Hiring Network and Server Techs

[PCX]

As most of you know, we are primarily a break fix shop with the occasional onsite visit. We would like to change that and hire on some technicians with networking and server experience. The problem is that I know absolutely nothing about networking (ok, I know some of the basics) or servers, so as you can imagine, it would be difficult for me to hire an experience tech and KNOW that he knows what he is doing. I also have absolutely no time or desire to learn it. I am finally at the point of my business where I rarely have to touch a computer or a phone and I can simply run and grow the business and I would like to keep it that way.

What I need to know is what certifications and experience should I be looking for in a network / server tech as well as what interview questions (and answers) that I should be asking during the interview.

I am hoping that since this is a unique request (as I have not seen any other thread like this) that I will be able to get some good feed back.

Thank you all in advance.

 

[Mike McCall]

If you're going to expect them to "hit the ground running" and you want to have confidence in them, Network+/CCNA/CCNP are the one's to consider. It's more about the hands-on experience that you're going to need. I know people who are very experienced that have no certs at all, and others who have certs but no hands-on experience. Go with the verifiable experience.

 

[Markverhyden]

^^^ What Mike said.

Certs are great and some customers may require proof of certification. But at the end of the day you need to have confidence that they know what they are doing. So, just like a W2 check, you need to be able to independently confirm their skills via customer reviews.

 

[frederick]

If they have decided on the cisco route, then yes, the CCNA/CCNP/etc. Honestly, I've met guys who have other networking certs like Juniper. But they should have Net+ and Sec+ at a minimum if we are talking about certifications for a networking guy. Outside of that, vendor specific will still cover the same concepts and troubleshooting steps when it comes to general networking, but the equipment will be based on the vendor. Experience wise, if it is a tech/administrator (not an engineer), then I'd expect them to have at least 4+ years in networking. A degree with a specialization in networking would be nice to see as well, but not required if they have they certs.

For the server techs/administrator, I want to see MS server certs. If the last cert they have is for Server 2003, they can keep walking. I hired a guy with 2008, and felt that that was on the border of what is considered acceptable and out of date. But because we are talking servers, then I want to see server specific certifications from MS. You are useless as a Server Admin if you can't navigate through an AD, or know the difference between a Sharepoint Server and File Server.

 

[CompConfig]

Certs are great but we place more importance on real world experience and referrals. IMHO, I would (and do) hire someone with little to no certs but with practical experience and good references if I am looking to provide less time training and I need a person who can hit the ground running. Give me a 30 minute interview and if he or she can answer my questions on the fly they are hired. It may not be textbook but in 20 years there have been only two people I have had to let go because they were not competent.

 

[altrenda]

For the server techs/administrator, I want to see MS server certs. If the last cert they have is for Server 2003, they can keep walking. I hired a guy with 2008, and felt that that was on the border of what is considered acceptable and out of date. .

I find this interesting.People like this may have over 10 years experience, and like a lot of us, don't see the need to keep getting certified as something mandatory if the work experience is documented.

This wouldn't be a deal breaker to me. If they haven't touched a server since 2008, that's a different story.

 

[frederick]

I find this interesting.People like this may have over 10 years experience, and like a lot of us, don't see the need to keep getting certified as something mandatory if the work experience is documented.

I am willing to take experience over certs, any day. But a lot of times, I'm talking with guys who've been with XYZ, Inc. for the last 10 years working on their Novell with Server 2003 network. Thats great you have the experience, but when I'm deploying Server 2012, you are probably going to hinder what I want you to acomplish.

If you have your Net+ from say when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and computers were made of stone, whatever. But if you are not at least familiar with server 2012 (or 2008) and have the certs to prove it, I'm going to look at the guy with the same experience and the cert before you. We aren't talking the basic certs and knowledge here, we are talking actually learning the server editions, how to deploy them, how to maintain them, etc. The OP said Server Tech, not just a regular systems Tech, so I take this as a Server/Systems Administrator.

 

[PCX]

Certs are great but we place more importance on real world experience and referrals. IMHO, I would (and do) hire someone with little to no certs but with practical experience and good references if I am looking to provide less time training and I need a person who can hit the ground running. Give me a 30 minute interview and if he or she can answer my questions on the fly they are hired. It may not be textbook but in 20 years there have been only two people I have had to let go because they were not competent.

So, what questions would you ask during an interview and what answers do you expect to here from a good candidate?

 

[frederick]

I'd ask about their experiences for one. What have they done with network/servers? What experience do they have with core installations? VMware/ESXi and Hyper-V experience? Network deployment sizes? What flavors of servers have they installed (DC, AD, Exchange, Sharepoint, etc.)?

Someone who tells me 10 years of experience I should expect to hear that they've accomplished at least 1 migration during that time, as well as AD and DC setups and maintenance. I would prefer them to be honest with me about their experiences when working with core installations. We don't do core installations (usually), but do maintain servers (Windows and Linux) that we fell on that are using core installations. It's good to know because you never know. A good candidate will tell me I mess around with VMware/ESXi and Hyper-V on my spare time at the minimum. A really good candidate will tell me they've deployed or maintained a virtual server host or 2. It's going in that direction, and if the candidate doesn't have the experience or knowledge, then are you willing to pay for them to learn it or wing it when it comes time. I want to know how big of a network a network tech has gone, and how small as well. I'm looking for key equipment manufacturers: Cisco, Ubiquiti, MikroTik, CheckPoint, etc. If I hear "I set up a 5 system office with a Linksys router...", I'm going to tell them it was great meeting them and we will be in touch. But if I hear "I set up a 5 system office with a Dell SonicWALL at the edge with a VPN to their corporate office and routing of phones.....etc", then I'm going to keep talking to them. Asking them what they did about specific projects is great, cause if they sound confident about it then chances are they were deep in the project and not just a coffee getter. DC/AD experience is going to be common, but what about exchange, sharepoint, file servers, etc? They more types of servers a candidate has worked with shows me that they have more knowledge than someone with a cert or "I was a tech" when we are talking about servers.

It's not important to some, but to me it is...have they worked on Hybrid-OS network servers. I'm not talking specifically about virtual servers, but chances are it was. Some of our clients have a DC/AD Windows Server, a Linux File-Server, and a IIS Web Server. That Linux Server has to be integrated in to the whole operation to work properly and work with the Windows servers to accomplish its task(s). If someone has this kind of experience, chances are I'm going to bump them to the front of the line.

 

[CTL]

I just wanted to start by saying that In NJ most of the good server\network techs want alot of money. So, my question to you. Are you going to have enough of that type work to keep them busy and interested? Also, if you hire the tech and you get some clients that new tech maintained and something happens to the tech. Who would have the skills to step in and maintain the account? It usually takes sometime to find the right good tech.

Your going to need level 2 or 3 tech. Level 2 techs are non existent in my area. So ill assume level 3 is what you will be interviewing.

As far as finding the good ones, they are usually employed. Techs that were refereed to me, always worked out best.They were employed, but were interested in a change of environment. I have found that experienced techs worked out better then a tech with a bunch of certs and not as much experience. In 10 years I have never lost a project due to not having someone with a certain cert on staff. We do Server, Cisco stuff, we do sonic-wall, vmware etc..

I know some areas of the country were hit harder then others, but if the tech hasn't had a "Tech" job in over a year, I would think twice about hiring them, even if they have experience or cert. (Unless there is a darn good reason, why they haven't been working.)

As mentioned above..There is sometimes an issue with experienced techs, sometimes they have "old" experience. If you start talking to them about "new" technologies and they are just looking at you with a blank face..there's a problem.

They should be a people person and confident. However, I have had issues with some experienced techs being over confident and then something goes wrong and they start blaming everyone\everything and making excuses. Everyone needs help sometime. A good tech knows to stop ask for help. whether its from another tech or vendor.

The list of things I learned over the years could go on and on...hope this little bit helped.

 

[PCX]

I just wanted to start by saying that In NJ most of the good server\network techs want alot of money. So, my question to you. Are you going to have enough of that type work to keep them busy and interested? Also, if you hire the tech and you get some clients that new tech maintained and something happens to the tech. Who would have the skills to step in and maintain the account? It usually takes sometime to find the right good tech.

Will I have enough network /server work? Realistically, probably not initially. However, we are looking at hiring another tech, so while they would be fairly expensive (compared to bench techs), I could keep them busy doing bench work when not onsite.

 

[CTL]

Another option, if you have some funds and want to get going fast. You could see if there are any established one-man\small computer businesses in your area and buy them out. I brought a one-man business early on and I still have the clients to this day. I turned them into Managed services clients. I still communicate with the tech I purchased it from, it was a good deal for both of us. When I purchased the business, he was able to just do tech work and help me grow the business side vs having to run it himself and do everything. He was very happy.

You can get creative with the purchase too. I paid the tech a down payment and percentage of the billings..both his original and new ones. I think this beats, putting money out on payroll every month and try to build up the commercial side from scratch.

 

[frederick]

Consider promoting within as well. If you got someone with the talent and potential, send them off to learn it. They get a raise, some new skills, and are now a bigger asset. Id rather train an employee and increase their skills, i feel it gives them a larger incentive to stay and helps my business. Though others will disagree.

Always remeber this saying:
What happens if we train them and they leave? What happens if we dont train them and they stay?

 

[drpcfix]

My favorite questions to find a good "server person" were always Exchange stuff.. I assumed everyone knew how to ping around and troubleshoot DNS and file shares - but if you want someone that is REALLY good;

1. Do you know how to run Exchange servers? (installation to deployment)
2. Great, what are some of the biggest deployments you've run? (How many users, how many servers) [A decent installation is 50+ users, 10-20 user setups really shouldn't count, if they've done any with many hundreds or thousands, they probably know plenty.)
3. And finally, have you had to deal with Exchange database corruption/recovery? Offline recoveries, etc - tell me about some. [This stuff is hard, I spent hundreds of hours setting up Exchange environments and I always had to pass this stuff off to someone that knew more]

If they can answer this stuff well, they are probably experts in all things Microsoft honestly.

If they've only done small Exchange installations, they've probably not seen super complex stuff. When you are going after business clients, you don't want to get some 50 person offices and run into "I'm not sure what to do here" - or worse yet "Yeah, I got this" (then kaboom)

Like others above have said, when you really venture out into business networks, you are going to see tons of vmware/hyperv, NAS, iSCSI, etc etc, it's not like 10-15 years ago when you basically just saw small business server everywhere.

(If you are going after a bunch of 3-5 person businesses, ignore all this - it's not relevant at all, this would be overkill)

 

[lsi]

If you have no server knowledge and no desire to learn it then hiring a server/network guy is probably not the best route for you. You need at least a minimal understanding if you're going to manage/bid projects and make money on them. Worst case scenario is that you lose lots of money, your health, and your reputation. Servers in particular are a whole new level of liability and stress. I would start with a subcontractor who can bid by the job and after you've done that for awhile you will have a much better idea of what type of guy you need to hire and what kind of work you want to take on.

 

[PCX]

If you have no server knowledge and no desire to learn it then hiring a server/network guy is probably not the best route for you. You need at least a minimal understanding if you're going to manage/bid projects and make money on them. Worst case scenario is that you lose lots of money, your health, and your reputation. Servers in particular are a whole new level of liability and stress. I would start with a subcontractor who can bid by the job and after you've done that for awhile you will have a much better idea of what type of guy you need to hire and what kind of work you want to take on.

That does bring up another good point. I was planning on charging by the hour, but obviously that cannot be done with all jobs, especially when it comes to equipment. I suppose I can sub it out, but eventually I would want to make the transition, but again I have absolutely no desire to learn the skill. So, there has to be a good way of hiring someone full time that can manage that portion of the business, without me having prior experience myself.

With that all said, most businesses around here are small businesses and except for the big box stores, I can't imagine that there would be too many difficult jobs. Worse case, I can just sub the more difficult jobs out.

 

[ComputerPro]

Experience first and foremost. Most of the best server techs I know are not certified. They are too busy working. Some of the Cisco guys have to be in a way but that's a diff scenario. I would at least ask the following:

Explain what DNS is and how it works.
What is the difference between a layer 2 switch and a layer 3 switch?
What is the color order of 568b wiring?
Whats the difference between a hub and a switch?
What does VPN stand for and how is it used?
In Active directory, what does an OU stand for? And what is the main difference between a folder and an OU?
Where should the DNS server on a workstation point to in a Server environment running active directory.
How would you very quickly test DNS operation on a workstation?
What are a few benefits of a Domain environment?
What are the steps (from memory) to add an IP printer to a workstation. Assuming printing is direct to the printer. (make sure they choose local port instead of Network port). This usually throws beginner guys and non techs installing themselves lol.

And the one that usually gets all but the truly seasoned guys lol..... 192.168.0.31 and 192.168.0.63 arent working in a subnetted environment with a mask of .224, but 192.168.0.22 and 192.168.0.72 work fine. What could be the problem?
If they get the last one quickly then they most likely have a good solid networking background. This question is usually only answered by Cisco guys for some reason but I usually ask it anyway lol.

A decent network / server tech should really be able to answer most, if not all of those questions to be honest.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Looks like old thread, surprised I missed it when it was out....but someone bounced it.

My input...since much of me is "self taught"...I don't rely purely on certs. Yeah I've gone through educations and exams along the way, this is an always evolving and changing field...one of the fastest out there! But I've learned not to equate "certs" with "competent". I've seen enough proof in the real world working with some people.

Keep tabs on employees of your competitors. Some of them might be good.
Sometimes you get to work alongside your competitors....and this gives you a really good glimpse at how capable their techs are. There is no better way to guage someones skills then rolling up your sleeves along side of them and digging into a project and watching how they handle things.

A competitor of ours closed up a couple of years ago. My colleague helped out one of his techs with an Exchange server project at a big auction house client of theirs. A few times. When the competitor closed shop....we picked up this tech...and his little suitcase full of clients (he had a few decent clients so he could hit the ground running turning into an income generation resource right away). Beats hiring someone and the trying to get him to fill his plate.

 

[NETWizz]

As most of you know, we are primarily a break fix shop with the occasional onsite visit. We would like to change that and hire on some technicians with networking and server experience. The problem is that I know absolutely nothing about networking (ok, I know some of the basics) or servers, so as you can imagine, it would be difficult for me to hire an experience tech and KNOW that he knows what he is doing. I also have absolutely no time or desire to learn it. I am finally at the point of my business where I rarely have to touch a computer or a phone and I can simply run and grow the business and I would like to keep it that way.

What I need to know is what certifications and experience should I be looking for in a network / server tech as well as what interview questions (and answers) that I should be asking during the interview.

I am hoping that since this is a unique request (as I have not seen any other thread like this) that I will be able to get some good feed back.

Thank you all in advance.

I do not mean to berate anyone on here or any of the answers given, but some of my best colleges have no certificates. It gets down to you have to know the material to interview someone and know if you have a winner or someone B.S.ing you.

Want my winning recipe? Want to know how I hire? It is simple... I look through and screen all resumes well... then I invite people for an interview and setup a quick and easy "hands on" test. It instantly tells me who has experience and who does not. Generally, I simply give them two (2) PCs and the IP addresses & subnet masks they MUST assign to them... Then I give them two (2) routers or Layer-3 switches (usually Cisco) and tell them to figure the rest out on their own where the ping MUST go through both routers and they MUST use a dynamic routing protocol to share the routes between the routers.

The good network folks, pull gateway IPs out of thin-air (on the appropriate subsets) assign them to the router interfaces... Connect the routers up with plenty of cable... Put some random subnet between the two routers and advertise the networks... It takes like 5 minutes. The ones who do not know what they are doing usually just sit down typing "?" or "help" at the CLI or trying to find if there is some webpage to configure it..

**********************
Another great thing to do is have someone make a network cable for you... do NOT just test them on the color code. Instead, give them cable, a crimer, etc. and let them make it without guidance. Score it on 1) using a correct color code, 2) being straight-thru, and 3) being neat crimped properly with strain relief etc.

**********************

Ask many questions.

 

[NETWizz]

Experience first and foremost. Most of the best server techs I know are not certified. They are too busy working. Some of the Cisco guys have to be in a way but that's a diff scenario. I would at least ask the following:

Explain what DNS is and how it works.
What is the difference between a layer 2 switch and a layer 3 switch?
What is the color order of 568b wiring?
Whats the difference between a hub and a switch?
What does VPN stand for and how is it used?
In Active directory, what does an OU stand for? And what is the main difference between a folder and an OU?
Where should the DNS server on a workstation point to in a Server environment running active directory.
How would you very quickly test DNS operation on a workstation?
What are a few benefits of a Domain environment?
What are the steps (from memory) to add an IP printer to a workstation. Assuming printing is direct to the printer. (make sure they choose local port instead of Network port). This usually throws beginner guys and non techs installing themselves lol.

And the one that usually gets all but the truly seasoned guys lol..... 192.168.0.31 and 192.168.0.63 arent working in a subnetted environment with a mask of .224, but 192.168.0.22 and 192.168.0.72 work fine. What could be the problem?
If they get the last one quickly then they most likely have a good solid networking background. This question is usually only answered by Cisco guys for some reason but I usually ask it anyway lol.

A decent network / server tech should really be able to answer most, if not all of those questions to be honest.

These are great questions... I need to dig my questions up for you. If you really want to find out who has knowledge a very easy way to do it is pull some random piece of equipment and ask them about it. i.e. I might pass a random fiber cable such as this 50/125 µ cable (I random have on my home desk) and ask them to identify the type of cable and connectors on the end.


If they immediately identify it as a fiber patch cable with LC connectors, they have probably worked with enterprise/corporate/Government networks. If they recognize it is aqua, which is generally multimode 50/125 µ great for SX to 550m (better than 62.5/125 good to 220m on SX)... and that this stuff can be used with LX to go further then they have a TON of experience.


And what is the main difference between a folder and an OU?

There are NO folders in AD, but there ARE Organizational Units AND Container Object Schemes. You cannot link a Group Policy Object to a Container for example... that's the major difference that comes to mind.


How would you very quickly test DNS operation on a workstation?
I am presuming you are looking for people to bring up nslookup... There is really no other tool built in that can test the various record types like SRV records etc. https://www.technibble.com/forums/threads/server-issue.31229/ I guess if they say they can ping by name vs ping by IP they get some credit.


What is the difference between a layer 2 switch and a layer 3 switch?

Lol, generally only the firmware and/or licencing... If you get this smart-ass answer, you have a seasoned tech!


This question does not make a lot of sense:
And the one that usually gets all but the truly seasoned guys lol..... 192.168.0.31 and 192.168.0.63 arent working in a subnetted environment with a mask of .224, but 192.168.0.22 and 192.168.0.72 work fine. What could be the problem?


What mask is .224? Is that 255.255.224.0 or 255.255.255.224 ? (i.e. /19 or /27 respectively)... I am going to guess it is a /27, but technically RFC1918 sets aside 192.168.0.0/16 for private addressing and being we live in a "classless" IP world, /19 would be valid...

Presuming /27:
192.168.0.22 and 192.168.0.31 are on the same subnet (.31 is a broadcast IP not usable for a host)

192.168.0.63 actually belongs to 192.168.0.32 network-id (subnet), but it is a broadcast for that network! (NOT usable for a host)

Either way they are both on different network subnets anyway.

192.168.0.72 is pretty lonely hanging out all by himself on your 192.168.0.64 network-id (subnet). He is still unable to talk to 192.168.0.22 from the 192.168.0.0 network subnet because some tech put them both on the same Layer-2 network when they will need some Layer-3 routing tables and a Layer-3 switch or router to talk to one another. ;-)

Either way a great network tech will recognize this subnet mask and instinctively know every 32 is the next network! That .240 would be every 16 a new network... that 248 is every 8 etc. A seasoned network guru will NOT need to do any binary math, need a calculator, or any paper to figure this out. Heck a seasoned guru would look at this and know the wildcard mask as 0.0.0.31 if he were going to setup OSPF to advertise routes between a couple routers or switches ;-)