In order to be better able to understand the type of candidate you are interviewing and manage to classify him/her in a specific category you should determine his/her path to the IT world and his/her 'history' in it. You should get to know how the candidate first entered the IT world, how he/she learned IT and what his/her surrounding IT environment was.
Ask the Candidate
- When was the first time you used a computer? How old were you then?
- Where, how and with whom did you first use a computer?
- Do you have a computer at home? When did you first get a computer at home? Since when? How old were you?
- Who else uses the computer you have at home? Do you have someone at home better than you in computer or are you the best one at home? Do you have an older brother who is better than you in computers? Are you better in computers than your younger brothers or sisters? Compared to yourself, how good does your father use the computer if he does at all?
- When did you get interested in computers? How did it happen? Talk about it.
- In your opinion, what is the best learning path to reach a professional stage in computers?
- What do you think of computer courses, to how extent do you believe they are useful?
- Order the following four computer learning methods in descending order according to importance in your opinion: courses, books, trial and error, friends.
- What is the work (program, web site, graphic design, animation ...) you feel most proud of making if any? Describe it and show samples. Say why you feel it is the one you feel most proud about.
- Why do you love, if you do, creating computer works (programming, graphic design ...)?
- What is your dream creation (programming, animation ...) in IT, if any? (The thing you dream about creating, no matter how imaginary or unrealistic.)
- What do you want to achieve in the field of computers? What is the step you wish to take next? What would you desire to do, to have or to be in the near future?
The above questions and similar ones would help you determine the type of candidate, his/her learning methods, his/her potential, motivations and ambisions. They will help your classify him/her and determine his/her direction and potential for growth. Not only will they help you determine level of proficiency of his/her skills and potential, but they will also give you a clue to what type of responsibilities that candidate can best be suited.