Don't Sell Yourself Short - Interviewing 101 for IT Professionals

IT Interview Prep Tips

Interview Prep tips for IT Professionals – How to confidently answer common interview questions.

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• Leaving interviews feeling you could have “sold” your value as an employee better?
• Struggling with how to answer the “why” questions in an interview?
• Having difficulty coming up with an engaging self-introduction to stand out from other IT professionals?

 
You are not alone. This article provides tips on how to put your best foot forward when interviewing for your IT professional dream job.
 
Every company has different interviewing processes as part of their recruitment, and the process can vary by the specific role and particular types of interviews (i.e., behavioral, target role deep-dive, final management interview etc.). No matter what IT role you are interviewing for, most interviewers begin with generic questions and often follow up with more specific “why” type questions to ensure they learn as much as possible about you as a potential employee. 

Interview Prep tips for IT Professionals – How to answer common interview questions.

​Read on to learn how to confidently answer these questions so you make an excellent first impression and stand out in today’s competitive IT job market.
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​Tell me about yourself?
This is an open-ended question; the interviewer is interested to see how well you communicate and learn more about your career accomplishments and skills. Consider this question as your “elevator pitch” on who you are and how you are a good fit for the targeted IT role. Selling yourself is often difficult. Prior to any interview, practice responses to the generic questions so you have clear, concise answers. Some examples of how to outline your professional career include:

• I’m an IT professional with over 15 years of global support management. I built global support organizations that operate in very dynamic and high performing environments, supporting global customers with very strict service level agreements.
• I’m an IT project manager based in Washington DC. In the last 10 years I successfully led some very challenging and innovative projects, ranging from software development, infrastructure, and cloud migration projects. Most of my experience is in healthcare, financial and banking industries. I'm driven by challenge and like working with high performing teams to deliver project results and create value to customers.

 
Continue with describing your professional experience in the last 3-4 years that is relevant to the role you are interviewing for.
 

Why do you want to leave?
If you are currently employed, expect the interviewer to ask this question. Do not start out with wanting a higher salary. And never speak negatively about your current employer. Good responses include:

• I have been with company A for 3 years, I gained good experience working with great people on a few challenging projects, but I’m now at a point to look for other opportunities where I can continue my professional growth.
• I’m looking to join a company that is dynamic, growing, invests in their employees and supports opportunities for change and growth.
• I thrive on taking on new challenges and learning new concepts. I believe now is the time for me to work with other great IT professionals and expand my skill set.

This is when you want to switch to talk about the organization you are interviewing for. Do your research on the company and learn what their mission, initiatives and goals are and describe the reasons you are interested in this opportunity.

• One example is to mention that you are interested in this organization and are excited to hear about all the new initiatives, products and services the company is developing.
• It might be a professional area you are passionate about, an industry you want to specialize in, or the organization has values you appreciate and that align with yours.

 
What type of role / opportunity you are looking for?

• The interviewer is trying to assess how interested and excited you are about the position and if you are a good fit. The key guideline is to be specific. For example, if the role is for a business analyst, mention that you are looking for a role in which you can work with both business and technical teams to leverage your strength in translating business requirements into effective system requirements and user stories, and to support strategic programs that improve business performance and user experience.

• Another answer that can be provided by any IT professional—I’m looking for an opportunity to work with other IT professionals to deliver innovative solutions to customers, join an ambitious company with an environment where I can continue my professional growth and continuously improve as a team to create greater value to customers. From what I learned so far about the position, I think it is an excellent opportunity and a great match for me. 

 
What is one thing you can improve as a <Name of Target IT Role>?

• Basically, this question can be asked more directly as “What are your weaknesses?” The purpose of this question is for the employer to know that you are aware of your weakness and that you are working to improve it. Pick a weakness that is authentic, relevant to you and one in which you are able to provide a recent project example. Again, practice your response out loud so you can answer concisely and honestly. Include in your answer how you handled the situation and what you are doing to improve.
• One good example for an IT Project Manager’s answer is: I would invest more time in documenting and sharing lessons learned. I would also speak with peers to learn from their experiences working in similar project environments as well as what challenges they faced and how they handled them.

 
For professional/target role deep-dive interviews, the interviewer will have a set of professional questions to evaluate your knowledge and specific experience for the role you are interviewing for. Prior to any interview, review your resume to ensure you clearly communicate the skills, experiences and accomplishments mentioned in your resume.
 

Do you have any questions for me?
Most likely this will be the last question the interviewer asks. Remember, you are interviewing them too! Asking questions at the end of the interview is highly important and demonstrates your understanding of the targeted IT role, your interest in learning more, and moving forward in the recruiting process. Ask specific questions regarding the targeted job and the company’s goals/mission. You should have at least one question, but try to keep it under three, being respectful of interviewer’s time. Example of questions to consider:

• What are the key challenges and opportunities the business is facing this year?
• How would you measure success for the team and for this role?
• How quickly are you looking to fill this position?
• I hope to be considered to move forward, if so, what is the next step?

 
Of course, there are many different ways to answer interview questions. Most importantly, remember these tips:

• Stay positive and energetic.
• Provide honest answers that reflect your values and goals.
• Be in tune with your body language to ensure you are projecting confidence and enthusiasm.
• Practice your responses so you keep your answers brief and concise.
• Provide examples from recent experiences and accomplishments listed on your resume.
• Remember to send a thank you email after the interview.

 
Want more help with interviewing techniques? IT Career Transformation offers interview preparation services including creation of your “elevator pitch” introduction, a customized interview prep guide for your target IT role and interview prep coaching.

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IT Career Transformation is devoted to helping IT professionals and leaders advance their career. We work with IT professionals from entry-level to senior management and all types of IT roles to create the Optimum IT Professional Resume, Cover Letter and LinkedIn Profile, optimized with keywords relevant to the target IT role and specialty areas.  We provide specialized career development services that help IT professionals accelerate their job search.
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