IT jobs

[shadow]

Any interview advice for an individual with life experience but not much network administrator experience who has an upcoming Network Administrator interview?

These jobs usually state they want 5+ years experience, but I got the call for an interview. I'd love the job.

[Steve R Jones]

Network Administrator implies a top level job, either the top dog or one of his helpers. You'll probably find out real quickly in the interview if you're quailfied or not. This is one position that you don't want to BS your way into. They'd probably drop you like a sack of potatoes if your not quailfied and thus be unemployed real quick.

[rh71]

I agree. Those 5+ year requirement jobs are serious about qualifications. If you, as an inexperienced network admin got a call in for an interview anyway... either they:

1)couldn't find anyone WITH experience
or:
2)your IT skill set looks qualified enough for them to at least see you

Either way, tell them exactly what you are capable of... and that you are a fast learner (if it comes to that). There's a clear difference in BSing your way through and knowing that you can pick up things very quickly.

I don't know exactly what you mean by "life experience" but you should have at least some knowledge of networks if you want to work in this seemingly demanding environment.

[This message has been edited by rh71 (edited 07-29-2001).]

[shadow]

I should've explained better. I have been in the electronics/high tech industry as a tech and a manager for many years. Recently I changed directions and took a year long, fairly intensive network tech course and did well. I havent landed that great job yet but do work at the local university as a tech. That is what I meant by lack of network experience. The job description did not state any requirement of experience like most do.

[This message has been edited by shadow (edited 07-29-2001).]

[RustyGT]

G/Day
I wonder, whether it is diplomatic to ask what happened to their last n/w admin.

A lot of the smaller shire councils round here are employing IT managers/ network admins for the 1st time.

The quiz is 'Can you carry it off?'
That'll be up to you, a lot of places I go, won't know the difference.

Our local authority's IT head beleives record storage, is to archive boxes of paper, bashed thru an highspeed dot matrix off a Unix mainframe. That's how he's done it for 20 years.

Take the big breath and leap!
Good Luck R.

[Axel]

I used to interview people for internet technical support - here's the first question I always asked -


How do you learn a new piece of software?

if you say you read the book first and then install the software - you won't get hired -

If you say you run the set-up and if you get stuck - you look in the book - you almost always got hired by me -

It shows you've done it before amd have confidence you can fix it or uninstall it if something goes severely wrong.....

Then there are dozens of other possible questions.....

Also - a network admin should know about MS Q-files - if you don't know what that is - you don't belong in that job -

You might also get asked what brand of technical books you prefer -

I like QUE books typically and MCSE manuals are sometimes helpful.

Also - chew on this question - You have one LAN drop and a user who needs 3 LAN connections almost immediately - for $50 or less - how do you make this happen in an hour or less with nothing in hand?