9 of the Best IT Interview Questions To Ask Candidates

A good IT interview should evaluate the candidate’s technical expertise, practical experience, soft skills, and personality. Knowing the best IT interview questions to ask candidates can help you evaluate these critical factors. Whether you’re an experienced CISO or an IT pro new to the management role, this guide helps you know what to ask and how.

THE BEST INTERVIEW QUESTIONS TO ASK IT CANDIDATES

Crafting thoughtful, targeted interview questions ensures you gain insight into the candidate’s experience and approach to challenges. Whether you’re hiring for a specific technical role or a versatile IT position, the following questions will help you identify candidates with a solid foundation in IT best practices and the ability to contribute meaningfully to your team.

1. What programming and scripting languages are you fluent in? What are the pros and cons of each one?

These questions help you know more about the candidate’s qualifications and knowledge. The response should bring together teamwork, technical knowledge, adaptability, and cybersecurity best practices.

2. What do you think about agile development? What are the main pros and cons of agile?

If you’re hiring for a software project, always ask open-ended questions:

• “What do you think about …?”
• “How would you …?”
• “If you could change one thing about …, what would it be?”
• “Why is … important for a successful project?

These questions aren’t really about the person’s opinion. They allow you to make sure candidates really understand processes instead of just repeating answers from pre-interview research.

3. What are the layers of the OSI model? How does each one work?

IT professionals work with OSI layers every day. Having a solid understanding of each layer, how they work, and how to safeguard them is a must.

4. When was the last time you were assigned a task you didn’t have any experience in? How did you approach it?

This type of question gives you an idea of how adaptable candidates are. Look for specific actions/steps, not marketing speak like “I overcame the challenge” or “I made the best of the situation.”

5. Tell Me About a Mistake You Made. What Did You Do About It?

This is another honesty test. Every IT professional makes some mistakes. Look for recognition of the seriousness of the error, the ability to accept blame, and the capacity to take mitigating actions.

THE BEST IT INTERVIEW QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT CYBERSECURITY

The best interview questions to ask IT candidates help you look for cybersecurity expertise, adaptability, and a forward-thinking approach to industry advances.

6. In your opinion, what are the most dangerous cyber threats? How would you defend against them?

IT candidates for cybersecurity should know more than the basic attack vectors like phishing attempts. Look for a detailed understanding of:

• Man-in-the-middle attacks
• SQL injections
• DNS tunneling
• IoT device attacks
• Supply chain attacks
• Botnets
• Spoofing

Candidates don’t need to be mini-CISOs, but they should thoroughly understand common cyberattacks and technical safeguards.

7. How do you set up a firewall?

Firewalls are the first line of cybersecurity defense, so IT professionals should know them backward and forward. Ensure candidates understand how to create, customize, test, and upgrade firewalls as threats evolve.

8. What are common types of Digital-Denial-of-Service attacks, and how do they work? How would you respond to a DDoS attack?

With AI and botnets on the rise, every organization needs IT personnel who understand application-layer attacks, volumetric attacks, and protocol attacks. Don’t accept generalized responses like “real-time threat monitoring” or “cybersecurity software.”

9. What are the warning signs of a network intrusion? What would your next steps be?

These days, IT cybersecurity isn’t just about building a walled garden. Candidates need to be able to work quickly to mitigate the effects of an attack. “Tell a supervisor” doesn’t cut it.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BEST IT INTERVIEW QUESTIONS TO ASK CANDIDATES

At TSP, we’re experts in IT and hiring IT candidates. We know the best IT interview questions to ask because it’s what we do every day. Our team can help you find the right professionals for cybersecurity, network operations, SaaS development projects, and more. Contact us to expand your team securely.