Interview questions for candidates

[bodminman]

Hi there,
our SMT are conducting interviews next week to hopefully find a suitable replacement for me as I leave in a few weeks.

Although I am not involved with the interviews, I have been asked to provide several questions to ask the candidates.

Do any of you have any suggestions?

Thanks

[elsiegee40]

What type of school are you at and what does your job description cover?

[SteveBentley]

Hi there,
our SMT are conducting interviews next week to hopefully find a suitable replacement for me as I leave in a few weeks.

Although I am not involved with the interviews, I have been asked to provide several questions to ask the candidates.

Presume there will be somebody on the panel capable of knowing whether the candidate's answer is valid or if it's BS?

[farmerste]

at my interview i was asked :-

'have you got two of everything you should have ??'
'you'll do'

lol

[Jamman960]

During the interview for my previous job(not at a school but for a company that provides IT services etc for schools) I was asked to setup a DHCP scope on a demo server they had setup on the desk. I was told afterwards that many applicants have trouble getting passed that stage - even some engineers with MCSE's.

[mattx]

During the interview for my previous job(not at a school but for a company that provides IT services etc for schools) I was asked to setup a DHCP scope on a demo server they had setup on the desk. I was told afterwards that many applicants have trouble getting passed that stage - even some engineers with MCSE's.

Sounds about right - just proves my age old argument that those who hold those bits of paper may as well wipe their bum with them.
All they have done is crammed the relevant info and answers, when it comes to ACTUALLY doing it they are stuck.....

[Pete10141748]

Questions I was asked/you could ask;

"Are you familiar with Active Directory / CC4 / whatever network environment your school has?"

"Can you build a working PC from parts?"

"Have you used (insert OS that you have in school) before?"

"Can you install a Server 2003 / Server 2008 with AD and approriate Roles, such as setting up DNS, DHCP, Routing and Remote Access..." and so forth

"Are you able to configure / alter Switches, Hubs, patch panels, WAPs etc etc"

Other questions could ask for verbal proof of;
VLP use / maintenace
Website design / creation / maintenance
Curriculum awareness (if required)
Presentation / ability to train others / work with pupils (if required)


I think the best quesitons I was asked at my interview was "What would be the first thing you would do if you started working here?"

I wont tell you what I said, but suffice to say I got the job

[tmcd35]

I think the best quesitons I was asked at my interview was "What would be the first thing you would do if you started working here?"

I wont tell you what I said, but suffice to say I got the job

I've had this question a couple of times at interview. I give my stock answer which boils down to 'nothing'. Whats the first thing I'd do?...Nothing!

[Gibbo]

at my interview i was asked :-

'have you got two of everything you should have ??'
'you'll do'

That sounds very much like a Yorkshireman interviewing!

[sippo]

The strangest question I've been asked in an interview was 'What's your favourite cheese?'

[plexer]

I think I got asked the what is the first thing you'll do question in my interview for this job, I had also been on a visit a few days before hand I went into the interview with a couple of sides of A4 with the observations I had made.

Ben

[CyberNerd]

Questions on OSI layers can be useful because they can distinguish between logical candidates as well as give an overview of technical knowledge.
eg, where to start diagnosing a problem
layer 0 (is it plugged in)
to layer 7 (is the application broken)
OSI model - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Pete10141748]

Good call on the OSI model Cyber, though of course just because someone doesn't know that Layer 5 is the Session Layer doesn't mean they couldn't fix a problem that was in fact found "in" that Layer; better to know though, obviously!

.......I had also been on a visit a few days before hand I went into the interview with a couple of sides of A4 with the observations I had made.

From my experience, the successful candidates always have some form of observation/presentation/portfolio/proof of prior work with them at the Interview, if nothing else it shows willingness and the ability to be organised and professional.

Heck, I spent ages putting together my portfolio & CDs of work for this job's interview (contained demo versions of websites & intranets I'd made, databases I'd created, educational resources from my teaching days etc) , and they kept hold of it for a good long while too (probably stealing my ideas )

[TechMonkey]

We had a written paper with priorities question, a name the TLA question, diagnostic questions (what would you do/try) and security question. Then the interview was based on their CVs & a proceedural question to see how they thought about things.

[bodminman]

Hi guys and gals!

Thanks for the info, the interviews are for an IT Manager.