Desktop support engineers solve computer users’ technical problems, troubleshoot security and servers within an organization’s network, and install and configure computers, applications and printers to keep them at optimal performance. They also train end-users. Desktop support engineers are a vital part of any organization, thrive in challenging situations, and are depended on to find creative solutions to unique problems. Since computers are used everywhere, it's a growing field.
Top Desktop Support Interview Questions
The tasks a desktop support engineer performs require good communication skills, including knowing how to explain difficult things in simple language that non-techies can understand. Typical knowledge requirements include:
- Windows operating systems and servers
- Active Directory
- DNS and DHCP
- Office system
- Network peripherals
- Anti-viruses
- PC building and configuration issues
- Management systems
After the typical general questions, the interview will move on to the technical side of things. Here, in no particular order, are the top 5 desktop support questions you might get asked:
- What is active directory? It provides the means to manage the identities and relationships that make up network environments.
- What is DHCP and what is it used for? Dynamic host configuration protocol is used to allocate IP addresses to a large number of PCs in a network.
- What is scope and superscope? Scopes are administrative groupings of IP addresses for computers on subnets that use the DHCP service. Superscope is the combination of two or more scopes together.
- What is DNS? Domain naming services are like phone books for the internet. They're used for resolving names to IP address and IP addresses to names.
- What is forward and reverse lookup in DNS? Forward lookup is converting names to IP addresses and reverse lookup is converting IP addresses into names.
Practical Interview Questions
You may also get asked
some behavioral questions that show how well you can troubleshoot hypothetical problems:
- Someone’s computer stops working and reports a detected virus, but the virus scan shows no infection. What steps would you take?
- How would you disable the Window’s OS firewall?
- Do you have tools you like to use to monitor company computers?
- You get a call about a very slow computer. What is your troubleshooting process?
- Based on what you know about our organization, which software components would you recommend?
Be Prepared for Anything
Interviews are a complicated process, and you may find yourself in a position where you can’t answer a question. Be truthful and simply state you don’t know the answer, but you know where to find it or are willing to learn. It never pays to try and bluff your way through — the interviewer will know you don’t have a clue, and it tells them a lot about who you are as a person. Preliminary prep,
getting there on time, being as best prepared for questions as you can be, and following up after the interview can mean the difference between whether or not you land the job.
Desktop support engineers solve computer users’ technical problems, troubleshoot security and servers within an organization’s network, and install and configure computers, applications and printers to keep them at optimal performance. They also train end-users. Desktop support engineers are a vital part of any organization, thrive in challenging situations, and are depended on to find creative solutions to unique problems. Since computers are used everywhere, it's a growing field.