MockQuestions

Network Administrator Mock Interview

28 Questions Created By

To help you prepare for your Network Administrator interview, here are 28 interview questions and answer examples.

First Question

28 Network Administrator Interview Questions

15 Interview Questions With Sample Answers

1.   What areas outside of basic networking administrating job functions, do you have experience with?

How to Answer

Another characteristic of working as a network administrator is the ability to do multiple jobs that may not be directly related to your profession. IT organizations typically have a great many responsibilities and a limited number of resources. This requires the team members to be versatile and to be able to cover each other's jobs when necessary. It would be best if you discussed your ability and willingness to do this and any training you have, which will help you do jobs outside of the one you were hired for.

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

Answer Example

"Although my core function within the IT organization is as a network administrator, I'm capable of doing many other tasks. These include hardware troubleshooting, software patches and updates, asset disposal, and compliance audits. While some of these are network-related, I'm also able to extend my skills to other areas and assist other groups within the Ide organization to accomplish their work."

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

2.   What is a transparent firewall?

How to Answer

You've probably already recognized this as another technical question. You should also start to recognize that firewalls and network protection are very important topics to the interviewer. Once you understand this, you should feel comfortable expanding your answers to demonstrate your knowledge of firewalls and network protection.

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

Answer Example

"A transparent firewall, also known as a stealth firewall, is a layer two firewall. It provides additional protection to the network because it is connected to both internal and external ports on the network. Transparent firewalls prevent malicious activity from authorized users."

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

3.   What is the difference between IPS and a firewall?

How to Answer

You probably recognize a trend here. The interviewer is asking technical questions comparing different types of network devices & technologies to each other. The purpose of questions like these is to test your knowledge about networking technologies. They are likely asking about technologies that are currently employed on their network. Continue to answer these technical questions as you have throughout the interview.

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

Answer Example

"An IPS is an intrusion prevention system. This is a passive device that constantly monitors your network and identifies possible intrusions, creating a log of them. Firewalls are active devices or software applications that detect intrusions and take actions to prevent them. These two technologies can be used in tandem to provide a higher level of security for your network."

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

4.   What is the difference between a network gateway and a firewall?

How to Answer

This is a follow-up to the previous question. As mentioned earlier, you can anticipate follow-up questions any time you provide the interviewer with an answer. Follow-up questions indicate that the interviewer has a specific interest in the topic you are discussing or wants to get more details from you. This is a signal that the topic is important, and you should discuss it in more depth when answering the interviewer's questions. You may even want to ask them questions about the topic to determine if they are experiencing any issues with it.

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

Answer Example

"As previously discussed, a firewall is either hardware software that controls which data packets are allowed to enter the network as well as what users are permitted on the network. A gateway, on the other hand, connects two disparate networks and allows them to communicate with each other. Gateways and firewalls can be configured to work with each other. Can I ask if your organization is experiencing issues with connecting networks or preventing unauthorized users access to your network?"

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

5.   Can you describe what a firewall is, and how it is used to secure a network?

How to Answer

This is a technical question. You will recall that technical questions ask you to define a topic or concept and then describe how it is used and the job for which you are interviewing. Technical questions should be answered directly and briefly, allowing the interviewer the opportunity to ask follow-up questions.

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

Answer Example

"Firewalls are devices that sit outside the network and prevent unauthorized users or traffic from entering the network. Firewalls can be customized to either allow most traffic, which improves performance or restrict most traffic, at the expense of performance. Networks can have multiple firewalls on different segments or set up in a hierarchical configuration."

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

6.   What is one of your weaknesses, how does it impact your work, and what are you doing to improve it?

How to Answer

Even more difficult than talking about our strengths during an interview is discussing our weaknesses. Nobody likes to admit they have a weakness. However, we all do. Being self-aware and able to identify a weakness allows you to address and correct it. Two approaches to discussing weaknesses are talking about those not related to the work you do or discussing a weakness that can be resolved and which you are working on. Since this question specifically asks about how it impacts your work, you'll need to use the second option.

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

Answer Example

"One of my greatest work-related weaknesses is trying to do everything myself. This often slows down the process and results in projects taking longer than they should. I recognize this and am working on my delegation skills. This was difficult for me at first, but I'm gaining confidence in the people I work with, and I'm becoming more comfortable handing off tasks I used to do myself."

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

7.   What is your greatest technical strength and how do you use it while managing an organization's network infrastructure?

How to Answer

When asked about your strengths, you should reply with the items related to the job you are interviewing for. When looking for a job or participating in an interview, it is not the time to be humble. This is the one opportunity you'll have to describe your qualifications to the hiring manager. You should take advantage of it. However, do not embellish or overstate your strengths. If you are hired, the manager will expect you to perform the job based on the information you provided. If you elaborate, your performance may fall short of expectations.

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

Answer Example

"One of my greatest strengths is attention to detail. I am very patient and will take the time to examine all the details of the task I am working on. This helps me identify anomalies or locate the source of an issue I am trying to fix. I often see things that other people miss, and this has helped to save our organization time and money."

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

8.   What have you done in the past year to become a better Network Administrator?

How to Answer

This question addresses your professional development plan and what you do to stay current in the field and improve your capabilities. Every professional should have a development plan and should be able to easily describe it to the interviewer. You can anticipate being asked some form of this question and every interview you attend.

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

Answer Example

"Networking technologies are constantly evolving and changing. Staying current with these is challenging but can be accomplished by having a consistent development plan and executing it. A part of the plan is also improving my skills to be prepared when the opportunity to advance occurs. I do this by reading industry journals, subscribing to online blogs, meeting with vendors and suppliers to learn about their newest technology, and getting together with my peers to discuss new developments that they are aware of. I also take formal classes and obtain all of the Cisco certifications I can."

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

9.   What do you think sets our company apart from our competitors?

How to Answer

An interviewer will ask this question for two reasons. The first is that they want to confirm that you've done some research about the organization and can discuss what makes it unique in its industry. The second is to gain an understanding of why you want to work for them. Keep in mind that you've already answered a question similar to this earlier in the interview. Make sure you keep your answers consistent throughout the interview.

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

Answer Example

"I believe there are several qualities which make your organization unique in this industry and gives you a competitive advantage. The first of these is your technology vision and how you have adopted cutting edge technologies to develop innovative products the market needs. Additionally, you're known for employing people who are at the top of their field, collaborate well with each other, and have a history of producing results faster and with fewer resources than your competitors. This is exactly the type of environment that I excel in and want to become a part of."

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

10.   What do you know about the network topology our company uses?

How to Answer

The interviewer has already asked you what you know about their company. Now they are asking you what you know about their network infrastructure. Many job candidates will not have done their homework and will need to ask the interviewer some questions to qualify this. However, as a well-qualified candidate, you should have done your research and already have a good understanding of their network topology. You can find this information on their website, in public documents they have released, from other job search sites such as Glassdoor, and by conducting informational interviews with some of their employees. You can also ask qualifying questions of the interviewer once you begin to describe the topology.

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

Answer Example

"While preparing for this interview, I did a great deal of research on your organization and the network topology you use. As I understand it, you have both a WAN and a LAN infrastructure and WiFi throughout the campus. Cisco manufactures the majority of your equipment, but you also use a few pieces of hardware from other suppliers. Your network monitoring software is the SolarWinds suite, which I have a great deal of experience with. As best I can tell, you have had very few network outages or security threats. Is this accurate?"

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

11.   Why are you the best candidate for us?

How to Answer

When organizations post a job description, they are likely to receive hundreds of applications. Even after narrowing down the list of viable candidates, they still have several people from which to choose. You need to respond to this question with a value statement that describes the contributions you can make to the organization's business objectives. An easy way to prepare for this question is to think about how you can help the organization make money, save money, or save time. These are the three main reasons companies hire their workers.

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

Answer Example

"There are several reasons I believe I am the best candidate for this role. First, I have all the skills and experience needed to perform the job. Second, I have worked for several organizations that have IT infrastructures similar to yours. I'm familiar with the network issues you're likely to encounter and how to resolve them. Finally, I understand this industry and know what the organization needs to do to accomplish its business objectives. Everything I do within the network administration role will contribute to this goal."

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

12.   Tell us about a time when you influenced the outcome of a project by taking a leadership role.

How to Answer

Organizations love to hire leaders. Even if the role for which you are interviewing is not a leadership position, the hiring manager will want to know about your leadership experience and your ability to assume a leadership role when necessary. This question was asked in the form of a behavioral question. Behavioral questions present you with situations and ask how you would respond or have responded. The best way to answer a behavioral question is by using the STAR framework. First, state the Situation. Next, briefly describe the Task you needed to accomplish. Discuss the Actions you took, followed by the Results you attained.

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

Answer Example

"At my previous company, we were presented with a network security issue which nobody seemed to know how to resolve. We had to address this as quickly as possible to prevent any damage to the organization's information. I assumed a team leadership role, calling everyone together and brainstorming the issue. We came up with several ideas about how to fix the problem, which I assigned to each member of the team. Within a few hours, we identified the issue and came up with a resolution. We implemented it, and the network was secured."

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

13.   Some people work best as part of a group - others prefer the role of an individual contributor. How would you describe yourself?

How to Answer

Every profession requires you to work both individually and as a member of a team. Different situations require different ways of working. You probably have a preference for one or the other of these. When you answer this question, begin by recognizing that you need to be able to do both of these, and then state your preference, providing the interviewer with a rationale for your choice.

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

Answer Example

"I function well while working both as an individual contributor and as a member of a highly functional team. There are benefits to both of these work styles. If the problem is simple, requires only my expertise, and can be done relatively quickly, working alone is the best method. However, for complex situations, which require input from many different perspectives and resources provided by individuals with different talents, teaming works best. Given a choice, I would rather work in a team. Not only is this more enjoyable, but it also provides me the opportunity to learn from others."

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

14.   What have you done in past situations to contribute to a teamwork environment?

How to Answer

You may feel that this question is similar to one you have already answered. In fact, this is the case. Interviewers will ask you multiple questions about similar topics throughout the interview. This helps them correlate your answers and ensure that you are responding consistently throughout the interview. It may also be an attempt to discuss the topic in more detail. The best way to respond to this is, in the same manner, you responded to all their questions about this topic.

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

Answer Example

"IT organizations are made up of disparate groups with common goals. We each have our own specialties within the IT infrastructure. This enables us to maximize our efficiency and effectiveness. It also requires us to work together in a team environment. We need to make sure our actions are coordinated so that each contributes to a common goal without interfering with the others. I've become very effective at doing this and have done it many times in my previous positions."

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

15.   Tell me about a difficult challenge you faced as a network admin.

How to Answer

This is a general question which the interviewer may ask early in the interview to begin the conversation, learn more about your background, and collect some information they can use for subsequent questions. When discussing challenges, your answer should align with the challenges the organization with which you are interviewing may be facing. You can learn about these by researching the organization, its network infrastructure, and any challenges it talks about. Resources for the research include its website, public financial documents, or discussions in user forums. Once you discover these, you can answer this question by describing a similar challenge and the ways resolved them.

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

Answer Example

"One of the biggest challenges I have encountered in my career as a network administrator is overcoming vendor lock-in. Many organizations similar to yours will elect to implement technology from a single vendor whose products and solutions are leading edge when they choose to work with them. However, this industry evolves quickly, and other solutions come to the market regularly. It is often difficult to transition between the older solutions, which are vendor proprietary and newer ones, which have better features. I've overcome this by choosing to work with open source systems and ensuring that the vendors are compatible with other products before selecting them."

Written by William Swansen on October 10th, 2020

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