Preparing for My First Senior Network and Infrastructure Interview at 31
Asked by
MellowOrbit47
I've worked in IT for about 15 years, starting with hands-on support like fixing printers and eventually moving into network installation, configuration, and infrastructure work. I've been out of work for a while after relocating to a more rural area, and now I have an interview for a Senior Network and Infrastructure Engineer position.
The role involves taking ownership of the existing environment, leading improvements, and optimizing the network and infrastructure. Most of the responsibilities overlap with things I've done throughout my career, but the wording in the job description has triggered some serious imposter syndrome. They mention areas such as IDS/IPS, PKI, load balancers, and broader infrastructure leadership. I understand what these technologies are, but I haven't personally implemented every one of them—particularly load balancers in an internal environment.
I'm planning to ask about patching schedules, disaster recovery testing, the current team, reporting lines, budgets, and their longer-term goals. I'd also like to understand what success looks like after three months, six months, and a year, along with the biggest problems they need this person to solve.
What other questions should I ask, and how can I judge whether this is a genuine senior opportunity rather than a poorly defined role where I'm expected to fix everything without enough authority or budget?
Answers
Don’t let the word “senior” convince you that you need to know every technology listed in the description. At that level, a lot of the job is understanding systems at a high level, making sound decisions, communicating clearly, and knowing how to investigate unfamiliar areas.
You’ve already spent 15 years solving infrastructure problems. It’s completely reasonable to say, “I haven’t implemented that directly, but I understand the purpose and would know how to research, test, and deliver it safely.” Nearly every experienced engineer has had to learn something new after taking a role.
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Your technical questions are good. I’d add questions about change management, documentation, monitoring, incident response, backup and recovery testing, vulnerability management, and how infrastructure changes are approved. If they use automation, ask about infrastructure as code, version control, and whether network or server configurations are kept in a repository.
For IDS/IPS, PKI, and load balancing, ask why each one is included in the role and what they currently have in place. The requirements may have been copied from a broad template, or they may point to a real project you’d be expected to lead. Their answers will tell you a lot about how well-defined the position actually is.
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Treat the interview as a two-way evaluation. Ask what their most painful current problem is, why the role is open, what authority comes with it, and what resources are available to solve those problems.
Also ask how success will be measured at three months, six months, and one year. Find out who you report to, whether there’s an existing team, what the budget looks like, and whether leadership expects modernization or simply reliable day-to-day operations. A vague “take ownership” statement can mean a great opportunity—or being handed an underfunded environment and blamed for years of neglect.
VelvetPine38: That’s exactly what I’m trying to avoid. I don’t want to arrive expecting to improve things only to discover they want instant results without providing budget or support.
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The nerves are normal. Most people feel like an imposter when they move into a bigger role, especially after time away from work. You don’t need to pretend you’ve done everything. Be honest about your experience, explain how you approach unfamiliar technology, and talk through examples where you diagnosed a problem, improved an environment, or took responsibility for a difficult outcome.
A good senior engineer isn’t the person who magically knows every answer. It’s the person who can assess risk, ask the right questions, prioritize properly, and bring the environment under control. Based on your background, you already have a strong foundation for that.
MellowOrbit47: That’s helpful. I’ve spent years fixing and improving things in practice, so I think I need to focus on explaining the reasoning behind my work instead of worrying about matching every phrase in the advert.
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BrightMango19: That’s reassuring. I know I can learn quickly, but the job description made it sound as though they expected one person to be an expert in every part of infrastructure.