Pointers for taking a NOC Technician opening at a VoIP provider

Crocrodel

Hello everyone,

I'm looking to get my first job in the networking field and I need a couple of pointers as I've found a position which interests me greatly (NOC Technician at a VoIP provider). But allow me to tell you more about myself as this is my first posting and later I will get to the actual JD & requirements.

Two days ago I took my ICND2 exam which I passed (I'm a full CCNA now), although not without blood & sweat as I took it under a mix of stress, hunger, thirst and then some. I needed to take a 4.5-hour train to get to the city and then another 30-minute ride until the exam. I figured 1.5 hours left until the exam would be plenty for me to get something to eat, relax & get there on time.

As life sometimes proves us, not everything goes according to plan, as the train ran almost an hour late and I had to skip on all my previous plans to get to the exam location ASAP (I scheduled it at 13:00 and I got at the train station at ~12:15 which left me about 30 minutes to get there). While I did got there on time, I had a lot on my mind (see above). At least I managed to use the bathroom before taking the test. That was a big relief

On the exam, I have to say that it was the hardest one I've yet taken and I've taken a few in my life. Not counting the external factors, I had some questions smack me right on the head, which made me doubt a little of my knowledge, but I said to myself that I have to go on and see the end result, as there was no turning back. Well, I can't say that I just barely passed, though I can't say that a couple more wrong questions would have put me under the minimum score (there's a 35-point difference between the min and my score). What worried me is that I scored the lowest (33%) on the NAT & ACL part, at least judging from the score report that I got after the exam. I had a lot on my mind when taking the exam, but I sincerely admit that I still need to hit the books and cover my holes. I think it was luck that I managed to pull it off, thanks to the other sections that were in the high 80s and 90s.

I now have yet more respect for you guys that managed to get beyond the CCNA and CCNP. I will work even harder to be a good professional.

That being said, I want to get my first job in the field, maybe in a month or so, most likely a NOC technician role at a VoIP provider and I would like a few pointers if possible as I would really like the job!

The JD:
- Candidate will be responsible with troubleshooting the various issues encountered at [...]’s NOC, reviewing trouble tickets via a CRM platform, providing the appropriate answers and if needed converse directly with the client while keeping a overall watch over [...]'s network.

The criteria are:
1. English & French knowledge (French speakers have a big advantage)
=> I suppose the discussions will be technical, and I won't need to tell them how to make dinner or something. My French is a bit rusty (haven't actively studied it for 10 years and didn't use it at all for 3), but I could get on my feet in a month or two if needed. I'm advanced in English (C1 equivalent 99/120 TOEFL score in 2011).
2. Good communication skills – the job requires conversing with [...]’s Canadian customers on a daily basis (by phone or e-mail)
=> My speaking part is a bit rusty, as I've been mostly writing in English for online news sites for the last 3 years. Nothing that can't be fixed.
3. Candidates must have a good understanding of basic networking principles as these will be required in order to troubleshoot the various issues that may arise, these may include: NAT, DNS, DHCP, the OSI Model, understanding of TCP and UDP – CCNA students preferred.
=> NAT is my weakest point of the lot, but I want to get it fixed by the time I apply for the position. I think they may be looking for CCENTs or people currently studying for the CCNA (at least that's what I understood from that bullet), so I may have an upper hand here.
4. Must be available to work in 24/7 shifts
=> Do many people resist when working in shifts? I've seen that the position has been up for some time, which makes me think that not a lot of people can keep at it for a longer period.
5. Additional programming or scripting skills of any kind will be considered an advantage
=> I've dabbed a bit in Python and found it quite interesting. I plan to get more into it. I've played a bit with Bash and PowerShell as well, just to have a taste for them. I'd really like to go with Python though.

From what the requirements are, do you think it could be a bit too much for a first job? I don't have any experience in the field, and honestly I am a bit afraid (I will be 26 next year in April), but a NOC job would be a great start, even if it involves a bit of helpdesk work. Actually, I think it would be good for me.

Could you please tell me what else do I have to take into account when applying for this sort of job? How's the usual day in a VoIP NOC? What are the priorities for a NOC technician as far as knowledge is concerned? Any tips and suggestions would be greatly appreciated! I'm the type of person that wants to have an idea about what I'm getting myself into rather than being asked if I know this and that and NOT have a clue. Of course, if I don't know something, I will openly admit it and research the topic as to not repeat the mistake again. If all goes well, who knows, I might even pursue the Voice track.

Thanks for having taken the time to read my lengthy post!

Cheers!

shodown

I wish I could answer your question. I worked at 2 VOIP based NOC's and they were completely different.

1. I worked at was at a service provider. We did all the moves adds, and changes and basic troubleshooting. We had a Tier 2 guy who did higher level troubleshooting and interfaced with other service providers and business units that sold or engineered services. This was pretty easy, but a lot of the higher level troubleshooting was out of scope for the job and you didn't' have access to the gear


2. I worke dat another and we provider monitoring and support for customers Voip Enviorments. I was working Tier 3 by then. This was by far the harder job I've ever had. Way harder than being a Sr Voip Engineer at some places. Customers expected me to know H323, SIP, MGCP inside out and troubleshoot there specific problem even if I was unsure of there environment. Call Traces, Debugs, Software glitches in IOS or the call manager and associated apps, people expected us to know it all.

So to sum this up, I don't know what you can expect, but you should start with pretty basic task and move on from there. Some guys go more into the infra suture side of it, others get more into the PM side, and others even get into the application side of it, if your system is designed and maintained in house.

Crocrodel

shodown, thanks for your response.

I guess I just have to apply and see what's going on in there. I would be tempted to search for a book (does anyone have any titles that would fit?) that would introduce me to the whole VoIP arena as to have a better understanding, but I think I should wait a bit until I get the job.

At the moment, I don't know where I'm heading next in terms of career goals, but one thing I know is that I'm staying out of enterprise. The service provider route looks interesting and I think it could help me in the long run should I decide to go enterprise after 3-5 years, as I would have experience with large networks.

Anyway, I understand that I should strive to get a NOC position and this is the best deal I've found so far, why not take it, VoIP or not. Besides, if it's something new, it may stick and I'm all open for new things.

shodown

VOIP fundamentals by cisco is a good one. A lot of it you will be able to skip depending on the platform you are using, but the signaling and so on will be the same for about 95 percent of the products.

it_consultant

I take it you live in Montreal, where everyone knows and speaks English but all the signs are in French.

Crocrodel

it_consultant, nope. I just happen to live in a country in eastern Europe where they have the NOC