Wanted: Geeks with people skills

DALLAS — Twenty years ago, the term was an insult. Now it's a job title.

Throwing their hands up in technological frustration, consumers are increasingly looking to "geeks" to come to the rescue.

To meet the need, businesses such as Geek Squad are hiring teams of computer-savvy folks, some as young as their teens.

"We tell our customers, 'You have the right to migraine-free computing,' " said Keith Parkhurst, who manages a new Geek Squad store in Dallas. "We try to make it easy for everybody."

Best Buy also now staffs its stores with Geek Squads.

Geek Squad staff members, called "agents," handle a wide range of problems relating to "anything with a hard drive or a network connection or that connects to a computer," according to company founder Robert Stephens.

And in August, CompUSA announced the launch of Techknowledgist Services, a nationwide corps of 20,000 certified technicians providing tech support to consumers and businesses.

Services include fixing problems and analyzing customers' technology needs and tailoring hardware, software and security accordingly.

Both Geek Squad and Techknowledgist offer in-store and in-home services to consumers and small businesses.

In addition, many locally and regionally owned "rent-a-geek" businesses have sprouted.

According to hiring managers at Geek Squad, you don't necessarily have to have degrees or certification to become an agent.

But you do have to be good with computers — and be able to deal with customers who aren't.

"We turn away a lot of technically talented people," said Stephens, whose official title is Geek Squad chief inspector. "It's not just a matter of fixing problems — it involves talking with and listening to customers."

"Basically, we hire people who have a passion for computers, who keep abreast of the latest technology and understand a broad range of problems," Parkhurst said.

Aspiring Geeks take a test measuring their aptitude in handling technology problems. It's not necessarily a pass/fail test; hiring managers use the results to assess a potential agent's areas of expertise as well as those areas where they should beef up his or her knowledge.

Agents are issued "NASA-like" uniforms, with white, short-sleeve shirts, black pants, white socks and black ties, Parkhurst said.

"There's no bling-bling," he said. "No button-down collars and no pocket protectors."

Geek Squad wouldn't divulge information on pay.

Agents are typically in their early to mid-20s and enjoy the camaraderie and the cachet of the geek role.

For computer-savvy teens, Geek Squad jobs may offer a high-tech alternative to flipping burgers.

Now that Geek Squads are in Best Buy stores, Stephens said, the company hires "a ton" of part-time employees, many of them teens. The stand-alone stores couldn't hire teens because of the in-home calls.

At Best Buy, teens can prove themselves in sales jobs and move into more technically challenging positions.

That's how agent Drew Tufano, who works in "counter intelligence" at a new Geek Squad store in the Dallas area, got started. He took a sales job at a Best Buy in California at age 19; now, at age 20, he's a full-fledged Geek.

He has a high-school diploma and a little college, but learned tech troubleshooting on the job and on his own.

"I've been working with computers since I was 11," he said. "Most of the stuff I know is from personal experience."

He likes the opportunity to develop a rapport with customers; repeat customers can ask for a particular agent.

"We have an incredibly powerful career path," Stephens said. "A 16-year-old could start in sales in a Best Buy store, work his way up into tech support and eventually into network support for a small business or a leadership position."

Employee discounts are a big bonus for many teens, he adds, as well as the way the company encourages agents to expand their skills and learn about new gadgets.

"That's how we learn," he said. "We don't go out on dates on Saturday nights. We're at home reading manuals."

"I hate to say it," Tufano said, "but this is something I'd do whether someone paid me or not."