HostGator.com Technical Support Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

It was a quick interview. I spoke with one of the managers. They asked some behavioral questions, but mostly technical questions about servers and web hosting. My advice is to review the FAQ from the pre-interview email. Just be yourself and relax.

I applied to HostGator in Oct 2011, got a rejection. Applied again in Feb, got another rejection, but it was a mistake. They called me to schedule an interview for the next Tuesday. My friend who got hired in Jan said he interviewed twice and got offers both times. He told me to expect basic questions and to know the minimum. I asked other friends who worked there longer. One said no test when they applied, another said a simple test. My new-hire friend's advice was enough. On Tuesday, I filled out a background check form and waited about 20 mins past the scheduled time for the interview. First, they asked about my customer and tech support experience. I discussed my 2 years of experience. They asked standard questions like 'how to deal with an irate customer?', 'tell me about a time you took charge to solve a problem', and 'describe yourself in 3 words'. Then came the interview/skills test. No notes or computer allowed. I was prepared, but some questions were unfamiliar. The interviewer seemed to be gauging experience. Then it got way more in-depth than expected. I got the expected questions but also had to explain the processes behind them, where to find things, and how to fix issues. This seemed more like admin roles, not tech support, and none of my friends mentioned this depth. I thought they'd test basics and train the rest, but things have changed. They said they'd reply by end of day or next day. My friends said not to worry, that 'the more you know, the more they ask'. A few hours later, I got an email saying they hired someone else. I'm confused because I thought I was a good fit, with experience, a degree, and willingness to learn. I thought they were hiring a lot due to expansion, and I don't know why I didn't get it. The process felt unorganized and inconsistent. I guess it's just luck.

I applied and got an email the next business day to schedule an interview. It was two days later, and I got a link to study HostGator training materials. The interview was a verbal test on websites, email, customer service, FTP, cPanel, WHM, and File Manager. They mentioned showing personality is good and it's okay to say you don't know something. Three days after the interview, I got an offer letter with my pay and start date. I had to call to accept the offer to move forward. While waiting for my start date, I got an email with first-day instructions, benefits info, and a pre-class study sheet.