IntermediateBehavioral
5 min
Leading During a Major Outage
LeadershipIncident ManagementCommunication
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Interview Question
Tell me about a time when you had to lead your team through a major production outage. How did you handle the situation and what did you learn?
Key Points to Cover
- Uses STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result)
- Demonstrates clear communication under pressure
- Shows systematic incident response approach
- Mentions post-incident review and learning
- Discusses team coordination and delegation
- Reflects on lessons learned and improvements made
Evaluation Rubric
Uses structured storytelling (STAR)20% weight
Demonstrates leadership qualities30% weight
Shows systematic incident management30% weight
Discusses lessons learned and improvements20% weight
Hints
- 💡Use STAR method
- 💡Focus on your specific actions and decisions
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- ⚠️Failing to use the STAR method, leading to a disorganized or incomplete answer that lacks a clear narrative.
- ⚠️Getting bogged down in overly technical details without adequately explaining the leadership, communication, and systematic incident management aspects.
- ⚠️Not demonstrating clear ownership or decision-making, instead describing what 'the team' did without 'I' statements that highlight personal contributions.
- ⚠️Omitting the 'Learned' component, which is crucial for showing growth, self-reflection, and a proactive mindset toward continuous improvement.
- ⚠️Lacking specific examples of communication under pressure, such as how internal and external stakeholders were managed, or how conflicting information was handled.
Potential Follow-up Questions
- ❓How do you prepare your team for incidents?
- ❓What changes did you implement afterwards?
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