7 Advices for your First IT Job Interview

It’s finally happening. You’re going to an interview for your first IT job!

It’s easy to get nervous before a big interview like this, but try to take a deep breath and relax because CYOS Solutions – IT Recruitment Agency for Contractors can help you to get through each and every obstacle. Although it may feel like your whole future is on the line, there are no wrong answers or questions — just be yourself and be honest with your answers.

Here are 7 pieces of advice for your first IT job interview:

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1. Know what the company does

Even if you’re going into IT support or help desk work, it’s important to know what your prospective employer does as a business. The more informed you are about their product or service offerings, the better prepared you’ll be to answer questions about how they could use technology to improve processes or increase efficiency.

2. Be honest about what makes you tick

It’s not just about knowing where your interests lie; it’s also important that you’re excited about sharing them with others! If talking about network protocols makes your eyes glaze over, don’t pretend like it does — but do make sure that there are other areas in IT where you can share a passion for technology that isn’t specific to networking (for example: data storage or security).

3. Do Your Research

The more you know about the company and role, the better prepared you’ll be for the questions they ask. Visit their website and read their blog posts. Follow them on social media and see what they’re sharing there too. Look at job listings for similar roles within the company or in similar companies, so that you can reference specific skills or experience that they may be asking about in your interview.

4. Prepare Your Answers

If possible, ask someone who works there about past candidates’ responses to common questions like “tell me about yourself.” That way, if asked those same questions, you’ll be prepared with an answer that shows them what makes you unique among other candidates who have come through their doors.

5. Be prepared for the technical interview

The first thing you should do is to research the company and find out what they do, as well as their competitors. This will help you in answering questions that are related to your knowledge of the industry and its trends.

If you have never worked in this field before, try to read up on it so that you at least know what terms like ‘cloud’, ‘virtualization’ or ‘logical partitioning’ mean. You don’t necessarily have to be an expert, but at least know enough about it to understand if someone is asking you a question about a specific technology or product.

6. Prepare for behavioral questions

This type of interview focuses on how you would behave in certain situations at work and how well your skills match with those required by the job description. This type of interview is particularly common among larger companies that expect their employees to work as part of a team rather than independently.

For example: How would you handle an irate customer? What would be your reaction if there was an emergency situation at work? How does your previous experience relate to this job? What would be your approach when dealing with conflict between colleagues?

7. Don’t Forget Your Resume

You should have a copy of your resume with you at all times, whether you’re at work or on an interview. This way, if you need to refer back to it, there will be no delay in getting it out of your bag or briefcase. If you’re asked for your resume, hand it over immediately. And if there are any typos on the page (and there are bound to be), make sure they’re corrected before handing over the document or handing it back after having looked at it briefly during the course of conversation with your interviewer(s).