Table of Contents
Introduction: IT Help Desk Interview Questions and Answers
Starting your career in IT support? The L1 IT Help Desk Engineer role is your entry point into the world of enterprise technology, customer interaction, and real-time problem solving.
At Zenkins, our L1 engineers are the first line of defense — helping users resolve issues, ensuring smooth IT operations, and collaborating with L2/L3 teams.
This post will help you prepare for interviews, especially if you’re applying for the IT Help Desk Support Engineer (L1) position at Zenkins or similar roles elsewhere.
We’ve included real-world questions, sample answers, and Jira ticketing system tips — so you can confidently showcase both your technical and soft skills.
Section 1: Core L1 Help Desk Responsibilities and Questions
Q1: What are your main responsibilities as an L1 IT Help Desk Engineer?
A:
My role as an L1 engineer is to provide first-level support to end users. This includes logging tickets, diagnosing and resolving user issues, managing access requests, and escalating problems when needed. I also document all activities in the ITSM tool, follow SOPs, and ensure user satisfaction.
Q2: How do you manage and prioritize incoming tickets?
A:
I prioritize tickets based on impact and urgency. Critical issues like network or email outages take precedence, while minor user issues follow in sequence. I ensure every ticket is properly categorized, assigned a priority level, and updated regularly until resolution.
Q3: How do you handle common user issues like system slowness or Outlook not opening?
A:
For slowness, I check running processes, startup applications, disk space, and antivirus scans.
For Outlook, I verify internet connectivity, check profile settings, clear cache, or recreate the mail profile if needed. I always document troubleshooting steps in the ticket.
Q4: What steps do you take when troubleshooting VPN or Wi-Fi connectivity issues?
A:
I confirm if the issue is user-specific or widespread. Then I check adapter status, DNS configuration, credentials, and VPN gateway accessibility. If unresolved, I escalate with diagnostic logs to the network or L2 team.
Q5: How do you log walk-in calls or remote support sessions?
A:
I log every user interaction — even walk-ins — as a ticket in the ITSM tool. During remote sessions, I record steps taken and mark resolution details. This ensures traceability and proper reporting for audits.
Section 2: Documentation, Reporting, and Escalation
Q6: Why is documentation important in IT support?
A:
Documentation ensures accountability, helps future troubleshooting, and builds organizational knowledge. It supports consistent service delivery and compliance with SLAs.
Q7: How do you report daily or weekly support activities?
A:
I compile reports on total tickets handled, resolutions, pending issues, SLA compliance, and escalation trends. Tools like Excel or Jira dashboards help summarize performance for the team lead’s review.
Q8: What is your approach to escalating issues?
A:
I escalate only after verifying that all L1 troubleshooting steps are completed and documented. I include logs, screenshots, and clear descriptions so the L2 engineer can proceed efficiently.
Q9: How do you maintain and update Knowledge Base (KB) articles?
A:
When I identify repetitive issues or recurring user errors, I create KB entries with step-by-step resolutions. These are reviewed by senior engineers or team leads before being published to the shared repository.
Section 3: Shared L1–L2 Activities (Advanced Questions)
Q10: How do you assist in preparing weekly or monthly performance reports?
A:
I share data on ticket volumes, resolution rates, and escalation counts. The team lead consolidates this data for management reports, but I ensure accuracy from my end.
Q11: What’s your role in coordinating on-site support?
A:
I act as the point of contact for scheduling, user communication, and logging related tickets. The L2 team handles the on-site technical tasks, but I ensure alignment and timely updates.
Q12: How do you provide system status updates during outages?
A:
I communicate status updates to users based on L2 or NOC feedback — ensuring clarity, consistency, and reassurance while avoiding misinformation.
Q13: How do you contribute to escalation guidelines or contact lists?
A:
I maintain updated contact information for L2 teams, vendors, and management. If escalation paths change, I inform the service desk manager for formal updates in documentation.
Section 4: Jira Ticketing System – Practical Questions
Q14: How do you create and manage a ticket in Jira Service Management?
A:
Tickets are created via the Service Desk portal or email. I categorize them under appropriate request types, assign priorities, and update statuses such as Open, In Progress, Awaiting User, or Resolved using Jira workflows.
Q15: How do you link or escalate Jira tickets?
A:
If multiple users report the same issue, I use the “Link Issue” option with relations like “Relates to” or “Blocked by”. For escalation, I either change the assignee to L2 or add a comment tagging the escalation queue as per SOP.
Q16: How do you generate reports in Jira?
A:
Using Jira filters and JQL (Jira Query Language), I can create dashboards showing:
- Tickets per user/team
- SLA performance
- Unresolved issues
- Escalation counts
These help in daily and weekly reporting.
Q17: How do you ensure Jira tickets meet SLA requirements?
A:
I monitor SLA indicators inside Jira dashboards and use alerts for approaching deadlines. If resolution time is near breach, I either expedite the fix or escalate appropriately.
Section 5: Scenario-Based Questions
Q18: What would you do if 10 users reported Wi-Fi not working simultaneously?
A:
I’d first confirm if it’s localized or building-wide. Then check network connectivity, router status, and coordinate with the network team. I’d communicate the outage to users, open a single master incident, and link related tickets.
Q19: How would you handle a user complaint about repeated slowness despite earlier fixes?
A:
I’d review the user’s past tickets and apply deeper analysis — checking background services, storage, and updates. If it’s recurring, I’d escalate to L2 for hardware diagnostics while updating the user regularly.
Q20: A user hasn’t responded to your ticket for 3 days — what would you do?
A:
I’d send a polite follow-up, mark the ticket as Awaiting User Response, and if there’s still no reply, close it per SLA after notification.
Q21: How do you handle multiple critical tickets at once?
A:
I prioritize based on impact — for example, email outage over a printer issue. I communicate realistic timelines to all users and escalate if support capacity is strained.
Section 6: Tools and Skills Every L1 Engineer Should Know
Essential Tools:
- ITSM Platforms: Jira Service Management, Freshservice, ServiceNow
- Remote Tools: AnyDesk, TeamViewer, RDP
- Email Systems: Outlook, Exchange, O365
- System Tools: Active Directory, VPN Clients, Antivirus Software
- Reporting Tools: Excel, Google Sheets, Jira Dashboards
Core Skills:
- Ticket handling and documentation
- Basic network troubleshooting
- MS Office suite and Windows OS knowledge
- Strong communication and empathy
- Following SOPs and escalation matrices
Final Tips for Interview Success
- Show structured thinking — interviewers value step-by-step troubleshooting approaches.
- Demonstrate ownership — take accountability for tickets you handle.
- Emphasize teamwork — L1 engineers collaborate constantly with L2 and management.
- Highlight customer focus — always balance technical accuracy with user satisfaction.
Conclusion
Becoming an L1 IT Help Desk Engineer means mastering both technical know-how and service discipline. At Zenkins, we believe every support engineer is a customer ambassador — solving problems with empathy, accuracy, and teamwork.
If you’re passionate about IT and love helping people, check out open roles on our Careers Page → Zenkins Careers.
