Interview Question Help

andytbellamy

As part of an interview process for a Junior Network Administrator position I've been asked to give an example of a particular difficult problem I've had to troubleshoot and explain the steps I took to resolve it.

Although I can think of many difficult roles I've been given or tight dealines to hit, I can't think of a single individual task I've encountered that stands out more than another. It's also difficult to think of exactly what steps I took for an idividual task last week never mind over the past 10 years.

I'd really appreciate hearing everyone's opinion on which area of networking I should take my answer from. I've started writing it a few times but every example I come up with seems very uninspiring when compared to other areas of my career.

I have to this sometime this evening so it's a lot to ask of people but I'd really appreciate any thoughts anyone may have.

Thank you.

cisco_trooper

The specific problem they aren't going to be very interested in. They ARE going to be interested in seeing both a linear thought process in the troubleshooting, as well as some perseverance in tough situations.

gojericho0

They'd also probably be interested in any follow up or preventative actions you took to make sure the problem will not be an issue in the future

andytbellamy

Thank you so much for the replies. Both will certainly impact the answer I give to the question. I may have to consider a particular type of problem I've fixed and answer based on what I would do to fix it.

If anyone else has any more suggestions I'm sure they might also help.

Thanks again.

undomiel

Find an instance of where you saved the day, even if doesn't seem all that big. Spin a good tale of how you pulled it off and be specific about what you did to go above and beyond the call of duty. Write out a few notes so that you remember it and don't have to fish around for what to say. If you don't have a story like that then think up a situation that pulled upon as many of your skill sets as possible and weave a story out of that. This is the one time in your job that you are called upon to be an entertainer. If you tell a good yarn they will be more likely to remember this when it comes time to review everyone they've interviewed. Just listing rote troubleshooting steps proves you can do the job, but will not make you memorable. Go ahead and script out whatever you need to. I keep several sheets of paper of answers to various questions just in case my mind blanks on how to answer certain questions. Be real though. Don't make things up.

apena7

along with everyone's suggestions, make sure it's a situation where you saved the company a lot of money by doing x, y,and z.
think of something cost-effective!

$$$

andytbellamy

Hello everyone.

I've sent an answer back to the company that includes a little of every single suggestion.

The example i used saved the company money, involved me having the building kept open late until I'd resolved it and ensured it never happened again. Unfortunately. because I didn't want the answer to be a chore to read, on paper it didn't look as big a struggle as is was. If I can reach the full interview stage I'm sure I can elaborate then.

Thank you everyone for your help. It's given me a far better chance of a reply and left me a few hours to prepare for another interview tomorrow.

Thanks again.