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01_interview_questions.md (3365B)

      1 # Rogers Data Engineer — Interview Prep
      2 
      3 ## Your Strengths to Lead With
      4 
      5 - PowerShell, Python, Bash, SQL — directly matches their stack
      6 - Active Directory experience (user/group management)
      7 - Data sync experience (syncoid, rsync) — maps well to cross-system sync duties
      8 - "Rigorously test before production" is literally in both your resume and their job posting — use that language
      9 - Works independently without escalation — they explicitly want this
     10 
     11 ---
     12 
     13 ## Likely Interview Questions
     14 
     15 **"Describe a time you automated a manual process."**
     16 Use your QA scripting work: automation scripts in Python/Bash/PowerShell to streamline testing workflows. Be specific — what was the manual process, what did you build, what time did it save?
     17 
     18 **"How do you debug a script that's failing?"**
     19 Walk them through your process: read error output, isolate the failing section, add logging/print statements, test with known data. Mention your resume line about independently resolving errors without escalation — that's exactly what they want.
     20 
     21 **"How do you validate data before pushing to production?"**
     22 Strong answer from your QA background: test in a non-prod environment, compare expected vs. actual results, document findings. This is your wheelhouse.
     23 
     24 **"What experience do you have with Active Directory?"**
     25 User and group management from your home lab. Be honest about the scope — lab + resume exposure — and express willingness to grow into enterprise AD management.
     26 
     27 **"Tell us about your SQL experience."**
     28 Your resume says "working knowledge" — be upfront. Name the types of queries you can write (SELECT, JOIN, WHERE, aggregations). Ask what their DB environment looks like (SQL Server? PostgreSQL? MySQL?) to show curiosity.
     29 
     30 ---
     31 
     32 ## Gaps to Prepare For
     33 
     34 | Gap | How to Handle It |
     35 |-----|-----------------|
     36 | **EntraID** | "I've worked with Active Directory and understand the relationship between on-prem AD and EntraID as its cloud counterpart. I'm actively building that knowledge." |
     37 | **Google Admin** | Mention your Linux/open-source background gives you comfort in that ecosystem; be honest it's an area to grow. |
     38 | **K-12 / SIS experience** | No experience with student information systems (PowerSchool, Infinite Campus, etc.) — ask what systems they use, show genuine interest. |
     39 | **Formal data engineering title** | Your QA role involves data ingestion/retrieval testing and automation — frame it as applied data engineering work, not just testing. |
     40 
     41 ---
     42 
     43 ## Questions to Ask Them
     44 
     45 1. What student information and HR systems are you currently syncing, and what's the biggest pain point in that pipeline today?
     46 2. What does the first 90 days look like — is there a specific project or system you need someone to tackle immediately?
     47 3. How mature is the current scripting/automation infrastructure? Are you building from scratch or inheriting existing code?
     48 4. What does the team look like — is this a solo data engineering role or part of a larger IT team?
     49 5. What does "protecting the district's data" look like day-to-day — are there specific compliance frameworks (FERPA, etc.) you work within?
     50 
     51 ---
     52 
     53 ## One Thing to Memorize
     54 
     55 The job summary is essentially: *automate data flows between school software systems, keep it secure, work independently.* Every answer you give should tie back to one of those three things.