MySQL Operations Database Administrator Interview Experience - Palo Alto, California
Process
Erik, a recruiter from Facebook, reached out to me on LinkedIn.
I started with two phone interviews. The first focused specifically on MySQL, and the second involved scripting. Both lasted a little less than an hour. In the second interview, I used a web-based shared text editor to demonstrate how I would script a common MySQL monitoring tool in my favorite programming language.
A week later, I flew down for five face-to-face interviews.
The first was with Erik, the recruiter, who was friendly and took me to lunch at the Facebook cafeteria.
Then I met with the team leader. They asked some technical MySQL questions but were more focused on how I might fit in with the team and general working philosophy.
I then met with four other MySQL operations team members. Their questions focused on MySQL InnoDB scalability and performance issues. If you understand what most everything SHOW INNODB STATUS displays, you'll be in good shape.
Key areas to understand:
- History length
- Purge thread
- Locks
- Deadlocks
- Insert buffer
- Durability options
Understand storage hardware:
iostat -x- RAID levels
- Write caching
What I loved most about the interview process is that their questions focused on real MySQL problems they deal with every day. There were no "BS" questions designed to "see how you think" or other such nonsense. I did not have to estimate how many golf balls could fit inside a school bus or speculate on why manhole covers are round.
I did my homework for these interviews, and I thought I was well served by watching Domas and Mark Calahan's YouTube videos about the MySQL challenges they face at Facebook.
Questions
I was asked to diagnose an actual problem they were having with a database. I was given access to their performance visualization tools so I could see the DB's vital signs. I was asked to explain why a spike in DB response time occurred at a specific time (as shown on a graph). I was able to log into the database and examine statistics and performance counters, but the best tools were their extensive graphs.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 1 interview experience for the Meta MySQL Operations Database Administrator role in Palo Alto, California.
Success Rate
Meta's interview process for their MySQL Operations Database Administrator roles in Palo Alto, California is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Meta's MySQL Operations Database Administrator interview process in Palo Alto, California.
Meta Work Experiences
- 4.0Great perks and work-life balance, really smart people, and challenging problemsSoftware Engineering Intern • Former EmployeePalo Alto, California, United StatesJuly 6, 2014Pros: The people here are all really smart. The emphasis is on output, and you're pretty much in control of your hours. It's normal to get out in the middle of the day to hit the gym, etc. Perks are also great; you can't beat the food and the micro-kitchens. And every change you make to the code instantly impacts hundreds of millions of users.Cons: At least for internships, teams are somewhat hit-or-miss. Some teams work on really exciting products while others, not so much.
- 1.0Disappointed about the companySoftware Engineer • Current EmployeePalo Alto, California, United StatesFebruary 27, 2023Pros: Free food and company benefits.Cons: Layoff, low stock price, work-life balance is a mess.
- 5.0A heaven for an engineer!Software Engineer • Current EmployeePalo Alto, California, United StatesFebruary 23, 2014Pros: I moved here from a larger, stable company where I was also working as a software engineer, and I have just been wow-ed! Apart from the amazing perks, I work with a set of very dedicated, determined, and intelligent folks, which is really the best part of working here. * Co-workers are mostly rockstars! * Lots of resources to learn. Seven months into my job, and I feel I am already a much better engineer. * Lots of importance on what YOU want to work on, versus what your manager thinks you should work on. You can freely talk to your manager and find an intersection between your interests and the company/product needs. * Everything is automated (again, by rockstar teams), and processes are made as simple as possible. * Great pay, stocks, and bonuses. * Amazing perks! Lots of food choices, a great campus, regular team happy hours with great food, and the list goes on and on.Cons: Work-life balance is almost 0 on weekdays. I spend the entire day working or thinking about work, but that is what I was looking for. Weekends are up to you; most people do not work. Lots of process changes occur in short periods of time, so you are constantly climbing the learning curve. This may be specific to the product I work on.
Meta Interview Questions
