I expect a Sr Engineer Candidate to have dabbled in the language/framework before applying for a position. If you haven't put forth the effort of playing with t

I expect a Sr Engineer Candidate to have dabbled in the language/framework before applying for a position. If you haven't put forth the effort of playing with the technology beforehand, ESPECIALLY with such a popular framework, I don't even see your resume... I've asked our recruiters to not bother. Same with 'Web Scale'. There are SO MANY different ways to gain experience with maintaining high-volume sites. You can generate the load yourself, you can volunteer for your favorite non-profit, you can find a startup that is facing these problems and needs cheap labor. A Sr. Engineer sees problems to solve, and finds creative solutions. Lack of experience in a specific realm is one of those problems.