I had a phone interview for an IT position. It would be at the head office for a large chain of retail stores. Though I’ve had IT interviews before, some of the questions were so generic I had trouble answering.
For example
1) Describe at least 3 practical differences between Windows and OS X.
What is meant by “practical”? I guess I should’ve asked. Since people normally use the apps on the computer, and not the operating system itself, I did find it bit of a strange question. I talked about how Windows tends to need more maintenance for security and OS X tends to be used for more artistic endeavors with programs such as Creative Cloud.
2) What would you do if the network is down.
I started by saying I would try to determine the failure point by using a tool such as ping. He said this wouldn’t work for them, and I didn’t understand why. If the network can’t use ping, then that’s something I would need to know.
In general I wish they had told me a bit more about the setup they have and the tools and programs they use. I can’t answer “how would you fix a down network” if I know nothing about the network in the first place. How could I have answered the questions? What would a better answer have been? Could I have said something to get the interviewer to talk more about the kind of work, since it’s equally as important to me to know if I know the tools they use.
I know I probably should’ve asked more question, but the interviewer seemed to be rushed and speaking in a way that he didn’t want me to ask questions. Which I consider a red flag but don’t see the harm in doing another interview if I’m invited back.