My IT dept. is looking to hire a junior network technician. We are almost entirely a Microsoft enterprise using TCP/IP, with a half-dozen third-party apps. Responsibilities include desktop support, basic network troubleshooting, and light admin worksuch as creating user accounts. Given our salary allowance of $38-40k, I figured I could not get an MCSE with 8 yrs. of experience. Accordingly, I screened resumes for people with 2-4 yrs. of experience with MS platforms, and have thus far interviewed 10 candidates.
I have been utterly amazed at the lack of basic networking knowledge of the candidates. Not one of the candidates could properly answer more than one of the following questions:
1. What is the difference between a hub and a switch?
2. What file system is supported under Windows 2000 that was not supported under NT?
3. Besides a client IP address, what other IP addresses can a client receive from a DHCP server?
4. In a Windows domain, what is the difference between a local profile and a roaming profile?
5. On a Microsoft network, what is a Default Gateway?
6. What is Microsoft’s command line utility to map a network drive?
I think these are basic questions that anyone who has worked on an MS network for 2-4 years should be able to answer. Am I wrong? Are these questions too difficult? Or did too many people enter the IT field when it was hot, and many simply shouldn’t be there? Some of these candidates claimed to have an MCP, Network+, or A+ certifications. It appears the market is saturated, and I may have to search long and hard for a qualified candidate.
