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How To Hire a DevOps Engineer

Complete with job descriptions, skill profiles, and interview templates. Use this DevOps Engineer hiring guide to help you make the right decisions, fast.

DevOps Engineer Recruitment Guide

What does a DevOps Engineer do?

A DevOps Engineer plays a very important role in an organisation because they connect the dots between elements of code such as libraries and integrating databases or messaging tools. They do this by using a plethora of tools and methodologies to implement different pieces of infrastructure to manage the software development lifecycle. DevOps Engineers are masters at CI/CD which nowadays is a necessity rather than a luxury.

Day to day tasks of a DevOps Engineer

Skills assessment

DevOps Engineer definition

A DevOps Engineer's primary responsibility is to embrace the methodology of combining software development and IT operations lifecycle to work in unison. In practicing this methodology it enhances the developers ability to produce bug free and high quality code in a manner which does not hinder any party involved.

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HIRING PROCESS

DevOps Engineer Hiring Process

Step 1: Understand the role
Step 2: Source Applicants
Step 3: Skills Assessment
Step 4: Interview
Step 5: Hire

Build the Ideal Candidate Profile​

To find the best person for the role, you need to understand what the role involves. You can complete this with the hiring manager to define the role, its contribution, and the skills needed.

Write A Job Description Based On Skills

Once you understand the requirements for the role, you’ll need to understand the skills for success. You can then write an effective job description to promote your role.

Selecting The Ideal Candidate

See which applicants have the right skills for the role. Send all your applicants a Vervoe skills assessment from the expert library, or customize one for your organization.

Interview Top Performers

Your skills assessment results will identify top performers. Focus your time on interviewing those that have met or exceeded your requirements. Assessment results will also help guide which skill areas to focus on in the interview.

Making An Offer

Once you assess your candidates against these skills, you’re ready to offer the top performer(s). You should base your offer on the value that the candidate would bring to your team and your business as a whole. It is also important to ensure your compensation and benefits packages are competitive in the industry and help you attract and retain the top talent.
Build the ideal candidate profile

Skills needed for a DevOps Engineer

A DevOps Engineer must have excellent knowledge of programming, be able to communicate with a range of stakeholders and have the customer/consumer in mind when designing and developing software.

Pro Tip

DevOps Engineers should have excellent time management as they will be required to work on multiple projects at the same time as well as various parts of the same project.

WRITE A JOB DESCRIPTION BASED ON SKILLS

How to write a DevOps Engineer job description

Once you’ve determined the skills required for the role, you can write the job description to advertise for your position. Here’s what to include in your DevOps Engineer job description:

Job Title: What position are you hiring for?

Summary: What makes your company unique? What would it be like to work for you?

Responsibilities: An overview of the role’s day-to-day activities, and how the position contributes to the organization

Requirements: Skills a candidate must have to perform the job successfully

Benefits: Details of compensation, benefits, and any perks on offer

Pro Tip

In building your candidate profile, remember you’ve already identified what skills are needed to succeed in the role. Here’s where to list your “must-have” skills and maybe a couple of “nice-to-have” skills. For example, a DevOps Engineer should be highly experienced in a program like Jenkins.

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SELECTING THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

Sample skill tests for a DevOps Engineer

Create a free account today to access the full assessment and more from our library

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Question 1

DevOps

Question Type: Multiple Choice

A server administrator paused an instance of a docker image called hello-world. He now wants to resume the container which he had paused earlier, however, he is unaware of the details of the container except for its image name. Which of the following commands must he use to find the details of the required container and then unpause it?

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Question 2

Docker

Question Type: Audio

A server administrator is using the command ‘docker ps’ to view all the containers that have been installed on the current server. However, he finds that a few images that he installed and ran earlier on the server are not listed. What is the reason for this and is there a way to view all the containers currently available on the server?

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Question 3

Communication

Question Type: Text

What are the key metrics you measure to determine the success of a project?

INTERVIEW TOP PERFORMERS

How to interview a DevOps Engineer

Once your Vervoe skills assessment has surfaced the most qualified people for your open role, you can focus on interviewing these candidates. The interview should focus on any skills that require development that were highlighted from the skills assessment.

Now you know that candidates can do the job, the interview becomes more of a relationship building exercise where you can get to know the candidate on a more personal level, understand their motivations, and how they would fit in with the team.

Making An Offer

How much does it cost to hire a DevOps Engineer?

In the USA the average for a DevOps Engineer according to Glassdoor.com is $101,524, whereas Indeed.com has the average base salary as $122,110 with a cash bonus of $6,863. Whereas on Payscale.com it has the ninety percent of DevOps Engineers earning $133,000 and the lowest ten percent at only $66,000.

DevOps Engineer Salary United States

DevOps Engineers based in the USA will receive a salary from $66,000 – $133,000 (USD). This might be influenced by bonuses for performing their job to a high standard and the location of the organisation.

DevOps Engineer Salary United Kingdom

A DevOps Engineer in the United Kingdom has a salary range between £30,000 and £74,000 (GBP). This will often depend on the location and industry of the organisation they’re working for.

DevOps Engineer Salary Australia

In Australia a DevOps Engineer can expect a salary between $72,000 – $135,000 (AUD). This salary will be heavily dependent on the environment they’re managing and the seniority of the position.