Interview Question: What is a disaster recovery plan? Have you ever created one? In your opinion, how (and how often) should you test your plan?

System Administrator InterviewTo be an effective system administrator, it is vital to have a disaster recovery plan if a dreaded failure occurs. Every candidate should expect this question to come up during an interview. This is a gauge for recruiters to see how well you understand disaster recovery policies, and if you can make the right tradeoffs when implementing them.

Below are some tips to help you ace this question in an interview:

Be prepared. Take your time doing your research about disaster recovery plans. Thorough research is critical.

Since disasters may come in multiple forms, preparation is important. Conduct numerous tests to avoid affecting a business negatively.

Think of the worst. As a system administrator, you should make it a habit to imagine that you’ve lost all data in your facility. Obviously, imagination can and does become reality. Once you have a grasp of the depth of a problem, either hypothetical or real, analyze what you can do to keep the business running.

Draft a plan. Have your recovery plan in hand before going to your interview. You never know when the recruiter will ask.

Test your plan. Don’t always assume that your initial disaster recovery plan will work out. It’s important to run simulation testing until you have figured out the right equation that will solve the problem. Keep in mind that your goal is to have the business resume normal operation.

Always have a Plan B. In the event that the disaster occurs outside normal working hours, do you know the key persons to contact? Creating emergency contact cards for each member of the emergency response team can alleviate pressure when something happens during the wee hours.

If you think you’ve got the skills for the job, don’t be afraid to prove it to the recruiter.

To get rid of the jitters, practice reading your interview answers over and over. Doing this calms your nerves during the interview. However, avoid memorizing your answers to keep from sounding like a robot. Be sincere and let the recruiter know what you’re like as a colleague.

Creating a foolproof disaster recovery plan requires time and plenty of simulation tests. The more you understand the ins and outs of info recovery, the more confident you’ll be when answering questions during your next interview.

 

Read 10304 times Last modified on Tuesday, 01 March 2016 19:48
Alan Carniol

Alan is the creator of Interview Success Formula, a training program that has helped more than 80,000 job seekers to ace their interviews and land the jobs they deserve. Interviewers love asking curveball questions to weed out job seekers. But the truth is, most of these questions are asking about a few key areas. Learn more about how to outsmart tough interviewers by watching this video.