Subscriber Discussion

What Questions To Ask When Interviewing A Job Candidate?

UD
Undisclosed Distributor #1
Apr 23, 2017

if u were the interviewer ,what questions would you generally ask a person who has experience in CCTV(consider max. 2-3 years of experience)

U
Undisclosed #2
Apr 23, 2017
IPVMU Certified

I'd ask them "Which job in CCTV are you applying for?" first...

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JH
John Honovich
Apr 23, 2017
IPVM

Consider asking questions from our IP Video Networking 101 quiz and Video Surveillance 101 quiz.

MC
Marty Calhoun
Apr 23, 2017
IPVMU Certified

Have you ever heard of IPVM? What voltage does an Analog camera video signal travel? Who is Neil Councilman? Why are 1080p Monitors not refereed to as 2k? What is an "I " frame of video? What is an SFP stick? Explain the difference between Watts, Current and Voltage? Working with Ethernet POE and assuming you have a 568B connection which pins provide Power to the device? Explain the difference in "Series and Parallel circuitry". Please explain Class A, B & C as it relates to Networking. What are some of the differences in Multi-Mode fiber and Single Mode? 

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UI
Undisclosed Integrator #3
Apr 23, 2017

Dang Marty, you knew all that when you had 2-3 years experience?  I know I didn't. 

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Avatar
Ari Erenthal
Apr 23, 2017

I had never heard of PoE after working in this industry for 3 years but, in my defense, that's mainly because it didn't exist. 

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UI
Undisclosed Integrator #3
Apr 23, 2017

If they are a tech for service or completion of installations I would usually started by asking what products they were familiar with: certified on, and which ones they felt were their strong points.

Asking open ended questions like "Have you worked with Multicast" will tell you more than "What addressing scheme does Multicast use"  Let them explain it.

If they are a tech for installation I might focus initially on questions like "What was your most complex or difficult installation"?

On the installation side you could ask about firewall penetration, cable types and typical distance limitations. 

It really depends on the job they are being hired for and what you expect from someone with 2 to 3 years of experience.

A friend of mine shared a great interview question to check the BS meter and if the person has a habit of "making it up as they go".  Why are man-hole covers round?  Correct answer: Can't fall in the hole, the other correct answer is "I don't know"  

I would also ask any candidate if they believe HIK products are superior.  That may immediately qualify you for some companies and disqualify for others.  Imagine if they answer "HIK who"?

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U
Undisclosed #2
Apr 23, 2017
IPVMU Certified

Why are man-hole covers round?

Smart-ass answer: Because man-holes are round.

Non-smart-ass correct answer: Because they don't have to be aligned when placing.

Refutative answer: Other shapes also don't fall thru, for instance: 

 

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UI
Undisclosed Integrator #3
Apr 23, 2017

Ha!  Best answer yet!

U
Undisclosed #2
Apr 23, 2017
IPVMU Certified

Answer key: (No was reference material used to be fair to applicant)

Have you ever heard of IPVM?  (Prove it.)

Marty sells Hik, Hik gets big loan, Marty laughs all the way to the bank.

What voltage does an Analog camera video signal travel?

Varies. Assuming you are actually measuring it, could be near 0v (black), up to 1v (white). Nominally referred to a 1v.

Who is Neil Councilman?

2 of the three designers of the common coaxial BNC connector

Why are 1080p Monitors not refereed to as 2k?

Because they don't have 2000 vertical lines.  Follow-up question if answered correctly "So why are they not called 1k monitors then?"

What is an "I " frame of video?  

The in-between frame of or baseline frame progressive video codecwhich progressive changes in the scene or p-frames, are added to, to create the full-frame

What is an SFP stick?

A common plug-in format, used often with higher-end switches to extend media formats, e.g. 10G/optical interfaces.

Explain the difference between Watts, Current and Voltage?

Watts is a unit of measure for power, power is the product of current and volts.

Working with Ethernet POE and assuming you have a 568B connection which pins provide Power to the device?

No different than 568A: Any. 1237 or 4578.  Or all of them with newer high power standards. 

Explain the difference in "Series and Parallel circuitry".

Series circuits increase resistance and decrease current with each leg, parallel circuits decrease resistance and increase current with each leg.

Please explain Class A, B & C as it relates to Networking.

Obsoleted 20th century terminology relating to subnetting, A is the largest domain with 65k hosts, C the smallest with 254. Supplanted by CIDR.

What are some of the differences in Multi-Mode fiber and Single Mode?

Multi-mode is cheaper, Single mode is higher performing and higher priced.

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