Wednesday, February 16, 2005
So I had an interview yesterday with a local cable/internet provider. The problem is that they don't trust me. Oh sure, they'll train me on what I need to know, but they want to know that I am a complete idiot. Basically, they don't want me to get into a training class and ask stupid questions such as, "What's an MP3?" or "What do you mean that the wireless internet won't work in my car?"
Don't laugh these were the type of things that I ran into while working at Dell. I understand exactly what they mean. Many people learn just enough to do exactly what they want to do and nothing else. If they upgrade to the new version of AOL they have no idea how to check their e-mail.
So they asked me four questions. They asked me these during my face-to-face interview yesterday and on the phone interview the day before. They consist of...
Firewalls are little harder to grasp. It's a program that you use to protect your computer from hackers. It prevents people from getting into your computer and it also checks incoming programs for viruses. It prevents people tearing up your computer. I have a firm grip on what one is, I'm not just very good at describing them. Heck, I preach them hard. I use one myself.
A driver is simply a program that you need to run a new piece of hardware. When I blew my modem last year and installed a new one, I needed a new driver. That's pretty basic. Basically, without any drivers you're screwed.
Now that URL question, that's the funny part. I chime in both times with a URL is a universal reference lookup. I was tempted to just leave it at that, but I proceeded to explain that it's basically a website. I have one. They have several.
Now the funny part is that the person on the phone asked me to repeat my answer. I repeated an answer but omitted the explanation of the acronym. He asked, "You said it was a Universal what?"
I repeated myself and suppressed a laugh. He doubted my computer skills and then it turned out that I knew more than he did. I may not be certified. I may not have ever built my own computer or installed a wireless network, but that doesn't mean that I don't know about them.
Don't laugh these were the type of things that I ran into while working at Dell. I understand exactly what they mean. Many people learn just enough to do exactly what they want to do and nothing else. If they upgrade to the new version of AOL they have no idea how to check their e-mail.
So they asked me four questions. They asked me these during my face-to-face interview yesterday and on the phone interview the day before. They consist of...
- What is a CPU?
- What is a firewall?
- What is a driver?
- What is a URL?
Firewalls are little harder to grasp. It's a program that you use to protect your computer from hackers. It prevents people from getting into your computer and it also checks incoming programs for viruses. It prevents people tearing up your computer. I have a firm grip on what one is, I'm not just very good at describing them. Heck, I preach them hard. I use one myself.
A driver is simply a program that you need to run a new piece of hardware. When I blew my modem last year and installed a new one, I needed a new driver. That's pretty basic. Basically, without any drivers you're screwed.
Now that URL question, that's the funny part. I chime in both times with a URL is a universal reference lookup. I was tempted to just leave it at that, but I proceeded to explain that it's basically a website. I have one. They have several.
Now the funny part is that the person on the phone asked me to repeat my answer. I repeated an answer but omitted the explanation of the acronym. He asked, "You said it was a Universal what?"
I repeated myself and suppressed a laugh. He doubted my computer skills and then it turned out that I knew more than he did. I may not be certified. I may not have ever built my own computer or installed a wireless network, but that doesn't mean that I don't know about them.
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