On Jul 6, 2012, at 11:41 AM, Keith Medcalf wrote: > > My response would be "insufficient information provided for meaningful > diagnosis". > > The following could be issues: > ... the user does not have a computer > ... the computer is not turned on > ... the keyboard is not plugged in > ... the user is a quadraplegic and cannot use the mouse or keyboard > ... the user is blind and cannot find the computer > ... the user has a computer but is not connected to a network > ... the monitor is not turned on > ... the brightness is turned down too far on the monitor > ... the user is dead
I would argue that the fact the user filed a ticket/contacted the helpdesk/whatever to raise the issue indicates that the user probably isn't dead. The rest are semi-legitimate somewhat amusing answers, but you missed many possibilities. When providing such a list of answers, always include an etc. at the end so as to indicate your understanding that the list is not complete. ;-) > How does the user know that it cannot access the web site? When did users become things? Probably a candidate that made this mistake should be dismissed from consideration on that basis alone. Owen > >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Matt Chung [mailto:itsmemattch...@gmail.com] >> Sent: Friday, 06 July, 2012 08:20 >> To: joseph.sny...@gmail.com >> Cc: nanog@nanog.org >> Subject: Re: job screening question >> >> A former manager of mine once told me you can gauge a persons understanding >> by the questions they ask and I personally agree with this statement. Most >> of us will be able to make a reasonable assessment of the person by >> listening to the content of their questions. I'm not looking for an >> immediate resolution, but trying to understand the thought process of the >> individual. I feel realistic scenarios provide some insight on the >> individual's analytical skills. >> >> "A client cannot access the website "http://xyz.com". What do you do to >> troubleshoot this issue?" >> >> Depending on the candidate, I've seen a variety of answers: >> 1) "Can you ping the device?" >> 2) "Can you access the gateway?" >> 3) "What does the running config look like on the router" >> 4) "Is there a firewall in between" >> >> I believe these questions may be asked in the right context provided there >> is enough information to isolate the issue to the network however the >> statement is devoid of anything useful that would make the network suspect. >> I would like to hear some questions such as: >> >> "are other websites accessible? Or is the only website the client is >> experiencing issues with?" >> "was the website working previously? when did it start happening?" >> "what does the client see on their screen ? are they getting an error?" >> >> These questions reflect the persons ability to accurately understand the >> problem before deep diving into the technical details. From there, you can >> get more technical. "Client is receiving an HTTP 404 error." Great, rule >> out network since this is an application layer response... >> >> just my .02. >> >> On Fri, Jul 6, 2012 at 8:28 AM, <joseph.sny...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> I agree. Let the person talk do a few probing questions based off what >>> they say. If you yourself have any value you should be able to tell if they >>> have a chance. >>> >>> Also I would prefer someone who says I don't know for sure but maybe >>> something along these lines, and then wants to know the right answer. >>> Passion is also important, if you are willing to hire someone who is in it >>> for just a paycheck, save yourself the headache and get a contractor. >>> -- >>> Sent from my Android phone with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity. >>> >>> Matthew Palmer <mpal...@hezmatt.org> wrote: >>> >>> On Thu, Jul 05, 2012 at 11:04:05PM -0400, Robert E. Seastrom wrote: >>>> Diogo Montagner <diogo.montag...@gmail.com> writes: >>>>> For screening questions (for 1st level filtering), IMO, the questions >>>>> has to be straight to the point, for example: >>>>> >>>>> 1) What is the LSA number for an external route in OSPF? >>>>> >>>>> This can have two answer: 5 or 7. So, I will accept if the candidate >>>>> answer 5, 7 or 5 and 7. Later on (the next level of the interview), a >>>>> techinical interviewer will chech if the candidate understand the >>>>> differences of LSA 5 and 7. >>>> >>>> Frankly, this feels a bit like asking what the 9th byte in an IP >>>> header is used for (it's TTL, but who's, uh, counting?) -- "That's why >>>> God gave us packet analyzers" should be counted as an acceptable >>>> answer. If not, you'll find yourself skipping over plenty of >>>> extremely well qualified candidates in favor of those who have crammed >>>> recently for some sort of exam in hopes of compensating for their >>>> short CV. >>> >>> Ugh, I know someone (thankfully no longer a current colleague) who ardently >>> *defends* his use of questions like "what does the -M option to ps do?" on >>> the basis that "any senior person who knows what they're doing should know >>> all the options to ps!". No, you useless tit, anyone who knows what they're >>> doing should know how to read a bloody manpage. >>> >>> Trivia tests get you hiring people who know trivia. Knowing trivia has it's >>> productivity benefits, but if you can't apply it, it's useless. >>> >>> - Matt >>> >>> -- >>> Politics and religion are just like software and hardware. They all suck, >>> the documentation is provably incorrect, and all the vendors tell lies. >>> -- Andrew Dalgleish, in the Monastery >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> -- >> -Matt Chung > > >