Technical screening questions
Ask for one example per question and listen for specifics.
- How do you design a backup and recovery strategy? A good answer: Recovery point and time objectives, full and incremental backups and restore tests.
- How do you find the cause of a slow database? A good answer: Wait statistics, execution plans and indexes.
- How have you set up high availability? A good answer: Replication, failover and testing.
- How do you manage database security? A good answer: Least privilege, auditing and encryption.
- Describe a migration you led. A good answer: Planning, cutover and rollback.
Quick screening questions
Use these when you have only a few minutes.
- Which engine and how large were the databases?
- Describe a recovery you performed.
- How do you find and fix a slow query?
What separates the levels
Match the level to the requirement before you submit.
- Junior: monitors and runs routine jobs.
- Mid: tunes and manages high availability.
- Senior: designs database platforms and migrations.
Red flags
Any of these is a reason to probe further.
- Has never tested a restore.
- Only developer-level SQL.
- Cannot discuss performance diagnosis.
Tools you should hear mentioned
A database administrator with real experience usually names several of these without prompting.
- SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL or MySQL
- Backup and recovery tools
- Monitoring tools
- Replication or clustering
- Scripting (PowerShell, Bash)
- Query analyzers
Run the call well
Ask for the last project first, then dig into the second or third question. Take notes on versions, team size and outcomes, and record them with the submission so the vendor’s later technical interview does not surprise you.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a database administrator screening call take?
Fifteen to twenty minutes is enough to cover the project, three technical questions and availability, rate and work authorization.
Do recruiters need to know the technology?
Working vocabulary is enough. Use the sourcing guide for the role and listen for specifics instead of judging technical depth yourself.