Interview with networking Lab...Failed!

Hey Guys,

So I had an interview today...for a Network Engineer job that was presented to me 2 days ago. I wasn't told about the face to face interview until yesterday.

Interview went well!

Lab went horrible!

I couldn't even remember how to set a created Vlan to the default Vlan.
I couldn't remember how to set OSPF Area
Couldn't remember the command for enabling SSH on the VTY lines.. but I did remember halfway through Transport Input SSH

The only things I was able to do was rename the 2 routers and 1 switch to the given name... create vlan's.. enable OSPF, set console password... Anything that required me to have line up protocol up I forgot...(I didn't forget what causes this, just couldn't remember the commands to get myself to where I needed to be)

I was so disappointed And not even in the fact that I forgot half the stuff I studied so hard for... But in the fact that I was thinking this is what I am suppose to be doing.. Not installing Office 2010 for users. Not adding a printer to their machine... or rebooting the Ecopy Server, or setting up yet another laptop for XP-7 migration. I just felt really disappointed knowing that all of the questions they gave to me would have been done in 10 minutes back when i was in the swing of my CCNA studying... and Now.. 9 months later.. I can barely remember how to use switchport vlan access...

I guess all I can say is if you want to be a real Networking Network Engineer... then keep the information fresh.... I've been busy learning SCCM, and keeping my AD knowledge, Server Knowledge, Windows 7 troubleshooting knowledge
that, the CCNA stuff, the stuff that I really really want to do has wilted. Oh well

guess I'll have to find the time between the 1000 other things I do a day to get my Cisco skills back up to par...never know when that next shot will come!

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Comments

networker050184

If you don't use it you lose it as they say. Good luck on the next one!

ITforyears

Perishable skills. On what type of hardware were you working on?

bermovick

Did you already get passed over, or do you just THINK you did?

I mean, if you sat down and typed stuff in at the CLI, that probably puts you a bit ahead of the crowd already - you knew some of the commands to do things, and (if you're anything like me) were probably berating yourself under your breath for the things you couldn't remember.

You never really know what they were looking for - for all you know, you showed sufficient skill in working within the CLI to be enough.

JustFred

Just because you got the cert doesn't mean you should stop practicing. Get a small home lab, or install GNS3 on your Laptop, practice whenever you can from start to finish, do it every now and then until it becomes second nature and your experience shows you should abandon it.

Also get the CCNA Simplified lab book on amazon kindle, its cheap and you can do the labs on the go using GNS3 whether you are on the subway or train etc.

The problem is that we always think we know because we have done it before until we actually sit down to it and realize we actually don't know at all.

At least you know where to go from here and have fun doing it

Chitownjedi

bermovick wrote: »

Did you already get passed over, or do you just THINK you did?

I mean, if you sat down and typed stuff in at the CLI, that probably puts you a bit ahead of the crowd already - you knew some of the commands to do things, and (if you're anything like me) were probably berating yourself under your breath for the things you couldn't remember.

You never really know what they were looking for - for all you know, you showed sufficient skill in working within the CLI to be enough.

That is true.

@ITforyears They were 2900 series Switches. and same basic 2811 Routers

@Just Fred...

I still have all of the same materials and resources I had before... But its hard to practice this when your 8-5:30pm has you learning exchange/sccm/scripting/ and all of the lovely other things that go into figuring out how their infrastructure works... outside of work I've been studying vbscripting and starting WGU for Information Security... as well as taking care of my Son.... these aren't excuses... but just gives a background to why I haven't been able to practice the CCNA stuff to keep it up. At my current position my Boss told me that I wouldn't be able to touch his network for a year when i was hired...(He is very very protective and **** about it because he started it 20 years ago... and now its like his "baby".) So there is no need/opportunity at all to keep fresh on CLI (Except on my personal time... which is damn near null)
I just have to figure out between Studying for school/Work/and My Son...when I'll be able to refresh my skills with CLI...if there were only 4 more hours in a day... issue solved. For example I would like to get some practice time in now... but I'm trying to finish this Database Material so I can knock out two classes and have my mentor approve my request for vouchers. Do i brush up on CLI for a phantom opportunity that may rise with another job opportunity... or study for WGU classes that I've already am getting squeezed by for time... or actually set up another sccm 2007 lab here at home to take over packaging duties from the Network Analyst at my current job, because he's swamped and hasn't been able to package drivers to a remote location in over a week now. Or do I spend time with my son? Let's not even mention my wife.... or the time where I'm actually suppose to relax....

I will find the time... maybe ill just take 30 minutes out of my lunch every day and do it... hey.. that just might work.

djfunz

Yeah, it happens. Your best bet is to take a lower level networking position and re-watch all the nuggets while practicing on real lab equipment. I passed my CCNA a year ago, contracted in a support role not using any of it and forgot a lot of the material. The good news is, you'll pick it up much faster this go around.

hiddenknight821

Yes! Finally someone understands what I was going through. I posted a similar problem in this thread two months ago.

So I decided to kiss my networking dream goodbye, but if you want a good refresher in a nutshell, my best advice for you is to read Network Warrior.

JoJoCal19

While I feel for you, at least I found someone else to share my experience with. Had a great interview with a company a couple of weeks ago for a security administration position, and they were really interested and were trying to rush me through the process, so I get to the onsite interview and first half was a personal/general with the hiring manager and head manager of IT, went GREAT and they were really happy. Then came the hiring managers manager for the technical interview. NOT GOOD. In my current position doing some of the same things as the position I applied for, we use Active Roles Server rather than native AD (which I hate because it dumbs things down IMO) and have for years. I haven't used native AD much since my previous job 7 years ago and I had experience then setting up AD and everything. So they start asking real low level questions on AD, a lot stuff you wouldn't remember unless you were studying for one of the MS AD exams. There were five or six questions out of twenty something that I didn't know. I felt things went downhill real fast with their demeanor. Needless to say two days later I got the "pursuing other candidates" email. So yea, you don't use it, you lose it. I guess I'm going to target less technical roles as with my degree and current certification track (CISSP>CISM>CISA), I'm really targeting more policy and managerial based positions.

Danielm7

Yep, just passing the tests, or even knowing the material very well at one point doesn't mean you know it later. I did my CCNA and most of the way towards my CCNP probably close to a decade now. I then got a job where I barely touched anything Cisco, then another job with the same sort of setup. Now I'm starting WGU in a few weeks and I'm going to have to relearn everything Cisco because I don't remember a lick of it after all that time.

LinuxRacr

Got the message loud and clear. Keep it fresh! Thanks all for your insight.

wintermute000

Well you sound like a MS guy, why are you going for a Cisco job? Are you actively trying to change tracks? If not don't worry about it and focus on the MS/server/virt stuff, the stuff you get to touch daily. If yes then no alternative but practise practice practice

stlsmoore

It's gonna suck but I think you're going have to sacrifice one of the current subjects you're studying and replace it with network related material. I'm thinking replace that vbscripting time with 20-30 min network labs and you'll have everything back down in no time. Then focus on nothing but getting a networking job...of any kind.

For me it was a NOC primarily focused on VoIP with half the pay I was used to. Just this last year or so ago I'm now being able to get into the CLI for stuff that isn't just VoIP related.