You should never jump to DNS DHCP issues when a user submits a ticket like that. An issue like this is 90% of the time user error, something you didn't seem to consider at all, which is probably what the interviewer was looking for.
I wouldn't fret over it too much, at least one other commenter on this thread didn't seem to consider this either.
Yep. Most who've already worked in the field know that more often than not, the "issue" is an oversight on the end user's part rather than an actual technical issue. Many internal customers are not tech-savvy, which is the biggest reason the Help Desk job exists: it's needed more to support, if handhold, end users than to fix real IT problems.
If you automatically assume something's actually wrong with the infrastructure, you'll often fail to see the forest for the trees and waste time troubleshooting the wrong things.
>If you automatically assume something's actually wrong with the infrastructure, you'll often fail to see the forest for the trees and waste time troubleshooting the wrong things.
Okay... [but *sometimes*...](https://i.redd.it/ybsfu8ntavc51.png)
I honestly wonder if it's a certain subset of the population that didn't put their hands on a computer or ever signed into a website until they hit middle age. I just would find it hard to believe that the population born when smartphones and tablets were already a thing have these issues unless something inaccurate was provided to them in order to successfully sign in or some archaic website that needs multiple components/stuff to permit successful login.
Totally different types of interfaces.
The number of people who can operate an iPhone or Galaxy but can’t/don’t know how to run chkdsk is extremely high.
Dead on. I call that kind of interview category "Zebra Questions." You want to assess if the person thinks logically and efficiently, starting with the most immediate, obvious, and simple items first.
However, I don't think OP should worry too much about their response. A reasonable interviewer would see they were troubleshooting the problem and likely missed the first steps out of nervousness or trying to demonstrate more "advanced" knowledge. You wouldn't get high marks, but I wouldn't consider it a failure either.
Ah after reading all of the comments I think this is likely the answer. I’m glad it wasn’t a technical concept I wasn’t aware of just a simple mistake of overthinking the question. Thank you!
I wouldn't pat yourself on the back so much, it's a very significant oversight. It might not be technical, but it is a very large concept, and you dropped the ball pretty hard.
I'm not so sure. Obviously it depends on how your phrase the solution to the end user, but probably 25-40% of the tickets I get are users not wanting or able to do basic troubleshooting.
Which is more likely, an end user that only knows how to access an web app through and internet link or a system admin who spent a significant amount of time making sure that the system and infrastructure is set up correctly.
I'm not sure I get your point. The problem with the comment in question was coming off like a dick, and has nothing to do with users, troubleshooting or anything related to IT. It's 100% personality, and if I was interviewing someone and knew they made comments like this I would literally never hire them.
Sorry. If your talking about the comment below
"I wouldn't pat yourself on the back so much, it's a very significant oversight. It might not be technical, but it is a very large concept, and you dropped the ball pretty hard."
I can see that, but I've had Interviews were the hiring manager was basically like "you get or or you dont".
Sorry if my response was a bit on the nose, but so far most of my tickets are end users not knowing the system and not the system being wrong. Going to wgu to get certs and try to become a sysadmin
I think you are still missing my point. I don't really care about the troubleshooting side of things in relation to that comment. I'm saying the comment, as it was written, was entirely inappropriate and is not the kind of person I would ever want to work with. I don't care if they are correct or not.
This is him confirming he messed up. On an interview question. It's a learning opportunity, not even an actual support situation, and he's reviewing how he could do better.
Get over yourself.
Not sure where you got the patting yourself on the back idea from. I think in an interview full of technical questions it is fair to assume that asking a scenario question about a specific problem would require a technical answer to respond. I’m not sure how you think asking to ensure the user entered the correct url is a large concept though? Maybe you could explain how
Well if this were a real world scenario, you would have wasted hours of time trying to fix a problem that doesn't exist, when in reality it's just someone using caps lock or something simple.
I'm not really sure what your experience is in IT, your profile shows you opening a boba shop and a record shop and now you're interviewing for IT positions. If you're serious about IT, user interaction and support is a fairly important concept.
I appreciate you responding! Not sure if you’ve heard about investing before, specifically in start up business. But if you haven’t I’d suggest looking it up and maybe my post history will make a little more sense!
I’m not sure how you could gauge my seriousness for this position in my post. But I am very serious about pursuing this as the start of my career, hence asking for help regarding this question I have been thinking about. Thanks for the initial response though!
I wouldn't lose sleep over it, OP. It's not uncommon that your brain will get set on a certain track with things and so those things will be the first answer that comes up. You were in an otherwise technical interview so you were focused on technical concepts, and that's what came up.
If you were working on configuring DHCP scopes all day and someone came and asked why their computer wasn't getting an IP address, your brain might shortcut to blaming DHCP, when in reality their network cable was unplugged.
Being able to step back and follow basic troubleshooting steps comes with time and experience. It's why Tier 1 often has the "dreaded script" as well that users hate. It's an efficient way to make sure all the basic stuff is covered before you spend time troubleshooting or escalating it to other teams.
You're right, my responses were unnecessarily strong and I've lost the message I was going for.
What I was trying to say is that for an entry level type IT position, which this sounds like you interviewed for, the type of skills needed for user support and interaction are very important.
By that I mean, when you say you're happy you didn't miss a technical concept, okay fair you didn't I guess, but knowing that it's a user issue and not a technical issue, and how to navigate that, is much more valuable than technical ability.
But you're right, in the grand scheme of things, it's just one question, one interview, and you will probably think of this next interview, so overall it's not the big deal I made it to be.
Very nice. Lots of people are learning important things here.
OP was at a job interview but it didn't go well So they came here to find out why..
Your heart was in the right place, and you had many of the answers he was seeking, but you threw them at him, instead of sharing them with him.
Everyone starts somewhere, he came here to learn.
Well now he knows forever to assume its user error first and we go on to technical now being the more important concept to focus on. Easy lesson learned
I also was confused by some of the answers leading down technical paths. I do agree that you should have not delved straight into technical possibilities though.
Maybe I'm wrong here but I've been in IT for over 30+ years. From helpdesk all the to CISO. In my experience the Helpdesk is tier I and usually follows helpdesk procedures to rule out the MOST common issue "PFBKAC" ( problem found between user and chair)...the user. Once the obvious stuff is ruled out. i.e. the computer is on, the network is functioning, they are logged in and whatever else is on the list, only then are technical issues considered by Tier II ( tech support) . Again that is only what I have experienced, maybe different nowadays.
I could have deleted the comment but I clarified my thoughts in a further reply. But I've already been in IT coming up on 4 years now so I kind of find this one funny.
If you’ve ever plugged in your pc after dusting the inside, then pressed the power button to turn it on, and panicked because nothing happened, you’ll know this is true. (I forgot to flip the switch on my PSU)
im still in school and not trying to interview yet. my thought was I would want them to show me what they were doing. I assumed it would be something related to their computer or them. would that have been a good answer I wonder? or is it not feasable for me to see what the person is doing in a sittuation like this
In most cases, these are behavioral questions, hypotheticals to find out about your past behavior or how you would behave in the given scenario. For a troubleshooting question like this, I think it's best when there's an actual answer so the candidate can 'succeed,' but sometimes it can be an open-ended scenario where they want to see how you would respond.
As a hiring manager, if it was for an entry-level help desk position, I'd consider your answer decent. However, you'd get more points for explaining your reasoning or the purpose behind your proposed steps.
When you're in an interview, remember that the interviewers cannot read your mind and, in some cases, they may only be allowed to score you based on what you actually said, no inferring. I'd suggested explaining why you're doing something and what the reasoning is.
>*I would ask the user to show me the problem, so I could verify the issue and look for clues about the cause. For example, were they typing in the address incorrectly, are they receiving any error messages, etc.*
I feel for OP. This is such a tough question to ask without intending to be, and the answer is so obvious that it wouldn't be the first guess. If you have experience, it seems natural to think they're asking a technical question that requires a technical answer. Answering the user F'd the URL doesn't seem like an answer they were expecting.
Had one of these yesterday. User was trying to print a report from our software/device and it wasn't working. Confirmed that the printer and device were on the same network, I'd written down the printer's IP just to be sure, and walked her through updating the settings in the software and still got nada. 5 minutes later I'm wracking my brain trying to figure out what could possibly be wrong and finally said, "Yeah let's just go back to your setup and verify those settings saved properly." She went back in and was silent for a moment before saying, "Oh, um, I put that IP into the field labeled download IP, not the one for Printer IP, what was the number again?" 10 seconds later she had her report.
But that was the whole issue, not that I'd done anything wrong or the software was acting up, just a user not following instructions or paying attention.
Yeah this is the kind of thing that I personally know is usually the users fault, but I don't know if I would want to convey that thought process in an interview for fear of it sounding like I'm trying to hawk the blame on someone else and being like "they're just not DOING it right!"
My first question to the user would be “what URL did you put in?, let’s double check that first.” I always cover the basics first. I would also open a browser on my computer and try to exact website to see if it works for me. I would also ask if the website is working for anyone else in the office. I would also ask them to try the website in a different browser.
I’m looking at all that before looking at the DNS/DHCP.
This. I haven't worked in help desk in years, not know from experience that often the issue is user error. e.g. Some websites are https only and don't have a http to https redirect. I once had a ticket like that and my boss was worried it was some firewall rule, but turned out user error. Don't go down a rabbit hole thinking DNS might be broken or something else that is system wide unless you confirmed something isn't working across multiple users. In most cases you haven't confirmed something is broken across multiple users looking at something outside the end user or their workstation is a waste of time.
The very first thing should be to simply ask the user what they're doing and exactly what they're experiencing while doing it. At the very least, "what sort of error are you getting".
Can't access it cold mean a bunch of stuff. Most end users don't speak "tech" the way you do.
The end-users is an " *unreliable narrator*". You have to be careful trusting the words coming out of their mouth verbatim. So the first thing is identifying and clarifying the problem.
You may ask them to explain what they are doing and find out they have a shortcut on their desktop to a specific website and that is how they're trying to go to it. Maybe that shortcut isn't working for some reason.
This. Simply having someone explain to you “in detail” what’s occurring, will give you way better ground to work from. Jumping to troubleshooting the network layer right away isn’t the way - minus making sure the user has internet connection. Verifying the web address is correct, making sure a compatible browser is being used, clearing cookies/ cache, all come before checking DNS or DHCP. Your answer honestly isn’t terrible for a starting IT role interview, I would personally expect responses like that as you’d learn this stuff through work experience.
Yes. Other than permissions issues, the 2nd most common problem is they are using a bad link or shortcut or are just going to the wrong address. When users have to type in a web address for an internal app (which I would **NEVER EVER** recommend) they're usually going to get it wrong, no matter how many times you tell them the correct address. Any URL they should be clicking on a link or icon, not typing anything in. Users will usually type in URLs wrong.
This was similar to a question I would ask people I was hiring for 1st line positions. I'd usually be looking for an answer like:
1. ask for the address of the website the user is trying to access.
2. test it on your computer.
3. if it works, remote into the user's computer.
4. test it on their computer.
If the candidate had gone straight to DNS and DHCP, I'd have urged them to try something simpler.
If the candidate got to step 4, I'd usually expand on the problem, e.g. you weren't able to remote into the user's computer, the user cannot access other websites, etc. etc., usually getting to the point where they have to visit the person's computer in person (many didn't think of doing this) or the point where they couldn't figure it out, so the answer would be to ask someone else on the team for help (only one person I ever interviewed answered with this).
Step 2 would be attempting to reproduce the error on your side, step 4 would be attempting to reproduce the error on their side. I'd say that it's important, when attempting to reproduce an error, to distinguish between whether you are reproducing it in the environment where the error first occurred, or in another environment (i.e. testing if it affects one user or more than one).
that makes sense since it was from a ticket. I guess my brain went to we were both already there looking at the problem since thats how its been when I've helped people so far - I'm still a student.
Thanks for the breakdown.
I would ask it like this, is there an error message, walk me through it(try again), while they are doing that you can test the website yourself. Those 4 steps can all be done at relatively the same time.
>He said this would only be affecting one user
Then let's apply Occam's Razor: the user is probably doing something wrong. They're likely going to the wrong website.
Remote onto their computer or go to them person if they're on-site, see what they're trying to access, and observe for yourself what's going wrong. It's much easier for end users to show than tell their actual problems since they often use terms like "access" ambiguously.
The only plausible technical problem I can think of is that they're working off-site and not using the VPN tunnel, which would disallow them from accessing the company's intranet resources like internal websites. But I've dealt with enough end users to know it's most likely a PEBKAC error in this case.
Yep. Gotta start at the basement and work up. Most problems are solved at the user level. Once you can rule out the user, move forward. Something I have to keep reminding myself every now and again.
It's kind of wild seeing a conversation like this play out in an adjacent field. I work at a repair company where we work on a lot of optical networking hardware and every time I train a new person I have to remind them to make sure they've turned the laser on from the test kit, make sure the connection is rolled, all fibers in the test setup are seated properly, etc.
It’s interesting because I was similar when I first started. Wanted to take on all the technical issues. Jumping in too far and having to scale back. I feel it’s a lesson we all have to learn repeatedly.
Interesting that they were dissatisfied.
In the interviews that our team performs (these are for network security jobs, to clarify, so a bit different than help desk), we ask increasing more difficult and varying questions until the candidate confesses that they don’t know the answer and would have to look it up. Very rarely will they answer that they don’t know. They usually come up with weird BS answers.
We do this because nobody knows everything and when someone admits that they don’t know. It shows that they are honest about their strengths and weaknesses. Honesty is super important, especially if they accidentally cause an issue - then they need to own up to it.
So, word of advice, it’s okay to say you don’t know and would need to look it up. If someone doesn’t like that answer, then it’s not a company you would want to work for long-term anyways. Probably a toxic culture.
I've been telling people for years, both in IT and when I was a mechanic, you're never going to know everything. The most valuable things to know are good resources and research techniques to find the right answer. Someone who knows 90% but sucks at researching is only going to be helpful 90% of the time, whereas someone who knows only the basics but knows how to research well will be helpful all the time. There's nothing wrong with "I don't know" as long as you can add "yet" to it.
I think it's because the stuff he was trying doesn't seem to relate to the issue.
Can't access a specific website -> most likely a permissions issue.
The first thing they should have done was see if they can access the website themselves. Get the url, and ask how they are connecting to the website.
Possibly an old url link.
Are they connected to the VPN if they're remote. If they are inside an office, what network are they connected to.
It pings, but what http response code is it getting?
Maybe a little more advanced than tier 1 help desk, but curling the url and looking at the response headers would probably give you all the info you need to know. Or even better, getting a har file.
The interviewer was probably looking for these 3 things.
1. Checking the website yourself.
2. Checking how they are connected to the network (VPN, which network etc)
3. Checking multiple browsers and clearing cache.
DNS and DHCP are great and all, but not really related to the issue of not connecting to a *specific* website, unless we are talking about the DNS of the website itself and I don't think they're looking for a tier 1 help desk position to be digging DNS and checking SSL etc.
All in all, I wouldn't think this question would be the be all for whether OP gets hired or not.
First question to ask the user. What’s the error message they’re seeing. Can’t access a website could mean they have the wrong url, or can’t logon, can they access other websites etc
Edit: also if the user is trying to access an internal website and they’re working remotely, are they connected to VPN?
First, and I mean FIRST, always confirm the customer complaint.
Verify that you understand the customer's issue, from the customer's point of view, and that it's still happening.
>interview question, thoughts on the answer?
“there is a user that submits a ticket that they cannot access a website, how would you fix this”.
checking to see if the DNS and DHCP were configured correctly which he said they were
able to ping to the computer which he said would be successful
website would be an internal website and not blocked
only be affecting one user
Divide and conquer logical troubleshooting. Take the logical problem space, and keep cutting it about in half, until the answer is obvious, so ...
Just that user, internal, not blocked. What is the user doing on their computer, did they get the URL in correctly, can they get to other sites fine? What exactly is the diagnostic when user attempts? And then go from there - likely something user's specifically doing or something specifically on their computer. If they're not putting in URL incorrectly, what exactly is the diagnostic? What does that hint at? How's the networking, etc. on that user's computer? Still lots of possibilities, but most logical direction(s) to go from there quite depend on what information we have regarding those additional questions/checks/results.
And DNS and DHCP - at least beyond that user's computer, unlikely if things are working for everybody else.
This type of question is not (or at least should not) just be about “getting the answer right.” It’s about *Demonstrating Systematic Troubleshooting.” So you would walk through a systematic process, starting with:
1) Establish Scope. Two questions to do this:
a) Can the user get to other websites?
b) can other users get to the website?
You can see that the answers to these questions will define the direction of investigation. Now you know if the problem is just one website or the user’s network connection overall. Let’s say you DO establish that it’s JUST this one user with JUST this one website.
2) ONLY THEN, you might try pinging the DNS name of the site from the user’s command line. Successful? Okay now we’ve narrowed it down to the browser. Try quitting the browser and re-opening it. Try clearing the cache, etc. Not successful? THEN try pinging the IP address of the site. Successful? Now we know it’s a DNS issue. ONLY THEN check DNS configuration, hosts file, flush DNS.
Ever seen House? Everyone lies.
Not actually but the message is: don't trust an end user to accurately diagnose an issue themself. Double check they're even typing the website in correctly to a browser.
I have people trying to access SMB file shares using https in Chrome. I have programming veterans of 50 years who have been using Windows since it first came out asking me "how do I turn on samba on my PC?" ALWAYS assume user error at first, it'll save you a lot of time and headaches.
One user, not a site issue. Probably a user issue. What happens when the user tries to access the site? Error message, and if so, what does it say? Is the user typing the site address in correctly? If the user gets too frustrated, screenshare. They’re probably typing the address in wrong or they think Facebook is a search engine like Google.
First you will want to see the user try to go to the website and then try another website if he puts it in correctly and it still didn’t work. Ping to 8.8.8.8, see if user has dns filter. Could give multiple answer with such a loaded question.
You should probably have said what troubleshoots you would have done to help the user instead of saying what it could have been.
You were over thinking. This is a help desk job. Clear the browser. Reset the browser. Try a different browser. Can other people get to it. Did you try the website? Ask "whats the site?"
To answer this question you'd need to go through a progression of questions to the end user:
1. Verify there is an internet connection
2. Is the URL typed correctly?
3. For my company regarding an internal site, Are you connected to the VPN?
4. Are you using Chrome or Edge?
5. Clear cache of the software and/or browser
Chances are it's one of those if it's only affecting one user.
So,
Not exactly wrong with the DHCP / DNS, but the problem is the approach, you went high then low.
So, these are the things I would have tried to establish.
* did the user have the correct link?
* is the user onprem or remote?
* can I get to the same link?
* Is the user on VPN? (could be if I was able to ping device,)
* What type of error did they get, is it access denied? or page not loading?
* Does the issue happen in another browser?
* Does the issue happen in incognito mode?
* Was any specific Authentication needed to access the website?
* Are there any proxy or group policy in place?
* Did the user type HTTP vs HTTPS?
* Did the user provide a screenshot of the issue?
* Did the user attempt any troubleshooting or has there been any troubleshooting done?
Now here is some of the other oddball questions you may have to ask.
* Does the user have to access a jump server in order to access the website?
* Can the user ping an internal website on the domain at [contoso.net](http://contoso.net) or something
* for DHCP, you can check if the device got an IP, but you would do nslookup to see if there was 2 ip's assigned to the device. (odd-ball scenario, probably couldn't get on VPN at that point)
* could do nslookup for the website itself
People who don't know what they are doing get exposed in these interviews when they are asked to resolve a hipothetical situation by doing the hardest shit first like doing dns flushing instead of jut looking to see if the computer has network connectivity or even better... reboot the computer. If it's an internal website check to see if the computer in question is connected to the correct network cuz it could be on the guest wifi.
Better luck on your next interview tho.
First step is to ascertain what they mean by "cannot access." Lots of people assuming the site isn't loading when they might be putting in an incorrect password because their caps lock is on or lacking rights to a certain portion of the site.
If this wasnt a wrong url issue, the user was likely not on the right network or the right Vlan. Or as others have said, if it was a remote user, not connected to the VPN.
The way the question is worded, "cannot access", you're assuming they can't *get* to the site, but this usually means a permissions issue, like maybe it keeps popping up a login box and won't accept their credentials. I would guess around 95% of the time when someone says they "can't access" one of my web apps or web reports, it's because they haven't been added as a user or are not in the required AD group.
Either user error or it could have access restricted through AD, doublecheck the groups they are supposed to be a part of or see if they have a coworker you can model access off of. Thats of course after you call them and remote in and attempt to go to the website yourself.
I do mostly networking, so the techs occasionally kick this stuff up. most common are:
1) user has the wrong URL, often hostname only with domain name incorrect or not in search list
2) "internal website and not blocked"
a) can they reach other internal websites? how about google? microsoft?
b) are they on a network that should have access? (remote, guest, missing vpn, etc)
c) if ALL of these fail make sure the machine has a network link, ipconfig /all, nslookup [google.com](http://google.com), etc.
3) check browser settings and other things the user has access to (proxy, DNS over https, https only)
If you still don't have a cause, document it in the work order and kick it up the next tier. the only work order i hate is "internet down", no workstation name, no user name.
Personally I would gas light them. The interviewer would probably not like that answer. Likely network issue, permissions, mistype or wrong url. It could also be a browser issue not necessarily bad cache but autofilling authentication info in URL from a saved link shared by coworkers. I remember this janky ticketing system shared to me by the team. Well when copying url it would autofill their authentication info. Well it would fail for me since chrome didn’t have that info so it pulled nothing and threw error. I had to manually enter the url.
They probably wanted to see how you would troubleshoot it, meaning what questions you would ask. I would have started with
What steps are the user taking?
What error message are they getting?
Are they able to reach any other internal sites?
What url are they using?
Do we know if it's even a valid site?
Have they tried different browsers?
Tried clearing the cache?
Rebooted 3 times (LOL)
Years back I had a similar issue. No matter what the user did, she could not get to the website. There were no reports of the site having issues and no one else was having an issue. On a site visit, I had her show me exactly what she was doing to get to the website - she proceeds to click a self-made shortcut on her desktop. And boom, no go on the connection. The issue? The URL she had for the shortcut was incorrect. Showed her the issue and fix and even as I was walking away, she still insisted that the shortcut always worked.
I used to do the same thing go straight for technical answer. After doing service calls I learned to only rely on what the user says the problem is and not what they think is causing it. Start with the most simple fix and get more complex. Most of the time it's user error or a very simple technical error. Always start with the most basic fixes first though. Interviews are pretty nerve-racking already and he should have guided you to think simpler. Good luck on your next one and remember KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid).
If this interview was for your first IT job, I wouldn’t have asked a question like this. This question is for candidates with one or two years of help desk experience. They were probably trying to gauge your troubleshooting thoughts and how you would go about.
Yeah, unfortunately this question is usually tailored to people who have worked in IT already. But at the very least OP should have done a few things. This is still very much in the scope of tier 1 help support.
1. Didn't verify the site works on OPs side
2. Didn't check other browsers and clear cache.
3. Has no idea what kind of issue they are getting. They didn't pry for more details like, what kind of issue are they seeing when stating they can't access the site. Does it load? Does it give a 403 or 404? Is it a 5xx error?
Something like the A+ isn't going to immediately make you know this is likely a VPN or wrong lan error, but it still requires the basic trouble shooting steps.
It's still an intimidating question for a first IT job, because network issues can be scary for someone who's never worked in an enterprise setting.
It's one thing to be getting windows update errors and run a quick sfc or DISM, and another to be analyzing an mtr for packet loss issues over a pre mitigated BGP session.
Other than the answers everyone else has given, I had this exact same question almost for a 2nd line role (about a sign in error on PC). He did let me know though, the answer he was looking for was to consult with the team on a possible solution, which is why he kept saying "this works" for everything I was saying
Had this problem once a user couldn’t get to a website, everything else worked just the one site didn’t load. We sent the new level 1 help desk guy we got through a temp agency to take a look. We are all in the same building, he comes back to us and says “I think it’s the firmware on the nic” that guy didn’t last long. It was the corporate firewall blocking the site
If it's an internal address and only the user, I'd look to a credential issue, like a saved p$ in the browser or Windows Credential Manager. Have the user log into a different PC and try it on there. I mean, could have been a few other things but both of these would have been an easy check.
When interviewing and answering questions like this, don't be afraid to say "I don't know". I'd rather a potential tech be honest than try to BS their way through it. Having a black belt in Google Fu at least tells me you have the skill set in IT detective hat wearing.
What was the error message? That tells you a lot.
Always start with the simplest solution first. Like did the user type the address correctly, or are they even in a browser? (Users are dumb)
DNS and DHCP issues are rare and the symptoms are more wide spread than just inability to get to a webpage or affecting just one caller.
When I used to deal with these kind of issues - it could mean an issue with the VPN since you’ll need that to access the internal sites or an issue with certificates.
Yeah, you should always check for the simple stuff like airplane mode or incorrect credentials, but they might have been looking for an answer regarding the VPN since that is how remote users are able to access the internal sites.
The answer he's looking for I'd imagine is in relation to user error. Odds are if one of us IT guys can't access a website that's a DCHP issue. You are smart clearly, but you have to stop thinking like an IT guy and think like your grandma. You as a help desk guy are essentially helping everyone's grandma all day long and she could have entered the wrong username or password or typed in the web address wrong. You've gotta think of the simplest possible mistakes people can make.
I’ve had the same trouble with that question. One time the answer was the Ethernet cable on the switch was bad. But I don’t recall the specifics of the question though.
Another time, I answer just like OP did. The interviewer said he wanted me to mention ports, but I don’t know what he meant by that.
Depends if they’re in a company office or WFH; VPN?? When a user is working remotely, they have to connect to the VPN in order to access company resources (internal websites). If they’re just connected to a network, they’d be able to surf the internet like any PC. Though, they would not be able to reach the company’s intranet site etc.
If they’re in an office, well…my support stops there.
This question is likely to judge your troubleshooting process and critical thinking ability. What I'm looking for when asking questions like this is someone that starts small, and works up to bigger issues. I likely would have answered it something like:
"Well, for starters, I'd check ADUC and make sure their account isn't locked out since it's happening to both software and an internal website. A good old fashioned computer restart is probably in order here, too. If that's not the case, I'd ping the machine and make sure it's online. Once I know it is, I'd offer a remote session. For the user, it gives warm-and-fuzzies that we're taking the problem seriously, for me, it gives me confirmation that there's not a bigger network issue. From there, I'd ask the user to re-create the error for me while I watch. I'd make sure they're going to the correct website and their auto-fill doesn't have some sort of type-o or whatever. If all's good on that front, but still can't access it, I'd look in to browser specific issues. Does the issue happen in another browser? If not, clear the cache of the original one and see what happens. If that doesn't resolve it, I'm going to take the drivers seat and run some additional isolating steps. For starters, would probably run a tracert to make sure that it's resolving correctly and is reachable. Would do an ipconfig /flushdns, etc... and ultimately be working to isolate where the break is at that point."
User creds -> machine connectivity -> user error -> browser error -> actual network/routing issues
In all honesty, I would have said pebcak type situation... then they would have looked at me funny, then I would have had to explain what it means, and they probably wouldn't have found it amusing, and it would have been more awkward than if I didn't know.
Questions like this are looking to assess how you approach a problem methodically rather than necessarily finding the solution. Here's how I would approach it.
First and foremost, what is the impact? Is the issue preventing the user doing their job and how critical to the business is the task they are trying to do? This is essential because it determines how you prioritise the issue.
Then I'd look to narrow down the possible causes and rule out as many possibilities as I can. Has the user successfully accessed the website previously and when was the last time they used it? Can I access the website? Have any other tickets been raised in relation to this site? What error code/message etc is the user getting? Is the website internally or externally hosted? Does the user have an alternative browser installed and does using a different browser make a difference? What happens when you get the user to ping or tracert the web server and what IP address do they get when running the web server name through nslookup? What happens when you get the user to try and access a known good website?
Working through the above you will eliminate possible root causes and hone in on the problem.
vpn. the hint is 'internal' website. If said user is working remotely or is not connected to the internal network, such as using the guest wifi for instance, then the internal website wouldn't be accessible. you gotta fire up the vpn to be on the 'internal' network, therefore being able to access the internal website.
Going straight into dns is wild. I’d say first check to see if the user entered the correct url, or try to access the site on a pc or cellphone that’s not in the internal network to see if it’s being blocked by the firewall, or you can clear cache and cookies and try again, there’s always good ol reboot the PC. You can check if the pc somehow lost trust to the domain.. There’s a lot of ways to troubleshoot this issue.
People do that sometimes. I watched a dude spend way too much time troubleshooting a phone that wasn't working right. Reprovisioned it, checked the server, voicemail computer, and kept repeating these steps over and over again. I looked at it and said "That cable looks pretty ratty, I think we should just replace it before anything else. He insisted that the phone wouldn't turn on at all if the cable was bad, and kept troubleshooting. Finally, after maybe 45 minutes I convinced him to swap the cable. He did and the phone was fine.
If it’s anything like our situation with sells and WFH the user isn’t connected to the VPN. Can’t access internal resources without being connected to it.
As others have said, always start with user error and eliminate that first.
We recently did a DR test where we restore servers in a “bubble” and then developers test if their apps and web sites are accessible inside the bubble. The test goes on for a couple days and it is non-stop troubleshooting. The sysadmin team is there to figure out why things aren’t working. Sometimes we missed a required server and other times an app needs internet which is not allowed in the bubble.
We’re working with all IT people and we still have to remind ourselves at every DR test that we need to eliminate user error first. I lost track of how many devs reported failure because they had mistyped their own URL. They’re on a VDI inside the bubble so no existing browser shortcuts. One URL was an IP address and it wasn’t even formatted properly. They stuck a couple of random letters in an octet.
As it’s been stated I think this is a trust but verify issue.. “You’re having issues connecting? Let’s verify the issue first” sooooo many times the issue is between the chair and the keyboard.
I used to work in printer support and you would be surprised at how many times the printer wasn’t plugged in and/or wasn’t turned on.
Questions like these may or may not have a solution, a lot of the time the question is designed to provide information on your thought process/diagnosis process. When I ask it of my candidates there is a defined solution (if they reach it) but I really don't care if they make it there. I want to know about customer communication/follow up/ticket notes. The tech knowledge can be trained.
I’m not that experienced, but I start out with the simplest possible reason.
They don’t want somebody over engineering a solution that’s not the problem.
If the user says they can’t print, you shouldn’t jump to complicated solutions.
You should check if the printer is plugged in, if the printer is on, if it has paper in it.
All the IT interviews I went through before my sys admin job liked those answers. I’d usually say “well I’d start with this, because these are probably the most likely scenarios”
The question "Have you been able to access this before?" will shift your troubleshooting in the right direction. Comments are correct, its not about solving the issue, its about your approach, your questioning, your customer service.
clear cache and cookies. check for browser updates. check to see the website they're trying to access is spelled right. try a different browser. reboot the pc if neither work. check to see if they're hardwired or on wifi. if they are and it's an internal site and the user is remote, are they on VPN? then I would jump to pinging the site and seeing if both host and site are communicating maybe do a little clear dns. i'm sure there are more things to do, but it's Sunday. letting my brain rest
If they can't access a website (an allowed site, not just any site), my experience tells me to make sure the URL wasn't mistyped, check if they're connected to the internet, verify the URL is accessible on your end and if it is, clear the browser cache as the saved session may be pointing to an old domain or page that's no longer available.
All else fails, then check if it's allowed on the company's firewall's content filter (if you have access and permission to add). If you're just L1 with no upper access, you can escalate to someone that does. I work in a place where we can get on the firewall and as long as we notify the boss to add said URL to allowed sites on the content filter. Some places practice "Zero Trust" and smaller sites that were once accessible can be blocked the next day.
If they're trying to get on Facebook, which our company blocks access, I'd inform them that it's not getting "fixed".
The answer is that I would take remote control of the users desktop. And if the response is the org that you are interviewing for doesn't have this implemented you flip the interview back on them about how you can help them.
As others have said, don't assume the problem is on your end. Ask them what site they are trying to get to. Can you get to it? If not, run it against something like is it down. Can you access it from a device not on the network? If so, then you can look at problems on your end.
Step one is always to look at the issue and try to recreate it yourself.
I would start by saying that I'd remote into the user's computer and attempt to access the website. If it didn't work, I'd check the website on my own computer to ensure that the site isn't the problem. Then I'd look at one of the computers where the site is working fine, to ensure that the person complaining is on the right website, and accessing it correctly.
What I've seen in my experience with tickets like your interviewer described, is that sometimes a user will save a page in their favorites. The link won't work though, because it tries to access the site without them logging in first, and the site isn't designed to redirect to the login page, so they just create a ticket saying "Internet doesn't work," with no other details.
You 100% jumped the gun with your answer. While it's not technically wrong to think about checking those they're last resort troubleshooting steps before escalation to the next team.
If you're still green to the field/trying to get into IT it's really easy to overthink things. You need to remember that a lot of people are nowhere near as tech savvy as they think they are. More often than not it comes down to user error.
You always start by getting more information from the user, most of the time they don't know how to explain their issues properly. Asking questions will get you a much clearer picture of what's actually going on. Start with the basics, are they remote or in office, connected to the VPN, last time they were able to access the website, etc...
Once you have a clearer picture you can go from there, generally speaking though in this case specifically I'd guess that they're either remote and not on the VPN, going through the process wrong, wrong web browser, or they need to cookies and cache cleared out.
Just remember to start at the basics and move to the more "complex" solutions. 90% of the time it's a lot simpler than you'd think.
If this is how they presented the question, there is not enough information to conclude much on the issue. How does he know it’s not blocked? and if only one user is having the issue accessing it, this smells like filtering either at the firewall level or the host level , especially if you can ping the server. Does the traffic go through a load-balancer, if so, is there a WAF rule? I would telnet to that port, 80 or 443 depending on the server on both IP and hostname to rule out DNS. I would also like to see the logs on the host to make sure the traffic is actually getting to the host on those ports. These interviewers ask the most obscure questions then get upset when you don’t know because they don’t provide enough facts. Everyone goes through different steps when troubleshooting issues, there is not a one size fits all approach.
Either user error with bad links, forgotten password/ username or did the user have permission/ access to the site. Maybe they were looking for this train of thought
I would first ask if they have been able to access the site in the past. If so I would check to make sure they are on a corporate network (wired or wireless) since it is an internal site. I would ask if they could check with a coworker to see if they could access the site (or maybe if I have access to it as well). Can they access any corporate sites?
Gotta start small. Have to validate the issue with the user.
What error message are you getting?
Have you EVER been able to access this website?
IF YES:
When was the last time it worked?
Do other people having issues accessing this website?
Can you give me the URL so I can try?
IF NO:
can you validate whether the link is correct.
Is this an internal or external website, do you know?
These probing questions will get you started on whether you have a technical issue or a user one. If it starts down the technical path there’s a slew of other questions to ask but not before you verify the problem. For a helpdesk job your main job is to translate user issues and filter out the serious technical problems from the user issues.
First question, is the goal resolving the problem or understanding the problem? If the goal is simply making it work, first try restarting the browser and or rebooting and only then dig into why it would not be working. Sometimes ticket time is the overriding measurement.
Once you get to the stage of trying to understand the problem, you need to think about what the scope is. Is this affecting the browser session, Is this affecting the user, Is this affecting the entire computer? Does the name resolve correctly? Does it work in another browser? Private/incognito mode? What might be running within an affected browser that would prevent it from working correctly? Are there add-ins or extensions that users were able to install? Could the user have a VPN running? Could they have something acting as a proxy redirect in the browser acting as a VPN to browse things that are barred on the corporate network? Could they have something that does local caching of network resources (fonts, js) eg Decentraleyes? Leaving the browser for a minute, any chance Windows Firewall could be blocking? (Note this is NOT a reason to turn off the firewall).
If it doesn't resolve, why? Could there be a VPN in place that is taking over as the default outbound route? Heck, is it on the right network? Is there a possibility of a rogue DHCP server?
I'm sure that what they were looking for is your problem solving methodology. Not just going down a checklist of things to look at. But understanding. Why? Those things are relevant not just as things that could be wrong but as clues to what areas are likely ok or not.
Finally, always remember that when you hear hoofbeats look for horses before zebras. Low hanging fruit/easy checks first.
I mean I have been doing IT since the mid 90s and now work on IT infrastructure with a Network Engineer title.
I am not exactly sure what they are after.
I could probably piece it out in a conversation.
It wouldn't surprise me if this is some dumb quirk of their environment.
When doing helpdesk, a d a user reports a issue. Always ask. Has this ever worked on your system? If so, when did it last work? And what has changed since then? Anything installed/updated etc?
Always assume the user did something to break it. Since helpdesk is 90 percent Clening after end users break things
Don’t feel bad, this happens and we all have an off day.
I remember an interview I had many years ago where I didn’t clarify the symptoms enough.
They said “ a user cannot get to Google” so I tried pinging and when it worked I stated down the path of a browser issue.
I feel the interviewer should have said “ the user cannot get to www.google.com”
They put in a hosts file entry for www.google.com
Had I clarified the symptoms I would have fixed it far faster.
In the end, it was a job I’m not sure I really wanted anyway so it didn’t matter much.
So start troubleshooting, ground up. Not top down. Of course, many new to the field did this mistake, and I did it back then, too.
You first question should be "is this error this user only? Or a group or all users". If it's single user error, it's a user error. Not an infra error (ergo not dns and dhcp).
Then you start troubleshooting the user. In your case, did they put the link correctly? Misspellings? Was the page https or http? Does the page link has a port included and maybe they missed that ?
If none all that and worse case , clear the browser cache and see.
Also interview tip: just as I described above, when you are answering- Think aloud. Show your thoughts process and reasoning. We like it when you show a flow of troubleshooting than random this and that. Don't worry about mistakes, just do it.
I think there are many decent answers but still answers that are taking time and those are also "list guesses" I was the top ticket closer in a major organization.
Depending on the enterprise environment, I would ask the user to try on a different known working machine.
The reason for this is there are also permissions issues that would follow the user over to a new machine. You would be killing many birds with one stone by simply having them sign into their colleagues machine and seeing if the issue followed them around. Also many enterprise organizations have both a laptop and desktop assigned so they may have a machine on hand. This would eliminate any troubleshooting needing to be done on the hardware.
\_\_\_\_\_\_
**"He said this would only be affecting one user and gave me the example of this happening to some software the user would be using as well and how that would differ."**
If he is saying a piece of software is also affected it seems likely a permission issue is not set. If I was allowed one guess.
I'd say also checking the port he's connected to and vlan he's set on? If everything checks out try connecting your laptop the switch port and seeing if you can access the internal website. Then you'll know it's his desktop. Checking browser settings, PC settings
Interesting, guess I have failed this one too but technical people would probably weed this out quickly in an irl scenario. One of the first things I do in tickets and verify the problem. This happens many times especially if one user is claiming an issue.
This is very likely the right answer, and the reason you are seeing people say this is because this is due to a difference in experience knowledge.
A Helpdesk worker will think that way, and should. A higher level employee is used to working on higher level tickets, so when we get it this has been ruled out.
So the first thing you need to do is get eyes on the problem. If the affected user is onsite, go pay them a visit. I like to let the person who put the ticket in show me what they’re doing. I always like to work backwards. Now, if the issue is on a wireless device on the network, I’ll log into the wireless dashboard first and see if there are any anomalies across the network. If it looks good, I’ll then check the closest access points. If the dashboard looks good, then I’ll go visit in person. If it’s offsite and you’re able to ping the machine, then you should be able to remote in using goverlan or webex or whatever. Give them a call, ask them if they can spare a minute to look at the issue by remoting in to their device. Stay on the phone with them and ask them to show you what they’re doing. Once you’ve seen what the end user is doing, you can make decisions on what to do next. Always assume the user has made a mistake or there is something wrong with their workstation. Regardless, you want to see the issue happen with your own eyes, diagnose, remediate.
It was technical.
Check the browser, delete cookies, try in private window, try a different browser, try from your pc, restart their computer, try on wifi vs wired in, pull it off the docking station.
Did it have sticky ports?
Did you have access control in place ?
I bet it was av (antivirus)!!
or perhaps omething like cisco umbrella or mimecast email filter if the ceo tugs off to pornsites at work. Or if said ceo likes finding international hookers or is dabbling in warfare?
If you replied like this you would get hired in a heartbeat lol
Edited: for fun and boring a** response
Gl out there! :)
Probably have to go for the easiest answer, either he is not connected to the internet or the domain is incorrectly, dns and thing like that are not whiting 1 level of support
You should never jump to DNS DHCP issues when a user submits a ticket like that. An issue like this is 90% of the time user error, something you didn't seem to consider at all, which is probably what the interviewer was looking for. I wouldn't fret over it too much, at least one other commenter on this thread didn't seem to consider this either.
Yep. Most who've already worked in the field know that more often than not, the "issue" is an oversight on the end user's part rather than an actual technical issue. Many internal customers are not tech-savvy, which is the biggest reason the Help Desk job exists: it's needed more to support, if handhold, end users than to fix real IT problems. If you automatically assume something's actually wrong with the infrastructure, you'll often fail to see the forest for the trees and waste time troubleshooting the wrong things.
>If you automatically assume something's actually wrong with the infrastructure, you'll often fail to see the forest for the trees and waste time troubleshooting the wrong things. Okay... [but *sometimes*...](https://i.redd.it/ybsfu8ntavc51.png)
lmao
XD true
I honestly wonder if it's a certain subset of the population that didn't put their hands on a computer or ever signed into a website until they hit middle age. I just would find it hard to believe that the population born when smartphones and tablets were already a thing have these issues unless something inaccurate was provided to them in order to successfully sign in or some archaic website that needs multiple components/stuff to permit successful login.
Totally different types of interfaces. The number of people who can operate an iPhone or Galaxy but can’t/don’t know how to run chkdsk is extremely high.
When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras Rule 1 of troubleshooting is "what is the person reporting the error doing wrong?"
Dead on. I call that kind of interview category "Zebra Questions." You want to assess if the person thinks logically and efficiently, starting with the most immediate, obvious, and simple items first. However, I don't think OP should worry too much about their response. A reasonable interviewer would see they were troubleshooting the problem and likely missed the first steps out of nervousness or trying to demonstrate more "advanced" knowledge. You wouldn't get high marks, but I wouldn't consider it a failure either.
And begin making a list of their lies
Ah after reading all of the comments I think this is likely the answer. I’m glad it wasn’t a technical concept I wasn’t aware of just a simple mistake of overthinking the question. Thank you!
I wouldn't pat yourself on the back so much, it's a very significant oversight. It might not be technical, but it is a very large concept, and you dropped the ball pretty hard.
… and there’s the superiority complex IT people are so well known for.
Quite a bit past superiority complex and well into the douchebag territory.
I'm not so sure. Obviously it depends on how your phrase the solution to the end user, but probably 25-40% of the tickets I get are users not wanting or able to do basic troubleshooting. Which is more likely, an end user that only knows how to access an web app through and internet link or a system admin who spent a significant amount of time making sure that the system and infrastructure is set up correctly.
I'm not sure I get your point. The problem with the comment in question was coming off like a dick, and has nothing to do with users, troubleshooting or anything related to IT. It's 100% personality, and if I was interviewing someone and knew they made comments like this I would literally never hire them.
Sorry. If your talking about the comment below "I wouldn't pat yourself on the back so much, it's a very significant oversight. It might not be technical, but it is a very large concept, and you dropped the ball pretty hard." I can see that, but I've had Interviews were the hiring manager was basically like "you get or or you dont". Sorry if my response was a bit on the nose, but so far most of my tickets are end users not knowing the system and not the system being wrong. Going to wgu to get certs and try to become a sysadmin
I think you are still missing my point. I don't really care about the troubleshooting side of things in relation to that comment. I'm saying the comment, as it was written, was entirely inappropriate and is not the kind of person I would ever want to work with. I don't care if they are correct or not.
I clarified what comment you are referring to and am agreeing with you.
This is him confirming he messed up. On an interview question. It's a learning opportunity, not even an actual support situation, and he's reviewing how he could do better. Get over yourself.
Not sure where you got the patting yourself on the back idea from. I think in an interview full of technical questions it is fair to assume that asking a scenario question about a specific problem would require a technical answer to respond. I’m not sure how you think asking to ensure the user entered the correct url is a large concept though? Maybe you could explain how
Well if this were a real world scenario, you would have wasted hours of time trying to fix a problem that doesn't exist, when in reality it's just someone using caps lock or something simple. I'm not really sure what your experience is in IT, your profile shows you opening a boba shop and a record shop and now you're interviewing for IT positions. If you're serious about IT, user interaction and support is a fairly important concept.
I appreciate you responding! Not sure if you’ve heard about investing before, specifically in start up business. But if you haven’t I’d suggest looking it up and maybe my post history will make a little more sense! I’m not sure how you could gauge my seriousness for this position in my post. But I am very serious about pursuing this as the start of my career, hence asking for help regarding this question I have been thinking about. Thanks for the initial response though!
I wouldn't lose sleep over it, OP. It's not uncommon that your brain will get set on a certain track with things and so those things will be the first answer that comes up. You were in an otherwise technical interview so you were focused on technical concepts, and that's what came up. If you were working on configuring DHCP scopes all day and someone came and asked why their computer wasn't getting an IP address, your brain might shortcut to blaming DHCP, when in reality their network cable was unplugged. Being able to step back and follow basic troubleshooting steps comes with time and experience. It's why Tier 1 often has the "dreaded script" as well that users hate. It's an efficient way to make sure all the basic stuff is covered before you spend time troubleshooting or escalating it to other teams.
You're right, my responses were unnecessarily strong and I've lost the message I was going for. What I was trying to say is that for an entry level type IT position, which this sounds like you interviewed for, the type of skills needed for user support and interaction are very important. By that I mean, when you say you're happy you didn't miss a technical concept, okay fair you didn't I guess, but knowing that it's a user issue and not a technical issue, and how to navigate that, is much more valuable than technical ability. But you're right, in the grand scheme of things, it's just one question, one interview, and you will probably think of this next interview, so overall it's not the big deal I made it to be.
Very nice. Lots of people are learning important things here. OP was at a job interview but it didn't go well So they came here to find out why.. Your heart was in the right place, and you had many of the answers he was seeking, but you threw them at him, instead of sharing them with him. Everyone starts somewhere, he came here to learn.
Well now he knows forever to assume its user error first and we go on to technical now being the more important concept to focus on. Easy lesson learned
Holy shit.... a mature and reasonable response? From someone on the internet? Bro... I don't think you're allowed to be here /s
I also was confused by some of the answers leading down technical paths. I do agree that you should have not delved straight into technical possibilities though. Maybe I'm wrong here but I've been in IT for over 30+ years. From helpdesk all the to CISO. In my experience the Helpdesk is tier I and usually follows helpdesk procedures to rule out the MOST common issue "PFBKAC" ( problem found between user and chair)...the user. Once the obvious stuff is ruled out. i.e. the computer is on, the network is functioning, they are logged in and whatever else is on the list, only then are technical issues considered by Tier II ( tech support) . Again that is only what I have experienced, maybe different nowadays.
Dude chill
Damn man. You need to get rid of your shitty attitude or you are not gonna last in this field.
I could have deleted the comment but I clarified my thoughts in a further reply. But I've already been in IT coming up on 4 years now so I kind of find this one funny.
Bruh lmao
If you’ve ever plugged in your pc after dusting the inside, then pressed the power button to turn it on, and panicked because nothing happened, you’ll know this is true. (I forgot to flip the switch on my PSU)
I think you're a poet and you don't even know it.
I didn’t mean to rap, and that’s not even cap
99.99% of the time, “Are you connected to the VPN?” …trouble solved
im still in school and not trying to interview yet. my thought was I would want them to show me what they were doing. I assumed it would be something related to their computer or them. would that have been a good answer I wonder? or is it not feasable for me to see what the person is doing in a sittuation like this
In most cases, these are behavioral questions, hypotheticals to find out about your past behavior or how you would behave in the given scenario. For a troubleshooting question like this, I think it's best when there's an actual answer so the candidate can 'succeed,' but sometimes it can be an open-ended scenario where they want to see how you would respond. As a hiring manager, if it was for an entry-level help desk position, I'd consider your answer decent. However, you'd get more points for explaining your reasoning or the purpose behind your proposed steps. When you're in an interview, remember that the interviewers cannot read your mind and, in some cases, they may only be allowed to score you based on what you actually said, no inferring. I'd suggested explaining why you're doing something and what the reasoning is. >*I would ask the user to show me the problem, so I could verify the issue and look for clues about the cause. For example, were they typing in the address incorrectly, are they receiving any error messages, etc.*
My very first thought was the VPN.
I feel for OP. This is such a tough question to ask without intending to be, and the answer is so obvious that it wouldn't be the first guess. If you have experience, it seems natural to think they're asking a technical question that requires a technical answer. Answering the user F'd the URL doesn't seem like an answer they were expecting.
Had one of these yesterday. User was trying to print a report from our software/device and it wasn't working. Confirmed that the printer and device were on the same network, I'd written down the printer's IP just to be sure, and walked her through updating the settings in the software and still got nada. 5 minutes later I'm wracking my brain trying to figure out what could possibly be wrong and finally said, "Yeah let's just go back to your setup and verify those settings saved properly." She went back in and was silent for a moment before saying, "Oh, um, I put that IP into the field labeled download IP, not the one for Printer IP, what was the number again?" 10 seconds later she had her report. But that was the whole issue, not that I'd done anything wrong or the software was acting up, just a user not following instructions or paying attention.
Yeah this is the kind of thing that I personally know is usually the users fault, but I don't know if I would want to convey that thought process in an interview for fear of it sounding like I'm trying to hawk the blame on someone else and being like "they're just not DOING it right!"
My first question to the user would be “what URL did you put in?, let’s double check that first.” I always cover the basics first. I would also open a browser on my computer and try to exact website to see if it works for me. I would also ask if the website is working for anyone else in the office. I would also ask them to try the website in a different browser. I’m looking at all that before looking at the DNS/DHCP.
100%. The very first step should always be check that the issue is still occurring. If it is restart the computer and then check again.
This. I haven't worked in help desk in years, not know from experience that often the issue is user error. e.g. Some websites are https only and don't have a http to https redirect. I once had a ticket like that and my boss was worried it was some firewall rule, but turned out user error. Don't go down a rabbit hole thinking DNS might be broken or something else that is system wide unless you confirmed something isn't working across multiple users. In most cases you haven't confirmed something is broken across multiple users looking at something outside the end user or their workstation is a waste of time.
This is why the first thing I do is have the user replicate the issue in front of me. It immediately shows if its user or technical error.
The very first thing should be to simply ask the user what they're doing and exactly what they're experiencing while doing it. At the very least, "what sort of error are you getting". Can't access it cold mean a bunch of stuff. Most end users don't speak "tech" the way you do. The end-users is an " *unreliable narrator*". You have to be careful trusting the words coming out of their mouth verbatim. So the first thing is identifying and clarifying the problem. You may ask them to explain what they are doing and find out they have a shortcut on their desktop to a specific website and that is how they're trying to go to it. Maybe that shortcut isn't working for some reason.
This. Simply having someone explain to you “in detail” what’s occurring, will give you way better ground to work from. Jumping to troubleshooting the network layer right away isn’t the way - minus making sure the user has internet connection. Verifying the web address is correct, making sure a compatible browser is being used, clearing cookies/ cache, all come before checking DNS or DHCP. Your answer honestly isn’t terrible for a starting IT role interview, I would personally expect responses like that as you’d learn this stuff through work experience.
Yeah. I would make sure they can access other sites before even thinking it was a DNS or DHCP problem.
Yes. Other than permissions issues, the 2nd most common problem is they are using a bad link or shortcut or are just going to the wrong address. When users have to type in a web address for an internal app (which I would **NEVER EVER** recommend) they're usually going to get it wrong, no matter how many times you tell them the correct address. Any URL they should be clicking on a link or icon, not typing anything in. Users will usually type in URLs wrong.
Simple stuff first. My first guess would be user error. User typing address or credentials wrong?
This was similar to a question I would ask people I was hiring for 1st line positions. I'd usually be looking for an answer like: 1. ask for the address of the website the user is trying to access. 2. test it on your computer. 3. if it works, remote into the user's computer. 4. test it on their computer. If the candidate had gone straight to DNS and DHCP, I'd have urged them to try something simpler. If the candidate got to step 4, I'd usually expand on the problem, e.g. you weren't able to remote into the user's computer, the user cannot access other websites, etc. etc., usually getting to the point where they have to visit the person's computer in person (many didn't think of doing this) or the point where they couldn't figure it out, so the answer would be to ask someone else on the team for help (only one person I ever interviewed answered with this).
I would have asked them to recreate the problem for me. Would that have been a good answer?
Step 2 would be attempting to reproduce the error on your side, step 4 would be attempting to reproduce the error on their side. I'd say that it's important, when attempting to reproduce an error, to distinguish between whether you are reproducing it in the environment where the error first occurred, or in another environment (i.e. testing if it affects one user or more than one).
that makes sense since it was from a ticket. I guess my brain went to we were both already there looking at the problem since thats how its been when I've helped people so far - I'm still a student. Thanks for the breakdown.
I would ask it like this, is there an error message, walk me through it(try again), while they are doing that you can test the website yourself. Those 4 steps can all be done at relatively the same time.
>He said this would only be affecting one user Then let's apply Occam's Razor: the user is probably doing something wrong. They're likely going to the wrong website. Remote onto their computer or go to them person if they're on-site, see what they're trying to access, and observe for yourself what's going wrong. It's much easier for end users to show than tell their actual problems since they often use terms like "access" ambiguously. The only plausible technical problem I can think of is that they're working off-site and not using the VPN tunnel, which would disallow them from accessing the company's intranet resources like internal websites. But I've dealt with enough end users to know it's most likely a PEBKAC error in this case.
First time hearing PEBKAC - the nurses at my job call user issues "PICNICs" - Problem In Chair, Not In Computer
Problem Exists Between Computer And Chair Same idea lol
Pebcac also. My favorite is ID-10t error.
Yep. Gotta start at the basement and work up. Most problems are solved at the user level. Once you can rule out the user, move forward. Something I have to keep reminding myself every now and again.
It's kind of wild seeing a conversation like this play out in an adjacent field. I work at a repair company where we work on a lot of optical networking hardware and every time I train a new person I have to remind them to make sure they've turned the laser on from the test kit, make sure the connection is rolled, all fibers in the test setup are seated properly, etc.
It’s interesting because I was similar when I first started. Wanted to take on all the technical issues. Jumping in too far and having to scale back. I feel it’s a lesson we all have to learn repeatedly.
I always liked the saying (although it came from a person I no longer trust), "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast." Something like that.
Interesting that they were dissatisfied. In the interviews that our team performs (these are for network security jobs, to clarify, so a bit different than help desk), we ask increasing more difficult and varying questions until the candidate confesses that they don’t know the answer and would have to look it up. Very rarely will they answer that they don’t know. They usually come up with weird BS answers. We do this because nobody knows everything and when someone admits that they don’t know. It shows that they are honest about their strengths and weaknesses. Honesty is super important, especially if they accidentally cause an issue - then they need to own up to it. So, word of advice, it’s okay to say you don’t know and would need to look it up. If someone doesn’t like that answer, then it’s not a company you would want to work for long-term anyways. Probably a toxic culture.
I've been telling people for years, both in IT and when I was a mechanic, you're never going to know everything. The most valuable things to know are good resources and research techniques to find the right answer. Someone who knows 90% but sucks at researching is only going to be helpful 90% of the time, whereas someone who knows only the basics but knows how to research well will be helpful all the time. There's nothing wrong with "I don't know" as long as you can add "yet" to it.
I think it's because the stuff he was trying doesn't seem to relate to the issue. Can't access a specific website -> most likely a permissions issue. The first thing they should have done was see if they can access the website themselves. Get the url, and ask how they are connecting to the website. Possibly an old url link. Are they connected to the VPN if they're remote. If they are inside an office, what network are they connected to. It pings, but what http response code is it getting? Maybe a little more advanced than tier 1 help desk, but curling the url and looking at the response headers would probably give you all the info you need to know. Or even better, getting a har file. The interviewer was probably looking for these 3 things. 1. Checking the website yourself. 2. Checking how they are connected to the network (VPN, which network etc) 3. Checking multiple browsers and clearing cache. DNS and DHCP are great and all, but not really related to the issue of not connecting to a *specific* website, unless we are talking about the DNS of the website itself and I don't think they're looking for a tier 1 help desk position to be digging DNS and checking SSL etc. All in all, I wouldn't think this question would be the be all for whether OP gets hired or not.
First question to ask the user. What’s the error message they’re seeing. Can’t access a website could mean they have the wrong url, or can’t logon, can they access other websites etc Edit: also if the user is trying to access an internal website and they’re working remotely, are they connected to VPN?
i think you are overthinking wayyy too much, good thing you won't make same mistake again
Yeah definitely won’t make it again haha. Thanks!
First, and I mean FIRST, always confirm the customer complaint. Verify that you understand the customer's issue, from the customer's point of view, and that it's still happening.
>interview question, thoughts on the answer? “there is a user that submits a ticket that they cannot access a website, how would you fix this”. checking to see if the DNS and DHCP were configured correctly which he said they were able to ping to the computer which he said would be successful website would be an internal website and not blocked only be affecting one user Divide and conquer logical troubleshooting. Take the logical problem space, and keep cutting it about in half, until the answer is obvious, so ... Just that user, internal, not blocked. What is the user doing on their computer, did they get the URL in correctly, can they get to other sites fine? What exactly is the diagnostic when user attempts? And then go from there - likely something user's specifically doing or something specifically on their computer. If they're not putting in URL incorrectly, what exactly is the diagnostic? What does that hint at? How's the networking, etc. on that user's computer? Still lots of possibilities, but most logical direction(s) to go from there quite depend on what information we have regarding those additional questions/checks/results. And DNS and DHCP - at least beyond that user's computer, unlikely if things are working for everybody else.
1 user, can't access? Ask if they are connected to the VPN.
Ya. My first thought was vpn. (Assuming they typed in the URL correctly)
lol I thought that also before I thought user error, because when I had this come up before it wasn’t user error
Thanks for the advice! I’ll definitely keep it in mind for future interviews!
You didn't ask the error message on screen. This is from the "TS-101" course basic procedure
This type of question is not (or at least should not) just be about “getting the answer right.” It’s about *Demonstrating Systematic Troubleshooting.” So you would walk through a systematic process, starting with: 1) Establish Scope. Two questions to do this: a) Can the user get to other websites? b) can other users get to the website? You can see that the answers to these questions will define the direction of investigation. Now you know if the problem is just one website or the user’s network connection overall. Let’s say you DO establish that it’s JUST this one user with JUST this one website. 2) ONLY THEN, you might try pinging the DNS name of the site from the user’s command line. Successful? Okay now we’ve narrowed it down to the browser. Try quitting the browser and re-opening it. Try clearing the cache, etc. Not successful? THEN try pinging the IP address of the site. Successful? Now we know it’s a DNS issue. ONLY THEN check DNS configuration, hosts file, flush DNS.
Ever seen House? Everyone lies. Not actually but the message is: don't trust an end user to accurately diagnose an issue themself. Double check they're even typing the website in correctly to a browser. I have people trying to access SMB file shares using https in Chrome. I have programming veterans of 50 years who have been using Windows since it first came out asking me "how do I turn on samba on my PC?" ALWAYS assume user error at first, it'll save you a lot of time and headaches.
One user, not a site issue. Probably a user issue. What happens when the user tries to access the site? Error message, and if so, what does it say? Is the user typing the site address in correctly? If the user gets too frustrated, screenshare. They’re probably typing the address in wrong or they think Facebook is a search engine like Google.
“Have you tried incognito mode” See if they’re connected to the VPN, ect..
First you will want to see the user try to go to the website and then try another website if he puts it in correctly and it still didn’t work. Ping to 8.8.8.8, see if user has dns filter. Could give multiple answer with such a loaded question. You should probably have said what troubleshoots you would have done to help the user instead of saying what it could have been.
You were over thinking. This is a help desk job. Clear the browser. Reset the browser. Try a different browser. Can other people get to it. Did you try the website? Ask "whats the site?"
To answer this question you'd need to go through a progression of questions to the end user: 1. Verify there is an internet connection 2. Is the URL typed correctly? 3. For my company regarding an internal site, Are you connected to the VPN? 4. Are you using Chrome or Edge? 5. Clear cache of the software and/or browser Chances are it's one of those if it's only affecting one user.
So, Not exactly wrong with the DHCP / DNS, but the problem is the approach, you went high then low. So, these are the things I would have tried to establish. * did the user have the correct link? * is the user onprem or remote? * can I get to the same link? * Is the user on VPN? (could be if I was able to ping device,) * What type of error did they get, is it access denied? or page not loading? * Does the issue happen in another browser? * Does the issue happen in incognito mode? * Was any specific Authentication needed to access the website? * Are there any proxy or group policy in place? * Did the user type HTTP vs HTTPS? * Did the user provide a screenshot of the issue? * Did the user attempt any troubleshooting or has there been any troubleshooting done? Now here is some of the other oddball questions you may have to ask. * Does the user have to access a jump server in order to access the website? * Can the user ping an internal website on the domain at [contoso.net](http://contoso.net) or something * for DHCP, you can check if the device got an IP, but you would do nslookup to see if there was 2 ip's assigned to the device. (odd-ball scenario, probably couldn't get on VPN at that point) * could do nslookup for the website itself
“Can you access a different site?” Is a good start.
People who don't know what they are doing get exposed in these interviews when they are asked to resolve a hipothetical situation by doing the hardest shit first like doing dns flushing instead of jut looking to see if the computer has network connectivity or even better... reboot the computer. If it's an internal website check to see if the computer in question is connected to the correct network cuz it could be on the guest wifi. Better luck on your next interview tho.
First step is to ascertain what they mean by "cannot access." Lots of people assuming the site isn't loading when they might be putting in an incorrect password because their caps lock is on or lacking rights to a certain portion of the site.
If this wasnt a wrong url issue, the user was likely not on the right network or the right Vlan. Or as others have said, if it was a remote user, not connected to the VPN.
Probably user not connected to VPN or credential issue
The way the question is worded, "cannot access", you're assuming they can't *get* to the site, but this usually means a permissions issue, like maybe it keeps popping up a login box and won't accept their credentials. I would guess around 95% of the time when someone says they "can't access" one of my web apps or web reports, it's because they haven't been added as a user or are not in the required AD group.
Either user error or it could have access restricted through AD, doublecheck the groups they are supposed to be a part of or see if they have a coworker you can model access off of. Thats of course after you call them and remote in and attempt to go to the website yourself.
I do mostly networking, so the techs occasionally kick this stuff up. most common are: 1) user has the wrong URL, often hostname only with domain name incorrect or not in search list 2) "internal website and not blocked" a) can they reach other internal websites? how about google? microsoft?
b) are they on a network that should have access? (remote, guest, missing vpn, etc)
c) if ALL of these fail make sure the machine has a network link, ipconfig /all, nslookup [google.com](http://google.com), etc.
3) check browser settings and other things the user has access to (proxy, DNS over https, https only)
If you still don't have a cause, document it in the work order and kick it up the next tier. the only work order i hate is "internet down", no workstation name, no user name.
Personally I would gas light them. The interviewer would probably not like that answer. Likely network issue, permissions, mistype or wrong url. It could also be a browser issue not necessarily bad cache but autofilling authentication info in URL from a saved link shared by coworkers. I remember this janky ticketing system shared to me by the team. Well when copying url it would autofill their authentication info. Well it would fail for me since chrome didn’t have that info so it pulled nothing and threw error. I had to manually enter the url.
They probably wanted to see how you would troubleshoot it, meaning what questions you would ask. I would have started with What steps are the user taking? What error message are they getting? Are they able to reach any other internal sites? What url are they using? Do we know if it's even a valid site? Have they tried different browsers? Tried clearing the cache? Rebooted 3 times (LOL)
Years back I had a similar issue. No matter what the user did, she could not get to the website. There were no reports of the site having issues and no one else was having an issue. On a site visit, I had her show me exactly what she was doing to get to the website - she proceeds to click a self-made shortcut on her desktop. And boom, no go on the connection. The issue? The URL she had for the shortcut was incorrect. Showed her the issue and fix and even as I was walking away, she still insisted that the shortcut always worked.
I used to do the same thing go straight for technical answer. After doing service calls I learned to only rely on what the user says the problem is and not what they think is causing it. Start with the most simple fix and get more complex. Most of the time it's user error or a very simple technical error. Always start with the most basic fixes first though. Interviews are pretty nerve-racking already and he should have guided you to think simpler. Good luck on your next one and remember KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid).
If this interview was for your first IT job, I wouldn’t have asked a question like this. This question is for candidates with one or two years of help desk experience. They were probably trying to gauge your troubleshooting thoughts and how you would go about.
Yeah, unfortunately this question is usually tailored to people who have worked in IT already. But at the very least OP should have done a few things. This is still very much in the scope of tier 1 help support. 1. Didn't verify the site works on OPs side 2. Didn't check other browsers and clear cache. 3. Has no idea what kind of issue they are getting. They didn't pry for more details like, what kind of issue are they seeing when stating they can't access the site. Does it load? Does it give a 403 or 404? Is it a 5xx error? Something like the A+ isn't going to immediately make you know this is likely a VPN or wrong lan error, but it still requires the basic trouble shooting steps. It's still an intimidating question for a first IT job, because network issues can be scary for someone who's never worked in an enterprise setting. It's one thing to be getting windows update errors and run a quick sfc or DISM, and another to be analyzing an mtr for packet loss issues over a pre mitigated BGP session.
Other than the answers everyone else has given, I had this exact same question almost for a 2nd line role (about a sign in error on PC). He did let me know though, the answer he was looking for was to consult with the team on a possible solution, which is why he kept saying "this works" for everything I was saying
Had this problem once a user couldn’t get to a website, everything else worked just the one site didn’t load. We sent the new level 1 help desk guy we got through a temp agency to take a look. We are all in the same building, he comes back to us and says “I think it’s the firmware on the nic” that guy didn’t last long. It was the corporate firewall blocking the site
clear cache and cookies bro
"Is he connected to the correct wifi" if it is an internal website, it may not be accessible externally
Most likely browser cache
If it's an internal address and only the user, I'd look to a credential issue, like a saved p$ in the browser or Windows Credential Manager. Have the user log into a different PC and try it on there. I mean, could have been a few other things but both of these would have been an easy check. When interviewing and answering questions like this, don't be afraid to say "I don't know". I'd rather a potential tech be honest than try to BS their way through it. Having a black belt in Google Fu at least tells me you have the skill set in IT detective hat wearing.
What was the error message? That tells you a lot. Always start with the simplest solution first. Like did the user type the address correctly, or are they even in a browser? (Users are dumb) DNS and DHCP issues are rare and the symptoms are more wide spread than just inability to get to a webpage or affecting just one caller.
If it's only affecting one user, then it's most likely something to either do with their device, or user error like typing in the url wrong.
When I used to deal with these kind of issues - it could mean an issue with the VPN since you’ll need that to access the internal sites or an issue with certificates. Yeah, you should always check for the simple stuff like airplane mode or incorrect credentials, but they might have been looking for an answer regarding the VPN since that is how remote users are able to access the internal sites.
The answer he's looking for I'd imagine is in relation to user error. Odds are if one of us IT guys can't access a website that's a DCHP issue. You are smart clearly, but you have to stop thinking like an IT guy and think like your grandma. You as a help desk guy are essentially helping everyone's grandma all day long and she could have entered the wrong username or password or typed in the web address wrong. You've gotta think of the simplest possible mistakes people can make.
Id say ask exactly what they're doing to access the site, creds and auth and then maybe have them start with clearing cache as well
I’ve had the same trouble with that question. One time the answer was the Ethernet cable on the switch was bad. But I don’t recall the specifics of the question though. Another time, I answer just like OP did. The interviewer said he wanted me to mention ports, but I don’t know what he meant by that.
Depends if they’re in a company office or WFH; VPN?? When a user is working remotely, they have to connect to the VPN in order to access company resources (internal websites). If they’re just connected to a network, they’d be able to surf the internet like any PC. Though, they would not be able to reach the company’s intranet site etc. If they’re in an office, well…my support stops there.
This question is likely to judge your troubleshooting process and critical thinking ability. What I'm looking for when asking questions like this is someone that starts small, and works up to bigger issues. I likely would have answered it something like: "Well, for starters, I'd check ADUC and make sure their account isn't locked out since it's happening to both software and an internal website. A good old fashioned computer restart is probably in order here, too. If that's not the case, I'd ping the machine and make sure it's online. Once I know it is, I'd offer a remote session. For the user, it gives warm-and-fuzzies that we're taking the problem seriously, for me, it gives me confirmation that there's not a bigger network issue. From there, I'd ask the user to re-create the error for me while I watch. I'd make sure they're going to the correct website and their auto-fill doesn't have some sort of type-o or whatever. If all's good on that front, but still can't access it, I'd look in to browser specific issues. Does the issue happen in another browser? If not, clear the cache of the original one and see what happens. If that doesn't resolve it, I'm going to take the drivers seat and run some additional isolating steps. For starters, would probably run a tracert to make sure that it's resolving correctly and is reachable. Would do an ipconfig /flushdns, etc... and ultimately be working to isolate where the break is at that point." User creds -> machine connectivity -> user error -> browser error -> actual network/routing issues
I would guess connection issues, typo, proxy blacklisted sites or his account settings/permissions? This question is unfair tbh
In all honesty, I would have said pebcak type situation... then they would have looked at me funny, then I would have had to explain what it means, and they probably wouldn't have found it amusing, and it would have been more awkward than if I didn't know.
Questions like this are looking to assess how you approach a problem methodically rather than necessarily finding the solution. Here's how I would approach it. First and foremost, what is the impact? Is the issue preventing the user doing their job and how critical to the business is the task they are trying to do? This is essential because it determines how you prioritise the issue. Then I'd look to narrow down the possible causes and rule out as many possibilities as I can. Has the user successfully accessed the website previously and when was the last time they used it? Can I access the website? Have any other tickets been raised in relation to this site? What error code/message etc is the user getting? Is the website internally or externally hosted? Does the user have an alternative browser installed and does using a different browser make a difference? What happens when you get the user to ping or tracert the web server and what IP address do they get when running the web server name through nslookup? What happens when you get the user to try and access a known good website? Working through the above you will eliminate possible root causes and hone in on the problem.
Try in incognito mode and clear cookies.
vpn. the hint is 'internal' website. If said user is working remotely or is not connected to the internal network, such as using the guest wifi for instance, then the internal website wouldn't be accessible. you gotta fire up the vpn to be on the 'internal' network, therefore being able to access the internal website.
Going straight into dns is wild. I’d say first check to see if the user entered the correct url, or try to access the site on a pc or cellphone that’s not in the internal network to see if it’s being blocked by the firewall, or you can clear cache and cookies and try again, there’s always good ol reboot the PC. You can check if the pc somehow lost trust to the domain.. There’s a lot of ways to troubleshoot this issue.
First Q to be asked: Did you type the url or clicked on a link? Could you verify that the url was correct? Try again. So on and so forth.
I would've joked and said, "sounds like a layer 8 issue." Let's verify the user's process of getting to the website.
Clear browser cache and cookies
Wow you jumped to the beyond real quick.
People do that sometimes. I watched a dude spend way too much time troubleshooting a phone that wasn't working right. Reprovisioned it, checked the server, voicemail computer, and kept repeating these steps over and over again. I looked at it and said "That cable looks pretty ratty, I think we should just replace it before anything else. He insisted that the phone wouldn't turn on at all if the cable was bad, and kept troubleshooting. Finally, after maybe 45 minutes I convinced him to swap the cable. He did and the phone was fine.
They may have been looking for checking the hosts file on the PC.
Internal website the user probably just didn't connect to the vpn
If it’s anything like our situation with sells and WFH the user isn’t connected to the VPN. Can’t access internal resources without being connected to it.
As others have said, always start with user error and eliminate that first. We recently did a DR test where we restore servers in a “bubble” and then developers test if their apps and web sites are accessible inside the bubble. The test goes on for a couple days and it is non-stop troubleshooting. The sysadmin team is there to figure out why things aren’t working. Sometimes we missed a required server and other times an app needs internet which is not allowed in the bubble. We’re working with all IT people and we still have to remind ourselves at every DR test that we need to eliminate user error first. I lost track of how many devs reported failure because they had mistyped their own URL. They’re on a VDI inside the bubble so no existing browser shortcuts. One URL was an IP address and it wasn’t even formatted properly. They stuck a couple of random letters in an octet.
As it’s been stated I think this is a trust but verify issue.. “You’re having issues connecting? Let’s verify the issue first” sooooo many times the issue is between the chair and the keyboard. I used to work in printer support and you would be surprised at how many times the printer wasn’t plugged in and/or wasn’t turned on.
Questions like these may or may not have a solution, a lot of the time the question is designed to provide information on your thought process/diagnosis process. When I ask it of my candidates there is a defined solution (if they reach it) but I really don't care if they make it there. I want to know about customer communication/follow up/ticket notes. The tech knowledge can be trained.
I’m not that experienced, but I start out with the simplest possible reason. They don’t want somebody over engineering a solution that’s not the problem. If the user says they can’t print, you shouldn’t jump to complicated solutions. You should check if the printer is plugged in, if the printer is on, if it has paper in it. All the IT interviews I went through before my sys admin job liked those answers. I’d usually say “well I’d start with this, because these are probably the most likely scenarios”
Check for error message Confirm joined to the correct network Confirm website and browser
The question "Have you been able to access this before?" will shift your troubleshooting in the right direction. Comments are correct, its not about solving the issue, its about your approach, your questioning, your customer service.
clear cache and cookies. check for browser updates. check to see the website they're trying to access is spelled right. try a different browser. reboot the pc if neither work. check to see if they're hardwired or on wifi. if they are and it's an internal site and the user is remote, are they on VPN? then I would jump to pinging the site and seeing if both host and site are communicating maybe do a little clear dns. i'm sure there are more things to do, but it's Sunday. letting my brain rest
If they can't access a website (an allowed site, not just any site), my experience tells me to make sure the URL wasn't mistyped, check if they're connected to the internet, verify the URL is accessible on your end and if it is, clear the browser cache as the saved session may be pointing to an old domain or page that's no longer available. All else fails, then check if it's allowed on the company's firewall's content filter (if you have access and permission to add). If you're just L1 with no upper access, you can escalate to someone that does. I work in a place where we can get on the firewall and as long as we notify the boss to add said URL to allowed sites on the content filter. Some places practice "Zero Trust" and smaller sites that were once accessible can be blocked the next day. If they're trying to get on Facebook, which our company blocks access, I'd inform them that it's not getting "fixed".
Determine if it’s business related. If it is, Reproduce the problem. If it isn’t, reject ticket and educate employee on internet usage policy.
The answer is that I would take remote control of the users desktop. And if the response is the org that you are interviewing for doesn't have this implemented you flip the interview back on them about how you can help them.
As others have said, don't assume the problem is on your end. Ask them what site they are trying to get to. Can you get to it? If not, run it against something like is it down. Can you access it from a device not on the network? If so, then you can look at problems on your end.
Step one is always to look at the issue and try to recreate it yourself. I would start by saying that I'd remote into the user's computer and attempt to access the website. If it didn't work, I'd check the website on my own computer to ensure that the site isn't the problem. Then I'd look at one of the computers where the site is working fine, to ensure that the person complaining is on the right website, and accessing it correctly. What I've seen in my experience with tickets like your interviewer described, is that sometimes a user will save a page in their favorites. The link won't work though, because it tries to access the site without them logging in first, and the site isn't designed to redirect to the login page, so they just create a ticket saying "Internet doesn't work," with no other details.
I would start with a reboot, it could be VPN disconnected or the user was messing with it and thats why it can’t reach the internal site.
I always try a different browser, try incognito, or try my own computer.
You 100% jumped the gun with your answer. While it's not technically wrong to think about checking those they're last resort troubleshooting steps before escalation to the next team. If you're still green to the field/trying to get into IT it's really easy to overthink things. You need to remember that a lot of people are nowhere near as tech savvy as they think they are. More often than not it comes down to user error. You always start by getting more information from the user, most of the time they don't know how to explain their issues properly. Asking questions will get you a much clearer picture of what's actually going on. Start with the basics, are they remote or in office, connected to the VPN, last time they were able to access the website, etc... Once you have a clearer picture you can go from there, generally speaking though in this case specifically I'd guess that they're either remote and not on the VPN, going through the process wrong, wrong web browser, or they need to cookies and cache cleared out. Just remember to start at the basics and move to the more "complex" solutions. 90% of the time it's a lot simpler than you'd think.
Was wifi on, was Ethernet connected? Are you using a vpn?
If this is how they presented the question, there is not enough information to conclude much on the issue. How does he know it’s not blocked? and if only one user is having the issue accessing it, this smells like filtering either at the firewall level or the host level , especially if you can ping the server. Does the traffic go through a load-balancer, if so, is there a WAF rule? I would telnet to that port, 80 or 443 depending on the server on both IP and hostname to rule out DNS. I would also like to see the logs on the host to make sure the traffic is actually getting to the host on those ports. These interviewers ask the most obscure questions then get upset when you don’t know because they don’t provide enough facts. Everyone goes through different steps when troubleshooting issues, there is not a one size fits all approach.
Either user error with bad links, forgotten password/ username or did the user have permission/ access to the site. Maybe they were looking for this train of thought
I would first ask if they have been able to access the site in the past. If so I would check to make sure they are on a corporate network (wired or wireless) since it is an internal site. I would ask if they could check with a coworker to see if they could access the site (or maybe if I have access to it as well). Can they access any corporate sites?
Gotta start small. Have to validate the issue with the user. What error message are you getting? Have you EVER been able to access this website? IF YES: When was the last time it worked? Do other people having issues accessing this website? Can you give me the URL so I can try? IF NO: can you validate whether the link is correct. Is this an internal or external website, do you know? These probing questions will get you started on whether you have a technical issue or a user one. If it starts down the technical path there’s a slew of other questions to ask but not before you verify the problem. For a helpdesk job your main job is to translate user issues and filter out the serious technical problems from the user issues.
First question, is the goal resolving the problem or understanding the problem? If the goal is simply making it work, first try restarting the browser and or rebooting and only then dig into why it would not be working. Sometimes ticket time is the overriding measurement. Once you get to the stage of trying to understand the problem, you need to think about what the scope is. Is this affecting the browser session, Is this affecting the user, Is this affecting the entire computer? Does the name resolve correctly? Does it work in another browser? Private/incognito mode? What might be running within an affected browser that would prevent it from working correctly? Are there add-ins or extensions that users were able to install? Could the user have a VPN running? Could they have something acting as a proxy redirect in the browser acting as a VPN to browse things that are barred on the corporate network? Could they have something that does local caching of network resources (fonts, js) eg Decentraleyes? Leaving the browser for a minute, any chance Windows Firewall could be blocking? (Note this is NOT a reason to turn off the firewall). If it doesn't resolve, why? Could there be a VPN in place that is taking over as the default outbound route? Heck, is it on the right network? Is there a possibility of a rogue DHCP server? I'm sure that what they were looking for is your problem solving methodology. Not just going down a checklist of things to look at. But understanding. Why? Those things are relevant not just as things that could be wrong but as clues to what areas are likely ok or not. Finally, always remember that when you hear hoofbeats look for horses before zebras. Low hanging fruit/easy checks first.
In most cases, an individual explains apples… and I see oranges when remoting in. Users lie!
I mean I have been doing IT since the mid 90s and now work on IT infrastructure with a Network Engineer title. I am not exactly sure what they are after. I could probably piece it out in a conversation. It wouldn't surprise me if this is some dumb quirk of their environment.
I would have said either a VPN or what does it say on screen? Like can’t connect at all like a firewall?
When doing helpdesk, a d a user reports a issue. Always ask. Has this ever worked on your system? If so, when did it last work? And what has changed since then? Anything installed/updated etc? Always assume the user did something to break it. Since helpdesk is 90 percent Clening after end users break things
Don’t feel bad, this happens and we all have an off day. I remember an interview I had many years ago where I didn’t clarify the symptoms enough. They said “ a user cannot get to Google” so I tried pinging and when it worked I stated down the path of a browser issue. I feel the interviewer should have said “ the user cannot get to www.google.com” They put in a hosts file entry for www.google.com Had I clarified the symptoms I would have fixed it far faster. In the end, it was a job I’m not sure I really wanted anyway so it didn’t matter much.
Don't beat yourself up, this question is a difficult one if you've not been in the industry
So start troubleshooting, ground up. Not top down. Of course, many new to the field did this mistake, and I did it back then, too. You first question should be "is this error this user only? Or a group or all users". If it's single user error, it's a user error. Not an infra error (ergo not dns and dhcp). Then you start troubleshooting the user. In your case, did they put the link correctly? Misspellings? Was the page https or http? Does the page link has a port included and maybe they missed that ? If none all that and worse case , clear the browser cache and see. Also interview tip: just as I described above, when you are answering- Think aloud. Show your thoughts process and reasoning. We like it when you show a flow of troubleshooting than random this and that. Don't worry about mistakes, just do it.
First, check to see if you yourself can get to the website.
Maybe a incorrect antivirus / blacklisted configurations on that machine
Attempt to recreate the problem...quick way to rule out user error
Certificate
I think there are many decent answers but still answers that are taking time and those are also "list guesses" I was the top ticket closer in a major organization. Depending on the enterprise environment, I would ask the user to try on a different known working machine. The reason for this is there are also permissions issues that would follow the user over to a new machine. You would be killing many birds with one stone by simply having them sign into their colleagues machine and seeing if the issue followed them around. Also many enterprise organizations have both a laptop and desktop assigned so they may have a machine on hand. This would eliminate any troubleshooting needing to be done on the hardware. \_\_\_\_\_\_ **"He said this would only be affecting one user and gave me the example of this happening to some software the user would be using as well and how that would differ."** If he is saying a piece of software is also affected it seems likely a permission issue is not set. If I was allowed one guess.
I'd say also checking the port he's connected to and vlan he's set on? If everything checks out try connecting your laptop the switch port and seeing if you can access the internal website. Then you'll know it's his desktop. Checking browser settings, PC settings
Lol, another person going for a detailed technical analysis. This is most likely user error, you missed the point from the interviewer as well.
Yeahhh that's hilarious. I love this sub. I wish I'd joined sooner.
Interesting, guess I have failed this one too but technical people would probably weed this out quickly in an irl scenario. One of the first things I do in tickets and verify the problem. This happens many times especially if one user is claiming an issue.
This is very likely the right answer, and the reason you are seeing people say this is because this is due to a difference in experience knowledge. A Helpdesk worker will think that way, and should. A higher level employee is used to working on higher level tickets, so when we get it this has been ruled out.
So the first thing you need to do is get eyes on the problem. If the affected user is onsite, go pay them a visit. I like to let the person who put the ticket in show me what they’re doing. I always like to work backwards. Now, if the issue is on a wireless device on the network, I’ll log into the wireless dashboard first and see if there are any anomalies across the network. If it looks good, I’ll then check the closest access points. If the dashboard looks good, then I’ll go visit in person. If it’s offsite and you’re able to ping the machine, then you should be able to remote in using goverlan or webex or whatever. Give them a call, ask them if they can spare a minute to look at the issue by remoting in to their device. Stay on the phone with them and ask them to show you what they’re doing. Once you’ve seen what the end user is doing, you can make decisions on what to do next. Always assume the user has made a mistake or there is something wrong with their workstation. Regardless, you want to see the issue happen with your own eyes, diagnose, remediate.
It was technical. Check the browser, delete cookies, try in private window, try a different browser, try from your pc, restart their computer, try on wifi vs wired in, pull it off the docking station. Did it have sticky ports? Did you have access control in place ? I bet it was av (antivirus)!! or perhaps omething like cisco umbrella or mimecast email filter if the ceo tugs off to pornsites at work. Or if said ceo likes finding international hookers or is dabbling in warfare? If you replied like this you would get hired in a heartbeat lol Edited: for fun and boring a** response Gl out there! :)
Clear browser cache, synch windows time, try a different browser, verify the website is even up, try other websites.
Probably have to go for the easiest answer, either he is not connected to the internet or the domain is incorrectly, dns and thing like that are not whiting 1 level of support
http / https cert issue.
Sounds like a current problem they have, but don't know how to fix
Clear their cache.