Hey folks! I'm preparing for an interview for a Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) position, but I feel a bit lost since I don't have a strong background in this area. My previous experience is mostly as an SDET intern, and I haven't worked in SRE roles before. The interview process will focus on several components: algorithms, data structures, computer science basics, coding solutions without typical aids (like IDEs), communication skills, and the speed of my responses. I'm curious if this is everything they'll focus on during the interview, or if I should also brush up on tools like Kubernetes, AWS, CI/CD pipelines, or production logs—none of which are listed in my resume. Any advice on how I can prepare for this interview would be greatly appreciated! Thanks a ton! 🙏
4 Answers
Just curious, what steps did you take to get this interview?
If you have some time, you might want to work on this SRE project from start to finish. It could give you some practical insights: https://github.com/dth99/DevOps-Learn-By-Doing?tab=readme-ov-file#%EF%B8%8F-sre
That’s really helpful! I asked ChatGPT for some prep questions and they all seemed to focus on algorithms and data structures! Do you think that’s a good approach?
I had an interview for a similar position recently. They had me design a system to set up and schedule hundreds of thousands of API jobs based on user input. I was super nervous and felt like I was going to lose my mind! It was a tough interview, and I learned a lot from it, even if it was just the first phase out of three. I think the nerves got to me, though.
Don't stress too much! Focus on the fundamentals they mentioned, but also look into Kubernetes and AWS, just so you have a little knowledge about them if they come up. They may just want to see how you approach problem-solving with the basics.
I didn’t actually apply for it! It was nominated by the MCIT team.