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So I’m going to be interviewing for an IT Manager position this Saturday and I’ve never interviewed for a Management position before. Does anyone have any pointers on what I can expect from a typical IT Manager interview?

I have managed a help desk with 16 employees for a couple of years but I never had to interview for that position. One day the CIO just came up to me and said, “Hey I’m putting you in charge of the Help Desk. Let me know if you need anything”. That was my last “Management” position and that was 7 years ago. When I relocated I’ve just been working as a Sys Admin since.

16 Spice ups
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One of the great truths about this situation is that 90% of the time, the person interviewing you will have absolutely no way to tell if you are qualified to do the work, or a good fit for the job. For every truly good position I have ever had, they got the right person for the job by accident.

I think it is up to you to ask the right questions about their environment, and/or take a tour. Once you know you can handle their network, just keep stressing that you can take care of anything - they will get that.

2 Spice ups
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Thanks for the advice. I have a growing list of questions ranging from personnel, to infrastructure, to budget for IT.

Would bombarding them with questions be too much or would it show genuine interest? I really do have genuine interest and would really like to get back into management. I feel like I’m ready for that step and from the job description it sounds like I can make that leap while still touching technology a bit all while managing a regional team.

1 Spice up
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It will help if you know the interviewer. Knowing your audience can help you set the tone for your interview. Do some research on the company and what they do.

As a manager you will be responsible for the overall objective of the company, not just your department. Being able to align the activities and functions with the objectives of the company is important at that level. Discuss how you can accomplish this. Your interviewer will appreciate that you already come with a team mentality and you understand your role as a manager.

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Well, what I was trying to say was that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” You will find out more about how they do things in 1 minute spent looking at their server and switch racks, than you will with 30 minutes of questions. I can’t speak much to the actual management of other people part except to that IS something I would ask about - “tell me about my team…” Red flag if they are all kids, etc.

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Boonie,

I recently interviewed for the Director position at my company. I think the biggest thing upper management wants to hear is “I’ve got it under control” even if you don’t. Have the confidence to make them believe it and then go figure it out with your team. They want to know that they can rely on you. I was able land this position even after they had more then 200 applicants with far more experience then me apply. So far things are going well and things are getting done.

2 Spice ups
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Thanks for the advice everyone.

It’s strange. For the first time in my life I’m actually nervous about an interview. I guess that’s because in the past I was either casting a wide net to find “something” or was contacted directly and they were already very interested in me.

I really want to nail this interview.

1 Spice up
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It depends a bit upon the nature of the job. In many cases, the business uses the title without offering the authority. A “manager” has to be responsible for managing people and budgets; if the role doesn’t include this, then the role is not a “manager”.

Assuming that the role is about management, then you need to be talking about the things that relate to that function, rather than the more technical aspects. So you need to be focusing on people skills, financial responsibility and demonstrate strategic thinking. It helps to understand how to do a budget plan, create a staff rota, or a policy document.

It also helps if you can talk the language of business; increase sales, cut costs, improve margins. By providing evidence that you can that, the business may feel that you are working in their best interests.

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Google it .