BDPA Cincinnati brought three (3) experienced IT recruiters to the roundtable. They answered all of the questions you’ve always wanted to ask … but, were afraid to do. It was an outstanding opportunity for anyone, from college interns to entry-level IT professionals to experienced technicians, managers, or executives. The audience received the ‘inside scoop’ on what it takes to successfully land a job, promotion, or have a successful career in the IT industry. Our panel included: - Karen Cooper (owner, SmartIT) - Karen Lipscomb (senior talent acquisition manager, L3-Communications) - Linda Mullen (assistant VP, Fifth Third Bank) Corporate America is rebounding from the Great Recession and unemployment continues to lag at levels that are much too high in the Black community and the Greater Cincinnati area. As such, we want to lift the curtain of secrecy about the recruitment process so that BDPA members and supporters have every advantage to advance their careers in the IT industry.

1. 2nd Annual BDPA
Careers In IT

8. Sample Interview Questions
Technical skills/Training:
How do your technical skills match with the requirements of the position?
Tell me about a project that you’ve worked on that you’re proud of. What was the outcome?
Work Experience:
What are your major responsibilities in your current/last job?
What are some of the things on your job that you feel you have done particularly well/achieved the
greatest success?
Position Fit:
Why do you believe that you are the most qualified candidate for this position?
Tell me about your favorite job or favorite aspect of a job you have held. What made this your
favorite job? ?
Active Contributor:
What skills or traits do you have that will contribute the most to this department/ company/ position?
Tell me about a time that you could have contributed more to a project or department. What
prevented you from contributing more? Looking back now how would you have handled the situation
differently?
Motivation:
Give me an example of a time you felt particularly motivated at work. What motivated you?
Tell me about a time you didn’t feel motivated about a responsibility. How did you overcome that?
Interpersonal Skills/Team Player:
Tell me about a team that you have been a part of that did not meet their goal(s) or expectations.
What contributed to falling short of the goal(s)? What was done to correct the situation? Is there
anything you could have done different to make the team more successful? What did you learn?
Describe the type of team you like most. What role do you tend to take in a team situation? What do
you feel are the biggest factors to a successful team?
Adaptability:
Tell me about a situation in which you have had to adjust quickly to changes in an organization or in
your priorities.
Initiative:
Tell me specifically what changes you have made in any of your positions that improved them.
Behavioral Flexibility:
How have you gotten around obstacles that prevented you from getting the job done? Give a specific
example.
Have you had a situation where you attempted to gain someone’s support on an issue and initially
failed? What did you do?

9. INTERVIEW SKILLS
Communication Skills:
Tell me about a time that you had to sell an idea to your manager/department/company.
Were there any hesitations to accept the idea and how did you overcome those
hesitations? What was the outcome?
What different approaches do you use in talking with different people in order to get
your point across? Can you give me a specific example of a time you utilized varied
approaches?
Tolerance for Stress:
Under what conditions do you do your best work? Give me an example.
What kind of pressures did you feel on the job? What techniques do you use to handle
pressures? Can you give me an example?
Decisiveness:
How have you gone about making important decisions affecting your career? Can you
give me an example?
Tell me about a time you had to make a decision that made you unpopular. How did
you handle it?
Innovation-Creativity:
Describe a situation where you handled a problem for which the old solutions wouldn’t
work.
Tell me about an improvement that you have made to a process. What gave you the
idea to make that improvement? What were the results?
Achievement Questions—Awareness of Achievements:
What makes you stand out among your peers? Give me several accomplishments to
back this up.
Tell me about the position where you made the largest impact on your
company/department. Why do you think you were so successful in that position?
Clarity of Career Goals/Job Objectives:
Would you be happy in the same job five years from now? To what kind of position
would you expect to progress in five years?
Why do you want to pursue this position as part of your career?
Manager /Supervisor:
Tell me about the best manager that you have had. What made that person so
effective? What did you learn from them?
Give me an example of a time you had to discipline someone.
Tell me about a time you needed cooperation from an area not under your
responsibility. How did you get it?

10. 10 Interview Questions Every Candidate Should Ask
When you sit down for an interview, the hiring team’s number one priority is to see if you’re a good fit for the
job, their team and their company. The interview is your moment to shine, to demonstrate your talents and
commitments. However, you can’t just wing it; it takes preparation to stand out from other candidates. You’ll be
asked a variety of questions and, usually as the conversation wraps up, will be given an opportunity to ask a few
of your own. Here are 10 questions every candidate can ask to show they are invested and excited about this
employment opportunity.
#10: Can you tell me about your workplace environment?
Getting an understanding of the company’s culture will give you insight into the type of conditions and
colleagues you’ll be working with. This answer will also show you how much value management places on
employee satisfaction. You’ll get an idea of their values, expectations, and flexibility, which is especially
important to know if you’re a temporary or contract worker.
#9: What is your company’s greatest success?
This will give you a little more detail about the company’s history, as well as insight about their goals for the
future. Listen carefully to what they consider an achievement. This will show you what the company considers
important.
#8: How does this position impact the overall success of the company?
This answer reveals where the hiring team views the candidate in relation to the larger mission of the company.
Just because you are a temporary or contingent employee doesn’t mean your role isn’t important. If this is a
temp-to-hire or direct hire job, then the response can hint toward promotion opportunities.
#7: Do you provide access to professional development?
Whether you’re a machinist looking to advance to a higher class, an administrative assistant ready for access to
technology or an experienced leader up for more responsibility, on-the-job training is a sign that when you
commit to this company, they also commit to you.
#6: How did you handle safety concerns and issues on the job?
Manufacturing and light industry workers take safety very seriously. How a company emphasizes preventing
and preparing for safety concerns says a lot about how they value their employees. You have the right to know
if a company is more reactive than proactive.
#5: What is your idea of the ideal candidate?
Often, the hiring team considers the ideal candidate someone who fits in both personally and professionally.
They are looking to find a worker who has experience that best matches the opening and also shows long-term
commitment. Painting a picture of their ideal helps you understand their expectations, and also allows you to
play up the strengths that put you in that category.

11. 10 Interview Questions Every Candidate Should Ask
#4: How does the company conduct performance reviews?
In order to be promoted or terminated, a company needs to have documentation of employee
performance. Look for a company that has a system in place for providing feedback, with an emphasis
on helping you grow professionally and personally.
#3 What are the biggest challenges facing this company? How do
you see them being overcome?
You don’t want to get hired on just to have a warehouse or job site shut down a few months later. As a
potential employee, you need an understanding of how this company fares with the competition. This
way you can not only plan ahead, but you can also discover how your individual strengths can help the
company grow.
#2 Can you tell me “something specific” about this company?
Of course, you won’t use the words “something specific.” You will need to do your research,
discovering a specific piece of news or information about the company or its mission that you’d like
explained. This shows you’re interested in the organization, not just the job.
#1 What is the next step in the hiring process?
In order to keep your sanity, you need to know how they breakdown their hiring process. Get an idea of
how long they plan on taking to make a decision, so you know how to proceed with your own job
search.
The key to a successful interview? Be yourself.
You are going to be nervous, but it is important to be yourself. Putting forth a professional version of
your genuine self shows that you are confident and helps you stand out from other applicants, especially
the ones giving those over-rehearsed, robotic answers.

13. LINKEDIN

15. School bus driver fired over drinking selfie
Reuters
A school bus driver was recently fired to taking a drinking selfie.
It can be a thin line between our personal and professional lives, and this is something a lady
bus driver learned the hard way recently.
The school bus driver in Princeton City, Ohio was reportedly fired immediately after
concerned parents saw her post a questionable photo on her Facebook account, Fox 19
reported.
The photo appeared to show the bus driver behind the wheel, with her lips around a bottle of
beer. When parents and officials from the Princeton District School saw the photo, they were
outraged.
Her employer First Student Transportation immediately took action and reviewed the case. It
deemed her actions unfit for their services.
In a statement, the company said that they do not approve of their bus driver's drinking
selfie. "We understand and share in the concern this photo has caused the Princeton
community. As soon as we became aware of the photo, we immediately began an internal
review of the matter. We are incredibly disappointed by our driver's actions," it said.
Their investigation revealed that the bottle cap was still on when the selfie was taken, thus
proving that the bus driver was not drinking on the job. She was also off-duty at the time, and
no students were onboard the bus.
Still, her actions were frowned upon by the employer, who decided to terminate her services.
"We are incredibly disappointed by our driver's actions. Behaviour such as this does not align
with company policy and the high standards First Student strives for in all we do," it added.
Fox 19 also managed to obtain a statement from one of the angry parents, Sadie Leporati,
who said the bus driver was very unprofessional and should not be allowed to drive for their
children again.
"She doesn't care. She obviously doesn't care about her job," she said. "She shouldn't go
back. She should absolutely get fired. It was very inappropriate and very poor judgement on
her part."