Hey everyone! I'm gearing up for a technical interview for a Platform Engineer position at an international company in the payment sector. The job description asks for 3-5 years of experience, but I only have about 2 years under my belt. Somehow, my resume caught their eye, and I got a call.
The role requires expertise in Istio, Kubernetes, AWS, Terraform, and CI/CD. I've worked with these technologies before, but I'm feeling a bit unsure about how deep I should dive or what I should specifically focus on while prepping for the interview. My background is mostly from a startup, where I had hands-on exposure to these tools. I'm a bit anxious about potentially losing this chance, so I've been practicing over the last few days with mock interviews using ChatGPT and working on my Python scripting skills.
The interviewer will be from Brazil, and I'm curious about what types of questions I might encounter. Can anyone share tips on how to prepare for interviews like this? Any resources, topics I should prioritize, or common questions that might come up? Thanks a lot in advance!
2 Answers
You're actually in a better position than you think! Having firsthand experience with those technologies at a startup gives you a unique edge. You've tackled real-world problems that many candidates with more years of experience might not have faced. Your resume made it through because they see potential in you, and your startup background shows adaptability, which is critical in platform engineering.
Instead of trying to memorize theoretical concepts, spend your prep time articulating specific challenges you’ve overcome with each technology. Think about instances when you debugged Istio service mesh issues, optimized Terraform modules, or rectified CI/CD pipeline failures. Typically, the difference between 2 and 3-5 years isn’t as significant as it seems in platform engineering since practical problem-solving is what really matters.
Also, don’t worry too much about the interviewer being from Brazil. They will likely focus on your technical skills, but you might mention experiences working across different cultures or time zones if relevant. Good luck!
I’m just starting to learn about platform engineering! Can someone explain what it really is and whether it’s worth pursuing? I've been focused on Java backend development, and I’m curious if freshers can easily break into this field.
Thank you so much for your encouraging words!