I am Randolph, a Technical Support Engineer at Kinsta. Today, I am sharing some tips for the application for this job. This job is for you if you love helping and learning new things.
The role allows you to connect and engage with different people worldwide, learn the latest technology in the industry and grow as you encounter new challenges.
Disclaimer: All I write here is from personal experience. It does not engage Kinsta in any way. Please, for the latest knowledge for the technical support Engineer position, consult the careers page.
What skills do you need to become a technical support engineer at Kinsta?
Two sets of skills are needed to excel at this job; Technical and non-Technical.
Technically, You will mainly need Linux, MySQL, DNS, Nginx, PHP and WordPress Knowledge.
For the non-technical skills, you will have to be an excellent communicator, as this is a customer-facing job.
Let us get a bit deeper into the technical side.
Linux
Kinsta’s servers operate under Ubuntu. You will need to have Linux administration skills. A good amount of the job is done on the terminal.
I think the LPIC 1 curriculum covers a bunch of what is needed daily.
Nginx
Kinsta’s servers are powered by Nginx and not Apache.
Nginx’s knowledge, particularly Location blocks, Rewrites, Redirects, Logging, PHP Processing, Headers and much more are necessary to assist and troubleshoot customer issues properly.
DNS
There is no hosting industry without DNS. I cannot over-insist on this topic. You will frequently encounter DNS issues.
You will need to know the DNS operates and the different types of DNS records.
At work, I usually troubleshoot DNS cases with online tools such as whatsmydns. Many thanks to its developer.
Knowledge of HTTP, HTTPS and SSL is also essential.
WordPress
As a Technical Support Engineer, knowledge of WordPress is a must. After all, we are hosting WordPress sites. You will need to have knowledge of the following domains:
- The standard WordPress File system
- The standard WordPress database structure
- Plugins and themes
- Speed up WordPress site aka Caching – Page, CDN, Object. This skill is very handy as Kinsta is a performance-oriented hosting company.
- Troubleshooting WordPress issues
- Securing WordPress sites.
- Multisite WordPress installations and how they differ from standard WordPress installations
- Knowledge of WP CLI e.g. deactivating a plugin when this is causing a site to break
- Use of browser developer tools to troubleshoot issues – checking the console and network tab
- Common HTTP errors (502, 404) and how to troubleshoot them
Most, if not all, of these WordPress skills, can be found on our website. I have given some links. You can find others by googling using Kinsta as a prefix. Eg use ‘Kinsta multisite‘
These are just some of the skills you need. They are not all! Please consult the job description page for an overview of all the skills needed. I cannot be exhaustive here, as this is only my humble contribution. Thanks for understanding. It is acceptable not to have all the skills, but make sure to have the most you can to stand out.
Let us now dive into the non-technical skills
Communication skills
The Technical Support Engineer role is customer-facing; you will interact with customers daily. It is crucial you are polite and friendly when dealing with clients. This role is more of active listening. You will need to connect with customers and seek details about their problems. It is important that you have good communication skills to get their problem right and share the resolution with them. This role is not just to resolve issues but to engage with the customer, put yourself in their shoes, and understand their cases from their perspective. Not all issues will ultimately have a positive resolution, but a good conversation can leave a positive impact to the customer and they go happy.
Using emojis and GIFs helps to bring some tenderness and humor to the conversation. I had this tip from a colleague, Adrian, and since then, my conversations have been friendlier.
Ask for help
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. You cannot know it all, asking for help will save you time and make you learn faster. I remember my first months at Kinsta were uneasy as I was embarrassed to ask for help. When I had difficult chats it will make me feel nervous. Don’t fall into this trap. You should be open seeking assistance from other colleagues
Learning Hero
You should be willing to learn. WordPress and Kinsta Products are ever-changing and growing. You should be someone who sets apart time to learn and understand new things. There are some customer issues that you haven’t met before, you should have the ability to do research online, document solutions, and share with the team
Humility
Be Humble. You should not brag because you know more than the others. At Kinsta, you will encounter folks with great skills yet remarkable humility. Some recruiters will prefer someone with low ego and willingness to learn over someone who knows much but has too much ego. As a Support Engineer, you will have to be helpful to your colleagues with limited knowledge. Be open to sharing with others. As one of my colleagues said, “you never know until you decide to share the little you know” . Humility also means acceptance of criticism. You should be a low ego and coachable individual that does not take remarks personally but sees them as room for improvement.
What are some courses to take to become a technical support Engineer at Kinsta?
Nginx was the skill that I lacked as a candidate, and I believe you are probably on the same footing. This course gave me much confidence in Nginx and will most likely give you better chances to succeed in the interview and get up to speed when you start working at Kinsta.
For Linux skills, you can browse the LPIC 1 lessons. They are available for free.
You can set up a personal lab with Ubuntu, WordPress, Nginx and MySQL. If you don’t have Ubuntu on your machine, go ahead and use VirtualBox or any other virtualization tool or a VPS. Having a playground will help you practice and learn better. Some sections of this course will help you with the setup. Not all sections are relevant.
If you are already skilled in these areas, feel free not to take the courses. You can simply do some basic revisions online.
How to make your CV stand out?
On your CV, you need to demonstrate hands-on experience with WordPress. This is critical. After all, we are in the WordPress industry.
Before joining Kinsta I had not worked with a WordPress company per se. However, I believe volunteering with WordPress.org helped my CV stand out. I volunteer with the support Team
If you have done some personal projects with WordPress, don’t forget to mention this.
Secondly, Linux skills are a must for this job, so don’t forget to mention this as well.
Always provide supporting material (URLS), figures, or the activities done for every experience you list. This will provide concrete evidence to the recruiter that you know what you are talking about. Here is an example:
How do you prepare for the interview as technical support Engineer at Kinsta?
There are generally two rounds of interviews. The first is to get to know you and your background, and the second is technical. My second interview had a question/answer format, ending with a practical test where I acted like a Support Engineer helping a customer troubleshoot their site.
Get to know the company as much as you can. During my interview, I told the recruiter that I had knowledge about LXD and LXC, which left a positive mark.
Go to Kinsta website and get to know the latest stack and products. Navigate the blog sections, as it has valuable information on WordPress and the tools we use. Showing that you know the company will give a positive impression.
Do not rush for the interviews. Choose a date that will give you ample time for your preparation.
Use Google to search for any past questions.
Chris Haroun once said, “go to LinkedIn and contact the folks in the company and hear from them directly.” I would like to reiterate this: Ask for help from people already in the field. If you are applying for the America’s shift, look for the Engineers in this Shift on LinkedIn and connect with them. Ask for help, and you will be given incredible pieces of advice.
Pray and seek God’s enlightenment. He bestows his graces to all who beseech him and will inspire you during the interview.
Where to apply for technical support Engineer at Kinsta?
Now that you know more about the application process and the job, go to the careers page and apply.
I will be more than happy to have you as my next colleague.