Technology is now a central part of almost every employee’s job description. As a result, it’s important to find and retain workers who are tech savvy.
Not only are they more productive, but they can often handle technology hiccups and problems without assistance.
How Can An Employer Best Screen Potential Employees For Basic Tech-savvy Skills?
There are a couple of ways to do this during candidate selection and interviews.
One method is to use technology-rich recruiting tools. They can act as a natural filter for tech savvy and mobile-first candidates.
During interviews, you can include questions that will indicate a candidate’s computer and technology literacy.
Below are some ideas that employers can add to their interview question repertoire.
1. Do you use online resources to find answers to the problems you encounter at work?
This question checks for a candidate’s basic search engine skills. Google and other online resources are a treasure trove of how-to instructions and basic research.
A tech-savvy employee will use these resources on a regular basis at home and work to solve problems quickly.
Whether it’s a problem with a printer or a software glitch, tech savvy workers can often solve the issue themselves with the right keyword search.
2. What technology do you use on a day-to-day basis?
Use this question to gauge whether a candidate will be familiar with the technologies in your workplace.
Candidates without experience with the technology and software you use will likely need training before they reach their full productivity.
On the other hand, a candidate who uses the productivity software in your office at home will likely know the ins and outs of each application already.
They’ll arrive more productive than the average employee on day one.
You can ask about specific technologies with this question if there’s a key technology that you want a candidate to have experience using.
3. Think about the last job you had. Were there technologies that would have made you more productive?
Tech-savvy employees don’t just know how to use and troubleshoot technology. They also think about how technology can make their day more productive.
When they notice that a workplace isn’t putting technology to its best use, they make suggestions to their employers.
When an employer is falling behind the technology curve, tech-savvy employees feel it more acutely, and some will change jobs because of it.
During a candidate’s answer, listen for insight into how their former employers did or didn’t put technology to good use.
Tech-savvy employees are more likely to be the first to realize ways to improve business processes and software.
4. Tell me about a time you had trouble with a computer program. How did you solve it?
For this question, you can fill in the program with any application that you’d expect the candidate to use daily.
The technical support load that employees place on a company’s IT department impacts its ability to develop more productive information systems.
A candidate who can demonstrate basic troubleshooting skills with computer software will solve common glitches themselves instead of calling the IT department.
5. What ways do you expect technology to change how you work in the future?
Another way to gauge a candidate’s technical savvy is to ask if they think about how it will change the workplace.
Tech-savvy employees tend to be the first to adopt new technologies before everyone else.
When it comes to future technology and how it impacts their lives, they think about it more than most people.
A tech-savvy candidate should be eager to share their ideas about where technology is going in the future.
6. When you send an email, what’s the difference between a cc: and a bcc: addressee?
You can check for specific office technology skills with specific questions that any workplace computer user should be able to answer easily.
If a candidate has trouble answering a question about what it means to cc: or bcc: an email address, it should be a red flag.
Tailor these questions to an applicant’s background and the computer skills they’ll need for the position you’re filling.
7. When you create presentations, what software do you use?
If a position involves giving presentations, you can ask questions about how the candidate goes about creating visual aids and preparing themselves.
Depending on how tech savvy they are, you might hear about online slideshow apps rather than the default Microsoft PowerPoint answers.
If they talk about searching online for templates or researching their presentation topic, you should consider it bonus points.
Candidates accustomed to online or cloud apps will have the skills they need if your company has moved to cloud-based software.
8. Have you ever worked remotely at home or while traveling? What technologies did you use?
If the candidate is applying for a position that might work remotely from time to time, this is another good question to assess their tech knowledge.
You may want to know if they are familiar with the remote technologies that you currently use, or you may just want to hear how creative the candidate has been with technology.
Remote work has been transformed in recent years with mobile and internet communication technologies.
From team collaboration apps to video conferencing, remote workers can attend meetings and confer with colleagues easily.
Conclusion
Tech-savvy employees are a true asset to each workplace.
They bring a problem-solving mindset to work and increase the business’s bottom line dramatically as they recover quickly from problems and realize new ways to get more done.
Tech-savvy employees are a true asset to each workplace. If your small business needs help financing technology training sessions for your employees, see if car title loans could help cover the cost.
Tech-savvy employees are a true asset to each workplace. If your small business needs help financing technology training sessions for your employees, see if car title loans could help cover the cost.
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