On Fri, Mar 26, 2004 at 03:22:11PM -0600, Major, Rusty wrote:
> It really doesn't matter because interview questions are and should be
> specific to that environment.

I strongly disagree.  An interview should be used to determine if the
applicant is going to be useful for you long-term.  Syntax-type
questions scare me since they suggest that the interviewer doesn't want
me for the long-term and can use a paper MCSE.  

You should find out if the applicant can troubleshoot and think, not
recant what he's read or done in the past.

> My environment uses NetBackup only for the Wintel machines. A variety
> of other apps/programs are used for the other OSes present here. If I
> were to interview someone I'd want to ask them NBU questions as it
> pertains to Windows and Exchange since that's what matters to my
> environment.

That's just syntax.  What I needed to know over 20 years ago when I
started working has no relation to what I know now.  I've learned over
the years, and that's probably what you're going to want your new
employee to do.  Much of the stuff I work on today wasn't even invented
when I graduated with the my B.Sc. in Computer Science in 1980. 

How does the applicant stay current?  Does he follow the newsgroups or
attend user group meetings?  Give him a hard exercise for which there
may be no right answer and test the thought processes (if any :-)).
Tell him you want to do a migration from NetBackup to Legato and see
what he says.

> Getting to the topic:
> Maybe asking some questions about off-site copies/vaulting and DR in general.

Those are more like it.  See what grey cells he has upstairs.

        .../Ed

p.s. substitute she for he wherever appropriate :-)

-- 
Ed Wilts, Mounds View, MN, USA
mailto:ewilts AT ewilts DOT org