When you are a professional in network administration, you are likely to encounter questions on active dire1ctory in your interview. This article offers the questions and sample answers that will assist you to prepare for your next interview.
1. Why Are You Interested In This Role?
“I am interested in this role because I feel I have something to contribute to the team based on the job description shared. I have extensive experience in this field and I believe that my knowledge and skills will help the organization solve the challenges it experiences as it relates to Active Directory. This organization is a world leader in the Information Technology field and as such would love to be associated with the game-changer in the industry. I trust that this position will be mutually beneficial to the organization and me in helping achieve the organizational as well as my personal goals.”
2. What Are The Roles Of An Active Directory Administrator?
“I expect that the role will revolve around schema master, domain naming master, RID master, PDC emulator, and infrastructure master. I expect to maintain the integrity and data in a schema, oversee modifications on it while also being on top of any recovery plans that may be required. You will also be involved in compliance and monitoring the policies in the organization. You will host and maintain databases. You will also be responsible for running software updates and upgrades while also ensuring that the hardware is replaced. These roles I have handled before in my previous roles and would therefore be easy for me to adapt here fast.”
3. What Are The Qualities That An Active Directory Administrator Need To Be Successful?
“To be successful in this role you need to demonstrate a variety of skills. You need to be patient as you will have to do a variety of tasks that may take time and require active concentration. You also need great people skills as you will interact with a lot of system users. You will also need to be a great team player as a lot of system projects will involve working in teams. You will need to be willing to learn as you may encounter things you have never dealt with before. You need great problem-solving skills as you will be troubleshooting system issues and offering solutions to users. You should have great analytical skills as they will come in handy in managing your work. You also need great time management skills as you will handle projects or issues with different timelines yet all the tasks are very important.”
4. What Major Challenges Did You Face During Your Last Role? How Did You Manage Them?
“The main challenge I faced in my previous role is dealing with outdated software. The organization had already invested in software and had no budget to fund new quality software. We had to work with what was available. This was an issue as we had to do manual processes because of a lack of software to do the work. This process enabled me to get more creative in how I work and ensure that I make maximum use of the available resources. I can now improvise how I do certain processes in the absence of the required software programs. These have developed my problem solving and analytical thinking ability.”
5. Describe Your Daily Routine As An Active Directory Administrator?
“The daily routine may vary from company to company. Among the daily tasks will be checking backups, server status for any errors and warnings or alerts. I will also expect to check on open calls and any breaches to service-level agreements. I will also check the server room equipment and ensure everything is in order. I will also check on server room access logs for the previous day to ensure the security of the data. I will also check on other team members and address any issues that may need my attention I will also expect to be involved in meetings to check on the progress of the various projects we may be working on.”
6. Describe Briefly About Your Experience
“I have over 5 years experience as an Active Directory system administrator in different industries. Over this period, I have worked on different projects. I have experience working with databases and networks. I have upgraded hardware and software programs for the organizations that I have worked with. I have experience designing networks. I have experience laying down infrastructure for Local Area Networks (LANs). I have also addressed user issues in the organization and troubleshoot network outages. I also have experience setting up new users and ensuring the ones who have exited the organization are inactive. I also communicate policies to the staff and ensure they are compliant with the set procedures and have access to the required procedure manuals.”
7. What Kind Of Strategies And Mindset Is Required For This Role?
“In this role, you need to a growth mindset as this role involves a commitment to continuous learning every day as technology is growing at a fast pace. You also need to be able to maintain focus on your work as that will determine the outcome of what you are working on. You should have a mindset that does not fear failure as you will need to work on different projects that you may not have comprehensive experience in. In the case where you have the fear of failure, it will hold you back from giving your best in the projects you will be involved in because you will be second-guessing yourself as you are not sure of the outcome. You also need to be resilient and committed to excellence in whatever you work on. You also need to think and act fast as the team members depend on you to offer solutions to their system challenges”
8. What Is The Biggest Challenge That You Foresee In This Job?
“The biggest challenge I foresee is the organizational dynamics that I have to work with here. My main focus in the first few weeks will be getting accustomed to the new culture. The culture of an organization is unique and determines how its people behave. I believe that getting to understand the culture well will be instrumental in how I fit into the organization’s mission and vision. It will also ensure that the work is smooth going forward. This will also assist me in fitting in with the team and that will foster team working.”
9. How Do You Stay Motivated In Your Work?
“To ensure that I stay motivated, I like to focus on my goals both short-term and long term. I like to break my goals into different categories and I keep monitoring them for progress. I also practice gratitude for all the good things that are going o in my life. This has ensured that I stay positive always. I also enjoy teamwork and it energizes me. I enjoy working with people and offering help. When I am stressed, I like to connect with people and ask for help in case I need assistance. I also celebrate all the wins even if they are small and that motivates me to keep going. I also manage my expectations so that I am not disappointed when I do not attain them. I keep working hard at the projects I work on.”
10. Describe A Time When You Failed In This Role And The Lesson You Learnt?
“In my first role, I focused so much on perfection that kept me from starting some important projects for the organization. I would keep procrastinating so that I work on the research to ensure the project is perfect. This delayed the project delivery as I always asked for deadline extensions. I learned that you need to focus on doing the work and not perfection. I now understand that done is better than perfect. Nowadays, I do not let perfection hold me back. I start and figure out things as we go along.”
11. Why Do You Feel You Are The Most Suited For This Role?
“I feel that my skills and experience are a perfect match for the role. I also really can relate my personal goals and professional goals to the organization. I believe that this opportunity will be mutually beneficial to both the organization and me. I have been on the lookout for an opportunity to experience the culture of a game-changer organization such as this. ”
12. Share With Us Your Greatest Achievement.
“My key achievement involves being able to install, test, and troubleshoot a system on behalf of my previous organization. I also ran the updates and ensured that the system is optimal to ensure the efficiency of the company processes. I also did the system maintenance and structured the reports on behalf of the organization to ensure optimal reporting. The system was entirely new to me too and I was able to train the users. The project was a huge success and it is one of my proud career moments. Given a chance I will be able to deliver similar or better results here.”
13. What Is Garbage Collection In Active Directory?
“Garbage collection is the process of clearing up space in the active directory. It is normally done by default every 12 hours.”
14. Do You Understand What Is Meant By Group Policy? Have You Ever Set Up One?
“A group policy is used to control user’s desktops and computer configuration. It involves creating a default template for all group members. It is effective in ensuring that it is easier to control and process data for large groups of users.”
15. Do You Experience Handling Hardware Components?
“In my previous roles, I have also handled hardware components as it relates to Information Technology. I have been involved in the installation and set up of network cables. I have also handled replacements of hardware components to ensure the software is running optimally.”
16. Can You Differentiate Between Antivirus And Firewall?
“An anti-virus protects the computer from attack from viruses. It actively monitors applications in the computer for any threats from different sources. It quarantines and cleans viruses to keep your data and system safe. A firewall on the other hand protects your system from attacks by hackers. Hackers may remotely take control of your data in a bit to steal it especially when the system is operated via the internet. The firewall will protect you from unauthorized access.”
17. Explain What You Understand By The Term Loopback Address And Its Usefulness
“Loopback address sends outgoing signals back to the same computer for purposes of testing. The client and server manage it in the same computer operating system and can communicate with each other. It is useful by providing a platform for IT professionals to test software without worrying about a corrupt or broken drive or hardware.”
18. What Are Lingering Objects And How Do We Remove Them?
“These are deleted active directory objects that remain on the restored directory controller. They can occur when system changes are made after backups have been created. You can manually remove the lingering objects by using the command REPADMIN.EXE.”
19. Explain What You Understand By The Term Voip
“This term stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol. It uses a combination of hardware and software to enable people to make calls over the internet. It sends voice data packets via internet protocol rather than using the traditional circuit transmissions.”
20. What Three Attributes Would Your Colleagues Use To Describe You?
“My colleagues would say that I am a resilient problem-solver committed to seeing results and a hard worker. These attributes are as a result of hard work and commitment to continuous personal development.”
Conclusion
The above questions give a useful guideline for your next interview. Use them and tailor your answers based on the industry you are interviewing for. These should be enough to help you ace the job.
