These 5 tips to ace an IT interview will help you prepare. IT recruiting has changed dramatically in the last decade. Clients expect the same from organizations as they become more IT-friendly. Because IT providers now depend so heavily on providing quality service, they require a staff that can meet these changing – as well as demanding – requirements. Keep these IT interview tips in mind as you prepare for an upcoming IT interview.
Become an IT Softie
Regardless of your job, soft skills are valued in today’s dynamic business environment. Your future boss wants to know that she can rely on you to interact well with colleagues, vendors, and, most importantly, clients. Employers are more and more ready to invest in a well-spoken junior resource who can be trained rather than an “expert” who cannot effectively communicate.
To put it another way, be friendly, stay natural, and show off your brilliance. Many candidates are understandably anxious during interviews and adopt stiffer personas. Don’t. You have a personal style; make use of it! Remember that hiring managers want to like you if they take the time to meet with you. It’s in their best interests. Allow them.
Be Transparent About Your Knowledge
The technical interview is a necessary evil when applying for an IT job. This is a potentially tense situation in which there is frequently a clear answer to a question. You either know the answer or don’t, so be truthful if you don’t. Nothing makes an interviewer feel more uneasy than a candidate who makes guesstimates when answering interview questions. This will make you sound and feel insecure, and it will undoubtedly affect the tone of the meeting.
Control the Discussion
This is a common interview strategy: keep the conversation focused on your abilities and strengths. In fact, take it a step further. It doesn’t hurt to mention your experience managing Active Directory if you’re applying for a Unix system administrator position.
An IT-focused organization is always on the lookout for multi-skilled employees who can fill knowledge gaps. Declaring your cross-platform skills may put you in the running for other job opportunities at that company that you are unaware of. Keep in mind that companies dislike turning down a multitalented applicant, unless the candidate has an annoying personality.
Be Excited About Your Excitement
Interviewers appreciate candidates who are enthusiastic. If you come across as confident and optimistic, your interviewer will feel more at ease and will be more inclined to interact with you. Aside from your technical abilities and charisma, an interviewer wants to ensure that if you are offered the position, you will be happy. Feel free to inquire about training courses and professional IT certification to demonstrate a desire for learning and advancement.
Also, mention some positive, non-work-related characteristics that will reassure the interviewer that you want to be a part of her team. For example, if you live nearby, mention how enjoyable the commute will be. Organizations spend time and money interviewing candidates, so they want to get it right. The transition from candidate to employee is as much about enthusiasm as it is about skill and expertise.
Put Your Nerd Hat On
Discuss your personal values, interests and opinions on the topics at hand during a technical discussion. Because you’re in a room with people who share your interests, they’ll naturally be open to discussing mutually beneficial topics. Take advantage of this! This probably doesn’t happen as frequently as you’d like. If you’re asked about the benefits of MySQL partitioning, talk about your experiences with, say, MongoDB sharding and why it worked or didn’t. This will assist you in quickly developing a connection with the interviewer.
Interviews do not have to be awkward, nerve-racking experiences in your career. If you’re still anxious, remember that the interviewer is as invested in the meeting’s success as you are. Make an effort to be energetic and engaging so that the interviewer can get a sense of who you are and how you’ll fit into the position and the organization.
I hope these 5 tips to ace an interview helped. For additional information on interviewing, check out this article here.