Support Job in HP Belfield via CPL

here.from.day.1

Hi all,

I had an interview on Wednesday in HP Belfield after going through CPL, I must have done ok as they offered me a position yesterday.

Anyway I did a search here and read a bit about the place and about CPL, and it doesnt seem to be good.

I thought I had done ok as I have left college for the time being, the only relevant experience I have on my cv is freelance PC repairs/builds/upgrades etc. its the first job I applied for and need something to do for a while. The Lexlip move isnt a big deal for me as I am based outside of Dublin. I think the desk they offered me is to support some brokers company in England.

What im asking really I guess is if the job/place/CPL is that bad? The consultant I had in CPL was quite sound and HP looked ok too, my research has put a bit of a downer on it for me though.

Apprecite any replies. Thanks.

WhiteWashMan

CPL is only an agency as far as I know.

Im not quite sure what youre talking about to be honest.
What exactly are you doing? What do you mean by you have a desk to support brokers in England?

here.from.day.1

Sorry I did ramble a bit.

Basically I have been offered a job working in IT support for HP in Belfield.
There are a few different support desks (sections), each one does the support for a different company such as AIB, Bank Of Ireland etc. The section I would be working in would be dealing with problems of some Broker company based in England.

Yes CPL is the Agency through which I applied for the position.

Im just looking for anybody who is/was in the same position as myselfs experience.

Agent Smith

i work there

feel free to PM me

bobbi

me too feel free to pm if you want

JæKæ

HP and Dell are good places to start off in. But they pay peanuts. It's like doing an apprenticeship. Very low pay, but has to be done to start your career. Try not to stay longer than a year-it'll destroy your soul after that.

Feelgood

Is this a daily rate contract that you are talking about? and CPL is going to be your contract agency?.

There is one guy that works at CPL that is completely sound and he wouldn't steer you in the wrong direction. With regards to using CPL as a contracting agency, I am sure it will be fine if thats what you need to do. All contracting agencies around Dublin have downfalls in some departments to be honest, I have yet to find one that is completely perfect..

With regards to the roll, its been highlighted not too stay too long. Used to work for HP on the BOI account and hated every last minute of it to be honest, though if this is your first big IT role then go for it the experience will do you the world of good...

Drop me a PM if you want to discuss any further....

Good luck with it.

Moonbeam

I was offered similar about 5 years ago,

Cpl were fine until I turned down the job then the girl on the phone got really nasty.

It isn't a bad place to start off and get some experience,money isn't that bad it is inline with the industry norm for 1st level tech support.

penexpers

I think with no prior jobs and no college qualification, CPL/HP is about as good as you can expect to do.

pclancy

CPL are grand to contract with but like any agency they probably glossy up the position a bit to fill it and get their cut of your pay, make sure you know what the role is really like and chat to the lads that work in HP, will be great experience for you and good for the CV so I'd say go for it if you're happy!

Raekwon

CPL have contracts with the HP & Dell helpdesks, so you will be working for CPL onsite at HP. As some other people have said, gain the experience then move on after around 12 months. The pay is not great and CPL are renowned for screwing people over wages so you might find yourself calling their accounts department quite alot. It's a means to an end, nothing more.

CountryWise

I worked there on a desk before.
Without it I may not have got the experience i needed to move into a better job so maybe i should not complain and nobody will take you on without experience...at a decent job at least so il refrain!

Things to be aware of:

no matter which desk you work for in HP,CPL will pay your wages

No VHI or medical when i was there.

very hard to live in Dublin on the money they pay €20000

they dont pay sick days

the work is tough(support desk) and there will be pressure on you

in the interview they make it seem like you are after winning the lottery getting this job by telling you that your not experienced at anything, dont let them put you down you have a degree and keep your options open, accept and keep looking elsewhere.

the managers out there are for the most part ok but there is always one that is on a power trip and will try make little of you, just remember to bite your lip and think you just need the experience and your off!

Trying to get money owed from them is difficult once you leave e.g holidays,bonuses etc


In summary everyone needs experience, but if I could start again id look around a bit more, there is Tech support jobs paying alot more

CountryWise

It's a means to an end, nothing more.

This is the main thing to keep in mind, even 6 months will do you the world of good.

I will say one thing for a helpdesk, you learn to become quite competent with alot of software that you only had basic skills at before.

Good luck


Oh and dont be afraid to ask what kinds of software you will be using on the job....Microsoft and SAP are great for the CV

AdrianII

I worked there for a year or so a while back, place was great until i handed in my notice and they threated me that i wasnt getting paid my holidays, i rang the citizens information people they sent me a mail stating what they were doing was illegal and they promptly back tracked and paid me my holidays. In saying that HP are great, it is CPL that are the crooks here, crap pay, an 8 hour day and no variation in the job, same rubbish of logging calls and fixing simple issues

here.from.day.1

Thanks you all for the replies.

At least I kind of know what to expect. As I said hopefully it will be worthwhile thing to do for now and may lead to better things.

Surely the experience wont do any harm as all I have right now is a few years in a garage, some extras jobs, 2 years of college and 5+ years experience in computer building/repair etc.

AARRRGH

For a first job, tech support is grand. You could move into a junior QA role afterwards, and then into development if you wish.

When you're in your early 20's, you just need experience, so take it whereever you can get it.

And don't stop looking for other jobs

fasty

here.from.day.1 wrote: »

I think the desk they offered me is to support some brokers company in England.

Is it Saint James' Place by any chance?

kippy

I've worked for HP in Dublin a few years ago, also on the desk that supports the company in St James place.
I was on contract day rates so the money was good. The craic was generally okay as well and the work wasnt the worst, the day went fast. It was only short term for me and I have a fair bit of experience so it wasnt a bit deal leaving it.
In your situation its probably a decent start job for a few months/year however there are plenty opportunities in Dublin and you MAY be able get something better, which pays more and has more benefits.
If you need any more information PM me, after I left HP in Dublin I worked for them in Galway (through CPL as well) for another 18 months.
Kippy

stepbar

HP are a joke. The quicker BofI take back their contract from HP the better. If HP was a device to hold up a pair of trousers, it would be comparable to a a piece of baling twine.

here.from.day.1

fasty wrote: »

Is it Saint James' Place by any chance?

Yes thats the one, SJP. Is that a bad desk, lots of calls harsh managers etc?
I heard that BOI is the worst?

Obviously I do hope to move on to bigger and better things further down the line.

Feelgood

here.from.day.1 wrote: »

Yes thats the one, SJP. Is that a bad desk, lots of calls harsh managers etc?
I heard that BOI is the worst?

Obviously I do hope to move on to bigger and better things further down the line.

BOI is a bit crap alright....I was working there at the time of the switchover to HP....what a complete balls that was....

fasty

here.from.day.1 wrote: »

Yes thats the one, SJP. Is that a bad desk, lots of calls harsh managers etc?
I heard that BOI is the worst?

Obviously I do hope to move on to bigger and better things further down the line.

SJP was actually okay. I was one of the first people to work on the desk so it was a bit stressful initially but as time went on things settled down.

Some of the 3rd parties you might have to deal with could give you some grief but the actual callers were mostly decent and some of them were pretty funny whether they realized it or not.

nicker_s

SJP? Ha, my old job. Left there not too long ago. Grand place to start off tech support, great team when I was there. There's coaches that will help you out the whole time. Learnt a lot there. Other desks there sound like a bit of a nightmare, pay ain't the best but it's not too tough a job. My advice go for it.
Who's fasty?

Rick Hard

Hahahaha. you know, you're probably taking my job. I just left SJP there on Thursday last. So you might be my replacement. As for the desk, well, its probably the best desk in the building. As many other have said, CPL are a pile of steaming horse shit The treat you like shit and pay you similar. The only reason people stay there is for a bit of experience. And SJP is probably the best you'll get in the place. Well one of the best anyway. If you're going to accept the job, then its a very good desk to start on and worth a go, but definitely keep your eyes open for something better. The work you do on SJP is way more than 1st line, so you're gonna be under paid. but i guess thats the price you gotta pay to get into a better job. At least you got a good desk.

Also, nicker_s is a bender!! haha i know who you are!! And you probably know who i am now but at least i got the first dig in!

youcancallmeal

I used to work on the desk beside SJP and it did indeed have a reputation for being one of the better desks to work on. If you have no experience in IT and your looking to get into it then its a no brainer. A year there will put you in a good position to take another step up the ladder towards something else.

Also I don't know when they are moving to leixlip but I loved working in Belfield. Subsidised canteen and O'Sheas down the road for pints after work, had some great nights out and met a lot of good people in my time there!

here.from.day.1

Once again just thanks to everyone who chimed in.

Started induction on Wed and finished basic training on Fri, seems alright so far but that may well change!

Agent Smith

good to hear!

keep up updated on how the trainings going

mick.fr

One of the problem of the IT guys on the Irish market is that many of them have a background as a call center agent/analyst.
I would not personally recommend to a young IT guy to start in a such position.

I would say stay away from those positions, it was good a few years back, but nowadays, when you go back to the market with such experience you are most likely not going to be able to find anything else that this kind of job, and certainly not an sys admin/engineer job.

the_syco

mick.fr wrote: »

One of the problem of the IT guys on the Irish market is that many of them have a background as a call center agent/analyst.
I would not personally recommend to a young IT guy to start in a such position.

I would say stay away from those positions, it was good a few years back, but nowadays, when you go back to the market with such experience you are most likely not going to be able to find anything else that this kind of job, and certainly not an sys admin/engineer job.

As true as that is, most places will only take you on if you have experience, and the only places that will give you experience without experience are either 1) places like this, 2) completely crap or mundane jobs that will seem to put you back a pace, or 3) if you have a 1.2 or something, you can get a grad position.

here.from.day.1 wrote:

Once again just thanks to everyone who chimed in.

Started induction on Wed and finished basic training on Fri, seems alright so far but that may well change!

Sounds good. Will be starting HP soon enough myself.

CorkFenian

Worked my time on helpdesks , very close to SJP, similar\better desks, and can honestly say it was a decent enough grounding, but a million miles away from a junior admin and beyond, more and more roles these days cover more hands on areas, specs are increasing all the time, i think its only now that i'm not thinking 100% with the helpdesk mindset , on a help desk , the people who are there longest know more about what you do in your role, this does not mean they know more about real IT, this is because of the range of the areas covered, actually when i say covered, most of it means nothing for the future...Get out after a year if u can otherwise u might start to think u know more than u do, several people who i worked with thought they were 5hit hot cos they were at the desk a couple of years,they weren't,(as i found out later with real comms room environments) fairplay to them,they were nice enough but my point is that its far removed from real hands on business IT, overall have to say there have been times when i've had little to do ,but i would know a lot more now than back than and thats what counts i guess(contracting on daily rate) and I think back to the helpdesk days where you're working ure ar*e off most of the time.always gives me a chuckle, overall HP is worth going to, just see it as a small stepping stone and get the fup out quick enough...

Ebola

hello,

i worked in HP contracted to CPL for a year...yes the pay was ****e and CPL will not do you any favours but it is a start. Try to stick it out for 6 month to a year, do a couple of courses while there and move up the ladder. I started out in IT 4 years ago in Xerox as multilingual support four years later i am it supervisor/deskside support (off the phones) and earning a reasonable 35k...not great but for somone who started in IT at the age of 30 with no previous experience i am happy enough with my progress. Taking calls is tough but it is almost a prerequisite these days be patient, stick it out and learn as much as you can, you could be earning twice what CPL pay in two years if you play your cards right...HP job will give you the basics you need to progress but do the A+ and N+ or something along those lines while working on helpdesk or you will end up stuck on the phones indefinitely. From there try to get a hands on job where you can actually put your knowledge to practical use, having a certificate is one thing, being able to apply what you learned is another thing entirely...good luck

CorkFenian

100% agree with Ebola, off the phones nearly two years, really gives u a chance to see the real workings of an it place, theres still boring stuff to do like building pcs, HD clone\ghost etc but overall its a world apart from the battery hen life that is a HP\Dell, remember people with no interest will drop out, if u have an interest it means everything....IMO...

feylya

If you've got your wits about you, work on self improvement and actually like working with computers, you can do very very well in HP/CPL. I was there for 2 years and actually doubled my salary. That said, I didn't like the management in there and I was unfortunate enough to be stuck right between HP and CPL in a war. But, as has been mentioned, it's a great start to a career.

Ebola

i was there at that time aswell...just as CPL were taking over...what a ****ing mess, i worked on Kimberley Clark desk, 40 calls a day in four different languages, it was i good start but i never ever want to do it again, i was delighted to leave.

feylya

No, CPL had well and truely taken over while I was there. The war was to do with CPL wanting to retain full control of me and HP wanting to have me reporting directly to them. Nasty business tbh.

Run!!!