Hey everyone, I have an Amazon/AWS recruiter screen tomorrow for a Data Center Technician / Data Center Operations position in Virginia, and I’m trying to prepare as well as I can.
I’m currently an IT student at George Mason University. Before Mason, I completed IT coursework at NOVA. My interests are mainly cloud, infrastructure, networking, and data center operations.
My professional background is not really IT yet. I currently have security experience, including working in/around a data center environment. My responsibilities have included things like access/badge control, monitoring cameras and alarms, patrols, incident reporting, and responding to situations according to procedures.
The important part is that I have not worked professionally as a data center technician. I haven’t been responsible for server deployments, replacing server components, rack/stack, break-fix, or administering production infrastructure. Most of my technical knowledge comes from my IT coursework and personal learning.
A recruiter reached out to me directly about the position and asked some initial questions. They asked about:
Whether I’ve previously worked for Amazon/AWS
Willingness to work onsite in Virginia
Comfort with rotating day/night shifts
Hourly compensation expectations
Start date
Visa sponsorship
Other locations I’m interested in
I told them I’m interested, comfortable with the rotating schedule, don’t require sponsorship, and am targeting around $28/hr but am flexible.
I scheduled the recruiter Zoom screen for tomorrow.
My main concern is what exactly they’re going to ask during this first screen.
I understand this probably isn’t the actual technical interview, but I don’t want to walk in completely unprepared. I’ve been reviewing basic topics like:
Servers
CPU/RAM/storage
HDD vs SSD
RAID
Networking basics
IP/MAC addresses
Switches vs routers
DNS/DHCP
Ethernet/fiber
Basic Linux
Ping/connectivity troubleshooting
General hardware troubleshooting
I obviously don’t expect to become a data center technician overnight. I’m mainly trying to understand what level of technical knowledge I should actually have for the recruiter screen versus what can wait until later rounds.
For anyone who’s gone through an Amazon/AWS Data Center Technician interview, especially in Virginia:
What did the recruiter screen actually cover?
How technical was the first call?
What questions should I absolutely be prepared to answer?
Did they ask about specific hardware/networking concepts during the recruiter screen?
How should I explain having IT education + data-center/security experience but no professional technician experience?
What should I know before the actual technical interview if I make it past the recruiter?
Are there any Amazon-specific things I should understand about the role/interview process?
Anything you wish you had prepared before your recruiter screen?
I’m not trying to pretend I have experience that I don’t have. I just want to present my actual background properly and make sure I don’t get caught completely off guard by something basic.
Any advice from current/former AWS data center technicians, Amazon recruiters, or people who recently interviewed would be really appreciated. Thanks!
Source: r/datacenter · by /u/KeyAdvisor8902