One Question to See if Candidate is qualified as IPO Tech......??? 3

[fedphone]

Figured this is a good one for this group......

Looking to hire a new IP OFFICE - ran the ad - got a couple of replies from tech that say "they know the IPO" .... now once they show up and you get them in the office to interview we can put them in front of a terminal and watch them access manager etc... but that's SUCH A WASTE .....

What one question would you ask to see if they are REALLY IPO Knowledgable.....

Quick story... one of our clients hired an inhouse IT person who "knew" IP Office.... we all thought - there goes that account.... when the new contact called and asked how to open a config.... we figured it was no threat - she lasted 6 months.....

Expect I will get some pretty interesting responses here

 

[CarGoSki]

I do it all the time. I pre-qualify techs to go on site and I have reduced my question to one.

"Tell me what you know about IP Office" followed by "Continue"

You will be surprised what some peeps say.
You will be able put them into one of two groups pretty quickly.
100 being the best tech in the world 51 to 100 is the preferred group.
After that you can simply press them on things they say they are skilled.
For me for techs in the 51 to 100 range I would then press them on job specific tasks that I need them to perform.
The 0 to 50 techs do little for me in the field.

 

[amriddle01]

Tough one that, you really need a range of questions to truly gauge their knowledge, if that's your end goal then fair enough. I like to think I know a bit about the system, but I may not know the answer to a single carefully crafted "gotcha" question, then I would be counted as useless when I could know way more than the next guy....




"No problem monkey socks

 

[Westi]

Andy if you don't know the answer to a single question about the IPO then we all fail here.
But the thing is not necessarily to know the answer but the behaviour of the tech when he (or she) doesn't know the answer and needs to look for resources to get the answer. That is more important than knowing I think.
I remember in trade school one of my teachers told me that you do not need to know everything but you need to know where to look it up and how.

Joe W.

FHandw, ACSS (SME), ACIS (SME)

http://convergednetworks.ca

Give a tech a solution and he will be back tomorrow to ask you the next question, teach a tech how to read the manual and he will be able to solve the problems for a life time.

 

[hairlessupportmonkey]

How much are you paying?

ACSS - SME
General Geek

 

[dizzyphil]

The best question I have found in interviewing is, "what version of IP Office did you start working on the PBX"?

ACA-IP Office Implement
ACS-IP Office Implement

 

[Westi]

1.2 just came out

Joe W.

FHandw, ACSS (SME), ACIS (SME)

http://convergednetworks.ca

Give a tech a solution and he will be back tomorrow to ask you the next question, teach a tech how to read the manual and he will be able to solve the problems for a life time.

 

[dizzyphil]

Westi ~ bad form!!!! LOL, when I read your post, made my right eye twitch!!!!!!! Star for you brother. Thanks for the banter today, helped out brother...

Diz

ACA-IP Office Implement
ACS-IP Office Implement

 

[tlpeter]

The best question I have found in interviewing is, "what version of IP Office did you start working on the PBX"?

I started when 3.0.29 came out.
And i am proud that Intrigrant thought me how it works and i also have worked with him for a couple of years.
That made me where i am today!
Without being thought the basics properly i would never knew as much as i know now.


BAZINGA!

I'm not insane, my mother had me tested!

 

[TomMills]

Ask them for the knowledgbase URL. If they know that, then they'll know how to read it too.

http://www.twitter.com/tem1985

APSS/ACIS/ACSS-SME
not arrogant, just succinct.

 

[hairlessupportmonkey]

I think confidence will be a key indicator too. You can know everything (unlike me) but if they have confidence and like what Tom says, knows how to use the tools at their disposal with a hint of creativity, then I say go for it!

ACSS - SME
General Geek

 

[DanACS]

With the question being "Qualified as IPO tech" ask them to log into their Avaya Learning transcript.

ACSS - SME
APSS - SME
APDS - Unified Communications
ACS - IP Telephony
ACA - IP Telephony

 

[tlpeter]

OR at least show a working SSO account.


BAZINGA!

I'm not insane, my mother had me tested!

 

[yankblan]

All I answered at my last interview, was "give me the doc, give me a lab, and give me an internet connection and I'll manage..."

Got the job

http://interconnexionsld.ca/

 

[IPGuru]

Network Alchemy V2.1!

I can think of a number of basic questions any one of which would cause me to question the "Engineers" competency.

Explain the operation of Dial Delay Time & Dial Delay count

What is the default remote access Username & Password (should at least know the user & that the password should be changed. you will be should at the number of system i inherit that can be contacted with default settings)

Where do you configure the default gateway

How do you setup a off switch overflow for a ring group

And as previously mentioned where would you find an explanation of unfamiliar features?

A Maintenance contract is essential, not a Luxury.
Do things on the cheap & it will cost you dear

 

[AACon]

My first question would be, "what does IT stand for?". Cheers if you catch the reference.


-Austin
ACE: Implement IP Office

 

[intrigrant]

I started with Network Alchemy when still in Beta, it never got out of that state. Then Avaya bougth NA and named it IP Office, we were involded in the development until release 2 came out ( our company evicted ).

They can ask me anything about IP Office and in 90% I will know the answer and for the resuming 10% I know were to find the answer.
BUT, I have a brother who has a photogaphic memory, what he reads or see he will remember it.
So If he reads the docs he will know all the answers, does it make him a good tech? No, he is a walking encyclopedy with two left hands.

You'll never find a good tech only asking questions, ask for references and check them, give him/her a technical problem ( whatever ) and look how he/she approaches the problem, solving it is nice but not necessery.
That will tell a lot more about his/her skills as any interview and the impression the person makes.

But if she looks like this then she id hired, no matter what her tech skill are...

A simple mind delivers great solutions