Technical phone interview

loxleynew

So I got a call back today and I have a technical phone interview setup for friday! Ive never had one before... It is for a system administrator position. What should I expect I guess? I don't really want to come across as a complete retard. Anyone have experience with sys admin technical phone interviews? Or what I should expect?

Thanks!

pennystrader

Hey loxleynew. I would guess they would ask you technical questions, questions about have you worked with others before, teamwork or working with other employees, etc. I found this for another friend of mine who was looking for a job a few months ago and in your situation. Looks at all 4 pages as it covers networking, active directory, exchange and PC Tech questions. It will give you a nice base and a general idea of some questions you may be asked. If you think through each one you may find similar questions and this list will get your mind working in the right direction if nothing else.

Good luck.

MCSE and System Administrator Job Interview Questions - Part 1 - Networking

http://www.petri.co.il/mcse_system_administrator_active_directory_interview_questions.htm

http://www.petri.co.il/mcse-system-administrator-exchange-interview-questions.htm

http://www.petri.co.il/mcse-system-administrator-pc-technician-interview-questions.htm

CompuTron99

Do you know who is giving the interview (HR, IT Management, Company Management, co-worker)?


I would suggest going over the job requirements a few times before the call. Find a comfortable location to sit (I actually like to wander while I talk on the phone) with a clear reception (if you are using a cell phone).
Be yourself.

Good Luck.

rsutton

Some questions I can remember from phone interviews:

A server has lost it's network connection, how do you troubleshoot?
What is the Schema?
You start getting calls from lots of users saying email is down. What do you do?
How would you restore a DC that crashed?

I seem to get a lot of the scenario based questions, more than the "what is this" questions.

loxleynew

I like those ^^ questions better than what is questions.

Should I be worried if I went through those 4 links you posted and only knew about 50% of that stuff? I mean I know the basic stuff obv. and generally what everything does but some more complicated stuff and commands not so much. Like I figure I can look them up if need be.

Does an interviewer think badly of you if you are like "Sorry I don't know the answer to that"
I mean do you just say you don't know the answer to a question or do you try find a round about solution to it that sounds like it could be right?

As to who is doing it, there are 2 guys who are going to be on the phone. One is the system/network infrastructure guy (I guess whoever is in charge) and not sure who the other is.

rsutton

The interview is not *just* testing your knowledge level. They will also be interested, and pleased, to know that you are an honest likable person too, the kind of person they would want to work with throughout the week. I have always been up front if I don't know something, if they want someone who knows everything, I am not their man, and I don't want to be.

ColbyG

Tech interviews are my favorite part of the hiring process. Just go over the job duties/requirements and expect questions about them and your work history.

They're really fun. Good luck!

Forsaken_GA

rsutton wrote: »

The interview is not *just* testing your knowledge level. They will also be interested, and pleased, to know that you are an honest likable person too, the kind of person they would want to work with throughout the week. I have always been up front if I don't know something, if they want someone who knows everything, I am not their man, and I don't want to be.

They'll also be testing your troubleshooting skills. Sometimes how you arrive at an answer will tell an interviewer just as much as whether you got the answer right.

Forsaken_GA

rsutton wrote: »

A server has lost it's network connection, how do you troubleshoot?

I go out for a smoke, get some more caffeine, and then maybe go look and see if the cable is plugged in, but only if the latest episode of House hasn't finished downloading yet.

What is the Schema?

The schema is the plan I come up with to make you think I'm working when I'm really downloading the latest episode of House.

You start getting calls from lots of users saying email is down. What do you do?

I tell them email is overrated, they should use their IM clients, or Twitter or something else instead. And then I watch the latest episode of House, which is now done downloading.

How would you restore a DC that crashed?

Install Debian

rsutton

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

The schema is the plan I come up with to make you think I'm working when I'm really downloading the latest episode of House.

This made me laugh out loud.

And +1 to testing how you troubleshoot. As long as you take a logical approach to how you troubleshoot you should be OK. So many of the "bad" techies in support roles are bad because they are fixing the wrong thing when something breaks.

indyodie

These are some of the questions that I was asked at my last interview and it with a fortune 100 pharma company. I didn't know what to think after the interview, but I guess they liked me because I start in 2 weeks.

What is your favorite curse?
Have you ever driven under the influence?
Did you speed on your way over here?
Who is your favorite comedian?

This was from a panel of 4 interviewers all of them are managers/supervisors and leads.

The point is, you never know what they are going to ask so just be ready for anything and be completely honest. Remember you are interviewing them at the same time. If you don't like how the company acts during an interview or if you clash with the manager, you may not want to accept the job even if offered. So ask them lots of questions too and make sure you are comfortable with them as well. Interviews are not one sided.

Forsaken_GA

rsutton wrote: »

This made me laugh out loud.

Yeah, I am often amused at how hard some people will work to avoid doing any work. I figured out awhile ago that, in most cases, simply shutting up and doing whatever it was I didn't want to do would yield more freetime than procrastinating and trying to find a way to not do it.

Momma installed a good work ethic in me, too bad it's constantly at war with the lazy gene I inherited from my dad!

mikedisd2

indyodie wrote: »

I guess they liked me because I start in 2 weeks.

What is your favorite curse?
Have you ever driven under the influence?
Did you speed on your way over here?
Who is your favorite comedian?

Well you must of have said the right thing to get the job. How did you answer these questions?