Have you ever thought about how your computer handles wireless, video, and data services? Network engineers build and maintain the computer networks that do all of that. Since computer networks aren’t going anywhere, a network engineer has favorable job prospects. Today’s network engineer brings in an average $90,000+ per year in the US.
Would you like to work as a network engineer? Or have you already started looking for a more senior position? We’ve put together this comprehensive list of network engineer interview questions to help you out!.
We’ll cover the most basic questions, along with trickier networking troubleshooting interview questions. Let’s get started!
Interviewing for a system network engineer role? You’ve come to the right place. This complete guide will show you the best way to answer the most common interview questions for a system network engineer job. It will also give you advice on how to look your best on the day of the interview.
Whether you’re an aspiring network engineer looking to break into the field or a seasoned pro exploring new job opportunities, interview preparation is key. The interview allows you to showcase both your technical abilities and soft skills to potential employers.
We’ve compiled a list of the most common and critical system network engineer interview questions you’re likely to encounter. From questions about your education and experience to scenario-based problems testing your technical knowledge we’ll cover them all.
It’s important to know what skills and abilities employers want in network engineers if you want to do well in your interview. Key areas they assess include:
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Technical knowledge and expertise: A solid grasp of network fundamentals is critical. You can expect to be asked about things like TCP/IP, switching and routing, VPNs, firewalls, and network security. This person interviewing you wants to see that you can design, set up, and fix problems with network systems.
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Problem-solving ability: Network engineers are constantly faced with technical challenges that they must debug and overcome. Interviewers will present scenario-based questions to evaluate analytical thinking and determination in resolving issues.
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Communication skills: Collaboration is crucial. You need to liaise with vendors, colleagues, managers, and end-users. The interview assesses your ability to explain technical details in a simple manner and communicate effectively overall.
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Leadership skills: Senior network engineers require leadership abilities to manage teams and complex projects. Questions will measure your capacity to set direction, motivate others, and drive results.
Let’s get right into the top system network engineer interview questions and answers:
Questions Testing Technical Knowledge
Expect the majority of your system network engineer interview to focus on technical questions gauging your hard skills. Be prepared to get into the nitty-gritty of networking.
Q1: What is the difference between a hub, switch, and router?
A hub operates at Layer 1 of the OSI model and simply broadcasts packets to all connected devices without discrimination. A switch works at Layer 2, learning MAC addresses and only sending frames to the destination host. Routers function at Layer 3, using logical addressing to determine optimal paths for forwarding packets between networks.
Q2: Explain the basic TCP/IP network layers and outline the main protocols that operate at each layer.
The four TCP/IP network layers are:
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Application Layer (Layer 4): Includes protocols like HTTP, SMTP, and FTP that allow access to network services.
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Transport Layer (Layer 3): TCP and UDP protocols operate here to establish host-to-host connections.
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Internet Layer (Layer 2): IP protocol works here to handle logical addressing and routing between networks.
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Link Layer (Layer 1): Protocols like Ethernet enable physical transmission between network nodes.
Q3: What are VLANs and what purpose do they serve?
VLANs or Virtual Local Area Networks are used to logically segment a physical LAN network into separate broadcast domains. This provides greater security, flexibility, and performance optimization. Key benefits of VLANs include traffic containment, enhanced security as devices in one VLAN can’t directly communicate with those in other VLANs, and better bandwidth utilization through reduced unnecessary broadcasting.
Q4: What are some important steps in troubleshooting a network issue?
Key troubleshooting steps include:
- Interview end-users to understand problem symptoms
- Identify the specific network segment with issues
- Ping devices to check connectivity and packet loss
- Use trace route to identify hops and latency
- Examine system logs, events, and SNMP traps
- Isolate the problem through methodical testing and evaluation
- Implement a solution or workaround
- Verify full functionality restored
- Document the problem and resolution details
Q5: You are designing a wireless network for an office. What factors will you consider?
Factors to consider include:
- Purpose of the wireless network (guest or employee access)
- Required coverage area and number of users
- Bandwidth and performance requirements
- Compatibility with existing network infrastructure
- Security protocols like WPA2 encryption
- Physical obstructions that may cause interference
- Overlap with neighboring wireless networks
- Cost and technology options like mesh networks
Scenario-Based Questions
Many system network engineer interview questions will present hypothetical situations and ask how you would approach them. This tests your problem-solving skills and reflexes in action.
Q6: Users are experiencing very slow internet speeds during peak hours. As a network engineer, how would you troubleshoot this?
I would start by interviewing users to understand usage patterns and chronology of slow speeds. Then I would log into network devices like routers, switches, and firewalls to check configurations, traffic statistics, logs, etc.
Tools like packet captures and network performance monitors would help analyze traffic flows in greater depth. I would be checking for any malware or attacks using IDPS. If the issue looks to be within the LAN, I would check for duplex mismatches, faulty equipment, congestion, etc.
If it occurs outside the LAN, I would engage the ISP to diagnose the WAN side. I’d also optimize traffic prioritization via QoS if needed and recommend bandwidth upgrades if required.
Q7: While doing network maintenance, you accidentally take down a VLAN affecting critical business applications. How do you respond?
I would first try to restore the VLAN immediately if it was a simple misconfiguration. If that fails or the issue is more complex, I would migrate the impacted traffic to another VLAN as a temporary workaround to minimize downtime.
In parallel, I would dig deeper into the root cause and work on restoring the original VLAN. I would keep leadership informed of progress and expected resolution time.
Post-resolution, I would ensure the new VLAN configuration is appropriately documented to prevent recurrence. I would also implement additional safeguards like change control procedures when making network changes in the future.
Q8: The development team needs to share large design files quickly and wants their own isolated network. How would you design a solution to meet this need?
I would implement a separate VLAN for the development team, isolated from other corporate traffic for security and performance. I would assign dedicated bandwidth and configure QoS to prioritize their network traffic.
For optimized file sharing, I would set up a high-speed switch connecting their systems to provide low latency LAN connectivity. I would implement SMB protocol for Windows or NFS for Linux to enable fast file transfers.
If traffic needs to go over the WAN, I would establish site-to-site VPN tunnels with appropriate firewall rules. I would also consider deploying a WAN acceleration device to improve performance over the VPN.
Questions Assessing Soft Skills
While technical expertise is critical, you also need strong soft skills to excel as a system network engineer. Come prepared to discuss your interpersonal abilities.
Q9: How do you stay up-to-date on the latest networking technologies and industry trends?
I make continuous learning a priority throughout my career. I regularly read industry publications, blogs, and standards documents to stay updated on new technologies and protocols as they emerge.
I attend technology conferences and seminars whenever possible. I also leverage online courses and training materials to expand my knowledge and skills.
Within my company, I collaborate closely with engineering teams to get insights on upcoming projects that may impact the network. Vendor demos also help me assess how new tools can provide value.
Q10: Tell me about a time you successfully led a complex network migration project. What steps did you take?
Recently, I led the network portion of our campus office relocation. As preparation, I conducted an in-depth audit of the existing network environment including topology, configurations, IP schemes, and applications.
I designed the new office network balancing business needs, scalability, and ease of management. Developing a detailed project plan with timelines helped coordinate multiple teams.
To minimize downtime, I scheduled the cutover during non-business hours and implemented robust testing procedures. The migration was completed on schedule with no major issues. Feedback indicated the project communication and change management process exceeded expectations.
Q11: How would you explain complex technical problems or proposed solutions to non-technical stakeholders?
I would use analogies and simplify technical jargon that non-technical audiences can easily grasp. For instance, comparing network congestion slowing down traffic to the concept of crowded highways at rush hour.
I would demonstrate issues visually using diagrams whenever possible rather than diving into technical minutiae. I would also reference examples of similar solutions successfully implemented at other organizations they are familiar with.
Focusing the discussion on potential business impacts both positive and negative makes technical problems more tangible for leadership. I would welcome their questions and feedback to ensure concepts are explained clearly.
Q12: Tell me about a time you had a disagreement with a colleague. How did you handle it?
When collaborating on a network upgrade project, a colleague felt strongly that we should take a risky shortcut to expedite the cutover process. I was convinced this could lead to significant downtime.
I listened to their viewpoint first but explained my reservations calmly
Basic Networking Interview Questions
Looking for an entry-level role? Start with these network support engineer interview questions.
Take your time reviewing these interview questions on networking for freshers. You might consider having a few research tabs open to ease your studies, too.
“Cat 5” and “Cat 6” are the LAN cable types most often used. The speed limits for “Cat 5” and “Cat 6” are 100 Mbps and 1 Gbps, respectively.
A cross table connects same-type devices for interaction without needing a switch or hub.
Standard LAN cables and cross cables are different in how the paired wires are connected to the connector (RJ45).
The length should be 100 meters, but once you get past 80 meters, the signal loss could slow you down.
- Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP): DHCP gives IP addresses to many PCs on a network, which makes managing IP addresses easier.
- Scope: A scope is a list of IP addresses that a client can use to talk to other PCs on the network. IP addresses have a gateway IP address, subnet masks, a DNS server IP address, and an exclusion range.
- Superscope: Superscopres are a combination of two or more scopes.
The Active Directory is a directory service that manages network environments’ identities and connections. It is a collection of processes and services that help users leverage network resources to accomplish their tasks.
Domain Naming Service, or DNS, is used to translate between names and IP addresses. While we can easily recall names, the computer can only understand numbers. Therefore, we give computers and websites names. When we use these names (such as yahoo. com), the computer converts the request to an IP address (a number) via DNS.
- “A” record: This is a host record that connects a name to an IP address. It gets the IP address of a name from the Domain Name System (DNS) record.
- “MX” Record: To find the network’s mail servers, you need to know their MX, or mail exchanger, records.
The IPCONFIG command displays IP information assigned to a computer. We can determine the computers assigned IP address, DNS IP address, and gateway IP address from the output.
When a DHCP server isn’t available, the Windows client computer gives itself an IP address called an APIPA so it can talk to other computers on the network.
When we install Active Directory, a domain is formed. Its a security barrier that controls computers inside of it. Using a domain, you can centrally manage computers and control them with group policies.
BSOD stands for “Blue Screen of Death. When a hardware or OS problem stops the Windows operating system from working, a blue screen with a code shows up. The best solution is to boot from the “Last Known Good Configuration” on the PC. Boot the machine in safe mode. And if that doesn’t work, it could signify issues with the devices or driver.
RIS stands for Remote Installation Services. Once the installed has been saved to a Windows server, RIS can set up the new hardware. It can be used to deploy server and client operating systems.
Ghosting, which is also called imaging, does the same thing by taking a picture of an installed and then installing it on new hardware. Because installing an OS from a CD every time might be time-consuming, we choose either RISE or imaging/ghosting.
Setting up a new computer and putting in the newest OS and antivirus software is possible. Then, connect the infected HDD to the system as a secondary disc. After that, wipe and scan the backup HDD. Now, you can transfer the files to the new system.
Manageable switches are customizable, configurable, and controllable. Unmanageable switches don’t have any customizable or configurable settings.
NIC stands for “network interface controller.” A network interface controller is a computer part that is also called a “network card” or “network adapter.” An NIC enables computer communication over a computer network.
USB stands for Universal serial bus, which connects devices like modems, mouses, and keyboards.
The connectivity between two devices is something we refer to as a link. It comprises cables and protocols used so two devices can talk to one another.
RAS, which stands for “remote access services,” lets you get to resources that are usually on a network of IT devices from afar.
Extended ACLs are source- and destination-based. Standard ACLs are source-based.
FTP, which stands for “File Transfer Protocol,” is a way for computers on a network to talk to each other and share files. A user can access files on public servers using anonymous FTP.
A backbone network is a centralized infrastructure created to provide several networks with varied routes and data. It also manages channel and bandwidth control.
Forward lookup converts names to IP addresses, while reverse lookup translates IP addresses to names.
Top Network Engineer Interview Questions
Expect a mix of both behavioral and technical networking interview questions. People might ask you about web tools you use every day, like VPN servers, or web tools you’ve used to build computer networks. Similarly, you might have to recount past work experiences where you demonstrated strong communication or liaising experience.
Our list of computer networks interview questions is broken up by level of difficulty to help you find the ones that are most relevant to your background.
Let’s start with basic networking questions.
SYSTEMS ENGINEER INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (System Engineer or Network Engineer Interviews!)
FAQ
What does a network systems engineer do?
What is a network engineer interview question?
This is a technical question that network engineers, even those with entry-level experience, have enough knowledge to answer when prompted in an interview. An employer may ask this question to make sure you’re confident in networking basics before they get into more in-depth questions about your experience and knowledge.
What questions should you ask in a networking interview?
Let’s get started! Expect a mix of both behavioral and technical networking interview questions. You might be asked about common web tools like VPN servers or web tools you’ve worked with to build computer networks. Similarly, you might have to recount past work experiences where you demonstrated strong communication or liaising experience.
How do I prepare for a network engineer interview?
So, to help you prepare, here are 10 Network Engineer interview questions. 1. What is a network typology? Your answer should include a physical description of a company’s computer network, including where the different systems are located and how they’re connected. 2. What is your experience as a Network Engineer?
How many networking engineering interview questions do companies ask?
In this article, we share 34 networking engineering interview questions a company may ask you in your next meeting and provide four sample questions with answers you can use as a reference. Please note that none of the companies mentioned in this article are affiliated with Indeed.
