Asomodai Posted May 1, 2011 Posted May 1, 2011 (edited) Hey Ladies and Gents. *As background I currently work part time as an IT Tech at a local school and I have a Degree in I.T. I have an interview coming up for an IT Technician position which has a 20 minute long assessment task. I have no idea what would be included within this task. For people who have experience in such matters, what form might the task take? Here is a PC, something’s wrong, deal with it? Written essay? Multiple choice? Any idea of what sort of subjects might be tackled? I currently work in a temporary IT Tech Position which did not require an Assessment task, so I am really worried! I am up against recent graduates who probably have been boning up on revision more so then myself. Would you consider a poor mark a complete deal breaker? (Even if the qualifications and experience is there) I do choke up at pressure times like this! Any help would be much appreciated! Edited May 1, 2011 by Asomodai
plexer Posted May 1, 2011 Posted May 1, 2011 I'd expect it to be a hardware repair task, don't panic. Can you ask them what form this test will be in? Ben
Asomodai Posted May 1, 2011 Author Posted May 1, 2011 I'd expect it to be a hardware repair task, don't panic. Can you ask them what form this test will be in? Ben I am unsure, me asking might not be beneficial to my application.
kmount Posted May 1, 2011 Posted May 1, 2011 Here is a PC, something’s wrong, deal with it? Written essay? Multiple choice? Could be some or all of that and then some. When interviewing Tech candidates I normally had quite a few to do so opted for a written quiz made up of some multiple choice and some free form answers but only ever as a supplement to the interview & 'group chat' stuff we ran. The quiz I wrote was orchestrated to be quite evil just to get an understanding of strengths and weaknesses technically with a view of at least rationalising where the candidate would need support and where they would excel. I know of colleagues who would unplug components from a PC and ask the candidate to troubleshoot the issue physically which is absolutely fair enough as a task also. I would not worry about being up against recent graduates if you have experience in schools I always valued that over a degree. (which if you have one makes your experience a brucey bonus.). I would not worry about this at all, just make sure you're well up on your DHCP, & DNS and troubleshooting approaches. Good luck.
le4ne Posted May 1, 2011 Posted May 1, 2011 Relax! It's just a way of finding out a bit more about what you know, how you work under pressure, and to know more about your problem solving skills. It may involve asking what you would do in certain situations, ask you to look at a hardware issue (networking, printing or sharing related), and maybe ask you some general techie questions. You can't really get a feel for what people know in an interview so a 'test' is the best way. Just be yourself
Asomodai Posted May 1, 2011 Author Posted May 1, 2011 I would not worry about this at all, just make sure you're well up on your DHCP, & DNS and troubleshooting approaches. Thats probably my weakest area! How in depth would questions with that go? Thanks for the replies so far everyone!
kmount Posted May 1, 2011 Posted May 1, 2011 (In my opinion) I'd at least understand what they both stand for and how their use is core to the functioning of most networks. Understand what they both do and typical issues that could result as a failure of one or both of them. (you will be fine!)
plexer Posted May 1, 2011 Posted May 1, 2011 I don't think asking would be detrimental to your application to me it shows you have some nounce. Ben
steve Posted May 1, 2011 Posted May 1, 2011 When we recruit our assessment has several parts - multi choice questions (basic IT knowledge, basic maths / English, common sense), a help desk scenario (logging / dealing with a support call) and a practical test (find and resolve the issue). One thing I would suggest is that in any practical session, if you have someone present, don't be afraid to ask them questions if you need to. The number of candidates that fail to show that they can communicate is a bit worrying. Not many people know the answer to everything. Its like any exam where you have to show the working out, its as interesting knowing the process of how you came to the end result. In terms of revision, know your acronyms (AD, DC, DNS, DHCP, etc) Know basic troubleshooting techniques - is it plugged in, is the light on, can it see the network (ping / ipconfig)
mthomas08 Posted May 3, 2011 Posted May 3, 2011 We had something similar here, about 5 people went through it. It was for the Head of IS post which I my self went for (IT Tech at the time). The guy that aced it was young and fresh out of Uni - he didnt get the job, the guy that did alright, had Experience and what we was looking for. So it is never the end of the story if you dont pass it 100%. On the day I asked to see all the CVs and the guy I liked the most was the guy with the best CV, I even told the current boss at the time that he should get the job. So in the end it is never the end of the world, most people might have gone for the fresh out of Uni lad and I think even he believed he would get it. And even to today, everyone is still very happy that we made the choice, best thing that occured here since I started
JoeBloggs Posted May 3, 2011 Posted May 3, 2011 I would say it's probably going to be 10-15 questions - more than likely around DNS, DHCP & general troubleshooting. Nothing to worry about. Read up on acronyms and stuff like 'Ping' as others have suggested. Let us know how you get on.
El_Nombre Posted May 3, 2011 Posted May 3, 2011 All of the above really, not much more to add. The tests I've done and set for people have multiple choise answers, a couple of 'personality' questions ("Who was the best singer with The Misfits?" "Is Star Trek any good?" - all the selectable answers being "No" for that one.) I usually set one question at the end with "Describe how you would troubleshoot the following issue..." either about a website not loading or a printer not printing just to see a candidate's troubleshooting and thought process. If you get one of those don't expect to find the answer outright, just note down what you'd check for and look through. Advice would be not to panic and read everything on your written test! It's not designed to catch you out so much as see if you're up to beginning on your career - we don't need a double MCSE or triple CCNA to come in and diagnose WSUS and IIS issues from day 1 (or even day 100!) but someone who's keen to learn about things in the future whilst making themselves useful. If you have a degree and some relevant experience it looks good for you.
Asomodai Posted May 3, 2011 Author Posted May 3, 2011 Thanks everyone! I'll try my best. My current NM seems to think its likely to be a multiple choice with a few open answers. Which is what I was afraid of! Welp.
2097 Posted May 3, 2011 Posted May 3, 2011 depending on there current situation wouldnt suprise me if they arnt questions copied from testkings etc
El_Nombre Posted May 3, 2011 Posted May 3, 2011 Thanks everyone! I'll try my best. My current NM seems to think its likely to be a multiple choice with a few open answers. Which is what I was afraid of! Welp. Gah I dunno what you're worried about brah you'll be FINE! It WON'T be as bad as any of those Microsoft exams. You ever take any of those? Jeez to get my MCDST I had to answer ALL SORTS of silly nonsense... SOMETIMES there's TWO right answers to get you from A to B, you've just gotta remember the "Microsoft way" to do it. Those tests are smelly for sure, these tests won't phase you with the experience you've got I promise. I'll eat my hat otherwise. Honestly though, and forgetting you're nervous or doubting yourself for a second, what DO you know now about supporting a network in detail, in a day-to-day capacity or in overview? My previous boss admitted he really sucked in his technical test at his interview, but just said "My experience should speak for itself, I don't do well in written tests" and HE got the job! Admittedly, that might not work every time but it worked for him, and I can guarantee you he did better than the guy who got up AND LITERALLY RAN AWAY during his test! Remember you're not a computer yourself and you have a personality, so they'll look for that also. Remember to take that with you as well as the CV and the head full of MS Office troubleshooting guides or whatever.
JoeBloggs Posted May 3, 2011 Posted May 3, 2011 Thanks everyone! I'll try my best. My current NM seems to think its likely to be a multiple choice with a few open answers. Which is what I was afraid of! Welp. The open answer questions will probably be stuff like "A printer is not printing. Describe the steps you would take to get it back online"
Asomodai Posted May 5, 2011 Author Posted May 5, 2011 Interview is in two hours, i'll let you know how I get on!
KWestos Posted May 5, 2011 Posted May 5, 2011 We are all waiting on baited breathe! Let's hope it's good news!
Asomodai Posted May 6, 2011 Author Posted May 6, 2011 (edited) Ok well... I didnt get it. The tour the students took me on, got me good marks interactionwise. The interview itself was fine and gave all the right answers. The Assessment test... There were 3 sections, General/Printers, Windows and Server. General/Printers, I was fine. Windows, Less so as it was based on Windows 2008 and I am currently just using bog standard XP at my current school. The rest were pretty much questions on AD. My test results were one of the worst. My current network manager does not allow me to use Active Directory so I havent used it. I assumed that IT Techs didnt have to use AD that much due to this. The feedback I got from the school is that, considering I have worked at a school for 3 months and could barely answer any questions on AD told them something. I have asked my NM to let me use AD for months but keeps avoiding the issue. I dont know who is to blame here, myself, the school I applied for expecting too much for a Junior IT tech position or my current school. Either way, I know that one of the other candidates has 3! years of experience at another school, and I believe he got the position. I thought it was for a junior position for 15.5k a year. So why go employ someone so experienced that could just move on very quickly for more money? Pretty annoyed at myself and at the situation. It was a pretty hard test, seemed much harder then what other people have gone through for similar roles. 30 questions, 30 minutes to answer. Now I am back to square one with no other positions advertised in Bristol at schools. Welp. Edited May 6, 2011 by Asomodai
witch Posted May 6, 2011 Posted May 6, 2011 Sorry to hear that, mate. I think they are expecting a lot re AD in a school with several techs - IME the big schools usually have a couple of 'general' techs who dont get involved with the server side. In a smaller school with just one tech, they usually have to do everything and so would need AD experience. Just a thought - £15.5k isnt a junior role around here - that's the standard rate - more than I get and I have done this job for 11 years! It does sound quite a tough test - but it is done now and you will never be quite so worried about a test again, hopefully
plexer Posted May 6, 2011 Posted May 6, 2011 If you want to get ad experience get a virtual testing forest setup. Ben
Asomodai Posted May 6, 2011 Author Posted May 6, 2011 Sorry to hear that, mate. I think they are expecting a lot re AD in a school with several techs - IME the big schools usually have a couple of 'general' techs who dont get involved with the server side. In a smaller school with just one tech, they usually have to do everything and so would need AD experience. Just a thought - £15.5k isnt a junior role around here - that's the standard rate - more than I get and I have done this job for 11 years! It does sound quite a tough test - but it is done now and you will never be quite so worried about a test again, hopefully Yeah, its a school with around about 1800 students. So pretty large, they currently have a NM, a senior tech, junior tech, and an occasional senior tech. 15.5k is the very lowest a school can pay for a junior technician in Bristol, and it was advertised as "junior tech".
gaz350 Posted May 6, 2011 Posted May 6, 2011 Follow plexars advice, as the guy that will take the rap if my lvl 1 techs mess things up in ad, other than creating a new account or resetting passwords I wouldn't want them making changes to a live AD without them first proving they know the basics. So piCk yourself up (no one else will,) dust yourself off and go and teach yourself so next time you go for interview you know about current technologies (don't wait for someone else to teach you). Ps sorry if this sounds like I'm having a go, really I'm not just trying to tell you how it is
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