42 Network Administrator Interview Questions (With Tips)

Updated 12 September 2023

Network administrators are responsible for configuring, maintaining and upgrading servers, and networks for organisations. Employers may ask various questions during an interview to evaluate your knowledge, expertise and abilities relating to keeping computer systems connected, and running effectively. Understanding potential questions and reviewing example answers can help you prepare for your interview, and give answers that demonstrate your suitability. In this article, we share 43 general, experience-based and in-depth network administrator interview questions, provide sample answers to help you develop your responses and offer tips for effective preparation for an interview.

Please note that none of the companies, institutions or organisations mentioned in this article are associated with Indeed.

10 General Network Administrator Interview Questions

Here are some general network administrator interview questions an employer may ask to determine your interest in the position:

What interests you the most about network administration?
Why do you want to work for this company as a network administrator?
How might a previous colleague or supervisor describe you?
What do you enjoy most about being a network administrator?
What are your career goals?
Describe your greatest weakness and how you have worked to overcome it.
What skills are essential to achieving success in this role?
What is your greatest strength that you can use in this role?
What skills are you interested in improving, and what steps are you taking to do this?
What do you enjoy doing outside work?

12 Questions About Experience And Background

Here are some questions about your work and educational background that the interviewer may ask to evaluate your experience in network administration:

How has your previous network administration position prepared you for this job?
Describe your past role in network administration, including your typical duties.
Can you list the requirements for a strong password?
Describe your experience with workgroups.
What is your favourite network administration job duty or responsibility?
Have you completed any training or certifications in network administration?
Which types of networks have you had the most experience with?
Can you describe the difference between a workgroup and a domain?
Describe the differences between HTTP, HTTPS and FTP, and explain which port each uses.
What is the largest network you have worked on?
Describe how you might diagnose and troubleshoot complex mechanical or electrical issues.
What is the difference between a hub and a switch?

14 In-Depth Questions

Here are some in-depth questions that an employer may ask to assess your expertise and knowledge about complex network administration concepts:

Can you explain how you might use two-factor authentication?
What types of authentication might you use for network access?
Can you describe IP classes?
What are sticky ports?
Explain why you might add local users when on a domain machine.
What are shadow copies?
Describe a proxy server and how it works.
What might you use terminal services for?
What are the benefits of using a simple management protocol?
Describe how to implement port forwarding.
What is the difference between a multi-mode and single-mode fibre?
Describe the difference between a network-attached printer and a print server.
Why might you use external media, such as tapes or hard disks?
How might you support a client who is experiencing technical difficulties?

Interview Questions With Sample Answers

Here are some network administrator interview questions with example answers you can use to help prepare for your interview:

1. What has been your most challenging network administration experience?

An employer may ask you this question to evaluate your experience with problem-solving and overcoming obstacles. Consider a situation where you used your research, collaboration or critical-thinking skills to address a challenge. When answering this question, provide a brief synopsis of the issue and focus your response on the actions you took, and the result of your involvement. You can select one or a few of the challenges you faced in your previous position to explain the situation and what you learnt from it for the future.

Example: There was an instance where the network configuration failed to perform as intended. To overcome this challenge, I checked for hardware failures or network outages to determine the cause of the problem. Since I did not find an issue with either, I used analytics and monitoring tools to help identify the fault. The solution was still unclear, and I was receiving pressure from executives to fix the problem, so I reached out to other teammates to help expedite the process. With additional support from and collaboration with technicians, and other IT staff, we solved the problem rapidly.

2. Describe a firewall and what you might use it for.

An interviewer may ask you this question to evaluate your understanding of firewalls and your ability to implement them into your networks. Your answer can indicate your level of knowledge and experience as a network administrator, demonstrating your suitability for the role. Use your response to highlight your abilities to secure a computer network and prevent unauthorised access.

Example: You can use firewalls to monitor a network's traffic, identify suspicious information and block out threats. I have previously customised firewalls based on the organisation's unique needs to prevent private data and information from leaving the network, and unauthorised users from accessing it. Some companies might also use firewalls to block employees from using certain websites on their network to promote productivity and maintain secure systems.

3. What is the difference between local, global and universal groups?

Interviewers may ask this question to ascertain your knowledge of basic network administration tasks. Before your interview, study the different network administration terms and protocols to help you demonstrate your proficiency. Consider including an example of when you used each type of group to fully show your understanding of the concepts.

Example: Local groups are distribution or security groups that may contain all three types. You can use global groups in the domain, member servers and workstations. A universal group contains all users and groups from any domain in its forest of members.

4. What is an intrusion detection system?

A hiring manager may ask this question to test the extent of your knowledge of security protocols in the network administration and security fields. Understanding intrusion detection systems and describing them accurately can display the depth of your security administration knowledge. Consider including an example of a situation where you worked with these systems to enhance your answer.

Example: An intrusion detection system is similar to an anti-virus program, as it can look for anomalies in a network and display a security report if it detects any suspicious activity. While it does not prevent a virus, malware or other intrusions from entering a network, it does create an alert to notify the administrator of any adverse events.

5. What types of authentication could you use for network access?

To explore your knowledge of security protocols, an interviewer may ask you about authentication methods or techniques for network access. You can include examples of mechanisms you have used for previous projects to demonstrate your knowledge of cybersecurity protocols.

Example: Depending on the degree of sensitive information involved, you might use either single- or double-authentication, with the two-factor method offering additional security. You could adopt a combination of factors, such as passwords, PINs, security questions, tokens, email authentication or biometric scans as part of your authentication process.

6. What monitoring approaches and tools do you prefer using?

An employer may ask you about your preferences to better understand your previous work experience and how you might work in the role. Consider including specific examples in your answer while demonstrating your willingness to learn new tools and use different approaches if required.

Example: I have experience using various network monitoring and infrastructure management tools, with Lab Tech being my favourite because of the dashboard customisation features. I am willing to learn and use new tools to track the network's traffic, uptime and bandwidth utilisation to ensure the network runs smoothly.

Network Administrator Interview Question Tips

Here are some tips to help you prepare for your interview and demonstrate your suitability for the role of network administrator:

Use the STAR method to explain examples. When answering situational experience questions, you can use the STAR method to outline the situation, define the task or challenge, describe the action you took and explain the result.
Emphasise your dedication to network security. When applying for the position of network administrator, it is helpful to demonstrate how you prioritise network security and are passionate about limiting cyber risks to confidential data or sensitive information.
Showcase your knowledge and expertise. If you have specialised knowledge in a niche area of network administration, you can highlight this in your interview answers to show your unique suitability for the role.