IT support, 1st line & 2nd line
- Thread starter tkilo
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Then in all honesty it's not "1st line", so you shouldn't expect to be receiving quality applicants if you advertise it as a 1st line role and pay a 1st line salary.
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I got my first job (first line for retail chain head office supporting the staff in stores) by lying on my cv. I put down I used to run an IT business for a few years and that I have my n+ and a+, I had the advantage that i said i did that in SA so they could not verify it. I had never worked in my life and didnt have the certs.
One thing that may give you the upper hand is an ITIL certification, i don't know how much they cost because ITIL make the price top secret. I doubt it is a lot though and if you say you have IT knowledge and personal interest + degree + itil, i think that will put you a head of the pack.
You could otherwise skip ITIL can go straight to 2nd/3rd line if you feel confident you can do the technical work. I don't think anything wrong with starting at 1st line if you are supporting staff, if you can avoid a job where you deal with the general public, 1st line can be a good place to start your IT career. Any IT company jobs snap them up right away because you have the most progression and exposure to technologies in IT companies, however they do command a higher technical aptitude than would be expected in non IT companies, example working for a retail chain head office directly.
One thing that may give you the upper hand is an ITIL certification, i don't know how much they cost because ITIL make the price top secret. I doubt it is a lot though and if you say you have IT knowledge and personal interest + degree + itil, i think that will put you a head of the pack.
You could otherwise skip ITIL can go straight to 2nd/3rd line if you feel confident you can do the technical work. I don't think anything wrong with starting at 1st line if you are supporting staff, if you can avoid a job where you deal with the general public, 1st line can be a good place to start your IT career. Any IT company jobs snap them up right away because you have the most progression and exposure to technologies in IT companies, however they do command a higher technical aptitude than would be expected in non IT companies, example working for a retail chain head office directly.
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As others have already said, if you're not getting any responses then I think your CV may be letting you down.
In previous roles I was involved in the recruitment process and I only had a couple of minutes to scan each candidate's CV. It's a harsh reality that if your CV doesn't stand out you don't stand a chance.
In previous roles I was involved in the recruitment process and I only had a couple of minutes to scan each candidate's CV. It's a harsh reality that if your CV doesn't stand out you don't stand a chance.
Desktops are going the way of the dodo. laptops, tablets & SFF virtualised units are in place and there isn't much you can do on them troubleshooting wise.
those positions solely exists now because server guys are too lazy to physically walk around and do stuff
those positions solely exists now because server guys are too lazy to physically walk around and do stuff
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No they don't? ITIL exam prices are well advertised by many accredited providers. (eg. BCS).
I wouldn't recommend ITIL for someone with no other experience though, unless you're particularly keen on applying to a business that's committed to the framework. Even then it probably won't add a lot of desirability to a tier 1 or 2 post - you're dealing with customers and issues, not processes.
OK, it's clear you don't understand what tiered support is.
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it is first line if they're the guys picking up the phone and initially handling the issues... it doesn't just apply to generic IT roles
we have a first line and second line team for the software product I work on - the first line guys get approx 2 issues a day (in addition to their backlog of issues) and will spend a bit of time diagnosing them... second line guys usually have several years of experience and specialise in a particular area of the system. First line guys will sometimes go to second line guys for some guidance/help with analysing an issue and/or will hand over an issue to them if it requires a bit more in depth analysis. Beyond that it is a case of going directly to the developer responsible for the particular bit of code that seems to be at fault.
It really depends what you're supporting - for general IT stuff perhaps it makes sense to employ a team of numpties to log tickets and perform simple tasks... If however you're supporting something more complicated and your customers are paying serious cash for the maintenance contract then you want the first person who picks up the phone to at least know what they're talking about and to start initially analysing an issue if not actually resolving it right away.
Unless your really committed to a single field of I.T
Development / Programming (SQL, C+ )
Apps ( iOS, JavaS, Andriod, C )
Web development ( PHP, HTML5)
Server ( RedHat, Linux, VMware / ESxi)
Networking ( Switching,Routing,WAN,LAN,WLAN)
Telephony Mobile ( GSM, VOIP, IVR, SIP, ISDN, PBX)
etc.. etc...
Then its going to be hard to get a decent position to begin without some bits of paper and experience. 1st line is dieing hard due to the evolution of I.T hardware into a more mobile centric setup apart from at specialized tiers.
Its tough to get started but good luck though.
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Nope. Having an internet argument with someone whose position is "server guys are too lazy to physically walk around and do stuff" isn't what I planned to do with my day.
Apart from being tongue in cheek as you were probably aware, your telling me that a server bod is going to 'walk the floor' to fix computer problems or travel onsite to patch a pc when they have a million quids worth of servers to look after? You obviously cant come up with anything. 1st line in the traditional sense is on its arse but there is still a need for people to do basic physical computer work only the demand is dropping like a stone due to the evolution of the office.
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This.
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I work third line and sometimes answer the phone and take messages for the first line guys or answer questions if it is quick, that is if they are not at their desk. I also help the 1st/2nd line guys with solutions all day.
1st/2nd line is going no where, i don't agree with this everything is going mobile non sense. Stupid users will always exist no matter if it is byod or cloud based.
I agree, but from what i have seen its the companies themselves that are dropping off from employing I.T staff like they used too. If you work for an I.T company then fair enough, but in the context of this thread about getting a job im looking at it from the perspective of a company with an internal I.T department at 1st line.
and yes users will always derp.
out of interest does your company run VM machines at the edge ?
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Soldato
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Good Luck!
Surely anyone who has experience in 1st line will be applying for 2nd line
Soldato
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In a few years time there simply won't be 1st line
what do 1st liners actually do these days? Install pcs on users desk? why pay someone £18,000 when there are companies out there like stone and dell who will install a new system for £8, cable managed and cardboard removal. The imaging will be fully automated with something like sccm (again, why pay someone to sit there for 2/3 hours installing windows, drivers, updates etc etc)
Then there's general day to day problems, but a lot of systems are moving to hosting with maintenance contracts, self help like microsoft fim solutions etc etc
replace toners in printers....I think users can just about manage to do that
Honestly, 1st line will be gone within 5 years
The only thing I can think of these days for someone starting out, is to do what I did 15 years ago. Buy some books, learn and get a few mcps (mcsa if you can) add on the cloud components and skill up on 365.
what do 1st liners actually do these days? Install pcs on users desk? why pay someone £18,000 when there are companies out there like stone and dell who will install a new system for £8, cable managed and cardboard removal. The imaging will be fully automated with something like sccm (again, why pay someone to sit there for 2/3 hours installing windows, drivers, updates etc etc)
Then there's general day to day problems, but a lot of systems are moving to hosting with maintenance contracts, self help like microsoft fim solutions etc etc
replace toners in printers....I think users can just about manage to do that
Honestly, 1st line will be gone within 5 years
The only thing I can think of these days for someone starting out, is to do what I did 15 years ago. Buy some books, learn and get a few mcps (mcsa if you can) add on the cloud components and skill up on 365.
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What i was saying.
The public sector are already sub contracting to private companies as we speak. If you look at the US its already pretty much fully there.
Not everyone can see it and not every place will migrate in the same fashion but the I.T industry is moving at a rapid pace and moving towards contract work and specialist almost exclusively. again its not everyone who can ( or wants to) see the writing on the wall.
its skilled work in specific disciplines of I.T that companies need.
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Soldato
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I'm doing an MTA in server admin.
will do another MTA next but not sure which, which of these is most relevant these days?
Microsoft 70-480 Programming in HTML5 with Java Script
Microsoft MTA Web Development Fundamentals (ASP.Net)
Microsoft 70-487 Developing Windows Azure and Web Services
when you say 365 do you mean office 365?