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Question

Network Analyst interview

Mar 29, 2017 9:02PM PDT

I have a job interview next week for a Network Analyst position. It's a phone interview with all technical questions. Anybody know or guess what kind of questions they will ask?

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Interview Advice
Mar 31, 2017 11:42AM PDT

Hi Eklypised,

Depending on the company and its internal hiring process, you can expect a lot of trivia questions. It's best to do some quick refreshing of your theoretical knowledge. I've been to many such interviews, and it's never too easy, especially if you aren't good at trivia. You may be asked a lot of things that you never really need to remember while doing the actual work. Some will make sense and some will seem ridiculous. Here are some examples:
1. List and explain the differences between IPv4 and IPv6 headers
2. List and explain fields/sections of the IPv4 header
3. What are MIBs and OIDs and why do we need them?
4. Which transport protocol is used in SNMP and why?
5. What is the difference between type 5 and type 7 LSA in OSPF
6. Which command is used to check routing tables in Windows/Linux/Cisco
7. What port number or numbers are used by Citrix/Exchange/SQL
8. How many IKE phases are there? Explain each phase in detail.

And so on, there's no end to this, but you get the idea.

My recommendation is to find some cheat sheets to save some time. I'll look for some useful links.
Also, it's a good idea to keep a summary of all important topics of your field, and refresh your memory once in a while. Unfortunately, there are still too many companies out there using this type of screening during the hiring process.

Let me know if you have any questions

Good luck

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I've been in this field for decades.
Mar 31, 2017 11:50AM PDT

And I wrote router code in the 90's but not once did I have to dissect what you noted in items 1 and 2.

Shouldn't the questions be more in line with the job in question rather than text book questions that you use in school then never revisit?

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Exactly
Mar 31, 2017 1:08PM PDT

They should, but in reality they aren't. All the questions I listed are from my interviews (Junior to Senior Network Analyst/Engineer/Specialist). The 1 and 2 are actually being used today by big networking companies.

And my position towards such questions is exactly like yours, it's ridiculous, doesn't test any real experience, but still being part of the hiring process.

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I agree with you on this.
Mar 31, 2017 1:50PM PDT

I've seen folk answer all that yet can't deal with everyday IT problems.