For site reliability engineers

Interviewing at Nebius: process, resources and tips for SRE Getting ready for an interview can seem a bit daunting, but don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! We’re excited to guide you through your journey to potentially joining Nebius. Let us address questions that often pop up. Explore open vacancies How does the process look like? Apply with your resume Our team will carefully assess your qualifications, skills, and experience relative to the job you’re applying for. We value your time, so rest assured, you’ll hear back from us within a maximum of three business days. Talk to a recruiter One of our dedicated talent acquisition specialists will guide you through the details of the role and also delve into your background and interests. We encourage you to feel at ease and ask any questions you might have too. We’re here to help! Have some interviews The specifics of your interview process may vary based on the role you’re applying for. You’ll be engaged in multiple interviews with our team members. Details about these interviews are provided further down on this page. Get an offer Once the last interview wraps up, we’ll be in touch, ideally with some exciting news — a job offer! At that stage, you’ll have the opportunity to chat with your recruiter and team lead about the specifics. It’s the perfect time for you to decide if Nebius is the ideal place for your talents. What to expect after applying? Our interview process consists of three technical interviews. Each takes between 60 to 90 minutes and is conducted by interviewers from different teams. Then there is a final hour-long interview. We can accomodate your schedule, so there’s no need to cram all the sections into one day. We’ll assess: Your proficiency in working with Linux and networks. Your competency with standard console tools and utilities. Your ability to handle common service operation issues. Your proficiency in writing working, testable code in a chosen language (Python, Go, etc.). Your experience in the design and architecture of different services/systems. Your knowledge of the classical algorithms and data structures. What will the interviews be like? Initial interview Technical interview System design section Final meetings Initial interview Here’s what you can expect during the first interview: Questions about your experience with programming languages, operating systems, databases, and other technologies. General questions about service management, Linux, Unix, and networks. At least one practical task focused on coding/algorithms and data structures. Practical tasks in the Linux console. Boosting your chances Utilize online practice resources to sharpen your problem-solving skills beforehand, such as coding challenges and algorithmic puzzles available on websites like LeetCode or HackerRank. Articulate your thought process aloud, presenting compelling justifications for your conclusions. Our experts value both your reasoning and correct answers. Don’t hesitate to seek a hint from the interviewer if needed; they are there to help guide you through the problem-solving process and assess your approach. Thoroughly review your code for any errors before final submission, ensuring proper indentation and formatting to enhance readability and maintainability. Offer alternative solutions whenever possible, as your initial choice may not always be the most optimal. If you discover a way to improve your final answer, please inform us even if we’ve moved on. Demonstrate adaptability by gracefully adjusting your approach if the problem parameters change unexpectedly. FAQ What books do you recommend to read? Check out: Systems Performance: Enterprise and the Cloud written by a top Netflix engineer looking for performance bottlenecks across every OS subsystem. The Linux Programming Interface, which will give you a peek under Linux’s hood. UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook, an excellent starter book about Linux administration techniques. Practical Monitoring: Effective Strategies for the Real World, a great attempt to work through what goes into effective monitoring. Performance Analysis and Tuning on Modern CPUs, looking at how to get to the bottom of app performance problems. And others recommended by Google. How should I prepare for my initial call with the recruiter? After your application, the first step is a phone call with our sourcers or recruiters. We’ll discuss your career history, skills, knowledge, and interest in the role you’ve applied for. While there’s no specific preparation required, it’s best to have your resume and the job posting you applied for at hand. Being ready to talk about your skills and career experience is also a plus. How do you conduct video interviews? We use Zoom for all our video interviews. Please install Zoom prior to the call. If you face any issues connecting, reach out to your recruiter. How can I gear up just before the interview? Make sure you have a stable internet connection. Wear headphones to reduce background noise. Test your microphone and headphones. Be mindful about your background. Why do you test algorithm knowledge, which may not be used during actual work? We test algorithm knowledge for two reasons: Indeed, cracking algorithmic tasks doesn’t always equate to being a successful software engineer. Yet, from our experience, we’ve found that these skills often go hand-in-hand. So, if you’re adept at algorithms, it’s likely you’re also equipped to tackle the challenges we face in our work. Knowledge of algorithms can come in handy, especially when designing high-performance systems. A system might not start as high-load, but it’s important to establish some early groundwork that will allow it to handle a significant load when needed. This is impossible without knowledge of algorithms. Which technologies and languages should I use during interviews? You can use any technology and any language. The main goal here is to see how you think and come up with solutions to different problems. What will happen after each interview? Within a week after the interview, your recruiter will connect with you to discuss the meeting, address any concerns, and answer further questions. They’ll also walk you through the next steps to make sure we’re all on the same page. Join a diverse and multicultural team of talented and passionate professionals that work together. Find your dream job at Nebius