I was going to add a +1 to Chris' comments. I think you need to consider where you want to be in 5-10 years' time. Whilst moving to a larger organisation might limit your role somewhat, you get to understand more of how IT actually works (including processes, documentation, requirements etc.) There is more growth for career advancement, and as you move up the chain you'll acquire more responsibility. Large organisations have architect and senior engineer roles where you are still "running the show" so to speak. It's always possible to go from a larger environment to a smaller one, but it's harder to do the reverse. If "challenge" is the thing you are looking for, then I'd look at a larger environment as well.
That all said, you need to do something you love doing. And if this environment you've found is a good one, and you think you'll fit culturally, then go for it. That all said, if I was interviewing you, I wouldn't give away things like our RTO/RPO, or our DR plans, or device specifics (I might mention vendor if they're a big one e.g. telling someone that we use VMWare or Dell isn't really giving that much away). I'd look at Carl's questions, and maybe add a few outside your area of responsibility. E.g. if you are not responsible for strategy, then ask for a high level view of what they currently have for strategy. If you are not responsible for ITIL and service management, then ask how the current state is. That may give you a feel for how you'll have to fit into things that are not your responsibility (aka you'll have to work with). Some of the above maybe to high level for a smaller org, so adjust accordingly. Cheers Ken From: John Doe [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, 17 August 2012 5:02 AM To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: Re: Questions to ask an interviewer (Sys Admin) Thanks Christopher, good info. The first interview was in person. It lasted almost 3 hours - a lot longer than expected but we really hit it off. So a lot of my questions I've already had a chance to ask (Hence why I'm looking for a few more :) >> I'd target medium sized environments in the 2K-10K user range I like to be a jack of all trades, I'm afraid that roles in that size of companies are far too specialized. (?) I like the feel and style of SMBs as well. And I can run the show. >>>Wear a suit and tie Not gonna happen :) The recruiter even told me not too. I have a day job. They understand that. I've been meeting with them at 4:00pm. If I show up to my current job in a suit and tie, they might have a hunch I'm interviewing. However, I dress to impress and put myself together quite nicely. Thanks for all the input! On Thu, Aug 16, 2012 at 1:16 PM, Christopher Bodnar <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: OK, here are some thoughts on this. In my previous position within my current employer, I was responsible for interviewing the last 10 vacancies for Systems Engineers, so I have a decent amount of experience over the last few years related to this. My first question is whether you should be targeting a larger company, instead of a similar small business. If you have 11 years experience, and your main issue is a greater challenge. I'm not sure switching to another SMB environment is the way to go. I'd target medium sized environments in the 2K-10K user range. You will get a significantly greater range of experiences and much more room for career advancement. If you are happy and want to stay in the SMB market, that is great. Just a suggestion. As for the questions you want to ask during the 2nd interview. Always a very good idea. Just keep it to a minimum. You have over 20 questions listed. Don't ask all of them. I would limit it to 2 or 3 at the most. From your list my suggestions would be: What do you like about working here? How long was the previous Sys Admin employed here? (Has there been a lot of turnaround?) I think most of the technical questions you could work into the interview itself as you are answering questions. Here are a few other suggestions, going on the assumption that the first interview was over the phone and this will be the first face-to-face interview: Wear a suit and tie (assuming male gender) or similar business attire if female. Don't wear a polo shirt and kaki's, even if the environment is jeans and t-shirt. Good handshake and direct eye contact. Bring a copy of your resume with you Don't be vague. Answer questions directly. If you don't know something TELL THEM!!!! Never try to BS on a topic you don't know. Good luck with the interview. Christopher Bodnar Enterprise Architect I, Corporate Office of Technology:Enterprise Architecture and Engineering Services Tel 610-807-6459<tel:610-807-6459> 3900 Burgess Place, Bethlehem, PA 18017 [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> [cid:[email protected]] The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America www.guardianlife.com<http://www.guardianlife.com/> From: John Doe <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> To: "NT System Admin Issues" <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Date: 08/16/2012 12:46 PM Subject: Questions to ask an interviewer (Sys Admin) ________________________________ So, I've found a System Administrator job that might be a great match for me. I have a second interview coming soon. Trying to look beyond all the technical and personal questions they ask to try to weed out a good candidate, and find out other questions I should be asking THEM. I interview well, and have impressed them a lot already. My goal here is to make sure the is a good fit for BOTH parties. I'm quite happy with my current job, but I need a bigger challenge and a more stable/profitable company. It's not driven by money, but it helps. About me (I post to this list somewhat frequently, but changed my name to avoid coming up in Google searches by my current employer). 11 years experience Going from a shop of about 25 users at a 24/7 company to a shop of 120 employees at a 8-5 company. Here are a few questions I have been brainstorming. Any advice is appreciated!!! Questions: Advantages of working here? What do you like about working here? Would there be any objection to consulting for my previous employer? I wouldn't want to leave them high and dry. What are things your organization has done recently to show how it values its employees? How long was the previous Sys Admin employed here? (Has there been a lot of turnaround?) What were the major strengths and weaknesses of the last person who held this job? What are your current IT Struggles/Projects? What are the most immediate challenges of the position that need to be addressed in the first three months? What are the training and development opportunities? How many people are at Help Desk level and how skilled are they? How often do Help Desk tickets get escalated to the Sys Admin role? Are there any reservations you have about my fit for the position that I could try to address? Technical: Which Hardware Vendor? Virtualization Platform? What are your uptime requirements on critical servers like email? Do you have a current maintenance window? Do you have systems that need to be accessed by clients 24/7/365? Current Disaster Recovery methodology? How often is it tested? What are your Recovery Point and Recovery Time Objectives? Mobile Device Management? Phone platform? Vendor? How well solid is the Network Documentation? Can I see some diagrams/maps/examples? ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin ----------------------------------------- This message, and any attachments to it, may contain information that is privileged, confidential, and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are notified that any use, dissemination, distribution, copying, or communication of this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail and delete the message and any attachments. Thank you. ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to [email protected] with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin
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