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The Complete Guide: How to Hire a DevOps Engineer?

Posted by Marbenz Antonio on February 8, 2023

The economic decline, difficulties in handling the pandemic, supply shortages, and the continued conflict between Russia and Ukraine have caused job cuts in various industries. Although these occurrences affect the technology sector, it doesn’t necessarily spell trouble for DevOps Engineer professionals seeking new employment opportunities.

Tech recruiters seek individuals with the appropriate skills and background to build or improve their digital presence, enabling them to connect with customers and clients while maintaining security.

This article examines the duties of a DevOps engineer, highlighting the essential skills and understanding required for success. Furthermore, it covers the steps to identify and hire a competent DevOps engineer and the key traits to look for in a candidate.

Understanding the DevOps Engineer Role

Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD)

The primary task of a DevOps engineer is to design, develop, and manage a continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline with tools such as Jenkins, Gitlab, CircleCI, or AWS Code Pipeline. Their aim is to make the software deployment process more efficient, potentially reducing deployment time from a prolonged period to a swift process.

Automation of Repetitive Tasks

DevOps engineers utilize their proficiency in Bash and Python scripting to automate tasks such as setting up infrastructure, servers, and containers and scheduling cron jobs.

Security in DevOps Engineer

A key aspect of a DevOps engineer’s role is ensuring the security of code, applications, and systems by implementing security protocols. This includes responding to security breaches, conducting security assessments, securing servers, and managing user security measures such as AWS accounts, SSH keys, Linux/Unix permissions, SSL certificates, and using tools like Amazon KMS to encrypt sensitive data like API keys.

Application Troubleshooting

DevOps practitioners also bear the responsibility of resolving problems that occur during the software development cycle, deployed applications, and web applications, as well as identifying areas for improvement.

Administering and maintaining databases

Some DevOps specialists also manage an organization’s data by constructing and fixing database clusters to fulfill business requirements, handling streaming data, and more. DevOps teams guarantee that systems are set up correctly and are equipped to handle growing workloads and facilitate business expansion.

Here are some soft skills that can enhance a DevOps engineer’s performance:

• Excellent Skill Communication: As DevOps engineers often collaborate with developers, IT personnel, and management throughout an organization, they should possess the ability to effectively communicate technical concepts and ideas.
• Collaboration: Collaboration and working effectively with others are vital components of DevOps.
• Problem-solving: The ability to identify and creatively solve problems is a key requirement for DevOps engineers.
• Adaptability: As the technology industry is continually advancing, DevOps engineers must be able to adapt to new tools, technologies, and processes.
• Time Management: Effective time management is important in DevOps, as the work pace can be fast and involve multiple projects.
• Continuous Learning: DevOps engineers must be dedicated to ongoing learning and staying current with industry advancements to keep pace with the rapid evolution of technology.

Hiring Process for DevOps Engineer

The recruitment process for a DevOps position may vary based on the organization’s specific requirements and objectives, as well as the availability and proficiency of potential candidates.

However, some common steps can be found in many DevOps hiring processes:

1. Define the role and responsibilities: Determine the necessary skills and experience for the DevOps position and the specific duties and projects the candidate will be accountable for.
2. Source candidates: Employ various methods to locate suitable candidates, such as job boards, employee referrals, and professional networking platforms.
3. Review resumes and cover letters: Seek out candidates with the necessary technical skills and experience and the capacity to communicate efficiently and collaborate effectively as a team player.
4. Conduct initial phone screens: Utilize this chance to gain insights into the candidate’s background, skills, and interests, and evaluate their suitability for the position.
5. Administer technical assessment: Based on the specific demands of the position, it may be desirable to administer a technical evaluation to the candidates to assess their knowledge and abilities. This may involve a coding task, a written exam, or a practical technical assignment.
6. Schedule in-person interviews: Use the interview process to gain insights into the candidate’s personality, communication abilities, and work habits, and assess if they align with the company’s culture. Consider having them interact with other team members to further gauge their compatibility.
7. Check references: Obtain feedback from the candidate’s previous employers and associates to gauge their work history and effectiveness.
8. Make an offer: If the candidate proves to be the ideal match for the DevOps role and the organization’s culture, make a job offer and discuss the terms and conditions.
9. Onboard the new hire: Once the candidate agrees to the job offer, provide them with the training and resources they need to quickly become proficient in their new role.

By adhering to these steps, you can successfully recruit a DevOps engineer who will play a vital role in the progress of your organization.

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Onboarding and Training for DevOps Engineer

The success and retention of new hires can be greatly influenced by the onboarding and training process, which are key components of the employee experience.

It is especially critical to provide proper onboarding and training to new hires in DevOps positions, as they usually need to possess a wide range of technical abilities and work well with diverse teams and departments.

A thorough onboarding and training process is vital for DevOps positions due to the following reasons:

1. A thorough onboarding and training program is critical in DevOps positions, as they entail handling intricate technical systems and procedures. This ensures that new employees can quickly learn the necessary tools, technologies, and approaches for their role, allowing them to make impactful contributions sooner.
2. In DevOps positions, there is often close collaboration with other teams and departments. A thorough onboarding process that familiarizes new hires with the company culture and values, and the functions and responsibilities of other team members, can foster the development of robust working relationships and successful collaboration.
3. In DevOps positions, it is crucial for new hires to have a comprehensive onboarding and training process to understand the company’s goals and objectives and the direction it is heading. This can help them to adapt to rapidly changing environments and see how their role fits into the bigger picture and contributes to the organization’s success.
4. A comprehensive onboarding and training process can create a warm and supportive environment for new hires in DevOps roles. This, in turn, can increase their level of engagement, motivation, and overall job satisfaction, leading to improved retention and productivity.

By implementing an efficient onboarding and training program, organizations can provide new hires with a positive start, increasing the chances of their success and impact on the company’s achievements from the beginning.

The Bottom Line

When seeking to improve development and operations processes, it’s important for organizations to carefully choose a DevOps engineer. An adept DevOps professional can bring about more efficiency, faster application launches, and reduced downtime. To secure the ideal DevOps engineer for your company, it’s important to establish the position’s duties and responsibilities, draw from a wide pool of candidates and evaluate their technical proficiency, communication skills, and compatibility with your company culture.

Here at CourseMonster, we know how hard it may be to find the right time and funds for training. We provide effective training programs that enable you to select the training option that best meets the demands of your company.

For more information, please get in touch with one of our course advisers today or contact us at training@coursemonster.com