Tier 3 Interview Questions

Here is a list of standard questions I try and ask when looking for qualified Tier 3 candidates. The gist of what you are really looking for here is their ability to handle stressful situations calmly, as well as doing more than working around known issues.

To be successful in Tier 3, you need an upbeat professional attitude no matter the crisis, with an eye towards the future for each problem.

The Questions

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Here are some of my more common Tier 3 specific interview questions:

1. When you are presented with a problem, what is your gut feeling? (looking for a sense of dread or intrigue)

2. How do you learn to solve any given problem? (looking for do they consult and write docs to teach others)

3. What do you do when you see repeating problems? (looking for root cause and how to fix it forever)

4. Ask a difficult technical question about a technology which is key to their jobs. (its not necessary for them to know the answer, but tell you how they would find out)

5. When a system is crashing, how would you debug? (do they have adequate timely problem solving skills)

What You can Learn From the Answers

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Once the interview is over, here are questions to ask yourself based on the answers you receive:

1. Do they have the mentality to be dealing with problems day in and day out, or will they be too stressed?

2. Do they hold information in or eager to document, share and train others on their knowledge?

3. Do they want to move the team forward by solving common issues so they stop recurring?

4. Do they have the technical competence to quickly solve any production issue where they don't intimately know the technology or application?

5. Do they have the critical thinking skills necessary to be able to get downed systems back up effectively?