Cybersec Analyst Interview question

[CS1983]

Now in an enviable (?) predicament: I have two companies out there that want an in-person interview.

2nd company seems to be trying to piggyback on 1st company flying me out. They would have me meet with the manager, Director of IT Infrastructure and VP of IT all in one go. This may be them trying to condense the process so they don't have to fly me out again, or it could indicate that I'm a strong candidate to potentially waste a Director and VP's time. I suppose it depends on unknown factors.

Problem is twofold:

1) I have no idea when the actual interview process for company 1 will be over that day, so:

2) I have no idea if it would allow me to get over to company 2, complete the interview with enough time to get to the airport, and come home
a) If I cancel or otherwise change my return flight (If I even can, the company might have to do that), it could look untoward to Company 1 -- particularly if they get charged for a change
b) I feel like Company 2 needs some skin in the game if they really want to interview me in person

Solution to problem 2: Since my Company 1 interview is later in the morning (before lunch, but not by much), I could see if Company 2 could schedule the interview in the earlier part of the morning. That presents a risk, though, that I'd possibly be late to Company 1 interview depending on factors out of my control (traffic, interview runs over, etc.). Counterpoint: Companies 1 and 2 are only ~9 miles apart. But I dunno what traffic might be like that time of the morning. Certainly not Denver levels, but always a potential for risk.

Weird predicament and problem set given the time constraints.

[Circuits]

Now in an enviable (?) predicament: I have two companies out there that want an in-person interview.
2nd company seems to be trying to piggyback on 1st company flying me out. They would have me meet with the manager, Director of IT Infrastructure and VP of IT all in one go. This may be them trying to condense the process so they don't have to fly me out again, or it could indicate that I'm a strong candidate to potentially waste a Director and VP's time. I suppose it depends on unknown factors.

You can change your ticket. Out-of-pocket expenses related to the changes can be paid by you without being charged back to Co. 1.

Co. 1 will be able to see the changes to your ticket based on the PNR if they go look them up after the fact, though.

Explain to Co. 2 they can meet your return schedule or reimbruse you the costs to change your return ticket (including putting you up overnight if necessary). If they can't or won't, that's probitive to your understanding of how much they really want to interview with you. There's always videoconferencing or a return interview trip if they're actually serious and things don't work out to piggyback your interview on your current trip.

[CS1983]

Completed interview. Surprisingly they had the behavioral portion first, which seemed backwards since the technical interview was pass/fail. Seems like they wouldn't want to waste their time if someone wasn't up to technical snuff.

Anyway, behavioral was easy. I wasn't nervous at all. Was 3 managers: cyber, physical/SOC, and infrastructure.

Lunch was nice.

Tech interview was interesting. Won't go into too much detail on that as it obviously would be different depending on where one was applying, etc.

I will say it encompassed all 7 layers of the OSI model and layer 8 is always the hardest to troubleshoot (ha!). It was much more in the realm of Desktop Support troubleshooting, which I haven't done in a while.

I don't know yet if I passed or failed the tech portion, and thus if I passed the interview. But what I will say is, despite its stressful nature, I liked that method MUCH more than the typical BS tech interview questions. Being able to see and click and think through something was much more realistic and indicative of skill sets than being asked random factoids.

Regardless of if I get the position or not, wherever I end up I plan to recommend and develop a similar technical interview process if possible; it was just that good. It was probably the most fun interview I've been on in a while.

Today is a skype call with company 2. Just wasn't able to make getting over to them work in conjunction with the tight flight schedule yesterday.

[fitterjohn]

I bet it really is basic troubleshooting. You would be shocked how many people I work with cannot do basic step by step troubleshooting. They immediately jump to the conclusions.

Never had an interview like this, wish my team would do something like this.

Good luck on your interview.

I think this is true with all trades
I got sent out to work with an apprentice on a job him and a journeyman (20+ years in the trade) had been working 2 days on. A lot of changed parts and phone calls. We fixed it in 15 mins with 0 parts needed. Someone was pulling on wires and must have pulled on off a relay and got it out back on the connection next to where it needed to be. The apprentice was in awe that it was that simple and fast. I told him it?s koting special I looked at the diagram and tested for power from one connection to the next and when I got to where it dropped, bingo no wire there but the wire I needed was on an under contact. Moral of the story start at step 1 and go though step by step. There is no level of experience that outweighs proper trouble shooting procedures. (Also is the first 5 of the same part don?t fix it, the next 5 won?t either)


Good look sounds like it went good

[CS1983]

Won't hear from Company 1 til Friday at least, but I did the video conf interview with Company 2 yesterday (previously had a phone interview). The interview w/ Company 2 was with the team manager, VP of IT and Director of Infrastructure. Went really well. Well enough, in fact, that this morning I had an offer letter with no pay cut and a $10k moving budget. I'm 99.9% sure I'll accept. It's an offer beyond what I'd thought I'd get, by far. I was willing to move for 65k and no moving assistance. Instead, I'm effectively getting a raise due to cost of living decrease and the fact that we will pay off the van when we sell the house. I doubt that Company 1 would meet the same standards for Company 2's offers, based on Glassdoor salary numbers.

I asked the manager to have a call with me this afternoon to talk with me about his vision for the team, how I can shift and shape my own studying and personal home lab towards being a value add for the team, etc.

Unless something insane comes up in the meeting, I'll be moving out of state NLT end of July.

Based on all this, I'll be on 10+ acres and shooting at home within 2 months. Insane. Dream come true if everything continues to work out.

[ChickNorris]

: )

[CS1983]

I have accepted the offer of Company 2.

I'll be an Oklahoman come late July.

Many thanks especially to DireWolf for spending a few hours on the phone with me and offering to continue to provide guidance as I move into this role.

In less than 4 years, I have gone from my first IT job on a service desk to being a NOC team lead, and now a Cybersecurity Analyst. Been a wild ride. I'm excited. Going to be a complete fire hose of an experience -- just the way I like it.

[Irving]

Congratulations!

[whitewalrus]

I have accepted the offer of Company 2.

I'll be an Oklahoman come late July.

Many thanks especially to DireWolf for spending a few hours on the phone with me and offering to continue to provide guidance as I move into this role.

In less than 4 years, I have gone from my first IT job on a service desk to being a NOC team lead, and now a Cybersecurity Analyst. Been a wild ride. I'm excited. Going to be a complete fire hose of an experience -- just the way I like it.

Congratulations! Good luck on your move and new job. May have to pick your brain in the future if you wouldn?t mind. Here soon I will be trying to get into the Cybersecurity field.

[FoxtArt]

Congratulations! Good luck on your move and new job. May have to pick your brain in the future if you wouldn?t mind. Here soon I will be trying to get into the Cybersecurity field.

*coughs* Western Governors University *coughs*

Might save you some $.