IT Manager Interview Questions and Answers

Want to learn the most essential IT Manager interview questions? This article aims to give you an overview of what the IT manager role entails and what you should be asking candidates when applying to become one, in order to assess whether they are the right fit for your company. Equally, if you are wanting to become an IT manager, this article gives insight into the types of questions will be asked during the interview process.

What is an IT manager?

IT teams are no longer workers consigned out of sight, out of mind in a company’s lower floors. Technology has taken over and assumed a greater part in the business world and as such, IT workers are now more important than ever. This has placed a greater responsibility on their leaders – the IT manager.

Not only do they IT managers have to ensure they’re capable of fixing a wide variety of tech problems, but they must also make sure the same is true of their team. This is not just fixing phones and laptops, it’s upgrading software, connecting whole departments to apps like Microsoft Teams, making sure they can connect with international clients and partners. This is just a tiny segment of what’s now involved within the job role.

Given the huge responsibility placed on the IT managers themselves, it is now more important than ever that when businesses hire candidates for the job role, they assess whether the individual has the exact skill set required of an IT manager. In order to assist businesses with the recruitment process, we have collated a top 3 list of interview questions to ask IT managers.

Explain the steps for recommending new software for an organisation as an IT manager

This is a very important IT manager interview question.

An IT manager conducts reviews of the current software used by an organisation and how it’s used.

They are also responsible for coordinating, planning and leading computer-related activities in an organisation. They help determine the IT needs of an organisation and are responsible for implementing computer systems to fulfil the organisations information systems requirements.

Consequently, this question is extremely important for businesses who are interviewing a new IT manager to assess their experience in evaluating IT systems and services, their understanding of when upgrades or changes are feasible and their commitment to staying abreast of the latest business software.

2. Why is it important to create a training program for staff when new systems are integrated?

As aforementioned, IT managers work in close proximity to IT teams who develop new systems and software. Each service or system requires a training program for their staff members that shows them how to use the new technology correctly.

The prime motivator for employee training is to improve productivity and performance. It is extremely advantageous from an employers perspective to provide employers with the expertise they need to fulfil their role and make a positive impact on your business to help the company avoid delays in service and save time. You can also track the training your employees have taken, which, through insightful reports, you know if your employees are up to date with their training regimes.

For this question, employers have the ability to acknowledge a candidate’s experience designing training programs for new systems as well as their aptness to coordinate with clients to train employees. An IT manager should be comfortable with setting up training programs and regimes, regardless of the size. They should also understand the vast benefits associated with said training from a company perspective – highlighting any internal weaknesses, consistency within the teams as well as a positive team dynamic – all of which translate into productive and efficient output.

3. How did you allocate budgets for past projects?

This question is integral for employers when interviewing an IT manager candidate.

A solid budget service serves as a road map for a business owner to ensure they are on track to meet their goals as they navigate through each month, quarter and year. This curbs unbridled spending – saving the company money and keeps stakeholders on the same page.

Within their job description, it is an IT managers responsibility to review the requirements for the projects and allocate funds appropriately so they do not overspend and equally distribute money to the necessary departments for the project to function appropriately.

An employer should analyse the candidates knowledge about defining what a project budget actually entails. They should reflect on their experiences dealing with budget allocation – providing specific examples backed with sufficient justification as to why they managed the budget in this manner. It is important that the ideal candidate shows efficiency at answering how they manage budgets in line with the budgetary constraints in place, otherwise they could cost the company money and time!

For more information regarding IT managers, view our job searchers now. Our updated salary guide also highlights their current average salary across the country for August.

5 Great Ways to Keep Fit at Home

Mar 27, 2020 | Tips, Well Being

Lock down. Home Bound. Stuck. For many of us, life looks completely different to how it was just a few weeks ago. Home working or furloughed, being sat on a sofa isn’t exactly brilliant for our health. It’s hard too – Surrounded by creature comforts, unending visual entertainment, apps, food and drink, we can all be forgiven for taking a little time to relax and indulge in the face of stress.

But what happens if we’re at home for weeks, months even? What price will we pay for overindulging?

It’s important we do what we can to replace or improve body movement or face an inevitable dip both in mental and physical health. In short, doing nothing for a sustained period of time will make us sad, fat and prone to new health concerns.

We asked our colleague and former Manager of Beth Tweddle Gymnastics, Lauren Caldwell, what 5 things we can do to stay fit at home and make the most of our daily exercise allowance. Here’s what she had to say:

Couch to 5K

Often when trying to get into exercise, we can overdo it, feel defeated and give up when we’re just getting started. Couch to 5K works because it starts with a mix of running and walking that gradually builds up your fitness and stamina. You can follow the programme through a podcast that talks you through each run as you go, or use their clever app that tracks your progress, coaches you through each run and allows you to listen to your own music while you do it.

Already a major hit in the UK, the Couch to 5K plan involves 3 runs a week, with a rest day in between and different schedule for each of the 9 weeks. It’s a really good place to start if you’re not used to running and want to make the most of getting outside once a day!

NOTE: Remember to maintain social distancing rules when outside.

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)

This type of training can be done with little to no equipment and you only need a small space – ideal for a lockdown!

HIIT is a cardio session split into short bursts of focused hard work. The simple idea of high-intensity training is to raise the intensity of your cardio.

The great thing about HIIT is that it will only take up a small amount of your time, just 30 minutes max. It is recommended to have a day’s rest in between each HIIT workout to avoid overtraining which can result in injury.

There are hundreds of personal trainers on Instagram and YouTube posting HIIT workouts that you can try. Take a look!

ZUMBA

Zumba is a well-known fitness program that combines Latin and international music with dance moves aimed at improving cardiovascular fitness. This is seriously fun and wonderfully entertaining. If you’re into dance – and even if you’re not – you will have a lot of fun with Zumba. You’ll find vast libraries of Zumba instruction videos on YouTube and other streaming sites, so find one for beginners and give it a try!

Yoga

If you’re looking to add a bit of zen to your social distancing, yoga is a great way to reduce stress and calm the nervous system while improving flexibility and helping to maintain a balanced metabolism.

The fundamental purpose of yoga is to foster harmony in the body, mind, and environment. Yoga claims to offer a complete system of physical, mental, social, and spiritual development.

Again, there are loads of video tutorials online to suit your ability, from beginners to advanced. If you can, you should use a yoga mat (or something similar) to avoid any carpet burns. If you have one, you could use a camping mat instead!

10K Step Challenge

Fun fact: The idea that humans must take 10,000 steps a day came from a marketing campaign.

In 1965, a Japanese company chose to name their pedometer ‘the 10,000-step meter’. It’s widely believed this name was chosen because the Japanese character for 10,000 (万) looks sort of like a man walking. There was no science behind it, just a great gimmick.

That being said, it is still true that taking 10,000 steps a day will help you burn an extra 2,000-3,500 calories per week. To put that into perspective, 1 lb of fat equates to around 3500 calories so this could be a good way to help keep the weight off whilst we are under these Covid-19 restrictions!

10K sounds like a lot, but you’d be amazed at how many steps you will clock up in a short space of time – even just walking around your house while you’re on the phone will make a dent in that total. You can use your phone to track your steps, and there are number of fitness trackers you can buy online for relatively little money. We wouldn’t recommend manually tracking your steps though; you mind find it somewhat stressful! 1…2…3…4…

So, there you go. 5 ways to stay fit, have fun and keep occupied at home. When you’re done, by all means, fire up Netflix and melt back into your sofa… mmm boxsets…

Stay Safe!

5 Ideas To Beat The Post Holiday Blues

Aug 20, 2019 | HR, Management, Tips

Holidays are almost always brilliant even if things don’t go to plan. The break itself is holiday enough giving us all a brief opportunity to cut the cord from work and think about something else for a change. However, for many of us there is no escape from the inevitable downer that often sets in towards the end when our minds automatically begin to think about work once again.

Despite our best efforts, thoughts start to trickle in, “did Sarah call Kellogg’s on Friday as planned?”, “did I activate my Out-Of-Office?”, “Should I call in just to check everything is OK?”, etc. Whatever the worry, surely there’s a better way?

Here are a few ideas to help you maintain your holiday high and avoid crashing down to earth.

Be Positive

Shocking news – you prefer a beach to your desk. Add that mind-blowing thought to the nailed on fact that you’re flying home tomorrow and hey presto, you don’t want to go back. Naturally your brain starts to come up with all the reasons why your life is worse that being on a beach and before you know it you’re on a downer.

This can be avoided! Assuming that you intend to keep your job, think about all the reasons why your job is great. Remember why you joined the company and why you continue to stay. The people, the technology, career advancements, the daily experience, your boss and even the rewards. Its easy to convince yourself that work is bad and beaches are good but unless you intend to pack up and open a surf shack, it’s a pointless comparison destined only to incubate negativity and increase your feelings of dread.

Be Innovative

Maybe you’re right. Perhaps your job is boring, the commute is a drag and pay is lousy. But, what can you do about it? Instead of complaining, seize control and take action. If resignation is a little dramatic, look for the benefits in those apparently negative points and seek ways of reclaiming happiness such as, utilising time spent commuting by reading, watching or listening for your own pleasure or to learn. You might even look forward to the hour on your own!

Talk to your bosses and tell them you need challenging. Request involvement in new projects, interact with different colleagues and show interest in other areas of the business. Assess your own job and look for opportunities to personally benefit such as deliberately taking on a task that directly challenges your weakest skill. Do something!

Be Organised

One of the most common reasons for stress at work is disorganisation. Like damp it can slowly seep into all areas of your job making even the simplest of tasks very difficult. Small wonder why life on a beach seems so appealing after all, who on earth would want to return to a toxic environment of chaos, confusion and pressure?

Top tip – write out your job description starting with the purpose of the role ahead of a concise list of responsibilities and the tasks required to deliver them. Put them into order of process and assess each one looking for ways to better prepare, improve or delegate. Once complete you’ll realise that nearly everything can be predicted and planned reducing stress down to the simple execution. Ahhhhh.

Be Proactive

Change can sometimes provide great relief. Before you go away on holiday, be aware of the post holiday blues and try to change something fundamental about your experience at work. Changing desks can be a easy way to alter your perception allowing you to look forward to the new experience of sitting with Bill instead of Ben. Flobadob.

Be Prepared

You’ve been away. Unavoidably you’re going to have to catch up be it with emails, staff, clients or tasks. Whatever the pressure, allow yourself time to reintegrate. Anticipate a slow start with people coming at you from all angles talking about your holiday, gossip and other work related news. Expect to open Outlook to 500 unopened emails while neglected colleagues interrupt you for help. Predict that your boss will selfishly invite you for a ‘catch up’ just as you’ve sat down to do something. Plan and prepare for it and all will be well.

Take it easy safe in the knowledge that this madness was actually part of your plan.

Our expert IT recruitment consultants are here to take the pressure off you when recruiting someone new, permanent or contract. We liaise with candidates with the utmost care to ensure that their candidate experience is a positive one. Call us on 0207 788 6600 and let us help you Recruit Someone Worth Recruiting.

5 Holiday Season Out Of Office Templates (free!)

Aug 19, 2019 | HR, Management, Tips

The school summer holidays may be nearing an end but for those of us without kids, September marks the start of the more affordable holiday period. With just a couple of weeks to go its time to start thinking about your exit strategy to do list.

Last on the list will be your email out of office. But what will you go with? The standard “I’m away until…” or something little more adventurous?

Waste no more time thinking about it and simply copy and paste one of these:

The Classic

Hi,

Thanks for your email. I’m currently out of the office until [date] and will have no access to my emails.

If the matter is urgent, please contact my colleague NAME at EMAIL. Alternatively, I’ll be in touch upon my return.

Many Thanks

NAME

The Smart Casual

Hi!

Thanks for your email. I’m out of the office until [date] relaxing in the sun without a care in the world.

I’ll be back to you upon my return but if it can’t wait, feel free to contact NAME at EMAIL.

Regards

NAME

The Smart Ass

I’m on holiday! Outlook has kindly agreed to tell everyone how happy I am to be away, lying on a beach far away from my emails.

Future me will deal with my bulging inbox on the DATE however, if you need help sooner than that please contact NAME at EMAIL.

I hope you have a great week at work!

NAME

The Control Freak

Thanks for your email. I’m out of the office on holiday, due back on DATE however, I will have limited access to my emails and will endeavour to help from afar.

If however, you require urgent assistance, please contact NAME at EMAIL.

Regards

NAME

The Gamer

Thanks for your email. Tomb Raider is out tomorrow. By total coincidence I’m away for a week. I’ve told HR I’ll be back on DATE but that entirely depends on my ability to stop the Mayan apocalypse.

If your need is urgent, you can contact NAME at EMAIL while I’m busy defending humanity.

Regards

NAME

Whatever you go with, ensure you give people alternatives way of getting in touch with your business while you’re away. Wherever possible state a return date however, its good practise to manage expectations by informing people of your planned holiday ahead of time.

By all means have a bit of fun with it however, make sure you won’t get into trouble!

Enjoy your holiday.