Business IT Support: Questions to Ask at an Interview

Anyone who has spent any time working in any industry in the past few years has witnessed the massive amount of change that has visited the global economy. The revolutionary technology of the information age has completely altered the landscape of the world with respect to business. The ability to instantly communicate with anyone and any location on this planet has made it possible for businesses to quickly and easily form powerful partnership across international borders. Companies are investing in robots and automation software that can perform tasks at a breakneck speed. This means businesses are providing goods and services to people at a record pace.

 The advent of cloud computing has made it possible for people to post large quantities of information to the web rapidly. This provides a revolutionary way to backup important files. With so much technology in play, the companies that will survive are those that are best equipped to handle the rapid change that will continue to come. For this reason, many businesses have invested in business IT support. These are trained professionals that can handle acute problems and perform key maintenance on expensive equipment. When looking for a qualified IT support team, what are some of the questions that businesses should ask of their candidates?

Business IT Support: Questions to Ask When Interviewing a Potential Candidate

The first question every business should ask a potential IT team is what kinds of software are they used to operating? Anyone who has switched between Apple and Microsoft products has dealt with the horror that comes with switching between these two massive operating systems. This is a problem for technology professionals as well. While most information technology professionals can use both Mac and PC products, there are numerous other options out there. Some businesses use a platform called Linux. Furthermore, many businesses use unique software that is tailored to their individual needs. Many hospitals use electronic medical record systems which represent a unique challenge all on their own. Businesses should make sure that the potential team that they hire is used to working with the software and hardware that the company uses. This ensures that the learning curve is as shallow as possible. Ask the candidates what kinds of software and hardware they are used to working with.

Next, ask any potential business IT support team about the kinds of companies they have worked with in the past. As stated above, many businesses use unique types of software that define their industry. With this in mind, separate industries encounter different problems. Hospitals have expensive machinery that uses fancy software that might require maintenance. Manufacturers often use robots to perform repetitive tasks that use very specific software that routinely needs to be upgraded. Businesses likely use specific software that is tailored to suit their individual needs. With this in mind, these industries also have unique problems that likely don’t strike other industries. If an IT team has worked in a specific area before, they have likely seen these problems before and are well equipped to handle the issues.

Finally, ask an IT team about their biggest challenge. The problem with working in the technology space is people don’t know what they don’t know. There are always newer and bigger problems on the market. Therefore, ask an IT team about their largest challenge. Examine how large it was and how long the team took to respond. How did the team handle being placed under stress? This will give companies a good idea of how this team would respond in a stressful situation for your company.