2 questions to ask IT applicants

Let’s face it: Most HR pros aren’t tech experts. But they’re still the first point of contact when employers hire IT staff. The good news:
HR pros don’t need to know technology to help IT find the best candidates.
Let the IT folks find out who’s got the right tech skills. HR has another valuable duty — discovering who’s going to work well with the rest of the company, says business consultant Mike Gorsage of Inc.com.
Here are two question Gorsage recommends HR ask IT applicants —  and the answers you want to hear:
1. Tell me about the times you were involved in IT problems with business functions — such as on-time processing of orders. How did you solve it? What did you recommend? If you had been in a position of authority, what would you have recommended?
The answer you don’t want to hear is that the problem stemmed from IT not having enough money. Problems between IT and business are caused most often because resources aren’t allocated correctly, not because there aren’t enough resources.
What you’re looking for is how the applicant used leadership skills and innovation to solve a problem.
2. If you were picking a new system for us, what would be your top priorities for selecting that system?
This question has plenty of good answers such as that the system meets users’ needs, is easy to transition to and is within budget.
But the answer that would be the real icing on the cake: “I’d make sure the system was expandable to accommodate growth, so that we wouldn’t have to go out and buy another new system every time the company grows.”
That shows the candidate understands growth is what makes a business successful and that IT has a role to play in that success.