Jobs › Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Summer 2027 Intern-Networking and Computer Engineering
Posted Oct 1, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
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Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
Tell me about a lab, homelab or class project where something broke and you had to figure out why.
What they are checking: Hands-on curiosity and persistence, which predicts how they will handle real problems during a summer project.
Tell me about a time you worked with people outside your major to get something done.
What they are checking: Collaboration across functions, since interns work with subject matter experts, leadership and other interns.
What do you hope to learn here that you couldn't learn in a classroom?
What they are checking: Whether they have specific, realistic goals for an onsite internship rather than a vague wish for experience.
What would you do
A user says the network is slow. How would you start narrowing down the problem?
What they are checking: Whether they troubleshoot methodically with layers and evidence instead of guessing or jumping to fixes.
You're told to make a configuration change and you notice it would bypass a firewall rule. What do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they pause and escalate rather than quietly follow instructions that create risk in a regulated environment.
About the work
Walk me through what happens on the network when you type a website address into a browser and press enter.
What they are checking: Whether they understand DNS, TCP, routing and TLS as connected steps rather than isolated vocabulary words.
What's the difference between a switch and a router, and when does a VLAN come into the picture?
What they are checking: Core layer 2 versus layer 3 understanding that any networking intern needs on day one.
Why does security matter more on a network that supports a central bank than on a typical corporate network?
What they are checking: Whether they connect network design to the stakes of protecting financial and payment systems for the country.
How would you explain subnetting to a classmate who has never seen it?
What they are checking: Both real understanding of addressing and the ability to teach it simply to someone else.
What scripting or automation have you done, and what would you want to automate in a network team?
What they are checking: Whether they see automation as a way to reduce manual error, a growing expectation for network engineers.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.