Interview Thursday

rizzo777

Hey guys, I recently graduated with an associates degree in IT. I have a interview at a law firm on Thursday for a (IT Assistant). Is there anything I should refresh my memory on to prepare for the interview? Anyone have experience in IT within a law firm? Also, what kind of questions is good to ask? I currently work at a autopart store so I have no experience with IT in the work force, only minor stuff like installing drivers, cables what not. Thanks

dynamik

Research the company a bit and ask some meaningful questions about it. That always looks good.

You should brush up on how you'd handle questions relating to people skills. You're probably not going to be locked in a back room alone, so be prepared to show them why you'd be great to work with.

rizzo777

Yeah, that is the bad part of all this. There is no information for the job tasks or much about the company on the website, I guess I will figure that out myself. How do people usually treat the new guy on the job in the IT field?

snadam

rizzo777 wrote:

How do people usually treat the new guy on the job in the IT field?

ever been to prison?

rizzo777

hahaah , had a couple overnighters in jail about it

dynamik

rizzo777 wrote:

hahaah , had a couple overnighters in jail about it

Has anyone there ever represented you? Maybe they can put in a good word for you

rizzo777

Any ideas what a IT Assistant would be? not much info!

jbaello

I did interviewed with a Law Firm 3 years ago for a desktop support position, they will be asking a lot of question relating to advance functionality of MS Word.

snadam

rizzo777 wrote:

Any ideas what a IT Assistant would be? not much info!

my guess is doing all the 'busy work'. It sounds like a get-your-feet-wet-in-the-industry type position. So, end user interaction will most likely be HIGH. Youll probably get a taste of everything, but it sounds more or less like help desk work; which is a great way to get experience.

rizzo777

Yeah, whatever it takes for me to get experience would be great. They sent me a questionnaire concerning my hourly rate expectations and I put down 34k (what I make now), if I can make that much doing help desk that would be great. Does anyone here ever worked or work at a law firm? "Busy work" wouldn't be too bad, I have a line of people at all times that wants auto parts and bs so whatever will get me out of retail is going to be a breath of fresh air. I'm asking ya guys a lot of stuff but you guys seem to help people out a lot. Can anyone give me a example of a typical help desk day is like? Thanks a bunch.

peanutnoggin

Rizzo,

Bring an ink pen and notepad... have a few questions ready about the company, don't be afraid to take notes on specifics (but not too many notes). This shows you want to remember the details of the interview and provide follow up information if necessary.

Also, speak clearly and confident, but not too "cocky". This shows you have confidence in yourself. And have an answer in mind if they were to ask you something along the lines of:

Why do you want to work for this company? What will you bring to the company, etc...

Some employers like to throw those curve ball type questions at you to see how you react.

MENTALLY RELAX!

You'll do fine... good luck.

~Peanut Head

rizzo777

Well, I went to the interview Thursday. I checked the sign in sheet and everyones interview was 10-20 min long. I was there for 20 minutes, she basically described the job roll and the company. I asked her some basic questions and seemed pretty calm ( was nervous before). So hopefully she calls me back for a second interview.. She did not have much questions at all for me so I wonder what kind of interviews they do

rizzo777

any thoughts about that? anyone have something similiar to this?

IT_Admin

Did you make sure to send a thank you note after the interview? always a must. Also in all the interviews I have been on, (and that is a quite a bit) they usually make a mention of a timeframe as to when you will hear back.

The 1st interview is more to see if you will fit for the company, its usually brief, just a quick meet & greet, its usually done by an HR person, who does not have much knowledge of the IT field, their job is mostly to screen for potential candiates. The next round will be more techy. (this is all bias on how my job hunting went)

Good luck.

rizzo777

Yeah, Thanks for the reply. I'm still waiting for a phone call hopefully this week. The only thing that I'm curious about now is the pay. I see a staffing company post a position that exactly matches the job description where I'm interviewing at. The pay is about 8,000 a year lower than I need. Does staffing agencys pay less than a company would directly? Im not interviewing with the staffing agency. Any thoughts?