Technical screening questions
Ask for one example per question and listen for specifics.
- How do you build a server the same way every time? A good answer: Images or templates plus configuration management.
- How do you plan capacity? A good answer: Trends in usage, headroom targets and lead time for purchases or quotas.
- How do you run a disaster recovery test? A good answer: Defined recovery objectives, a scripted failover and a written result.
- How do you reduce alert noise? A good answer: Tune thresholds, remove duplicates and alert on symptoms.
- How do you secure remote access? A good answer: Multi-factor authentication, least privilege and logged sessions.
Quick screening questions
Use these when you have only a few minutes.
- What did your environment look like: on-premises, cloud or both?
- How do you automate server builds?
- Describe a capacity problem you predicted or fixed.
What separates the levels
Match the level to the requirement before you submit.
- Mid: runs a component.
- Senior: designs and automates platforms.
- Lead: owns reliability and roadmap.
Red flags
Any of these is a reason to probe further.
- Manual builds only.
- No monitoring experience.
- Cannot describe a recovery objective.
Tools you should hear mentioned
An Infrastructure engineer with real experience usually names several of these without prompting.
- Terraform and Ansible
- VMware or a cloud console
- Monitoring and alerting tools
- Load balancers
- Storage arrays or cloud storage
- Ticketing systems
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 an Infrastructure engineer 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.