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Preparation

It's 30 min interview called final cloud admin round HR says its technical+ behaviour with communication

With sr. Cloud director (20 years of experience in same company)

How to prepare?

Got it 👍 This is a big final step — a 30-minute session with a Senior Cloud Director who’s been at the company for 20 years.

Here’s how you should prepare, broken into 3 key angles:

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🔹 1. Technical Prep (Expecting Depth + Flow)

He won’t grill you on syntax — he’ll want to know how you think, plan, and execute. Be ready for scenario-based questions, not textbook Qs.

Examples:

  • “How do you approach migrating a workload from on-prem to AWS?”

  • “What steps do you take before applying infra changes to production?”

  • “A critical service is down, what’s your first 15 minutes response?”

  • “How do you balance speed of delivery with reliability?”

👉 Use the structured flow we discussed (Plan → Prereqs → Test → Docs → Review → Apply → Post-Check). Directors love when you show maturity in process.

Preparation tips:

  • Revise core AWS services (IAM, VPC, EC2, S3, EKS, RDS).

  • Brush up DevOps essentials (CI/CD, IaC, monitoring, incident response).

  • Have one strong story each for: migration, automation, incident, optimization.

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🔹 2. Behavioural & Communication Prep

Since HR said it’s technical + behavioural, he’ll look for team fit + ownership + clarity.

Common behaviour Qs:

  • “Tell me about a time you prevented downtime with proactive action.”

  • “How do you handle disagreements with teammates?”

  • “How do you communicate complex technical issues to non-technical stakeholders?”

  • “Have you mentored juniors? How?”

👉 Use STAR method (Situation → Task → Action → Result). Keep it crisp but impactful.

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🔹 3. How to Talk to a Director

Remember, he’s not just a techie — he’s a strategic leader. What he wants to see in you:

  • Clarity: Speak structured, no rambling.

  • Confidence without arrogance: Show you own your work but stay humble.

  • Big picture thinking: Mention customer impact, cost savings, reliability.

  • Collaboration mindset: Emphasize working with teams, not lone-wolf.

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🔹 Interview Gameplan for 30 Minutes

First 5 min → Introduction & rapport

  • Show energy + passion.

  • Quick self-intro: your experience, strengths, impact.

Next 15–20 min → Technical + Behavioural Qs

  • Use scenario answers with process flow.

  • Mix in STAR method for behavioural.

Last 5–10 min → Your Questions to Him Directors love good questions. You can ask:

  • “What are the current priorities for the cloud team in the next 6–12 months?”

  • “How does this role help the company’s reliability and growth goals?”

  • “What qualities do you value most in engineers who succeed under your leadership?”

✅ Final prep checklist before interview:

  • Have 2 migration stories, 1 automation success, 1 incident handled, 1 cost optimization example.

  • Rehearse self-intro in 60–90 seconds.

  • Practice answering slow, clear, confident (directors hate rushed/rambling answers).

  • Think in terms of impact, not just tasks.

Pavan, do you want me to simulate a mock interview (with me acting as the Cloud Director) so you can practice answering these technical + behavioural questions in flow?

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