I'm looking to bring two junior developers onto my team, and I'm curious about what questions others typically ask during interviews. While I'm open to experience, my main focus is on their mindset and attitude. Ideally, I prefer candidates who have transitioned from a development background, particularly backend development, rather than those coming from a sysadmin role. I want to ensure I'm fair in my approach, but I'm more interested in finding engineers who are eager to learn and grow. How do others in the community approach this hiring process?
7 Answers
Consider outlining how your company approaches DevOps. Every organization defines it differently, and this context can help candidates understand what to expect.
What specific types of juniors are you after? Are they completely new to the DevOps world but have a development background? I tend to value their ability to balance self-learning with knowing when to ask for help — that's a real indicator of potential.
For junior candidates, I think it's key to ask about their familiarity with your tools and gauge their comfort level discussing them. I'm curious, though — if you're seeking a junior hire with substantial engineering experience, how can they still be considered junior?
Exactly! A true junior shouldn't have extensive experience. But even relevant internships or academic projects would count.
We've had some trouble with younger candidates who seem motivated during interviews but then lack dedication afterward. It's crucial to find those who have proven they can commit, even at the junior level.
I like to ask candidates to explain technical concepts from their resume. It opens up a conversation about their experiences, and you can gauge their depth of understanding without putting them on the spot with quizzes. Plus, I watch for their curiosity when they ask questions about the company and role at the end — that's a big indicator of fit.
When hiring juniors, I focus less on their past experience and more on their aptitude and willingness to learn. It's a great opportunity to shape them into the ideal engineer for your team.
I can see why you'd value that. In my country, sysadmin roles often seem to be seen as support rather than development, which influences my view.
One good approach is to ask them how they would handle a recent project similar to what they might work on with you. This gives insight into how they think and whether they ask questions or jump straight into solutions. Just ensure they're collaborating and not trying to set directions prematurely, since juniors should focus on execution.
Totally! I've seen candidates with the right mindset perform better than those with just experience but a poor attitude.