Common Questions Flashcards
What are your strengths?
I relate to people, and can empathize with their problems, particularly tech problems, easily.
I have a broad technical support background, and pick up new systems and tech quickly.
I have an eye for identifying areas that can be automated.
I have a talent for thorough and readable documentation.
What are your weaknesses?
I struggle to find time to stay up-to-date on the emerging tech in the industry (MongoDB, Swift, etc)
But I take time in my off-time to review using Treehouse
.
I have a hard time with mindless repetition; it drives me mad.
But I counter this by actively looking for alternative tasks to work on the side.
Why are you interested in working for ISU?
I love the “product”. I like the idea of supporting education and learning. I enjoy helping people, and that fits really well.
I love my Alma mater, and would love to actually be a part of the institution that gave me my start.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
In five years, I’d see myself as a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to ISU’s systems, knowing a great deal about how just about everything works, and being able to help out anywhere that needs aid.
What can you offer us that someone else can not?
- I already have a good understanding of some of the challenges that technology can bring to academia.
- Half-decade explaining a wide variety of technical systems to people from a full range of technical backgrounds.
- Extended experience with business and technical writing, from documenting support procedures and training to composing alerts and briefings.
- Talent for finding areas of repetition and creating tools or methods to reduce their impact.
What is your dream job?
My dream job would be working with users to determine what they need from a technology system, and working with them to design it, particularly with front-end usability. I like designing systems for people who don’t know what they need. It makes me feel a bit like Harry Potter.
What would you look to accomplish in the first 30 days/60 days/90 days on the job?
My goal would be to get up-and-running quickly, document everything I could using oneNote if possible, and get very good at a couple of areas, then branch out.
How would you deal with an angry or irate customer?
With kindness and sympathy. No one is angry for no reason, and even if they don’t understand the full situation, it’s important to recognize that anger and frustration, because whatever it is that’s happening, it’s still causing them problems.
What was your biggest failure?
Failing to adapt at Caterpillar. I was young, and thought that given enough time, I would just naturally learn everything I needed to know. I learned the hard way that knowledge doesn’t just get to you through osmosis. Sometimes you need to dig in, look for answers, and at times, even look for the questions you should be asking.
What is the name of our CEO?
Larry Dietz.
Are you a leader or a follower?
Honestly, a little of both. I understand that too many leaders prevents things from actually getting done; if I’m told that hey, this needs to get done, I’m going to do it, and trust that what I’m being told is true. At the same time, if no one is stepping up on something, I’m not afraid to fill the void and give direction or guidance.
What was the last book you’ve read for fun?
The Empires of EVE. A solid book about the player-run corporations in EVE online, full of interesting sci-fi flavored politics, strategy, and intrigue, but all of it real.
Tell me about yourself.
I working at State Farm supporting agent offices. I’m currently supporting “lines of business”, which are a few specific insurance systems, and before that, I worked a mixture of hardware, software, and networking, all of them directly talking to agents and their staff. On the side, I’ve been pursuing my master’s in web design, focusing on usability, and on occasion I help my wife and sister-in-law out with their classrooms’ tech issues.
Give a brief description of ISU’s history.
Founded in 1857 as a training school for teachers, and is responsible for the “Normal” in the town of Normal, as it was a Normal school, a school for teaching.
