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About LinkBacksHas anyone any experience of setting up practical software and hardware tasks for a technician's interview? Would the idea be useful?
Has anyone any experience of setting up practical software and hardware tasks for a technician's interview? Would the idea be useful?
Ask them a question...which 25 pin cable and is now considered to be redundant, but is used with older machines and servers? - Answers on a postcard
Last edited by nephilim; 6th March 2013 at 01:22 PM.
I have done this several times and its a very useful exercise.
Even fairly simple stuff like getting them to set up a laptop with a portable projector can be very telling.
Last time we interviewed we had three tasks and a time limit to do them - it was for an entry level post so it was as much about their approach to the problem, whether they were methodical, organised,
checked for the really obvious stuff rather then whether they actually completed the task.
Yes, maybe we're trying to make it too complicated.
Something too technical is pointless really as it will only be able to test a very limited subset of knowledge. It will confirm if they know that particular item but they may have experience with which they can port or learn from which can only be extracted from candidates with good questioning.Originally Posted by philserre
Here is what we did when we had new guys interview:
1. Replace laptop keyboard
2. Disconnect computer internals and make them point out what is wrong (taking out the jumper pin is always a good one for that)
3. Setup a quick web page with Joomla
4. Configure a WAP
5. Install Microsoft Office/popular software
6. Questionnaire by the students
Hope any of this helps
Not to be funny with that, but why removing a jumper from the internals? if the guy is fresh out of college or it is a basic role, why would you do that too them? It is setting them up to fail.
Even I had to google this one!
I hope you provided them with the said jumper and instruction manual, I don't think all jumpers were made equal2. Disconnect computer internals and make them point out what is wrong (taking out the jumper pin is always a good one for that
Rather than setting them obscure or difficult things, you might consider setting them mainly manageable things and evaluating their approach. You can only consider how someone does something if they're able to do it.
Just get them to set up a PC - you will be amazed at what they try to do.....and how long it takes them.
We even found out a guy was green/purple colour blind, as he got the mouse & keyboard round the wrong way...!!
Unseating a memory board, causes it to Beep on start-up - forcing them to get the lid off - even that can stump them.
Once it is set-up get them to log on - this will test their keyboard skills too, and their reading level of course.
Removing a jumper is a bit mean - you never know, they might know more than you do.... so beware.
well move it to slave position anyway, normally, jumper instructions are on top of the hard driveI hope you provided them with the said jumper and instruction manual, I don't think all jumpers were made equal
Who re-jumpers HDDs these days? I don't think I have done one for 5 years +well move it to slave position anyway, normally, jumper instructions are on top of the hard drive
Hardly relevant to their day to day jobs
This was about 4 years, probs won't be able to do this now if your using SATA Hard drives anyway
See how important context is! There was me thinking you were an evil IT dictator plotting the downfall of these poor interviewees and all along it was just out of date testing
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