Have you ever failed a technical interview?

I've been to a few interviews lately and have failed to answer some technical questions. I'm too embarrassed to reveal the questions as they now seem easy. This makes me wonder if I should stay in IT or if I was ever even in the field technically. My work history mainly consist of helpdesk/service desk jobs in a call center. I'm looking to get Network+ Certified and a few others next but I don't know if that would help me out. I'm also looking to build a small homelab to gain some experience.

Has this every happen to you guys? Thoughts? Thanks in advance.

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UncleB

If these questions were something you didn't know then don't worry, but if you are getting stuff wrong that you do know regularly then you need to work on your interview technique as it seems likely you are suffering under the pressure and nerves are affecting your recall ability.

If you have anyone you can get to practice interviewing with then get them to put you under pressure in answering technical questions and work on training you to be calm and confident when the pressure is on.

What will often happen in interviews is that the candidate will put themselves under a lot of pressure because it is a confrontation situation, the recruiter is seeing loads of candidates and will look at everyone with a critical eye, then add the competition factor with other candidates and often the desperation to get a job (or at least a better job) and there are many forces applying pressure.

The candidate needs practice in coping with this and shining through regardless, and since you say you clearly know the stuff then it is the area I recommend you focus on.

ramrunner800

Sorry to hear that your interviews haven't been going too well.

It is normal to feel like you have failed a technical interview, even if you didn't, so don't feel too bad. The purpose of a technical interview is to find out where you're at in terms of skills. Part of this process is to find at what level your knowledge runs out. In a good technical interview, you should have to answer 'I don't know' several times. Don't feel self-conscious or embarassed, just keep going. I'm pretty senior in the field now, and to this day I walk out of almost all technical interviews feeling like garbage. If I don't, the interviewer was doing it wrong.

How you handle not knowing the answer is also a really important part of the interview. In my organization we are actively looking for people who can be open and honest about what they do and don't know. Someone who pretends to have the answers beacuse they are self-conscious about not knowing something is a huge danger in an investigation or troubleshooting process. If you have trouble saying you don't know something, you're out.

When I don't know an answer in a technical interview, my approach is to let the interviewer know, 'This is out of my knowledge area, but here is how I think that would work, and here is the approach I would take to researching the answer before I took action.' This gets you some credit for what your intuition told you might be the right answer, buys you wiggle room if you were incorrect, lets the interviewer know that you can admit that you don't know, and lets them see how you handle finding out something you don't know. The worst thing you could do in this scenario is to confidently give a very wrong answer.

It sounds like you have a pretty good idea of what to do to rejuvinate your career, so don't give up. Hit the books, and be passsionate about what you do, and you will get on the right track. This is a great site to help with that.

scaredoftests

Yes, I have failed a few. What I do is read up on the items I think I screwed up on and try to do better on the next interview..

thomas_

I had an interviewer ask me how many ip addresses in a /31. I didn’t even know it was possible to use it at the time, but it didn’t mak matters better when he proceed to say the answer was four ip addresses. Either he misspoke or I misheard him. I’m 99% sure he said /31 though. It probably didn’t help that I was, so confused by the question and the fact that I didn’t know it was a thing that I just said one address. I would have been much better off just talking through my thought process. I think this would have exposed our miscommunication and would have allowed him to know I knew the basics of subnetting. Instead of saying an obviously answer of one, I could have said something like “two, but I don’t think you can do that because it wouldn’t have room for two ip addresses, broadcast address, and subnet id.” I still would have been wrong, but I would have been wrong for a different reason and the interviewer might have realized that I heard or he said /31 instead of a /30. Overall, I think my interviews go much better when I talk out loud to get to an answer versus thinking about it quietly and then just stating my answer and nothing else.

devilbones

I did a technical interview over the phone and could not remember what the CIA triad stood for. I could only remember one or two. It was really embarrassing but I just drew a blank. I ended up getting an interview and it was a really great company too. But it happens. Just learn and move on.

volfkhat

/30 means a block space of 4:
1 address for the subnet
1 address for the broadcast
2 addresses for hosts

/31 means a block space of 2:
As in: POINT to POINT
1 address for each device.
(NO NEED for a subnet & broadcast address).

As for the OP:
i luv bombing technical interviews.
seriously!
How else are you going to grow??

The first thing i do after i leave: WRITE down all the questions you didnt know.
Then go FIND the answers.
it's really that simple.

I bombed a Vmware adminstrator interview back in 2015.
the guy asked "On a SAN network, what is the technical term for the source & destination devices".
I shrugged my shoulders and said "Client & server"?
lol

I never dealt with Storage before, so i didn't much about HBAs, and that kind of stuff.
But, now, i can at least "sound" semi-knowledgeable on the subject matter :]

diffie

I just knew I failed a technical interview last week but apparently did well enough, to be called back into perform a 1 hour lab yesterday.

I felt bad about my performance on the lab but not as bad as I did about the questions.

I couldn't get EIGRP neighbor adjencies to form but felt, given some more time I could have figured it out. Also, one of the devices was a Cisco Nexus which I had no experience with, so I couldn't configure it at all. Even though I couldn't get the agencies I just kept moving down the lists of task, with the thought of coming back to fixing what wasn't working.

Will this strategy get me the job? Only time will tell. Regardless, I'm better for having went thru the technical interview because I have a new found awareness of what I can work on to make my knowledge relevant to employers. That can only make me and you, better for the next technical interview.

yoba222

It's possible you just happened to get a series of interviews with technical questions that were just too technical.

Basic85 wrote: »

My work history mainly consist of helpdesk/service desk jobs in a call center.

This plus an expired A+. I get the impression that it is less about interviews with overly difficult questions and more about you needing to up your tech knowledge and skills.

Basic85 wrote: »

I'm looking to get Network+ Certified and a few others next but I don't know if that would help me out. I'm also looking to build a small homelab to gain some experience.

Stop looking and start doing. If you merely keep looking, you'll keep failing tech interviews. If I were you I'd spend a few weeks reading up and then renew my A+, then spend some time deep dive prepping for the Network+ over the next few weeks/months. Then get Network+ certified. Those two alone should give you the knowledge boost. Neither of those certs need anything beyond VirtualBox for a home lab.

gespenstern

Unable to say anything meaningful was back in 2007. Failed to answer names and count of FSMO roles.

Iristheangel

gespenstern wrote: »

Unable to say anything meaningful was back in 2007. Failed to answer names and count of FSMO roles.

Had that happen to me in 2009 as well. It was about a year or so after I passed the MCSE and I wasn't working at any sort of AD admin so my recall had faded a bit.

@OP - I think there are always questions asked in a technical interview that you won't know. Sometimes it's a poorly worded question, sometimes the interviewer is playing "stump the chump," and sometimes it's just something outside your skillset or you don't remember. If it's a comprehensive technical interview, you haven't failed if you couldn't answer a question or two. This is normal and people usually give you the benefit of the doubt as long as you rocked it otherwise. Here's what I usually do if I don't know something during a technical interview:

1) Ask for clarification or rewording. I might even ask them to whiteboard it. This rules out poorly worded question

2) If it's a "stump the chump" or answer I don't remember, I'm simply honest about it. "You know, off the top of my head I'm not sure but if you don't mind, I would love to followup on that and find the answer for you later." Showing humility that you don't know everything and ACTUALLY following up with what you didn't know is a step further and wayyyyy better than BSing it. An example of this was my interview with Cisco. There were two things in that interview that I flubbed on. The first is that I brainfarted on BGP Weight and Local Preference attributes - I told the technical interviewer that the answer to his question was one of those attributes but I was brainfarting on the specific one at the moment. The other was him asking be about applying QoS in which I was very honest I hadn't had to do that yet in my existing job roles so I couldn't walk through the steps to do so except at an extremely higher level. After the interview, I went home, checked my CCNP notes on BGP attributes, and sent a followup email thanking the interviewers for their time and clarifying that local preference was the BGP attribute that the interviewer was looking for and I also included some tidbits about QoS that I dug up. I ended up getting the job and still gainfully employed.

Basic85

Iristheangel wrote: »

Had that happen to me in 2009 as well. It was about a year or so after I passed the MCSE and I wasn't working at any sort of AD admin so my recall had faded a bit.

@OP - I think there are always questions asked in a technical interview that you won't know. Sometimes it's a poorly worded question, sometimes the interviewer is playing "stump the chump," and sometimes it's just something outside your skillset or you don't remember. If it's a comprehensive technical interview, you haven't failed if you couldn't answer a question or two. This is normal and people usually give you the benefit of the doubt as long as you rocked it otherwise. Here's what I usually do if I don't know something during a technical interview:

1) Ask for clarification or rewording. I might even ask them to whiteboard it. This rules out poorly worded question

2) If it's a "stump the chump" or answer I don't remember, I'm simply honest about it. "You know, off the top of my head I'm not sure but if you don't mind, I would love to followup on that and find the answer for you later." Showing humility that you don't know everything and ACTUALLY following up with what you didn't know is a step further and wayyyyy better than BSing it. An example of this was my interview with Cisco. There were two things in that interview that I flubbed on. The first is that I brainfarted on BGP Weight and Local Preference attributes - I told the technical interviewer that the answer to his question was one of those attributes but I was brainfarting on the specific one at the moment. The other was him asking be about applying QoS in which I was very honest I hadn't had to do that yet in my existing job roles so I couldn't walk through the steps to do so except at an extremely higher level. After the interview, I went home, checked my CCNP notes on BGP attributes, and sent a followup email thanking the interviewers for their time and clarifying that local preference was the BGP attribute that the interviewer was looking for and I also included some tidbits about QoS that I dug up. I ended up getting the job and still gainfully employed.

I've actually thought about doing that, sending the employer an email later stating the correct answer to the technical questions that I felt I missed. I think I messed up so badly that even that wouldn't have saved me and they would've known that I did an internet search on it but it worked in your case.

NetworkingStudent

I have failed a few.

I like it when the person giving you the test reviews the answers with you.

TechGromit

I think we all been there, I was asked a question about a user called and said they can't get to the email server, what would you do first to troubleshoot the issue. We have a tendency to jump thinking the issue is far more complicated than it really is and there must be a problem with the server. But you have to remember that the people calling you are often clueless and you have to make sure they have there computer turn on and have network connectivity to start with.

Nisseki

NetworkingStudent wrote: »

I like it when the person giving you the test reviews the answers with you.

I hate it. When I came back from Japan I was asked what a MAC address was and didn't know the answer at the time.

I put something stupid like it's an IP address for an Apple computer haha.

revbox

Keep your head up. Your work experience was focused on a certain area. What you were applying for was clearly outside of items you normally dealt with. That's okay, you can brush up on those areas.

The last job offer I received I actually missed questions about Exchange Administration and on RAID configurations because they weren't items I dealt with on a daily basis in my experience. The technical manager I interviewed with had clear instructions to leave any question that you weren't absolutely sure about blank on the form. Thus, I left them blank. He appreciated that, as if he picks up someone's written test and they have filled in every question and answered more than 10 wrong, they are automatically disqualified. The company valued honesty, confidence, and wanted someone resourceful enough to find or ask for answers rather than acting on what they think they know.

mbarrett

Failure is part of learning - often the questions will be so obscure, they do not expect to receive the correct answer but they definitely want to see how you react to the question. Put yourself in the position you are being interviewed for - would you honestly expect that person to have all the answers straight away? Maybe that person is actually applying for the same job you are, but more likely that person has already "been there, done that" and is looking for other challenges. If you are able to show that you respond to the question professionally & intelligently, but not necessarily knowing the answer, you are likely to leave a good impression on the hiring manager.
The most you can do is be persistent, you probably won't get offered for 100% of the jobs you interview for but it hopefully won't be a waste of time.

LonerVamp

First of all, there is nothing wrong with missing technical questions. When I have given technical interviews, I often ask questions until they either exceed the knowledge the job will likely require, or they get stumped before that point. Some people go further, but I don't think the point is to stump people, it's just to see how much they'll know for the duties of the job opening.

Second, if it really bothers you and it's like the same day, feel free to email the hiring manager you interviewed with. Thank them for their time, and let them know you got nervous and should have known ABC, then go into detail. Just be sure to not be wrong.

You could also ask for an answer they were looking for, for your own edification (you can also do this during the actual interview if the interviewer attempts to move on). Curiosity and follow-up to get answers is a good trait.

Third, I prefer to give answers and review them with the candidate right there. I don't want someone to walk away thinking I was trying to demonstrate I know more than them, or to rub their nose in their own humiliation if they stumble on something obvious. People are nervous, forget things, etc. Likewise, if you felt humiliated or condescended due to your experience, it may be a yellow flag that the environment may not be the best for you.

Fourth, it's not uncommon to fail questions on topics or technologies you've just not had a chance to be exposed to in your current/previous jobs. Worked with Active Directory? Of course. Worked with SCCM? "My current company won't kick forward the budget for that, but I'd like to use it." Worked with systems for a long time and get tripped up on some network concepts like the OSI model layer 3 encapsulation? It happens, especially if it's peripheral (at best) to what you do day-to-day.

Fifth, after your interview, write down the questions you're asked, both technical and non-technical, whether you knew the answers or not. For those you didn't know the answer for, make sure you don't miss these questions in future interviews. Look up the question/topic and learn a response. Write down that response. Keep these questions someplace where you can pull them out quickly before your next interview and review them.

Along the same lines, write down what you were told about the job. It'll help you review it, but it might also help you formulate questions for other job interviews that don't give you that information up front.

The more interviews you do and the more general knowledge and experience you get in your chosen field(s), the better you'll handle such interviews.

Lastly, not every interviewer is a good interviewer and has a really good bank of technical questions. Often, they're just general questions they know the answers to, but don't end up giving them any real workable feedback. This isn't usually a proctored, refined, psych test. If anything feels weird to you, inquire about the questions themselves. "Are these the sorts of topics and information I'll need on a daily or weekly basis?" It helps also give you an idea of what is expected. And keep in mind, you might end up being bored if you ace all these questions and the job itself (in IT) is something you can already completely do and not learn/grow a little bit into. Personally, I think every new job should be a challenge, rather than an easy thing to accomplish where no growth is expected.

coreyb80

I remember years ago I had one and man I bombed horribly. I was trying to get in to IT so my foundation wasn't solid. It was a great learning experience.

blargoe

I have been in technical interviews that I have failed, and I have been in technical interviews that the hiring company as failed.

NetworkNewb

Basic85 wrote: »

Has this every happen to you guys? Thoughts? Thanks in advance.

Nope... never

Dojiscalper

I fail them all the time because I just am not good at being put on the spot like that and having someone's full attention waiting for my answer which they may or may not agree with. Scares me so bad its a disability, but I just keep going.

I do have a story to prove that technical questions might not be the best way to weed out candidates at times. I've been in IT for over 20 years and have a lot of experiences in a lot of areas. I had an interview a while back and we were discussing some basic stuff, he asks me how I'd find an IP address on a PC. I begin to explain, "I'd press (window + r) type cmd and enter, then type ipconfig /all" He stops me around then and sorta mumbles about me not really knowing how and that I probably didn't really know a lot about networking.

Now I"m not saying the guy was arrogant or anything I actually got the job, he was the best boss I've ever had, and still a friend. After I got the job he eventually found out that I know way more about networking and IT related topics than his whole team and him included and was a great asset
to the company. My point is he had his way, I had mine. If the job depended on that question as to whether I was hired or not he would have passed me up and never knew that I'm actually kinda useful.

Another interview, the question was, the client calls in and says their computer won't boot up, the lights are on, everything seems to be on, but it doesn't go to windows. In my brain there's a few good reasons that could be the case so I give up and just ask the interviewer to tell me because I'm interested in his answer. He says, the answer is that the client left a USB thumb drive in the machine and to tell the end user to remove it and turn the power off/on.

That ended that phone interview as I'm dumb and can't possibly be an IT guy.

Pash

Failed many. We have all been there, so don't feel bad. But these days I am also judging the company I am interviewing at by the questions they ask.

A little while ago I interviewed at a startup who asked me to write a small REST API in python in one week and submit it. The theme was around what they do as a company and the platform. It impressed me so much that I completed the test on a Sunday and submitted it 5 days early.

Head up. Get back into the study and create small achievable goals. Best of luck

Basic85

Dojiscalper wrote: »

I do have a story to prove that technical questions might not be the best way to weed out candidates at times. I've been in IT for over 20 years and have a lot of experiences in a lot of areas. I had an interview a while back and we were discussing some basic stuff, he asks me how I'd find an IP address on a PC. I begin to explain, "I'd press (window + r) type cmd and enter, then type ipconfig /all" He stops me around then and sorta mumbles about me not really knowing how and that I probably didn't really know a lot about networking.

Another interview, the question was, the client calls in and says their computer won't boot up, the lights are on, everything seems to be on, but it doesn't go to windows. In my brain there's a few good reasons that could be the case so I give up and just ask the interviewer to tell me because I'm interested in his answer. He says, the answer is that the client left a USB thumb drive in the machine and to tell the end user to remove it and turn the power off/on.

That ended that phone interview as I'm dumb and can't possibly be an IT guy.

I was asked about finding the computer's IP address too but I went with the network properties route but the ipconfig /all is the right answer so I don't understand why they thought it was wrong? Weird.

On your 2nd question, I thought about the usb flash drive plugged in answer but it's tough sometimes. Thanks guys for the response and I think I will continue pursuing IT.

EANx

Do a review of your interview, does it invite "stump-the-chump" questions? I've seen a lot of resumes that not just exaggerated but over-exaggerated, those tend to be the ones where people want to see if the resume is anywhere near accurate. Not saying you did but don't profess to be an expert at ATM (old tech for the millennials) if the extent of the experience is withdrawing money from the bank.