Hardware and Networking Interview Questions With Answers | Indeed.com 01/29/21 12:34 a. m.

Hardware and Networking Interview

Questions With Answers
December 15, 2020

Top Interview Tips: Common Questions, Body Language & More

If you interview for a position in the information technology field, the

interviewer will likely assess your knowledge of hardware and networking. To
increase your chances of making a positive first impression and getting the
job, try practicing answers to common interview questions that prove your
technical skills. In this article, we discuss common hardware and networking
interview questions, explain how to answer them and provide sample
answers to help you prepare your own.

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Related: Learn About Being a Computer Engineer

The STAR interview response technique

Try using the STAR interview response technique to convey your knowledge,
experience and skills when you answer questions in your IT interview. The
acronym stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result. In a response
structured with the STAR method, the job candidate talks about an
experience where they used a particular skill, explaining:

Situation: The context, situation or challenge

Task: Their responsibility, role or task in the situation
Actions: The actions and steps they performed to solve the problem
Result: The result, outcome or effects of those steps

Basic hardware and networking interview

questions and answers
Besides assessing your knowledge of hardware and networking, the
interviewer may ask questions that test your problem-solving skills by asking
how would you behave in case of an IT issue at the company. Consider these
common hardware and networking interview questions and answers:

1. What does network mean?

2. How do you secure a computer network?
3. What does HTTP mean?
4. What is bandwidth?
5. What is an IP address?
6. How would you recover lost files from a system infected by a virus?
7. What is ASCII?
8. What’s the difference between a firewall and an antivirus?

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1. What does network mean?

This question tests if you know the basics of the subject to assess if you’re a
good candidate for the role. The best answer is specific, accurate and uses
the correct technical terms. By using the STAR method, you can also add a
relevant example of a situation when you used your knowledge of this
subject to show your experience to the interviewer.

Example: “A network consists of multiple computers, tablets or

smartphones that communicate with each other. A device is said to be
networked with another when it’s able to communicate data to the other
device. Two devices can be networked with each other over cable media or
wireless media, such as Wi-Fi. Today, there are different kinds of networks,
but they fall under two major categories: LAN and WAN. LAN networks are
limited to a restricted area, while WAN ones can connect computers in
multiple locations.

For example, at my previous company I set up a Wi-Fi network that allowed

connection to not only the desktop computers in the different offices, but
even laptops, tablets or smartphones. This way, I could give Wi-Fi access to
guests, as well as to colleagues who wanted to work from their personal
laptop or mobile device.”

2. How do you secure a computer network?

Your answer to this question can show the interviewer whether you’d be able
to ensure internet safety at the company. To show that you’re the right fit for
this position, use concrete examples of security or privacy issues that you
have solved before. Use the STAR technique to explain in a detailed way
which steps you took to overcome that challenge.

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Example: “There are many simple ways to ensure that a computer network
is safe at all times. The first step is installing a firewall, a software that blocks
unauthorized access to your network. Also, it’s vital to regularly update your
antivirus software, since hackers are developing new malware all the time.
Another useful tool is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) that enhances internet
security by making your network available only to devices in your system.

When I was hired at my previous company, I noticed that the corporate

Ethernet network was not protected by a firewall. I immediately downloaded
a firewall software I knew from a reputable website, and I made sure to
install it on all the computers of the network. Also, I instructed my colleagues
on how to keep the software updated at all times.”

3. What does HTTP mean?

This question is likely meant to assess your general knowledge of computer

networking. Explain what the acronym stands for, but define the term in a
specific way. For example, you may talk about the difference between HTTP
and HTTPS, and how you used both protocols in your previous position.

Example: “HTTP stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol. It’s a network

protocol used by the internet to fetch and display the web page you’re
looking for or to let you skip from one page to the other. However, HTTP
protocol is designed in plain text, so any other person in the network could
potentially see the data that your browser communicates to the server and
vice versa. HTTPS, instead, uses the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), which
encrypts your data to keep it secure.

At my previous company, I noticed that the corporate website only used the
HTTP protocol. I wanted to upgrade it to the HTTPS protocol, to make sure
that our client could browse it safely at all times. So I decided, together with

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my boss, to install an SSL certificate.”

Related: Linux Administrator Resume Samples

4. What is bandwidth?

Your interviewer may ask this question to test your knowledge of the
technical language in the field. To impress them, you can use an accurate
definition that includes how bandwidth is measured and the other factors
that may affect the speed of an Internet connection. You can also add
examples of situations where you improved or optimized bandwidth.

Example: “Bandwidth refers to the maximum transfer rate of data from a

network device. It indicates how fast data can be sent over an internet
connection, and it’s usually measured in bits per second. The more
bandwidth a device has, the faster it will send and receive information.
Bandwidth is a key factor in determining the speed of your internet
connection, together with latency.

At my previous job, my coworkers always complained about the slowness of

the internet connection. Our company’s Wi-Fi connection used the same
channel as another nearby company, so I decided to switch channels to
increase bandwidth. I also changed the position of the router to an area with
a better signal. We immediately noticed improvements in the internet
speed.”

5. What is an IP address?

Your interviewer may want you to explain not only what an IP address is, but
also the different types in use and the two versions of the protocol. You can
put the emphasis on your knowledge of internet security by giving an
example of how you used a private IP address in the past.
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Example: *“An IP address is a unique number that identifies a device

connected to the network. Exactly like your home address, it provides
information about a specific physical location. There are two versions of the
IP protocol: IPv4 and IPv6. IPv6 is replacing IPv4 because it allows trillions of
devices to connect to the network, and it has built-in security features. There
are private and public IP addresses. The former connect devices in a private
home or company network, while the latter allows the devices to connect
with other computers and servers all over the world.

At my previous company, the IT manager wanted to uniquely identify every

single computer in our LAN network. So, I used a unique private IP address
for each device.”

6. How would you recover lost files from a system infected

by a virus?

This is a practical question to assess your problem-solving skills and your

technical knowledge. Answer with the practical steps you’d take to resolve
such an issue at the company and add concrete examples of similar
situations you solved at your previous job. Using the STAR technique, you
can give some background information about the challenge you faced and
then explain how you solved the problem.

Example: “This happened once at my previous company. Most computers in

the corporate network were infected by malware, so they were running
extremely slow and displaying unusual error messages. I first removed all the
viruses from the system by running a complete scan with a trustworthy
antivirus program. Then, I kept seeing error messages when I tried to boot
some of the computers in the network, so I decided to reformat these
devices and to reinstall the Windows operating system on them.

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To recover the lost files, I used a hard drive recovery software. I installed it
on another computer from outside the network, then I connected the hard
drive of the previously infected devices as a slave drive. At this point, the
software could recover the missing files.”

Related: Learn About Being an IT Technician

7. What is ASCII?

The answer to this question can show your interviewer if you have the
technical knowledge necessary to succeed in the open position. Explain in a
detailed way what the acronym stands for and any experience you have
using it. You can also mention UTF-8 and explain in which situations you
would use it instead of ASCII.

Example: “ASCII stands for American Standard Code for Information

Interchange. It’s a widely used format for text files in computers. The basic
ASCII table includes 128 characters, but extended ASCII adds 128
characters, so the total is 256. Its purpose is to ensure that different devices
can communicate with each other. Also, it translates the binary language of
a computer into human language, so you can read it on the screen.

In the first decade of the new millennium, ASCII was replaced by UTF-8,
mainly thanks to some initiatives from Google who wanted the internet to be
more international, instead of only displaying Latin characters. Today, HTML
encoding uses UTF-8 by default, but at my previous company, I widely used
ASCII while programming.”

8. What’s the difference between a firewall and an

antivirus?

Since internet security is important to many companies, this question can

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help your interviewer determine if you’re a good fit for the role. Talk about
times where you used both kinds of software at your previous job, using
concrete examples of challenges you overcame. Try to show that you have
good problem-solving skills when it comes to internet security.

Example: “A firewall works by protecting your network from potentially

dangerous data packets. It is available both as a software and as hardware
already built into most modern routers. An antivirus, instead, detects
malware that is already in your system and limits the damage to your
computer by deleting or isolating the infected files. To put it briefly, a firewall
protects your system from malware infections, while an antivirus removes
the malicious software.

When I was hired at my previous company, the first step I took to secure the
internet connection was installing both a firewall and an antivirus on all the
computers in the network. After that, I ran a complete antivirus scan on all
the devices to make sure they weren’t infected by malware.”

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