Tech Admin - Hiring Questions

[coopns]

We are in the process of hiring a Tech Admin for our school district. I was trying to think of some different questions - put some pressure on them, get a real feel for the cadidates. Everyone always tells the same stories/selling themselves.

I was thinking about having them quickly teach something/anything to us or ask them to solve a problem and explain it to us. I want to see how they explain concepts, how they interact. We don't have any hardcore techies to some of their tech talk will be above us.

Any thoughts or ideas appreciated.

 

[Doog]

Sure...ask them if thinner or thicker motor oil is better and why. Video the answer and post it on here so we can all get a good laugh.

 

[Fleetmon]

I occasionally hire maintenance trainers and I have them develop a short "class" explaining how automotive relays work....easy to do with a simple easel and white pad and a marker or two. Relays don't get too technical and generally generate a few questions from the "audience" that can qualify the interactability.

I've seen some really interesting "classes" and have even questioned a few (in my mind of course) how they actually manage to breath on their own! I have a few working here now though that are natural-born teachers/leaders.

 

[Voltmaster]

Tech admin is not specific enough...


Is his job to regulate others or he will actually go and work on computers/severs ect?

They are varies systems in the education system , is he firmilar with them?

Does he need to program anything? Or just maintain the stuff.

You need an specific job description for us to help you on this one.

I would ask one of your top techs to glitch soemthing and see how long it takes for the guy to figure it out.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Yeah, what does the "tech admin" do?

 

[coopns]

In the school, he will be doing a lot of everything but pretty techie...different OS's, writing scripts/hubs/routers. Most candidates have programming background but they will have to deal with teachers and administrators.

 

[Doog]

Ask them if SSD drives are better than conventional drives and why?

 

[racer12306]

Originally Posted By: coopns
but they will have to deal with teachers and administrators.


This part is huge. Not because I think teachers or administrators are stupid (I think the exact opposite), but because there is such a wide variety of electronic background.

To be an effective tech admin the person will need to thoroughly explain situations that a non technical person will need to be able to understand. That is going to be your key point to hone in on during interviews, how well does the person explain highly technical situations to normal people. The smartest person in the world that can't explain themselves will have a very hard time in this role.

 

[Kuato]

Great idea to ask an actual "how would you do it and why" question.

Why not pose a real world problem to them - something that is actually an issue with your system? Scenario based questions work well to weed out bad candidates, or shine light on good ones.

 

[tigrpal]

Ask him/her to tell what questions he/she would ask while troubleshooting with a teacher who reports that her Smart board or computer isn't doing what she wants it to do.

Check to see what his/her attitude would be when the solution is a simple flip of a switch.

 

[JamesBond]

You will select the candidates based on their qualifications and experience from their resumes, so I assume everyone you interview will be qualified. Degree from MIT=degree from state university.

So what you're really looking to find out is if the person will show up to work on time, get along with their co-workers, respect the opinion of their higher ups even if they disagree, and not be a jerk to the people they serve who may not be as computer savvy.

Skip the stupid problem solving questions, and the typical HR question [censored]. Don't sit 5 people across the table and take turns asking questions, because that is not a normal work environment. Converse with them like a normal co-worker. Then take them around and have them meet several other employees and see how they interact with them.

"It says on you're resume that you have experience with blah blah blah, I don't really know anything about that, what is it?

If they can explain it in a way that both an end-user teacher and a school board president can understand without annoying either of them, they're good.

 

[bepperb]

I don't think it's offsides to ask a Fermi question, like how many pennies it takes to reach the top of the empire state building, or how many marshmallows to fill the room. I also think it's a good idea to ask them what their strategy would be for a real problem you have.

The technical things you won't know but you should only select candidates that have them, or a demonstrated ability to learn them. The interview should be finding one of those with problem solving and communication skills you need.

 

[AandPDan]

No offense intended but are you a teacher or an administrator? If the former, I don't feel you should be part of the hiring process.

During the early 90's through 2003. I supported over 500 desktops in 7 locations for a school district. Then I went to work for a Technology Collaborative. I now support multiple school systems. The only teachers that I deal with are those that are designated contacts for their district.

1. Most of the problems that I deal with are administrative. People deleting files or password/log on problems.
2. Installing hardware should never be done during the school day.
3. The tech person should never work on a system in the presence of the students.
4. Most of my work was done in a server closet or from my office in the administration building remotely.
5. Ideally, someone will be the tech contact in each location. You do not want 500 staff members calling one person directly.

To hire said person:

Start with a clear job description. Make sure you understand what it is that you need/want. This should not be a one size fits all position.

1. Ask how they prioritize their duties.
2. Definitely contact previous employers.
3. Forget about the "teaching a lesson" goal. It's not what they do. If you want teaching you hire someone trained to do that.
4. Supporting your network and systems should be their goal.
5. Realize that just because they are at their desk or at a computer it does not mean they aren't busy. I can't tell you how much time I would spend going through the backup logs to find/restore a file for a user. But I'm at my desk playing on the computer???
6. Ask for their "vision" of what they see in the future.

I've done non-school systems support as well. The IT people are seen but seldom interacted with unless there is a problem. That's what they do, maintain behind the scenes.

 

[Geoff]

Make a list of the issues and problems you have had over the last year and ask the candidate whether he/she has experience with them and if so how were they resolved. Compare this discussion with the resume and look for discrepancies.

There are tests online that you can use to measure ability. Be sure to give them to all candidates to avoid any special treatment issues.

Admins can be very introverted when in fact a lot of user involvement is often required. Ask some questions on this. This can segway into work ethic. Also watch for the admin nazi type that doesn't document for job security and isolates the rest of the team.

 

[JC1]

Originally Posted By: coopns
In the school, he will be doing a lot of everything but pretty techie...different OS's, writing scripts/hubs/routers. Most candidates have programming background but they will have to deal with teachers and administrators.


Coop you partially answered part of your question. Most "techies" that know the internals of stuff are introverts and usually don't have a priority on the soft skills/people skills. Even if they can write the best fastest program code, but cannot interact face to face with other individuals (some of whom are not techies and might have a hard time explaining things to a techie type).

I work in IT and most people in IT have average to mediocre communication skills and I'm not talking about how many times an hour they check their inbox.

I would look for someone who's had other non technical experience working in jobs where they had to interact with others.
Furthermore, I would create a list of skills and ask them to rank themselves in terms of what they are the best at.

For instance a list like this (this is just a sample):

Programming
Networking
Communication Skills
Working under pressure
Working long hours
Technical Troubleshooting
Confidence

If communication is ranked last, they are not the ones I would pick. I've been a member of Toastmasters, so I've seen what the benefits of personal development and working on your communication skills can improve the results on the job.

Regards, JC.

 

[Brandon Gatz]

I am a tech, if these very rudimentary questions cannot be EASILY ANSWERED by your candidate, then for the love of of all that is holy put this candidate on your Do Not Hire list.

Q) Tell me how I would obtain an IP address on a computer using only the command prompt.
A) IPCONFIG

Q) What is a MAC address and how would you find it?
A) The MAC is a hexadecimal hardware address defined and set by the manufacturer of the NIC(Network Interface Card) in the computer. IPCONFIG is the command used to display this address.

Q) Tell me the difference between a physical and logical connection.
A) A physical connection is local, pertaining to physically connected objects such as a printer to a USB port or an ethernet cable to a NIC card. A logical connection is made through a network. It pertains to a connection to a printer through a network, or to a server in another state.

Q) What is a NIC card, and what does it do?
A) A Network Interface Card provides the physical connection of a computer to a network.

Q) If a user tells you that their monitor stopped working, what's the first thing you check?
A) Power

Q) At the command prompt, what command would you use to check connectivity?
A) PING

Q) What command is used at the RUN prompt to check for startup programs and processes?
A) MSCONFIG

Q) Name one of two things you would check if a Windows install disk you placed in the optical drive is not being recognized.
A) 1. scratched or damaged disk 2) Drive being used is not a DVD reader.

Q) What would a crossover cable be used for?
A) Connecting two computers via ethernet to each other.

Q) If a disc is not available, how would you obtain software drivers for attached hardware?
A) Manufacturer's website.

I made these up on the fly, if I think of more, I'll update the list.

 

[PandaBear]

You are not technically capable enough to ask technical question to see if the candidates are good or not. I think you should either find someone that you know that has enough knowledge to grill the candidate for tech questions, or just go with their past performance on the resume.

While the "soft skill" is important, you absolutely need someone that knows what to do instead of just pencil pushing and only "talk about" what they do.

If you do not have these people in your school, ask a neighboring school's tech to come and help with the interview process (you can have them do that over the phone), or if some of your students are very good at computer, have them do some "tech interview" and give you feedback to consider.

 

[Brandon Gatz]

Originally Posted By: PandaBear
You are not technically capable enough to ask technical question to see if the candidates are good or not.


These questions assume the interviewer has no technical knowledge, as they have only one correct answer, the one provided.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: gr8gatzby
Originally Posted By: PandaBear
You are not technically capable enough to ask technical question to see if the candidates are good or not.


These questions assume the interviewer has no technical knowledge, as they have only one correct answer, the one provided.


There are more than just 1 correct answer you provided. Example:

You can read the mac address off the network card or computer physically.

So clearly, you need to know the concept yourself to interview someone, or you'll end up with a lot of problem.

 

[OVERKILL]

Excellent questions! Only one I would revise would be this to include:

Originally Posted By: gr8gatzby

Q) What would a crossover cable be used for?
A) Connecting two computers via ethernet to each other without an intermediary device such as a hub or switch.