Service Desk Student Technician

• Student Temporary work
• Department: Information Technology 0-3510-000
• Salary Plan: Temporary
• Hiring Salary: $15/hour 
• Selected candidate must be able to work approximately 18-20 hours per week, based on class schedule and Service Desk coverage needs.

JOB SUMMARY:

The Student Phone Service Desk Technician provides Level I technology support to university faculty, staff, students, and affiliates primarily by telephone. The position serves as an initial point of contact for technology questions and service interruptions, guides callers through approved troubleshooting steps, documents each interaction in the IT service management system, and routes or escalates issues that require additional support.

ORGANIZATIONAL SUMMARY:
 

The University of South Florida is a top-ranked research university serving approximately 50,000 students from across the globe at campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg and USF Health. In 2025, U.S. News & World Report recognized USF with its highest overall ranking in university history, as a top 50 public university for the seventh consecutive year and as one of the top 15 best values among all public universities in the nation. U.S. News also ranks the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine in the highest tier, placing it as one of the top 16 medical schools in the nation and inside the top 10 among public universities. USF is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a group that includes only the top 3% of universities in the U.S. With an all-time high of $750 million in research funding in 2025 and as a top 20 public university for producing U.S. patents, USF uses innovation to transform lives and shape a better future. The university generates an annual economic impact of nearly $10 billion for the state of Florida. USF’s Division I athletics teams compete in the American Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu.

USF is proud to be an innovating partner within the Tampa Bay region, listed by Forbes as the top emerging tech city in the country. 

USF Information Technology (USF IT) provides technology services and support for the University of South Florida. The IT team, led by the Vice President and CIO, provides the following services: Administrative Services, Client Support, Communication Services, Teaching and Learning, Analytics and Reporting, Mobile and Web Services, Consulting Services, Cybersecurity Service and Research Technologies. For more information, please visit: Information Technology | University of South Florida (usf.edu).

 

ADDITIONAL INFO FOR APPLICANTS: The selected candidate must have current work authorization in the United States. This position is not eligible for Visa Sponsorship.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Answer incoming service desk calls promptly and provide a professional, courteous, and customer-focused experience.
• Confirm caller information and gather clear details about the request, symptoms, business impact, and troubleshooting already attempted.
• Provide Level I phone support for account access, passwords, multi-factor authentication, university applications, operating systems, connectivity, printing, email, browsers, mobile devices, and other supported technology services.
• Guide callers through troubleshooting steps using clear, patient, and non-technical language appropriate to the caller’s experience level.
• Create, update, categorize, prioritize, route, and manage incident and service-request tickets in the IT service management system.
• Document the caller’s request, troubleshooting actions, communications, escalation details, and final resolution clearly and accurately.
• Use approved knowledge articles, call scripts, procedures, and service-status information to provide consistent support.
• Escalate unresolved, security-related, urgent, or higher-complexity issues to the appropriate support team according to established procedures.
• Communicate ticket numbers, expected next steps, and follow-up information to callers before ending the call.
• Protect confidential and sensitive information while verifying identity and providing account-related assistance.
• Maintain availability for assigned phone shifts and follow established attendance, break, call-handling, and status procedures.
• Participate in required training, coaching, team meetings, and service-readiness activities.
• Provide support through chat or email when assigned to help meet service needs.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• High school diploma or equivalent with one year of general office or customer service experience. Appropriate college coursework or vocational/technical training may substitute at an equivalent rate for the required experience.
• Ability to work a consistent part-time schedule around academic commitments and meet the minimum weekly-hour requirement established for the assignment.
• Ability to communicate clearly and professionally by telephone while listening, documenting, and navigating support systems at the same time.
• Employees in this position are required to comply with institutional cybersecurity protocols, including the use of multi-factor authentication. This requires access to a compatible device capable of receiving, processing, and supporting university-approved authentication applications.

 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Current enrollment as a university student.
• Experience in a call center, help desk, customer service, or technical support environment.
• Experience assisting customers by telephone and documenting interactions in a ticketing or customer-management system.
• Experience with Windows 10 or 11 and macOS.
• Experience with Apple and Android mobile devices.
• Familiarity with account access, passwords, multi-factor authentication, email, web browsers, wireless connectivity, and common productivity applications.
• One or more years of college coursework in information technology, computer science, cybersecurity, business, communications, or a related field

 

 DESIRED SKILLS:

• Strong telephone presence, active-listening skills, and clear verbal communication.
• Ability to explain technical steps in simple language and confirm that the caller understands each step.
• Customer service skills, including patience, empathy, professionalism, and de-escalation.
• Accurate note-taking, typing, and ticket documentation while actively assisting a caller.
• Basic understanding of computers, software, networks, accounts, mobile devices, printers, and peripheral equipment.
• Ability to follow approved scripts and procedures while adapting the conversation to the caller’s needs.
• Critical-thinking, troubleshooting, and problem-solving aptitude.
• Ability to remain organized and professional during high call volume or service interruptions.
• Dependability, punctuality, attention to detail, and effective time management.
• Ability to work collaboratively with a diverse team and customer population.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• This position is primarily assigned to telephone support. Other service channels may be assigned based on training and operational needs.
• This description is not exhaustive. Duties may be adjusted to meet operational and service needs.
• Work hours and location will be coordinated with the selected candidate based on class schedule, business needs, and phone-support coverage.

 

SOFT SKILLS:

IT CORE COMPETENCIES

• Growth Mindset: Takes ownership of personal growth and embraces the concept that intelligence and talent can be developed through continuous learning. Willing to take on new challenges, and views failure as an opportunity to grow.
• Communication: Comfortable using a broad range of communication styles, and chooses appropriate, effective ways to communicate. Adapts communication style depending on the audience and situation. Listens and asks questions to develop a better understanding.
• Collaboration: Collaborates with others in the pursuit of common missions, visions, values and goals. Fosters a sense of community within and across teams, building on mutual respect, trust, and drawing on the strengths of others.
• Client Obsession: Client focused when creating solutions or solving problems, believing that everything we do is to earn and keep our clients’ trust.
• Ownership: Takes responsibility, accountability and proactively focuses on areas they can directly influence. Understands their role within the team and recognizes that they share the team’s successes and failures.
• Outcome Driven: Focuses on desired results, business outcomes, and how to achieve them. Takes appropriate actions to ensure commitments are met and results achieved.