DevOps Interview Guide

Introduction

• Presenter: Moss, a DevOps engineer with 8 years of experience.
• Focus: Outline the typical structure of a DevOps interview and preparation advice.
• Target Audience: Intermediate or experienced level DevOps engineering positions.
• Note: Titles for DevOps roles can vary by company (e.g., Production Engineer at Meta).

Pre-Interview Steps

Pre-Screening Call

• Conducted by the recruiter.
• Discusses: Experience, job expectations, salary expectations, high-level information about the role.
• If successful: Information forwarded to the hiring manager.

Possible Online Assessment

• Could be a coding challenge or general DevOps questions.
• Topics: DevOps practices, tools, and technologies.

Interview Structure

Length of Interview

• Larger companies (e.g., Meta, Amazon): up to 6 hours, 5 separate sessions.
• Smaller companies: 1-2 sessions totaling 1-2 hours.

Interview Sections

• STAR-Based Questions: Behavioral questions (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
• Coding Challenges: LeetCode style problems or project-like coding tasks.
• Experience-Based Questions: Specific to the role, tool, technologies, and general troubleshooting.

Detailed Analysis of Each Section

STAR-Based Questions

• Can be hypothetical or based on personal experience.
• Example Format: Amazon uses "Tell me about a time..." while others may use scenarios.
• Answer Format (S.T.A.R):
  • Situation: Describe the situation.
  • Task: Tasks that needed to be done.
  • Action: Actions taken in the situation.
  • Result: Results of the actions (focus on measurable results).
• Preparation: Come up with real examples from past experience and ensure examples highlight personal contributions.
• Advice: Use Google for STAR questions, focus on your actions (not the team's), and end with measurable results.

Coding Challenges

• Types: Could be single or multiple challenges (LeetCode style or project-like tasks).
• Study Resources: LeetCode (focus on Hash Table, Easy and Medium problems), Grind 75 questions.
• Preparation Tips:
  • Talk through your solution.
  • Check-in with the interviewer frequently.
  • Start with a working solution then iterate.
  • Practice regularly and look for problem patterns.

Experience-Based Questions

• Possible Topics:
  • Linux Administration/ Troubleshooting.
  • General troubleshooting scenarios.
  • Specific tools (Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform, etc.).
  • Higher level DevOps concepts (GitOps, CI/CD).

Conclusion and Final Tips

• Study Recommendations: Focus on easy and medium LeetCode questions in specific categories.
• Prepare STAR Examples: Based on real experiences.
• Get Experience: With relevant tools and technologies (Kubernetes, Docker, AWS, etc.).
• Continue Applying and Interviewing: Gain experience with each interview.
• Ask Questions: Understand aspects of the job, such as on-call schedules.

Resources and Final Note

• Video resources provided in the description.
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Thanks for watching!