Category: Tech Jobs

Interviewing for a Tech Job: 5 Questions

Whether you’re considering an apprenticeship or a traditional job in the tech field, you can expect a series of interviews just as you would with any other position. You should of course be prepared for traditional interview questions like:

Tell me about a time when something didn’t go as you had hoped, and how you responded.

Where do you see yourself five years from now?

How would your co-workers describe you?

With a tech role, however, you should also be prepared for more specific questions related not only to technology but the intersection of technology and soft skills, including your ability to communicate. Answers will vary depending upon your level of experience, but you should be prepared to address questions similar to these:

What do you do to stay current and keep your tech skills up to date?

Technology changes constantly. Your potential employer wants to know that you have the habit of putting in the effort to stay on top of those changes.

Which resources do you consult to help you do your work?

This is a similar question in that the interviewer wants to know that you do more than just show up and do the work in front of you. Your answer here demonstrates that you’re engaged with the broader tech world outside of your job. You know where to go to solve for the challenging questions.

Which technology products or services are your favorites, or least favorites, and why?

With this question, the interviewer is probably less interested in the specific products or services and more interested in the “why.” For him or her this is a glimpse at what makes you tick as a tech professional. This is not the time to go off on a rant, but if there are products or services that you feel come up short, be prepared to explain why you think so – and what you would do about it if you were in charge.

Let’s pretend for a moment that I work in another department and know nothing at all about tech. How would you explain so I can understand it?

This is a vital question that begins to uncover the way you’ll interact with others. In many roles, the very best technical skills are less valuable if you can’t communicate effectively with other team members. Your ability to translate the complex into layperson’s terms demonstrates an important component of those soft skills mentioned above.

Suppose we’re having this discussion two (or three, or five) years from now. How do you think technology will have changed?

Just as any interviewer will want your vision of where you see yourself in the future, they’ll be interested to see how much thought you’ve given to where technology might be going. There are no wrong answers here because no one knows for certain, but be ready to demonstrate that you’ve given the bigger picture some thought.

Even if you’re coming into a tech apprenticeship with no related experience, you can do the background work to answer these questions. With some research, you can tell an interviewer what you will do to stay current, which resources you think will be most valuable, and so forth. The fact that you’ve given these things some careful thought will set you apart from many other candidates.

5 Tech Hiring Challenges, and How Apprenticeships Can Help

While the pandemic had a significant impact on employment, one longer-term trend remains unchanged: Companies continue to have major challenges with recruiting personnel to fill their empty seats in tech roles. There are many reasons why this is so, but here’s a look at five major issues … and how apprenticeships help organizations address them.

Lack of Qualified Personnel

Traditional recruitment methods produce traditional results, leaving a sense that the same pool of candidates is perpetually recycled with everyone just moving to a new seat every so often. Breaking this cycle requires fishing in some different ponds, and that’s where apprenticeships really shine.

Apprentices largely come from nontraditional sources, including people who’ve chosen not to pursue the expensive four-year college path and those returning to the workforce after military service or raising a family. And they’re diverse in more than just background, with women and minorities represented at well above industry averages.

Recruiting Costs

If you’ve hired personnel through recruiters, you’re familiar with the hefty price tag (20 percent of base pay, maybe more). And that might be fine if it led to long-term employees, but in the tech sector changing jobs frequently is almost a badge of honor.

The apprenticeship model is completely different: Candidates are paid a reduced salary while they learn on the job. And they’re trained not only on the IT skills and certifications the work requires, but on the soft skills that make them great employees. Not only do the numbers make more sense, the apprenticeship model leads to…

Engagement and Loyalty

As noted above, keeping your tech roles filled can feel like an unending game of musical chairs as candidates jump to the next opportunity that offers a few more dollars, and the next, and the next.

Our employers enjoy a 95% long-term retention rate after program completion. Why? Apprentices are reared in their specific company culture and are grateful to – and loyal to – the organizations that nurture their careers and give them the early opportunity to learn and grow.

Alignment with Company Goals

One major pitfall with candidates from traditional recruiters is that your new hire comes with old habits, not all of them good. Getting someone who’s had significant experience elsewhere to fit into your own organizational culture can be a big challenge.

Apprentices are immediately put on a track not only to check off the technical certifications your position requires, but to do their jobs your way. Weekly check-ins with both a Franklin Success Coach and an internal manager assure that tasks are not just completed but are done to your specifications.

Adjusting to Remote Work

As if successful recruiting weren’t already enough of a challenge, last year’s sudden shift to remote work added a new degree of difficulty. Recruiting, onboarding and training are much harder when they can’t be done in person.

We’ve been very successful in doing all those things remotely since long before it was a necessity. We’ve been able to supply organizations with great candidates who become great apprentices and employees by virtual means because our model was designed to do just that.

Avoiding Burnout in a Tech Role

On the list of occupational hazards for IT professionals, burnout often occupies the top rung. Working long and/or odd hours is something of a badge of honor in tech, and the repetitive nature of many roles can come to make you resent what you once loved. Here are some thoughts on avoiding – or dealing with – burnout in a tech job.

See burnout coming. Have simple tasks become harder? Do you find yourself short-tempered with clients or co-workers? Outside of work, have your sleeping or eating habits changed for the worse? These are all potential signs of burnout, and as with most things, the sooner you recognize the problem, the better.

Take a step back. A look at the bigger picture can help to change your perspective. Are you in the first year of a new job, or deep into a major project that has a finish line? Know that there’s a next step and remember your ‘why.’ There are reasons you chose this field. Your current situation will change, but those reasons will still be there. Step out of the weeds and consider your longer view.

Take care of yourself. As noted, long hours are a constant state of affairs in the tech world. But if you’re subsisting on work alone, and thinking about it even when you’re not working, you’re a prime candidate for burnout. Take time to eat right, exercise and do things you know are good for your physical and mental well-being.

Treat yourself. Every day. Find a way to reward yourself for another good day’s work. It doesn’t have to be anything big, but you need to consciously block out time to make sure it happens. This can be as simple as enjoying a favorite meal or making time to read.

Keep learning. Repetitive drudgery is a key factor in burnout, and if you feel like you’re jumping on the same hamster wheel every single day, it’s very difficult to stay motivated. Continue to sharpen your professional axe … work on that next certification or teach yourself a new skill. Focusing on a new challenge will alleviate that same-old, same-old feeling.

Stay connected. Tech roles have always been largely individual pursuits. Add to that the enforced isolation of the pandemic and you have a recipe for burnout. We all need our tribes, whether family, friends, co-workers or all of the above. Make yourself available to your loved ones, and make the effort to stay connected with the people you can’t see in person. A Zoom meeting is better than no meeting at all.

Ready to learn more about apprenticeships as a challenging, new career path? Learn more about Franklin Apprenticeships.