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Ask the right questions to secure the right mainframe talent, among an increasingly shrinking pool of talent.
The first 20 minutes of the interview should seek to narrow-down the general background of the candidate, what environments they’re familiar with, and their approach to maintaining often aging and convoluted systems.
This question helps assess the candidate's level of expertise and their familiarity with mainframe development. It allows them to discuss their specific skills, technologies, and project experiences related to mainframe development.
Mainframe applications often handle large volumes of data and require efficient performance. This question helps evaluate the candidate's understanding of optimizing mainframe applications for performance and scalability. Look for answers that include techniques such as code optimization, efficient database design, and performance monitoring tools.
Debugging and troubleshooting skills are crucial for mainframe developers. The candidate's response should demonstrate their familiarity with debugging tools, log analysis, and problem-solving techniques specific to mainframe environments.
Mainframe modernization is a common initiative in many organizations. This question helps gauge the candidate's exposure to modernization projects and their ability to adapt mainframe applications to newer platforms. Look for candidates who have experience with tools like COBOL-to-Java conversion or migration to cloud-based architectures.
Mainframe technology continues to evolve, and it's important for a mainframe developer to stay current. The candidate's response should highlight their willingness to learn and adapt, such as attending conferences, participating in online communities, or engaging in professional development activities specific to mainframe development.
The next 20 minutes of the interview should attempt to focus more specifically on the development languages used, and the level of depth and skill the engineer possesses.
Batch processing is a fundamental aspect of mainframe computing. This question evaluates the candidate's proficiency in batch job scheduling and workload management techniques. Look for candidates who can discuss their experience with JCL, job dependency management, workload balancing, and their ability to optimize batch processing performance.
This question delves into the candidate's understanding of security and privacy considerations in mainframe environments. Look for candidates who can discuss their experience implementing security measures, managing access controls, securing data at rest and in transit, and their familiarity with compliance frameworks such as PCI-DSS or HIPAA.
This question aims to gauge the candidate's familiarity with mainframe integration approaches and technologies. Look for candidates who can discuss their experience with technologies like MQ or Web Services, as well as their ability to handle data exchange, real-time communication, and service orchestration between mainframe systems and external entities.
Efficient data storage and management are critical in mainframe environments. This question evaluates the candidate's understanding of mainframe-specific data management techniques, such as VSAM (Virtual Storage Access Method), database partitioning, data clustering, and optimization techniques for data retrieval and manipulation.
This question assesses the candidate's knowledge and understanding of the mainframe architecture in depth. Look for candidates who can articulate the various components such as Central Processing Units (CPUs), Input/Output Processors (IOPs), Channel Subsystems, and how these components work together to ensure efficient processing and data management.
By this time in the interview, the candidate should be really digging deeper in to their software development experience in COBOL, in a zOS platform. They should know syntax, approach, and possess a scientific approach to their work. “Winging it” or other cavalier / generalist responses should be seen as red flags.
Mainframe modernization and integration with newer technologies are becoming increasingly important. This question helps assess the candidate's experience with modernization initiatives, their ability to integrate mainframe systems with modern technologies, and their understanding of best practices for bridging the gap between legacy and modern systems.
Mainframe systems often handle sensitive data and must comply with various security regulations. This question helps evaluate the candidate's familiarity with security audits, compliance requirements, and their ability to implement and maintain robust security measures on mainframe platforms.
Performance monitoring and capacity planning are crucial aspects of mainframe engineering. This question helps assess the candidate's understanding of performance monitoring tools, capacity planning techniques, and their ability to optimize mainframe applications proactively.
Mainframe systems often operate in high-availability environments where downtime can have significant consequences. This question helps evaluate the candidate's knowledge of disaster recovery planning, backup strategies, and their ability to ensure the reliability and availability of mainframe systems.
This question aims to assess the candidate's project management skills and their ability to handle complex mainframe projects. Look for candidates who can demonstrate effective leadership, problem-solving, and successful project outcomes.
