Pcworld Staff

2Shae

Hi, I am currently trying to get a job in Pcworld Galway for weekend and days off school.
I have not had any other job but working on a building site with my dad which i was forced into. I have done the ECDL and was an original tester of windows vista. But i am still trying it hard to get in. I am persistent and have managed to sell PC's and laptops to friends and family(making a profit).
I am looking for some information about the company
Who should i send my CV and cover letter to in Galway (Name please)
If you work in PCWorld would you be able to help me get in.

Thank you
Jamie Murphy

Anti

Ive worked in pcworld, but not the galway one..

All you do is go into the store hand in your cv with the cover letter, and sit back and wait for a phonecall. If you are russian/polish or of eastern european origin you have the upper hand.

I think you are setting your standard to low, They are a bunch of muppets to work for. The pay is abismal ( 900€ ) per month for 40 hours. No commission for the first 3 months, then you start of at the lowest possible banding making maybe if your lucky 100€ extra a month is you manage to shift 20k worth of pcs, all with coverplan. You have to watch all the other staff, as they will steal your sales on a regular basis. You are provided with no training what so ever. So unless you know your hardware pretty well your kinda screwed.

You would get a much better job in a local pc shop. Atleast thet they will be willing to teach you more about it in general, like networking and the other basics.

But best of luck in what ever you decide.

r3nu4l

Hi 2Shae,

Really you should ring them, ask to speak to a manager because you are interested in applying for a job, introduce yourself and ask if they have any part-time positions available for salesfloor staff.

Quite often younger people are viewed as go-and-fetch people. You might have to work the stock room, maybe you will have to float around the store answering customer questions before handing over to a dedicated salesperson.

It's worth remembering that PCWorld don't just sell computers and laptops. Also, the big commissions come from selling crappy extended warranties to unsuspecting mugs...I mean, customers. Quite often the main sale is not enough for management.

EDIT: I would also echo Anti's advice about working somewhere else if possible.

2Shae

Its near impossible to find a job as it is. I know A LOT about computers, from hardware to software to connectivity.
Do they hire basicly anybody? because i went in there once and asked for thermal compound and the dude asked was it a game and everyone else said the same. i wanted to slap them

TerrorFirmer

They were hiring awhile ago and I applied just to see what'd happen. They never got back to me, and the notices I think are long gone. Anyway, they could do with a few knowledgable people in there. One or two of them in there in the PC clinic are relatively ok (I dealt with a guy in there before called Gerry who was excellent) but the floor staff haven't a clue. Not only haven't they a clue, they actually spew out fantastic tales and yarns about their products. The head manager there is also ok but there's a red haired support manager guy there (I'm not mentioning any names) but he's laughably oblivious to any technical information. Trying to return anything there can be a nightmare, an absolute nightmare, if it's an anyway remotely complex problem due to their lack of knowledge. I was once trying to return a laptop because the integrated graphics had buggy opengl support (which I needed), and they basically said - 'No, integrated graphics don't support opengl, you need a dedicated card for that'. That's only one among many famous quotes I've heard from them. Another good one was the time the guy actually tried to convince me a computer didn't have a pci-e slot even though I could see it as clear as day through the grill on the case with 'PCI EXPRESS' stamped above it. I heard a good one recently too when someone told me that somebody in PC World claimed all their laptops were of course Directx 10 compatiable.

Not much different from PC Worlds in general then, to summarise. I'd hate to work there for the simple reason that I wouldn't be able to stand hearing lies day in day out to innocent customers who actually rely on these apes to inform them about technical details.

2Shae

does anyone have any ideas who is hireing. i need to find a summer/weekend job and i have very good tech skills

tman

Anti wrote:

I think you are setting your standard to low, They are a bunch of muppets to work for. The pay is abismal ( 900€ ) per month for 40 hours.

a little over a fiver an hour?
somehow doubt they're that low, minimum wage and all that...

toiletduck

I remember buying a laptop there years ago and the sheer persistence on trying to force the coverplan really put me off ever going there again

JIZZLORD

when i bought mine from them i knew exactly what model i wanted and they kept tring to hawk other laptops that were more expensive but with worse spec. They are a complete joke, and while i wouldnt know absolutely everything about computing i know enough from experience over the last few years of messing about with them or through college to easily out tech a pc world staff member.

majiktripp

Working for an IT company I can truely say I dispise PC World and their treatment of customers, especially those who don't have a good technical grounding or the ability to discerne the truth from the bull**** that there employees spout.
Its the same in America with the Best Buy stores,more a less the same styling as PC World but certain revelations about there "Geek Squad" show they receive no basic training on the job and are just told to upsell all the time, Ie. sell them antivirus's,cover plans they dont need necessarily etc.
Long live the independant IT crowd!

biko

2Shae wrote:

does anyone have any ideas who is hireing. i need to find a summer/weekend job and i have very good tech skills

Have a walk around the various Internet cafs, they usually need ppl with skillz.

ethernet

I applied there last year. No word from them. Even a rejection letter would have been nice. On your way out, look at the returned application forms on that stand. Can't believe they're just left out in the open. I posted mine after I saw that.

Some of them are useless in there. I was buying a Linksys router that I saw on offer in the paper. I asked two lads if the model I was looking at was the one advertised at the discounted price. They assured me it was. Up to till ... it wasn't on offer. However, a helpful chap went wandering to find me the one that was on offer.

I'm sick looking at the idiots who play with the Macs all day. Have you noticed them -- they just take pictures of themselves and manipulate them. Can't believe they're still working in the place carrying on like that.

I bought a processor for E300 in there when I was building my machine over a year ago. The sales assistant was such a prick -- "Do you know what you're doing? It's a lot of money to spend ...". His name was Denis. Grrrrrr :mad:

I also think 2Shae would be better off elsewhere. From what Anti said, the pay and conditions are not short of crap.

ZorbaTehZ

Pretty much echoing everything else that has been said so far.
Whatever you do, do NOT leave in a computer for fixing in there. My cousin left in a PC to get his modem fixed, and when he got it back the hard-drive was wiped and the modem was still broken.

Such a pity that the best PC store in Galway has incompetent idiots for staff.
@OP: I would do like Biko said and try get a job in an internet cafe instead.

JohnCleary

Uh please don't work for PC world, esp if you have any computer knowledge.

I have found that the staff in there are SALES staff, NOT technical staff. To be honest, I don't blame them with the wage rate. Anyone with any real computer knowledge has a better paid job. What PC world need to do is to up the wage and put some technical staff on the floor.

I'll never forget this gem... I went into PC world last year and asked a member of floor staff:
Me: "Hi, where are the motherboards?"
Him: "The what?"

DublinWriter

Anti wrote:

I think you are setting your standard to low

I agree. OP, you sound like a well motivated and intelligent person.

Try drawing up a list of small local businesses, do up a one page-flyer as a budding Mr.Fix-It, and who knows.

All the best,

DW.

Anti

tman wrote:

a little over a fiver an hour?
somehow doubt they're that low, minimum wage and all that...

Yep, its right. After a 40 hour week, for the first 3 months thats alli earned. As they say its 40 hours, but its rare you will get that. closer to 30. Your not paid for breaks either. Also take into account 900 is after tax.

OP, as said try and start your own little business going for the summer, it will give you some experience. But be carefull, everyone and their dog is trying to do this.

Tzetze

All the Dennis hate

Bump for Dennis!

Steyr

Dont go to them they suck, if you ring you get put through to a recored voice message that takes ages to work to find your local PC world as they dont have numbers for the shops directly themselves:rolleyes:

po0k

They're part of the Dixons/Currys hydra aren't they?

majiktripp

Indeed they are part of that terrible trio alright...

awhir

sorry op for hijacking but does anyone know where a 16 could get a job(woulden mind a it type job but anythings fine)

im finding it hard to get a job as there is a much more people looking for no experince work.

awhir

awhir wrote:

sorry op for hijacking but does anyone know where a 16 could get a job(woulden mind a it type job but anythings fine)

im finding it hard to get a job as there is a much more people looking for no experince work.

Most places wouldn't be willing to employ under 18s for insurance reasons (open to correction). You're better off checking in filling stations to be honest.

Gauge

Anti wrote:

I think you are setting your standard to low, They are a bunch of muppets to work for. The pay is abismal ( 900€ ) per month for 40 hours. No commission for the first 3 months, then you start of at the lowest possible banding making maybe if your lucky 100€ extra a month is you manage to shift 20k worth of pcs, all with coverplan. You have to watch all the other staff, as they will steal your sales on a regular basis. You are provided with no training what so ever. So unless you know your hardware pretty well your kinda screwed.

This is a bit pessimistic... I'm earning almost €900 a month as a part timer. Also your banding is based on what you've sold previously. I was put into the highest one as soon as the three month period was over. For the first three months you aren't on commission but they adjust your pay (increase it) so you're not being paid ****e.

That said, if you are genuinely interested in computers, go do something with computers. PC World are about sales, not computers, and there is a LOT of pressure to sell things like coverplan, attachments, etc.

Technicians are paid well. You might consider applying as a technician if you know your stuff.

The Roach

I have to echo pretty much everything that's been said here so far. I worked for PC World in Liffey Valley all through college, mainly because I was just to lazy to look anywhere else after I started!

The pay's just not worth it. I was in sales for about 2 months when I started, and just hated it. You WILL be forced by the company to push the Coverplan insurance on every single person, and if you mention to a manager that the customer just doesn't want it, they'll even consider sending another sales person over to help flog it! I just couldn't hack the stuff they wanted me to say, so I switched to the service desk.

I could keep moaning about them for ages, but the bottom line is this: Don't bother with PC World, your technical skills won't be rewarded. You're much better off looking for local shops as people have suggested.

far2gud

Maybe the building sites not so much of a bad idea..I wish I had headed for one rather than studying IT.

Anti

SyxPak wrote:

They're part of the Dixons/Currys hydra aren't they?

Dixons plc is what they trade under.

Anti

Gauge wrote:

This is a bit pessimistic... I'm earning almost €900 a month as a part timer. Also your banding is based on what you've sold previously. I was put into the highest one as soon as the three month period was over. For the first three months you aren't on commission but they adjust your pay (increase it) so you're not being paid ****e.

That said, if you are genuinely interested in computers, go do something with computers. PC World are about sales, not computers, and there is a LOT of pressure to sell things like coverplan, attachments, etc.

Technicians are paid well. You might consider applying as a technician if you know your stuff.

Then your manager has done you a favour. As you cant go straight to the highest banding. you start off and work your way up. And last time i checked(last year) only 2 people from waterford, and about 7 or 8 in dublin were on the highest banding. as for the highest banding you have to sell about 1.4M worth a year or something ridiciculous..

Yes they do compensate you for the first 3 months, but its like 70 dolla.

And iirc when i worked in pcworld there was no cork store at the time. it was being built. Is your manager patrick murphy by any chance ?

Bonzodog

Maplin is a better place to work, at least the guys in there aren't muppets when it comes to tech issues, and seem to know a bit more. Quite a few of those guys are also linux users and enthusiasts.

Like a previous poster said, the internet cafes could be useful, but they also tend to prefer students/short time people.

JohnCleary

Bonzodog wrote:

Maplin is a better place to work, at least the guys in there aren't muppets when it comes to tech issues, and seem to know a bit more. Quite a few of those guys are also linux users and enthusiasts.

Like a previous poster said, the internet cafes could be useful, but they also tend to prefer students/short time people.

Still pay sh1te though, it's all about the dough at the end of the day

The Queen

I dont know what Maplin are like to work for, but they are the rudest staff Ive ever encountered. You ask them a question, and they say "I'll go check". After waiting around 10/15 mins, they are on tills, and just say "oh we dont have it" when you go uo to them.
Or in the middle of a sale, they just answer the phone, and deal with the person on the phone. Now I dunno bout other places, but where I work, the customer in front of you is the priority!! I work on a custumer service desk, and if I just answered the phone halfway through assisting(sp) a customer and my manager saw, I'd be upstairs having a disciplinery!!(sp - again!)

PC World staff are nice enough - just stupid when it comes to anything technical....