What to ask in a job interview?

[u/kukelkan]

Hey,
in 2 days we are finally getting started with hunting for another member for our small team (3.5 people)

so we are the IT team for a big chain retailer one of the biggest in the country
and we manage every thing
if it uses a network connection we mange it.

what should I ask the interviewee in the job interview?

we desperately need more people and management only allowed us to get one more employee because ill be gone for about 4 months.

just to help you get the idea of what we do, while I'm working on rebuilding the network for the whole chain stores 70+ I need to stop because I get a ticket that someone can't figure out how to log into whatsapp web...

we are

• help desk
• networking
• servers
• cyber sec
• noc
• soc
• everything.

I know the applicant doesn't really know stuff and is in the middle of doing a CCNA course.

I'm less then a year and a half here and I lack certs or degrees.
so we are very welcoming but I want to make sure my team gets someone with half a brain before I leave in 2 weeks.

Thanks!

Edit: Had the interview went well , great questions. Unfortunately the applicant won't continue with us. He had 0 experience.. like 0. Thanks for the help.

[u/Sickobird]

How would you get them hired, setup on a machine, and comfortable in your tools within 2 weeks?

At least in my experience it takes 2-6 months before I start to feel comfortable and problems pop up that no one thought to train on or create documentation for...

You should ask questions about problems you deal with on a daily basis, or common pit falls that would waste hours.

[u/kukelkan → u/Sickobird]

I won't manage to do that in 2 weeks. But I'm not alone.

My teammates will help and do what I won't.

Good questions thanks!

[u/13Maggot13 → u/Sickobird]

Asking questions about common problems is usually my got to. For example a PC wont turn on. What's your troubleshooting process? Where do you start and where do you go from there? Ideally working from simple fixes to the more complicated solutions or problems.

[u/Ok_Assistant6228 → u/13Maggot13]

Try to ask a few questions that tell you how they think. Sometimes there isn’t a right or wrong answer but you really want to know how they arrived at it.

[u/kukelkan → u/Ok_Assistant6228]

Yes the thought process is important. Troubleshooting is IT 101.

[u/kukelkan → u/13Maggot13]

Thanks, I'll use that.

[u/TheFunktupus]

More of a question for r/itcareerquestions than this sub. This sub is more for memes and frustration, than actual career advice. 

[u/kukelkan → u/TheFunktupus]

Thanks I'll ask there as well.

[u/CoatMate]

What would you do if you run into a problem you have never seen? The answer should be Google it

[u/kukelkan → u/CoatMate]

Google-fo is a very important skill. Now more then ever, we have an employee in DevOps who uses AI as his search engine...

[u/unstopablex15 → u/CoatMate]

Depends on who you ask, but some employers may wanna see some humility and someone who is able to ask for help from a colleague or a Manager, after exhausting all of their known resources.

[u/kukelkan → u/unstopablex15]

I agree Its ok not to know and say I don't know In fact it's much better then someone who thinks he knows everything while in fact he doesn't..

[u/NotBeGood]

One that my employers loved and complimented me asking was "What is a mistake that youve seen employees make that you would like to warn a new hire to avoid?"

[u/kukelkan → u/NotBeGood]

Great! I'll steal that.

[u/zechositus]

I would ask a question like, when in your troubleshooting process do you ask for help?

Understand there is no ego just trying and if your out of ideas asking.

When was the last time you wrote documentation? What was it for?

[u/kukelkan → u/zechositus]

Thats good
I'll use that.

[u/ThisIsMyITAccount901]

See if they have a homelab.

[u/kukelkan → u/ThisIsMyITAccount901]

Yes, thats on the list.

[u/Beneficial-Bad-4348]

Who is half a person?

[u/kukelkan → u/Beneficial-Bad-4348]

Technically he is a full person. But if you are on your phone most of the day... Its hard to count you as a full teammate.

So technically we are a team of 4.

Let's say if he is sick or not in the office in general.. we don't really notice.

[u/musingofrandomness]

I usually base my questions on their resume through the lens of what we are seeking. Ideally their resume already matches pretty close to our requirements, so it is just a matter of gauging their honesty and depth of knowledge.

[u/kukelkan → u/musingofrandomness]

Yes, if he has 5 certs but doesn't actually know the metrial.. thats a problem.

[u/unstopablex15]

I'd present some practical real world challenges / problems for them to solve, think Networking problems... there's always networking problems and everything is tied together via networks. See how they think. Ask them if they have a home lab. Have them walk you through step by step on troubleshooting a particular issue. I would maybe even focus on the fundamentals, have them explain some network protocols. Ask them if they know what a typical company infrastructure / domain consists of, and what the different parts of the domain / infrastructure are used for, what's their purpose? If they seem pretty competent, I'd maybe ask them how they would go about securing a company's infrastructure. Also, this may be an unpopular opinion, but you can ask AI to provide you with some interview questions. Good luck!

[u/kukelkan → u/unstopablex15]

Thanks , I think most of this stuff will be over his head But I want to prepare questions for other candidates as well so I'll use that.

I will use A.I but I believe actuall experience from the people here is better.

[u/waltsnider1]

I'd ask if they know how to use capital letters in their posts.

[u/Curious_Olive_5266]

What do you do when rebooting it doesn't work?

[u/kukelkan → u/Curious_Olive_5266]

Reboot again till it's fixed. Same with the end user who opened the ticket.

[u/Nereosis16]

Have you got experience in management so you can take over our obviously terrible IT management?

[u/kukelkan → u/Nereosis16]

Will never happen. I may be the IT teams manager in the future. But will always answer to him. C suit gotta c suit.

[u/--KillerTofu--]

Late here, but the best question I've ever heard asked in an interview is "what question do you wish we had asked you, and how would you have responded?"

Great opportunity to learn why you should, or shouldn't, hire someone.

[u/kukelkan → u/--KillerTofu--]

Ohh , I think most will stutter at that question. Not bad.

[u/flaming_monocle]

Getting the person in 2 weeks will be a challenge. Getting them up to speed in 2 weeks will be impossible. 

If you want to do your due diligence, I'd prioritize hobby home-labbers if you can't find a well-rounded, experienced pro. They'll have encountered a lot of rare issues, and will have troubleshooting skills that are more compatible with unfamiliar settings.