Application
I applied online. The process took 6+ weeks. I interviewed at Kiwibank (Auckland, Auckland) April, 2024
Interview
The so-called "technical interview" conducted by what they referred to as 'the teamed' was a caricature of incompetence, consisting of a series of 20 primitive "What is" questions followed by 5 rudimentary "How to" inquiries. It's bewildering to be grilled on the basics of Docker and Kubernetes when you're aiming to secure a senior role that presupposes deep, practical knowledge in these areas. Rather than probing into the complexities of real-world project experiences, they opted for a checklist that would barely qualify a novice.
The interviewers appeared as mere script-readers, unable to articulate or justify their technological choices, let alone engage in a meaningful dialogue about their infrastructure challenges. The absence of any discussion around Service Level Objectives (SLOs) or Service Level Indicators (SLIs) only further punctuated their lack of depth and strategic thinking in systems engineering.
Kiwi Bank’s interview process for a Sr. SRE role not only underwhelms but also disheartens. It reflects a startling disconnect between the bank’s stated tech aspirations and the reality of their understanding and implementation of technology at a level this role demands.