Top Systems Engineer Interview Questions

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, system engineering fields are increasing at a healthy rate. This includes industrial engineering, which is growing at a rate of 12%; computer hardware engineering, which is growing at 5%; and industry engineering technologists, which is growing at a similar rate. U.S. News and World Report has placed technology roles at the top spot, with several roles under the system engineering function included in the list of best engineering jobs. 

This article guides recruiters in conducting effective interviews for systems engineer positions and includes top systems engineer interview questions.

Methodology: Using the STAR Format

The STAR (situation, task, action, result) interview format is a structured interview method for behavioral questions. The open-ended questions typically begin with What would you do if or Provide an example of.  Over 80% of tech companies use behavioral interview questions. 

The STAR format allows recruiters to gauge a candidate ‘s experience managing scenarios they might encounter and evaluate specific skills required for this role. The STAR method is recommended by Amazon and Google. 

Here is a list of system engineer interview questions for recruiters:

1. How Do You Approach Designing a Scalable System Architecture?

Systems engineers must possess a strong understanding of scalable architectures and know their four dimensions: load scalability, storage scalability, space scalability and admin scalability. 

Why You Should Ask This Question

This question helps assess a candidate ‘s understanding of system architecture and the strategies they use to create scalable systems and manage cloud technologies. 

What to Expect from the Candidate

The candidate should identify strategies for scalable systems, including modularity, horizontal scaling, redundancy, caching, sharding and asynchronous processing. They should also demonstrate knowledge of cloud provider services such as Amazon Web Services,  Azure and Google Cloud. 

2. Can You Explain the Concept of Containerization and Its Benefits?

Containers as a service allows developers to deploy containerized applications for portable and scalable cloud solutions. As of 2022, the global CaaS market was valued at $2 billion. A good candidate should know how containerization supports microservices architecture.

Why You Should Ask This Question

This question assesses the candidate ‘s understanding of containerization and its benefits, along with their familiarity with Docker and Kubernetes platforms.

What to Expect from the Candidate

The candidate should convey their understanding of containerization ‘s role in modern architecture. They should also specify the benefits of containerization, such as portability, efficiency, agility, faster delivery, improved security, faster app startup, easier management and flexibility.

3. How Do You Ensure System Reliability and High Availability?

High availability is crucial for systems and enables an organization ‘s IT infrastructure to continue functioning even if its components fail. Systems engineers are responsible for ensuring system availability at all times. The aim is to ensure 99.9% uptime. Here ‘s an overview of availability and how it equates to hours of downtime:

Why You Should Ask This Question

System reliability and high availability are extremely important. One minute of downtime costs $5,600, so any potential candidate needs to understand this impact. 

What to Expect from the Candidate

The candidate should demonstrate knowledge of best practices for maintaining high availability and understanding of related concepts such as fault tolerance, redundancy and disaster recovery. 

4. Describe Your Experience with Cloud Technologies and Migration Strategies.

The cloud migration services market is projected to increase to $46.7 billion by 2027 at a compound annual growth rate of 28%. A talented systems engineer should understand hybrid and multi-cloud environments, serverless computing, edge computing, containerization and microservices. 

Why You Should Ask This Question

This question helps assess the candidate ‘s knowledge of the importance of cloud technologies in modern system architecture and migration strategies. 

What to Expect from the Candidate

The candidate should demonstrate knowledge of best practices and challenges in cloud migration, data security, downtime, cost management and compatibility issues. 

5. How Do You Approach Troubleshooting Complex System Issues?

Using a systematic approach to troubleshooting is essential to the role of a systems engineer, specifically the use of  CompTIA ‘s Troubleshooting Methodology and its seven steps. These include:

1. Identify the problem
2. Establish a theory of probable cause
3. Test the theory to determine the cause
4. Establish a plan of action to resolve the problem and identify potential effects
5. Implement the solution or escalate as necessary
6. Verify full system functionality and, if applicable, implement preventive measures
7. Document findings, actions, outcomes and lessons learned

Why You Should Ask This Question

Troubleshooting skills are critical for systems engineers, and this question helps assess a candidate ‘s problem-solving abilities.

What to Expect from the Candidate

The candidate should demonstrate knowledge of network troubleshooting concepts and tools, understand the OSI model and IP address configuration, assess network component status and utilize various tools such as Nmap and Wireshark.

6. Can You Explain the Principles of DevOps and How You ‘ve Implemented Them?

DevOps refers to development and operations and helps merge development, quality assurance and operations into a single, continuous set of processes. The benefits of DevOps include higher speed, better product quality, faster responsiveness and an improved working environment. 

Why You Should Ask This Question

DevOps practices are important in modern system engineering. A candidate for this role should understand modern development and operations practices. 

What to Expect from the Candidate

The candidate should demonstrate knowledge of DevOps practices and tools, including CI/CD, infrastructure as code, containerization and microservices architecture and be familiar with DevOps tools such as Jenkins, GitLab CI, Docker, Kubernetes, Nagios and Prometheus. 

7. How Do You Stay Updated with Emerging Technologies in Systems Engineering?

A qualified candidate should stay updated with developments in cloud computing, AI/ML, IoT, big data analytics and cybersecurity and should regularly follow important organizations and conferences. 

Why You Should Ask This Question

Systems engineers must stay updated with emerging technologies. This question helps assess a candidate ‘s commitment to professional development.

What to Expect from the Candidate

The candidate should demonstrate awareness of emerging trends and understand the importance of continuous learning, networking and adapting to new methodologies. 

Identifying the Ideal Systems Engineer for Your Organization

Recruiters need to identify a systems engineer who is the best for their team and has patience and perseverance, an analytical mind, knowledge of systems engineering tools, organizational skills, attention to detail, planning skills, practical experience, communication skills and ability to work as a team. Contact our team today for support in finding the best systems engineer candidates.