OSI Model
Also written as OSI Layers, OSI Reference Model, TCP/IP, TCP/IP Model
A seven-layer way of describing how network communication works, from cables and signals (layer 1) up to applications (layer 7). The TCP/IP model is the simpler four-layer version that matches how the internet actually runs. Engineers use the layers as shorthand: a 'layer 2 problem' means switching, 'layer 7' means the application.
Think of it like
The stages of sending a parcel: packing, labelling, sorting, transport, delivery. Each stage only deals with its own job.
Junior or senior?
Every networking candidate can list the seven layers, so reciting them proves little.
Senior sounds like
Uses the layers to troubleshoot in order, checking the cable and link first, then addressing and routing, then the application.
Ask them
“When users say 'the network is slow', what do you check first, and in what order?”
Reading OSI Model on a resume
- Table-stakes
- Most people in this field list OSI Model, so its presence tells you little, and opening a screen with it can make the call sound junior. Ask what they built with it instead.
Sourcing for OSI Model
Every way it's written
("OSI Model" OR "OSI Layers" OR "OSI Reference Model" OR "TCP/IP")Paste into LinkedIn Recruiter, Naukri or your ATS. Combine with a job title and location.
Wider net, with accepted substitutes
("OSI Model" OR "OSI Layers" OR "OSI Reference Model" OR "TCP/IP" OR "TCP/IP Model")Includes skills a hiring manager would usually accept instead. Use it when the exact search runs dry.
Job titles to search alongside it
Network Engineer · Network Administrator · System Administrator · IT Infrastructure Engineer · Network Security Engineer · NOC Engineer · Windows Administrator · Linux Administrator
Where this talent works in India — Networking & IT Infrastructure
Target companies that build networking gear or run large networks and data centres themselves: equipment makers, telecom operators, data-centre operators and infrastructure-services firms. Help-desk-heavy outsourcing contracts use the same titles with far less design work, so ask who designed the network, not just who kept it running.
For example: Cisco, Juniper Networks (HPE), HPE Aruba Networking, Arista Networks, Extreme Networks, F5, Infoblox, Nokia.