AI-powered Site Reliability Engineer mock interviews

Discuss the challenges and trade-offs involved in designing a system for global scalability. How would you approach handling data consistency and latency issues in a globally distributed architecture?

Can you explain the concept of horizontal scalability and vertical scalability in the context of distributed systems? Provide examples of when you would choose one over the other.

Can you walk me through a recent incident you managed where you had to coordinate with multiple teams to resolve the issue? What were the challenges you faced and how did you ensure effective communication and collaboration among the teams?

Describe a situation where you had to make a critical decision during an incident under time pressure. How did you prioritize actions and communicate the decision to stakeholders while ensuring minimal impact on the service?

Can you explain the process of setting up a robust and scalable test automation framework from scratch, including the key components and considerations for maintaining it over time?

Describe a challenging automation problem you encountered in your previous projects and how you approached solving it, including the tools and techniques you used to overcome the obstacles.

Can you explain the difference between black-box and white-box monitoring tools, and provide examples of each type? How do you determine which type of monitoring tool to use in a given scenario?

Describe a situation where you had to troubleshoot a performance issue using a monitoring tool. What specific metrics did you look at, and how did you identify the root cause of the problem?

Describe a situation where you had to communicate a complex idea to a non-technical stakeholder. How did you ensure effective communication and understanding? What strategies did you use to overcome any potential misunderstandings?

Can you provide an example of a time when you had to navigate a challenging team dynamic to successfully deliver a project? How did you approach the situation and what was the outcome?