The Qualities and Traits of Experienced IT Service Desk Workers

The IT service desk of today, indeed technology jobs as a whole, seem to be getting younger and younger. Millennials grew up around technology, and it’s natural to them. The tech sector has changed so radically and so rapidly that many companies don’t even consider hiring someone who isn’t young. The average Google employee is just 30 years old. But in an environment where getting good help is hard to come by, and in the age of increasing equal opportunity legislation, there are many reasons to consider hiring mature, experienced employees. While it’s treacherous to categorize people (after all, no one fits their “stereotype”), here are some excellent reasons to take a second look at that resume of the seasoned service desk worker.

Experienced Workers Have Greater Reservoirs of Experience to Draw From

All the education in the world can’t compare with decades of practical, on the job experience. Even when learning new things, someone with experience in all types of situations can often glean more faster than a newbie. Someone who’s been around people and machines for 20, 30, or 40 years can take all of that useful experience and apply it to practical solutions on the help desk.

Experienced Workers Tend to Be Steadier

A few generations ago, workers took jobs out of high school or college, expecting to be there for the duration of their careers. Many of them indeed retired where they first hired on. Many of today’s workers also want to experience all life has to offer today, saving serious career goals for later on. Of course, this isn’t true of all millennials, but there is certainly reason to conclude that experienced workers might tend to be more reliable on the job than younger employees.

Experienced Workers Aren’t as Prone to Job-Hopping

According to Forbes, millennials may move from job to job, expecting to stay in a position less than four or five years. Their idea of advancement isn’t to move up within a single company, but to climb their way up the career ladder by changing jobs and using their experience from one company to succeed in another. Conversely, experienced workers hire on expecting to stay on, and they expect any upward mobility to come in the form of internal promotions. If you want a worker that you can train and see that training benefit the company for years to come, consider an experienced worker. Some might move up into IT service management, while others remain happy at the help desk — but that expensive training won’t likely be going anywhere.

Experienced Workers Can Mentor Younger Workers

Is there a lot of competition at your help desk? Could your young staff use some mature guidance? Experienced workers can offer this mentoring, which can lead to less need for micromanagement. Mature workers are seasoned, they have “been there, done that” and are less likely to be rattled over an irate user or a faulty piece of hardware. Other workers may benefit from seeing ‘on the job’ examples of using a calm approach when working to resolve problems and accomplish goals.