The first stage was a virtual interview, lasting about 15 minutes. Its purpose was to shortlist candidates for potential interviews at an upcoming career fair. Five basic questions were asked:

• Describe your biggest technical achievement.
• Why did you choose your major?
• Describe how you solve problems without decisive instructions from your supervisor.
• Describe your career aspirations, and so on.

It was quite easy, and I proceeded to the next stage.

The second stage was held in-person at the career fair with one representative from the Networking team I would be working with. The role required networking, scripting, Linux, and some web design skills. The interviewer asked questions without a particular pattern, aiming to gauge my overall skills and suitability for the job. I enjoyed the conversation and felt I was at my best. I even mentioned some new IPv6 concepts that impressed him. I was confident I would proceed to the next stage.

I received an email from the recruiter to set up a 30-minute interview with a Senior Network Engineer. This time, the interviewer was more technical and asked numerous networking concepts, including Routing & Switching, specific Cisco devices I had worked on, some programming/scripting experience, and scenario-based questions. I felt I did great and believed that would be the final stage.

The recruiter contacted me the following day with the statement, "Good news!" I was filled with joy, thinking I had already received an offer. However, upon reading further, I realized the good news was proceeding to another interview stage with a different Engineer on the team. I ended up having about three more 30-minute interviews scheduled at intervals of 3-4 days, totaling six stages. It felt like overkill, as I was asked the same questions repeatedly by different people.

I was anxious for a quick hiring decision, as I was interviewing with other companies. During this process, I received an offer from another company. On the day I accepted that offer, Dell also presented their offer. I faced a tough decision to decline Dell's offer because I had already committed myself to the other company and felt it would be unprofessional to back out. It was a pleasant experience interviewing with Dell, and I thank the Networking Team for their time. Most especially, I thank the Recruiter (wish I could mention your name here); she was phenomenal throughout the process. I hope our paths cross in the future.

Networking (Routing and Switching)

• TCP/IP
• VLANs
• OSPF
• BGP Attributes
• Route maps

Linux

• Basic concepts about kernel, shell, file system, and commands (grep, locate/find, etc.)

Programming/Scripting

• Basic questions and experience with Python.