Mainframe Interview Questions CICS,COBOL,JCL ,DB2,IMS

akshathan · New User Joined: 18 Aug 2006 Posts: 45

Hello,
I was working on mainframe for quite a while and had to shift my technology to suite my job. I am planning to shift to mainframes again and was looking for a single document which could cover interview questions for all the mainframe topics. I have seen individual threads which has handful of questions for a certain topic but could not find anything consolidated. I did download one such document from this website in 2011 however i have misplaced that document and unable to find it. I did search the forum with no luck.

Apologies if this a repeated post. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Akshatha

Gary Jacek · Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2017 5:51 am

Let me be a bit cynical here.

If you spend your time studying interview questions, then you are perpetrating a lie to your potential employer.

On the other hand, if you know one or a few technologies very well, you can answer virtually any question posed about them.

If you freely admit that you don't know some other product but are itching for the chance to learn it, that potential employer may recognize both honesty and initiative. If they don't, perhaps you don't want to work there because they can neither recognize nor reward honesty and initiative.

We recently interviewed a candidate who demonstrated to our SMEs that she knew enough about DB2 and SMPE to get the job done. But she impressed us even more because she wanted to learn CICS, IMS and/or MQ to broaden her scope. In a field of about 20 candidates she stood out for this reason. For us, someone who can know a couple of technologies well and stay afloat across a few others is golden.

Yes, she got the job and is working out very well.

akshathan · New User Joined: 18 Aug 2006 Posts: 45

Hi Gary,

Thanks for your response. I have been working on Mainframes for more than 8 years. As i mentioned in my last post I had to shift my technology due to my current job and was not working on Mainframe for almost 6 months. I just wanted to brush up so was looking for the document which i referred in past.

I totally agree with you that we should not lie and I am not

RahulG31 · Active User Joined: 20 Dec 2014 Posts: 446 Location: USA

I would hate to disagree with Gary.

Honesty is Not always rewarded. Do you think the world is a fair place?

A few years ago, I was interviewed for a Mainframe developer opening with COBOL, DB2, JCL skills. I was selected and when I joined the new organization, I was forced to work on PL/1, IMS DB/DC. I had left my earlier job, didn't have any other offer to go to. So, what do you say, the organization lied to me when they said they had a COBOL developer opening? If organizations can lie, whey can't a candidate?

I have seen people getting selected in organizations when they lied about working with CICS (I absolutely knew that they haven't worked on CICS) but they were handsomely rewarded.

Telling a lie is Not a crime unless you are under oath. If you can, get some tips from our politicians.

.

Terry Heinze · Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 8:08 pm

Rohit Umarjikar · Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 8:59 pm

akshathan, PM me your email id, I would share some docs that I have used it in past.

Gary Jacek · Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 10:05 pm

Sorry to hear your story RahulG31.

Sometimes business priorities shift like tectonic plates under the feet of hiring managers. So the truth they told in the interview does not match the business needs when you report for work.

As it happens I am a PLI bigot. I'd take PLI over COBOL anytime.
And I've been working with IMS DB/TM in various capacities for my entire career. It pays the bills. So do COBOL, DB2, MQ, NATURAL, ADABAS, C, RPG...etc.

One final note on politics. This word originates from the Greek word "poly" meaning many, and "tics" -- blood sucking parasites.