ICT Tech Interview advice required

[Graduate]

Hi guys,

I have a interview coming up at a secondary school and been a graduate from university I am not sure what the interview process will entail. On the letter it states there will be an ICT task followed by formal interview.

Do you guys have any idea of:
1) what sort of ICT task I might have to do?
2) What questions I might get asked at the interview?

All advice and tips on how to impress the employers will be much appreciated.

Thank you.

[IanT]

When I give a candiate a Task its normally a PC I stick in front of them with a hardware problem and they have to find out what it is.....something along those lines.

[Dom_]

Usually a hardware problem, maybe something is unplugged inside / out. BIOS settings perhaps.

The most important question i got asked was about prioritising...

[james_richards]

Hi Graduate,

I have read one of your previous posts you stated (you sound like the right person for the job):

“Recently I have completed my degree in Bsc Hons Business Computing and IT where I have obtained a 2.1.

I want to pursue a career as an IT technician in west midlands region. Coming just out of education I am not been given a chance by employers. I only have one years work experience which I undertook as part of my gap year as an ICT support officer in public sector. In this position I learn't about Active Directory, Windows NT, 2000 and 2003, setting up printers, restoring files, VPN setup and backing up servers.”

I personally believe that you will do excellent in the task because I have viewed your CV, which you sent me via email and you have got good skills and knowledge.

Good Luck

[Graduate]

When I give a candiate a Task its normally a PC I stick in front of them with a hardware problem and they have to find out what it is.....something along those lines.

Thanks for your reply. What type of hardware problem mostly occurs for these types of tasks. Also what kind of questions do you ask. Are they really technical?

I look forward hearing from you.

Thanking you in advance.

[Hightower]

Thanks for your reply. What type of hardware problem mostly occurs for these types of tasks. Also what kind of questions do you ask. Are they really technical?

I look forward hearing from you.

Thanking you in advance.

Surely if you are worried about being asked technical questions you are not the right person for the job?

[IanT]

Thanks for your reply. What type of hardware problem mostly occurs for these types of tasks. Also what kind of questions do you ask. Are they really technical?

I look forward hearing from you.

Thanking you in advance.

I will not seat the RAM properly, Graphics card to the simple unplug power to the hard drive, really silly and simple stuff. - if they fail to notice any of them simple fixes then sorry i wont continue the interview....

The people I normally interview are young guys, I understand there looking for there first IT job and im the person to give them that chance, but I make sure they have some common sence and have a basic understanding for Networks, Servers etc etc and one thing they MUST have is emphusiasm is learn and build it from there.

Ian.

[Graduate]

I will not seat the RAM properly, Graphics card to the simple unplug power to the hard drive, really silly and simple stuff. - if they fail to notice any of them simple fixes then sorry i wont continue the interview....

The people I normally interview are young guys, I understand there looking for there first IT job and im the person to give them that chance, but I make sure they have some common sence and have a basic understanding for Networks, Servers etc etc and one thing they MUST have is emphusiasm is learn and build it from there.

Ian.

Thanks for your help. This is very useful and beneficial. I will take your advice into account the ICT task now seems alot clear.

Do you also know what kind of common questions I will be asked on the interview.

Once again thanks for all your help.

[Graduate]

Surely if you are worried about being asked technical questions you are not the right person for the job?

If I was not the right candidate firstly I would not have been invited for an interview.

Secondly with my attitude and willingness to learn to become technically proficient I believe I am the right person for the job.

Thirdly don't forget one day you must have been in the same boat, lacking experience hoping some would give you a chance.

Anyways thanks for your comment not that it was of any use or benefit.

[_Bat_]

I posted this in another thread earlier:

Common questions for an IT techs job include:

- What is DHCP?
- What is DNS?
- How to add a network printer?
- How to add a PC to the domain?
- How do you see the full ip configuration details for all network adapters of the PC you are using?
- How to get a program or document to open up automatically when someone logs on?
- What is the difference between a router, switch and hub?

These are all ones I've had at least twice. All basic, but come up regularly. In a lot of cases, they just want to check you have some knowledge they can build on. They can teach you the more advanced stuff if you don't already know it.

[somabc]

Don't worry about technical questions.

If you answer them well it helps you get the job, if you can't answer them but someone else can then you are not what they are looking for, BUT you can learn the answers and apply them next time.

Besides the technical questions you will get asked will likely be extremely basic. No one is going to ask you to design a complex multi site network with full server roles, IP ranges, VPN etc in 15 min or ask you to setup a cluster of Oracle databases in Solaris with hot fall over, or use your java coding skills to solve a problem etc etc

It will likely be as stated above, how will you cope with troubleshooting problems, how will you prioritise tasks, this computer is broken make it work stuff

[strawberry]

dont worry about the technical questions, they wont be looking for skills you've picked up in the last 5 minutes, and its not worth trying to second guess the questions.

"If I was not the right candidate firstly I would not have been invited for an interview."

Thats not always the case, there are many stages at which you can be turned down for a job, I wouldn't be so confident having only got past the first stage!.

[nephilim]

When conducting interviews for our school, I asked the for the following before they even came to me.

A step by step guide on striping a PC and re-assembling a PC (no longer than 1 A4 sheet).
A FULL CV listing ALL qualifications undertaken on all courses

If they cannot produce either of the above I still interview them, but fail them for that and let them know.

Then when they get here and they have produced the interview, they have to answer basic questions such as:

How would you add a USB printer without a NIC to a network?
How to add a PC to the domain?
How would you see all the IP's connected to a machine using ARP?
How to get a program or document to open up automatically when someone logs on?
How to set up an MSI to install as soon as a network drive is connected.
What is the difference between a router, switch and hub?

Then a guided tour of the facilities.

As our curriculum machines are linux, we give them a task as an admin to install a program on the test machine. Then uninstall it. If they can perform that task them I pass them up the chain to my boss who does the final interview. 9/10 my boss listens to what I say and hires the person I say. Although we tend to have people here as a stop gap to learn linux then they leave (although we give them no official training until they have been here for 2 years). Currently though I am running the network by myself.

[pete]

If I was not the right candidate firstly I would not have been invited for an interview.
Thirdly don't forget one day you must have been in the same boat, lacking experience hoping some would give you a chance.

Anyways thanks for your comment not that it was of any use or benefit.

Perhaps his point was that if we give you a list of possible things to look for it's no longer a fair test of your ability to think on your feet?

And you'd be surprised how many bloody awful candidates have a "good on paper" cv.

[Hightower]

Perhaps his point was that if we give you a list of possible things to look for it's no longer a fair test of your ability to think on your feet?

And you'd be surprised how many bloody awful candidates have a "good on paper" cv.

That was my point - sorry for not putting it across right the first time.

I'm not having a go at anyone. All I'm saying is, it's a bit strange going for a technically challenging job and you're worried about it being 'technical'.

Just seems odd.