thanksajdotcom said in Looking for Highshool Intern:
@scottalanmiller said in Looking for Highshool IT Intern:
Hmmmm... the last intern's name was Michael. Well, I guess it still is Michael, in fact. I wonder if that is going to be a requirement for interns?
The friend I told about this...his name is Michael too actually...ROFL
Oh good, well then he might qualify.
He might be better as a GS intern. He wants to either do programming/CS or digital art. He's actually a decent artist, so if @Minion-Queen was looking for a marketing intern, he'd probably be perfect.
Oh, not a bad idea.
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@thanksajdotcom said in Looking for Highshool IT Intern:
@scottalanmiller said in Looking for Highshool IT Intern:
@thanksajdotcom said in Looking for Highshool Intern:
@scottalanmiller said in Looking for Highshool IT Intern:
Hmmmm... the last intern's name was Michael. Well, I guess it still is Michael, in fact. I wonder if that is going to be a requirement for interns?
The friend I told about this...his name is Michael too actually...ROFL
Oh good, well then he might qualify.
He might be better as a GS intern. He wants to either do programming/CS or digital art. He's actually a decent artist, so if @Minion-Queen was looking for a marketing intern, he'd probably be perfect.
@thanksajdotcom that is actually a really good idea. Thank you It's been a long week, why didn't I think of that?
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First off, you should go and take this:
https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test@Michaelnp500 please go take this test and let us know where you place.... that will help us help you
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@Michaelnp500 said in Looking for Highshool IT Intern:
@scottalanmiller Right. Just being with Apple would be great, but remote support or working in store also. To get a job with them though, I can't just walk into a store. We don't have one here, but they do hiring all starting online.
What are you looking for though? For example, I can do phone support. I've done it extensively, and I'm quite good at it. However, where I shine most is at in-person interactions. I'm sure some will mutter under their breath about that comment, but ask @Minion-Queen about how I do when engaging prospective clients and she'll tell you that I shine best with in-person interactions. I worked retail for about five years total. I've worked a little bit at pretty much every level of IT, although not as high as some of @scottalanmiller experiences... but I've done everything from your retail tech support up to engineering. NTG was a true gift. I got to work in administrative functions, internal support, sales, marketing, development, and more.
But at the end of the day, you need to know yourself. You want to find a job that you can shine at, and to do that, you need to know your personality type. You strike me as more outgoing, and as a people person. A common job that are a dime a dozen are traveling techs. Dell especially loves to hire people for this role. You drive around and bounce from client to client. It's a great way to gain a lot of experience fast, although you often don't dive as deep as some other roles, because you're often just the "hands" in the field. But that also varies by role.
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@Michaelnp500 said in Looking for Highshool IT Intern:
@thanksajdotcom Customer-facing/customer-service oriented, but in a technical business aspect. Working with phone and computer devices, in store customer support or call center. I am also applying to jobs outside of this field but still in a customer service field. All jobs are customer service, but I am applying to different types of jobs for now. I just need very good experience to show on my resume. The companies I am waiting on would be good ones to stay with for the long-term, but the waiting game is still here.
MSPs can be good for call center work, they tend to be quite a bit more technical than say an AT&T or Apple would be for most positions. Small and more personal (normally) but lacking in the benefits of a huge company.
Rochester, NY is actually a major call center destination due to lots of unemployed locals with a lot of technical background.
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@Minion-Queen said in Looking for Highshool IT Intern:
@thanksajdotcom said in Looking for Highshool IT Intern:
@scottalanmiller said in Looking for Highshool IT Intern:
@thanksajdotcom said in Looking for Highshool Intern:
@scottalanmiller said in Looking for Highshool IT Intern:
Hmmmm... the last intern's name was Michael. Well, I guess it still is Michael, in fact. I wonder if that is going to be a requirement for interns?
The friend I told about this...his name is Michael too actually...ROFL
Oh good, well then he might qualify.
He might be better as a GS intern. He wants to either do programming/CS or digital art. He's actually a decent artist, so if @Minion-Queen was looking for a marketing intern, he'd probably be perfect.
@thanksajdotcom that is actually a really good idea. Thank you It's been a long week, why didn't I think of that?
Because I'm always around to think of stuff like that for you because your brain is already overwhelmed with the 1,000,001 other things you constantly have going on that you're already juggling.
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@thanksajdotcom said in Looking for Highshool IT Intern:
A common job that are a dime a dozen are traveling techs. Dell especially loves to hire people for this role. You drive around and bounce from client to client. It's a great way to gain a lot of experience fast, although you often don't dive as deep as some other roles, because you're often just the "hands" in the field. But that also varies by role.
I've been that guy, specifically for Dell (and HP, and Compaq, and... and...)
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@scottalanmiller said in Looking for Highshool IT Intern:
@Michaelnp500 said in Looking for Highshool IT Intern:
@thanksajdotcom Customer-facing/customer-service oriented, but in a technical business aspect. Working with phone and computer devices, in store customer support or call center. I am also applying to jobs outside of this field but still in a customer service field. All jobs are customer service, but I am applying to different types of jobs for now. I just need very good experience to show on my resume. The companies I am waiting on would be good ones to stay with for the long-term, but the waiting game is still here.
MSPs can be good for call center work, they tend to be quite a bit more technical than say an AT&T or Apple would be for most positions. Small and more personal (normally) but lacking in the benefits of a huge company.
Rochester, NY is actually a major call center destination due to lots of unemployed locals with a lot of technical background.
MSPs vary company to company. Some are purely remote, some are a hybrid of remote/onsite, and some are mostly onsite (rarer but still out there). MSPs are how you gain the most technical experience in the shortest period of time. The smaller the company, the more you'll probably learn, and also be expected to do. NTG is the reason I am practically incapable of doing one thing at a time. I won't pretend I wasn't naturally disposed that way anyways, but when you have as much going on as we did all the time, you either learn to multi-task or you just don't make it...
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@scottalanmiller said in Looking for Highshool IT Intern:
@thanksajdotcom said in Looking for Highshool IT Intern:
A common job that are a dime a dozen are traveling techs. Dell especially loves to hire people for this role. You drive around and bounce from client to client. It's a great way to gain a lot of experience fast, although you often don't dive as deep as some other roles, because you're often just the "hands" in the field. But that also varies by role.
I've been that guy, specifically for Dell (and HP, and Compaq, and... and...)
I have too but never as a regular job. Usually just a one-off gigs for companies like Robert Half, etc. The Gander Mountain closest to me just had all new POS systems put in. Guess who was the boots on the ground/hands in the field? Yup...
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@Michaelnp500 , customer service skills are crucial to any job. And, the better your customer service skills, the better you tend to interview. So while looking for customer service jobs is important, and the skill is essential, don't forsake the technical aspect. If you aren't super-strapped for cash, a lower-paying, somewhat IT and customer-service based job might be better long-term than a higher-paying fast-food job, for example. As @scottalanmiller , get the ball rolling. Even if it's in the wrong direction, sometimes you just need to get that initial momentum started and you can readjust course as you go.
