I.T. Interview with Non I.T. evaluators

Hi guys! How you doing?
Just wonder if you guys can give me a little insight on the subject.
First of all srry for english, not main language.
What do you do when you interview for such serious positions like network tech or system admin and the people that interview you know **** about it?
I had an interview for a system admin in a university like 3 weeks ago and the people who interviewed me were all teachers or/and faculty members. There wasnt a single IT guy there.
So what we say does really mean anything in the interview? Like going into detail and stuff.
When they ask me something does it really pay off to explain in detail?
Or are they thinking OMG this is boring.
I'm not saying I'm a guru or I'm looking down to others, I'm a n00b in the I.T. world and I know it but...
C'mon a social science teacher and graphic design teacher (I dont remember the other's two positions, but im sure they were teacher/faculty) interviewing for an I.T. position?
No technical questions, only questions like why would we pick you? Or, what would be a good salary for you? etc etc
What tips/insight would you guys give in this situation?
Thank you.
Just wonder if you guys can give me a little insight on the subject.
First of all srry for english, not main language.
What do you do when you interview for such serious positions like network tech or system admin and the people that interview you know **** about it?
I had an interview for a system admin in a university like 3 weeks ago and the people who interviewed me were all teachers or/and faculty members. There wasnt a single IT guy there.
So what we say does really mean anything in the interview? Like going into detail and stuff.
When they ask me something does it really pay off to explain in detail?
Or are they thinking OMG this is boring.
I'm not saying I'm a guru or I'm looking down to others, I'm a n00b in the I.T. world and I know it but...
C'mon a social science teacher and graphic design teacher (I dont remember the other's two positions, but im sure they were teacher/faculty) interviewing for an I.T. position?
No technical questions, only questions like why would we pick you? Or, what would be a good salary for you? etc etc
What tips/insight would you guys give in this situation?
Thank you.
meh
Comments
Exactly. They probably don't have IT staff which is why they are the ones interviewing you. Since they don't have technical backgrounds they are probably just looking to see if you can communicate well, and have a good work ethic.
Right, this has been the case for most of my interviews in the past. It's when the combine the two and try to be nice to you and ask personality types stuff WHILE asking tough technical questions at the same time that can be rough...
Next up, CCSP.
Recent: 11/2019 - RHCSA (RHEL 7); 2/2019 - Updated VCP to 6.5 (just a few days before VMware discontinued the re-cert policy...)
Working on: RHCE/Ansible
Future: Probably continued Red Hat Immersion, Possibly VCAP Design, or maybe a completely different path. Depends on job demands...
But I was kind of surprised that they didnt seem interested in the actual technical stuff for the position.
Thanks for the advices guys.
I second Earweed. These are the people you will be supporting. They want to see if they will be comfortable with you supporting them. They are gauging your people skills.
With everything you will do in IT support, there's fixing the technical part, and then there's the part where you are "fixing" the customer. The problem isn't solved until the customer is assured it is. Gradually, fixing and assuring the customer may be where you will need devote the most time.
1.) these are non-technical people for a reason. A critical business skill being tested here is one's ability to convey complex technology statements to non-technical users. This can be done with well-crafted analogies, diagramming at a high level, or using transitional terms that relate to the field the interviewer works in.
2.) Having the right mentality that IT / security exists to facilitate more efficient and effective business (or in your case learning). It is important to be able to convey the fact that you understand IT is a supporting piece of the organization and that involvement between IT and the business units or departments is critical.
3.) teamwork with other business units / departments.
These are "soft skills" that you can't get out of a text book and are usually the first thing you should check for, because if someone just doesn't get it they're not worth investing into the technical interview process.
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