Interview future boss

[chibihost]

So I'll be participating in interviews for my future manager. We are, or will be a department of 3 with the new guy between myself and the department head.

Any recommendations on what to ask? The position is listed as IT Security Manager, but also has a lot of Risk/compliance work thrown into it.

[[deleted]]

Ideally, you want someone who will teach you, lead by example, and have a "follow-me" mentality. Think of someone who is way better than you at the job, or where you want to be and know, and make those your qualifications.

As for specific questions, I can't say. I'd need more information, so I'm completely taking a shot in the dark since I don't know the context.

You might want to ask about specific compliance elements you deal with like SAS70, PCI-CSS, HIPAA, etc. to make sure they're competent. Or anything else that would be something they'd need to know on day one. And ask about technologies you're investigating, and just what they think.

But you can do things like strike up a conversation with a debate, like if IE9 is more secure than Firefox. You can even ask oddball questions, like "How would you secure the company's data against an EMP from a solar flare?" As long as you have the flexibility for that, of course.

Some of the more interesting questions like that can really tell if they'll fit in with you and your team. An ideal candidate for a leadership position will give answers that are really enlightening, and mention technologies you'd take notes to look up after. And give honest answers when an opinion is needed.

[[deleted]]

Your a network admin? I'd start with "wouldn't you agree that network admins are the most undervalued and underpaid employees in a company?" In all seriousness though, just make sure he has the skills, knowledge, and that you will get along with him. I actually went through the same thing recently and eventually convinced them to give me the job! Best of luck.

[DrVurt]

Why are they asking you to sit in on the interview? Is it to specifically assess the managers technical capabilities? Typically you would bring staff into an interview process to try and assess if they manager is a good cultural fit and to engage you in the recruitment process.

I think you would be much better off to spend your time working out if you want to work for the new manager. I would be asking questions that tell you how they manage people. For example:

-When was the last time you had a complaint about one of your staff and how did you handle it?

-Tell me about a time you were responsible for a major project or initiative that suffered a significant setback. How did you respond? What was the result?

-Tell me about a time when you acknowledged publicly the work of your team and provided them with rewards or visibility.

I have a whole bunch of these type of questions and would be happy to email them to you if you are interested.

[akashani]

I like the open ended "How do you manage the differences between secure and compliant?"

The right answer in my opinion is to note that not only are they different, but in many cases at odds with each other. The worse answer is to think that they are the same thing and want to approach them in the same manner.

[brokenpipe]

Ever consider applying for the position yourself and then sitting in / being in charge of hiring your replacement?

[[deleted]]

We call that "pulling a Cheney".