VMware Interview Questions

VMware is a top global tech company specializing in cloud infrastructure and business mobility. Known for their cutting-edge virtualization technology, VMware operates with a highly skilled and accomplished workforce dedicated to building products and solutions that power the hybrid cloud.

At VMWare, employees broaden their skill base with various specializations like new CPU feature enablement, confidential computing, monitor architecture, hardware accelerators, and more. As such, these topics are typically covered in the company’s interviews.

In this article, we’ll discuss the structure of VMWare’s interview process and common questions you may encounter at different stages.

The interview process at VMware is structured to thoroughly evaluate candidates in order to ensure a mutual fit for both the company and the applicant. Here’s a breakdown of the process based on insights from Glassdoor:

1. Preliminary Screening

The first stage often involves a conversation with a recruiter or HR representative to learn more about a candidate’s background, goals, and their alignment with VMware’s values. Expect questions about your resume, past projects, and reasons for considering VMware as a potential employer.

2. Technical Evaluation

As a tech-driven company, VMware places significant emphasis on assessing the technical abilities of its candidates. Depending on the role, this could involve coding tests, system design questions, or a deep dive into specific technologies. It’s crucial to be well-prepared and demonstrate your expertise in relevant areas.

3. Team Interviews

This phase typically consists of multiple rounds where candidates meet various team members, ranging from potential peers to senior leadership. The discussions involve a mix of technical, behavioral, and situational questions. It’s an opportunity for both sides to gauge the fit and understand the dynamics of working together.

Quick Tips for VMware Interviews

• Understand the product: VMware is a global leader in cloud infrastructure and digital workspace technology. Dive deep into their product suite and understand how they’re shaping the future of digital businesses.
• Highlight problem-solving skills: VMware values individuals who can think critically and develop innovative solutions. Be ready to discuss challenges you’ve faced and how you overcame them.
• Focus on cultural fit: The company has a distinct culture that emphasizes innovation, collaboration, and customer service. Showcase experiences where you’ve exemplified these values in your professional journey.

As a company that delivers and streamlines cloud services like virtualization and storage, VMWare wants employees who excel in algorithms in order to build efficient and scalable systems. Some questions you can use to prepare for these interview topics include:

1. Find the number of possible paths to move from one corner of a grid to another.

Given an integer $n$, write a function traverse_count to determine the number of paths from the top left corner of an $n \times n$ grid to the bottom right. You may only move right or down.

2. Design three classes based on specific functionalities.

You are tasked to implement three classes, text_editor, moving_text_editor, and smart_text_editor, based on the following functionalities:

• write_line(string:str): A method that appends a given string to the end of the existing string.
• delete_line(char_num : int): A method that deletes char_num number of characters from the existing string, starting from the end. If there are no characters left, the method should do nothing.
• get_notes(): A method that returns the internal string.
• special_operation(): A method that does nothing with text_editor, but must be overridden with moving_text_editor to change the string’s appending location. With smart_text_editor, this method serves as an undo operation.

3. How would you determine if a function is a valid binary search tree?

Given the root of a binary tree, you need to determine if it is a valid binary search tree (BST).

A valid BST is defined as follows:

• The left subtree of a node contains only nodes with values less than or equal to the node’s value.
• The right subtree of a node contains only nodes with values greater than or equal to the node’s value.
• Both the left and right subtrees must also be binary search trees.

Given the function def is_valid_bst(node: dict) -> bool:, which takes in a dict representing a Node, return True if the binary tree is a valid BST. Otherwise, return False.

To practice Coding and Algorithms interview questions, use the Python learning path and the full list of Coding and Algorithms questions in our database.

SQL and databases, while not as commonly asked compared to algorithms and networking questions, remain an essential topic for VMWare’s interview process.

Some questions to practice with include:

4. How would you find the total number of stays booked during a specific interval?

Let’s say we have a table that represents vacation bookings. Write a query that returns columns representing the total number of bookings in the last 90 days, the last 365 days, and overall.

Note: You may assume that today is the 1st of January 2022.

5. Write a query to determine which employees are at risk of leaving the company.

Let’s say you’re working in HR at a major tech company, and they ask you to find employees with a high probability of leaving the company. They tell you these employees perform well but have the lowest pay.

Given two tables, employees and projects, find the five lowest-paid employees who have completed at least three projects.

Note: We consider projects to be completed when they have an end date, which is the same as saying their End_dt is not NULL.

6. What factors must be considered when designing data pipelines for an e-commerce company?

Let’s say you work for an e-commerce company. Vendors can send products to the company’s warehouse to be listed on the website. Users can order any in-stock products and submit returns for refunds if they’re unsatisfied. The front end of the website includes a vendor portal that provides sales data in daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly intervals.

The company wants to expand worldwide. They put you in charge of designing its end-to-end architecture, so you need to know what significant factors you’ll need to consider. What clarifying questions would you ask? What kind of end-to-end architecture would you design for this company (both for ETL and reporting)?

To practice Database interview questions, try using the SQL learning path or the full list of SQL questions in our database.

While we don’t typically offer networking interview questions at Interview Query, VMWare’s specializations underly a need for networking questions throughout their interview process. Here are some you can try for practice:

7. Describe the difference between a router and a switch. How do they function in a virtual environment like VMWare vSphere?

This question tests your knowledge of networking basics and how they translate into virtualized environments. In traditional networks, routers work at the network layer (Layer 3) of the OSI model to connect different networks and direct network traffic between them. Switches, on the other hand, work at the data link layer (Layer 2) to connect devices within the same network segment. In VMWare vSphere, virtual switches (vSwitches) and distributed switches connect VMs to both the physical network and each other.

8. Explain the importance of VMWare NSX and how it’s used. How does it improve network performance and security in virtualized environments?

VMWare NSX is a virtual networking and security software. It plays a variety of roles in virtualized environments through logical routing, firewalling, load balancing, and VPN.

In this question, you should highlight your knowledge about software-defined networking solutions provided by VMWare and how they can be beneficial in terms of flexibility, scalability, and security.

9. How would you design a network for a hybrid cloud setup with VMWare vCloud and a public cloud provider? What are some of the implications you have to consider?

Hybrid cloud setups are becoming more popular as they combine the best of both worlds: the flexibility and scalability of public clouds with the control and security of private clouds. Here, candidates are assessed on their ability to design complex network architectures while considering security concerns associated with hybrid cloud environments.

VMWare’s range of server solutions and their deep integration with Linux means that these two areas are inseparable for many enterprise applications. VMWare’s virtualization solutions on Linux servers allow for dynamic, scalable, and secure environments. Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate extensive experience and knowledge in both areas.

10. Explain the role of VMWare vSphere in managing Linux servers within a large enterprise setup. How does it aid in automation and scalability?

vSphere is VMWare’s cloud computing virtualization platform. Your explanation should describe how vSphere interfaces with Linux servers– facilitating seamless virtualization, automation of tasks, and scaling operations based on demand. A well-rounded answer should also highlight features like Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) and vMotion, and how they optimize resource usage and manage VM migrations, respectively.

11. Describe the process of setting up a VMWare virtualized Linux server cluster. What are some key considerations in terms of storage, networking, and failover strategies?

Clustering is essential for high availability and disaster recovery. This question delves into your experience setting up and managing server clusters, especially in a virtualized environment. While explaining the setup process, emphasize challenges like shared storage configuration, network redundancy, and ensuring quick failovers.

12. How would you optimize a Linux-based VMWare server for high-performance applications? Discuss both hardware and software considerations.

Optimization is a critical part of ensuring that applications run efficiently. The interviewer is trying to gauge your experience with setting up a Linux server that hosts high-performance applications in a VMWare environment. Points you could cover include the choice of hardware components (like SSDs over HDDs, server-grade CPUs), software configurations (like properly allocating vCPUs and memory), and keeping the Linux OS lean and secure.

When preparing answers to these questions, it’s helpful to draw from real-world experiences and scenarios when possible. Demonstrating a strong grasp of VMWare’s integration with Linux servers, backed by practical insights, can make a significant difference in the interview.

Every company emphasizes cultural fit, especially for an organization as large and diverse as VMWare. This stage of the process evaluates a candidate’s alignment with company values and how well they’ll adapt to the work environment.

13. Describe a time when you had to adapt to significant changes in your work environment. How did you handle it, and what was the outcome?

This question is designed to assess your adaptability and resilience. VMWare, like all tech companies, is in a constantly evolving industry, and employees often have to adapt to new technologies, processes, or even teams.

14. How would you handle disagreements or conflicts within your team, especially when you believe that your solution is the right one?

This question looks at your overall communication skills and how well you can manage under stress. The aim is not just to see if you can stand up for your beliefs, but also if you can do so while remaining respectful and collaborative.

15. What attracts you to VMWare’s culture, and how would you contribute to it?

This is a classic fit question. The interviewer is trying to see if you’ve done your homework to learn more about the company’s values. Researching a solid answer to this question is just as important as preparing for the technical stages of the process.

Tailor your answer to highlight your passion for the role and the company. Draw on your background, previous projects, and personal values.

Practice for the VMware interview with these recently asked interview questions.