Why this matters:
For today’s businesses, interoperability is the name of the game. You want a network engineer who is experienced and comfortable with combining multiple systems and managing hybrid environments. This will help your new hire ramp up to full productivity faster and be able to handle a wider range of tasks.
What to listen for:
- Descriptions of the different systems the candidate used in tandem
- Examples of common problems and frustrations encountered — and how they solved them
Why this matters:
Increasingly, companies are seeing the benefit of integrating development and sysadmin teams. This approach brings greater efficiency to an organization’s IT efforts. DevOps means collective responsibility, which leads to better team engagement and productivity. Product knowledge is no longer scattered across different roles and departments, which fuels better process transparency and decision-making.
What to listen for:
- Experience with this form of cross-functional working relationship
- Capable of working in a communicative and collaborative multidisciplinary team
Why this matters:
Fundamental shifts in the location of business processes and how they’re accessed is changing how we connect our locations together, how we think about security, the economics of networking, and what we ask of the people who take care of them. The larger the network, the more moving pieces — and the more opportunities for problems and vulnerabilities.
What to listen for:
- An infrastructure description, growth over time, and the challenges of managing a large-scale network
- Experience with networks of various sizes — or a demonstrated ability to work with one competently
Why this matters:
Network and connectivity issues are a constant source of frustration for employees and companies. That’s just the nature of work in the digital age. The key here is to press your candidate for specific and varied examples. Every system and network poses its own unique challenges. What tools did they use to test? How did they isolate the issue? And how was it ultimately resolved?
What to listen for:
- Indication of thoughtful problem-solving to find viable solutions
- Mention of communication with the organization during the troubleshooting process
Why this matters:
Slow or unreliable IT systems can hold an entire organization back, so the best network engineers make it their mission to optimize network performance. You want to know how your candidate goes about identifying areas for improvement and securing buy-in from stakeholders to bring their ideas to fruition.
What to listen for:
- Highly reactive to new problems, and proactively implements improvements to prevent future issues
- Ability to take an idea from conception to completion, and a process for identifying and escalating opportunities to superiors
Why this matters:
Cybersecurity is more important than ever. How would your candidate protect against a data breach? Attacks from cybercriminals? Increased vulnerabilities due to the Internet of Things and mobile? You want a candidate who has a broad understanding of what it takes to keep a network secure, even as technology evolves.
What to listen for:
- Demonstrates an appropriate level of concern for security
- Knowledgeable on security strategies like strong password implementation, and company policies regarding public Wi-Fi usage
Why this matters:
Today, IT is integral to every facet of a business. You need network engineers who can communicate the value of what they do to a non-tech audience — especially when it comes to presenting ideas to an executive team. Here you’re looking for a candidate who can make complex engineering terminology simple and understandable to a layperson.
What to listen for:
- Ability to simply describe complex technology
- Clear articulation of the benefits of the cloud business
Why this matters:
Great customer service is at the heart of every successful business — especially in the connected age. One wrong move, and your brand could be torn to shreds on social media. You need to know that your new hire will acknowledge and respond appropriately to a client’s concerns — and earn back any confidence that’s been lost.
What to listen for:
- Experience salvaging troubled client relationships
- Patience and empathy with even the most difficult of clients
Why this matters:
IT used to be a siloed department. Nowadays, tech underpins everything a company does, so you need to make sure your candidate has strong collaboration skills. Can they see a project through to completion alongside others? Do they play to everyone’s strengths? And did they learn anything from the experience?
What to listen for:
- Examples of coordinating necessary resources, establishing a plan for others, and overcoming any setbacks
- Capable of recognizing the value of collaboration
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