When was the last occasion you asked for direct feedback from your manager?

"I have found that one of the best ways to improve myself is to continually seek feedback from the people I work with. Both my colleagues and my management team have perspectives that I don't and can spot weaknesses that I need to work on to improve. Therefore, I am constantly asking them about my performance, any suggestions they have, and resources I can use to improve my skills and expertise. I do this continuously, and it has been very valuable."

The interviewer will ask this question to separate you from most applicants. This is because many professionals don't ever seek feedback from their supervisors. Interviewers prefer candidates were constantly seeking feedback so they can immediately correct any deficiencies they may have or actions they are taking that is incorrect. The best professionals know that the only way to get better news is to engage their colleagues for feedback and suggestions.

Requesting feedback from the people you work with demonstrates your desire to improve. Most employees avoid receiving feedback, fearing that it will be negative. By actively seeking it, you demonstrate both courage. A willingness to be open to criticism and initiative to improve. A good way to respond to this is to describe a time when you felt you didn't complete a task properly, and you sought feedback to correct your process so you'd do better next time.

Can you recall a time when your manager was unavailable when a situation arose that demanded an immediate resolution?

"Recently, my manager was away on vacation, and I was asked to fill in for them. A conflict arose between our team and another department, demanding an immediate resolution. The manager from the other department insisted we do what they wanted since our manager was not available. Knowing this was not the best solution, I presented an alternative and recommended that we discuss this with the senior leadership team to get their input. The other manager agreed. Working with senior leaders, we developed a compromise that resolved the conflict. When my manager returned from vacation, I briefed them on the incident, and they agreed I had acted appropriately."

While this appears to be a question about leadership, it addresses your willingness to take the initiative. The interviewer is interested in this because it helps them determine your future growth potential. Organizations like to hire individuals who continually improve themselves and develop new skills, allowing them to advance within the company.

When responding to this question, make sure you emphasize your willingness to take the initiative rather than complain about the manager's absence. Describe how you felt the need to take action, did so to resolve the immediate situation, then reviewed the issue and your actions with your manager. Be prepared to answer a follow-up question about what you would do differently next time.

Tell me about a difficult decision you had to make in one of your previous roles.

"During a recent downturn in business, I was required to reduce my staff. Every member of the team was well qualified and valuable to the organization, so choosing who to let go was difficult. After a great deal of consideration, I decided to dismiss one of the more experienced workers, knowing that they could easily find another job within the industry with my recommendation. This allowed me to develop one of the junior staffers, increasing their skills and making them more valuable to the organization. I would make the same decision if presented with this situation again."

The interviewer is looking for examples of your decision-making process and how you approach difficult challenges or situations. They want to learn more about how decisive you are and whether you are willing to make difficult choices. The interviewer hopes to see that you are willing to put the organization's interests ahead of any personal feelings.

When answering this question, choose a situation in which you made a decision involving a personal sacrifice or two equally undesirable outcomes. Describe the choice you made, its rationale, and the outcome. Then briefly discuss what, if anything, you would have done differently based on the outcome.

Can you give me an example of when you felt you led by example, describing what you did and how your team reacted?

"In my most recent role, my team and I were tasked with implementing a new process. Since none of us had experience in this area, I researched the process and created a training curriculum. I presented this to the team, participating in the exercises which stimulated the new process. Together, we debugged the process, created an implementation plan, and launched the process. But fully participating in each aspect of the project, I demonstrated to the team that I was willing to roll up my sleeves and work alongside them to make the project successful. They acknowledge this and expressed their willingness to replicate the process on future projects."

Interviewers ask this question to prompt you to talk about your leadership style, hoping you will describe how you lead from the front by example rather than from the back by exercising your authority. They recognize that teams perform better when they believe in their leadership and are willing to follow their example. By asking this question, the interviewer can discern whether you will be an effective leader.

Since this is a behavioral question, make sure to format your answer in the STAR framework by first describing a Situation and the Task you were required to complete. Then describe how your Action by demonstrating the behavior you needed the team to exhibit. Finally, discuss the Result of the project or task and what your team learned from the example you set. Make sure you communicate how you led by example and how this motivated the team to accomplish the assigned task.

Describe a situation where you needed to persuade someone about an idea or process.

"I take great pride in my ability to convince others about my ideas and suggestions. My methodology for accomplishing this is to first solicit others' input, carefully listening to their ideas and acknowledging them. If their suggestions are appropriate, we move forward. However, if I believe we can improve on these, I state my ideas and recommendations and explain why I believe in them. I then answer any questions they may have and drive for a consensus in which all the parties are satisfied we are moving in the right direction."

The interviewer will ask you this question because they are interested in learning about your communication and leadership skills and how you apply them to accomplish the tasks required in this role. Persuading other people about your ideas and suggestions is a valuable skill. Interviewers recognize that this will make you more effective in the job and reduce conflict between you and other team members.

You can answer this question using the STAR format, describing how you seek to understand other people's points of view, acknowledging them, then offering them an alternative and the rationale behind it. You can then describe how you addressed any questions and concerns they had and developed a win-win scenario with a positive outcome.

Please tell me about a time when something major didn't go according to plan at work.

"During a recent software update project, the versions of the software we ordered were not correct. We reviewed the purchase order and determined that the software had been ordered incorrectly. Since the software seals had been broken, we couldn't return the product, nor was the manufacturer likely to agree to correct this because it was our error. Even though this involved additional expense, my manager and I agreed it would be quicker to order the correct versions of the software so we could proceed with the upgrade. We did this and were able to install the software without any major delay in the project. This taught us to carefully review the versions of the software we had and needed before ordering new products or performing any upgrades."

Responding to situations that don't go according to plan is a key characteristic interviewers look for. They will ask you a question like this to determine how you react to unforeseen circumstances. This provides them an indication of your flexibility, responsiveness, and creativity.

Since this is a behavioral question, you should utilize the 'STAR' response methodology. Make sure to stay positive, don't blame anyone else for the problem, and don't take full credit for the solution. Demonstrate how you worked with others to resolve the situation. As with any behavioral question, discuss the results you attained and possibly the lessons learned, especially if the outcome wasn't optimum.

Can you give me an example of when you had to work with someone difficult to get along with and discuss how you handled the situation?

"In one of my recent jobs, I was partnered with another employee who was not open to new ideas and suggestions. Their attitude was 'my way or the highway.' We were tasked to develop a new process for managing our software licenses more effectively. I asked for their ideas and noted that while they were good, it would be more efficient, and we were to modify them slightly. We developed a consensus about the new process by accepting their initial suggestions and only recommending minor modifications. We recommended this to management, and the new process was implemented. This resulted in significant savings for the company, and it made it easier for my colleague and me to work together on future projects."

This is a behavioral question to which the interviewer expects a 'STAR' formatted answer: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Interviewers ask behavioral questions to determine how you react to challenging situations in the workplace. Your description of how you handled this in a previous job will indicate what you will do if hired by the organization. Behavioral questions typically involve challenges, relationships, conflict, or communication errors.

When responding to a behavioral question, frame your answer using the 'STAR' format. Describe the Situation, discuss the Task you needed to complete, describe the Action(s) you took, and then finish with the Results you achieved. The most important of these are the results since the employer expects you to work through the challenge to attain these.

Can you describe a time when you were asked to do something you had never done before? How did you react?

"In my most recent position, I was asked to lead a seminar about how to best respond to the ongoing process of updating our Oracle software. Even though this had never been my responsibility, I accepted the assignment and researched the topic. I put together a presentation using the information I collected and presented it to my entire department. The seminar was a success, and I learned that I can accomplish any task assigned to me with a little effort and the right resources."

Interviewers will ask this question to determine how you react to new situations and your attitude toward learning new skills and procedures. Employers prefer employees who are willing to learn new skills and thereby contribute more to the organization's business objectives. Curiosity and continuous learning are traits interviewers look for.

You can answer this question by providing an example of a situation in which you were asked to perform a new task. Explain how you readily accepted the job and gathered resources to help you complete the task. Then describe the results of your efforts and what you learned from the experience. Your answer should follow the 'STAR' response pattern: Situation, Task, Action, Results.

Please describe a situation where you needed to adapt a process, procedure, or technology differently from how you did things.

"Recently, our company switched to a new paperless help desk ticketing system. I was required to explain this to our internal clients and help them set up online requests. Having never done this myself, I first had to learn the system to explain it to the users. After doing this and gaining confidence in my knowledge, I put together a tutorial and presented it to our users. They quickly adopted the new system, which saved the company 25% on its help desk ticket processing costs during the first year."

Interviewers are curious to learn how flexible and adaptable you are and if you are willing to learn and expand your knowledge. They know that the job you are being hired for will evolve, and you'll be required to learn new methodologies, processes, and procedures to continue to do the work effectively. They want to ensure that you are capable of this.

When responding to the question, provide the interviewer with a brief description of a situation where you encountered a new challenge and how you addressed it by learning a new process or procedure or acquiring new skills. Describe the benefits to the company because of the way you reacted to this situation.

Tell me about an aspect of your profession when you are the most satisfied, energized, and productive at work.

"One of my favorite parts about this profession is collaborating with organization members from other departments. I really enjoy working together to create a consensus about what it will take to achieve the business's objectives. Participating as a member of a creative team is one of the best aspects of this job."

This question is meant to uncover your passion and what you enjoy doing. Interviewers know that people do their best work when they are passionate about what they're doing. They will ask you questions like this to discover if you are truly passionate about this job or just doing it for the money.

This is a great question you should ask yourself before beginning your job search. It will help you target specific jobs that you enjoy doing and will therefore be good at. This will then enable you to answer this when asked by an interviewer by simply describing a task you enjoyed working on and which is related to the job you are applying for.

Can you recall a time when you were assigned a task that wasn't a part of your job description. How did you handle this, and what was the outcome?

"I have worked for several small companies where the employees wore many hats. I enjoyed this experience because it allowed me to learn new skills outside of my profession as an Oracle RAC administrator. This helped me grow my portfolio of skills and contributed to the companies' success. In one case, I was asked to attend a trade show to research new database products from a technical perspective. Even though I had no experience in this area, I accepted the assignment with enthusiasm. Attending the show and interfacing with the suppliers taught me a great deal about how products are developed marketed, which helped me to evaluate new product features and make recommendations for adopting them to our management team."

Some employees are reluctant to do anything not part of their job description. However, in today's fast-paced business environment, people are often asked to do extra work which may not be part of their original assignment when they were hired. Interviewers seek to understand how you react when asked to do something not part of your normal job and determine how flexible you are.

The best way to answer this is to start by stating that you are always open to pitching in where ever you can to help the company get the job done. You should also make the point that you are open to learning new skills that will help both you and the company. Then describe an incident to illustrate this.

In your opinion, what is the future of Oracle Grid?

"In my opinion, Oracle Grid software is becoming more capable of supporting high availability (HA) for Oracle databases and other applications, including those from Oracle. There are more built-in features and functionality in version 12c, which is easier to deploy pre-built solutions available for most Oracle applications."

Interviewers ask questions about your opinion of a specific topic knowing that there is no right or wrong answer. They seek to understand your opinion, whether it is well reasoned, based on readily available information, and clearly communicated. Ticking each of these boxes will provide the information the interviewer is seeking and demonstrate your qualifications for this role.

When responding to a question that asks for your opinion on a topic, you should be comfortable providing the interviewer with your opinion as long as it is well thought out and can be substantiated. If you don't have the information or background needed to respond to the question, you should communicate this to the interviewer. The main thing to avoid is fabricating an answer. Interviewers will immediately recognize this and will ding you for attempting to bluff them rather than credit you for your creativity.

Can you discuss the differences between Oracle RAC and Oracle Grid?

"While RAC and Grid are similar, there are some significant differences between them. RAC has a single system image, while this is unavoidable in Grid. RAC provides proprietary interoperability with VIA. However, Grid does not use industry standards. Grid has multiple ownerships, but RAC provides single ownership. RAC has discoverable membership services, while GRID has a central Index and decentralized information to discover. The most significant difference between RAC and Grid is that RAC is a centralized environment, while Grid is decentralized."

Interviewers will ask this question for several reasons. The first is to confirm your qualifications for this role and your knowledge of the technology used in this job. Another reason may be that they are considering both of these technologies and want to get your opinion on which one is more appropriate for their organization.

As an Oracle RAC administrator, you should be able to easily answer this question. When asked to compare two different systems, the easiest way is to state similar characteristics about each system that can be compared. You pick a characteristic of one system, state its properties, and then compare it to the characteristics of the other system. Since the interviewer did not ask for a recommendation, you should avoid trying to discuss which of these you prefer or would recommend to the organization. If they are interested in your opinion, they will ask a follow-up question.

What are some of the typical uses of Oracle RAC?

"Oracle RAC or Real Application Clusters are generally used to support software where features such as high availability and grouped level of clustering are beneficial. Other benefits of Oracle RAC include robust error detection, auto-recovery, fault tolerance, and higher levels of reliability."

This is a general question that the interviewer is likely to ask at the beginning of the interview. Interviewers use general questions to begin the conversation, learn more about your background, and collect information they can use later in the interview. They will make a note of the information you provide in your answer and may use it for a follow-up question or to ask another question at some other point in the interview.

You can use your answer to general questions to drive the interview toward areas you are comfortable discussing. Since interviewers use the information you provided when answering general questions for subsequent queries, you can strategically use these opportunities to move them in a specific direction. They may not always follow your lead, but this strategy may provide you the opportunity to control the interview more than you think you can.

Why did you choose to interview with our organization rather than with others in our industry?

"One of the reasons I chose the interview with your organization is that my research indicated you are a leader in this field. The products and services you provide have been developed through the innovation and creativity of your staff. As the industry pivots towards new technologies, I believe I can help you maintain this leadership position utilizing my Oracle RAC administration skills and experience."

You should anticipate being asked this question during every interview. Employers are curious about why you chose their specific company to interview with. They prefer to hire employers who are passionate about their work and the organization. This question is also meant to determine how much research you have done about the company.

Since you expect this question during every interview, you can be prepared to answer it based on your research of the company before the interview. Mention something about the company's recent achievements, business prospects, or work culture. You may also want to refer to the company's challenges and how you can help them address these based on your skills and experience.

What's a misconception your coworkers have about you, and why do you believe they feel this way?

"My coworkers sometimes mentioned that I'm not too social. This is because I tend to focus on the job more than socializing while at work. They don't see that when I'm not working, I spend a lot of time enjoying the company of my friends who share my interests in the outdoors."

This may be a trick question to get you to identify a weakness you have or are perceived to have. Interviewers will ask this to uncover a weakness or to determine how self-aware you are. They are also curious whether you'll answer this question positively or say something negative about yourself or your coworkers.

Since the interviewer is asking you to reveal either a real weakness or behavior that appears to be a weakness, it may be hard to answer this question. Your answer should either point out a minor flaw that you are working to correct or discuss a strength your coworkers and managers are unaware of. In any case, you should remain positive when answering this question.

What's the most interesting thing about you that I didn't see on your resume?

"One thing that is not on my resume is my volunteer work with disadvantaged youth. I enjoy the experience of mentoring young people and helping them develop skills they can use to further their education, prepare for a profession, and navigate their way through life. I enjoy the satisfaction I get from seeing them succeed in reaching their full potential. This has helped me to be comfortable seeking mentoring and development advice from my management team."

Interviewers like to ask this question to learn more about your personality and determine whether you will fit into their corporate environment. By inviting you to the interview, they've already indicated that you have the skills and qualifications necessary to perform this job. The purpose of the interview is to confirm this and see how well you will fit into their culture.

You can answer this question by giving the interviewer information about yourself that is not controversial and will support your qualifications for the position. Examples may be musical talent, an interesting hobby, or an unusual experience you had. Your research about the organization and its culture will help you prepare for this question.

What is motivating you to make a move from your current role?

"While I enjoy the work I do and the organization I am associated with, I'm always looking for new challenges and opportunities to develop myself. While researching this job, I discovered that your organization would benefit from my experience, skills, and expertise to address your current challenges. I also noted that this role would expose me to opportunities to learn new skills, develop new relationships, and improve my overall qualifications. Finally, this job represents an increase in responsibility which I am always seeking."

Interviewers will ask this, knowing it is a potential 'trick' question that may prompt you to speak poorly of your current job, organization, or supervisor. They know that if you do this in your current situation, you will likely do it if you elect to leave their organization. Interviewers seek to hire candidates who are positive and moving forward toward a new opportunity rather than away from a bad one.

When answering questions like this, always be positive and discuss how you will be moving towards something new, not away from something old. Discuss wanting to be challenged and the rewards you will get by helping a new organization achieve its objectives. Also, talk about the opportunity to improve yourself by acquiring new skills and experiences in a new position.

Can you discuss what Oracle RAC is and how it is used?

"Oracle RAC, which stands for Real Application Cluster, is an Oracle database element that enables the database to be installed across multiple servers. It uses Oracle Clusterware, another Oracle application, for the infrastructure to connect multiple servers, so they operate as a single system. This not only provides more resources, but it also helps with continuity and uptime."

This is a typical question the interviewer will use to begin the conversation during an interview for an Oracle RAC administrator's position. Interviewers use this question to get you talking, explore your background, and collect information they can use throughout the interview. General questions like this help interviewers learn more about you and demonstrate your communication skills. They are sometimes called icebreakers.

Since the purpose of a general question is to create a dialogue, your response should be conversational. You can answer the interviewer's questions in general terms without providing too many details. Interviewers will always ask follow-up questions if they need more information or want to explore the topic in more depth. You can anticipate them doing this and asking more technical and operational questions later in the interview.

How can you find out which database instances are part of a RAC cluster?

"To find out which database instances are part of a RAC cluster, you can query the V$ACTIVE_INSTANCES. This will provide a view which will enable you to determine the member instances of the RAC cluster."

There are a large number of queries and commands used when administering an Oracle RAC database. The interviewers know this and will ask about many of these during the interview. They usually start by asking about the more common queries and commands and then progress to more difficult ones. They will usually limit their questions to queries and commands typically used in their Oracle RAC environment and by their current team of administrators.

No individual can know all the queries and commands used to administer an Oracle RAC environment. Suppose you are asked about a command or query that you are unfamiliar with. In that case, the best strategy is to immediately admit this and then describe to the interviewer where you would locate the information about the query or command. This will demonstrate your resourcefulness as well as your honesty during the interview.

What do you use to determine what protocol is used for Oracle RAC Interconnect traffic?

"One of the ways to determine what protocol is being used for Oracle RAC Interconnect traffic is to look at the database alert log for the time period, most notably after the database was started. Monitoring the database alert log closely for a specific time period will help you determine the protocol. This is especially true when looking at the log when the database was initially started up."

Interviewers are not only interested in your knowledge, expertise, experience, and qualifications, but they also want to know how you go about performing the tasks required by this job. To do this, they ask you questions like this one, which is known as operational questions. Operational questions ask you to describe the methodologies, processes, and procedures you use to perform the job.

When responding to an operational question, you should step the interviewer through the process you use to accomplish the task they are asking about. You should break the process into individual steps, briefly describing each one. Like technical questions, your answer should be brief and to the point. The interviewer will ask you a follow-up question if they need additional information or want to explore the topic in more detail.

How do you keep the time synchronized on all nodes in an Oracle RAC cluster?

"The best way to keep the time synchronized on all nodes in an Oracle RAC cluster is to configure the Network Time Protocol(NTP.) In Oracle RAC 11gr2, Cluster Time Synchronization Service (CTSS) can be used to synchronize the time."

The interviewer will ask you more operational and technical questions as the interview progresses. Their job is to pick the best candidate available to fill the open position. By learning as much as they can about you, your talents, and your ability to do this job, they can differentiate you from other candidates. Keep in mind that they are also evaluating your soft skills, such as collaboration, communication, and your ability to work in their environment.

The interviewer already knows that you are qualified for this role based on your resume and other information they collected about you before the interview. This is why you are invited to speak to them. You'll likely be able to answer most of the interviewer's technical and operational questions. However, it would be best if you did this in a manner that demonstrates your soft skills. This is especially true of your ability to communicate complex technical subjects to individuals who may not have a technical background. This is why you should keep your answers brief and to the point and use simple, easy-to-understand language.

How do you find out what types of OCR backups are available in Oracle RAC?

"OCR config is the command used to determine which OCR backups are available in the Oracle RAC system. Issuing this command will show which backups can be run and help you determine which backups are run automatically and manually."

System uptime, continuity, and availability are the most important factors for an organization's IT infrastructure. Interviewers will ask you about backups to ensure that you can manage their Oracle RAC system so that it is always available to the business users who use it to do their jobs. They want to be convinced that you can deliver optimized performance with minimal cost and keep the Oracle RAC system up and running and available.

Even though backing up an Oracle RAC system is rudimentary and a fundamental aspect of your job, don't dismiss this question. This is an important issue to the interviewer, and they need to be ensured that you can do this flawlessly. Since you don't know the importance of every question the interviewer will ask you, address each one as though it is critical and respond in a manner that convinces the interviewer you can perform the task they are asking about.

What options do you have to resolve a situation in which your OCR is corrupted?

"If I recognize that the OCR has been corrupted, my options are to use either the logical or the physical OCR backup copy to restore the Repository. This can be done quickly so that organization's downtime is minimized and the users have access to the OCR."

The only thing worse than not being able to access the organization's data is having corrupted data. Since the errors in corrupted data may be difficult to locate, it often requires a data reset from the backup files. Interviewers will ask you how you can respond to a situation in which you believe the OCR is corrupted to ensure that you can quickly and flawlessly bring the organization back to full operations quickly and flawlessly.

When describing how you would restore data once you know that the OCR is corrupted, keep your explanation brief and to the point. You want to convince the interviewer that you can easily do this while not diminishing the importance of this issue. By asking about this, the interviewer indicates that the organization may have already had issues with this or are concerned about it. Your answer to the question should reflect that you also consider this a serious issue and can deal with it.

What query do you use to find out what object has its blocks being shipped across the instance the most?

"Knowing the various queries, commands, and other methodologies for determining the status of an Oracle RAC database and what errors have occurred is fundamental to this position. I pride myself on knowing the most common of these and being able to locate the more obscure commands and queries I may need. To find out what object has its blocks being shipped across the instance the most, I would use 'dba_hist_seg_stats'."

As the interview progresses, the interviewer will continue to ask you technical and operational questions. However, these will become increasingly more challenging. This indicates that the interviewer is gaining confidence in your abilities and is willing to explore your background in more detail. They may have already made up their mind about your qualifications and are just exploring ancillary areas.

Even though the technical and operational questions are becoming more difficult, you should continue to answer them briefly and directly, using simple, easy-to-understand language. Continuity throughout the interview is important because it demonstrates your qualifications for the job. It also shows the interviewer that you remain calm in challenging situations and can communicate clearly, even to people with nontechnical backgrounds. These soft skills are just as important as your technical expertise and experience working as an Oracle RAC administrator.

How would you accomplish the task of identifying and verifying the inventory in the remote nodes of an Oracle RAC environment?

"When tasked with identifying and verifying the inventory in the remote nodes of an Oracle RAC environment, I use the 'Opatch Inventory-all_nodes' command. This ensures that I can access the data of all the remotely located nodes from a single node in the cluster."

This operational question may sound similar to the one you were asked earlier in the interview. Interviewers often ask similar questions in different ways to correlate your answers throughout the interview. They want to ensure that you are being truthful and not fabricating the information you are providing.

The worst mistake you can make during an interview is fabricating an answer. Interviewers are trained to detect this and will disqualify you if they think you are being untruthful or making up answers on the fly. If you don't know the answer to a question, admit this to the interviewer and then describe how you would go about finding the information. While this is not the best approach, it is better than being caught trying to mislead the interviewer.

What are some of the OEM tools associated with Oracle RAC?

"The two OEM tools associated with Oracle RAC are Database Control and Grid Control. Database control is used to manage graphics so the Oracle database can make its configurations manually. The server pools can also be managed using Oracle Clusterware. The Oracle RAC and Oracle Clusterware services can be managed using the database control tool. Grid control is a system providing a centralized level of management along with capabilities for administration and configuration. This results in higher efficiencies and lower costs."

When asking about OEM tools, the interviewer generally refers to the tools provided by Oracle. As an Oracle RAC administrator, you are expected to be familiar with the product and the tools used to manage it. Interviewers will ask you about tools, processes, practices, and procedures to verify that you know how to manage an Oracle RAC environment.

When preparing for an interview for an Oracle RAC administrator's position, it is highly recommended that you review all the tools, practices, procedures, and methodologies used to manage this environment. It will help you refresh your knowledge of these and bring them to the front of your mind before the interview. This will enable you to quickly and accurately respond to the interviewer's questions and give them the impression that you are well qualified for this job.

What command would you use to verify the inventory for all the Oracle RAC remote nodes?

"The command I would use to verify the inventory for all the Oracle RAC remote nodes is 'OPATCH LSINVENTORY -ALL_NODES'. This command can be issued from a single node to view the inventory details for all the nodes in the cluster."

During an interview, interviewers will ask both open and closed-end questions. Closed-end questions are like this one, where a specific answer is all that is needed. Open questions are more general and prompt you to discuss the topic in more detail. Recognizing that type of question will guide you on how to construct your answer.

Keep your answer direct and to the point when responding to a closed-ended question. The interviewer expects a very brief answer with the specific information they are asking you about. Elaborating on your answer could lead them to wonder if you are fabricating the information or avoiding answering that question entirely,

What method do you use to restore backup ASM Metadata?

"When restoring a backup of the ASM Metadata in an Oracle RAC environment in case of ASM disk group storage loss, you can use the 'md_backup' command to restore the ASM disk group configuration. Md_backup can also be used to take an ASM metadata backup."

Once an interviewer begins to ask questions about a specific topic, they may continue to ask about this topic using different but related questions. One reason for this is to explore all aspects of the topic. The other is that the topic may be important to the organization. This interest may be based on previous problems or concerns they have moving forward. The interviewer wants to learn as much as possible about your capabilities related to this and how you will manage it.

Before any interview, you should thoroughly research the organization, the job, and possibly even the interviewer. This will provide you with the information you will need during the interview to answer their questions. Knowing what issues the organization is encountering will indicate the areas they are likely to explore or topics you will be asked about. Anticipating these questions will help you prepare your answers.

What is the advantage of using a rolling upgrade in an Oracle RAC environment?

"A rolling patch refers to the cluster binaries being applied on databases of the RAC environment that are up and running. The advantage of this is that the patch can be applied to the cluster binaries without shutting down the database in a RAC environment. The cluster nodes are rolled one after another to compensate for the patched node being unavailable. All of the other instances are kept in an open state."

Virtually every piece of technology needs to be upgraded regularly. Interviewers will ask you questions to determine how you perform this task and understand your opinion about what type of upgrades are better than others. Upgrades are disruptive, so the interviewer wants to ensure that the impact on the organization is minimal when you do this.

When interviewing with an organization, it will help if you understand their current operations to determine if your approach to these is similar to the organization. If it is, it will demonstrate your ability to quickly integrate yourself into the organization. If for some reason, your methodology is different, it may provide you the opportunity to suggest improvements to the organization's practices which will make them more efficient and effective.

What components of the Oracle Grid do you regularly back up?

"When backing up Oracle Grid, I always include Oracle Local Registry (OLR), Oracle Cluster Registry (OCR), and Oracle Automatic Storage Management (ASM) Metadata. These are the key components of Oracle Grid and contain the information necessary for the grid to function properly."

Even though the interviewer has already asked you about your backup strategy at another point in the interview, they may circle back to this later on. There are no rules about when the interviewer can ask you questions about the same topic during an interview. Interviewers will either group questions about a topic and then move on to a new topic or spread them out throughout the interview. You need to be prepared for both styles.

Don't be surprised if you are asked about a topic you addressed earlier in the interview. Interviewers circle back to topics to either get more information or clarify an answer you provided earlier in the interview. They may also do this to calibrate your answers to see if you are being consistent throughout the interview. When responding to a question similar to the one you were asked earlier, try to remember your previous response so your answer will be aligned with it.

What is Oracle Cluster Health Monitor, and how is it used in an Oracle cluster environment?

"The Oracle RAC Cluster Health Monitor, or CHM, stores operating system metrics in the CHM repository for all the nodes in the cluster. It is a default component of the 11gr2 grid install. It stores information on the key components, including the CPU, memory, process, network, and other OS data in the master repository. This information can be retrieved to troubleshoot and identify any cluster-related issues. The data is also replicated to a standby repository on a different node to prevent it from being lost if the master repository is corrupted."

Knowing the current status of an Oracle RAC environment, which is also referred to as its health, is one of the more critical aspects of an Oracle RAC administrator's job. It is a virtual guarantee that you'll be asked about this during the interview. Interviewers want to assure themselves that you know how to keep their RAC environment functioning at its peak performance level while ensuring that the information is available to the business users.

This is one of the more critical questions you will be asked during an Oracle RAC administrator interview. Your answer to this question will provide the interviewer with a clear understanding of your competency in this area and your ability to do the job. Practicing questions like this one will ensure that you are prepared for the interview and will respond to these important questions correctly.

What is the default ASM memory allocation in Oracle 10g, 11g, and 12c?

"The Oracle Automatic Storage System or ASM memory allocation is different for each version of Oracle RAC. In version 10g, the default System Global Area or SGA size is 1G. In 11g, it is set to 256M, and in 12c ASM it is set to 1G, similar to 11g."

Since you used the acronym ASM in one of your earlier answers, the interviewer has earned the right to ask you about it. Interviewers will make notes of your answers and the terminology you use and then use this information for subsequent questions. Since few interviews are completely scripted, interviewers use this methodology to navigate through the interview and explore your qualifications.

Every time you answer an interviewer's question, you provide them with the information they can use later in the interview. Knowing this enables you to direct the interview towards areas that you are familiar with and comfortable discussing. Intentionally providing the interviewer with information in your answers will prompt them to ask follow-up questions about topics you are competent in. This is one of the more useful strategies you can implement during an interview.

What is a VIP in Oracle RAC, and how is it used?

"Within the Oracle RAC environment, VIP refers to the alternate Virtual IP address assigned to each node in a cluster. The function of this is that if a node were to fail, the VIP of the failed node would move to one of the surviving nodes. It will then signal that the node has gone down and relay its new location to the application. If VIP is not available, the application will continue to wait for a TCP timeout only to discover that the session is no longer live due to the failure."

The term VIP has many meanings. However, when used in the context of the Oracle RAC environment, the meaning is very specific. This is a question where the interviewer uses a common term but wants to know its use within a specific situation. As an Oracle RAC administrator, you should be able to answer this question easily. The interviewer knows this and is expecting you to respond quickly so they can move on to the next question.

Knowing the various terms, processes, procedures, and practices used in this profession is fundamental to a successful interview. This is why it is important for you to review these terms before coming to the interview. This will refresh your memory, keep them top of mind, and correct any misunderstandings you may have about these terms.

What is an OLR, and how is it used in the Oracle RAC environment?

"OLR, which stands for Oracle Local Repository, contains information that allows the cluster processes to be started with the OCR being in the Oracle Automatic Storage System, or ASM. Since the ASM file system is unavailable until the Grid processes are started up, a local copy of the contents of the OCR is required. This local copy is stored in the OLR."

During an interview, the interviewer will often use acronyms specific to the job. They use these to qualify candidates. If the interviewee asks about the definition of the acronym, the interviewer immediately knows that they do not have the experience or qualifications for the job.

As a qualified Oracle RAC administrator, you should know most of the acronyms used in this profession. Acronyms allow you to communicate with other professionals more efficiently. Reviewing these before the interview will help you remember them and keep them fresh in your mind. However, you should never use an acronym in one of your answers unless the interviewer has already used it or you define it before continuing with your answer. One of the key skills you need to demonstrate during the interview is your ability to communicate complex topics to individuals who may not have a technical background. Using acronyms will make this more difficult.

What are some of the parameters specific to Oracle RAC?

"Some of the key parameters specific to Oracle RAC are:ACTIVE_INSTANCE_COUNT UNDO_MANAGEMENT CLUSTER_DATABASE CLUSTER_DATABASE_INSTANCE INSTANCE_TYPE (RDBMS or ASM)"

The interviewer will ask you questions throughout the interview ranging from very easy, basic ones to more complex and challenging ones. They can ask these at any point during the interview. Since no two interviewers are the same, their interview styles and questions will vary. While this makes interviews more challenging, it also makes them more interesting.

When preparing for an interview, you can never really be sure what questions the interviewer will ask. This is why it is good to research the organization, the job, and even the interviewer. The more you know about these three topics, the better prepared you will be to answer the questions. Regardless of whether a question is easy or difficult, your response should still be direct and to the point, using simple, easy-to-understand language. And always anticipate follow-up questions.

When there is a network or storage missed heartbeat, what does the Oracle RAC Clusterware write, and in what location?

"When the Oracle RAC network or storage misses a heartbeat, which is called a 'ping,' the ping failure is written in $CRS_HOME/log. This can be reviewed to determine if any data was lost or needs to be refreshed."

Oracle RAC administrators need to know not only how to maintain and optimize an Oracle RAC system, but they must also be able to respond to issues or failures. If you reflect on your training and experience, most of your time is spent practicing what to do when something goes wrong. Interviewers are likely to ask you many questions about system failures during the interview to understand how you responded to these. Keeping the organization's Oracle environment up and functioning is the most critical requirement of this job.

Since you will be asked many questions about how you keep the Oracle RAC system functioning, you should spend a great deal of time before the interview reviewing the procedures you use to accomplish this. This keeps the processes fresh in your mind and will enable you to answer the interviewer's questions accurately. Refreshing your knowledge and practicing your procedures is also recommended as an ongoing exercise, even if you're not interviewing for a new role.

What file components must reside on shared storage in RAC?

"The file components required to reside in the shared storage are Control files, Spfiles, the Redolog file, and DataFiles. Keeping these and shared storage makes them available to all the nodes."

This is the most commonly asked Oracle RAC interview question in an interview. You're likely to be asked this question early in the interview as a basic qualifier. If answered incorrectly, the interviewer will likely ask a few more questions to confirm their evaluation and quickly terminate the interview.

Interviews typically progress from general questions to relatively easy technical and operational questions and then to more challenging questions. The interviewer is constantly evaluating your answers to determine your qualifications. Answering their early questions correctly will demonstrate that you are fit for the role and encourage the interviewer to move on to more challenging technical and operational questions. Regardless of how easy or difficult the question is, keep your answers brief and to the point, and always anticipate follow-up questions from the interviewer.

In Oracle RAC, what is the Automatic Storage System POWER_LIMIT?

"The Automatic Storage System POWER_LIMIT is the parameter that controls the number of allocation units the ASM instance can rebalance at any given moment. In ASM versions below 11.2.0.3, the default value is 11. However, this has been changed to unlimited in later versions."

Interviewers know that only well-qualified Oracle RAC administrators will know the answer to this question. They use questions like this to differentiate individuals who may have the right credentials for the job but not the knowledge, expertise, and experience. Every interviewer is looking for only the most qualified candidate to fill the position and, therefore, will use challenging questions to identify these.

One of your responsibilities during the interview is to determine if the job you are interviewing for is something you can do based on your background, skills, and experience. Even if you were to ace the interview and receive an offer, the job might not be a good fit for you if you don't have the skills and experience needed to perform the work. You would be unhappy in the position, and the employer would be disappointed in their hiring decision. Suppose you feel you are not qualified for the role for some reason. In that case, you should discuss this with the interviewer to see if they have a development program that would bring you up to speed or if there is a less demanding position available within the company.

What types of files can be stored in the ASM disk group in Oracle 11g and 12c?

"The Oracle Automatic Storage System or ASM In Oracle version 11g can store the Datafiles, Redo logfiles, and Spfiles file. Groups In version 12c, these same files groups can be stored in the ASM Diskgroup, as well as the Password file."

This is a multipart question in which the interviewer is asking two separate questions. The first focuses on the types of files, and the second is about the difference between the two versions of Oracle. Interviewers use multipart questions to test your expertise and get a better understanding of your communication style. They expect you to be able to address both parts of the question in an organized, clearly communicated manner.

When asked a multipart question, the first thing to do is carefully listen to the question and make sure you understand both parts. Then it would be best if you took a few seconds to organize your thoughts to address the question in the same order it was presented and provide all the information the interviewer is seeking. Finally, answer the question using simple, easy-to-understand language while addressing each part of the question.

How is interconnect used in Oracle RAC?

"When used in Oracle RAC, interconnects refers to a private network used to ship data blocks from one instance to another using cache fusion. The physical data blocks, as well as data dictionary blocks, are shared across this interconnect."

When asking this question, the interviewer is using a term common to many technologies. However, they are asking about its use specifically within the Oracle RAC environment. Interviewers will use a variety of different question formats during an interview. They do this to ensure that you are listening to the question and responding appropriately. The other reason interviewers use different question formats is to keep the interview fresh, so neither you nor they become bored or complacent.

When asked about the most critical part of a job interview, many people respond that it is answering the interviewer's questions accurately. While this is important, the most important element of a job interview is listening. By carefully listening to each question the interviewer asks you, you ensure that you will respond appropriately, providing them with the information they seek. Many candidates will begin to formulate an answer to a question while the interviewer is still speaking. This will result in them sometimes missing important information and not providing the interviewer with the correct answer.

Please explain the difference between Crash recovery and Instance recovery.

"While both of these terms are related to recovering data after a crash, they differ. A crash recovery occurs when an instance crashes in a single node database on startup. If this occurs In a RAC environment, the surviving nodes perform the same recovery for an instance. In this case, the recovery is called an instance recovery. The difference between these is that the startup process continues without the affected node."

Interviewers like to ask questions that only qualified candidates will be able to answer. This helps them easily distinguish between a qualified candidate and somebody who may have the right background but is not ideal for this role. One of the typical ways they do this is by asking about similar but different terms. This question is an example of this strategy.

When asked to compare two similar but different items, the easiest way to do this is to first define each item. You can then discuss their differences or similarities. As with most questions, keep your answers brief and to the point, and anticipate a follow-up question from the interviewer.

What is a split-brain in the context of Oracle RAC?

"Occasionally, database nodes in an Oracle RAC cluster may be unable to communicate with each other. When this occurs, they may continue to independently process and modify the data blocks. When multiple instances modify the same block, the data blocks cannot synchronize, and other instances will do those writes for the same block. This process is called split-brain."

Interviewers like to use terminology specific to the position they are interviewing for. Only qualified professionals will understand the terminology and be able to respond to the interviewer's questions appropriately. Interviewers also use acronyms for this same purpose.

As a qualified Oracle RAC administrator, you should easily recognize terminology and acronyms specific to this profession. Once you recognize the terminology, you can begin to answer the interviewer's question. Suppose, for some reason, the terminology or the acronym is unfamiliar to you. In that case, you should readily admit this and either ask a qualifying question or explain to the interviewer how you would find the information needed to respond to their question.

What is cache fusion in a RAC environment?

"Cache fusion In an Oracle RAC environment is the combining of data blocks. The blocks are then shipped across the interconnect from remote database caches to the local node. This process fulfills the requirements for transactions within Oracle RAC, such as a DDL or a DML."

During an interview for an Oracle RAC administrator's job, interviewers will ask many questions about the characteristics of Oracle RAC. They do this to explore your knowledge of the technology and confirm your qualifications for this job. While no individual can know every detail of an Oracle RAC environment, you are expected to know both the basic and most of the advanced features of Oracle RAC.

When responding to an interviewer's questions about some of the characteristics of the Oracle RAC environment, you should carefully listen to the question and only provide the information the interviewer has asked you about. Try to avoid providing too many details or embellishing your answer to try to impress the interviewer. They will ask you follow-up questions if they need additional information.

How would an Oracle RAC cluster be impacted if a less robust node with slower CPUs is added to the cluster?

"If a less potent node with slower CPUs is added to the Oracle RAC cluster, all processing by the existing nodes will showdown to the CPU speed of the slowest server in the cluster."

While continuity and availability are critical within the Oracle RAC environment, performance is also important. Interviewers are interested in seeing how you optimize Oracle RAC's performance and ensure that the users don't encounter any latency or have to wait for the information they need to do their jobs. You can anticipate being asked many questions about optimizing the performance of the RAC system during the interview.

As an experienced Oracle RAC administrator, you should be well aware of how to optimize the Oracle RAC environment. Many of the processes used to do this are common within the industry. However, you may have developed your own tricks, tips, and techniques from your experience and exposure to other administrators. Interjecting this knowledge into the interview when possible will help differentiate you from other candidates and make you more likely to be offered the position.

Oracle RAC Interview Questions

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1. When was the last occasion you asked for direct feedback from your manager?
2. Can you recall a time when your manager was unavailable when a situation arose that demanded an immediate resolution?
3. Tell me about a difficult decision you had to make in one of your previous roles.
4. Can you give me an example of when you felt you led by example, describing what you did and how your team reacted?
5. Describe a situation where you needed to persuade someone about an idea or process.
6. Please tell me about a time when something major didn't go according to plan at work.
7. Can you give me an example of when you had to work with someone difficult to get along with and discuss how you handled the situation?
8. Can you describe a time when you were asked to do something you had never done before? How did you react?
9. Please describe a situation where you needed to adapt a process, procedure, or technology differently from how you did things.
10. Tell me about an aspect of your profession when you are the most satisfied, energized, and productive at work.
11. Can you recall a time when you were assigned a task that wasn't a part of your job description. How did you handle this, and what was the outcome?
12. In your opinion, what is the future of Oracle Grid?
13. Can you discuss the differences between Oracle RAC and Oracle Grid?
14. What are some of the typical uses of Oracle RAC?
15. Why did you choose to interview with our organization rather than with others in our industry?
16. What's a misconception your coworkers have about you, and why do you believe they feel this way?
17. What's the most interesting thing about you that I didn't see on your resume?
18. What is motivating you to make a move from your current role?
19. Can you discuss what Oracle RAC is and how it is used?
20. How can you find out which database instances are part of a RAC cluster?
21. What do you use to determine what protocol is used for Oracle RAC Interconnect traffic?
22. How do you keep the time synchronized on all nodes in an Oracle RAC cluster?
23. How do you find out what types of OCR backups are available in Oracle RAC?
24. What options do you have to resolve a situation in which your OCR is corrupted?
25. What query do you use to find out what object has its blocks being shipped across the instance the most?
26. How would you accomplish the task of identifying and verifying the inventory in the remote nodes of an Oracle RAC environment?
27. What are some of the OEM tools associated with Oracle RAC?
28. What command would you use to verify the inventory for all the Oracle RAC remote nodes?
29. What method do you use to restore backup ASM Metadata?
30. What is the advantage of using a rolling upgrade in an Oracle RAC environment?
31. What components of the Oracle Grid do you regularly back up?
32. What is Oracle Cluster Health Monitor, and how is it used in an Oracle cluster environment?
33. What is the default ASM memory allocation in Oracle 10g, 11g, and 12c?
34. What is a VIP in Oracle RAC, and how is it used?
35. What is an OLR, and how is it used in the Oracle RAC environment?
36. What are some of the parameters specific to Oracle RAC?
37. When there is a network or storage missed heartbeat, what does the Oracle RAC Clusterware write, and in what location?
38. What file components must reside on shared storage in RAC?
39. In Oracle RAC, what is the Automatic Storage System POWER_LIMIT?
40. What types of files can be stored in the ASM disk group in Oracle 11g and 12c?
41. How is interconnect used in Oracle RAC?
42. Please explain the difference between Crash recovery and Instance recovery.
43. What is a split-brain in the context of Oracle RAC?
44. What is cache fusion in a RAC environment?
45. How would an Oracle RAC cluster be impacted if a less robust node with slower CPUs is added to the cluster?

Oracle RAC Interview Questions

1. When was the last occasion you asked for direct feedback from your manager?

2. Can you recall a time when your manager was unavailable when a situation arose that demanded an immediate resolution?

3. Tell me about a difficult decision you had to make in one of your previous roles.

4. Can you give me an example of when you felt you led by example, describing what you did and how your team reacted?

5. Describe a situation where you needed to persuade someone about an idea or process.

6. Please tell me about a time when something major didn't go according to plan at work.

7. Can you give me an example of when you had to work with someone difficult to get along with and discuss how you handled the situation?

8. Can you describe a time when you were asked to do something you had never done before? How did you react?

9. Please describe a situation where you needed to adapt a process, procedure, or technology differently from how you did things.

10. Tell me about an aspect of your profession when you are the most satisfied, energized, and productive at work.

11. Can you recall a time when you were assigned a task that wasn't a part of your job description. How did you handle this, and what was the outcome?

12. In your opinion, what is the future of Oracle Grid?

13. Can you discuss the differences between Oracle RAC and Oracle Grid?

14. What are some of the typical uses of Oracle RAC?

15. Why did you choose to interview with our organization rather than with others in our industry?

16. What's a misconception your coworkers have about you, and why do you believe they feel this way?

17. What's the most interesting thing about you that I didn't see on your resume?

18. What is motivating you to make a move from your current role?

19. Can you discuss what Oracle RAC is and how it is used?

20. How can you find out which database instances are part of a RAC cluster?

21. What do you use to determine what protocol is used for Oracle RAC Interconnect traffic?

22. How do you keep the time synchronized on all nodes in an Oracle RAC cluster?

23. How do you find out what types of OCR backups are available in Oracle RAC?

24. What options do you have to resolve a situation in which your OCR is corrupted?

25. What query do you use to find out what object has its blocks being shipped across the instance the most?

26. How would you accomplish the task of identifying and verifying the inventory in the remote nodes of an Oracle RAC environment?

27. What are some of the OEM tools associated with Oracle RAC?

28. What command would you use to verify the inventory for all the Oracle RAC remote nodes?

29. What method do you use to restore backup ASM Metadata?

30. What is the advantage of using a rolling upgrade in an Oracle RAC environment?

31. What components of the Oracle Grid do you regularly back up?

32. What is Oracle Cluster Health Monitor, and how is it used in an Oracle cluster environment?

33. What is the default ASM memory allocation in Oracle 10g, 11g, and 12c?

34. What is a VIP in Oracle RAC, and how is it used?

35. What is an OLR, and how is it used in the Oracle RAC environment?

36. What are some of the parameters specific to Oracle RAC?

37. When there is a network or storage missed heartbeat, what does the Oracle RAC Clusterware write, and in what location?

38. What file components must reside on shared storage in RAC?

39. In Oracle RAC, what is the Automatic Storage System POWER_LIMIT?

40. What types of files can be stored in the ASM disk group in Oracle 11g and 12c?

41. How is interconnect used in Oracle RAC?

42. Please explain the difference between Crash recovery and Instance recovery.

43. What is a split-brain in the context of Oracle RAC?

44. What is cache fusion in a RAC environment?

45. How would an Oracle RAC cluster be impacted if a less robust node with slower CPUs is added to the cluster?