Network Engineer: Surviving an interview

bobok

What you should ask:

*Who are you? (Who interview me? Position? Responsibilities?)
*Is this a telecommunications network engineer or a systems LAN/WAN network engineer?
*Do you have a written job description for this position? If yes, please provide it.
*Describe the background of the candidate you are seeking.
*Do I need a background in ATM? ISDN? frame relay? etc.
*How large is the network?
*How many servers are in the network?
*How many nodes (users) are in the network?
*What type of network (ethernet, token, ATM)?
*What type of connection (twisted pair? BNC? optics?) Protocol?
*What system (platform) (Unix, Windows, Sun)?
*What applications? Version?
*Describe the type of network design I will provide. Routers? Switches? Servers?
*Will I be acting alone or be part of a team?
*Is the network connected to a WAN? If so, am I responsible for its operation? How large is the WAN (how many sites)? How is the WAN connected (protocols)?
*What is the network connected to?
*Does the network have any routers, bridges or switchess? If so, am I responsible for configuring it, or an outside vendor?
*What type of equipment is the network based on? (What routers and modems will be the basis for the network?)
*What are the mandatory skills for this position? Describe them.
*Are there any additional skills desired for the position? Describe them.
*Do you have a methodology you want followed in this position?
*Where will I work?
*Is there any travel involved?
*What kind of schedule will I work?
*Will I be required to be on-call for support or carry a mobile phone?
*What level of support (1, 2, 3) will I provide?
*Who does I report to?
*How many, if any, personnel will I oversee?
*How many, if any, personnel directly report to me?
*Do I have hire/fire responsibilities?
*Do I responsible for a budget? If yes, how much?
*How much is the salary? Overtime? Replacement leave? Time-off?
*What is the dress code?
*If this is a contract position and you like the work I do, would you possibly be interested in moving me to a permanent position?
*Do you have any specialized questions you want to ask me to determine my expertise?
*Do you have any additional requirements that we have not discussed?

What they will ask:

*Are you currently working as a network engineer?
*Does your experience include LAN, WAN or both?
*Describe your experience in designing networks.
*Describe the methodology you follow in designing a network.
*Describe your experience installing and maintaining LAN hardware and software.
*Describe your experience in designing WANs.
*What experience do you have with ATM, ISDN and frame relay technologies?
*Describe your experience with troubleshooting network problems.
*How large of a network are you responsible for?
*How many servers are in the network?
*How many nodes (users) are in the network?
*What type of network are you responsible for?
*Have you worked with a WAN? How large is it? What type of connections (protocols) have you worked with?
*Have you worked with or configured routers, bridges or switches?
*Which e-mail/web/ftp servers have you worked with?
*Have you managed network fax software?
*Do you provide network security ? firewalls? and what security products?
*Do you use any network management software (Openview, Tivoli, etc.)?
*What type of equipment are you familiar with?
*Describe what you did on your last project/employer. (Give them some generalities about the project.)
*Did you work alone or in a group?
*If in group, what was your role as compared to the others in the group? (Usually a discussion follows about whether you actually did network administration, analysis, design, coding, documentation or goofed off.)
*Tell me how you did ___________? (Based on the previous answer)
*What tools or techniques did you use?
*What was the most difficult part of __________, and how did you overcome it, accomplish it, etc.? (Give them specific examples. Basically, every answer is used to form the next question at a lower level of detail. So phrases your answer carefully.