How to Interview an IT Professional
Prepare a list of Questions: In order to let go of the daunted feeling and appear absolutely professional in front of the top candidates, some sort of preparation is required. Begin by making a list of questions for you to ask the different candidates. Make them sufficient in number and encompassing most of the important factors in an Information Technology job so that you do not end up asking the same questions to all. For this you also need to update yourself about certain aspects of the IT industry and the latest happenings in the field. Take the assistance of an IT professional in your organization while you conduct the interview.
Give some Time for Breaking the Ice: One of the basics in how to take an interview lies in giving the candidates some time to get comfortable rather than jumping straight into the process of throwing questions one after the other. At this time you can brief the candidate on your organization, its history, achievements and future plans and discuss about neutral topics.
The Questionnaire: Avoid questions which can only have “Yes” or “No” as answers. Instead focus on questions which will reveal more about the candidate and his opinions and ways about performing his tasks. For instance, ask about his or her job roles as an IT professional in the previous company that he or she used to work with. Or present a situation in front of the candidate and ask him what he would do to face the challenge. While you would have the resumes in front of you, it is worthwhile to probe deeper into the candidate’s knowledge and interests. Throw questions like what is it that appeals to him in Information Technology, the development tools that he has used, what he/she does to upgrade her technical qualifications, any innovations he/she had brought about in the previous company and how the person went about it.
Present a Practical Situation: Jobs are not only about theoretical knowledge and requires pragmatic intelligence that helps candidates deal with every day work problems. Therefore, an important area that you cannot miss out on is presenting a practical yet complicated situation which poses as a challenge to the candidate’s career as well as conscience. Ask the candidate about what he would do in such a situation and what will his moves to handle it. Go technical and give technical problems that the professional might need to handle at work.
Finally, after you have asked your set of questions, allow the candidate to ask whatever questions they have. This is in fact, a time when you can gauge the individual’s knowledge about your company as well as his field. As with any interview, end this one too briefing the candidate about when approximately will you get back to them and that you will send in intimation as soon as any positive response comes in. With these interview tips you are sure to get through the process successfully without making your non-IT background conspicuous.