How to pass interviews for network engineer positions?

XiaoTech

I think I'm failing myself with network engineer interviews. It could be because I am inexperienced. My role has my copy/paste configs. Do quick fixes with VLANs and admin down ports. Simple stuff, but I think I have a ~decent~ foundation of the basics from the year and a half I've been in networking. I've had three interviews for full time network engineer positions, and they talk to me three to four hours. So feel like I should be getting somewhere. I'm not nervous since the worst thing that can happen is that I stay in my current role, which isn't bad since I'm a five minute drive from work (but could pay better). I might be too honest during the interview. Like when they ask me about my hobbies and interests (it was common on all three), I'll mention weightlifting, piano, gaming, etc...but I never mention tech stuff since I honestly don't touch it with a ten foot pole outside of work or studying for certs.

I get a lot of emails and calls for contract positions, but I really just want to stick with full time with benefits. I'm not a fan of crazy hours. I just want to find a decent paying job, doesn't matter the shift, that has consistent hours and let's me get better at what I'm doing.I don't know. Maybe I should try them? I just feel a bit nervous going outside of my comfy 7am-3pm position with ample optional overtime.

mgmguy1

Well I am in the same boat you are. At my work. I have been trying to get a Junior Noc job or Junior Administrator job but alot of them are contract jobs are for 3-6 mos. All my companies open positions are in florida and I have no desire to move there. Having said all this my suggestion would be to look for a company in your area that excites you or at the very least perks your interest. Not for the money but for the possible skills you may get if you worked for them and try to learn them. Example. There are two companies I really want to work for. Both use technologies I am excited about or am am interested in learning about. Both offer ok pay and benefits to start. Unfortunately I do not have the requirements for the job postings at this time but I am reading up on them in my spare time and knocking out of foundational certs so when I do interview they don't see me as standing still but moving forward. If you want to a network engineer, in my opinion since you already have a CCNA:R&S get Juniper certified or Security + certified. Listen to some pod casts on what's going on in the industry. Talk to some of the Network guys at your work for there thoughts.
This fourm is also an excellent resource as well for information. I have gotten a few A-ah moments just reading some of the posts in between study breaks. Most of all don't give up. If you want something you can get if you try hard enough.

Legacy User

You sound like a junior network engineer. I know you mentioned your daily tasks but do you do any troubleshooting of any kind? Is there any way you can work with other engineers on projects so you know what it takes to deploy new equipment stuff like site surveys, planning, diagrams, documentation, scheduling? Also, a good foundation from working there a year and half isn't good enough. You need to dig deeper so you have a better understanding on how things work. You may need CCNP level knowledge to take your knowledge to the next level which will help you in interviews. I'm a CCNA but I have CCNP level knowledge in RS which I had to learn to do any real world work and that was the only way I was able to land my current job. Realistically you need that level of knowledge to do any real networking work in the real world.

When you copy and paste configs are you making any edits to the template such as: (vlans, hostname, IP's, default gateway, etc)? Do you understand whats in the template? Make sense of the template so you can better understand how the device your are configuring is operating. In a structured environment they more commonly then not use a template when provisioning new equipment to make sure nothing is left out. I know in my place people used to do things from scratch but to many silly mistakes were made so the senior engineers came out with templates to have everyone work off of and build the configuration from.

What part of the interview are you having trouble with? The reason they ask about your hobbies to see if you "fit in". I mean you could fib a bit and say you are big into furthering your knowledge and reading cisco white papers or whatever on blah blah. But on your down time you like to do the things you listed. Some places ask what websites do you look into to keep informed with the trending tech so its always good to have a website or two to mention.

XiaoTech

It's mainly from templates. The company I work for sells Cisco stuff to clients, ship it out, and we have field "engineers" install it. After they install it, I validate it's working based on a template they give me. Sometimes they get desperate and get a contractor to install it and I have to walk them through the CLI or do a type of JoinMe session if I don't have direct access. I guess I get to remote into a lot of equipment, but I'm mainly look to validate based on a template, confirm if xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is pinging, apply fixes to configs when they ship stuff out wrong (or the client provided wrong info). Stuff like that. So I never physically touch the equipment, but it's a lot of remoting in and working on the phone with people installing it. I'm like tech support...but for field engineers.

Some stuff like VLANs, hostnames, gateways I understand. But some parts with crypto and other advance BGP stuff it's just copy/paste. I'll understand what needs to show up, but not always why. And that maybe part of why I'm not advancing in my interviews. Sometimes I wonder if it would be just easier to get some M$ certs and leverage with my current networking skills. I'm only going for network engineer/admin since it seems logical with my experience. I'll pretty much try anything as long as I work with alright people and don't have to commute much. I don't want to seem apathetic. In the end, I'm just trying to fill a position that I can learn well on the job and get compensated fairly for the work I do.

kohr-ah

Ok let me put it as a different way as a higher level network engineer.

Anyone (dont take this wrong) can be taught to spin up EIGRP, SVIs, BGP, etc. Heck DMVPN I tell the lower level engineers now go to Cisco Whitepapers and just take their template and adjust it to our environment.

If you want to go for the higher level jobs conceptually you should be able to explain to me how to set it up. I wouldn't expect you to know it 100% command for command but if I asked how a port channel was setup you should be able to explain to me how it is setup. Why OSPF has multiple areas. Etc.

What I want to know is if you can troubleshoot. That is where most of the questions I ask come from. That is why in interviews they ask questions like What is the AD of BGP, OSPF, etc. I need to know if you know where to look for a route leaving my network and if it isn't going that way see if you can find out why. If your current job doesn't do that. That is okay. Tell me what your current job does. Tell me what you know. Show me the passion you have and the time you've taken out of your life to learn how the skills work etc.

What sells me when I interview people is passion. You want a higher role show me you want it. I don't care if you don't have all the experience. Show me that you want to eat, breath, fart, sneeze, whatever networking.

instant000

kohr-ah wrote: »

Anyone (dont take this wrong) can be taught to spin up EIGRP, SVIs, BGP, etc.
...

If you want to go for the higher level jobs conceptually you should be able to explain to me how to set it up. I wouldn't expect you to know it 100% command for command but if I asked how a port channel was setup you should be able to explain to me how it is setup. Why OSPF has multiple areas. Etc.
...

What I want to know is if you can troubleshoot.

...

You want a higher role show me you want it.

I'm with Kohr-ah here.

If there is a higher position that builds templates, then you want to look at that higher level, and aim to be able to do the same thing. That is, you want to have a skillset that could build the templates, and not just have the copy/paste skillset.

Some people take troubleshooting as something that people either do or don't have. I don't. I take troubleshooting as just another skill that you can work at and improve, based on an increased understanding of "what should be happening, versus what is actually happening."

Network troubleshooting is simple, and one of these various methods works.
1 - Has this worked before, or is this part of a change or something new?
2 - Verify layer 1-4
3 - Compare to known good / backup
4 - Check host
5 - Check packet captures (sometimes, the answer can be very plain once you view the capture and inform the client that their app is trying to connect to 10.7.7.7, when it should be connecting to 10.8.8.8, for example )
6 - Check with application vendor

[In most cases, the issues are at the host, but since the network is between the hosts, and a lot of people don't understand networking, you can imagine how that turns out.]

In order to differentiate yourself, I recommend the following:
-- Research the design of your current network (you have access to this one, so you can explore it, and figure out what's going on)
-- Confirm the overall shape (imagine it in three dimensions, heck, imagine it across a wold map, if that helps you conceptualize where everything is)
-- Have contact info for key vendors and application/system engineers
-- Know expected latency and bandwidth across key points
-- See what protocols are implemented
-- Research and understand those protocols (this is key)
-- See what applications are implemented
-- Research and understand those applications
-- Now that you know a bit more: How would you improve it?

Note: Applications rely on networking. It's not going away, and you want to differentiate yourself as someone who "gets it" if you possibly can.

If you need some more specific direction (you're somewhat lost, no idea of what to do next):
- Network Warrior
- Look at the certification forums here that are a level above where you currently are (since you're an 'NA, look at the 'NP forums, and see if you can understand what's going on in the threads. If you don't know it, research it.
- A TCP/IP book - there's some free ones
- Labbing (multiple options for free or low cost labbing, you may want to check the forums on here for recommendations)
- Packet Capture (Get a good grasp of how to read the packet captures. Know what the packet capture capabilities are on your various gear and/or what the approved capture points are in your network. If possible, try to get some captures of normal traffic on the network, and compare what you capture to what you know should/should not be running on that network. If you see a protocol or behavior that you don't understand, then you can take that opportunity to research it a bit more. Warning: please get permission first before doing any captures at work!)
- Automation - This is the logical next step for anything that can be copy/pasted. Recommend that you look into this a bit more, as network engineers will likely pick up better automation tools in the future, and you want to be at the level that builds the tools, versus consumes the tools. (the same way you'd rather be the person building the template, than copy/pasting it)
- meetups - Find some meetups on something slightly off-tangent from networking, so you can keep on eye on what's going on, and what new applications are coming out

I'm not sure how reading documentation and researching protocols can be anything beyond "on task" if you're in a network job, so you may be able to fit in some of this while at work.

Hope this helps.

XiaoTech

Oh, wow. That was a lot more detailed response than what I was expecting.

I don't have access to our own network, but the routers and switches I configure are for our clients, so I should get more familiar with the configurations that I'm applying instead of just copy/pasting. And I actually picked up the Network Warrior and Practical Packet Analysis last month. Been going through little by little during downtime at work. The main problems I've been solving recently are missing VLANs from configs, wrong IPs that need to get fixed (work with the client regarding this), and sometimes because of an environments network, having to change fullduplex to half to get stuff working.

I guess it's time I start trying for my NP. I guess I'm at the point where I can get interviews easily. Now I really need to study and apply to prove I actually know something. I guess I was getting a little full of myself. Two steps forward, one step back.