Interview Questions

Please edit this page and add your favorite (or least favorite) interview questions. Any that truly stumped you?

Why are you leaving your current position?
How does your background and experience apply specifically to our environment?
This is an educational environment. In what ways do you think our technology needs might differ from those of the environment in which you currently work? What is it about this position that interests you? What is it that concerns you?
If I were to visit your last school, how would the students and teachers describe you?
When and why would they come to you for help?
How would the principal describe your job? Why would he/she come to you for help?
What kinds of things would you be doing that no one else in the building could do?
Tell us 3 strengths and weaknesses.
What are you looking for in a new position? What would be your ideal job?
In your view, what qualities do you possess which make you a successful teacher or administrator?
Do you have questions for us?

What is your philosophy of, and approach to, leadership?
What do you think the role of the technology director should be?
If you were the one selecting the candidate to hire, what professional and personal qualities would you look for?
How will you demonstrate that the media program is having a positive impact on student achievement in the school?
What do you consider the most important role of this position?
What kind of atmosphere would you like to create surrounding school technology use?
Describe a project or program that you have administered about which you feel proud.
What do you think is the greatest challenge for the person filling this position?
What is the biggest mistake you've made in your current position?

What is the largest technology budget you have managed? Did you create the budget yourself? What were you able to accomplish with it?
How do you track TCO and ROI?
How do you establish your priorities? How do you decide what projects to fund when your budget does not allow you to do everything you would like to?
What experience do you have in seeking grants to help in the purchase of media center resources?

What experience do you have training end-users and assisting end-users with any problems they might encounter? How would you assess what they need to know?
How do you help apprehensive adults overcome their nervousness about technology?

How do you see your role in relation to, and build collaborative relationships with, teachers, administrators, parents, etc?
In any organization there are systems and procedures already established, some worth continuing and some worth changing. How would you find out about these procedures and how would you go about changing procedures?
What role do you take in teams?
Tell us about a conflict you've had, and how you dealt with it.

How would you test and troubleshoot technology problems?
If you were stuck on a desert island, what one application or web site would you want to have access to?
Describe which computer platforms you are comfortable with and what software you could teach. What is your experience with the Internet?
What is the last new skill or new piece of technology or software you learned? When was that, and how did you go about learning it?
What is your philosophy regarding the filtering of internet sites?
We have a multi-platform environment, with Windows, Mac, and even Linux workstations and servers. Our library uses a variety of computer catalogs & databases. We have an extensive school intranet and web site. All staff and high students have email accounts. How does your background and experience apply specifically to our environment?

What kind of changes do you feel will happen in schools and in media centers in the coming years?
What do you see as the most powerful new technologies being introduced now?
What will your job will be like ideally in five years? Answer honestly in ways that both fit your teaching style and personality as well as what you think is best for the students and teachers you serve. How will the media center be different than what it is now? What new resources and services might it offer? How will the skills you teach be different? How will the methods use to teach them be different? Under what conditions would a child come to the media center?

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