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What kinds of questions are you asked in an interview for a cyber security engineering role?

I'd like to prepare for a job as an engineer at a computer security company, so I'm wondering what the interview process is like. What was your experience interviewing for an engineer role at a cyber security company? What advice do you have for an aspiring engineer (or aspiring engineer intern) to be prepared? #engineering #interviews #cyber-security

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Ranjan’s Answer

It would certainly depend on the type of role. If it is more of an engineer / developer type of role, except technical questions. If it is somewhere in the entry management level, be prepared to share your experience both positive and not-so-positive situation and how you dealt with the situation. But irrespective of the role, you should be clear about why you want that role, how will you make an impact, why you should be hired etc. You may sometimes be asked directly and sometimes in directly to check the consistency of the answer. One piece of advice is that be firm, show confidence in your answers and if you don't know something, be honest. I've taken tons of interviews and it doesn't take long to know when someone is honest vs making up their answer. So, be prepared, confident and be passionate about the role.

All the best.

Ranjan recommends the following next steps:

Google has a lot of resources to help you with the specifics. Read them.
Sometimes it is good to try mock up interviews or even if you are not serious about a particular role, still apply for that role. It will give you an opportunity to go through the experience as well as know what kind of technical questions are being asked in the industry.
Thank you comment icon Your answer is great Ranjan, thanks so much for sharing your expertise! At this moment there are more than 800 unanswered questions so I wanted to encourage you to keep going! So many students will benefit tremendously from hearing from you. Keep up the great work! Jordan Rivera, Admin COACH
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Wael’s Answer

Regarding the questions, there is tones online. The link below is an example.


http://resources.infosecinstitute.com/top-50-information-security-interview-questions/


Regarding the career you have chosen, cyber security is in great demand and it is going to stay that way for a while. You did well there.

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Joshua’s Answer

This completely depends on the interviewers, company culture, etc, etc, etc...

Ive been asked the cookie cutter questions "where do you see yourself in years" type of questions that you can find in any Google search, and then there are some of the fun ones, that you don't hear too much about. My favorite are the ones that are sometimes personality-based, or problem-solving. The ones that try to figure out how you solve problems VS how well you can rattle off the port number memorization tables.

Strangest ones... "What kind of doughnut do you most closely identify with?" "The world is ending in 1 year... how do you prepare?"

Ultimately, listen to the questions, try to figure out what they are trying to get out of them, answer thoughtfully, and you will be fine. Staying up all night trying to cram, Google'ing interview questions, etc is a bad way to waste a good night's sleep. Instead, research the interviewers (linkedin), personalize the interview, and own it.

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Joshua’s Answer

Hello,
It can really depend on the exact position and who the interviewer is regarding the questions. The position I am currently in the very last question I was asked and it really caught me off guard but is a very good one to ask was: "Tell me why I should hire you." Another one I have been asked often is "Tell me about your home lab setup". Granted there is a huge shortfall in the avaliable personnel for securtity positions but organizations are looking for those that are passionate about security not someone just looking to earn a paycheck. I have not been in security for very many years but I have moved up the ladder fairly quickly and it has not been without sacrifice, if I had to do it over again I would not change a thing. Good luck to you.

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Sophia’s Answer

Hi Anina!


It's important to understand the responsibilities of the role you're applying for, and prepare based on that. For entry level jobs, having a basic understanding of common terms is important (ex: encryption, SSL, port numbers, etc.)


As others have stated, for entry level roles it's equally important to know why you want the job. People with a variety of backgrounds can be considered for entry level roles, but you need to articulate why you are interested in cybersecurity and the particular role you are applying for. Just because someone has a computer science degree doesn't mean they are interested in security, and people without degrees are not necessarily under-qualified.


Lastly, be sure you are familiar with any technology you list on your resume and be prepared to answer questions on it.

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Sheen’s Answer

It depends on the role and responsibilities but also the area of focus. For a cyber security role in networking, be prepared to under convey understanding of TCP/IP, OSI model, well known protocols (ex. http/s, ssh, etc.), security technologies (ex. firewalls, ids, etc.), and risk management to name a few.
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